Stories from Oceania
We went to the #RunForAutism Awareness event this morning, organised by the Saturday Seawall Run Club. Great to see the turnout and to hear from some parents of young children with autism, sharing about their experiences. One asked for people to have more kindness, understanding and compassion. 💛 I'm glad to see initiatives here in… Continue reading Autism, Samoa and the Seawall Run Club.
2026 is the 15 years anniversary of publishing my first novel TELESA. I can't quite believe its been fifteen years since?! Which has me reflecting on my writer road, how did it begin and where I am now. (And yes its making me feel super old too.) Born and raised in Samoa, I'm number three… Continue reading 15 years of fiapoto?!
Discover the powerful connection between ancestral wisdom and modern engineering as daughters inherit resilience, culture
Working with young triathletes is about more than medals. Discover how confidence, resilience, and community support transform young lives.
After three years away from fiction, a writer sits down to tell one story only to be swept into a world of magic, fantasy, and unexpected creation.
A heartfelt reflection on Alzheimer's, dementia, and the precious moments when a loved one's awareness returns, even if only briefly.
Its been 22 years since I taught in any school anywhere. (I can reliably count from when daughter Zion was born because that's when I quit teaching so I could be a full-time parent to our second premature baby!) In those 22 years, I have taught children, teenagers and adults at church, I've done the… Continue reading Who’s the teacher?
An Open Letter to the Minister for Sport in Samoa, and to the Oceania National Olympic Committee, I write as a triathlete (the slowest one in the country), the wife of a triathlete (who's not the slowest one in the country), a volunteer triathlon organiser, and more recently, the Team Manager for the National Squad.… Continue reading
Bella's doing NCEA English, and she needs to read and then write essay responses to poems and short stories. I'm ridiculously proud-happy I could give her a copy of Va and say, HERE YA GO. CHOOSE SOMETHING FROM THIS ANTHOLOGY OF WRITING FROM 38 MOANA WOMEN. I didnt have those choices when I was in… Continue reading Changing the world for my Daughter
Yesterday at triathlon training, we had an aquathon (swim and run). As the squad is doing warmup laps and we're organising the setup for transition, I notice a young boy come wandering over. Ragged shorts, no shoes. Avidly curious as he watches the squad swim. He goes up to Darren. Greets him with a confident,… Continue reading Random Kid on a Beach