A 1982 BYU-Hawaii graduate and his wife recently came back to campus on their 25th wedding anniversary and shared insights into their decision to return to New Zealand after being away for more than a decade.
Steve Keung, who was born in Auckland, New Zealand, and his wife, Cindy, came to Laie soon after they were married in 1978. He had previously served in the Christchurch New Zealand mission. They both worked at the Polynesian Cultural Center and lived in Temple View Apartments.
"We loved it, and thought we were in a palace," Sister Keung said. She attended BYU-Hawaii for one year but otherwise enjoyed how the TVA wives spent a lot of time together and raised their children together.
"I learned so much from the different cultures," she said. "It helped me to be who I am today. I think I came out just as well educated as my husband in terms of being a wife and raising a family. We were blessed to be here, and the most important thing was my husband had all the support he could get from me."
"In terms of money and material things, we never had that while we were here. But we had some of the happiest times of our lives," Sister Keung added. "Those friendships are still very precious. You can come back after all those years, and you still love each other. It's marvelous. The nurturing environment encourages you to succeed."
Keung agreed with his wife. "The eternal friendships help keep everyone on track," he said. "I also always look back at the good relationships I had with my lecturers, who helped me understand that I could achieve."
Keung added that the PCC helped him appreciate his Maori heritage. "The Church gives you the balance that's needed between culture and its place in the community and society. I learned here that we take the good parts and bind them together, so we really have the culture of Christ," he said.
After graduating from BYU-Hawaii, Keung went on to earn an M.A. in accounting from BYU in Provo, Utah, in 1984, and established a career with an international accounting firm in San Francisco.
"I remember going up to Provo and just feeling sorry for myself, that it was just too big," he said. "But I finally woke up and said to myself that I succeeded at BYU-Hawaii. What's the difference? BYU-Hawaii helped strengthen my confidence to succeed."
While living in San Francisco, Keung earned his Certified Public Accountant designation and also received a permanent resident visa. "I was only supposed to be in the Bay Area for two years," he recalled. "But after receiving our green cards, we said what are we doing here, and decided to move back to New Zealand in 1991."
"That was a good impression (to decide to return)," Keung continued. "Of course, there was an adjustment period when we went back. But my family settled down very quickly, and now, I don't think I would like to live anywhere else."
Keung worked for another international accounting firm in New Zealand, then went to work for one of his Maori-based clients. He is currently the executive business and financial officer for AIS-St. Helens, a private tertiary educational institution in Auckland. He also serves on a number of Maori trust boards.
Along with his busy career, Keung is also serving as president of the Auckland New Zealand Panmure Stake for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
"When you get years behind you and you start to look back, you see the Lord's hand in everything," Keung said.
He encourages young New Zealanders to consider a BYU-Hawaii education, "if they’re prepared to work hard."
"In New Zealand, it's very common for people to have the big 'overseas experience,'" Keung said. "In terms of being offshore, and mixing with young single adults and young married couples in the same state of being poor is a great blessing. I'm a big advocate for coming here, not only for the education, but the broader cultural experience."
"There's nothing in New Zealand that can compare with being in this kind of environment (at BYU-Hawaii)," he said.
Sister Keung added, "This is a wonderful place to be. Individuals who come here in the church environment have a better chance of making it, and developing a spiritual base."
"Everything we learned at BYU-Hawaii helped shape who we are today, and made a wonderful donation to both of us and our family," Keung said. "We had opportunities to go to school, raise a family, and serve in church — all these things wrapped up in one place. We were tutored well, and I wouldn't change one thing, even if we had it all to do over again."