Coco Talanoa — Humans of the Islands / Page 1

TYRUN

NIUEAN/SAMOAN

MUSICIAN

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Introduce yourself, your Pacific heritage, where you grew up and what you create.

Fakaalofa lahi atu kia mutolu oti, ko e higoa haaku ko Tyrun. Yo, I’m Tyrun, Aotearoa born Niuean-Samoan singer/songwriter/artist based in Tāmaki Makaurau! While creativity drives me into creative projects that traverse multiple creative disciplines, my main goal is to make music for your ears, eyes and heart.

Take us back to the beginning. What did music sound like in your home growing up?  

It sounded like the melting pot I see around me, the intersection of Pasifika identity being built in the diaspora, in Aotearoa. It sounded like The Nolan Sisters, Boney M, Gladys Knight, Brandy, Britney Spears, Pretty Ricky, 3LW, Adeaze, Aaradhna. It sounded like a Fresh Off Da Boat mixtape - sounds of rnb, soul and pop crafted into mixes that made you want to sing and move. 

You’ve said, “I do not see many stories about being queer and Niuean.…more

DENYCE SU'A

ACTOR, WRITER & STORYTYELLER

What is your Pacific Heritage and what are your villages?

I’m a very proud Samoan from the villages of Vaivase-Tai, Salelologa and Solosolo.

What was your journey into the arts like?

My dad was a minister and he was always keen on making his sermons and services super engaging. He would write role-plays and get me and my brothers to act them out in church. That planted a seed that grew into all areas of my life. In school, I actually liked doing speeches and found a safe space in the drama class. Like many creatives, it was my high school drama teacher who encouraged me to pursue it after high school. I studied Drama at uni whilst also getting involved in as much theatre as I could outside my studies. It’s that thing of loving something so much you just wanna surround yourself with it, and that’s what I did. And in a way, I’m still trying to do that now. I look for every opportunity to create and be creative.…more

Collective of Multi-Disciplinary Creative Artsts

Seiyan Thompson (Actor, Director) 

Aitutaki, Mauke / Kuki Airani / Ngāti Mahuta, Aotearoa 
Born and raised in Te Waipounamu, Murihiku, Invercargill

Brett Taefu (Actor)

Tanugamanono and Salamumu Samoa
Born and raised in Newlands, Te Whanganui a Tara Wellington

Albert Latailakepa  (Actor) 

Luatuanu'u / Samoa, Maʻufanga/Tonga
Born and raised in Te Awakairangi ki Uta, Upper Hutt, Silverstream 

Caleb Teaupa  (Actor)

Tuʻanuku Tonga, Ngāti Whātua o Kaipara Aotearoa
Born and raised in Whakapirau, Wellsford

Havea Latu (Creative Media, Videographer, Graphic Design, Photography) 

Longolongo, Tefisi and Holopeka Tonga, Tuapa Niue
Born in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland, raised in Papamoa

Kaisa Faʻatui (Actor, Writer) Not featured in the show but part of the collective

Faʻatoia, Vaiala, Gataivai, Vaitoʻomuli, Palauli and Vaovai Falealili Samoa
Born and raised in Te Awakairangi Taitā, Lower Hutt

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How did The Gentle Boys come together? What sparked the idea to form a collective, and what brought you together creatively?

We all trained at Te Kura Toi Whakaari o Aotearoa, the New Zealand Drama School, in Te Whanganui a Tara.…more

LILA CRICHTON

SAMOAN

OPERA SINGER

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We spoke to Lila LJ Crichton is a NZ-born Samoan writer, director, composer and lyricist, ahead of his spring tour of A Master of None: Brown Fala, an evocative spoken-word theatre work, rich with original music and rooted in the rhythms of Pasifika storytelling. Crichton opens up about the creative path that led him from community halls to national stages, and how his journey of identity, language, and legacy continues to shape every note, line, and lyric he brings to life.

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What drew you to storytelling, whether through music, theatre, or words? Was that something present in your upbringing?

For me, it was both fate and purpose. Being a Pacific Islander means a natural affinity towards stories and storytelling, and arcs as a means of expression. With the added layer of being in the diaspora — growing up in South Auckland and then moving to Flaxmere — I was never short of opportunities to be surrounded by storytelling.…more

JOEL AMOSA

OPERA SINGER

SAMOAN

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Talofa Joel, tell us a little bit about yourself, where did you grow up?

I am a proud NZ born Samoan, raised in South Auckland gems of Otara and Manurewa. My Dad hails from Vaiala, Samoa and Mum was born here in Tokoroa.

How did you first get into Opera, and what inspired you to pursue it seriously?

I got my first operatic experience back in 2007, I saw Turandot at the Aotea Centre. If you don’t know this Opera, its where the famous 'Nessun Dorma' aria comes from. From here, the seed was planted. I was curious on how the voice can amplify itself that way without using a microphone.

My time at school with choir and barbershop added an element to singing that I always enjoyed - to tell stories. The inspiration to pursue it further was organic, I opened my mouth to sing, and it was not a smooth RnB sound, it wasn’t high, and it wasn’t low, but it had an element of classical potential.…more

Karlina Tongotea

Tongan/Maori

Doctor/Powerlifter

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What is your Pacific heritage, and where did you grow up?

I am a powerful mix of Tongan and Māori heritage. My dad was born in Ha'apai, Tonga and my mum was born in Te Tai Tokerau, Kaikohe. My parents moved to Tāmaki Makaurau in their late teenage years where they met and grew a family of 5 children. I am the 2nd in the line up and we were raised in Manurewa, South Auckland. 

How did you first get into powerlifting, and what inspired you to pursue it seriously?

I played netball for 20years of my life before I found powerlifting. I had to give up netball when I started working at Middlemore Hospital as a junior doctor, because I couldn't be a reliable teammate. But sport has always been in my life and is an important part of my mental health, so I started going to the gym for the first time.…more

William Sangster

Tongan

Journalist/Storyteller

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Please introduce yourself, your heritage, what you do for a living, where you grew up

Mālō e lelei. Ko hoku hingoa ko William — my name is William. I am Tongan–European, from the villages of Lapaha and Vaini (Vaini poto, iykyk). I grew up in Onehunga and am now based in Māngere East. I’m an Editorial Producer and Video Editor at The DList*, an online disability magazine platform.

You've spent much of your life advocating for people with disabilities and telling their stories — how has this work shaped you into the person you are today?

It’s taught me so much about being selfless and showing humanity towards others. My mum always instilled in me the importance of giving back and being kind to everyone. When I’m advocating, I’m simply trying to create an easier path for others — and to show them they can do it too.…more

Can you please introduce yourself, your culture and where you're from?

Aloha kākou, ʻo Maineialoha Kinimaka koʻu inoa. No Anahola, Kauaʻi mai au.
Aloha, my name is Mainei Kinimaka and Iʻm from Anahola on the island of Kauaʻi. 

Surfer turned Filmmaker - what was your journey into filmmaking like?

I had a pretty unique journey into filmmaking, given that Iʻm from Kaua’i, which is a place that not many filmmakers have come from so far. I grew up in a family of waterman and women, and so surfing was the foundation of my childhood, and it was the first pathway that introduced me to photography and visual arts.

The ocean has always been a huge inspiration to me, as has been Kauaʻi and it’s natural environments, but most of all I would say it’s the people of Hawaiʻi that inspire me the most in the stories that I tell. I was lucky enough to be mentored by Jason Momoa from the age of 19, and that was my official pathway into working hands-on in the film industry.…more