Taeao manuia,

Faafetai tele lava mo le avanoa e fai ai si na tala pu’upu’u i lenei taeao.  

O lo’u igoa o Will Robinson ma o a’u o le Komesina a Ausetalia iinei i Samoa.

Thank you for the opportunity to share a few words this morning.  

Can I begin by offering my warmest congratulations to you all.

I understand the theme for this competition is ‘Lo’u Lumana’i’ – ‘My Future’.  It couldn’t be more relevant.

How fitting it is that we come together today to celebrate your creativity and writing, here at the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum.

RLS was a sympathetic student of Samoan culture and language and a great English tusitala, so perhaps this place is a symbol of the cultural exchange between Samoa and the English-speaking world.

Today we find ourselves standing at the crossroads of an extraordinary age—an era shaped by the rapid rise of artificial intelligence. Machines are creating art, composing music, and generating stories.

So why bother? Why continue to write stories, when machines are so capable?

One answer, I believe, is that storytelling is a bridge between the past and the future.

Between what has been and what could be.

Storytelling and culture

For all humankind, our language and stories define our culture. In Australia, as in Samoa, it is through stories that we make sense of the world.

Your ancestors, through Samoa’s enduring oral traditions, shared stories that shaped communities, identities, and futures.

Samoa has a rich tradition of storytelling, and you follow in the footsteps of those who have come before you.

I am told that Samoa’s dictionary of proverbs draws on a deep history of story-telling – as a single feather evokes an image of a bird, these proverbs evoke a deeper story, a moral, and wisdom for how to engage the world.

And I know how revered and respected traditional oratory is in Samoa.

I have been inspired to read the stories of Samoa Ne’i Galo, and to see the recent launch of a Samoan language dictionary.

Across the Pacific, Samoa is a leader in preserving language and culture.

Through your language and through your stories, you shape your world.

The same is true in Australia, of course.

For thousands of years, the stories of indigenous Australians spoke to their relationship with land and culture. Indigenous Australian stories describe people belonging to the land, rather than owning it. This notion of stewardship of the environment resonates to this day.

Our national story includes the great sacrifices of the ANZAC brigades in the Gallipoli campaign of the First World War.

Over a hundred years later, this story – emphasising values of courage, sacrifice and mateship – continues to shape how we see ourselves as a people.

The future

Of course, the world is not static. Our stories are in a continual state of adaptation and renewal.

In more recent times, Samoan authors like Albert Wendt, Emma Kruse Va’ai, Moemoe Von Reiche, Lani Wendt Young, and Audrey Brown-Pereira – have told the stories which helped their generation interpret the world.

My own childhood resonates with the stories of Colin Thiele, Bryce Courtenay and Peter Carey – which tell the stories of waves of immigrants adapting to a harsh and unforgiving landscape.

In years ahead both Australia’s and Samoa’s stories will continue to change to meet the challenges of the modern world.

The beauty then of storytelling is that it conveys not just what has been, but what can be as well.

Yours is the generation which will interpret the world in decades ahead.

This is a great responsibility.

And this is why Australia is working closely with Samoa’s Ministry of Education to help support the next generation of writers and storytellers—just like you.

Through Australia’s partnership with Samoa, we are promoting literacy to support young people explore their creativity and strengthen their skills.

The beauty of democratic countries like Australia and Samoa is that we enjoy freedom of expression. It is not governments which will write the stories which give life to the culture of a nation.

It is you.

It is your stories which will determine how your nation sees itself.

As you think about your future, remember this: your stories are your own. They are a bridge from the culture of your ancestors to the world you wish to leave behind for generations to come.

Your stories are powerful.

They can inspire.

They can challenge.

They can shape the way people think and see the world.

So be bold.

Be brave in telling your truth, and never underestimate the impact your words can have.

Remember your stories must have heart.

That heart comes from you—your voice, your creativity, and your perspective.

I end my remarks by acknowledging Savea Sano Malifa, one of Samoa’s renowned writers, whose vision has paved the way for this competition and for supporting the future of Samoan storytelling.

A big thank you as well to the sponsors who continue to champion Savea’s vision and help nurture young talent.

Thank you again for having me. Soifua ma ia manuia.