Born in Niue, Vela arrived in New Zealand in 1979, becoming the first Niuean to graduate from Toi Whakaari in 1996. He co-founded Kila Kokonut Krew and gained recognition as part of the comedy duo The Brownies, winning Best Male Comedy at the Chapman Tripp Awards. His debut play, Taro King (2002), earned a Best Writer nomination, and he won the 2005 Philip Fuemana NZ Music Award for producing nine original Pacific albums from his South Auckland studio. Vela conceived the stage musical The Factory, and in 2014, he and his partner Anapela Polata’ivao received the Arts Foundation’s New Generation Award. His short film The Messiah won Best Screenplay and Art Direction at the 2020 Short Fest Pacific Rim Film Festival, and he directed an episode of Teine Sā. That year, he also co-created the first Tongan bilingual drama web series, Brutal Lives / Mo'ui Faingata'a, alongside Sandra Kailahi. In 2021, Vela won the Adam NZ Best Play by a Pasifika Playwright award for Sons of Vao, highlighting his dedication to Pacific and South Auckland storytelling.

Anapela Polata’ivao, born in Samoa with roots in Vailoa, Vaiusu, Fagae’e, and Safune, is a Toi Whakaari graduate who co-founded Kila Kokonut Krew with Vela Manusaute in 2002. Her achievements include Best Actress awards at the 2012 Fresh Shorts Awards and Spain’s International Short Film Festival for Night Shift, Best Director at the 2016 Auckland Theatre Awards, and Actress of the Year at the 2018 Wellington Theatre Awards. She directed the award-winning F.C.C productions Wild Dogs Under My Skirt and The Savage Coloniser Show by Tusiata Avia. In 2017, Anapela founded her own company, T.A.P.A, directing productions like Think of a Garden and Alofagia: Le Opera featuring Sol3 Mio. In 2024, she was awarded the ONZM for her contributions to the arts. Recently, she headlined the feature film Tinā, which set a national box office record with over $1 million in its opening weekend. Anapela is currently directing the NZ Opera's upcoming production of The Monster in the Maze.

Fusi, Safotulafai / Papa Sataua / Waikato Tainui / Ngaati Te Ata

Stacey Leilua is a New Zealand-based actor, and UNITEC Acting graduate with a wealth of experience in writing, directing, and producing. As a former director of Kila Kokonut Krew, she played a key role in developing The Factory and performed in its 2014 Edinburgh run. Stacey has toured internationally with the F.C.C.'s Wild Dogs Under My Skirt and The Savage Coloniser Show, winning a 2024 Wellington Theatre Award for outstanding performance for the latter. She starred as Ata Johnson in NBC’s Young Rock for three seasons, earning a nomination for Best Actress from the Hollywood Critics Association. Currently, she holds the 2025 CNZ / Playmarket Moana Pacific Trainee Script Advisor Residency and is working alongside Anapela as Creative Producer for the NZ Opera’s production of The Monster in the Maze.

William worked in London at Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s company on acclaimed productions like Phantom of the Opera, Cats, and Starlight Express, among others. In New Zealand, he produced the critically acclaimed family musical Buzzy Bee & Friends and later The Factory, the critically acclaimed first Pacific musical that toured Australia and premiered at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In 2010, he co-ran a musical theatre fund with investment bank Grant Samuel, encompassing shows such as Annie, Grease, and My Fair Lady. In 2008, he co-developed and directed the iconic New Zealand toy Buzzy Bee into two animated TV series. In 2021, he wrote and directed his first short film, Floundering, which won awards at international festivals. His second short film, Medicine, completed in October 2023 and shot in India, has won multiple awards and been featured in over 30 film festivals worldwide.