Sistas, Let's Talk

What motivates a person to tell the stories of everyday people in their community?   A passion for writing combined with the advice of her late father motivated Haitelenisia Afemui 'Uhila Angilau (Sia) to start the Facebook page Ordinary Tongan Lives.   When he was alive her father had said when she feels self-pity or sadness she should go out and serve others.  Instead of focusing on Tonga’s high...

When big environmental events happen in the Pacific, who tells the important stories?   In Vanuatu, it’s Tiffany Baldwin.  A climate change reporter for Vanuatu Broadcasting Television Corporation, Tiffany is passionate about environmental journalism.  She's been telling these stories through El Niño and cyclones, even when her own family is dealing with the fallout from disaster.   Tiffany speaks...

For more than 40 years, Waso Mathews has been the person others turn to for support.   From her childhood in Rabaul, Papua New Guinea, to her life as a respected chef and community leader in South Australia, she has spent decades helping families build new lives, creating connections across cultures, and championing the wellbeing of her fellow Wantoks.  Waso has done everything from bringing comfo...

When the Bougainville conflict erupted in 1988, Rose Pihei was living away from her village on the south of the island. After the conflict – which led to killed 20000 people and saw many more displaced – Rose saw the crucial role women played in rebuilding their communities. Inspired to create lasting change, she co-founded the Bougainville Women's Federation, empowering women and fostering peace...

How do you improve communication in Pacific families with the aim of preventing domestic violence?   Carol Kuisma and her daughter Jessica are Tongan women living in Australia. They have developed a set of cards aimed at starting conversations and encouraging healthy, non-violent relationships.   The idea was born out of what they saw in their social services jobs as an obvious need for more Pasif...

For Indonesian human rights lawyer and activist Veronica Koman, exile from her home country isn't enough to stop her from speaking out about Indonesia's rule over West Papua.  Veronica received a humanitarian award for her activism and she's used it as another chance to continue advocating for West Papua.  So what makes this remarkable woman tick?  Veronica speaks to Natasha Meten from Sistas Let'...

Matilda Sweman thinks deeply about education. Particularly for girls in Papua New Guinea. That's because she went to school just after her country gained independence, at a time when very few girls were being educated. She went on to become a primary school teacher in the East Sepik region for almost two decades, and now she's an author and a lecturer in teaching at the Papua New Guinea Education...

For arts scholar and curator, Aunty Sana Reana Balai, living as part of the Pacific Island diaspora in Australia offered her new opportunities – and challenges. Carving out a new life abroad where she rarely saw other Pacific Islanders, Aunty shares stories on how she kept herself grounded and connected to culture, whilst removed from her beloved homeland of Buka Island, in Bougainville. And how h...

Understanding autism, ADHD and other neurodivergent conditions for kids in the Pacific can be a challenge for parents and their wider communities.   These conditions are on a spectrum, meaning symptoms vary from mild to severe depending on the individual and the challenges they face.   Children who can’t read social cues or become overwhelmed by their surroundings can be mistaken for being naughty...

Many women across the Pacific would not necessarily call themselves a matriarch.   But their children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews or community might.   A matriarch is often the eldest daughter. The person everyone turns to. The one who holds the family together, carries traditions, settles disputes and offers wisdom when it's needed most.   So what does it mean to be seen as a matriarch, what...

Love doesn't follow rules or boundaries.  In a diverse society, it often brings together people from different cultural backgrounds, creating relationships that can be as enriching as they are complex.  On Sistas Let's Talk, Natasha Meten explores the shared sense of connection, respect and belonging that couples have despite their cultural differences.   She speaks to Pauline Dorney from Papua Ne...

For many Pacific women, their 40s and 50s can be a transformative time marked by wisdom, confidence and self-discovery.  With lived experience comes a clearer understanding of what truly matters, bringing fresh perspectives on relationships, health, family and identity.  On Sistas Let’s Talk Natasha Meten speaks with three women about the realities of midlife – what excites them, what challenges t...

For many Pacific women, traditional dishes are more than just food, they are a connection to family, culture and identity.  From island trevally to oka to the classic chop suey, Sistas Let’s Talk is celebrating the traditional Pacific dishes that our guests have been making since childhood.   Natasha Meten speaks to Aunty Rangi Mitaera-Johnson from Cook Islands and Tongan-born 'Ana Seini Ma'ilei S...

