An aerial drone shot of Ōtara Town Centre.

Mana Pasifika

Poet Grace Iwashita-Taylor expresses what it means to identify in Pasifika in modern COVID times. A powerful spoken word piece that embodies the Saute Aukilani mindset. Music from Brandon Haru.

Expressing ourselves is one way that we are able to reimagine our wellbeing together. Enjoy a creative piece written by Grace Iwashita-Taylor and performed by All-star Ngawati-Salaivao with music by Brandon Huru.

Mana Pasifika: Wellness is Community | The Lowdown NZ

Wellness is Community

In an uncertain world, your body can tremble
hustling just to survive
masina pull on the vasa, causing tides you cannot control
when stillness is too far stretched
and your breath is shallow in your chest
to settle your body
it takes a visit, to self, to aiga
to familiar food cooking on the stove, in your home
within a village of safety.
But
when the safety of that home becomes target
when brown is named scapegoat for blame
when your home is the birthplace of the essential workers
keeping a whole nation moving
frontline and front facing a virus yet, still smiling.
When putting yourself at risk, means income
means cupboards not empty and bills paid.
When someone comes from this village mentality
it's not helpful to ask them to heal alone
because it takes a village to be well.
The atamai of the vā
between the village within you
and the village surrounding you.
For children of the moana
wellness, is collective
is listening to the ocean in YOU
and the ocean in WE
wellness is navigation
is tending to our elderly
wellness is balance
is alofa, is love
wellness is a ritual of alofa
wellness is a radical act of love
wellness is village
is honouring your breath
for a collective shared breath
never bloomed but forever blooming
wellness is US.

A man in a Los Angeles cap and denim jacket sits in the centre of the screen, talking to the camera.

Allister shares his powerful story of surviving tough times with his mental health and circumstances in his life.

All-star shares his powerful story of surviving tough times with his mental health and circumstances in his life. 

Mana Pasifika: Allister's Journey with Mental Health | The Lowdown Aotearoa 

Allister's Journey with Mental Health

I've been fortunate enough to pioneer hip hop dance in New Zealand
with Dziah Dance Crew
which was back in 2003
we were the first team to come back from
the Hip Hop Championships in Los Angeles at the time
Now we have like, 12, 13 crews going every single year,
which is, which is a bit of a buzz
but, at the time, we were just trying to make a name for ourselves
and very fortunate to go from Dziah to then start
our team that we have now, which is Prestige Dance Crew.
We got sponsored by Lee, by Nike
we got sponsored by Adidas for a few years
which was mind-blowing for a kid that dropped out of school
and I didn’t even have Adidas shoes myself
and now to be considered the All Blacks of dance in 2006
it was too much for myself.
We also didn’t have mentors at that time,
we were getting gigs left, right and centre
like, people wanting us here, which was really cool,
but we didn’t know what to do with it
I’m gutted, but I'm also about trusting in the process
and understanding that life takes you where
you need to go but,
in terms of capitalizing on that moment
I guess the learning for me was to understand
that, moving forward now,
but we've had to do lots of learning,
lots and lots and lots of learning.
I'm also a secondary teacher, been teaching out at
Manurewa High School for the last 5 years.
There’s been lots of like, in terms of just myself personally,
the wellbeing stuff, in terms of what I was going through
dance, what saved my life
without dance then I would have, I guess
been the stereotype, the stigma, the what everyone said,
what everyone says of South Auckland kids.
But fortunate that it didn’t happen, it didn’t go that way,
I stuck to dance,
I was fortunate enough to have the right people around me at the right times.
Its a difficult subject man, its difficult because,
everybody has their own personal view on it,
and just for myself like,
over the last 3 years I've been dealing with it intensely
so intense focus, really understanding it for myself
trying to unpack it, speaking to the people I need to that I need to speak that have,
the skillsets to be able to give me the frames and the understandings
but still a lot of it is you as an individual still kind of journeying through so,
thirty years of trauma for myself,
and I’m only 35, like three decades from when I was 5,
to now be 35, its, even though I was doing significant, cool, exciting things
inside I felt like I was in a jail,
inside I didn’t feel anyone cared,
inside I didn’t feel anyone loved,
but then I was purely on my own personal journey.
From physical, to mental, to sexual,
all of those sort of abusive behaviours that kind of happened to me was,
something that, really effected me as an individual,
I’m just grateful that there were other family members that,
even though they knew I was,
I was kind of crazy, I was going through like,
emotional rollercoasters, I was up and down as a kid,
I moved between so many different homes
because I was considered, crazy.
Dance came through, it helped, definitely saved my life
I'm just trying to focus on me so I can be, I guess, the best version
for my boys, for my wife, for my colleagues, for the teams I'm apart of,
You know, just to be on and so that people that see us
they understand that, yes we aren’t perfect,
but we can do whatever we want.
I just think if people can focus on the day,
especially if your in it, like if its raw, if its,
and you haven’t been able to speak to it,
talk to someone, definitely talk to someone,
reach out, speak to someone that’s close to you
to ask for help, for some organizations.
Please, that’s what I would offer, is to speak to someone.


Having a supportive community can help make a positive impact on your mental health and well-being. Find support, connect and learn on the Lowdown.

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