WHEN Litara Ieremia Allan was crowned Miss Pacific Islands 2025 in Honiara, Solomon Islands, she began a journey defined by listening.
Listening to land and sea, to community, and to the ‘unsaids’ that give the Pacific its quiet power.
“My journey as Miss Pacific Islands 2025 has been one of learning how to listen well,” Litara shares. “I had to start by listening to my own story: understand how I work, understand my family’s stories and my home and
then let that extend to and mix with our wider aiga/famili/vuvale across our blue continent: its people, its stories, the dialogue of the land and sea, and the rhythms of the cultural, economic, political and spiritual climates I’ve had to walk in.”
This approach shaped her travels and engagements across the Pacific during her reign.
Reflecting on memorable experiences over the past year, Litara recalls a Samoan term: paema auli, an honorific that invokes women as peacemakers, bearers of grace who stand firm with calm.
“It holds many meanings, but I see it as the role of one who stands strong yet remains calm, bringing grace where there has been pain,” she said. “Over my reign, there have been many painful moments. My favourite experience has been striving to be a peacemaker where division once existed.
Everywhere I travelled, I tried my best to do that.”
A proud Samoan, Litara believes Pacific Islanders are innovators and visionaries, rooted in a rich tradition of storytelling.
“Whether in business, politics, education, or the arts, we reflect this ability to create and inspire stories,” she says.
Litara’s hope is that the world learns to engage with the Pacific in a way that honours its depth.
“I hope that people interacting with the Pacific understand the time it takes to meaningfully engage with our home. There is so much to learn from the ‘unsaids’ in our communities,” she said. “Unsaids that take time to connect with and comprehend. Unsaids that require you to prove your purity of heart before being given access to their endless wisdom. I hope visitors understand you will never know the Pacific truly if you do not first stop to listen and observe, be part of the community.”
As the countdown begins for the Miss Pacific Islands Pageant 2026, hosted in Nadi from February 13 14, Litara’s words echo as both a challenge and an invitation: to listen deeply, serve humbly, and carry the Pacific’s quiet strength into every space.
“God’s plans for you are wilder and more beautiful than you could ever imagine. But you can’t do it without Him. On the road to your goals, you’ll discover that He was and is the dream. Nothing compares to simply being with Him. Let Him guide you in serving our people, regardless of any title,” she added as her advice to young women and the next Miss Pacific Islands.
“Serve your people— with or without a crown.”
