The Iosefa Enari Memorial Award is an annual award presented by Creative New Zealand

Creative New Zealand

The Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa is the national arts development agency of the New Zealand government, investing in artists and arts organisations, offering capability building programmes and developing markets and audiences for New Zealand arts domestically and internationally...

 in honour of the late Samoan

Samoans

The Samoan people are a Polynesian ethnic group of the Samoan Islands, sharing genetics, language, history and culture. Due to colonialism, the home islands are politically and geographically divided between the country of Samoa, official name Independent State of Samoa ; and American Samoa, an...

 opera singer Iosefa Enari

Iosefa Enari

Iosefa Enari was a New Zealand opera singer who was born in Samoa. The Iosefa Enari Memorial Award, presented annually by Creative New Zealand, recognises Enari's pioneering contribution to Pacific Islands opera. Enari was the Artistic Director of Classical Polynesia, the first New Zealand opera...

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The award recognises the contribution of the late Iosefa Enari to the arts and in particular his pioneering role in Pacific opera. This study/travel award supports the career development of individual Pacific singers in New Zealand, across all classical vocal genres and career stages.

Recipients of the award have included Sani Muliaumaseali'i, Makisi and Aivale Cole who also won the prestigious 2009 Lexus Song Quest

Lexus Song Quest

The Lexus Song Quest is a competition held each year in New Zealand since 1956. The competition is managed and presented by the New Zealand International Arts Festival. Originally, it featured contestants who perform a variety of singing, e.g., Country and Western, Pop and Classical...

, New Zealand.