Local company Onomea Production has been contracted by Samoa Tourism Authority to organise the Miss Samoa Pageant as Digicel takes over from Vodafone as the naming rights sponsor.

The announcement was made at the S.T.A. Fale on Saturday with S.T.A. officials as well as sponsors and Onomea Production representatives in attendance. The unveiling of the new pageant organiser and naming rights sponsor was also witnessed by the Minister for Tourism, Toeolesulusulu Cedric Schuster, Digicel Samoa C.E.O. Anthony Seuseu and current Miss Samoa, Haylanni Pearl Mataupu Kuruppu.

Onomea Productions was selected to deliver a pageant that is uniquely shaped to highlight Samoa's cultural heritage and the cultural attributes of young tama’ita’i Samoa.

The firm had been negotiating a naming rights sponsor while noting the evolving needs of the Miss Samoa platform, and the importance of having access to resources and support that will enable the delivery of a pageant with a difference. 

The event is the first official process for Onomea Productions to undertake as the new organisers of the Miss Samoa Pageant. The firm also welcomed the participation of the Anofale Mentorship Program with its main goal of educating young girls about their Samoan cultural heritage.

The Chairwoman for Onomea Production, Leituala Toelupe Tago said described the engagement of their company as a great opportunity.

“Now we will be able to host and organise Miss Samoa for this year and the next three years. It is also a chance to announce our naming rights sponsor Digicel,” said Leituala.

They have also started a mentorship program for women called the Anofale Cultural Heritage Leadership and Mentoring Program.

“It started two weeks ago and this is an opportunity to nurture, raise and prepare our young women in terms of strengthening their cultural attributes. This is so that they can discover for themselves the cultural values as Samoan Tamaitai,” she said. “This is about the intangible things that we need to be looking at in preparing them as they venture into different fields that they have chosen for themselves.” 

More than 35 young women from different villages joined the mentorship program ages 18–25 as they begin the journey to explore and rediscover their cultural values.