Isoa Kavakimotu

17/08/2026

What's YOUR Top 5 Tongan songs?

Happy Tongan Language Week 🥰🇹🇴🇹🇴🇹🇴

15/08/2026

Love you 'Otu

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On this day 5 years ago, we got the call we were dreading to receive. My uncle 'Otuha'apai had passed away. Only a few days later, the whole country went into a Level 4 COVID Lockdown. To this day, I'm still resentful that I couldn't fulfill my duties to my tamai.

But life is unfair, all we can do is pick up the pieces and move forward.

'Otu was a humble and thoughtful man. He had this quiet charisma about him, and he would make you feel safe. He was one of the hardest working people I ever knew, and I learnt so much from him over the years.

Although 'Otu was quiet and reserved, he knew when to turn it on. That man could go from ninja (you didn't even know he was there) to centre of attention/mālie taha in the same breath.

This is 'Otu in action at my cousin Eileen's 16th birthday. He didn't care that my Dad was fahu, he was touched that one of his siblings was bestowed with that high honour. So when it was time to perform, he lit everyone up. Doing some moves I haven't seen since.

My Nana said out of all her children, 'Otu got the performance gene from their father (my grandfather/namesake). Apparently my grandfather was the mālie taha in 'Utungake, and 'Otu was just as mālie.

The 15th of August is your day forever, 'Otu. Until we meet again ❤️

📍 Mt Roskill, 2016

11/07/2026

As a photographer, I'm usually the one behind the camera getting these candid shots.

Also, if you told 17 year old Isoa that in 2026 I'd be helping out a Community Kapahaka group I would've looked at you like you grew a second head 🤣 It's funny how God takes you to places you never thought you'd go, and coolest thing, is that we're only getting started 😎

A couple years ago over some sh**ha, Hakopa Ripley shared with Juggernaut79 and I his vision for a community kapahaka group in East Auckland. A few key people helped awhi his vision in it's initial, the Carpenter whānau, Fabia, Matua Mauri (I'm sorry if I missed you).

Out of that came initially Puhia te Pu NOW Te Tūhononga Ki Rāwhiti and I am so proud to be playing a small part behind the scenes sorting out tees, creating content, and just being their hypeman, because who knew that by following my camera I'd end up being part of this wonderful rōpū 🥰

Also, special shout out to my brother Sam. That guy. I rolled my ankle on Thursday at work, and my body was slowly dying. Greatest assist ever. Love you my bro ❤️

Thank you Coach Dave Kyle 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 for the incredible shots. I thought I was able to dodge your camera, but I guess not 🤣🤣🤣

25/06/2026

The Fala Talks crew go in HEAVY tonight 🔥

We're live at 6pm tonight on the Plus64 YouTube channel and on Spotify 🙏🏾

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/18n9YWnbr5/

Is Tonga still the "Kingdom of Ice" in 2026? We revisit the m**h crisis, its impact on families and communities, and what it might take to break the cycle.

We also ask what success looks like for Tongans and Pacific people today. Is it money, titles, and status, or can success be measured through faith, family, peace, and purpose?

It's also church conference season, with the cost of living continuing to bite, is it time to rethink how we gather and celebrate?

And we talk about The Big Sing, where thousands of students compete through music. Why are Pacific communities so musically strong, yet often missing from the top levels of choral competition?

Plus, an important debate: if you were a fruit, what fruit would you be? 🍍😂

Fala Talks. Thursday, 6pm. Plus64 YouTube and Spotify.

12/06/2026

As men, we carry A LOT (not to say that women don't, we all just carry different things), and sometimes you can be living with people, but feel completely alone.

Last night I caught up with my brothers, today I had and a coffee and a korero with The Rev Joel Carpenter (I didn't take a photo 🤦🏾‍♂️) both of which were long overdue.

I'm well aware of the fact that mentally I haven't been well lately. I ended 2025/started 2026 on a journey of self-improvement (I'll be resuming soon). Since January right up until April, it felt like the universe was just taking a s**t on me 😅 We're almost midway through June now, and I'm only just beginning to feel like I'm not drowning, but now my head is above water.

