News: research trip to Hawai‘i
In June, Billie Lythberg (Associate Investigator) and Emily Parr (Post-Doc) visited Hawai‘i for the Artefacts of Relations project.
We are proud to report that our book, ‘Vā Moana: Space and Relationality in Pacific Thought and Identity’ will be published on April 7th. You’ll be able to access it digitally (for free), order a physical copy via ANU Press, or find it in selected bookstores. Sign up for the release notification here, and stay tuned for details about the launch here at AUT.
The book has been years in the making and we can’t wait for it to be in the world. Faʻafetai tele lava to all of the contributors and ANU Press!
Contributors: Melani Anae, A-Chr Engels-Schwarzpaul, Brett Graham, David Taufui Mikato Faʻavae, Jamon Halvaksz, Ioane Ioane, Tēvita Kaʻili, Halena Kapuni-Reynolds, Lily Aitui Laita, Lana Lopesi, Billie Lythberg, Hūfanga-He-Aho-Moe-Lotu ʻŌkusitino Māhina, James Miller, Maia Nuku, Kalei Nuʻuhiwa, Aaron Nyerges, Emily Parr, Lemi Ponifasio, Rosanna Raymond, Albert L Refiti, Te Ahukaramū Charles Royal, Leone Samu Tui, Kahikina de Silva, Valance Smith, Tamasailau Suaalii-Sauni, Ty P. Kāwika Tengan, Juan Tauri, Tanya Volentras, Arielle Walker, Robert Webb, and Maualaivao Albert Wendt.
More about the book:
Vā may be a small word, but it carries expansive meaning. Rooted in Indigenous Pacific knowledges—Samoan vā, Tongan tā-vā, Māori and Hawaiian wā—this concept of relational space binds people, ancestors and cosmologies across time and place. Since the late 1990s, vā has become a powerful framework in academic and cultural contexts, energising conversations across Oceania and beyond.
As the world grapples with the rise of hyper-individualism, vā offers an urgent and restorative alternative: one that centres connection, responsibility and collective belonging. This rich collection of individually and collaboratively authored chapters explores how vā, wā, and related Indigenous concepts are lived, theorised and practised today. Drawing from diverse disciplines and grounded in specific cultural contexts, these contributions deepen our understanding of relationality, space and place across the Moana.
Cover photograph: Remaining three poutū of the faletele of Le Tagaloa Pita, Gataivai, Sāvaiʻi 2025; Tufuga faufale, Mulitalo Faivaaiga Kilifi from Saʻanapu; photo by Emily Parr.
