Coco Talanoa — Coco News / Page 1

“To add more restrictions will be heartbreaking if my kids only living grandparents are unable to attend important milestones in their lives due to new criteria,” said Epenesa Pakola, a Samoan mother living in California with parents in Aotearoa.

For Diasporians in NZ who regularly visit their islander families in the United States, that fear may soon become reality.

The US is planning to change the rules for people from visa-waiver countries, including Aotearoa. That is the ESTA form most travellers fill out before hopping on a flight. Under a new proposal, travellers could be asked to hand over far more personal information than ever before.

“That’s crazy. It’s extremely disappointing and unnecessary,” Epenesa said.

Under the proposal, travellers may be required to provide five years of social media history, phone numbers used over the last five years, email addresses from the past ten years, detailed information about family members, and even biometric data such as facial images and fingerprints. This information would not be optional. It would be mandatory.…more

The Harm is Real

Recently, the work of Tongan artist Lucid Luca was fed into AI and reposted online. The original piece, inspired by his birthplace of Lautoka, captured the warmth of Fiji’s western coast. 

The AI version, however, altered the work: it softened features, lightened skin, and stripped away the cultural depth Luca had embedded into every brushstroke. The repost went viral before it was eventually removed, but the broader harm remained.

Luca explains, “It chips away at the work we’ve put years into, and it distorts how our people see themselves. It may depict brown people, but it has been trained on a western lens and western data. We may become redundant but everyone else will not be far behind, so I resent being offered up as the sacrificial lamb to this shift in attitude.”

Colourism in AI, where dark-skinned Pacific faces are lightened to fit Western ideals, is a reflection of a broader, pervasive issue in Pacific communities.…more

“The approach we take at TALA to represent the Samoan way and culture is instilled in our staff and evidenced through the apa fafano ceremony. This is our way of showing gratitude (gaga fa’afetai), servitude (tautua) and respect (fa’aaloalo) to the guests.”

For Henry Onesemo, executive chef and co-owner of Tala, these words define everything the restaurant stands for. Yesterday, Tala was crowned the Supreme Winner of Viva’s Top 50 Restaurants 2025, a milestone moment for Pacific cuisine in Auckland and a rare celebration of Samoan excellence in a predominantly Palagi-dominated fine dining scene.

Judges made the decision almost instantly. “Choosing a Supreme Winner usually takes hours of discussion and negotiation, but I will be honest and tell you that this year it only took a few seconds,” said Viva dining out editor Jesse Mulligan, who delivered the news in person to Henry and co-owner Debby Onesemo.

At just two years old, Tala has already redefined what Samoan food can look and feel like in Parnell.…more

“This consent recognises Aotearoa’s Pacific identity and moves us closer to realising a long-held vision... The Fale Malae will be a place where our connection to Te Moana Nui-a-Kiwa is honoured and made visible” - Adrian Orr, Chairperson Fale Malae Trust

Wellington’s long-anticipated Fale Malae — an iconic cultural centre honouring Aotearoa New Zealand’s deep Pacific identity — is one step closer to reality, with resource consent for the project now formally approved.

Planned as a central feature of the redevelopment of Frank Kitts Park on the Wellington waterfront. This has been championed for years by the Fale Malae Trust, mana whenua, Pasifika leaders, Wellington City Council, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, and the New Zealand Government.

The proposal aims to establish a national cultural institution that celebrates the many nations of Moana Nui-a-Kiwa (the Pacific Ocean). While also providing a dedicated space where Aotearoa’s Pacific communities. And the wider public — can gather, learn, and celebrate their shared heritage.…more

“Children thrive when they feel seen, supported, and valued. Back home in the islands, resources are often limited, investing in our young people becomes even more essential.”

That belief sits at the heart of a generous act of alofa from Mr and Mrs Tofilau, who teamed up with Finlayson Park School and Leabank Primary School to gift laptops and books to Alo Paopao Academy in Maninoa, Samoa. What began as a simple intention to support the village has grown into something much bigger: a community-led effort to open new learning pathways for Samoan children.

