Into The Great Ocean: a talanoa

Join us on the final day of Tala o le tau for a talanoa with leading academics and artists as we explore multidisciplinary responses to the climate crisis from our place in Moana-Nui-a-Kiwa.

This panel discussion includes Cilla Brown, Guy Sinclair, Pamata Toleafoa and Jasmine Tuiā. All are welcome, registrations are encouraged.

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Cilla Brown is of Samoan heritage, with ancestral ties to Paia in the north of Savai‘i and Fagaloa in the south of Upolu. Based in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), she works at the intersection of arts, environmental education, and Pacific community engagement. As an Arts Administrator, Environmental Educator, and Researcher, Cilla’s mahi focuses on suiga o le tau (climate change) adaptation and the role of indigenous knowledge in strengthening Pacific community resilience. Her Master’s research explored how traditional ecological knowledge guides community responses to environmental change in Samoa. Cilla delivers environmental education using immersive technologies to engage young people in local environmental issues. She also serves as Project Leader at Pacific Dance NZ, where she facilitates cultural initiatives including the Pacific Dance Festival and a range of community programmes that celebrate heritage and contemporary dance forms. Through teaching Samoan Siva to young girls, Cilla nurtures cultural identity and pride, grounding the next generation in their ancestral knowledge. Her vision is to weave together environmental awareness and cultural education, empowering youth to adapt to suiga o le tau while deepening their connection to siosiomaga (environment) and cultural heritage.

Guy Fiti Sinclair is a Samoan New Zealander, born and raised in Papua New Guinea. He is an Associate Professor and the Associate Dean Pacific at Auckland Law School. His current research, supported by a Rutherford Discovery Fellowship from Te Apārangi | Royal Society of New Zealand, focusses on international law and governance in Oceania.

Pamata Diaz Toleafoa hails from the villages of Salelesi and Satapuala, of the motu of Samoa. Born in Hastings, Pamata was raised and currently resides in Mangere, South Auckland. A proud former student of Mangere College and the University of Auckland, Pamata graduated with a Bachelor of Arts conjoint with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) with first-class honours. Recently, Pamata submitted a master’s in fine arts, with a research topic examing measina as living entities. Pamata is passionate about Samoan measina and is constantly exploring new ways to re-energize how we ‘look at, ‘look into’ and understand our treasures beyond their visual aesthetics. Drawing on the oral histories, narratives, and experiences gifted by elders, Pamata manifests this through creating measina using readily available materials to reflect diasporic influences and opportunities as they are presented. Pamata currently serves as a Youth Representative within the Pacific Advisory Group at Auckland War Memorial Museum, and Senior Librarian Pasifika Research under Auckland Libraries.

Jasmine Tuiā (Apia Sāmoa) is a tapa maker who uses embroidery to think about Sāmoan material culture and memory. From the villages of Matautu Lefaga, Falefa Anoama’a and Malifa Sāmoa, Jasmine explores her familial connections to these places through Sāmoan storytelling techniques and her tapa practice. Her work passions revolve around community arts access and facilitation. Tuiā currently works at Tāmaki Paenga Hira as the Community Navigator for Te Aho Mutunga Kore Fibre and Textile Centre. Jasmine’s role entails collaborative work with Māori and Pacific communities and the museum staff to enrich Tāmaki Paenga Hira’s Fibre and Textile collections, informing sustainable engagement and maximising community access and care of taonga/measina/koloa.