We're back for 2026! Quick update from Laki & Gen

In this welcome back episode, Laki and Gen catch up on a big year of travel, learning, and growth, both personally and for The Moanan. From the Solomon Islands, Palau, Fiji, Samoa, and Australia, to WIPCE here in Tāmaki Makaurau, they reflect on what being on the ground across the region actually taught them — including hard lessons about knowledge protocols, indigenous hierarchy, and the gap between knowing the right things and doing them the right way.They also dig into three big ideas that have come to define why The Moanan exists: historical amnesia (the forgetting of what colonisation actually did), geographic dysmorphia (New Zealand and Australia forgetting they are Oceania), and epistemological arrogance (the assumption that Western knowledge is always the superior framework).Looking ahead, there's a lot happening including a call to our community to share  stories as The Moanan approaches its third birthday.If you've been with us from the start — welcome home. If you're new — you picked a great time to show up.Send us Fan MailThe Moanan is a Pacific-lef social enterprise based in Auckland, Aotearoa. We're building a global community of thinkers, creatives, and change-makers rooted in Oceania. Whether you're from the islands or just island-curious, join our community:Website: themoanan.comInstagram: @themoananEmail: [email protected]