Mrs Kesha (69) was awarded the $10,000 senior Pacific artists award at the ceremony in Wellington last night.
"I'm very surprised and humbled by it.
"This is a gift for my whole community," she said.
"Weaving is my passion.
"It's an art I was influenced in by my mother and grandmother as a young girl.
"It's an everyday activity in the village where I grew up.
"In Samoa, we weave mats for the floor, and baskets to carry food from the plantation, and bags to carry your Bible to church, and personal belongings, and fans to cool ourselves in the hot Pacific climate.
"But, when I came to New Zealand in 1958, you didn't need these things because, instead of mats, there's things like carpet and vinyl."
A desire to keep the tradition alive saw Mrs Kesha establish the Multicultural Weavers Association in Dunedin in 1983.
She has subsequently tutored and exhibited in New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa, Noumea, New Caledonia and Australia.
In 1998, she became the first woman in her family to be awarded the chieftain title Misa, in recognition of service to her family and community in Samoa.
"I love to teach weaving to people of all cultures, as I believe it is an art that needs to be shared," Mrs Kesha said.
"It's so important to keep the culture alive.
"My aim as an artist is to promote and preserve the art of weaving by sharing my knowledge, especially with the younger generation of my culture.
"Otherwise this knowledge could be lost in our modern society."
The Pasifika Awards were established by Creative New Zealand in 1996 to encourage and celebrate excellence in Pacific arts in New Zealand and are the only national awards that recognise Pasifika artists across a range of art forms.
Pacific Arts Committee chairwoman Pele Walker said the awards honoured the collective cultural wealth of Pacific artists living in New Zealand.
"From those artists working to preserve the traditions of our homelands, such as Misa Emma Kesha, to those like Michel Tuffery who are forging new paths with new technologies, these awards celebrate the contribution Pacific artists are making to express their unique experiences in New Zealand."
The other Pasifika Awards presented last night were. -Emerging Pacific artists award ($4000): Tongan carver Visesio Siasau, of Hamilton.
Iosefa Enari memorial award ($4000): Samoan tenor Pene Junior Pati, of South Auckland.
Pacific heritage arts award ($5000): O Mata! Tokelau Dance Group, of the Hutt Valley.
Contemporary Pacific artists award ($5000): Samoan painter and sculptor Michel Tuffery, of Wellington.
