As Operations Manager of Samoa House Library, I manage the facilitation of SHL’s Alternative Education Programme – curriculum – along with a collection of over 7000+ donated texts and archives, 9 Studio Residencies, and multiple Research and Commissioned Writing Residencies. As a member of the Friends of Maota Samoa | So’otaga fa’alā i Maota, I support the restoration and historical archiving of Pacific histories at Maota Samoa. I’m really proud to have curated two exhibitions exploring Pacific diaspora experiences. These works were shown in Te Tairawhiti in April and in Poneke in August.

What does leadership look like to you?

Leadership is creative, ambitious, and inclusive. The way I grew up shapes the idea of leadership I aim to embody today. I have had a lot of examples of leadership in my life. My elders and caregivers raised me with aspirational cultural and village values, whilst also nurturing advocacy for change. However contradictory this may seem, it meant that authentically exploring my cultural identity for myself was acceptable and didn’t have to be linear. In this environment, youth development was championed, and self-realisaton through creative arts was respected. Entrepreneurialism and social justice were valued and became vehicles of sustainability and ethics.

How does your community show up in your practice?

In my role at Samoa House Library I am an advocate for resource and art accessibility. I am drawn toward exploring art practices and lending support. A large number of library visitors are students, people from outside of institutions, and people new to the city. Like many libraries, our public hours create opportunities within which people can work and self-educate. Discussion, research, and expansion are encouraged. Samoa House Library adds to the layering of artist development, collaboration, practice, and the intersecting of diverse communities. In my programming and curating, I’m all about connecting people and bringing people together by creating non-hierarchical, warm, welcoming and accessible platforms so people can learn from each other and connections can be made.