Sistas, Let's Talk

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...

It’s hard to think of anything more exciting but also nerve wracking than being pregnant for the first time.   Each stage is a new experience and a lesson in letting go of plans and control, and just trying to go along with what life delivers.  Every woman is different and so is every pregnancy.  This week on Sistas Let’s Talk, Natasha Meten explores first time pregnancy with a woman who’s experie...

Fiji has the world's fastest growing rate of HIV transmission and it's not only high-risk groups being impacted.   Babies are being born with HIV through a process now called vertical transmission - where they get it during pregnancy or birth or breastfeeding.  However, vertical transmission is very avoidable.   The key is getting tested early and getting that lifesaving treatment, but to do that,...

Gender-based violence is happening throughout the Pacific but one thing that seems to be changing is how people react when they see it.  While some people still stand by, afraid to get involved, others are speaking up and saying the violence is unacceptable.  So how can you be a positive bystander without risking your own safety?  Sistas Let’s Talk speaks to three women about stepping in and defen...

Gender‑based violence remains a major issue across the Pacific, and while crisis support services exist, long‑term trauma care for survivors varies widely.  So what happens after the immediate danger has passed? What does effective, culturally informed trauma support look like in places where health services are stretched? And how should care change to meet the needs of survivors from different ba...

What does it mean to have a best friend?   For Vaimo'oi'a Ripley and Julia Meredith it has meant having someone to laugh with, make mischief with and someone to turn to in the absolute best and worst moments of life.   The pair have been best friends since primary school in Samoa and while they no longer live in the same city, they always know how to pick up where they left off.   This week on Sis...

While there’s no shortage of Pacific women in sport, the arts and business to look up to, what about women in science?  Globally, women make up less than a third of the STEM workforce, and Pacific women are even more underrepresented. Yet many are leading groundbreaking research that’s improving the health and wellbeing of their communities.  In this episode of Sistas Let’s Talk, Natasha Meten spe...

Music and singing weave through everyday life across the Pacific, shaping our stories, celebrations and connections. For many, it’s more than just an expression; it's a source of joy.   But what is it about lifting our voice in song that makes us feel so good?   On Sistas Let’s Talk, Natasha Meten sits down with Papua New Guinean-Australian opera singer Heru Pinkasova and choir director and ethnom...

People in the Pacific are raising the alarm about elder abuse in the region.  Worldwide one in six people over 60 have been abused, according to startling statistics from the World Health organisation.  In Fiji last year, around 2000 cases of abuse were reported to the police, including physical, emotional and financial abuse.  On Sistas Let’s Talk Natasha Meten spoke to three women trying to comb...

When the average woman stretches her income across food, bills, and family responsibilities, is there anything left to save for the future?  Across the Pacific region, organisations are proving the answer can be “yes”. With the right tools and a little financial literacy, women are learning how to grow their savings, build confidence and take control of their financial independence.  On Sistas Let...

You've probably heard of post-natal depression, but it’s just one of several mental illnesses that can affect women during or after pregnancy.  Depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder and even psychosis can affect women at what should be one of the happiest times of their life.  And in the Pacific, stigma and a lack of services can stop women from getting the help they need.  On Sistas...

Getting vaccinated is a simple step that prevents illnesses like measles, polio-virus and even cervical cancer. But in parts of the Pacific, not everyone is able or willing to access vaccines.  Whether it's combating hesitation or limited access, health authorities are working hard to vaccinate as many people in the Pacific for as many preventable diseases as possible.  What can women do to suppor...

Community and family are two of the most universal values in the Pacific, so it's almost impossible to imagine that anyone could feel lonely.   However, people can be surrounded by family and still feel a sense of loneliness, and with so many people moving overseas or to the city for work, not everyone has family around anymore.   So what should you do if you feel lonely, and if it goes on for too...

Somewhere in the world, a girl is married every three seconds. The rates vary in the Pacific, however in Papua New Guinea 27 per cent of women aged 20 to 24 were married before they turned 18. And in some countries, like Solomon Islands, the legal age of marriage is 15 with parental or judicial consent.   The organisation Girls Not Brides works around the world to put an end to child marriages. It...

The rate of women who die during childbirth is alarmingly high in parts of the Pacific.   According to World Population Review, the rate of maternal mortality in Papua New Guinea is 192 deaths in every 100,000 live births.   That’s compared with a country like Australia, which is just three in every 100,000 births.  The reasons for these deaths vary from geographic barriers and lack of medical ser...