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Hanalee (Hun-a-lee)

@johnnyaroha

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Running around the motu 🪁

Aunty and Uncle had a time pt.26474

Another artist ticked off the bucket list

@liddytutuvanu first co-curation!

A Porthaethwy sunset ☀️

Tina and 3/6 of her kids

@rojonetav angels 👼

Silver and Billclinton

Around the world moment 🇨🇰

24 years of the biggest height difference

Maine Matariki ✨

From Commonwealth games to Reggaeland

Ngāti Wīwī @stuffbyseener 🥹

The Wards & Co

Medic in 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Smiling thru the pain of lost luggage🫠

Below deck role play?

Swipe @lilyanne_marakei_kiribati_orme

🫶🏽 by @johnnyaroha

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a month ago

Te mana e te kakā ki tō tātou Atua

>>><<<

At the start of the year, I was lucky enough to see my first ever co-curated project, Pasifika Now, officially come to fruition and be published online. In the following few weeks, we held an intimate but powerful launch for the installation of the digital display within the Pacific Encounters gallery at the National Maritime, Greenwich.

Both the museum’s and my drive for this project from the very start was to accurately represent who WE are. OUR people, OUR whenua, OUR stories. Done by us.

Our people deserve to be shown authentically, in whatever capacity that means for the individual. I have been blessed enough to be put in a position of massive privilege with the museum to help open doors for the people who can show all who walk through our gallery who we are, and these 5 photographers have truly outdone what I could have ever envisioned.

This project wasn’t and isn’t mine alone to carry or celebrate. I am so deeply humbled by the many that have carried this kaupapa with me

>>><<<

Having the tears, laughter, and connection in a museum gallery space like this was special beyond words. To see my own people—some who don’t enter museum spaces because of the emotional barrier that comes with such colonial places—take over this gallery with such joy and love is all thanks to @_moaho_ @heleinmotion, @liddytutuvanu, @southsides, and Navarone Toalepai, and the incredible talent they hold in capturing who we are and the beauty of the land and diasporas we live in.

Thank you to the Maritime staff, my fellow Tangata Moana advisory board members, and my co-curator Hans, for not just trusting and believing in me, but also fighting so hard to put our people and taonga at the center of everything in this museum.

1/2 of my spell check team 😚

May someone look at you the way I look at @rojonetav

Lead by one of the greatest to ever come outta Murupara 🤍

For almost 10 years I was lucky enough to grow up within this museum and this gallery space in particular. Being nurtured by both museum staff, past and present, and my own family who work within these spaces, all led me to this moment. This is my why.

The nephew maki by @johnnyaroha

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a month ago

I hope I come back as a Pacific Islander in every lifetime 🥹🌺 Pacific Roots was the first Pasifika festival I’ve ever been booked to perform at, and being surrounded by our people, celebrating our cultures and witnessing Pasifika Joy all day, every day was exactly what my island girl heart needed.

A huge thank you to the Pacific Roots organisers for welcoming us and creating something so special for our communities. I’m always missing home and you brought home to me 🥹❤️ Until next time Amsterdam 🌺 Meitaki Ma’ata to my sisters from @beatsofpolynesia and Aunty Tash for our beautiful outfits by @johnnyaroha

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a month ago

Amsterdam! See you this Saturday evening at Pacific Roots. Me and the girls are bringing the island flavour 🫶🏾 🇵🇫 🇼🇸 🇨🇰 🇹🇰 🇹🇴 🇰🇮 #polynesian by @johnnyaroha

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2 months ago

First half of the year part 1 🙂‍↕️ by @johnnyaroha

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3 months ago

“E au le ina’ilau a tama’ita’i”
This is a Samoan proverb that my aunty used in her speech that night. And how beautiful it has been over the last two years of filming and screenings to witness these two women embody every word of it.

Forever humbled to have been a small part of their journey and to witness such a powerful and loving form of service. Not just to their family, village, and island, but to a diaspora and community outside of their own.

I have witnessed this service of love and passion through Liddy’s time in London. Her drive to learn, understand, and showcase all that Pasifika people have built in the UK for generations deserves more flowers than I could ever gift. She never shows off all the incredible work she has done for us and the culture, but instead continually thinks of ways to make sure this diaspora and the work done is brought to light.

To think I got to sit with @lenatutuvanu and share this taonga with both our families in Auckland was surreal; even bringing Tales to NZ was surreal. Big meitaki ngao to all our people for showing up n showing love, this night and throughout

They are far too humble to talk about just how talented they both are and the difference they are making to our people, but from this project to the next, I will scream it from the rooftops ⭐️ taken in The Capitol Cinema by @johnnyaroha

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5 months ago

spot our lil pare <3 taken in London, England by @johnnyaroha

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5 months ago

I am incredibly proud to finally share a project I have been a part of. ‘Pacific Now’ is a beautiful initiative Johnny has spearheaded.

This snippet from “Tales of the Diaspora” gives you only a tiny insight on her innate drive to correct and accurately represent our people across Te Moananui-a-Kiwa. The altruistic passion she has and continuous advocacy to create opportunities for our people, is why we are in constant awe of her.

Despite trials and tribulations to get this project up and running, she perseveres for a greater purpose than herself: her community.

It is a great privilege to show my people the way I see them and in a space that historically was not for us. It is also a great privilege of mine to have my work shown next to people that I have looked up to since the start of my creative journey.

So thank you to @johnnyaroha , Tangata Moana Board and the National Maritime Museum for giving us the space to do so.

Check it out here:
https://www.rmg.co.uk/stories/art-culture/pasifika-now

Photographers:
@jumpshot_74
@princeofmangere
@southsides
@_moaho_ taken in National Maritime Museum by @johnnyaroha

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6 months ago

Second half of the year. Very loved, blessed and Pareless by @johnnyaroha

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10 months ago

💌 by @johnnyaroha

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a year ago

🌅 taken in Quarteira, Faro, Portugal by @johnnyaroha

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a year ago

Lucky enough to experience this festival as a kid, and now getting to return as an adult nothing makes me more grateful 🫶🏽 taken in Lo spirito del pianeta festival by @johnnyaroha

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a year ago