Over the decades, the Pasifika story was told by others. Since before the Dawn Raids the Pasifika narrative told through the media and academia painted Pacific people in a negative light. AtaOnga was developed by SIAOLA in partnership with Vahefonua Tonga o Aotearoa to tell our story, through faith, through family, through village, through community. AtaOngo celebrates who we are as a Tongan and Pacific community in Aotearoa. It showcases our Academics, Researchers, Scientists, Social Workers, Counsellors, Doctors and Financial specialists. 

‘Ataongo’ means visual/ vision and audio/listen- It combines Social media and radio to communicate with our pacific people. ‘Ataongo ensures culturally appropriate information is disseminated to the Tongan community in the Tongan language, audio and visually. Pacific Media Network host Lavoni Manukia and her AtaOngo team host AtaOngo every Tuesday live, on online zooms discussing community hot topics and SIAOLA services through the LIKA OLA Programme. 

‘Ataongo has empowered and provided Tongan language interviews with professionals around COVID-19 information and new information that are shared with the community.

‘Ataongo o Aotearoa continues to provide valuable media and communication programs on our Facebook page, reaching out to the community. Our viewership statistics demonstrate the strong interest our community has in programs such as Ready to Rent, Home Ownership, Storm Recovery and the inspiring success stories of our clients.