AUCKLAND'S MAYOR-IN-WAITING 'MY WIFE SAVED MY LIFE!'

A frontrunner in the upcoming election, Efeso Collins reveals how his beloved family has rescued him from struggles with his mental and physical health

- Florence Hartigan

When Fa'anānā Efeso Collins announced in January that he'd be running for Mayor of Auckland City - a role regularly described as the second most important job in New Zealand - it was after seeking advice from his most trusted team members: his wife and daughters.

"This is a decision we've made as a family," the Labour and Green-endorsed candidate says. “We feel it's a way of contributing back to a city that has given so much to us."

If elected, 47-year-old Efeso, who is of Samoan and Tokelauan descent, will be the first-ever Pasifika mayor of the largest city in Polynesia and his family is behind him every step of the way.

The Auckland councillor lives in Otāhuhu with his wife Fia, 38, a diversity and inclusion specialist, and their daughters Kaperiela, nine, and Asalemo, two. Married for 11 years, the couple met at the University of Auckland, where Efeso earned an MA and was elected president of the student association, despite having once been told by a teacher he'd be lucky to even make it to tertiary education.

It was 2004 and Efeso was running youth-mentoring programmes when Fia, who was studying education, signed up as a mentor to encourage students at low-decile high schools to attend university. Though it would be a couple of years until they began dating, the two were drawn to each other as they were both from Samoan immigrant families and were passionate about uplifting their people.

"I found myself in his office quite a bit," smiles Fia. “I was attracted to his energy and passion to serve our Pacific communities. I was really impressed by his selflessness."

And Fia - who carries the Samoan tulafale chiefly title of Vasa from the village of Puapua on Savai'i - also made an impression on Efeso. He even learned how to referee netball to impress her!