Arieta Tegeilolo Talanoa Tora Rika is a Fijian and Tongan woman, born and living in Dharug Country, Western Sydney. As a writer and storyteller, Arieta has collected, supported, shared and published Pacific stories, particularly for digital channels such as virtual reality, mobile applications, web, social media, and podcasts. In 2015, Arieta founded Talanoa, an independent digital storytelling platform for Oceanic people. Since then, Arieta has written for projects across the Pacific, particularly in Fiji. These projects include a virtual reality climate change film, Our Home, Our People, and Beyond the Stars, a world-first education program. In 2020, Arieta created, produced, and hosted the Pacific storytelling Vosa podcast. In 2023, Arieta graduated from Western Sydney University with a Bachelor of Communication, awarded with distinction. Arieta is married to her life partner, Josese Kotobalavu Rika, and they have one child, Faith, with another daughter due to be born in October 2023.
Read Arieta Tegeilolo Talanoa Rika's interivew for the Rare with Google 2020 publication here.