Sports journalist Meli Ma’afu Fanua Laddpeter can’t wait to get the behind-the-scenes scoop from Pacific athletes at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. Photo credit: FBC.
By Michelle Curran
Executive Communications Manager, Pasifika TV/PCBL
Using a fresh – and Pacific – perspective, Meli Ma’afu Fanua Laddpeter will tell the stories his people from the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Sport has always played a role the 23-year-old’s life, having played schoolboy rugby before falling into sports journalism after leaving high school.
Of Tongan and Fijian heritage, Meli is currently a sports journalist at Fiji Broadcasting Corporation (FBC), and is one of four Pacific media professionals arriving in Aotearoa New Zealand this week, to produce content from the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow for Pasifika TV to screen across the region.
Supported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), PCBL has partnered with Sky TV to air coverage of the Games which run from July 23-August 2, as well as train the Pacific cohort alongside the Auckland-based Sky team.
The cohort will be tasked with gathering stories and producing daily highlights focused on Pacific athletes competing in Scotland.
Having reported on the 2023 Pacific Games in the Solomon Islands and Super Rugby, Meli says he is excited about so many aspects of the training project, especially exposure to international sport.
“I am hoping to get more experience, especially in the types of equipment used in our line of work, and I want to be able to help teach my colleagues everything I learn from this project,” Meli says.
As a Pacific journalist covering Pacific athletes, Meli can approach assignments with a very different view from someone who is not familiar with Pacific culture, he adds.
“We will be able to pick up stories that most people do not notice…this type of experience will allow us to think more outside the box and pick out captivating stories from even a simple rugby tournament.”
Joining Meli at the Sky studios is Katokakala Lino, visual editor at Tonga Broadcasting Commission, Jone Tomuse, producer at Fiji’s Mai TV, Wari Ila, and senior editor at National Broadcasting Corporation in Papua New Guinea.
Overseeing the training is Paul Vunituraga, a Pacific-based broadcast manager, producer and consultant, PCBL Regional Content Manager Tia Soakai, and PCBL General Manager Programming and Sport Tui McKendrick.
Story sovereignty and industry sustainability are two core pillars at PCBL and its aim from this training is to create pipelines of skilled Pacific media professionals to continue telling Pacific stories.
Approximately 3000 athletes from 74 nations and territories will be competing in 10 sports, across four venues at the 2026 Commonwealth Games.
Pacific countries sending athletes include Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
To view the Commonwealth Games in the region, visit Pasifika TV or your local broadcaster.