Zech Soakai (Poutasi, Upolu, Samoa / Pangai, Ha’apai, Tonga) is a proud tusitala, kaiako, village builder and warrior raiser with 10 years of experience accumulated in the classrooms of South Auckland as a facilitator, educator and more recently Kaiārahi (Dean). Since leaving the classroom space full-time, Zech is now broadly entrenched in the work of social change through story-telling. A poet, curator, and more recently producer, Zech is privileged to return as one of the guest curators for this year’s AWF 2026 programme, after a busy 2025: being a writer in residence at Tala Jar’s Fafagu Measina: A Residency for Storytellers in Samoa, producing a sell-out debut season for Tongan theatre show Fā’onelua ‘O Manako Polohiva, releasing his own debut solo book For All We Know and travelling as a poet to the Ubud Writer’s Festival 2025.