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

For Pacific communities, spaces to be seen, heard and celebrated matter.

As part of PROWL FEST 2026 within the Auckland Pride Festival, Aotearoa street dance advocate Setu Mosegi is focused on giving back to the community that shaped him.

Setu spoke about the importance of being the person he once needed. Through waacking, he encourages young Pacific and queer people to take up space confidently and express themselves without apology. For him, dance is freedom, storytelling and connection. It is a way to inspire the next generation to be fully themselves.

Led by Artistic Director Hayley Walters-Tekahika, PROWL FEST centres takatāpui, queer and underserved communities across Tāmaki Makaurau. The kaupapa is about removing barriers and creating culturally affirming environments where Pacific bodies can lead, create and thrive in street dance spaces.

There is still time to be part of the movement.…more

“Behind the white outfits and traditions is a culture that's racist, misogynistic, homophobic and hostile to anyone who doesn’t fit its mould.” Destanee Aiava slams racsim in professional tennis 

When you carry the hopes of your people onto a stage that was never designed with you in mind, the weight is different.

Samoan Australian tennis player Destanee Aiava has announced that 2026 will be her final year in professional tennis, closing a chapter that began when she was just a teenager with a racquet and a dream. For many across the Pacific diaspora, she was more than a ranking - she was representation, a brown girl in white tennis gear, standing in spaces that have historically excluded people who look like her.

In a powerful and deeply personal statement, Aiava reflected on the cost of dedicating her entire life to the sport.

“From the moment I had my first lesson at Casey Tennis Club, my entire life was tennis,” she wrote.…more

Albert Latailakepa never planned on becoming an actor. Like many great origin stories, it started with a couple of mates and a decision that felt low risk at the time.

“I took a leap of faith,” Latailakepa says, recalling his decision to join high school drama classes. “A couple of mates were doing it, so what was the harm, right?” he told the NZ Herald.

That leap would set the Wellington-born Samoan Tongan actor on a path from school drama rooms to Toi Whakaari NZ Drama School, and now onto international screens. Latailakepa is currently two seasons deep into his role as Aputi Savea, a boxing champ turned gravedigger, in Disney+ period drama The Artful Dodger.

A sequel to Oliver Twist, the series follows Jack Dawkins, aka the Artful Dodger, as he navigates life in 1800s Australia. The cast includes Love Actually star Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Harry Potter’s David Thewlis as Fagin, a line-up that left Latailakepa “freaking out a little bit” when he landed the role.

“They eased my nerves a bit when I was on set,” he said.…more

Jason Momoa is a Polynesian actor and producer known for his roles in Game of Thrones, Aquaman, Minecraft and more. His new movie “The Wrecking Crew” with Dave Bautista is out 1/28. Jason joins Theo to talk about his community college days in Iowa, how rock climbing helps his focus, and why protecting the beauty of Hawaii has always been important to him.

As Jason Momoa’s new blockbuster Wrecking Crew hits our screens, audiences have been quick to engage with the Pasifika faces in the film, as well as the iconic Pasifika places featured throughout.

The special, tasty flavours of Pinati’s keke pua’a and keke mamoe are known far and wide in Aotearoa, a much-loved Pasifika comfort food that has helped cement the Pinati’s legacy.

Now, the legendary pork buns are also in the spotlight, appearing in glimpses of Ōtāhuhu, where many scenes in Wrecking Crew were filmed.

“It was so awesome seeing our Pinati’ keke pua’a sign and our exterior on the street in this big global film. Being there while filming with all the crew and the cast was a lot of fun, and we were right in the action.”

The keke pua’a also became a favourite among cast and crew on set, a hot, tasty handheld option during long shoot days.…more