I've been isolating from others, binge eating, sleepless nights, and been really talking mad s**t to myself. All of this has resulted in a non-existent social life, my work suffering, burnout, and my health declining.

A MAJORMAJOR win is that the voices thay always told me to self-delete are gone. But the voices telling me I ain't s**t is still loud as ever (but we're working on it).

It's been a week since I've made the decision to take my life back. I'm on hunger suppressants (I'm aiming for bariatric surgery), I'm back in counselling, I've cleared a MASSIVE debt, and slowly getting back up to speed with my work. Oh, and I'm slowly saying hi to friends in person again (don't all hit me up at one time. I can only afford so many coffees 🤣).

It feels good to kinda be back. But it feels even better to not have so much of that dark cloud hanging around. Maybe it was just a storm I had to weather, but I know that I can feel the sun on my skin, and everyday I wake up is a blessing.

And if you're reading this and you're in the trenches, I know it fu***ng sucks. Don't forget that you are a blessing! It may not feel like it, but to at least one person, whenever you enter the room, time freezes. You matter, you are amazing, you are fu***ng cool ❤️

05/06/2026

HAPPY 685 WEEK 🇼🇸🇼🇸🇼🇸 (on Tongan time 🤣) from the Fala Talks Family 🙏🏾

We quickly go from Talofa to suafa'i and even touch on the Tonga and Samoa links through the word "Kanokupolu" or "Kakano 'o 'Upolu" (flesh/essence of Upolu) 🇼🇸🫱🏽‍🫲🏾🇹🇴

Fala Talks, new episode every Thursday at 6pm NZT on Spotify and the Plus64 YouTube channel 🔥

06/05/2026

I can't believe we're coming up on the 8th episode of our podcast!

Join us every Thursday, where we fofofola e fala kae talanoa e kāinga (roll out the mat, so the family can talk) 🇹🇴

Shout out to Plus64

Is a Samoa vs Tonga youth American football tournament a positive step, or a risk for tension? We talk about the first Bay Area tournament and what it could mean for our young people and community pride.

We also get into corruption and the Constitution of Tonga. Starting with Clause 25, we unpack what’s changed, who it benefits, and the bigger questions around leadership, accountability, and power.

Then we break down Faa’i Kavei Koula, the four golden values of being Tongan. Where it comes from, if it’s still lived out today, and how it holds up for Tongans in the diaspora.

We also ask a tough one: does hereditary land and family hierarchy still make sense today? With more Tongans living overseas, what does that mean for inheritance, identity, and the role of the family heir?

And with it being an election year, we talk about why your vote matters and why Pacific voices need to show up.

Plus, a quick nod to White Sunday (Faka-Me) and what it still means to our families.

Fala Talks. Thursday, 6pm. Plus64 YouTube and Spotify.

08/04/2026

I took this photo of my Dad (second from the left) and his siblings following the passing my aunty Heitonga's (second from the right) husband back in 2019. I think this was the biggest collection of my Dad and his siblings since they were kids! And there were still aunts and uncles missing from this photo.

Since then, my uncle 'Otuha'apai (middle) has passed away, and today we lay my aunty Loata (left) to rest.

In the limited time I've had with my late aunty, she packed a lifetime of love and warmth into every hug and conversation we had.

Loata and Susana (right) took amazing care of me back in 2002 when I first went to Tonga. I spent a week with them in Pahu running around like kids do. One time for dinner we went to go and fēngota finemātu'a (sea cucumbers) for everyone to eat. As an annoying NZ-born kid, I wasn't having that 🤣🤣🤣 Loata and Susana some how found some chicken for me to eat to appease my "privileged" palate 🤦🏾‍♂️🤣

Loata and Susana also taught me how to properly vau niu (grateful coconut). That was a fun afternoon and a few sacrificial coconuts later, we had some of the most bomb topai ever 🤤

I can't believe one of my mehikitanga are gone. Loata was a loving mother and grandmother. She's no longer in pain, but in the loving embrace of our Heavenly Father.

Toka ā he nonga moe fiemālie Loata 🕊