BERTRAND JANG 

CHEF / CAKE MAKER + SWEET and ME OWNER

FIJIAN / CHINESE 

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I am a Fijian Chinese born, raised in Fiji. I have 6 handsome brothers and 2 loving parents. I was raised in a small house with 14 people under one roof. Every day was dramatic. There was so much to do and so much fun and laughter. I was always surrounded by family and didn’t have my own room. It was truly the best days of my life, and I wouldn’t change a thing. I was brought up with 2 cultures; Fijian and Chinese, and was really blessed to come from a long line of family that cooks. We all love to cook. We bonded over the preparation of the food it always connected us. Everyone would pitch in and help some cousins would climb the trees and husk coconuts, other cousins would be peeling onions and preparing meats and aunties with their cups of teas.…more

Patrick Lee-Lo 

Publishing/Marketing & Advertising 

Samoan & Chinese 

I am involved in Media - Book publishing, marketing Digital Signs and Billboard advertising. I was born, raised and educated in Wellington. I am mainly of Samoan and Chinese heritage with a few other nationalities in the mix. 

You're the Marketing & Business Development Manager for 'Whats Cooking' do you cook yourself and what is your favourite Pacific Island dish?

Yes. I love to cook Italian food but because of what I do, involved in the foodie industry I get to try lots of different eateries and dishes. Obviously, I have my favourites.  My favourite PI dish is Oka - Samoan Raw fish done in Coconut Cream with fresh Taro.

What was your journey to get to this position and what were some of the struggles you had to go through?

I have enjoyed a varied business career in different industries - Electrical, Business Equipment, Retirement Villages, Facilities Services and now Media.…more

Talissa Koteka 

Rarotongan/Samoan 

FIFA Disciplinary Committee member / Entrepreneur / Lawyer

I was born in Auckland, but my parents moved to Rarotonga when I was 3 months old. My father is a Cook Islander and my mother is Samoan, so giving my older brother and I an island upbringing was something important to the both of them once I came along - hence the reason for moving back to Rarotonga, where my dad spent most of his childhood.

I was fortunate enough to have spent my childhood in Rarotonga as well, but was sent to school in Auckland once I reached high school (which is common for a lot of Cook Islanders).  I was such a little island kid and adjusting to the lifestyle in NZ was a huge transition. But it was great! I got to experience the best of both worlds.…more

Tell us a little about yourself. 

My Name is Matiah. I am an artist with Māori, Tongan, and Norweigan heritage. I specialize in tattooing, tamoko and tatau. I am the middle child of three...I was born and raised Manurewa.

When did you first realise tattooing was more than a hobbie?

I was raised constantly surrounded by all forms of creativity. I never saw art as a hobbie - I just unconsciously did it as a form of expression.....The transition into tattooing really just presented itself to me when I had just finished high school and had no clue as to what I was going to do with my life lol. I was definitely curious about tattooing though and had been for quite some time.…more

Madeleine Chapman

Editor of The Spinoff

Samoan, Tuvaluan, Chinese, American

My father was born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska, smack bang in the middle of America. All the rest of his family still live over there. My Mum is Samoan, with a Tuvaluan father and Chinese grandfather, and grew up in Elisefou. I have nine siblings and we were all raised under one roof until I was about eight years old. Growing up was...loud. Home was never empty and if you were fighting with one sibling there was always another one in the next room who'd be nice to you.

Can you share a bit about your journey to becoming a writer?  Was it something you always knew you wanted to do?

I was a big reader as a kid, mainly because Mum hated the TV so reading was a safe alternative. It also looked like homework so I got out of doing housework sometimes if I was reading. But even then I didn't think I was much of a writer.…more

SAM PUEFUA 

Actor 

Samoan 

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Talofa lava.
My name is Sam Puefua and I'm an Actor. I currently live in Long Beach, CA., but I'm originally from American Samoan, specifically from the village of Pava'ia'i. I was raised there until the age of 9yrs and than moved to United States and here in the State of California is where I've been ever since.

How long have you been in the entertainment industry and do you have a highlight or favourite experience in your career so far?

I have been in the industry for a little over 10yrs now. Started pursuing my acting career right after High School and ever since, I never looked back!
I actually have a few favorite highlights in which one of those highlights I got to work with my uso (Taylor Wily) and my sis (Sisa Grey) on my very first TV show, Hawaii Five-O! Traveling, Exploring Hawaii, visiting my aiga and all the while doing what I love? I couldn't have asked for a better first experience.…more

Lucy Tupu

Samoan

Furniture, Rug & Lighting Designer.

Born and raised in Wellington, New Zealand.  My father is from the village of Falelima, Samoa.  I studied industrial design at RMIT in Melbourne and have been in the design industry for over 20 years. I was fortunate enough to open my own design studio in October 2016. We design custom rugs/carpets, furniture and lighting.  Living in NYC for the past 14 years with my husband and two beautiful girls.

When did you first realise designing was more than a hobbie?

I have always enjoyed art and have sketched and drawn my entire life. I first discovered industrial design at Wellington Polytechnic 1992 where I completed a 6 month foundation course. I loved every minute of it and I knew as soon as I finished the course this was what I wanted to pursue.

What spurred your initial move to New York?

I came to visit my older brother who is a landscape architect and had been living and working in NYC for 10 years.…more

With Samoan and Australian heritage, NZ-born Angela Tiatia is an award winning Multimedia artist. 

This year Tiatia was included in the Harper's Bazaar Visionary Women portfolio and will be speaking at the Harper's Bazaar Visionary Women event panellist discussion.

What's cool about being a video artist?  

It's exciting and challenging as each new work needs to be approached differently each time. The process is dependant on being very social - so I get to meet and work with lots of amazing people.  

Tell us about some of the themes in your work? 

Wow... a big question... in short... I look at how the Pacific body/place/experience has been stereotyped through images/media/popular culture/art over the last 150 years.  Within this time frame, I explore ways in which I can challenge these stereotypes and create new narratives and imagery. As well as this, I also look at the universality of the human experience and the human condition that binds us all.…more

"Vea Mafile’o is an artist of Tongan, Māori and Scottish descent who
works primarily in moving image and installation...Mafile’o continues to work as
a filmmaker and is co-founder of the company Malosi Pictures"

Recently, Tongan filmmaker Vea Mafile’o took the Sundance Film Festival by storm with her short film “Lea Tupu’anga / Mother Tongue.” This film was selected out of an outstanding 17,000 applications.

“Lea Tupu’anga / Mother Tongue” follows the journey of a young Tongan speech-language therapist. This unique tale unfolds the dynamic between the therapist, fluent in English only, and her client, who exclusively communicates in Tongan.

Written by Luciane Buchanan and directed by seasoned documentary director Vea Mafile’o, the two reflect on what it means to be Tongan women in the scripted space at Sundance. Mafile’o stated, “It’s pretty overwhelming and a super exciting space to be in… Previous Polynesian NZFC films that have screened here have been by a handful of Māori and Samoan directors. They really have paved the way for Luciane and I.…more

Joey "Q" Quenga 

Owner/Creative Director of Island Block Radio 

Chamorro 

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Tell us a bit about yourself 

My name is Joey Quenga but most people know me as “Q”.  I am co-owner of Island Block Radio where I have many hats, producer, creative director, on-air personality as well as program director.  

I grew up in Long Beach, CA., which is a city in Los Angeles County.  

My family is from the village of Talofofo on Guam.…more