The Moanan

In this episode, we're joined by Dr Logan Hamley and Saffron Stanley, researchers from Whakaue Research, a Māori research centre. They share insights from their research into how young people are choosing to connect with their cultural identity, challenging some of the assumptions we hold about what cultural connection looks like and what it means to belong. While the conversation is centred...

We're excited to share that we're releasing a mini series on YouTube!   Hosted by the amazing Allyssa Verner-Pula, this series explores what it means to be from Oceania in an ever-changing world, unpacking ideas of authenticity, success, belonging and diversity. From wayfinding and the vā to Indigenous knowledge and environmental stewardship, we explore why our perspectives are not just...

In this episode, we talk about the history and evolution of Māori art over time — what it reveals about Indigenous thought, identity and ways of understanding the world, and why Māori art matters in Aotearoa and beyond today. To unpack this, we're joined by Professor Deidre Brown (Ngāpuhi, Ngāti Kahu) who is a leading Māori art and architectural historian and Professor of Architecture at Waip...

In this weeks episode, we're joined by Rachelle Houtman & Reïnda Hully— two third-generation Moluccans sharing their experiences connecting with their heritage.  Reïnda is completing his PhD in ethnomusicology, while Rachelle is an anthropologist. Both are part of a growing generation of young Pacific peoples around the world who are reconnecting with their heritage, strengthening their c...

For a people living thousands of kilometres from their ancestral homeland, what does it mean to stay connected? And how are those connections sustained across generations? In this episode, we explore the history of the Moluccan community in the Netherlands and how a thriving diaspora of more than 70,000 people continues to nurture deep ties to the Moluccan Islands. We also discuss how many Molucca...

There are 3000 Papuans in the Netherlands. Some who are now a part of the third-fourth generation migrants.  In this episode, cultural historian and researcher Nancy Jouwe explores the history of the West Papuan community in the Netherlands, tracing the colonial and political circumstances that shaped their migration and diaspora. We discuss how West Papuans have maintained their cultural identity...

In this welcome back episode, Laki and Gen catch up on a big year of travel, learning, and growth, both personally and for The Moanan. From the Solomon Islands, Palau, Fiji, Samoa, and Australia, to WIPCE here in Tāmaki Makaurau, they reflect on what being on the ground across the region actually taught them — including hard lessons about knowledge protocols, indigenous hierarchy, and the gap betw...

Episode Overview In this episode, we explore indigenous approaches to behavioural health, the power of faith and culture in healing, and how Micronesian communities are navigating contemporary mental health challenges. From addressing youth suicide to reframing Western models through indigenous wisdom, we ask: what does it look like when local knowledge leads the way in community wellbeing? About...

Between the 1960s and 1990s, 193 nuclear explosions were conducted in Māohi Nui (French Polynesia) by France. In our latest episode with researcher & environmental justice advocate Vehia Wheeler (Māohi Nui) we explore the history of these explosions and the lasting effects our region. We also talk about the challenges of connecting our English-speaking and French-speaking islands with one anot...

We're joined by Lefaoali'i Dr Dion Enari - an Associate Professor from Unitec Institute of Technology, matai (chief) and sogaimiti (wearer of the Samoan tatau). In this episode he shares his research insights on the experiences of diasporic communities and highlights the tensions of fa'alavelave (giving), knowledge gate keepers and weighs in on the debate of who should be 'wort...

We are releasing our final Flags of the Moana tshirt drop! Listen in to see how you can win yourself a free tee 😉 tshirts will be available via themoanan.com Dr Zaramasina Clark is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Biological Sciences at Te Herenga Waka Victoria University of Wellington in Aotearoa New Zealand. She is of Tongan descent and was raised in Fiji. She speaks to her experiences growin...

Asetoa Sam Pilisi is a community leader and current PhD Candidate of Niuean and Samoan descent. He has done youth work and community work for many years in Auckland, New Zealand and Western Sydney, Australia - particularly with Pacific youth. He currently is completing a PhD in Public Health at the University of Auckland focussing on wellbeing, burnout, duty, service and collectivism in the local...

We'd love to hear from you - we have a talanoa episode coming up! Send us your written or voice recorded messages via email or instagram for us to discuss on an episode. Send those through before the end of March.  In this episode we have Vaitoa Teaiwa Mallon (Banaba, Kiribati, Samoa, Irish) & Hele Christopher-Ikimotu (Banaba, Kiribati, Niue) who shed light on the history and current real...

