Stories From The Pacific

Neil Nuia speaks on finding the balance between living a life with responsibility while also holding passion and love for his partner, children and community who continues to strengthen, inspire and drive him.

Lily Simon and Jonathan Bia have lived completely separate lives, until now. There are two things that connect them – one being that they published the first known childrens book to be translated into three languages – Solomon Islands Sign Language, English and Pijin; and the second thing being they both belong to the deaf community in the Solomon Islands. Together, Lily and Jonathan share their story with the help of Jen Blyth to tell others about their experiences of being part of the deaf community – at times they can experience discrimination because people do not know how to communicate with them. Their hope is by sharing their story and creating more resources for people to engage with that their future communities can be more inclusive.

You probably know about the last moments of the Rainbow Warrior. But what do you know about the Greenpeace ship's last voyage before it was bombed by the French in New Zealand in 1985? Where had it come from, why was it there and what was it doing? Find out in The Last Voyage of the Rainbow Warrior.

Jamaica Moana's whānau encourage her to "keep it real". We gain private insight into her early performances and the people in her life that continue to ground and support her to this day.

Uein was lost at sea with his grandson, Temaei Tontaake for a month and two days. How did they survive? Is being lost at sea really the scariest thing someone can face - or are there things on land more worthy of fear? A decade later, Uein tells his story of survival with the help of Teaote Davies and Bobby Macumber.

Despite a rocky childhood and battling with depression and anxiety, Martha Mataele says "there is always hope".

Lisa Fa'alafi's decision to co-create theatre work that filled a gap has taken her on a wild ride across the globe. When reflecting on her journey, Lisa recognises that her art practice and work has and continues to imitate her life.

Growing up Tony used to listen to kastom stories on the radio in the Solomon Islands. These stories that he listened to as a child nurtured an interest he had for folklore, history, science and mysteries. As he went through his schooling he developed an interest in scientific research and discovered that these two spaces – telling folklore and studying science - were working towards the same goals, but in unique ways. Both of these practices were working towards making discoveries about the unknown and unveiling the mysteries of the world. Each of them had lessons to share and reflect upon. Tony’s love for scientific research and kastom stories have taken him through life and aided him in understanding the world that surrounds him and the way he and his community continue to preserve their history.

Rubina Kimiia was raised by musicians, at a young age her first music teacher - her Mother - taught her the tools to read and compose sheet music. Rubina picked up these lessons with ease and since that point her learning only continued to develop as her skill with music took her across the globe. Across her career life Rubina has had many teachers who fostered this love for music. She has discovered the power that music has to connect communities and engage in deep storytelling.

Ghenoa Gela is no stranger to being on the stage and performing in front of an audience. Born and raised on the ‘mainland’ of Australia in Rockhampton, Queensland, Ghenoa still maintains an ongoing connection back to her Torres Strait Island home and says that in her childhood, “culture was strong” despite the distance of being away from family. Ghenoa’s childhood had her surrounded by blak and brown laughter, the kind of laughter that is triggered by the little details of everyday life, the one that fills your belly and enriches the soul. But throughout her career, she has noticed that this joy has not always made its way to the big institutions where blak and brown people are often represented in the minority, not only on stage but within staffing. Ghenoa hopes through the work she and others are doing that this could change. In future dreaming, her hope is that blak and brown peoples joy and laughter can become the dominant character archetype in storytelling.

Maohi scholar and anti-nuclear testing activist, Tamatoa Tepu-i-hee-ah-ree-e (Tepuihiari’i) grew up on the island of French Polynesia, Tahiti. He had a humble childhood, playing with his family, friends and neighbours in the forest, swimming in the rivers and beaches. But something sinister had been occurring on his island for the three decades before he was born. From, 1966 to 1996 the French government undertook over 150 nuclear tests in the south-east of French Polynesia, Tahiti - despite the protests at the time. The effects of radiation exposure to the surrounding ocean, land, Indigenous Maohi people and others exposed to the area has been slow, but certainly not missed. Tamatoa tells us how this testing has affected his community, not only physically, but socially, mentally, physically and spiritually. While it may be an easier and indeed, safer, option to just leave his island and start somewhere else - away from sickness, it is not an option for Tamatoa and he along with many others are making their voices heard.

Marita Davies believes that all Kiribati people are caretakers of stories, and her recent stage play, The Flying Canoe, allowed young Kiribati children to see themselves and their community on the stage.

In school, Dion Enari was told by his guidance counsellors that his life and career would only amount to the stereotypes that had been cast upon other Pacific Islander men his age. He has since proven them wrong.

As a child Milly Grant Koria discovered she held a unique gift. These gifts allowed her to see and speak with those who have died, some of whom we refer to as our ancestors. However, Milly was not always encouraged to use this gift. Through years of the stigmatisation of spiritual healing practices of Indigenous people and what we think we understand as "black magic", she was taught to believe that these gifts were something she should fear. As the years progressed, more ancestors and teachers visited Milly and showed her how to use these gifts without fear. Today, Milly helps all those around her, from private clients to institutions like museums and even the police force in open investigations.

Koteka Wenda's childhood is full of bittersweet memories and lessons. Her early memories are of her family fleeing West Papua as political-refugees to live in exile in the safety of the United Kingdom. It was in exile where Koteka and her family discovered what it means to grow a community and continue the spreading of their message to "Free West Papua" using their abilities as mucians, educators and living witnesses to being a West Papuan in Indonesia. Koteka is now developing her own understanding of the unique position she holds as a young-exiled-woman to bring fresh perspectives and goals to the "Free West Papua" movement.

Matt Howard was excelling in his career as a paralegal in the military, but after falling in love with the storytelling tools of a camera, he risked it all to follow this new found passion. Living on the beautiful island of Pohnpei, Matt was raised by matriarchs and says his childhood was rich, full of imagery, stories and memories that should be captured for all to see. Later in his childhood, Matt's move to Hawai'i with his family revealed the uniqueness of his island home and he now uses the work in his co-founded production company, Soused Life to give people a window look into everything he loves about his home.

Danielle Morgan's singing career reached its heights following her win as the first female singer of the Pacific Break competition in 2022.

Feleti Lotulelei did not intend to be working in social work. But since working in a youth-support program he has never looked back. He shares how important it is for youth to feel supported in learning and strengthening their cultural identity as a way of feeling connected to a community. Feleti talks about how his work incorporates the values around 'it takes a village to raise a child' and 'you cannot be, what you cannot see'.

Kumu Michelle Manu teaches her students to live a life of "intentional movement". These students are learning the ancient combat martial art of Lua which was once practiced by many Hawai'ian women warriors before it went into hiding in hula dancing. By reviving this practice Kumu Michelle hopes to break the stigma that femininity could only ever mean fragility. She hopes to encourage others to bring out the warrior spirit within them, the way our ancestors did.

Graham Tipene's canvas is not limited to just paper, his skill as a Māori design specialist, extends to everything his children can see across their landscape - architecture; motorways, pathways, and the people that walk out of his moko (tattoo) skin marking studio with a 'new face'. Graham's artistry and wisdom is a reflection of the lessons of his adopted Mother and his deep-rooted connection to his community in Ōrākei, Auckland Aotearoa New Zealand. Graham is a man living a life of intention, weaving the lessons of his ancestors into his practice today for the future of not only his children but also the young ones he may never meet in his lifetime.