“I was in all the orchestras, all the choirs, all the barbershops, everything. I think it’s quite cool that I never went through any period when I was thinking: ‘What would I like to be when I grow up?’” — Soprano Madison Nonoa, who stars in NZ Opera’s ‘The Pearl Fishers’.
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“I got to do what I wanted to do right from the very beginning — to contribute to a kaupapa of our storytelling that I knew was growing. And to be able to investigate the Māori world, and at the same time consolidate my place in it.” — Tainui Stephens, filmmaker, storyteller, and E-Tangata columnist.
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“I told them right from the start that I’m serving my ancestors, so anything that I feel offends the ancestors, I’m not going to do it.” — Opetaia Foa‘i, on working with Disney to make ‘Moana’.
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“If you only see one thing about our people, I want to leave you with an impression that we are people of goodness. We look after our partners. We look after our kids. We look after the moana and the taiao that sustain us.” — TikTok star Louis Davis.
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“Even in my academic work, I try as much as possible to write in an accessible way, especially when you’re dealing with iwi whānau histories, because even if it’s for a PhD, it’s really for whānau as well.” — Ngāti Kuia historian Dr Madi Williams.
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“We have a right to the best healthcare and the best health outcomes that are available. And we have a right to be part of creating the solutions when those rights aren’t being met. So advocacy needs to be part of an excellent health system.” — Professor Matire Harwood.
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“There are many Pākehā out there, including my mum and partner, who have learned or are learning te reo Māori, who are not just the metaphorical womb but are quite literally the whare tangata of our language.” — Professor Hona Black.
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“You hate it as a kid, but when you grow up, you realise: ‘Oh, there’s a big picture here.’ Your identity is your strength.” — Jason Tiatia, author of ‘Sāmoan Made Simple’, on speaking only Sāmoan at home.
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“The spoken word is where I feel the poetry lives. Publishing it in a book was far scarier for me than speaking it on a stage in front of people.” — Nafanua Purcell Kersel, who won the poetry prize at this year’s Ockham’s for her first book, ‘Black Sugarcane’.
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“The biggest challenge was being in a cultural abyss, growing up in a little rural town, where I was the only Pacific brown kid who wasn’t Māori.” — Dr Tania Mullane, on being adopted by a Pākehā family.
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“I tell audiences that I’m Māori, right out of the gate, because in Wellington people can be noticeably afraid to laugh. Even about things that are very mild, or jokes about my experience, because they’re worried about offending people.” — Kipling DC, 2026 nominee for the Billy T Award.
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“If I’m embarrassed, I’ll make a joke. If I feel scared, I’ll make a joke. If I don’t know the answer, I’ll make a joke.” — Opeti Vaka, stand-up comedian and nominee for this year’s Billy T Award at the 2026 New Zealand International Comedy Festival.
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“I’m a Hollywood actor now, and I’ve been successful because I’m unapologetically Southside.” — Actor Beulah Koale, on his Ōtara upbringing.
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“All I want to do is keep carving without trampling on anyone’s mana. I kept hearing ‘mahi tapu’ being bandied about, and I thought: ‘All right, what is this mahi tapu that people say wāhine aren’t supposed to take part in?’” — Ngaroma Riley.
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“The underachievement and disengagement of Pacific students is like the tangled net that needs to be untangled. Through effective leadership, I believe we’ll find solutions that can untangle those issues.” — Dr Tufulasi Taleni.
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“Brain health isn’t something that we only worry about in old age. We need to be thinking about brain health all through our lives.” — Dr Etuini Ma‘u, dementia researcher and senior lecturer in psychological medicine.
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“I would try hard to find jobs that ensured I’d have people around me who spoke te reo and encouraged it. I’ve been very deliberate and intentional about that.” — Hone Hurihanganui, teacher and composer of waiata and haka.
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“I’m on another path, and I really need to see this through. Even though it’s quite moke moke, you know, it’s quite lonely. However, we’re there now, we’ve found our way.” — Betty-Anne on relaunching her career as a solo artist at 60.
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“Mum’s an artist because she loves painting, and Dad’s a rugby coach because he loves rugby. So, that’s a huge reason why I want to pursue what I love, not just find a job.” — Maia Joseph, Black Fern and medical student.
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“You can’t separate the conditions in which people live from their health. They’re completely interwoven, and I absolutely feel a deep sense of responsibility and commitment to addressing those wider determinants.” — Dr Corina Grey, Director of Public Health.
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“In Sāmoa, our people are the doctors, the lawyers, the prime ministers. I’ve grown up always surrounded by our people being educated, being in leadership.” — Dr Emma Dunlop-Bennett, assistant vice-chancellor (Pasifika), Te Herenga Waka–Victoria University of Wellington.
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“It’s spiritually powerful music, and that’s why I gravitate to it. We hear the music, and we feel it. And then we hear the social commentary, and it just tops it off and validates our feelings.” — Katchafire’s Logan Bell on reggae’s appeal.
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“We want them to be champions, but more importantly, we want them to be good human beings.” — “Champion maker” Lolo Heimuli, who coached 10 world champions and more than 100 national champions in combat sports.
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“People don’t understand that we’re so far behind in representation on film. My parents had never heard ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i on film. My grandparents had never heard it.” — Thomas Pa‘a Sibbett, co-creator of ‘Chief of War’.
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“We want the best for our children. We want to be loved. And we want the best for our parents as they age. It doesn’t matter what your socioeconomic status is — we have these things in common.” — Rachel Karalus, mayoral candidate in Kirikiriroa Hamilton.
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“I’m just focusing on Sāmoan food, instead of calling it Pasifika food or Polynesian food, and just trying to see if being specific with one’s culture is a way to success.” — Henry Onesemo, owner of award-winning restaurant Tala.
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“What I love about this kaupapa is bridging that gap between our community members, especially our youth, and the professional setting of the opera.” — Stacey Leilua, creative producer of NZ Opera’s ‘The Monster in the Maze’.
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“Our people need to speak the honest truth. Talk about being abused. Talk about the struggle you’re going through. Talk about being homeless. Or talk about how you can’t afford to pay for things. Because not talking about the truth is what defeats us.” — Mea Motu.
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“I’ve become a doctor in my 50s, which is all well and good, but I should have been a doctor 30 years ago. And the only reason I wasn’t was because of all these barriers that have been put in front of me.” — Dr Timoti Te Moke.
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“It’s not actually about the time you spend in there. It’s about your time when you get out. And what you have to cope with, and deal with, and put back together, and negotiate. That was almost harder than being in prison.” — Jaye Pukepuke.
Read MoreE-Tangata is an online Sunday magazine specialising in stories that reflect the experiences of Māori and Pasifika in Aotearoa.
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