18-year-old Pacific filmmaker named Young New Zealander of the Year semi-finalist

For Telesia Tanoa’i, the camera is a bridge between worlds.

The 18-year-old Sāmoan-Fijian filmmaker is turning her lens towards a mission bigger than herself: revitalising Pacific languages and giving young people the tools to reconnect with their heritage.

Named a semi-finalist for the 2026 Young New Zealander of the Year Te Mātātahi o te Tau, Tanoa’i is being recognised for her creativity, leadership, and impact - from youth-led video journals to award-winning documentaries screened at international film festivals.

“I got an email from New Zealander of the year,” Tanoa’i told Island Time. “At that moment, I was just praising God straight away. It was something that I definitely didn’t think of.

“I honestly was very shocked and incredibly humbled, grateful for the opportunity. I thought of my mum straight away. She got home and I told her and both of us honestly broke down in tears.”

Tanoa’i’s perspective is uniquely global. The daughter of a diplomat and social enterprise owners, Pulotu Tupe Solomon-Tanoa’i and Salā Esera Tanoa’i, she grew up across Taipei, Suva, Taiwan, and is now based in Wellington.

Watch Telesia Tanoa'i's full interview below.

The international upbringing allowed Tanoa’i to master Mandarin Chinese, even becoming a global champion in the Chinese Bridge proficiency competition. But it also sparked a personal “identity crisis” about her own heritage.

“I’ve been able to navigate that crisis of struggling with my cultural identity and feeling connected with my culture and my aiga here in Aotearoa,” Tanoa’i says.

Instead of retreating, Tanoa’i turned to the camera. In 2025, she co-created a series of youth-led video journals for five Pacific Language Weeks; Rotuma, Sāmoa, Tonga, Kiribati, and the Cook Islands.

They follow student ambassadors through language lessons and become vital classroom tools, helping rangatahi reconnect with their roots.

“There’s very limited opportunities for us to practice our Pacific languages or to have exposure to them,” Tanoa’i says. “So being here [in Aotearoa] navigating two worlds or more, making those videos we looked at it as a source for our diasporic Pacific Islanders.

“We’re facing a time where language revitalisation is very, very important and I think we should be pushing that more now than ever.”

Her award-winning debut documentary, Telesia 2 the World, has screened at 17 international film festivals in 2024, earning recognition for its portrayal of resilience and purpose.

Through her work with Poporazzi Productions and the Pacific Climate Warriors, Tanoa’i says she is about telling more than her own story. She is building a stage for others.

“I want to be a part of definitely uplifting others as well as Pasifika people...I believe that our people are genuinely, natural born, talented, intelligent, amazing leaders."

The selection process

Thousands of public nominations are considered for the New Zealander of the Year awards.

Independent panels of sector experts including community leaders, scientists, and artists, evaluate nominees using a weighted rubric for leadership, innovation, and long-term impact.

After weeks of deliberation, the panels select the Top 10 semi-finalists in each category.

What’s next?

The process now moves to the Executive Judging Panel, which will narrow the 10 semi-finalists down to three finalists.

This year’s panel includes Caren Rangi ONZM, the Pro-Chancellor of Massey University and Director of New Zealand Rugby, and Dame Valerie Adams DNZM. See the full judges’ list here.

The finalist names will be revealed on 26 February, with winners crowned at the Gala in March.