Toby's seafood work uniform

This is a work uniform worn by Elisapeta Fononga at her part time job as a cashier at Toby's Seafood, a fish and chip shop in Auckland, New Zealand.

Project 83: Small things matter

Elisapeta participated in the 2017 co-collecting initiative Pikipiki hama kae vaevae manava: joining our vaka to share our breath or life stories. Working with members of the Tongan community in Tamaki Auckland, Elisapeta participated as part of a Year 13 Tongan language class from Sir Edmund Hillary Collegiate in Otara. We held a two-day training workshop with the class that aimed to demonstrate how collections and the museum can be meaningful spaces where their lives and experiences are valued, including contemporary teenage life.　

As part of the sessions we encouraged the students to come up with a project name for this youth-focussed collecting that they would be undertaking - Project 83: Small things matter.　

This was an opportunity to represent themselves and counter the stereotypical representations of their home town of Otara. The number '83' represents their school 'Hilary Collegiate' taken from the position of the letters 'H' and 'C' in the alphabet. The name reflects the experiences and values they share as 'Proud Otarians'. The second half of the title is 'small things matter' inspired by the story of a small shell in our collections. This tag line represents their collective agreement as a class to commit to this opportunity, and share what matters to them, regardless of how insignificant they may appear to others.

Significance:

This uniform was Elisapeta's uniform at her part time job where she worked for over three years and on most weekends. In her own words, Elisapeta says that this uniform represents

"my journey and experience of having a part time job and also the challenges that I've overcome. I've been working as a cashier at Toby's Seafood for almost 4 years. Growing up and seeing my parents struggling with finance to provide for our family was what motivated me to work....The challenges I faced while working and studying at the same time was the sacrifice I had to make.... I knew that this would be difficult for myself but this was the only way I could help my parents’ struggles and needs" (July, 2017).

Reflecting on her time in this job, Elisapeta acknowledges the skills she has gained like communication, customer service and being able to effectively manage time and prioritize tasks. Elisapeta's choice of object and her story gives us an insight into the economic challenges that many families and youth in our communities face as well the avenues of agency that are explored in response to these pressures.