Sāmoan cultural motifs are more visible than ever. These motifs carry stories of our ancestors as they navigated the vast moana in search of new lands. Those same ancestors created the tatau to store valuable information of our people. Now, Sāmoan people and culture are internationally visible throughout popular culture, from Hollywood superstars such as The Rock Dwayne Johnson to NFL legends Troy Polamalu and the movie Moana. As a result, debates have increased on who should be allowed and not allowed to wear the tatau. Interestingly, much of the tatau discourse is led by non-Sāmoan academics or Sāmoans who do not wear the tatau.

Pacific youth in diaspora have faced many well-being challenges. This group has had to navigate the tensions between holding on to their Pacific values and participating in Western society, which at times can be contradictory. As this group comes of age in their host country, their well-being becomes ever more important. In this article, we explore the well-being journey of this cohort and their stories of resilience. We show how these groups have been able to use their Pacific culture(s) as a form of positive well-being.

Indigenous people are over-represented as professional players in many sporting codes, and recently a trend has developed whereby Indigenous athletes are choosing to play internationally for their heritage nations as opposed to the top-tier countries they reside in. With regard to rugby league and rugby union, many of these athletes are Pasifika who have had minimal exposure to their heritage nations, being born and raised in, for example, Aotearoa New Zealand, Australia or the United States. Nevertheless, this cohort is increasingly choosing to play for their heritage nations, despite the substantial cut in pay and available resources this decision entails.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused the world to stop. It has halted societal modes of being and operating, and collective responsibility is now premised on a discourse of prevention or fear. These tensions are also relevant to higher education. In this situation report we aim to elucidate such tensions through Pacific Indigenous philosophy that affirms collective and relational ontologies by way of transnational Pasifika engagement in the university. This report is produced by two Pasifika researchers who have never physically met. However, through the digital vä, their voices are connected to tell this story.