‘The value of recognition is being seen’: Manuha’apai Vaeatangitau wins Emerging Pacific Artist Award

“The value of recognition is being seen as a meaningful contributor to culture, to art, and to the life of my fellow people.”

Tongan interdisciplinary artist Manuha’apai (Manu Vaea) Vaeatangitau has been named the recipient of the Emerging Pacific Artist Award at the 2026 Arts Pasifika Awards.

The Tāmaki Makaurau-based artist is among this year’s recipients being recognised as Creative New Zealand celebrates 30 years of the annual awards, which acknowledge Pacific excellence and achievement across the arts.

Vaeatangitau says recognition matters in a region whose artists and contributions can still be overlooked or misunderstood.

“I think we live in this incredible nook of the world that for the most part is largely unknown, and largely misinterpreted,” she says.

“Even within our context, in Aotearoa, there is so much our people have offered that has been integrated into the cultural zeitgeist, that has long gone unrecognised.”

Vaeatangitau’s practice spans illustration, painting, performance, writing and screen.…more

“For me, the recognition reinforces that our stories don’t need to become less Samoan in order to travel.” -  Abba Dinah Vaiaoga-Ioasa, Producer of 'A Dollar to Dream'

A 30-minute musical made in Apia and performed entirely in Gagana Samoa has taken Samoa to the other side of the world, winning two awards at the Pacific Island Film Festival in New York.

A Dollar to Dream was named Best Short Film and also received the Kim Taylor Reece Cinematic Vision Award, bringing an unexpected end to the film’s time at the festival.

For the team behind the film, the recognition was significant not only because it came in New York, but because of what the film represents.

Made with a local cast, a predominantly Samoan crew and in partnership with TV3 Samoa, A Dollar to Dream was created through the Aotearoa New Zealand Pacific Regional Media Fund, a partnership between NZ On Air and Pasifika TV.…more

“KUIVITI may have been the name on the collection, but Fiji and the Pacific walked into that room with me. I didn't walk into New York alone.”

Fijian designer Epeli Tuibeqa arrived at New York Fashion Week carrying a collection shaped by the people, places and cultural knowledge of home.

After months of preparation, Tuibeqa found himself backstage in Manhattan watching models being dressed in masi, voivoi, kiekie and other pieces connected to Fiji and the wider Pacific.

“It was a surreal experience, but I was also super nervous and anxious at the same time,” Tuibeqa told Coconet.

“But I arrived like a Pasifika rugby player after half-time: go hard or go home!” he jokes.

The nerves eventually gave way to the excitement of seeing the collection come together.

“There was so much work, stress and preparation leading up to Sunday, so to finally be there in New York and realise, ‘Okay, this is actually happening,’ was pretty special.”

When planning his first New York Fashion Week collection, Tuibeqa knew he wanted to begin with Fiji.…more

Two Pacific opera singers are taking centre stage in New Zealand Opera’s latest production, with Tongan tenor Filipe Manu and Pacific soprano Madison Nonoa leading the cast of The Pearl Fishers.

Manu takes on the role of Nadir, while Nonoa stars as Léïla in the new production of Georges Bizet’s early masterpiece, opening in Auckland this month before travelling to Christchurch.

Both singers have built impressive international careers, performing on major opera stages and festivals around the world.

For Manu, the role adds another chapter to a career that has seen him break new ground as a Tongan opera singer.

The Auckland-raised tenor won the prestigious Lexus Song Quest in 2022 after becoming a three-time finalist. He is now based in Switzerland as a member of the soloists ensemble of Stadttheater Bern.

In 2021, Manu also made history as the first Tongan to perform at London’s Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. His performance of Efiafi peau ongo'i vale by Sione Niupalavu Tatu was also the first time a Tongan song had been performed at the iconic venue.…more

“I hope they feel at home with us. I hope they can relax, have a good laugh, be moved and encouraged—and also feel like this is something they could do too, if they wanted to.”

That is the hope behind Motuhake, an uplifting new work created and performed by Pacific artist Justin Haiu, also known as Jandel J.

The show is heading to Auckland Live’s We The Young festival, which returns for its second year from 25 September to 11 October, bringing a programme of shows and free activities for tamariki and whānau across venues including the Aotea Centre, Auckland Town Hall and Aotea Square.

Motuhake follows a young boy who discovers marionettes in his grandfather’s attic. When the dusty puppets suddenly spring to life, they take him on a transformative journey to overcome his fear and pursue his dream of being on stage.