Turning 30 can feel like standing at a crossroads, caught between who you were and who you want to become.    In this episode of Sistas Let's Talk, three Papua New Guinean women reflect on life in their 30s, sharing candid stories career ambitions, family responsibilities, self-discovery and the realities of adulthood.   From learning to let go of the need for external validation to embracing fail...

Sistas Let’s Talk usually celebrates remarkable women from across the Pacific, but this NAIDOC Week, the focus turns to one of Australia’s most respected Aboriginal elders. Natasha Meten sits down with Bidjara and Birri Gubba Juru woman Professor Jackie Huggins, an historian, author and lifelong advocate for Indigenous rights. As a child, Jackie questioned why her people’s history was left out of...

The transition to adulthood is an exciting time of life, shaped by both opportunity and expectation.   From planning careers to taking on new responsibilities, life in your 20s can bring big changes and challenges.  On Sistas Let’s Talk, Natasha Meten meets three women navigating this journey, exploring what they’ve achieved, their hopes for the future, and how cultural expectations have evolved s...

Theonila Roka Matbob grew up surrounded by the toxic legacy of Panguna mine in central Bougainville.   Now a politician and human rights advocate, she refused to accept the damage left behind. Mobilising her community, Theonila took on mining giant Rio Tinto – and won.    Her campaign has earned her global recognition, including the the 2026 Goldman Environmental Prize.  In this episode of Sistas...

Adoption in the Pacific is very different from the way it’s done in other countries.   If children aren’t being raised by their birth parents, there are aunties, uncles or grandparents who will take them in.   But for Pacific kids in the diaspora, adoption can go several ways.   There are cultural adoptions, or a child may be adopted in line with the policies of the country – like New Zealand, Aus...

For many communities across the Pacific, the impact of Cyclone Maila is still being felt long after the winds and rain have passed.  At least 25 people lost their lives, but behind that number are families trying to rebuild - and women carrying much of the recovery on their shoulders.  Sistas, Let’s Talk meets the women on the frontlines of recovery.  In the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, Susi...

Relationships are full of ups and downs but if you don’t want to break up, how do you bring your relationship back from the brink?  This week Sistas Let’s Talk explores the ways women across the Pacific have saved their relationships by facing up to difficult conversations, seeking counselling and even turning to an agony aunt.   Natasha Meten speaks to Elsie Molou, a listener from Vanuatu who has...

Colourism is part of everyday life for some Pacific Islanders. From being told you’re too dark for a photo to seeing lighter-skinned kids picked first for school teams, it shapes how people are treated, privileging some while others face exclusion or bullying.  This week on Sistas Let’s Talk, Natasha Meten speaks with two women about the impact of colourism and its roots in colonialism.   We hear...

Five years ago, Sistas Let's Talk began as a space for Pacific Island women to talk honestly about their lives.   The joys, the struggles, the things they celebrate and the things they’re too often told not to say out loud.   To mark this milestone, hosts Natasha Meten and Hilda Wayne go on a trip down memory lane to revisit some of the moments and episodes that serve as a reminder why Sistas Let’...

HIV rates in Fiji and Papua New Guinea are soaring but the message about safe sex doesn’t seem to be getting through to a lot of men in the Pacific.  Condoms are one of the most effective ways of preventing HIV and other sexually transmitted infections.  But many women in the Pacific are finding their sexual partners don’t want to use a condom.  Women report being accused of promiscuity, face inti...

Polygamy is illegal in Papua New Guinea, but in practice it remains widespread—and is growing.  Prime Minister James Marape has announced plans to strengthen the ban as part of a broader national effort to protect women, strengthen families, and restore respect for mothers and daughters across the country.  Will the ban work? And how might it empower women in polygamous relationships to fight for...

The drug crisis across the Pacific is dominating our headlines.   Countries like Fiji and Tonga have become gateways for moving drugs between Asia or the Americas to Australia and New Zealand.   Some of these drugs end up on the streets in the Pacific, and for women and girls there's a secondary impact beyond that of addiction.  Some are experiencing gender-based violence and family breakdown or e...