In the tradition of approaches that call for decolonizing research, this study demonstrates how talanoa, an Indigenous research methodology, exceeds the scope of Collaborative Auto-Ethnography (CAE) by embedding cultural authenticity, relationality, and reciprocity within the research process. By framing talanoa, the authors examined the sociocultural phenomenon and practice of “nurturing vā”, as a core concept of Pacific Indigenous research. Hence, this study can help to inform academic research and advance scholarly knowledge beyond CAE's framework.