Noma Sio-Faiumu is an event producer and arts manager^[1] of Samoan descent based in Onehunga, New Zealand.^[2] She has worked for over 30 years as an arts administrator within the New Zealand arts industry.^[3][4] Her work is cross-cultural and spans a wide social spectrum facilitating multidisciplinary art projects independently and for leading arts organisations.^[5] Within arts administration, Sio-Faiumu served as the lead facilitator for the APO (Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra) Remix the Orchestra for a decade.^[3][6] The show received an International Music Council Musical Rights Award from the United Nations in 2013.^[3] Within the New Zealand music industry she is a founding member of the Pacific Music Awards (2005).^[3] She received a Special Recognition Award at Creative New Zealand's Pasifika Arts Awards for her contributions within the Pacific community (2017).^[3][4]

Born in the 1950s in Upolu, Samoa to Samoan parents from the villages of Satupuala and Lotofaga, Sio-Faiumu is one of nine siblings.^[7] Her family migrated to New Zealand in the late 1960s and settled in South Auckland. They settled after a journey from Samoa to Fiji on the Tofua boat, followed by a flight from Fiji to Auckland.^[7] They first lived in Māngere, then Ōtāhuhu, before settling in Ōtara when Sio-Faiumu was six years old.^[7]

Sio-Faiumu's earliest connection to the arts is her mother playing the piano around Christmas when she was young.^[7][3] Raised in a deeply religious Mormon-Catholic family that valued tradition and Fa'asamoa,^[2] she actively participated in church activities and sang in choirs.^[7] As a child, Sio-Faiumu helped her parents with their cleaning jobs. Her and her family would clean hotels like the Criterion and the Star Hotels in Ōtāhuhu.^[7][3]

Growing up in Ōtara, Sio-Faiumu's home became a pit stop for other families from her villages in Samoa who chose to migrate to New Zealand.^[3] Her family would assist them in finding jobs, completing visa papers, securing housing and provided meals.^[3] Despite facing dawn raids twice during her childhood, Sio-Faiumu was immersed in a diverse multicultural Pacific community. She learnt from community leaders like Terina Ricky and Tui Va Kolo.^[7] These experiences taught her the significance of honouring tradition and ancient processes from an early age.^[7]

She attended Mayfield Primary School, Beds Intermediate, and Sir Edmund Hillary College.^[7] During her time at Sir Edmund Hillary College, Sio-Faiumu joined a band named Karma^{[8][unreliable source?]} and began her lifelong relationship with Otara Music and Arts Centre through a youth development program.^[8] Her itinerant teachers, Teina Bennioni and Peter Hoera, were local musicians respected in the Pasifika-South Auckland music scene.^[7]

Upon leaving high school Sio-Faiumu became a vocalist for various live bands in the late 80s to late 90s.^[3] The bands would work a circuit that was both local and national which included places like Tamaki Tavern, the Tribesman pad, the Black Power pad, Duke Wellington and Cleos at the time.^[3] Prior to her becoming an arts manager, Sio-Faiumu cites while on tour with South Auckland band, The Emeralds, watching their female drummer and manager in negotiations with venue holders.^[3] During this time as an artist Sio-Faiumu had her first experience with arts management while on a national tour with a more prominent band. The first part of the band's tour was spent in their accommodation as their manager failed to inform venues that they would be performing.^[3] During a two-week layover in Masterton Sio-Faiumu was nominated by her band members to become the manager for the remainder of the tour, from Masterton to Invercargill and back to Auckland.^[3]

Following her work as a vocalist, in 1997 Sio-Faiumu began working as a Centre Coordinator for the Otara Music and Arts Centre.^[5] During this time she would have her first interaction and begin her friendship with her future husband and collaborator Matthew Salapu-Faiumu / Anonymouz.^[2] She would then leave in 2001 and take a job as Creative Director of Wahine Malosi Charitable Trust until 2005.^[5] Alongside other prominent people within the Pacific Music community Sio-Faiumu founded the annual Pacific Music Awards (2005).^[3][4] She also began serving as the Director of Operations for her husband's sound design company Anonymouz in 2005 and would stay in this position until 2017^[5] when the company would shift their branding and become 37hz Productions of which Sio-Faiumu is a Co-Founder and Managing Director to the present day.^[4] In late 2005 she left the Wahine Malosi Charitable Trust and began a position as the Personal Assistant to the National Director of Te Wananga o Aotearoa - School of Performing Arts.^[5]

Following her time at Te Wananga o Aotearoa Sio-Faiumu would begin her decade long involvement with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra.^[3] While employed there from 2006 to 2016 she would hold various roles such as Personal Assistant to the CEO, Office Manager, Board Secretary and Pacific Island Community Liaison.^[6] She was a lead facilitator for their annual youth music programme, APO: Remix the Orchestra, which ran for the course of her term there.^[5] It was a highly successful programme for musically talented kids from South Auckland to engage with classical and contemporary music.^[6][3] It produced many successful figures in Pacific New Zealand Music including, David Dallas, Dei Hamo, Frisko, Erhmen, Tyree and Anonymouz.^[6] At the end of the programme, the children and mentors hold a large showcase performance.^[6] In 2013 her show was one of three to receive a prestigious Musical Rights Award from the United Nation's International Music Council.^[3]

Whilst working with Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra Sio-Faiumu was also working at RAN Events as an Events Producer which she began in 2006 and left in 2017.^[3] She cites in 2012 a career highlight of hers was playing a role in the introduction of the Sistema Aotearoa Programme to her Otara Community.^[3] It is a programme to help uplift the Otara community by introducing the children on the area to classical music and then training them in classical instruments.^[9] This helped to create a young orchestra that was ready to compete on a national level.^[3][6] The Sistema Aotearoa headquarters are within the Otara Music and Arts Centre.^[9]

From 2016 to 2020 Sio-Faiumu became a contracted Project Coordinator for the annual Auckland Arts Festivals Whanui Programme.^[10][4][1] The programme was a collaborative effort between the Auckland Arts Festival and Auckland communities, featuring five projects celebrating creative intergenerational conversations.^[10] In 2018 as part of the Whanui Programme she produced the show 4 THA LUMANA'I which was a live performance exploring parallels between traditional Samoan customs and contemporary Hip Hop art forms.^[11][10] Sio-Faiumu cites another career highlight when she was a part of the team who founded the Manukau Secondary Schools Performing Arts Awards which is now Stand up Stand out / SUSO showcase (2016).^[3]

In 2019 Sio-Faiumu was hired as Co-Chair / Toihau Matarua of SOUNZ: Centre for New Zealand Music.^[12][3] She is valuable connector between the musicians of Pacific communities and SOUNZ. She is still in this role to the present day.^[3][4]

For the New Zealand Festival of the Arts in 2021 Sio-Faiumu produced the work Resample Tatau by Anonymouz with their company 37hz Productions.^[2]

• 2013 - APO (Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra) Remix the Orchestra received an International Music Council (IMC) Musical Rights Award from the UN^[6][3]
• 2017 - Recipient of a Special Recognition Award at Creative New Zealand's Pasifika Arts Awards^[1]