Moemoana Safa’ato’a Schwenke is a proud daughter of Samoa and Oceania. She was born in Samoa and raised between Samoa, New Zealand and Australia. Moemoana is a creative and performing arts practitioner, known for her performances as a Pacific Islands dancer, Siva Afi entertainer, and her work as a Senior Tutor for the Matavai Pacific Cultural Arts centre ensuring the promotion and preservation of our Pasefika cultural heritage since 2013. In all her endeavours, Moemoana remains steadfast in her commitment to serving her villages, family, Samoa, and the broader Pacific community.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Indigenous Studies and Environmental Humanities from the University of Wollongong, New South Wales Australia. She has extensive experience in various Pacific cultural arts and has represented the Pacific Islands internationally at events like the Te Maeva Nui in the Cook Islands, World Fire-Knife Championships in Hawai’i, she lived in Tahiti for the Heiva I Tahiti, and Teuila Festival in Samoa. Her 1st Runner Up placement in the World Fire-Knife Championships in 2019 has earned her international acclaim as female fire-knife pioneer.

As an emerging writer and director with her debut theatre production ‘Motu of Western Sydney’ in 2022 with a cast of over 200 Pacific youth, reached 4000 Pacific people in Sydney. Moemoana was employed at The Australian Museum as a Pacific Consultation and Research Officer, working closely with a Pacific collection of over 60,000 treasures and closely with Pacific communities to gain cultural knowledge on our measina.

At the heart of Moemoana’s passion is the empowerment of our youth. She believes in mobilising young talents to address the social, political, and environmental challenges facing the Pacific utilising the positive fundamentals of Pacific cultures through dance, music, storytelling, and creative arts. Her Tā Fesilafa’i Performing Arts Initiative in Samoa engaged over 400 young people from as young as 4 years to 21 years old. Moemoana is an environmental advocate, she has been a representative for Samoa and the Pacific in United Nations forums such as COP26. In December 2023, she was a Youth Representative for the Samoa Official Delegation to the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties COP28 in Dubai.