“Children thrive when they feel seen, supported, and valued. Back home in the islands, resources are often limited, investing in our young people becomes even more essential.”

That belief sits at the heart of a generous act of alofa from Mr and Mrs Tofilau, who teamed up with Finlayson Park School and Leabank Primary School to gift laptops and books to Alo Paopao Academy in Maninoa, Samoa. What began as a simple intention to support the village has grown into something much bigger: a community-led effort to open new learning pathways for Samoan children.

For years, the Tofilau family have spent time in Miti Maninoa, watching the Alopaopao programme in action. They saw the way Su’a Jay and Tasi Schuster worked with local kids, teaching Siva Afi, Samoan Siva, paddling, crafting, and water safety. They saw children showing up day after day, committed to their culture and to each other. And felt compelled to help strengthen that journey.…more

“Use your voice. Anyone can learn the technical skills of presenting on camera, but what sets you apart is your lived experience, your culture, your perspective, your upbringing, your truth. Those are your strengths.”

“The world is hungry for Pacific stories, and we have a responsibility to tell them. Do not shrink yourself. Stand tall in who you are.”

Those words sit at the heart of Tamara Vaifanua’s work, and they land differently now as she marks a significant milestone in her career. The Samoan reporter has earned an Emmy Award for her coverage of the Maui wildfires — an honour she immediately redirects back to the people of Maui.

“I am humbled by this honor,” she told The New Atoll. “Being recognized for a piece about the people of Maui is bittersweet. Their loss was heartbreaking. Being invited into their lives during such a painful time is something I will always carry with me. This recognition feels like an extension of their voices, not mine.”

Her assignment in Maui reshaped her understanding of community strength.…more

A group of photographers are working to immortalise our hometowns - the places we all know and love. With gentrification on the rise and the landscape shifting faster than many realise, they’re determined to keep these places alive, if not in reality, then in memory, through their work.

“Together, those images form a growing collective archive of South Auckland, shaped not by one viewpoint but by many.”

That’s how South Auckland Photo Club founder, Geoff Matautia, describes the heart of the project. What began as a simple invitation for locals to take photos has grown into a community-led movement determined to preserve the everyday: the shops we grew up visiting, the parks we learned to ride bikes in, the streets that shaped our childhoods.

Geoff says the club is “grounded in participation,” created for anyone - complete beginners with phones, seasoned hobbyists, and everyone in between. The goal was always bigger than photography.…more

“For Pacific Islanders raised outside our homelands, culture is not just heritage — it's navigation.”

The aganu’u based education programme helping US islanders connect with their culture. 

In Oakland, IKUNA is helping Pacific Islander youth reconnect to their identity through culture, education, and wellbeing.

Founded by brothers Taimani and Sione Lauti, both raised in Oakland, the programme runs year-round for students from elementary to high school. During the school year, sessions run for up to 30 weeks, with students meeting once or twice a week for literacy, cultural learning, mentorship, and leadership workshops.

Each June, IKUNA hosts a full-day summer programme with classes, sports, storytelling, and college preparation. The high school group ends the summer with a cultural and college-access trip most recently to Hawai‘i - where they lived on a university campus, met community elders, and explored ancestral knowledge and connection to land and water.

The Lauti brothers describe IKUNA as a community effort built on culture, education, and lived experience.…more