The production combines puppetry, mime, movement and physical theatre, with a cast of Pacific men bringing the characters to life.…more

A court filing mistake sent social media into a frenzy, but Maoli singer Glenn Awong is not a drug dealer.

US federal prosecutors have corrected a mistake in a criminal complaint that wrongly appeared to link the Hawaiian reggae star to allegations of methamphetamine dealing.

Awong, the founder and lead singer of Maoli, was mistakenly identified as “Person 3” in the document. Prosecutors have since confirmed that was an error and that Awong should have been identified as “Person 5”.

The confusion came from a criminal case involving Maui Police Lieutenant Michael Vaituulala, who is accused of accepting bribes from suspected drug dealers, illegal cockfighting operators and others.

Awong was mentioned in the wider case because Vaituulala had attended a New Year’s party at his home.

But somehow, a typo in the federal filing had TikTok and social media doing detective work before the correction had even landed.

Awong was suddenly being accused online of being a drug dealer, despite there being no allegation against him.

According to his lawyer, John Isbell, the mistake had serious consequences.…more

Pacific music takes centre stage: All the winners from the 2026 Pacific Music Awards

From R&B and hip hop to gospel, reggae, Pacific language music and metal, the 2026 Pacific Music Awards have celebrated the incredible breadth of Pacific music and the artists continuing to shape the sound of Aotearoa and the wider Pacific.

Held in Auckland on Wednesday night, the awards saw some familiar names return to the winners' circle, alongside artists making their mark across the Pacific music scene.

At the top of the night was Sam V, who continued his remarkable run at the awards, taking home three major honours.

The Auckland-based Cook Island Māori artist won Best Pacific Soul/R&B Artist for the fifth consecutive year, as well as Best Pacific Male Artist and Best Pacific Song for his track Small Taste, featuring Jaedyn Randell.

Meanwhile, A.R.T backed up their 2025 success by once again taking home Best Pacific Group.…more

By Destiny Momoisea

"I truly felt the weight of the responsibility I had been entrusted with and hope the work we achieved honours the Pacific cultures and peoples they represent, including my own."

When audiences watch Disney's live-action Moana, they'll see woven mats, tapa, siapo, ti leaves and hand-painted textiles filling the screen.

What many won't realise is that behind every stitch, braid and woven fibre is a Tongan woman who grew up surrounded by those very traditions.

For Emmy Award-winning costume designer Liz McGregor, designing the costumes for one of Disney's biggest productions became a deeply personal mission to honour the cultures that shaped her.

A little girl from Tonga with big dreams

McGregor grew up in Fasi, Tongatapu, although her Fifita family is from Kolomotu'a, her mother's village.

She spent much of her childhood around family in Kolomotu'a, "hanging out with my cousins", surrounded by the traditions and craftsmanship that would later become such an important part of her career.…more

"For many of us in the Pacific, these stories don't just exist as films. They're part of a much longer continuum of identity, language, culture and belonging. They carry the weight of generations who rarely saw themselves reflected on screen, and they create a sense of possibility for the next generation who now can." Tongan Director Vea Mafileo

"Of course this remake feels unnecessary to them. It's not their grandmother's voice they hear when they watch Grandma Tala, or their fiapoko sister they think of when Moana almost gets her and Maui killed. Because it was not. Made. for. Them." Destiny Momoisea: Critic of Moana Live Action Critics.

When the reviews for Disney's live action Moana started rolling in, the critics were quick to ask::

Why?

Why remake a film that was already loved? Why revisit a story audiences could already watch? Why create another version of something that was only released less than a decade ago? Why not a live action of Tangled?

Those are fair questions.…more

"We have a lot of talent in Hawaii and a lot of skilled local labor and a lot of stories to share. What we've needed is the opportunity to tell those stories here at home. Working on Chief of War reminded me what's possible when we invest into our own people and we trust our local voices to lead." - Jason Momoa

Hawaii's screen industry has received a major boost after Governor Josh Green signed legislation expanding the state's film tax credit, a move industry leaders say will help attract more productions, create jobs, and ensure Hawaiian stories are told on home soil.

The new law increases Hawaii's annual film tax credit cap to US$60 million, following years of concern that major productions were choosing to film elsewhere due to stronger incentives and lower production costs.

"It expands the tax credits to a more meaningful number, $60 million, and we want to keep going up because doing that means that there's opportunities to bring more films, more attention, more investment into our state," Green said.…more