Philosophy
What matters is a working notion of an acceptable moral balance that has all the identifying characteristics of the different moral claims'... the conventional development model, followed by governments in our shared Pacific Islands region, is fundamentally inadequate for addressing the broad social, economic, environmental, political, and cultural development needs confronting the Pacific Islands today... the present approach to development in the Pacific Islands requires fundamental reframing and redirection'
(Halapua, S. Environment and Development in the Pacific Islands).
At the heart of Dr Halapua's Theory of Talanoa, conceptualised and actualised through his work in the Asia-Pacific region, was a recognition that development is synonymous with conflict and any ambition towards the former necessitates that you resolve the latter.
Richard A. Falk, Professor Emeritus of International Law at Princeton University, speaking about Talanoa at the International Studies Association Annual Convention, Montreal, 18 March 2011:
"...talanoa, which I think is an extremely valuable way of conceiving of both conflict resolution and communication, in various types. Of communication that is preoccupied with how those with different cultural and historical and identity differences - how can they talk productively together. And I think one of the insights in this idea of noa - which is in a way, to me anyway, is the most creative aspect of this - is that it provides an instructional perspective on how to listen [so] that communication can really take place. Unless one learns to listen - and this is particularly important in communication that is contaminated by hierarchy, and particularly the hierarchies of the west and the non-west, where the Imperial heritage and predispositions of the west are to talk, but not to listen; to have things to tell the other, but nothing to learn from the other. So I think that what this talanoa does is to create potential conditions for communication based on a terrain of mutuality."
Our thinking on Talanoa is given in a number of publications and interviews:
Books
Halapua, S. (2022) The Art of Talanoa. Talanoa Books NZ.
Halapua, S. (2014) Talanoa 'a e Kafataha Mahino mo e Fakakaukau Kakoto. Talanoa Books NZ
Halapua, S. (2026) Introducing Talanoa Collected Papers. Talanoa Books NZ.
Click here to see papers and interviews