Sarona Meataa Aiono Iosefa

Aiono-Iosefa, Sarona Meata’a (1962 - ) is a Christchurch-born Samoan. She gained a Certificate in Journalism from Wellington Polytechnic (now Massey University’s Wellington campus), and in 1984 completed a Bachelor of English Literature at the University of Canterbury. She has worked in many communications roles, and was a founding member of the National Pacific Radio Trust. She is currently a Principal Advisor for the Ministry for the Environment.

Aiono-Iosefa's writing reflects the distinct view of growing up as a Pacific Islander in the South Island. Her parents emigrated from Samoa to start a new life and continually tried to instill in her family the importance of being Samoan in a foreign land. In 'Blackcurrant Jam' – a story she contributed to the Out of the Deep anthology of New Zealand children’s writers in 2007 – she revisits part of her own childhood. In Two Cans of Corned Beef and a Manulele in a Mango Tree, illustrated by Steven Dunn, Aiono-Iosefa writes a Pacific picture book version of the much-loved song, Twelve Days of Christmas. She has written several books for the Learning Media ‘Tupu’ series, published in English and six different Pacific languages.

In 2007, Aiono-Iosefa was the recipient of the Fulbright-Creative New Zealand Pacific Writer in Residence at the Centre of Pacific Islands Studies at the University of Hawai’i in Manoa.

List of publications:
Tupu Series (2000 -, Learning Media): O le Pese Mo Tina: Grandma’s Song; O se Mea Fa’alilolilo a Pese: Grandpa’s Secret; White Sunday.
Samoa – Pacific Way (Reed Publishing, 2001)
Two Cans of Corned Beef and a Manulele in a Mango Tree (Reed Publishing, 2004)
The Pipi Swing (Reed Publishing, 2007)
Out of the Deep – 'Blackcurrant Jam' (Reed, 2007)
Tala’s Place (Reed, 2007)