We’d love to hear from you – we have a talanoa episode coming up! Send us your written or voice recorded messages via email or instagram for us to discuss on an episode. Please submit before the end of March 2025.  Innez Haua PhD is a Māori scholar based at Macqurie University in Sydney, Australia. With hundreds of thousands of Māori living in Australia, Haua researches how her people connect to t...

We’d love to hear from you – we have a talanoa episode coming up! Send us your written or voice recorded messages via email or instagram for us to discuss on an episode. Please submit before the end of March 2025.  Dr Sam Manuela (Cook Islands) is a senior lecturer in the School of Psychology at Waipapa Taumata Rau University of Auckland in Aotearoa New Zealand who is well known in the field for h...

We’d love to hear from you! We have a talanoa episode coming up! Send us your written or voice recorded messages via email or instagram for us to discuss on an episode. Please submit before the end of March 2025.  Reverend Billy Wetewea is an indigenous Kanak leader based in Kanaky New Caledonia 🇳🇨 on a mission to spread awareness about what is happening in his homelands. Kanaky has been home to i...

Is University still the pathway to prosperity for our communities? How are Indigenous knowledges valued within Western Universities?  Bula vinaka!  In this episode we are joined by Associate Professor Sereana Naepi, a Fijian researcher and lecturer in Aotearoa, New Zealand. We chat about the Indigenous experience at University's, how Indigenous knowledge is (or isn't) valued in Western e...

Leali’ifano Prof. Albert Refiti is a Samoan academic whose work spans multiple disciplines. Originally trained in contemporary architecture, his recent work has been in Pacific Indigenous concepts and theories such as vā.  In this episode we talanoa about his work relating to vā/wa, differences between the diasporic and communities in the islands as well as the future of Pacific thought. Send us F...

Prof. Jioji Ravulo, a Fijian researcher, shares insights on supporting Pacific communities in Australia. His work covers mental health, substance use, youth engagement, and decolonial approaches to education and society, emphasizing culturally informed solutions to modern challenges. Send us Fan Mail The Moanan is a Pacific-lef social enterprise based in Auckland, Aotearoa. We're building a g...

What do our ancestral connections mean for us today?  In this EP we chat with Dr Emalani Case a Kanaka Maoli academic, activist, teacher, and writer. She shares with us her interpretation of Kahiki the ancestral homeland of Kanaka Maoli and what it means to have love for home. We talk about what it means to be Indigenous today away from home and often on the land of other Indigenous Moanans. She a...

We're excited to share Szn 2 with you!  This a little introduction of what to expect this season.  Send us Fan Mail The Moanan is a Pacific-lef social enterprise based in Auckland, Aotearoa. We're building a global community of thinkers, creatives, and change-makers rooted in Oceania. Whether you're from the islands or just island-curious, join our community: Website: themoanan.com...

Final episode for our Moanan Abroad series! This week we have Kahu Kaiha – a Tama Enana community leader, artist, cultural practitioner and polyglot (fluent in Eo Enana, Reo Tahiti, French and English) from the Marquesas Islands (Te Henua Enana). We cover many topics from French Polynesia to the Tapu System, Marquesean tattooing known as Patutiki, connections between the Marquesas and other nation...

What do our megalithic monuments and artefacts tell us about our past? How might these inform our present?  We're joined by Elijah Lemusuifeauali'i an academic, educator, community connector and traditional carver. In this episode he shares insight into some of the megalithic monuments & artefacts of the Moana and some of his work on Pacific identities in the diaspora. While his ance...

What does it mean to wear the tattoos/markings of your culture? What, if any, are the responsibilities to these markings? Why was Tongan tattooing lost? In this episode we talanoa (talk) with Tongan tufunga tātatau (tattoo artist) Su'a Suluape Aisea Toetu'u about the history of the Tongan tātatau, its significance in pre-Chrisitan Tongan society and his efforts in reviving this art of ta...

EP06 with Mike Tavioni   A master carver, multidisciplinary artist & knowledge holder, Papa Mike shares his knowledge & insight into our ancestral origins, culture, language. He offers wisdom in reminding us of that sometimes change within our cultures & languages signify that they are alive.  Send us Fan Mail The Moanan is a Pacific-lef social enterprise based in Auckland, Aotearoa. W...