This first episode of the popular TVNZ Pasifika youth show is presented by brothers Nainz and Viiz Tupai (aka Adeaze), who are heading back to Samoa to play a post-Tsunami fundraising gig in the village of Lalomanu. Elsewhere, Vela Manusaute hosts Brown’n’around and is MC at Manukau PI festival Strictly Brown, before teaming up with Bella Kololo and Jermaine Leef to judge Fresh talent. Actor Jason Wu gets ready for the premiere of movie Matariki; the Samoan myth of Sina and the eel gets fresh retelling; and Bill Urale (aka King Kapisi) talks tatau.

Hosted by Jason Gunn, this popular late 90s teen talent quest became a pop culture marker for young Kiwis of the era. In this 1999 grand final at Te Papa’s marae, judges King Kapisi and Stacey Daniels assess the year's finalists. They include 11-year-old Hayley Westenra performing ‘The Mists of Islay’, which Westenra would later record after finding global fame as a classical crossover singer. The international guest is another young prodigy: violinist Vanessa Mae. Future Sticky TV/C4 presenter Drew Neemia was one of the members of house troupe The Super Troopers.

Taste New Zealand presenter Peta Mathias hosts this 2003 Christmas special, featuring festive food and music. Musical guests Hinewehi Mohi, bass-baritone Conal Coad, Brooke Fraser (who sings 'Joy to the World') and King Kapisi perform, share Christmas memories, and cook their favourite seasonal dishes. Mathias herself sings 'O Come All Ye Faithful', backed by students of her old school, St Mary's College in Ponsonby. Other highlights include Mathias making music with King Kapisi, and Mohi's bilingual version of 'Silent Night' with choir Musica Sacra.

In each episode of this TVNZ show, a well-known Kiwi takes the pulse of a neighbourhood they are connected to. In this debut episode, musician King Kapisi (aka Bill Urale) guides viewers around Newtown, the cosmopolitan Wellington neighbourhood where he was born. He revisits his childhood, meets a Greek easter egg maker, a muslim ritual cleanser, African music advocate Sam 'Mr Newtown' Manzana, and a Mexican making skateboard art. The NZ Herald’s Paul Casserly called the show "beautifully shot, feel-good TV, reminiscent of the superb Living Room series."

Swimming Lessons is the story of jaded swimming coach Jim Sadler (Marshall Napier, from Came a Hot Friday and Bellbird) and a spirited seven-year-old delinquent (Sam Masina). The troubled Samoan boy is a potential champion, but the challenges of training him force the coach to confront his own failings in life: one as seemingly straight as the pool's lane line. Directed by Steve La Hood (documentary Numero Bruno), the TV movie won two NZ Television Awards, for actors Masina and Catherine Wilkin. It screened in the Montana Sunday Theatre slot.

Presented by Samoan hip hop artist King Kapisi and transgender rock queen Ramon Te Wake, Pasifika 2005 documents the biggest Polynesian festival in the world. Held in Auckland every year since 1992, the Pasifika Festival is a free event that celebrates Pacific Island culture, music, dance, food, arts and crafts and film. Held at Western Springs Park, and supported by Auckland City Council, Pasifika (as it's popularly known) attracts more than 140,000 people. Pasifika 2005 was screened on TV2.

South Pacific hip hop heavyweight King Kapisi (aka Bill Urale) won the 1999 APRA Silver Scroll award for Songwriter of the Year with 'Reverse Resistance' — the first Polynesian to do so. The Wellington-born PI rapper signed to Festival Mushroom Records in 2000 and released the critically acclaimed Savage Thoughts, followed by 2003's 2nd Round Testament and 2005's Dominant Species. The albums showcase Kapisi's politically conscious lyrics and distinctive beats. His collaborators have included Che Fu, The Mint Chicks, and his partner Teremoana Rapley. In 2006 Kapisi formed his own record label, Quabax Wax.

This early episode from the award-winning arts series drops in on the Urale sisters — directors Sima and Makerita and publicist Maila — in the living room of their Lyall Bay fale. The prolific Samoan-Kiwi siblings visit local haunts, discuss work, and brother Bill (aka King Kapisi) is mentioned in dispatches. Other Kiwi creatives featured include 'nu jazz' practitioner Mark de Clive-Lowe playing at Cargo in London; designer Ross Stevens building his challenging Happy Valley shipping container conversion; and Cannons Creek beatbox king Dougie B breaking it down.