Coco Talanoa — Coco News / Page 2

“Fa’alupega is not just words. It is the map of who we are and where we come from.”

For Julius To'o, that belief sits at the heart of the new Fa’alupega mobile app, launched in Porirua, Wellington and now available on iOS and Android.

At a time when more Sāmoans are being raised outside their ancestral villages and fluent speakers are declining globally, To’o says the decision to digitise one of Sāmoa’s most sacred cultural practices was not about convenience, but continuity.

“By placing this knowledge in a mobile format, we honour our elders and orators while empowering the next generation, whether they live in Sāmoa, New Zealand, Australia, the United States or beyond, to engage confidently with their identity. This is about protecting our culture in a digital world without compromising its meaning.”

Fa’alupega, the honorific language that acknowledges chiefly titles, village hierarchies, ancestral lands and lineages, has traditionally been passed down through service, ceremony and direct guidance from elders and tūlāfale. For some, the idea of digitising such sacred knowledge may raise concerns.…more

Airlines are pushing back after the Samoa Airport Authority confirmed a sharp hike in departure costs at Faleolo International Airport, with carriers warning the move could price out local families and hurt tourism.

From 1 March 2026, passengers aged 12 and over departing Samoa will face a combined $180 in airport charges. The existing departure tax will rise from $65 to $80, while a new $100 Aerodrome Facility Charge will be introduced. The fees apply to all bookings made or modified after that date and will be automatically added to airfares.

The International Air Transport Association has raised concerns about the impact on connectivity, particularly for island nations. In a statement, IATA said the increases would add to the cost burden for Samoan nationals and the diaspora, as well as tourists, and urged the government to reconsider.

‘Talofa Airways’ director Jeffrey Hunter told RNZ Pacific the increase is significant, especially for smaller aircraft operators servicing regional routes. While acknowledging the airport authority’s need to recover infrastructure costs, he said higher fares could make travel unaffordable for some families.…more

Teenager Charged Over Shooting of Former NRL Star as Underworld Feud Intensifies

A 16-year-old boy has been arrested and charged in relation to the shooting of former NRL premiership winner Matt Utai, as Western Sydney’s escalating gang conflict spills further into public view.

Police allege the teenager handled the firearm used in Tuesday morning’s targeted attack on the 44-year-old outside a Greenacre home just after 6am. Utai was shot multiple times and rushed to hospital, where he remains in a serious but stable condition following surgery.

Detectives believe the attack was not random. Authorities suspect the intended target may have been Utai’s son, Iziah Utai, who is believed to be overseas.

Alleged Underworld Feud

Police believe the violence is connected to rising tensions between the once-powerful Alameddine crime family and a group described by authorities as the “Coconut Cartel,” which Superintendent Brad Abdy has labelled a “crime for hire group.”

Investigators allege the feud culminated in the shooting of Utai and has involved a string of retaliatory shootings and arsons across Sydney’s west.…more

Nearly three in every ten Pacific children are living in material hardship.
Almost half experience food insecurity.
Pacific people now face the highest unemployment rate of any ethnic group.
And despite making up just 13 percent of welfare recipients, Pacific people account for 23.9 percent of benefit sanctions.

These are not projections or warnings. They are the current reality for Pacific children in Aotearoa, according to The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation 2026 report.

The report shows 28.7 percent of Pacific children are living in material hardship, the highest rate across all ethnic groups (p.7). That equates to 46,200 Pacific children, an increase of 6,500 since 2019 this increase is the highest amongst all ethnic groups in Aotearoa (p.8). While child poverty briefly declined nationally between 2018 and 2022, those gains have now been erased, with Pacific families falling furthest behind.

Material hardship means going without basics many families rely on: adequate food, warm clothing, heating, healthcare, transport, or stable housing. For Pacific children, hardship is no longer concentrated among a small group. It is widespread.…more

Samoan writer and playwright Papalii Sia Figiel has been found dead in her prison cell while in custody for the killing of Professor Caroline Sinavaiana-Gabbard.

