The Pacific Music Awards Trust is proud to announce the 2025 Ministry for Pacific Peoples Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to one of the South Pacific’s most influential cultural and musical ambassadors - Opetaia Foa’i.
As the founder of Polynesian band Te Vaka, Opetaia has spent over three decades championing Pacific languages, culture, and storytelling through song. But it was his collaboration with Walt Disney Animation Studios, alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda and Mark Mancina, that brought the heartbeat of the Pacific to millions globally. Songs like We Know the Way not only reached the Billboard charts but also marked the first time many viewers heard Tokelauan and Samoan in a Disney film.
It’s a deeply moving, intergenerational story of cultural pride and perseverance – from growing up in a small Samoan village to becoming a Grammy nominated Disney songwriter, still working alongside his family and Te Vaka to bring Pacific stories to the world.
Opetaia will be honoured this award at the Pacific Music Awards on Thursday 21 August 2025, at the Due Drop Events Centre in Manukau.
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