Dave Letele says family targeted after taking over NZ Muscle as he fights to rebuild company and save jobs

Dave Letele says he and his family have been subjected to death threats and online abuse after he stepped in as the new chief executive of struggling supplement company NZ Muscle.

The former boxer and founder of community organisation Buttabean Motivation took on the role this week, along with a shareholding in the business, after founder Dion Roosenbrand announced he would step back while the company works through regulatory concerns.

Letele says his decision to take over was driven by a desire to help rebuild the company, protect its workers and restore customer trust.

The 46-year-old was preparing to meet with NZ Muscle staff, with 35 jobs potentially at risk as the company deals with falling sales following concerns around its products and business practices.

"It's 35 people who could potentially be without a job if this continued. I wanted to give it my best shot of trying to turn it around," Letele said.…more

Today we remember the remarkable Sir Sam Neill — an extraordinary actor, storyteller and friend of the Pacific, whose life and career touched audiences around the world.

In this powerful and little-known conversation with Oscar Kightley, Sam reflects on one of the most difficult chapters of his own family history. His uncle, known as "Red", served as one of New Zealand's military commanders during the country's colonial administration of Samoa — a period that would have devastating consequences for the Samoan people and fuel the Mau movement for independence.

Rather than shy away from that history, Sam believed it should be confronted honestly by all New Zealanders. His willingness to acknowledge the past, and to shine a light on injustice, is part of the legacy he leaves behind. Manuia lou malaga, Sir Sam. Fa'afetai for your compassion, your humility, and for standing alongside the Pacific in telling the stories that matter.

The Nominees for the 2026 Pacific Music Awards have been annoucned - and this year honours many of our beloved artists.…more

By Lagomauitumua Elizabeth Ah-Hi

Lettuce is not something you expect to find thriving on volcanic rock.

Yet in the village of Auala on the western coast of Savai'i, rows of bright green lettuce rise from a hydroponics system that has transformed an unlikely patch of land into a thriving community garden. In a place where rocky terrain has long limited vegetable production, the project is helping to strengthen food security while creating new opportunities for local youth.

For Reverend Motusaga Lesa, however, the story began with something much simpler: a love of gardening.

When he and his wife arrived in Auala eight years ago to serve the local EFKS congregation, they quickly discovered that one of the most ordinary parts of life back home in Upolu was far more difficult here.

Gardening had always been second nature, but Auala's rugged lava fields and limited arable land made growing vegetables a challenge.…more

A powerful Melanesian story about protecting land, culture and community continues to make waves on the international stage, with Solomon Islands filmmaker Matasila Freshwater adding another major accolade to an already award-winning documentary.

Just weeks after taking home the prestigious Sustainable Future Award at the Sydney Film Festival, Sukundimi Walks Before Me has now been awarded Best New Zealand Director at the 2026 Doc Edge Festival in Auckland.

Directed by Matasila Freshwater and Lachlan McLeod, the documentary earned praise from the Doc Edge jury, who said the filmmakers' directorial choices "all speak to the powerful directorial vision behind this film."

The latest honour adds to the film's growing list of achievements and further cements Freshwater as one of the Pacific's leading documentary storytellers.

For Freshwater, whose acclaimed short film HIAMA earned international recognition, the success is about far more than awards. It's another milestone for Pacific stories being told by Pacific people, on their own terms.

The documentary follows communities living along Papua New Guinea's Sepik River, one of the largest and most culturally significant waterways in the Pacific.…more

Sporting legend Beatrice Faumuinā CNZM is bringing her "magic sauce" to Waipapa Taumata Rau, the University of Auckland, as the new director of the Kupe Leadership Scholarship, an elite programme dedicated to developing exceptional leaders.

Beatrice knows first-hand the difference a scholarship can make.

The Olympian and former diplomat has benefited from several scholarships throughout her life. Now she’s helping shape the next generation of leaders through the Kupe Leadership Scholarship.

As a student and sportsperson, Beatrice was curious about what made successful people successful.

"Back then as a teenager I thought, 'What do I ask this business leader who knows so much?' As an athlete, you're often asked, 'What makes you tick?', so I asked, 'What's your magic sauce?'"

Over the years, she’s developed her own magic sauce: family, faith and acts of kindness. These elements sit alongside the discipline, resilience and leadership skills she’s built through sport, business and governance.…more

"I'm buying the cheapest white bread and bargain sausage packs just to get through the week. Milk is a luxury now. Rent's gone up, food's gone up, and we can't even afford the petrol to get to the food bank. People have no idea how hard it is."  Malia Thompson, South Auckland mum

For many Pacific families, Budget 2026 doesn't feel like relief.

It feels like another bill, another cost and more sacrifices for our aigas - already holding the highest statistics in poor standards of housing, health and child poverty. 

While politicians debate fiscal responsibility in Wellington, many Pasifika households are already making impossible choices at the supermarket checkout, the petrol station, and the kitchen table.…more