documentary


Across publications, editorial assignments, and long-form documentary projects, my work is instinctive and observational, as I am drawn to the quiet moments, human presence, and stories that carry a sense of depth beyond the frame.

Community project // Film & photo assignment

 

 

 

Location // Pukapuka, Cook Islands

Title // To Matou Olaanga | Our Way of Life

Captured on // Canon + Hasselblad


 

 

This documentary and photography project is an intimate exploration of life on Pukapuka, a remote coral atoll in the northern Cook Islands.


As a Cook Islander, my lived experience and cultural connection allowed me to approach this community with trust, understanding, and authenticity, creating space for stories that are deeply personal and rarely seen from an insider perspective.


Through the voices of local leaders and community members, the project reflects on a way of life grounded in land, culture, and collective responsibility, one that has endured through the island’s isolation and resilience. At the heart of the story is Pukapuka’s matriarchal structure, where women are respected as custodians of traditional knowledge, particularly in the cultivation of taro and the preservation of cultural practices.


The project also explores Ra’ui, a traditional system of environmental stewardship that protects natural resources and maintains balance within the community. As climate change, coastal erosion, and outside influences increasingly reach even the most remote islands, this project documents both the strength and vulnerability of a community fighting to preserve its identity, traditions, and future.

 

 

A man repairs a fishing net under an open-air shelter surrounded by tropical palm trees.
Red tractor on a flat barge floating in calm turquoise waters with workers nearby under a partly cloudy sky.
A fishing net hangs from a blue post on a tropical beach with palm trees and calm ocean in the background.
A serene dirt path winds through a lush tropical palm tree grove with sunlight filtering through the canopy.
Men gathered around a motorcycle on a tropical beach shaded by palm trees with sandy shores in the background.
Group of smiling men holding fresh fish catch while standing in shallow coastal waters with palm trees in background.
Woman in red shirt weaving dried grass bundles outdoors near palm trees on a tropical beach.
Gloved hands holding small crabs outdoors, showcasing a fresh catch in a natural garden setting.
A small tropical island with lush green trees sits on the horizon of a calm blue ocean under a partly cloudy sky.
Men hauling fishing nets on a tropical beach surrounded by palm trees and shallow water.
Fishermen sorting a fresh catch of fish from a net on a tropical beach with palm trees.
Traditional thatched roof hut on white gravel surrounded by palm trees in a tropical island setting.
Large group of young students in school uniforms sitting together in an open-air classroom in Southeast Asia.
Smiling woman in floral shirt and flower crown stands among tropical palm trees on a sunny day.
Person in orange shirt sorting harvested tropical plants outdoors amid lush green foliage.
Aerial view of a tropical island with lush greenery, white sand beach, and vibrant coral reef in turquoise waters.
Children playing and stacking gray cinder blocks outdoors among tall palm trees in a tropical setting.
Three people cleaning and preparing fresh fish on a weathered outdoor table by the ocean shore.
Community Project // film & photo assignment

 

 

 

Location // Rarotonga, Cook Islands

Assignment Title // Teatuakaro | The One Who Can See

Captured on // Canon


 

Over the past six years, my relationship with Mike Tavioni and Awhitia Tavioni has grown beyond photographer and those I document. They have become like adopted grandparents to me, and the images created through our time together are rooted in trust, intimacy, and deep respect.


Through this ongoing documentation, I have been invited into moments that are rarely seen publicly,  including photographing Awhitia in ways she has never allowed before, relaxed and vulnerable, alongside Mike in quiet, personal moments of connection. They have built a life between them that has brought many achievements and success. Together, I documented their work carving wood and stone, teaching te reo Māori, and passing cultural knowledge between generations as a way of preserving Cook Islands language, identity, and tradition.


More than a photographic project, this body of work reflects years of shared conversations, time spent in workshops and homes, and the privilege of witnessing two people who have dedicated their lives to cultural continuity in the Pacific.

 

Close-up of a polished wooden sculpture with smooth curves and rich grain detail on a dark wood surface.
Elderly Pacific Islander woman with gray hair and floral lei holds red board on tropical beach.
Close-up of weathered hands holding a small black tool against a wooden surface.
Two elderly Hawaiian elders in traditional leis and red garments sit back-to-back in a red outrigger canoe on calm waters.
Two people with long hair sit embracing on a boat, gazing at a calm turquoise ocean under a partly cloudy sky.
Elderly Pacific Islander in red garment and floral lei sits in wooden canoe, paddling on calm tropical ocean.
Craftsman carefully sanding a wooden canoe outdoors in a tropical setting with lush green trees in the background.
Traditional Hawaiian outrigger canoe on sandy beach at sunset with floral leis draped over bow near ocean.
Intricately carved wooden canoe hull with traditional Polynesian patterns displayed in a workshop.
Tattooed hands of a craftsman working on wooden planks at an outdoor construction site.
Elderly tattooed man paddling a red outrigger canoe on calm ocean waters under a partly cloudy sky.
editorial print // wall street journal

 

 

 

Location // Rarotonga, Cook Islands

Title // A Tiny Pacific Paradise Is Gaming the U.S.-China Rivalry Over Minerals

Captured on // Hasselblad


 

Photographed on assignment for The Wall Street Journal, this project explored how the Cook Islands is navigating increasing global interest in seabed minerals and Pacific influence. Being from the islands myself, I approached this Wall Street Journal assignment with a strong sense of place and familiarity. The project documented the intersection of island life, environmental uncertainty, and the increasing global focus on deep-sea minerals in the Pacific.

