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During New Zealand's unprecedented level-four lockdown, opportunities to practise Pacific pedagogies in New Zealand universities required creative and innovative solutions from Pacific academics. This paper brings together the experiences of teaching during this lockdown from a cross-section of Pacific Early Career Academics (PECA) across a wide range of disciplines and schools at New Zealand's largest university. This paper argues that despite the challenges, PECA found ways to adapt Pacific pedagogical concepts through online delivery methods; however, their ability to effectively do this was severely influenced by existing socio-economic inequities that disproportionately impacted Pacific students. PECA continued to nurture the va/wa with students in innovative ways, but they still encountered major challenges that will require more careful consideration of equity issues by New Zealand universities moving forward.

The appointment of the University of Waikato's first Assistant Vice-Chancellor Pacific in February 2019 was an important milestone, not only recognising years of work and dedication by numerous Pacific and Maori staff, but triggering a new strategic direction for 'Pacific at Waikato'. This paper explains that journey, one that is underpinned by Pacific cultural legacies, strengths, values and identity; built on talanoa-va; informed by research, data analytics, student and community voice; combined with strategic thought and planning; and outworked in the pan-Pacific epithet, 'imua'. This is a story of resilience, determination, negotiating a pandemic, problem-solving and innovation in an environment that seeks a 'culture of belonging' and where Pacific learners are encouraged to be themselves in the pursuit of educational achievement. This paper will be of interest to education providers, stakeholders and policy makers.

Learning online from home bubbles through the use of information communication technology (ICT) stretches the engagement and enactment of "va" (relational connections) between students and lecturers as well as Pacific people in the community. In this paper, "talanoa" is used to capture students' online learning experiences and their perceived understanding of connections. Such experiences are embodied in people's interactions, conversations, problem-solving, knowledge sharing and exchange of ideas and practice. As the "va" space online between lecturer and student as well as people in the community is physically "mama'o" (distanced), the perceived space of learning connection raises concern over ethics and practice. Engaging in open talanoa of the uncertainties linked to online interactions within the post-COVID context and the place of "va" ethics can lead to "talanoa malie" that highlight possibilities and solutions.