Sesilia added acting to her resume after she graduated from the Pacific Institute of Performing Arts School (PIPA) in Auckland in 2010.

“After leaving PIPA, I wanted to work in theatre and continue to tell Tongan stories, and use the Western way of performance, the tools and techniques, to share our stories on different stages and platforms,” she explains.

“In the traditional work that I do, I make sure that it is true and authentic and with the contemporary work that I create, I get to play and ask questions about what it’s like being a NZ born Tongan in today’s society.”

Sesilia is currently the Creative Director of Pukepuke ‘o Tonga Productions, a organisation that she runs with her siblings. The company is dedicated to providing community based initiatives that preserve Tongan culture.

Their first project was  Lomipeau Aotearoa, a Tongan  album that set a collection of the late Queen Salote’s poetry to musical compositions. Sesilia also directed and choreographed NZ’s first full length Tongan contemporary dance theatre show Sei ‘o fafine, and followed up with another dance piece, Pukepuke ‘o Tonga.

Despite her various productions, she is most proud of her work as an actor on stage and screen. The mother of five children has only played strong Tongan characters, including many roles as a Tongan mother. She says it shows the growth in Pacific stories on film and TV.

“There are enough Tongan stories out there where I can play Tongan characters. I’m grateful for the effort and the hard work that have been produced to tell our stories.”

 was a shining star at the recent NZ TV Awards and her star is set to shine even brighter.

When Pasifika actress, Sesilia Pusiaki, went up on stage at the 2023 NZ TV Awards to accept the award for Best Supporting Actress, she became the first Tongan performer to be given the coveted prize.

In the web series drama Inky, Pinky, Ponky, Sesilia plays a mother who learns to accept her daughter who is fakaleiti (the Tongan word for trans). She says that her triumph for her role at the prestigious awards ceremony gives a voice to Pasifika and LGBTQ+ stories.

“Being on stage and accepting this award was like a David and Goliath moment,” says Sesilia about the star-studded event held in Auckland in December. She gave an emotional acceptance speech mainly in her native Tongan language.

“Amongst all of the TV and media stars, I felt like a small girl in a big machine. At that moment,when they call out your name, you become overwhelmed with emotions. You want to make sure that you represent yourself, your family and the huge village that helped you.”

Although Sesilia, 39, is not a familiar face on our screens, she has played roles on TV, like on Shortland Street and the TV movie about Jonah Lomu, and is currently on two different Pacific online series, Brutal Lives – Mo’ui Faingata’a and and her award-winning turn in Inky, Pinky, Ponky. The powerful teenage drama tells the gripping story of a  fakaleiti teenager finding acceptance amongst her peers and her family.

“The transgender community has been part of our Pacific culture for many years and these are our lived stories, they are not hidden anymore. It’s the right time to tell these stories on film and TV.”

For most of her life, the New Zealand born Sesilia has been helping to create Tongan theatre, dance and drama performances. It runs in her veins. Her family are from the villages of Lapaha, Tatakamotonga, Atata and Makahilitaha, and  her great grandfather used to choreograph traditional dance and create musical compositions in Tonga for Queen Sālote Tupou III.

“On my father’s side, his genealogy and his ancestors came from a long line of Tongan traditional musicians and dancers, and I’ve continued on with that family tradition. I’m a fourth generation Tongan performer, so carrying on the light is important in everything that I do.”

While growing up on Auckland’s North Shore, Seselia’s mother insisted it  was important for her daughter to also learn Western forms of performance. Sesilia was also enrolled to learn ballet, tap and jazz.

“My whole family are creative. I’m fortunate to have had so many influences in my life.”

Sesilia added acting to her resume after she graduated from the Pacific Institute of Performing Arts School (PIPA) in Auckland in 2010.

“After leaving PIPA, I wanted to work in theatre and continue to tell Tongan stories, and use the Western way of performance, the tools and techniques, to share our stories on different stages and platforms,” she explains.

“In the traditional work that I do, I make sure that it is true and authentic and with the contemporary work that I create, I get to play and ask questions about what it’s like being a NZ born Tongan in today’s society.”

Sesilia is currently the Creative Director of Pukepuke ‘o Tonga Productions, an organisation that she runs with her siblings. The company is dedicated to providing community based initiatives that preserve Tongan culture.

Their first project was  Lomipeau Aotearoa, a Tongan  album that set a collection of the late Queen Salote’s poetry to musical compositions. Sesilia also directed and choreographed NZ’s first full length Tongan contemporary dance theatre show Sei ‘o fafine, and followed up with another dance piece, Pukepuke ‘o Tonga.

Despite her various productions, she is most proud of her work as an actor on stage and screen. The mother of five children has only played strong Tongan characters, including many roles as a Tongan mother. She says it shows the growth in Pacific stories on film and TV.

“There are enough Tongan stories out there where I can play Tongan characters. I’m grateful for the effort and the hard work that has been produced to tell our stories. I want to continue to play characters that reflects who I am.”