A Tongan musician has been awarded the prestigious Fatu Feu’u Pacific Arts Prize at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland.
Helen Pahulu, a specialist vocal tutor in Jazz and a recent Master of Music graduate, was recognised last month for her creative and academic achievements, and contribution to Pacific arts and scholarship. Her research explores grief, memory and cultural identity through Tongan sound vessels and African American musical traditions.
Born and raised in Māngere, South Auckland, Pahulu traces her heritage to the Tongan villages of Folaha, Mango, Nomuka and Kanokupolu. She credits her family, faith and church community for nurturing a lifelong love of music.
“Looking back, I realise that my musical education began long before I entered a formal classroom,” says Helen. “It began at home, surrounded by family, faith and community. Music was never something separate from everyday life; it was simply part of who we were.”
Her musical journey began while singing during family prayers and learning euphonium through free brass lessons offered by her uncle, Toni Lea, before expanding into jazz, choir, kapa haka and orchestral performance during her years at Sancta Maria College.
Jazz was not part of Helen’s world growing up in the same way that church music and brass band traditions were. Instead, it found its way to her through cinema. Hearing the vibrant big-band scores featured in films such as The Incredibles sparked a fascination with jazz and its ability to tell stories through sound.
What began as curiosity soon became a calling. Drawn to the genre’s creativity and emotional depth, she immersed herself in jazz performance, eventually choosing to study music at university.
After initially planning to study law, Helen changed direction after seeing a performance by Big Fish, a jazz ensemble from the University. The experience inspired her to pursue a Bachelor of Music, eventually completing both a Bachelor of Music and Bachelor of Music (Honours) in Jazz Performance before undertaking a Masters degree by research. Her thesis explores African American musical traditions broadly alongside Tongan sound vessels of grief.
Receiving the Fatu Feu’u Pacific Arts Prize came after what she describes as an intense period of balancing study, teaching and research.
“I was so burnt out by that point of the year,” she says. “But then I received the award and I was like, wow, this is amazing. I feel like I can do everything at once now.”
Helen says the recognition renewed her creative energy and encouraged her to return to arranging music and revisiting projects she had placed aside while completing her studies.
She believes the award is significant not only for her own journey, but also for Māori and Pacific representation in academia and the arts. Growing up, she often saw brass music performed by men and viewed those spaces as distant from her own aspirations.
“For me, ‘smashing the brown ceiling’ is not simply about being present in spaces where Māori and Pacific people have historically been underrepresented,” she says. “It is also about creating opportunities for our perspectives, experiences and knowledge to be recognised and valued.”
Helen hopes her success will encourage other Māori and Pacific students to pursue careers as performers, composers, educators and researchers.
“Ultimately, I want our young people to know that there is room for them in these spaces, and that their cultural backgrounds and experiences are not limitations to overcome, but strengths they can bring with them.”
While continuing her work as an educator, Helen is now focused on writing contemporary Tongan music and exploring opportunities for doctoral study overseas. Her long-term goal is to broaden understanding of Pacific and Indigenous musical knowledge within international academic settings.
“There is still so much I want to experience, create and learn,” she says. “The world is my oyster.”
