Miss Cook Islands Petra Mataiti highlighted the power of culture in connecting communities and preserving traditions across the Pacific. For Miss Mataiti, culture is more than celebration; it is connection. It binds people to their land, their language and their lineage. “We are connected to our home,” she said, emphasising that identity is not something discovered later in life — it is something Pacific children are raised with. She urged young people to stay firmly grounded in where they come