 

Dark black dried berries piled in a rustic wooden bowl, perfect for culinary or herbal use.
Aerial view of dark teal ocean waves crashing onto a sandy shore with surfers visible in the water.
Cobalt element tile from the periodic table displayed on a white shelf in a modern minimalist room.
Two people sit on a dock watching a Matson cargo ship with yellow cranes in a busy harbor under blue skies.
White milk being poured over grilled fish pieces on a plate resting on a banana leaf.
Elderly woman with white hair in ponytail sits in rustic workshop, viewed from behind, surrounded by lumber.
Man in black and orange polo shirt stands beside a white utility truck in a tropical setting.
Blue cargo ship Taunga Nui docked at port, secured with mooring lines on a clear day.
Woman in straw hat and black t-shirt smiling on a wooden bridge surrounded by lush tropical palm trees.
COLLABORATION // fujifilm x series nz

 

 

 

Location // Rarotonga, Cook Islands

Title // My Fathers Field

Captured on // Fujifilm X-T5 & GFX


 

My first collaboration project with Fujifilm NZ, I did a storytelling photo & video project which was based around wholesome food growers and the impact they have on small island communities.



At the centre of this story is Paara Maoate, a local Cook Islander and organic pineapple grower in Rarotonga, committed to growing food for his community.

But his story doesn’t begin with him.


It begins with family, with his father, with knowledge passed down, and with a piece of land that has carried those stories through generations.

Growing pineapples organically takes time. It takes patience, hard work and a deep understanding of the land, working with the soil, the seasons and what the plantation gives you.


For Paara, growing this way is about more than how he farms. It’s about what he wants to put on his family’s table, what he can provide for his community, and what he hopes to leave for the generations that come after him. Keeping our soil and food clean.


Along the way, his mum, Annie Maoate, became another voice in the story, sharing memories and helping bring the family history into the present.


The field holds all of this,  the work, the challenges, the knowledge, the family and the food.

This is a story about organic farming, but also about the people and values behind it.

About taking care of the land while it takes care of us.


From one generation to the next.

From the field to the table.

 

A small pineapple growing on a tropical plant surrounded by long green leaves in a lush pineapple field.
Man tossing a coconut in a tropical pineapple field with lush green trees in the background.
A ripe golden pineapple growing on a tropical plant surrounded by long green spiky leaves in a natural garden setting.
Elderly man in striped tank top examining ripe pineapples growing in a tropical garden at dusk.
Farmer holding three fresh ripe pineapples in a tropical pineapple plantation field.
A brown and black dog sits on green grass in a park with large trees and ornamental grasses in the background.
Woman in straw hat picking fresh pineapples with child on a tropical farm surrounded by lush green hills.
Fresh pineapples in a green crate on a cart being transported through a market corridor.
Shirtless farmer uses a long pole to tend pineapple plants on a tropical farm with palm trees and blue sky.
Person standing in a lush green garden at dusk, wearing a plaid jacket among tropical plants.
Aerial view of rows of pineapple plants growing in a large tropical agricultural field.
Elderly man sitting on truck bed holding fresh pineapple with tropical trees and blue sky in background.
Farm worker pushing a wheelbarrow through lush pineapple fields at dusk in a tropical setting.
Fresh pineapple juice in a plastic bottle surrounded by ripe whole pineapples and green leaves outdoors.
Fresh pineapples harvested and piled together outdoors with lush green tropical foliage in the background.
Editorial // The economist uk

 

 

 

Location // Rarotonga

Title // The Best Sailors in the World

Featuring // Peia Patai & Vaka Paikea Voyaging Crew

Captured on // Canon


As a Cook Islands photographer, this assignment for The Economist felt deeply personal. Photographing Peia Patai and the world of traditional voyaging allowed me to document a living cultural practice rooted in navigation, storytelling, and an intimate understanding of the Pacific Ocean.

Man in blue tank top sailing a boat in tropical waters, holding rigging ropes on a sunny cloudy day.
View from the bow of a sailboat on calm ocean waters under overcast skies with a small dinghy visible on deck.
Barefoot sailor stands on wooden deck of traditional sailboat with ocean and tropical island in background.
Person coiling rope on sailboat deck with ocean backdrop, wearing blue shirt and tan shorts.
Tall wooden sailboat mast with wire rigging stretching against a cloudy blue sky, viewed from below.
Tattooed Polynesian man steering a wooden sailboat on the ocean, wearing a blue vest and sunglasses.
Two hands arranging rusty metal chains inside a weathered wooden box on a boat deck.
Three shirtless men on a wooden boat deck with tropical green hills in the background, one pointing into the distance.
Close-up of hands carving intricate Maori patterns into a wooden canoe using traditional tools.