The Interviews

 

Interview One

 

 (Interview by Alys Longley and Jeffrey Holdaway in July 2025).

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Stan Conrad was the captain of the Waka Tapu Voyage in traditional Polynesian voyaging canoes from Aotearoa NZ to Rapa Nui (Easter Island, Chile), in August 2012. In this interview he discusses the experience of being part of the renaissance of celestial navigation as an artform and cultural practice that is core to the people of Moana Nui A Kiwa. The Waka Tapu voyage was a momentous event for the people of Polynesia. Using only traditional wayfinding methods—stars, currents, winds, and birds the voyage retraced ancient Polynesian navigation routes. The Waka Tapu voyage  demonstrated the deep science embedded in Indigenous knowledge and reconnected Pacific peoples across vast oceans, strengthening cultural pride and highlighting shared ancestry with South America. It also drew attention to environmental stewardship, resilience, and the enduring significance of oceanic voyaging traditions.

 

Interview Two (Interview by Máximo Corvalán-Pincheira in August 2025).

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Margareth Stevenson shares her experience as an adopted daughter who discovers her Rapa Nui origins. Her trip to the island led her to reconnect with her biological family and a vibrant culture that she recognised as her own. Margareth recognises herself as a transplanted plant that, upon returning to its territory, blossoms: a metaphor for healing, identity, and roots.

Interview Three (Interview by Máximo Corvalán-Pincheira in August 2025).

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Macarena Oñate recounts her story marked by her family's exile in Venezuela, where childhood memories materialised in small objects such as stones and corals. Later, the sea became a place of memory and farewell Her arrival in Rapa Nui opened up a deep connection with the ocean: from diving in crystal-clear waters to practising Polynesian canoeing, she discovers the connection between nature, culture and community. In her testimony, the sea ceases to be a border and reveals itself as a bond that unites sister cultures in Moana Nui A Kiwa.