Deconstructing Tongan Creativity: A Talanoa about Walking in Two Worlds

The growing number of Tongan creators searching for a place of belonging and acceptance between the two worlds Tonga and Aotearoa New Zealand has contributed to cultural spaces shifting in terms of identity negotiation, effects on expressions of traditional and contemporary and Tongan values in creative work and confusion around the notion of ‘creativity’. This study deconstructs the concept of creativity, in the walk between two worlds. Being creative in New Zealand equals being innovative, however being creative in Tonga equals honouring tradition in one’s work.