You’ve had quite the journey! What have been some key milestones along the way?

Born in South Auckland, raised in Sydney, Australia, but I still say fish and chips like a normal person. My whānau and friends are my biggest source of inspiration, I wouldn't be here without them.

I've always been a tutu and keen to give everything a go. My nana had heaps of cool creative stuff around the whare like vintage cameras, vinyls, jewellery makers and, honestly, probably too many infomercial purchases. My parents always had music playing everywhere as a kid, and I honestly carried that throughout my whole life. I like to think that's what sparked my creativity, as it's always been a driving force behind a lot of my work.

Before ‘Gangnam Style’ was a thing, I was running a Tumblr blog turning my favourite K-pop stars into zombies (look, we've all got a past). Weirdly, it took off, which pushed me to create more and teach myself the Adobe Suite with GIFs, photo/video editing, illustration, but sadly not a cure for the K-pop zombie apocalypse. Naturally, that flowed into graphic design, and I moved back to Tāmaki Makaurau to pursue it.

During my studies and freelancing days, I met some of the coolest people who I now call family. We made our intro into the art world, held exhibitions, and even did a few residencies. From there, my path shifted into print, where I spent the last four years in Wellington. Now, funnily enough, I've found myself back in marketing.

Through all of it, reconnecting to my Māori and Cook Islands roots has become really important to me, especially as a wahine/va'ine. I want to be someone who bridges the gap in these spaces for our people.

Operating the Esko Photo (Credit: The Big Picture), and enjoying some chippies!

So, when you’re not at mahi, what lights your fire?

Besides potato chips, I'm passionate about anything creative. I love movies, music, clothes, and visually telling stories. I'm drawn to creating work that speaks without words, distorting things, playing with lights, movement, etc, all these elements that make you read between the lines and wonder. There's something about storytelling through art, movies, and photos that feels really connected to whakapapa for me. It's like you're weaving together moments and memories that carry their own mauri, their own life force, without needing explanation.

How would you describe yourself in 3 words?

Curious. Chill. Considerate... Chippies. (Can't count)

You’ve been in Wellington’s creative scene for a while now. What makes Hemisphere special?

Like everyone here, it's the people… and the constant supply of Ploughmans Bakery bread. But honestly, my manager Awa has been more of a mentor than a manager. Working with him has been pretty mean and just watching him be so confident and doing things in his Māori way has given me a real sense of ease since starting here. Pretty grateful to have him showing me the ropes. Chur bro.

Is there a project that’s really resonated with you since joining the team?

It would have to be Newtown School’s design exploration. We held a wānanga with the kaiako and board members, and just being immersed in that space was special. Hearing them kōrero Māori and share why their kura means so much to them was cool and reminded me of my whānau. I really like being around passionate people, and listening to them proudly speak about the pūrākau that shape this beautiful city taught me heaps. I left with a deeper connection to Te Whanganui-a-Tara and reminded why our mahi is so important.

If someone was doing an impression of you in the office, what phrase would instantly give it away?

“Huh...” My hearing is horrible.

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