An Evening of Storytelling and Talanoa

Vartul: The Learning Circle brings storytelling and Talanoa to Rose Read, with guest speaker Manoa Duwai, co-founder of Naidiri Marine Biodiversity Park and indigenous marine conservation leader from Fiji.

Traditional storytelling is fast disappearing, and much indigenous knowledge has never made it into books. Manoa shares stories of nature, stewardship and community led conservation from Naidiri, and the conversation turns to what this means for environmental stewardship here in Sydney.

Expect stories, images and film from Naidiri, and a conversation open to all.

All ages welcome. Registration is free or Pay-what-you-can. Every contribution supports Manoa's time and this event, with any surplus going directly towards our nature conservation and education work in Naidiri village.

For more information contact: vartultlc@gmail.com

Manoa Duwai

Manoa is an iTaukei (Indigenous) Fijian from Naidiri village on the south-west coast of Fiji’s main island, Viti Levu. In 2009, he co-founded Naidiri’s tabu (Marine Protected Area) in response to disappearing coral reefs and declining fish stocks within the community’s traditional fishing grounds. Since then, Manoa has led the youth and wider community in reef regeneration through coral planting efforts, contributing to the area’s recognition as Naidiri Marine Biodiversity Park by Fiji’s Ministry of Environment and Climate Change in 2022. Manoa and the youth of Naidiri have visited several villages and schools to raise awareness about ocean conservation, guided by Indigenous knowledge and the traditional values of caring for Vanua.

Vartul: The Learning Circle

Vartul is a not-for-profit collective based in Sydney that focuses on youth and community learning to develop future stewards of our environment. At Vartul, we co-create and co-facilitate initiatives to re-connect people with nature. Bringing together place-based knowledge, traditional ways of storytelling, scientific practices and digital tools, we aim to use collective action for climate resilience, biodiversity conservation, water and food security, gender equality, equitable livelihoods, etc.

Vartul and Naidiri Marine Biodiversity Park are also the first prize winners of the OceanLove Innovation Award 2025: https://oceandecade.org/news/meet-the-winners-of-the-oceanlove-innovation-award-2025/