Stories From The Pacific

Stories From The Pacific

Home can mean many things: the eucalyptus trees and beaches of Sydney, the chaos of New York City or the warmth of family barbecues with music and food. For Mi-Kaisha, home is both a physical place and a community that raised her.  As a proud Aboriginal and Tongan artist, Mi-Kaisha's journey has taken her from family singalongs and NAIDOC celebrations to breaking barriers as the first Aboriginal s...

Imagine failing high school on purpose — not because you couldn't succeed, but as an act of protest to defend comics as a true art form. This is exactly what Samoan artist and wrestler, Michel Mulipola did. Born and raised in South Auckland, Michel turned childhood obsessions with comics and wrestling into a career that has spanned comics, wrestling collaborations, and nearly 20-years in the wrest...

For Guam filmmaker, Brian Muna, storytelling began in a dark room — watching his mother develop photographs and later holding his first camera at juts five years old. But his most personal story came decades later, with his film Chamoru: A lost language — a work exploring identity, loss and survival. Just one day before the film's national premiere, Brian's mother passed away — forever binding the...

Imagine being a teenager stuck in a hospital bed, unable to walk for two years after major surgery, staring out at a rugby field where you once dreamed of playing.  For Joji Malani, it was in this painful and isolating moment that music became a lifeline - and eventually a monument to who he is today.   From his childhood in Fiji to global stages with Australian rock band Gang of Youths and now cr...

When Rhea Moss-Christian returned to the Marshall Islands in her twenties, she carried with her questions about language, belonging, and identity. Though the islands were her birthplace, she struggled to feel truly at home in a community that was part of her heritage but felt distant.  Raised in California, Rhea often found herself caught between cultures - an outsider both abroad and in her homel...

From Fiji - with fierce pride and unapologetic style - comes Temesia Tuicaumia, a fashion designer, educator, and cultural influencer who's redefining what it means to wear your identity. Temesia is best known for his bold refusal to wear pants, choosing instead the traditional Fijian sulu, a powerful symbol of resistance against fast fashion and a celebration of heritage. But there's more to Teme...

Meet a film producer, documentary director and visual storyteller based in Auckland, New Zealand, whose work is rooted in the heart of the Pacific. Born in Vuaki village, Yasawa, from Matuku Lau and raised in Suva, Fiji, Elizabeth Koroivulaono brings powerful authenticity to the screen, capturing the lived experiences and voices of Pacific communities with deep empathy and an Indigenous lens. Her...

Melanie Kawa lives and breathes rugby union.  You may recognise her from her time playing on the field when she was captain of the Papua New Guinea Palais women's seven team or when she was representing the Melbourne Rebels. Melanie was also the first Papuan woman to ever play professional rugby in France for the Montpellier Hérault rugby club. Today she sits on the board of directors for Rugby Vi...

Born in Papua New Guinea and raised in Australia, award-winning writer and filmmaker Alana Hicks has built a career weaving resilience, humour, and identity into unforgettable stories.  From her prize-winning essay Medium Beige to her acclaimed short film Chicken, Alana reflects on growing up between two cultures, surviving moments of violence and racism, and turning those experiences into art.  I...

When Lesley Wengembo was just 10 years old, he picked up a pencil and drew a portrait of his grandfather. His grandfather looked at it and made a prediction that would shape the young Lesley's life forever. Years later, Lesley received an invitation that could have launched his career onto the world stage. He packed his bags, left Papua New Guinea and flew to Sydney. But that's when everything cha...

Monica Paulus is a human rights activist and co-founder of both the "Highlands Women Human Rights Defenders Network" and "Stop Sorcery Violence". Monica is a protector of women accused of and affected by sorcery and witchcraft accusations. Hailing from the Highlands of Papua New Guinea from the village of Aregol, Monica takes us on a journey through her life – sharing the struggles, hopes and her...

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...

Katerina Teaiwa’s family was forced from their home of Banaba in Kiribati when almost the whole population was displaced and relocated to Rabi Island in Fiji in 1945, to make way for more mining. From 1900, the UK, Australia and New Zealand mined phosphate for 80 years to use for fertiliser. Today, Katerina’s scholarly and artistic work highlights the history and current situation of Banabans, whi...

Lydia's story of her marriage with her first husband details 12 years of significant abuse, but she's using it to educate others who may be experiencing something similar.

Hina Cross was seven years old when the last of the 193 nuclear bombs was tested in French Polynesia in 1996. But she never learned about it in school.  After being diagnosed leukaemia at the age of 24, Hina began to realise the full extent of the fallout.   Now an Anti-Nuclear Activist and newly appointed Member of Parliament in Tahiti, Hina aims to unveil the country’s true history and give Poly...

Wendy Mocke, a Papua New Guinean actor, playwright and screenwriter, has spent six months hosting Stories From the Pacific.  She wraps up her time in this special send-off, reflecting on the journey by revisiting powerful moments from each guest.   Wendy shares their words of cultural wisdom and offers an intimate glimpse into lives and communities across the Pacific she asks each of them this que...

Stories From TheWhat does it mean to grow up between two worlds?  For Elvina Poki Ogil, one world is a village in Papua New Guinea, where the mountains know your name. The other is a city in Australia, where people try to define you without ever learning where you come from.  It’s this in-between space that Elvina knows well.  She’s a corporate lawyer, a podcast host, and someone who doesn’t shy a...

He's a voice heard across the Pacific airwaves each weekday morning. Jacob Simil McQuire co-hosts Radio Australia's Nesia Daily program, and he's known for his quick wit and quips. But as well as being a journalist and a broadcaster, he's a community builder. A proud Darumbal and South Sea Islander man, Jacob's the glue in so many spaces he walks through. His message? "We're still here". Wendy Moc...

Ronny Kareni was raised in Papua New Guinea, part of a generation of West Papuan families who fled across the border seeking safety. And ever since, he's used every space — on stage, in community, in policy rooms — to make sure West Papua is seen and heard. He talks about the work, the weight, and the will it takes to carry a fight that's ultimately about sovereignty, survival and the power of mus...

Mental health frameworks weren't built with us in mind. So, what happens when we build our own? In this episode, we meet Gabrielle Tor, a Melanesian clinician and researcher based in Oregon, USA. Gabrielle is challenging what care looks like, and who it's built for. We talk about what it means to decolonise psychology, why healing isn't individual, and how knowledge systems from the Pacific offer...

What happens when the body you've built your life around — your talent, your identity, your career — breaks? Before Tajhon Mailata lost his leg in a workplace accident, he lost his brother. Two life-altering blows, back-to-back — and the real test began.

For Kathy Martin, maps aren't something you find on your phone. They're inherited; passed down in the way your aunty cuts fish or says your name like it's always belonged to the land. From Piis-Paneu in Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia, Kathy grew up knowing that place wasn't just something to chart — it was something to feel. Her earliest memories are of travelling between islands like the o...

Illustrator Jaelyn Biumaiwai has spent most of her life navigating that question.  Raised on the Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia, Jaelyn’s story is about piecing together identity when the world doesn’t offer you the full picture. Growing up in a twin bubble, surrounded by family, she didn’t always have the words — or community — to help her feel grounded in her Fijian identity. That journey s...

A proud Gudang/Yadaykenu and Saibai man, Jay's a hilarious comedian, fierce drag performer and self-confessed "black nerd". Born in Townsville, raised across Canberra, Fiji, and Wollongong, Jay's comedy blends sharp wit with deep love for community. From open mics in Cairns to the stages of Edinburgh Fringe, he uses laughter as both survival and celebration. Whether he's serving up Reanna-Matrix,...