Pioneering Tagata Pasifika boss bids farewell

“Thank you, fa’afetai lava. It’s been a privilege”.

And with those few words, veteran broadcasting producer Taualeo’o Stephen Stehlin confirmed stepping down from active duty on the Pacific media scene.

Stehlin has been a pioneering figure in the Pacific broadcasting world for almost 40 years but will wind up his role as Executive Producer of the Pacific current affairs show Tagata Pasifika.

His departure was announced at the 10th SunPix Pacific Peoples Awards in Auckland last night, only minutes after the audience was informed that SunPix’s flagship show, Tagata Pasifika, would return in 2025.

SunPix co-director John Utanga said: “I can safely say that Tagata Pasifika will be back next year, we received that news today … although it may look slightly different.”

Tagata Pasifika is expected to face a 35 per cent budget cut.

In 2024, the show received $1.91 million in funding from NZ on Air to deliver 51 episodes, each 23 minutes duration, along with two special episodes of 90 minutes.

But Tagata Pasifika will only get $1.25m next year to deliver 30 episodes of 23 minutes each.

“We will not resile from telling our stories for our communities,” Utanga said.

Tagata Pasifika will return in 2025 without Taualeo’o Stephen Stehlin at the helm. Photo: RNZ Pacific/ Koroi Hawkins

Stehlin humorously told the audience he would now be “put out to pasture on Waiheke Island” and felt privileged to have spent his career in broadcasting.

“I count my lucky stars as I count all of you here tonight.

“People might not know, but I am a big crier, so I’m not going to cry, but I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. It has been an incredible 37-year journey.”

That journey began in 1987 as a trainee producer's assistant for TVNZ.

“I really didn’t know much about what that was,” he said in an interview with NZ on Screen.

“The first question for that interview was, can you type? And I said, can you ask me another question. So I learned how to type really quickly.

“But that grounding gave me a really good understanding of production and my first show was Koha.”

By 1991, Stehlin joined Tagata Pasifika, a show he would shape for decades.

Earlier this year, he told PMN News about the initial challenges he faced, including convincing the Broadcasting Corporation of New Zealand that Tagata Pasifika was not just another magazine-style show, but a dedicated news and current affairs programme specifically tailored to Pacific audiences in New Zealand.

See video about the early days of Tagata Pasifika

This distinction was key to the show’s legitimacy and identity.

After a lengthy battle, which included consulting legal advisors and garnering political support, Stehlin successfully redefined Tagata Pasifika’s role, ensuring it addressed Pacific people’s unique needs and stories.

His leadership transformed it into the longest-running Pacific television show in New Zealand, celebrated for telling stories that resonate with Pacific people.

He described the programme as “a Pacific voice by Pacific people,” highlighting its role as a cultural bridge.

In 2014, when TVNZ ended in-house production of Māori and Pacific programming Stehlin co-founded SunPix, an independent production company, with Tagata Pasifika veterans Ngaire Fuata and Utanga.

Under their leadership, SunPix launched initiatives like the digital platform TP+ and expanded into post-production, buying Auckland’s VTR/Suite 16 in 2018.

Stehlin holds the Sāmoan chiefly matai title Taualeo'o from the village of Sagone, Savai'i.

While he steps down from his role as Executive Producer of Tagata Pasifika, he will continue as a director of the SunPix company.