For years, the Tofilau family have spent time in Miti Maninoa, watching the Alopaopao programme in action. They saw the way Su’a Jay and Tasi Schuster worked with local kids, teaching Siva Afi, Samoan Siva, paddling, crafting, and water safety. They saw children showing up day after day, committed to their culture and to each other. And felt compelled to help strengthen that journey.…more

“Use your voice. Anyone can learn the technical skills of presenting on camera, but what sets you apart is your lived experience, your culture, your perspective, your upbringing, your truth. Those are your strengths.”

“The world is hungry for Pacific stories, and we have a responsibility to tell them. Do not shrink yourself. Stand tall in who you are.”

Those words sit at the heart of Tamara Vaifanua’s work, and they land differently now as she marks a significant milestone in her career. The Samoan reporter has earned an Emmy Award for her coverage of the Maui wildfires — an honour she immediately redirects back to the people of Maui.

“I am humbled by this honor,” she told The New Atoll. “Being recognized for a piece about the people of Maui is bittersweet. Their loss was heartbreaking. Being invited into their lives during such a painful time is something I will always carry with me. This recognition feels like an extension of their voices, not mine.”

Her assignment in Maui reshaped her understanding of community strength.…more

A group of photographers are working to immortalise our hometowns - the places we all know and love. With gentrification on the rise and the landscape shifting faster than many realise, they’re determined to keep these places alive, if not in reality, then in memory, through their work.

“Together, those images form a growing collective archive of South Auckland, shaped not by one viewpoint but by many.”

That’s how South Auckland Photo Club founder, Geoff Matautia, describes the heart of the project. What began as a simple invitation for locals to take photos has grown into a community-led movement determined to preserve the everyday: the shops we grew up visiting, the parks we learned to ride bikes in, the streets that shaped our childhoods.

Geoff says the club is “grounded in participation,” created for anyone - complete beginners with phones, seasoned hobbyists, and everyone in between. The goal was always bigger than photography.…more

“For Pacific Islanders raised outside our homelands, culture is not just heritage — it's navigation.”

The aganu’u based education programme helping US islanders connect with their culture. 

In Oakland, IKUNA is helping Pacific Islander youth reconnect to their identity through culture, education, and wellbeing.

Founded by brothers Taimani and Sione Lauti, both raised in Oakland, the programme runs year-round for students from elementary to high school. During the school year, sessions run for up to 30 weeks, with students meeting once or twice a week for literacy, cultural learning, mentorship, and leadership workshops.

Each June, IKUNA hosts a full-day summer programme with classes, sports, storytelling, and college preparation. The high school group ends the summer with a cultural and college-access trip most recently to Hawai‘i - where they lived on a university campus, met community elders, and explored ancestral knowledge and connection to land and water.

The Lauti brothers describe IKUNA as a community effort built on culture, education, and lived experience.…more

“I worked through the book with a lot of passion knowing that a young Niue anywhere in the world will benefit from it in the future.” — Mele Fakatali Nemaia MNZM

This Niuean Language Week 19–25 October, a new bilingual book is helping keep Vagahau Niue alive for future generations — Moana Oceania: Niue by Mele Fakatali Nemaia MNZM.

The latest release in the Moana Oceania series introduces readers to one of the world’s smallest: The rock of the Pacific - Niue

Written in both English and Vagahau Niue, the book offers insights into Niue’s society, geography, arts, sports, and history, alongside colourful photos, illustrations, and maps.

For Mele, an esteemed educator and long-time advocate for the Niuean language, this project is the culmination of decades of work. After almost 40 years teaching in Auckland, she spent much of her career encouraging Pasifika students, especially Niuean children to take pride in who they are.

“It was a long journey, many hurdles and challenges to overcome, but my passion to support anything Niue was my driving element,” she says.…more