Vosa

In our final episode of season 3 we talanoa with George Fong and Ana Tupou Panuve. They are business owners who are contributing to our Pacific Potential.

Ana is the owner of the small business 'Bunny's Backyard' based in Tonga. A mother and daughter duo who have taken their love of gardening from their backyard to now offering up a variety of veggies to fruits, microgreens and foliage plants.

George is the co - founder of Fijian software company 'Infinity Plus One' and the brains behind Fiji's new ticketing platform, Ticketmax Fiji. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In August Tonga played host for the 53rd Pacific Island Forum Leaders meeting and the Mama T's were able to talk to some remarkable women leaders.

In this episode, the Mama T's talanoa with the honorable Afioga Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa the first woman Prime Minister of Samoa, Dr. Hilda C Heine the first woman President of the Marshall Islands and the Rt Hon Patricia Scotland, Kings Council, the first woman and 6th Commonwealth Secretary-General.

These phenomenal women share their wisdom, affirmations and the importance of women supporting women.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode we take a deep dive into human rights in the Pacific and talk with the people leading the way for the progress of human rights in the region.

We talanoa with human rights activist and lawyer Romulo Nacayalevu pursuing his PhD at ANU and Neomai Maravuakula, Team Leader Governance & Institutional Strengthening.

We cover human rights conventions and laws across the Pacific as well as the importance of National Human Rights Institutions and it’s pivotal role in advocating human rights in Pacific communities. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What does climate action look like in the Pacific?

The Mama T's try to unpack this question with Fiji's Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change, Dr. Sivendra Michael about policy, funding and his personal leadership journey into the climate action space and they talanoa with Dr. Elizabeth Fitton - Higgons who shares the work Habitat for Humanity NZ is doing for housing those in the Pacific who are vulnerable due to disasters. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Mama T's talanoa with 3 returnees who are navigating life back in their island home and the challenges they face.

We talk to Charlene Wolfgram Matangi, Vivili Moala and Latu Liava'a, returnees who share their stories of disconnection with their home when they first arrived and how they're working through the Amanaki Lelei Foundation (Dare to Dream) an organisation founded by returnees who aim to assist returnees in acclimating to life in Tonga. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode the Mama T's talanoa with Pacific Changemakers who have been behind some of the big changes and shifts in our region. 

We talk to Stanley Simpson (Fiji), Karla Eggleton (Cook Islands) and Angeline Heine Reimers (Marshall Islands) about their respective journeys to implementing change for media freedom, LGBTQI rights and clean water for all in the Pacific. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Mama T's talanoa with two of our Pacific Ocean champions, Rose Kautoke and Bill Waqalevu. 

Bill is Senior Researcher (PhD) at Yas SeaWorld Research & Rescue in Abu Dhabi and Rose Kautoke, Senior Crown Counsel, Head of the Legal Advice and International Law Division, Attorney General's Office and ocean law advocate. 

They share insights into the work they do in policy and science for our oceans and navigating leadership roles in those spaces.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vosa is back and with new hosts for Season 3. Join the Mama T's - Trina and Talita - as they explore Pacific leadership with Ana Laqeretabua (Fiji), Jamal Talagi (Niue) and Amelia Katoa (Tonga).

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode we explore the sacred and - oftentimes intimidating - world of rituals and the relationship they have with our identities as Pacific people. 

Our two amazing episode 10 guests guide us through this final episode of VOSA Season 2 -  Wendy Mocke is a Papua New Guinean inter-disciplinary storyteller, a NIDA Acting graduate, Wendy has performed across stages in Australia and appeared in films and television. Our second guest Akanisi Nabalarua-Vakawaletabua of Fiji is a lawyer and lecturer of Business Law at the School of Accounting at the University of the South Pacific. 

If you’d like to learn more about the brilliant projects that Wendy and Akanisi are a part of, check out the links below:

Wendy Mocke

Wendy was a member of the emerging writers group at Sydney Theatre Company and this year her play 'I am Kegu' was shortlisted for the Patrick White Playwrights award. She has completed writing residencies at Griffin Theatre Company and Darlinghurst Theatre where she developed her stage plays 'Jalbu Meri' and 'REALish'. Wendy’s visual art’s project called ‘m e r i’, a collection of photographs and stories focuses on the recontextualising of contemporary PNG women, was exhibited last year at North Site Contemporary Arts Gallery (Cairns) and this year at Brisbane Powerhouse (Brisbane). 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wendy.mocke

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melaninhaus/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/WendyMocke

Akanisi Nabalarua-Vakawaletabua 

Akanisi has worked as a lawyer and lecturer traversing the world of private practice and academia engaging her legal research and advocacy skills as an iTaukei female lawyer and teacher in Fiji.

Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/akanisi_reads/

Twitter - https://twitter.com/akanisi411

Do you want to be involved in Vosa’s next season? Listen in for details at the end of the episode.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode we’re delving into all things technology and connectivity. The ways in which we are using technology to address everyday challenges, how technology is helping us preserve our ways of life and keeping us connected, and asking ourselves how we can best use it to safely and inclusively benefit our communities. 

We hear from: Sarai Tevita, ICT Director for National University of Samoa, Selu Kauvaka an information technology professional, who works with the E-Government initiative under the Prime Minister’s office in Tonga and Falaoa Sione of Tuvalu, who is Director of Trade.

As always, this episode is supported by the World Bank in the Pacific and PNG. 

The World Bank has also been a big supporter of increasing connectivity with projects across the region being instrumental in building faster, more reliable, and more affordable internet access.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.