Pacific Music Awards announces Lifetime Achievement Award recipient

Media release
23 July 2025
Pacific Music Awards Lifetime Achievement awarded to Opetaia Foa’i
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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.

An artist whose passion for Pacific culture has shaped his music and inspired others, Opetaia Foa’i has spent over three decades championing the stories, languages, and rhythms of the Pacific.
As the frontman and founder of the renowned Polynesian band Te Vaka, and a key songwriter for Disney’s Moana and Moana 2, Foa’i has brought the heartbeat of the Pacific to global audiences.
Opetaia was born in a Tokelau settlement in a small village called Alamagoto in Samoa, to parents from Tokelau and Tuvalu.

Growing up, he was surrounded by traditional rhythms, songs and dances which laid the foundation for his music today. 

From the outset of his career, Foa’i has been sharing his culture and stories with the world. Over his 30-year career, he hasn’t wavered - consistently writing music in the languages of Tokelau, Tuvalu and Samoa with topics highlighting stories and concerns from his parts of the world.  
In 1995, Te Vaka was formed by Opetaia Foa’i and quickly gained international acclaim, performing at major festivals across Europe, the US, and the Pacific.

Singing in in Tokelauan, Tuvaluan, and Samoan, the band resonated deeply with audiences, celebrating Pacific identity while addressing pressing issues such as climate change, human rights, and cultural preservation.

Foa’i’s songwriting brilliance caught the attention of Walt Disney Animation Studios, leading to his collaboration on the Moana soundtrack alongside Lin-Manuel Miranda and Mark Mancina.
His contributions, including the iconic “We Know the Way,” marked a historic moment bringing Pacific languages to the Billboard charts and into the hearts of millions worldwide.

Rev Mua, spokesperson for the Pacific Music Awards Trust, says: "The Pacific Music Awards humbly announces Opetaia Foa'i, Tuvalu Tokelau Samoan global Pasifika Music pioneer as the 2025 Pacific Music Awards Lifetime Achievement Recipient”.
“For over thirty years, Opetaia has Tautua served musically, locally, nationally and internationally.  From, local to global, navigating Pacific languages, cultural identity development and Pasifika. Oceania Climate Change issues.”

Throughout his career, Opetaia has received numerous accolades including multiple Pacific Music Awards, New Zealand Music Awards, and international honours including American Music Awards and Billboard Music Awards. His music has not only entertained but has educated and empowered, giving voice to Pacific stories on the world stage.

In 2023, he returned to the Disney scene to contribute to Moana 2, once again collaborating with Te Vaka musicians and vocalists to continue the legacy of Pacific storytelling through song.
Opetaia shares “I’m grateful to be honoured with this year's Lifetime Achievement Award”.
“It has been a long but fulfilling journey so far taking our Pacific music to the world. In my work I have found great strength in using our Pacific languages and it’s great to see the Pacific Music Awards continuing to uplift and encourage artists to use our languages in their music”.

“I hope the younger generations continue to proudly carry the torch for our rich culture” says Opetaia.
Now based in Sydney, Australia, with his wife and four children, Opetaia continues to create, inspire, and advocate, currently working on a new Te Vaka album.

The Pacific Music Awards will take place at on Thursday 21st August 2025, at the Due Drop Events Centre in Manukau. To listen to all the nominees, here’s the official PMA 2025 Finalist Playlist.
Tickets for the 2025 Pacific Music Awards are available for purchase through Eventfinda: https://www.eventfinda.co.nz/2025/2025-pacific-music-awards/auckland/manukau-city
The 2025 Pacific Music awards will be live streamed by Tagata Pasifika on TP+ (tpplus.co.nz).
For more information: https://www.pacificmusicawards.org.nz/

ENDS
Issued for the Pacific Music Awards by Pead
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About the Pacific Music Awards
In 2004 the Pacific Music Awards Committee (PMAC) was formed to realise a vision and the inaugural Pacific Music Awards debuted at Pasifika Festival in March 2005. Encouraged by the success of the awards the PMAC set about developing an annual event as a significant highlight of the New Zealand music industry calendar. The awards committee formed a Charitable Trust to organise and host the awards, and are driven by a simple core objective: to create and manage an event that acknowledges the success of Pacific artists, celebrates and promotes excellence in Pacific music and encourages young Pacific musicians to aspire to a higher level of achievement.

Contact
Adam Warin | 021 029 01388 | [email protected]