Sisters transform Kiwi tourism with authentic Māori and Pacific cultural experiences

In the heart of Māngere, two sisters are transforming how visitors experience Aotearoa.

Proud Sāmoan-Māori sisters Ama Mosese and Louisa Opetaia launched their tourism business, Glorious NZ, bringing authentic Māori and Pacific experiences right to the doorstep of Auckland’s International Airport.

With around 3.2 million visitor arrivals to Tāmaki Makaurau last year, the sisters say that many tourists leave without ever setting foot into the vibrant communities of South Auckland - something they are determined to change.

“The only Māori cultural experience most tourists know about is Rotorua,” Mosese says in an interview with Latu Fonua on 531pi.

“But Māngere has cultural gold and it’s sitting right here in our own backyard.”

A recent State of the City report highlights Auckland’s declining competitiveness among international cities, calling for a more compelling, unifying, and bold brand appeal to boost tourism.

Glorious NZ was launched last year after the sisters, both experienced tour guides, were inspired by the constant questions they received from visitors.

“Tourists would ask us every day, ‘Where do you hang out? Where can we eat what you eat? Where do we see haka’?” Mosese explains.

“So we started a company based on what they were already asking for - a local, lived experience.”

An Auckland Harbour Bridge tour group which included Pacific fashion extraodinaire, Nora Swann (centre). Photo/Glorious NZ

Their first product is the Auckland Urban Māori Experience, a day tour showcasing cultural landmarks in South Auckland.

Stops include Māngere Mountain for local history, the Māngere Arts Centre and Gallery, and Papatūānuku Kōkiri Marae where guests can learn about community gardens that sustained locals during the Covid-19 pandemic. Participants also visit Koha Café for a kai with the option to pay it forward by buying meals for others in the community.

“It’s about manaakitanga, so taking care of people. They translate that to mean ‘hospitality’ but for us it's so much more than that,” Opetaia says about the importance of creating a meaningful shared experience.

“That root word of mana it's about upholding our mana as the host and also expecting our guests to be good guests while they're on our whenua and in our country.”
After many years of guiding internationally, the sisters decided to take matters into their own hands, not just to meet demand but also to reclaim the narrative of what Tāmaki Makaurau represents.

“We’ve lived overseas for years,” says Opetaia, who returned after 27 years abroad.

“Now we’re home and see how little is actually offered to guests who fly into Tāmaki Makaurau. Our people and stories deserve to be visible.

“What we do as cultural connectors is connecting tourists from all over the world with our community.”

Their newest venture, launching this month, is a weekly Polynesian Cultural Night, hosted at the Naumi Hotel in Māngere every Wednesday.

The event features cultural shows and buffet combinations popular across the Pacific similar to the Polynesian Cultural Centre in Hawai’i, Liku’alofa in Tonga, or resorts in Sāmoa.

The show will include traditional dances from across the Pacific and feature South Auckland’s own Emillie Elizabeth Lovett, a 14-year-old siva afi (fire knife) specialist who ranked third at the 2025 World Fireknife Championship.

Mosese says it is their local version of a Hawaiian Luau or Sāmoan Fiafia night.

“We’ll have a Pacific buffet, cultural performances and stories that trace how we became the most Polynesian city in the world.

“It’s about more than entertainment. It’s about uplifting our youth, giving them a platform, and showing the world how special our communities really are.”

Unlike larger events like Pasifika or Polyfest, which happen once a year, Mosese and Opetaia aim for their offering to fill a year-round gap for both locals and tourists.

With little funding but plenty of “passion for storytelling”, they are launching their pilot programme on their own terms.

The sisters’ motivation for pursuing cultural prosperity comes from their family legacy of doing tours and cultural shows in Australia, a sense of community purpose, and the “opportunity for our own to be who they are, use their talents, and tell our stories”.

Tickets for all experiences offered by Glorious NZ are available here.