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Overview
This is a pair of New Balance 1260v4 men’s road running shoes. They were worn by Vasa Tasele, who with Joe O'Neill were the first Pacific Islanders to walk the entire length of New Zealand. Walking the length of New Zealand to raise awareness of social issues and collect donations for charity was a regular occurrence in the first decades of the 21st century. It was a challenge that repeatedly captured the public’s imagination. The development of online social media enabled social activists and fundraisers to generate publicity and seek funding for their causes.
Walking the talk
Vasa and Joe undertook their Walk the Talk project to raise awareness against child abuse and raise funds for the Starship Foundation in Auckland. Their mission began in October 2012, when Vasa and Joe walked over 600kms from Auckland to Wellington. In September 2013, they completed the North Island leg of their mission by walking 400kms from Auckland to Cape Reinga. In 2014, they walked the length of the South Island beginning in Picton and finishing in Bluff. Throughout their journeys the pair received a great deal of support from the various communities they passed through. They raised $6,635.00 for Starship Foundation. Vasa donated his shoes to Te Papa at the conclusion of project. They were supplied to him by New Balance (NZ) in support of his cause.
The walkers
Vasa was born in Levi Saleimoa, Samoa and came to New Zealand with his family at the age of 13. He is from the villages of Tafitoala Safata and Levi Saleimoa in Upolu Samoa on his mother Patauave Faalupega Tasele side, and Taelefaga Fagaloa in Upolu Samoa on his father Su'a Vasa Tasele's side. Vasa attended Kelston Boys High School in Auckland and worked as a personal trainer for eight years before starting a new role as a community worker.
Joe O’Neill was born in Auckland, New Zealand to his mother Evelynn Lemusu and Edward O’Neill. Joe attended Avondale College and Graduated from Auckland University of Technology with a Bachlor of Sport and Recreation. Joe has worked as a personal trainer for six years and also has a role working for Auckland District Health Board as a Sterile Service Technician at Greenlane Hospital.