The 58-year-old was being held at Tanumalala Prison, where she was discovered by corrections officers early Monday morning. Police were alerted and her body was later taken to the hospital morgue. Authorities have not released the cause of death.

Figiel had been in custody since May 2024 after being charged with the violent murder of Dr Caroline Sinavaiana-Gabbard, a 78-year-old American Samoan academic, poet, and Figiel’s long-time mentor and friend.

Sinavaiana-Gabbard, is remembered as a poet and environmentalist, in 2013 became the first person of Samoan ancestry to reach the rank of full professor at a U.S. university, according to the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where she taught from 1997 until her retirement in 2016.

The charge followed an incident at Figiel’s Vaivase-uta home, which also served as her theatre space, GaluMoana Theatre. Police say Dr Gabbard’s body was found at the property.…more

Police have named the man found dead in the Mahurangi River near Warkworth as 47-year-old Tekanimaeu Arobati from Kiribati.

His body was located on Saturday, 24 January, after concerns were raised for his safety during the recent storm that affected parts of Auckland and surrounding areas.

In a statement released on Monday, police said Arobati had been formally identified following enquiries after his body was discovered in the river near Warkworth over the weekend.

The 47-year-old was travelling to work early Wednesday morning when the car he was in was swept into the Mahurangi River at a flooded crossing on Falls Road, near Warkworth. Search efforts were suspended overnight, with police yet to locate either the man or the vehicle.

His wife, who RNZ has agreed not to name, said the couple moved to New Zealand from Kiribati in 2023, bringing their four children with them in search of work, stability and a future for their family.

Back home, her husband had spent his life on the water.

“He was a fisherman in Kiribati. He knows how to swim.…more

“When Pasefika lead, when we design for our own needs, when we work in true partnership, we can change our future.”

That belief is now taking physical form in eastern Porirua, where 18 Pasefika families have received the keys to their new homes as part of Our Whare Our Fale, a community led housing development delivered by Central Pacific Collective (CPC).

For new homeowner Erin Millar, the moment represents long awaited stability after years of uncertainty.

“This is a life changing moment for me. In the last eight years we’ve had to move four times. Our new home will bring stability, and certainty to me and my whanau. We even have an accessible space for our Grandma when she needs to come and stay.”

Manu and Viena Paongo are also preparing to build new memories in their home, surrounded by community. “We are particularly excited to celebrate our first Christmas in the new home,” they stated early December last year.…more

As the United States steps back from climate funding in the Pacific, China has stepped neatly into the frame.

Within days of Washington confirming it would withdraw support for the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme, Beijing handed over USD $200,000 to the Samoa-based agency, a move that was equal parts timely and telling.

The funding itself was not new. It had been promised at the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Tonga two years earlier. But the timing of the handover, landing less than a week after the US announcement, allowed China to control the moment and the message.

“This again demonstrates our sincerity and determination to help Pacific Island countries cope with climate change and achieve sustainable development,” said China’s envoy to Samoa, Fei Mingxing.

Until its withdrawal, the United States accounted for around 15 percent of SPREP’s funding. That position is now reportedly held by China, which has also signalled it has set aside a further USD $362,000 should the region need it.…more

Pacific excellence across diverse fields is being recognised in the 2026 New Year Honours, with eight Pacific leaders and community advocates included among 177 award recipients nationwide. 

Their work spans a broad range of sectors, from education and disability advocacy to sport, faith, cultural leadership, language preservation, and social justice. Many of those honoured have expressed genuine surprise at the announcement, viewing the recognition as a reflection of shared community effort. 

Saveatama Eroni Clarke
Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the Pacific community and rugby

Former All Black Saveatama Eroni Clarke, who received a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his service to rugby and the Pacific community, told PMN News he was “absolutely surprised,” noting that the honour belongs not just to him, but to the collective work of those he serves.

Saveatama has made major headway for Pasifika in rugby, with the NZ Pacific Rugby Council now an affiliate body of the NZR.…more