Tongan creative and PMSA intern Soana ‘Aleva shares her powerful reflections from Thailand, where she has been living, learning, and teaching as part of the Prime Minister’s Scholarship Programme for Asia. From drumming and dancing with Thai performing arts groups to teaching Māori movement after school, Soana’s journey is a vibrant story of cultural exchange, global citizenship, and Pacific creativity in motion.

Her time in southern Thailand has deepened her sense of identity, expanded her worldview, and strengthened her belief in the value of carrying Pacific culture confidently into global spaces. In this insights piece, Soana reflects on the connections she has built, the lessons she has learned, and the ancestral intelligence she brings with her as a young Pacific leader representing Aotearoa abroad.

Young Pacific leaders from across Aotearoa are now halfway through a transformative nine‑week journey in Thailand, supported through the Prime Minister’s Scholarship Programme for Asia. Representing the growing Pan‑Pacific diaspora of New Zealand, these emerging educators, technologists, youth workers, and community leaders are living and learning in five Thai provinces — carrying their cultures, values, and ancestral intelligence into classrooms and communities.

Delivered in partnership with Pagoda Projects and aligned with Education New Zealand’s International Education Strategy, the programme is a powerful example of global citizenship in action.

This blog shares their journey so far — the learning, the leadership, the cultural exchange, and the profound impact of seeing the world through a Pacific lens.