Litara credits the pageants with changing her life and allowing her to become a leader. In 2024, as Miss Sāmoa, she presented at the COP29 climate conference in Azerbaijan with the Samoan Ministry for the Environment’s youth delegation.
The Miss Pacific Islands pageant, formerly Miss South Pacific, has a long legacy. Litara looked up to the former winners but never thought she had what it took to participate.
“I won’t say all, but most Samoan girls grow up watching the pageant.”
In 1987, the Samoan government, in collaboration with educationalists, reimagined the contest as a force for cultural preservation that celebrated Pacific women leaders. They were keen to challenge the ‘dusky maiden’ stereotype and present a multifaceted view of Pacific beauty embracing intelligence, talent, and advocacy on serious issues. “They reframed the platform to be a place where it would be used for tamaitai Sāmoa (Sāmoan girls) and Pacific women to celebrate Pacific ways and expressions of beauty inside and out,” says Litara.
The swimsuit section has been replaced with sarongs and the ball gowns with traditional costume. The concept of ‘mamalu’ reflects modesty and covering up, however Litara explains it is more than that. “It encompasses service, dignity, a sense of quiet confidence, and ‘how you hold yourself’. Every day, whoever holds this role, it's our duty to maintain that, and language is a huge part of that.
“I learned that you can ‘protest in subtleties’ by what you wear. People expect the misses to dress in a certain way, but I chose more modest clothing as a homage and sign of respect to the elders, who also clothed us in words.”
Litara aims to use her skills and experiences to address contemporary social issues impacting young Samoans and to bridge the generational divide exacerbated by modern technology. A highlight during her term was creating a podcast called Upu Fa’amalosi, which aimed to share knowledge across generations to Tamaitai Sāmoa living both in Sāmoa and abroad.
Litara received the Teresia Teaiwa Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship in Pacific Studies in 2021. The scholarships honour the late Associate Professor Teresia Teaiwa, former Director of Va’aomanū Pasifika and a globally recognised scholar, activist, and poet who pioneered Aotearoa New Zealand's first undergraduate major in Pacific Studies at Te Herenga Waka.
Thanks to the generosity of the University’s donor community, both an undergraduate and a postgraduate scholarship have been awarded in her memory every year for the past eight years. “Teresia’s legacy taught me about being decisively vocal,” says Litara. “It spoke to me of courage, which was something I drew from in the lead up to the Miss Sāmoa and Miss Pacific Islands pageants—courageous Pacific women who pioneer.”
“Pacific Studies was not just a course, it activated you and became a catalyst for personal journeys in the Pacific, with broad application in all areas of life.
“Matā’upu tau Sāmoa/Samoan Studies contributed greatly to my confidence and standing as a Tamaitai Sāmoa. Our mentors and teachers within Samoan Studies and Pacific Studies created an environment that was an exciting and eclectic space to explore the layers of language and perspectives. Finding other environments across the Pacific that mirrored this, led by other visionary and curious minds, was encouraging to see.”
During her year as Miss Pacific Islands, Litara visited many locations in Tonga, Fiji, Sāmoa, the Solomon Islands, and Aotearoa. “I got to apply the knowledge I gained from Pacific Studies and had the privilege of travelling to the places I had read about.”
Litara was born and raised in Aotearoa New Zealand but made frequent trips to Sāmoa to visit her relatives and absorb the culture. Her mother Wanda is connected to the villages of Sapapalii, Fusi Safotulafai, Saoluafata, Lalomanu, Matautu Falealili, Vaie’e, and Sinamoga, while her father David is from Pietermaritzburg, South Africa and Raasay, Scotland. Litara, who is from a long line of teachers, completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Secondary School Teaching, and taught English and Pacific Literature at Manurewa High School in Auckland before entering the pageant.
In 2024, she made the significant decision to move to Sāmoa to immerse herself fully in her cultural identity through the Anofale mentorship and leadership programme. In a ‘full circle’ moment, she returned to lead sessions during her year as Miss Pacific Islands.
Litara was deeply influenced by her beloved grandfather Reverend Lale Ieremia, a Congregational Christian Church pastor, and her grandmother Tifilelei who demonstrated a life of humility and service.
She emphasises the role of faith leaders in promoting the Samoan language and credits her grandfather with teaching her never to waste words and to learn to read the silence, an important leadership skill. She believes that knowing who you are is more likely to be discovered by sitting quietly than scrolling social media. Young people “don’t sit long enough,” she laughs.
Litara must have been a thoughtful student, as she won the Best Interview Award at the Miss Pacific Islands pageant. She also took home the Miss Photogenic award.
Litara emphasises the role of her supportive South African father in nurturing her Samoan identity and encouraging her to value her culture and language.
She advises people trying to improve their fluency to regularly immerse themselves in the language in small ways, keep pushing to learn more, and not worry about making mistakes. From her grandfather, she learned that the heart is more important than the form or process.
“It’s often about healing your relationship with the language. It can be a contested space for people who perhaps didn’t have a traditional upbringing. As well as learning the language, learn the heart behind it too. Use it to nurture and educate, not exclude and patronise.”
After an intense few years, Litara is having a break enjoying time with family in New Zealand and Sāmoa and doing some projects while waiting to determine what her next steps will be.
“I would encourage anyone studying to think of learning as an ongoing journey—you never arrive. There is no perfect decision, but take the next best decision and opportunities will present themselves when you are ready.”