Mata Lauano is a student journalist on the Asia-Pacific Journalism Studies paper currently at AUT University, completing a Postgraduate Diploma in Communications (Journalism).
Of Samoan descent, Lauano completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Auckland graduating with a Bachelor of Arts, double majoring in English and political studies.
After two years of working, she decided she wanted to hone her ability to tell stories, in the hopes of giving voice to the marginalised few, and enrolled at AUT.
While Mata finds it easy to pontificate about pop-culture and entertainment, she has a commitment to getting more Pacific stories out into the world.
She is also part of the Office of Pacific Advancement (OPA) team, optimising content for the OPA website to help raise the profile of Pacific both at AUT and in general.
Twitter: @Matz_Enig
Mata Lauano's Te Waha Nui profile
Mata Lauano's stories at PMC online