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Growing interest in Pacific issues has meant a surge in Pacific research across the globe. Sadly, some research on Pacific people has been done without Pacific knowledge, wisdom and culture. As Pacific researchers, we understand the importance of outputs that interweave our ancestral and cultural wisdom, whilst centring and privileging our people's narratives. Through the birth of our Moanaroa Pacific Research group, we explore the importance of a research collective which decolonises and re indigenises research as we know it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the differences between Māori and Samoan approaches to post-mortem photography. This paper will show that Māori consider the notion of post-mortem photography as offensive, while for some Samoans, post-mortem photography is acceptable. This article emerges due to the scarcity of research on post-mortem photography in Indigenous communities. We analyze the underlying beliefs of these communities in relation to post-mortem photography. As two researchers from these communities, we call upon our ancestral and academic knowledge to tell this story. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout the Pacific, the whānau/’āiga (family) is an integral element of community and identity. Within Polynesian communities, it is common for the whānau (family – Māori) or ‘aiga (family – Samoan) to be the most important aspect of one's existence. For many Polynesian (Māori and Pacific) athletes, the family unit is central to their ability to succeed in professional sport. The cultural identity that is developed within the family unit as well as the support and nurturing provided are ingredients for Polynesian athletes to thrive in spaces where they may not otherwise: gaining collective support in ways that are not always readily afforded to Western society. This paper draws from the stories of male professional Māori and Pasifika rugby league athletes to provide deeper insight into the critical role of Polynesian families in professional sport. As Polynesian sport academics, who were given deep insight from these athletes, we use our insider lens to tell this story. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Performers of colour have had to endure racism, both on and off stage. Sadly, many performers of colour have had personal (in)direct experiences of racism. Sadder yet, there are those who have been discouraged to pursue careers in the performing arts because of the racism they have experienced. This article analyses a production by women of colour called Hot Brown Honey. Through this show, notions of racism are called to question and safe spaces for performers of colour are created. As two Pacific Island authors, one being the Director/Co-writer/Performer and the other an activist academic, we provide insider access into the Hot Brown Honey family. Through our insider voices, we are able to share our experiences of how this show disrupts racist perceptions, and privileges people of colour and our narratives. It is our humble prayer that both this show and article empowers people of colour in the performing arts, and builds a better industry for the next generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper gives insights into the ways an Indigenous group has continued to teach and learn their language(s) during the COVID-19 pandemic. As an insider researcher from this community, I draw upon observations and dialogue among my people globally, as part of an inquiry into our language sustainability. Although social distancing and border closures hindered communal gatherings, this cohort continued to teach and learn their language(s). Many used digital forums such as social media, Zoom and Facebook to facilitate their language transmission. This article shares how this group has been able to maintain and sustain their language(s) in a time of global crisis, may their story support the Indigenous language fight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper gives insights into the collective ways that Samoans and Tongans living in Brisbane have responded to the changes and uncertainties of the COVID-19 era. As Samoan and Tongan insider researchers, we present observations and dialogue from Samoan and Tongan families that were recorded during March 2020, as part of an inquiry into Pasifika mobilities and wellbeing in Australia. The responses drawn from these cohorts suggest an established resilience and purposed creativity during this global crisis. The social distancing regulations, border closures and travel bans have caused Samoan and Tongan communities in Brisbane to engage more; particularly connecting through digital spaces (vā) of social media and other online communication platforms. Pasifika have responded to the pressures and parameters of a pandemic with innovative ways of nurturing their collective well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This article presents narratives from 13 Indigenous early career academics (ECAs) at one university in Auckland, New Zealand. These experiences are likely to represent those of Indigenous Māori and Pasifika ECAs nationally, given the small, centralised nature of the national academy of Aotearoa New Zealand. The narratives contain testimony, fictionalised vignettes of experience, and poetic expressions. Meeting the demands of an academic role in one’s first years of working at a university is a big deal for anyone; the extra pressures and challenges for Indigenous Māori and Pacific staff are immense, yet little understood by White ‘others.’ A writing workshop was the initial catalyst of this collective writing project. Through these insider narratives, this article presents a collective description of, and response to, the experience of Māori and Pasifika early career academics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]