About us

Photo credit - Red Handed Media / Music NSW (Wamarra Music Lab 2026)

I’m Will Pawa-Oui, a cultural creative producer, strategist, educator, musician and the founder of Pawa Haus Creative. I’m proud of my Torres Strait Islander and German heritage, and my commitment to LGBTQIA+ advocacy shapes how I work, connect and lead.

I believe culture is the most important part of any organisation or team. It lives in everyday decisions: whose voices are heard, how people are treated, what happens when someone speaks up, and whether it feels safe to be yourself. Many of us know what an unhealthy workplace culture can take from us—our confidence, our wellbeing and our willingness to contribute. That understanding carries a responsibility to create something better.

For us as First Nations people, culture holds a deeper meaning still. It connects us to our ancestors, our communities, our knowledge and our responsibilities to one another. It shapes who we are and how we move through the world. We deserve spaces where we can feel safe, take pride in our identities and express our cultures freely—and where we have a voice in the decisions that affect us.

For more than 15 years, I have delivered cultural capability training, helping people explore how their understanding of culture shapes their relationships, decisions and professional practice. More recently, my work has grown to include an influential role in cultural awareness education within Gold Coast Healthcare system, part of Queensland’s public health system, on Kombumerri Country. Working within a health service of more than 14,000 people brings a profound sense of responsibility: what we teach can shape how people are heard, understood and cared for.

Alongside more than a decade of experience in community services and wellbeing, this work has strengthened my belief that cultural safety must be lived through everyday practice. It requires people to listen, reflect and take responsibility for the environments they help create.

I created Pawa Haus Creative to bring that belief into the music and creative sector.

As a First Nations musician, I was searching for somewhere my creative practice, cultural identity and commitment to community could belong together. I wanted to build a business where artists could feel understood, where cultural knowledge could guide decisions, and where creative ambition could grow alongside wellbeing.

Today, I bring that purpose into artist management, live cultural experiences, education and cultural strategy. Whether I’m supporting an artist or working alongside an organisation, I ask: who feels safe enough to participate? Who has the power to decide? What support will remain when the project ends?

For me, success means people leaving a collaboration with stronger connections, greater confidence and more choice about their future. That is the change I want Pawa Haus Creative to help create.

Culture first. Community always. Creativity with purpose.

My experience spans cultural education, community wellbeing, music and broadcasting, connected by a commitment to strengthening First Nations voices and helping organisations put cultural respect into practice.

For more than 15 years, I have delivered cultural capability training, alongside work across community services and wellbeing. This includes cultural awareness education within Gold Coast Health on Kombumerri Country, supporting deeper understanding of identity, cultural safety and the responsibilities that come with caring for community.

As First Nations Programs Lead at Support Act, I led the development of the organisation’s inaugural First Nations Strategic Plan in consultation with Elders and Indigenous leaders across Australia. This work brought community knowledge into organisational planning and helped establish direction for supporting First Nations people working in music.

My experience also extends to broadcasting through Triple A’s Let’s Talk – Black Arts, creating space for First Nations creatives to share their work, experiences and aspirations.

Together, these experiences inform the approach I bring to Pawa Haus Creative: listening carefully, building trust and ensuring that cultural understanding shapes both the opportunities we create and the way we deliver them.

I bring together cultural knowledge, creative practice and strategic thinking to help people and organisations work with greater understanding, purpose and care.

My skills span cultural capability training, facilitation, cultural strategy, community engagement, artist support, live event production and program development. With more than 15 years of cultural education experience, I create space for honest conversations and help people translate learning into everyday practice.

My background across health, community services and the music sector strengthens my ability to navigate sensitive conversations, build respectful partnerships and balance creative ambition with cultural responsibility and wellbeing. Alongside this, my experience as a musician and broadcaster informs how I listen, communicate and support others to tell their stories.

At the heart of my work is the ability to connect people, culture and ideas—and turn shared purpose into practical action.

Some of the most meaningful highlights in my life have come from bringing my culture, creativity and commitment to community into the same space.

Creating Pawa Haus Creative has been a deeply personal milestone. It brings together my Torres Strait Islander and German heritage, the importance of family, and my belief that creative work can strengthen belonging and open doors for others.

Professionally, I’m proud to have delivered cultural capability training for more than 15 years, including cultural awareness education within Gold Coast Health on Kombumerri Country. This work has given me opportunities to help people reflect on their assumptions and consider how their everyday actions affect the safety and dignity of others.

Support Act

As First Nations Programs Lead at Support Act, I led the development of its inaugural First Nations Strategic Plan through consultation with Elders and Indigenous leaders across Australia. Helping translate community knowledge into organisational commitments remains a significant part of my journey.

Triple A

My creative and advocacy work has also taken me into broadcasting through Let’s Talk – Black Arts on Triple A, sharing conversations with First Nations creatives about their lives, work and aspirations. 

BIGSOUND · APRA AMCOS

Being selected for BIGSOUND’s 2025 First Nations Advisory Group marked another opportunity to contribute to cultural representation and creative pathways. In 2026, my appointment to the APRA Board Observership Program opened a new chapter in learning about governance and how decisions are made across the music industry. 

What connects these milestones is the opportunity to carry my culture with pride, learn from others and bring that learning back into work that benefits community. That is what makes these experiences meaningful to me.