Co-hosts of the podcast Island Roots, Auckland Ways Allyssa Verner-Pula and Mariner Fagaiava.
Co-hosts of the podcast Island Roots, Auckland Ways Allyssa Verner-Pula and Mariner Fagaiava.
Two friends who started a podcast out of a want to hear more success stories and discussions from their neighbourhood - South Auckland - can now call themselves award-winning podcasters.
Mariner Fagaiava and Allyssa Verner-Pula, who have Tongan and Samoan roots, are the 23-year-old co-hosts of Island Roots, Auckland Ways, which picked up the award for Best Pacific Podcast at this year’s NZ Radio and Podcast Awards.
The show, launched less than a year ago by NZME’s Flava radio station, was up against fellow finalists Radio NZ’s Pacific Waves and Fair Game: Pacific Rugby Against the World.
Fagaiava, who is also the popular host for the Flava Drive show, said being acknowledged in an industry where Pacific representation is not always evident was surreal.
“It was a blessing to be among the crowd...and acknowledged in front of all of our colleagues.
“I think any Pacific person in the media will relate to those feelings of isolation and loneliness - because sometimes it can be a lone fight that you’re fighting for greater representation of our people [and] our stories.”
Fagaiava-Muller and Allyssa Verner-Pula. Photo / NZME
Island Roots, Auckland Ways - which started with about $1000 in funding - was dreamed up out of a gap in the podcast market for Pasifika content that was less formal.
Initially plugged for 12 episodes, it now boasts 24 episodes and has included mostly young Pacific and Māori guests from all walks of life talking about topics that affect their generation.
Many of those topics address issues that are affecting young Pasifika living away from their respective motherlands - and the unique identity they have in being a New Zealand-born Samoan, for example.
“So that’s been the true aim of the podcast - to celebrate Pacificness in Aotearoa today,” Fagaiava said.
“We wanted to switch up the narrative and we felt like we accomplished that. I think receiving this award is a testament of all of the hard work that has gone into the podcast and all the stories that have been shared.”
Fagaiava paid tribute to Pacific journalists and broadcasters who had come before them and acknowledged the new generation of young Pasifika working in various media platforms.
That included those in mainstream media, where there continues to be a push for more diverse voices.
“Often the media can be painted as quite competitive and there’s this ruthless kind of nature about working against each other in competing networks.
“But Allyssa and I - we cheered for our colleagues from opposing networks. Anyone who was Pacific in that room, we cheered for, because we know how hard it is to be Pacific in a space that doesn’t look like us.”
Newstalk ZB's Niva Retimanu won Best Newsreader - again - at this year's NZ Radio and Podcast Awards. Photo / Supplied
Other notable Pacific broadcasters honoured at the awards included Newstalk ZB’s Niva Retimanu, who won Best Newsreader, veteran journalists Sefita Ha’ouli and Foufou Susana Hukui - who presented Tagata Pasifika - and PMN Cook Islands, which received the Best Pacific Language Programme (special commendation) award.
“I hope that we are opening the door to more Pacific podcasts. I hope that there’s space for more of our people at the table,” Fagaiava said.
“And whether we won that category or not, we would’ve been proud for whatever Pacific representation had taken to the stage.”
Vaimoana Mase is the Pasifika editor for the Herald’s Talanoa section, sharing stories from the Pacific community. She won junior reporter of the year at the then Qantas Media Awards in 2010 and won the best opinion writing award at the 2023 Voyager Media Awards.
