Pacific Toa Award Recipients Announced

Musician Max Stowers and visual artist Falefatu Carreras Enari are the recipients of the Pacific Toa Award, presented at Creative New Zealand’s Arts Pasifika Awards 2024 ceremony in Parliament this week.

Hon Paul Goldsmith, Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, hosted the awards in association with Creative New Zealand’s Arts Council. The Pacific Toa Award is one of seven award categories. It recognises the contribution of a Pasifika artist with lived experience of disability.

Aucklander Falefatu Carreras Enari, son of opera singer the late Iosefa Enari, attends creative space Māpura Studios.

“I feel good being here and I am proud of myself,” Falefatu says. “I like going to Māpura to see the tutors and my friends. I like doing art and I want people to feel happy when they see my art.”

Falefatu has been going to Māpura Studios since 2010. The creative space nurtures his artistic abilities, and he creates bold and vibrant paintings. His paintings and sketches have been displayed throughout Auckland.

He has completed two Chorus Box projects, one in East Tamaki and the second in Kingsland. He is now preparing work for an art exhibition.

The second recipient is South Auckland-born musician Max Stowers, who currently lives in the Gold Coast, Australia. Max has contributed to the music industry in New Zealand and globally for more than 45 years.

“This is my first award,” Max says. “It means a lot to me to be recognised for what I’ve achieved.”

Max was one of the first composers in New Zealand to release a Pacific jazz album, Malaga. The album is his own original music and infuses Pacific instruments such as log drums and ukelele.

He is continuously searching for ways to infuse his Samoan and Māori cultures in his music. “I’ve got a lot of projects and collaborations on the go and am doing orchestral arrangements of old Pacific songs.”

His mother, jazz singer June Petrecivich, watched the Awards online from Australia. His father was Samoan jazz pianist John Stowers. “I started playing music professionally from the age of 13 with their band and taught myself how to play by ear, which was challenging because I am 100 per cent deaf in one ear since birth.”

His son, Jame Stowers, and grandson William, 12, are both musicians.

“James and I released a single called Ignite two months ago and we’re also playing with William. He’s the next generation. He’s young and has cool ideas.”

Max is widely respected by his peers in the community for his achievements. He has contributed to his Pacific community by mentoring and tutoring young Pasifika musicians and is a role model for emerging talent.

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