More than a crown: Ieremia-Allan inspires youth to redefine cultural representation

Crowned Miss Pacific Islands and Miss Sāmoa, Litara Ieremia-Allan, is not just wearing the sash; she’s redefining what it means to represent her people.

For this young Pacific ambassador, holding a prestigious title extends far beyond beauty pageants.

Speaking on Pacific Mornings, Ieremia-Allan says she never thought she had what it took to hold such a role.

“But the further I've gone on the journey, I think I've realised the more you are yourself, people start to respect that,” she says. “It's been a humbling journey to learn how to hold myself in these roles.”

At the age of 24, Ieremia-Allan was crowned Miss Sāmoa last year and went on to win the title of Miss Pacific Islands earlier this year.

A former head girl of Hamilton Girls’ High School, she holds a Bachelor of Pacific Studies from Victoria University in Wellington.

Ieremia-Allan attended COP29 in Azerbaijan with the Sāmoa delegation last November. Photo/SPREP Facebook

She is from the villages of Sapapalii, Fusi Safotulafai, Saoluafata, Lalomanu, Matautu Falealili, Vaie’e, Sinamoga, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa and Raasay, Scotland.

Before being crowned queen of the Pacific Islands, Ieremia-Allan taught English and Pacific Literature at Manurewa High School in Auckland.

Now living in Sāmoa, her new role challenges common stereotypes, proving that Pacific beauty queens are advocates deeply committed to cultural preservation.

Ieremia-Allan shortly after being crowned Miss Pacific in the Solomon Islands. Photo/Miss Samoa Facebook

"It was reframed in the 1980s by our pioneers, our educators and our female leaders,” she told Terite.

“They reframed the platform to be a place where it would be used for tamaitai Sāmoa and Pacific women to celebrate Pacific ways and expressions of beauty inside and out.

“Every day, whoever holds this role, it's our duty to maintain that, and language is a huge part of that.”

As part of this year’s Vaiaso o le Gagana Samoa, Sāmoan Language Week, Ieremia-Allan shares her personal reflections on the theme, ‘Ia malu lou sā. Folau i lagimā - A well-grounded self is a successful self’.

She recounts her recent experience with the Sāmoan Voyaging Society.

Watch Litara Ieremia-Allan's full interview on Pacific Mornings

“They brought all these high school students to come fix the boat, and here I was thinking, ‘oh, let's just go be Moana from Motunui and sail upon the boat’, but it's actually more than that.

“It's repairing the boat here in Sāmoa named Mama G or Gaualofa. It's making sure that when you're looking after her, she will look after you on the seas.”

Ieremia-Allan also shares her language journey as someone raised in New Zealand who returned to Sāmoa to deepen her cultural understanding.

She emphasises the role of her South African father in nurturing her Sāmoan identity, underscoring that multicultural households significantly enrich one's sense of belonging.

Ieremia-Allan with her parents, Dave Allan and Wanda Ieremia. Photo/Supplied

“To those parents that might be wondering… what's my role to play? Your role is to tell them that being Sāmoan is beautiful and supporting them to uphold their culture, and I think it's been a team effort from my family.”

Among her current projects is launching the Upu Fa’amalosi podcast, which aims to link Sāmoans in Sāmoa and abroad into a conversational approach to what it means to be Sāmoan.

“I'm really excited about that. It's something that has helped me understand who I am, and it's a place where I believe young women can feel safe and grow in their cultural understanding of themselves.”