Island Roots, Auckland Ways
Longtime friends and children of South Auckland, Mariner Fagaiava, host of Flava Drive, and Allyssa Verner-Pula, emerging academic, are proud to present 'Island Roots, Auckland Ways'. Both in their early 20s, they share a love of cheap eats, the club and are quiet comfortable with living at home. Join them and special guests for weekly episodes covering everything from mental health, speaking your language and the highs and lows of life. 'Island Roots, Auckland Ways' is part of the Flava Podcast Network.
Episodes
This week’s guest is Māori broadcaster and comedian TimProvise.
We’re picking that there is no other interviewer more researched and gifted with the gab like Tim is. From Clendon to basketball coach to teacher to breakfast radio host, he now lives a relatively quiet life on his tūrangawaewae. As host of video series Bakery Run, he’s also tasted his fair share in flakey goodness.
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This week’s guest is Tongan comedian Opeti Vaka.
He lives in Foxton, a rural town tucked away in Manawatū - where there’s more fish and chip shops than Islanders. He did his first stand-up show in 2018 and in 2019, won the Wellington Raw Comedy Quest. Until Opeti reaches a point where he can comfortably live off comedy mahi, the grind’s on for his family.
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This week’s guest is Samoan siapo maker Doron Semu.
Once a declining practice, the ancient Pacific artform of barkcloth is being revived. Doron travelled to the motherland, learnt diligently from knowledge holders and teaching others upon his return. He and Allyssa also share what it was like to be each other’s soa in receiving the pe’a/malu.
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This week’s guests are Filiva’a and Joseph from band Shepherds Reign.
This band was born out of a South Auckland garage, has travelled as far as Norway and received millions of views. Recently the most nominated act at the Pacific Music Awards, Fili & Joe look back on crafting their niche - sharing their talents with the world. Genius to perform the siva tau underneath some metal!
This week’s guest is Tongan entertainer Diamond Langi.
Several years after featuring on Konecs’ smash hit ‘Lose My Mind’, she’s dropped her debut single. ‘Keep You Here’ is a love letter to her late father, who taught his daughter everything about music. Singing isn’t the only string to her bow - she acts, models and advocates fiercely for the culture.
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This week’s guests are pop-punk band MAYJUN.
In their early 20s, Jeremiah Fale, Elijah McPherson & Tivoli Levi have their sights set on storied music careers. The idea that Pacific peoples can make music other than reggae is still relatively uncharted, but the usos have risen to online acclaim. MAYJUN are deep into the making of their music with more of it to drop soon.
This week’s guest is Samoan-Swedish broadcaster So’omalo Iteni Schwalger.
After serving as the night host on Niu FM, he jumped ship to RNZ where he is now the host of The TAHI. Recently, he was made a finalist for the NZ On Air Outstanding Music Journalism Award at the Taite Music Prize. So’o shares how dropping out of school set the trajectory for his successful career.
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This week's guest is Samoan photographer Geoffery Matautia a.k.a. Southsides.
His candid, community-centric style of portrait photography has landed him in major publications and brand campaigns. But this now fully fledged career was only a hobby once. Geoffery is always capturing others' stories, so we want to know - who is he, how has he gotten here and what keeps him going?
This week’s guest is Māori comedian Kura Turuwhenua.
She doesn’t have to try to be funny, she just is. Kura’s mind is wonderfully abstract, allowing her to channel the lived and imaginative through her craft. Our mate shares how stand-up led her to recently sketch writing for Only In Aotearoa alongside an all wāhine team. Plus, she settles for us: hāngi or boil up?
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This week’s guest is Samoan teacher and influencer Samantha Richards.
With nearly 50 thousand TikTok followers, the classroom wizz shares what it’s like to work at school. The daughter of a Palagi dad and Samoan mum, Samantha herself is learning, about her Island roots. This involves a malaga to the motherland later this year honouring her late grandmother.
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In our biggest episode to-date, we interview Tongan singer Dinah Jane.
After selling tens of millions of records with Fifth Harmony, she’s now a commanding voice in the Polynesian music space. Dinah’s latest single ‘Road Less Travelled’ speaks to the lane of the industry which she says many expected her to take after being part of a girl group. She has been “crying for” this moment in her career. Mālō e ngāue lahi, Dinah Jane.
This week’s guest is Samoan-Tongan entrepreneur Noeleen Tuala.
A simple desire to kit out her grandchildren with Pacific printed manchester turned into the business, PELE Baby. It’s a one stop shop for Nesian playmats, blankets and more. Despite some challenges on her journey, Noeleen encourages our inherently entrepreneurial peoples to unite so we can all eat.
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This week’s guest is Samoan actor Theo Dāvid.
From Manurewa to Ferndale, he plays Viliami To’a on iconic New Zealand soap opera Shortland Street. As passionate thespians, Allyssa and the bro indulge on how hard it can be to be acting as someone else. Theo is a man who wants everyone to eat and says unfortunately that ain’t how it works in the industry.
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This week’s guest is Tongan-Samoan musician and broadcaster Charlie Pome’e.
Charlie says he was only pretending to be a radio host on Snapchat a few years ago when in 2023, he got the call up to trial for Flava Breakfast. Plus, what’s the real tea on BFT? And the Three Houses Down frontman recounts how his family band started with borrowed instruments and a dream.
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This week’s guest is Māori-Samoan entrepreneur Jordaan Tuitama a.k.a. Creative Taro.
Out of a need for clothes were stylish and able to fit his build, he began upcycling opshop finds. He’s made a side hustle of this hobby, recognising the kaitiakitanga in flipping already worn material that would’ve just been binned. But get a load of Jordaan’s life story. Teen dad, former gang member and thespian.
This week’s guest is Samoan-Māori DJ Aysha Nanai-Leifi, a.k.a. Fallback.
Like LL Cool J said, she’s on the ones and twos to have you dippin’ it and doin’ it well. She’s bumped shoulders with him. Oh, and Tyler The Creator. An ardent representative of Nesian artistic flair, she has taken to the world stage in America and Asia. We love brown women being bosses like her.
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This week’s guest is Samoan content creator Zarya Ioka.
An influencer fastly on the rise, she was vlogging for fun before there was a word for it. If being married with two children wasn’t already a juggle, she decided to study medicine. Zarya tells us how she does it all, has advice for the young, brown mamas and rebukes Maz’s West Auckland slander.
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This week’s guest is Samoan-Māori singer Jordyn With A Why.
A child of two proud cultures, she shares the journey of accepting both into her life with equal love. She shares about her own children and being a māmā. Jordyn is a woman of incredible strength, opening up about *her* why. Plus, she fights her case for pani popo being the best Samoan dessert.
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This week’s guest is Samoan activist Aigagalefili Fepulea’i-Tapua’i.
She is a daughter of Samoa and South Auckland. An award-winning poet, orator and activist. Formerly the head girl of Aorere College, Fili rose to prominence as a fierce advocate for our communities. We converse over the many kaupapa she stands for and frankly, why you listening should give a damn.
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This week’s guest is Māori musician Greatsouth.
In the final instalment of our NZ Music Month series, the brother is an alt-rock artist from Papakura. We really dismantle the idea that every Southside singer is automatically hip-hop or R&B. He sheds light on his 2023 single ‘Popstar in Manix’ and walks us through the big batch of new waiata soon to be dropped.
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