From L-R: Creative producer Dr Aaron Salā; Pasifika On Air's General Manager Nicole Rex Taofinu'u; and Chief of War Co-producers Brian Keaualana and Angie Laprete are champions of Pacific storytelling and creative content.
By Michelle Curran
Executive Communications Manager, Pasifika TV/PCBL
A reimagined, more encompassing Pasifika On Air (PoA) will support Pacific broadcasters and content creators to tell their own stories in their own way, over the next three years and beyond.
Established in 2021 by Pacific Cooperation Broadcasting Limited (PCBL), PoA aimed to build the production capacity and capability of local Pacific broadcasters to showcase content created by, for, and about Pasifika communities across the region.
As the digital landscape and desire for content continues to adapt and evolve, PoA is being reimagined and expanded to also fund Pacific creators as well as broadcasters, to enhance capability, and sustainability in the media sector.
Nicole Rex Taofinu’u, General Manager, PoA, says while the reset is part of PCBL’s body of work over the next three years – her vision stretches beyond 2028.
“My vision if for Pacific broadcasters, producers, and creatives to be resourced, skilled, and connected to create high-quality, culturally grounded Pacific content that reaches regional, and global audiences, while retaining Pacific ownership, control, and cultural authority,” Nicole says.
“Guided by the principles of Pacific story sovereignty, and our people owning their own narrative, PoA will enable Pacific people in the region to tell and circulate their stories across television, audio, and digital platforms, strengthening Pacific languages, cultures, and creative economies across the Moana.”
She adds by 2028, PoA will have expanded its contestable fund to include Pacific broadcasters, Pacific content producers, Pacific-led co-productions, and a multi-platform delivery service, while the initiative will be recognised as a champion of Pacific story sovereignty a d a key contributor to a Pacific media ecosystem in the Moana.
Having entered its third season, PoA has more funding rounds to run until 2028.
In late 2025, PCBL affiliated broadcasters were invited to pitch an original format series, with three successful broadcasters from Fiji and the Cook Islands selected to create a series later this year.
“The high quality of the submissions demonstrates how much progress has been made over a short amount of time when it comes to content creation and development – it is a good indication of a healthy creative industry in the Pacific,” Nicole says.
“With PoA’s expansion and reimagining, the creativity can only flourish more.”
Funded by New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), PCBL’s aim over the next three years is to support regional stability through a strengthened local media that is connected, resilient, and continues to enable civicmindedness, transparency and accountability.