Vani & Teresa Toelau | Navigating a bicultural relationship

Vani and Teresa Toelau are a Samoan/Filipino couple living in Auckland. They talk about their experience navigating a bicultural relationship and dealing with the grief of miscarriage. They openly discuss their romance journey and how they plan on raising their newborn child in a way that embraces both cultures. Vani talks about his experience of being raised with strong Samoan cultural roots, whereas Teresa battled with her own cultural identity when her family moved from the Philippines to New Zealand. They are co-owners of Strong Side gym in West Auckland and talk about how COVID has forced them to pivot the business.