Karlo Estelle Mila MNZM (born 1974) is a New Zealand writer and poet of Tongan, Pālagi and Samoan descent.

[2][3] In her early years, Mila was always surrounded by books; she spent most of her time at the Palmerston North Library, where she read the entire fairytale section.

[6] Mila wrote her first poem at the age of eight, about seeds, while attending Highbury School in Palmerston North, and went on to win her first poetry competition.

[8] Mila began her tertiary studies at Massey University in 1995, where she completed her BA in Anthropology (Sociology), Masters in Social Work.

[15] As the programme director, founder and creator, the purpose of Mana Moana is to highlight and maintain ancestral Pasifika (Indigenous peoples of the Pacific) perspectives, intellect and knowledge within modern contexts.

She is also interested in the idea of literary Whakapapa (genealogy), dedicating entire sections to it ("Chanting Back To The Bones" and "Tuakana") in Dream Fish Floating.

[23] Poetry by Mila was included in UPU, a curation of Pacific Island writers’ work which was first presented at the Silo Theatre as part of the Auckland Arts Festival in March 2020.