Coco Talanoa — Coco News / Page 1
Moana Pasifika CEO keeps hope of last-minute lifeline to save side
There might be life in Moana Pasifika yet. After five years in Super Rugby, the franchise confirmed on Wednesday it had made the "difficult and heartbreaking decision" to disband at the end of the 2026 season due to financial pressures and structural challenges.
It followed reports Moana's Pasifika's owner, the Pasifika Medical Association (PMA), was cutting ties with the club in the face of a $10 million funding shortfall.
However Debbie Sorensen, who is chief executive of both the club and PMA, is still hopeful someone could step in to save the club.
"We're very hopeful that additional investors may come forward because often in this situation people who have extra resources haven't really thought about taking a franchise," Sorensen told Morning Report.
"We have previously gone out to market for investors and that didn't bear any fruit for us which leaves us in the position we are in now.…more
Former Ports of Auckland chief found guilty over Samoan Father of 7's death
The High Court has dismissed an appeal from a former Ports of Auckland chief executive who was found guilty in relation to the death of a worker.
A stevedore, Pala'amo Kalati, aged 31, was killed by a falling container in August 2020.
Tony Gibson was then prosecuted by Maritime New Zealand under the Health and Safety at Work Act.
The maritime watchdog filed charges accusing Gibson of breaching his duties as an officer and making decisions which jeopardised the safety of port workers.
He was found guilty after a trial in the Auckland District Court in 2024, fined $130,000 and ordered to pay a further $60,000 in legal costs.
The High Court has now upheld the verdict and the sentence.
Maritime New Zealand Director Kirstie Hewlett said she was pleased to see the High Court reinforced that Gibson did not exercise his due diligence responsibility to ensure the port complied with its health and safety obligations
The case is part of a wider pattern of safety issues at the port, including several serious incidents and deaths.…more
What does automatic US draft registration mean for the Pacific?
Automatic draft registration expands in the US, but Pacific impact remains unclear
A new United States policy will automatically register eligible men for the Selective Service system from December, marking a major update to how the US prepares for a potential military draft.
While the policy does not reinstate conscription, it expands automatic registration into a nationwide system for the first time. Any actual draft would still require approval from Congress.
What is confirmed
Under the new measure, all male US citizens and “every other male person” living in the United States between the ages of 18 and 26 will be automatically registered for Selective Service.
This includes green card holders, refugees, asylum seekers and undocumented men. Men on non immigrant visas are exempt.
Men who fail to register can face penalties including loss of federal benefits, fines and potential imprisonment under US law.
The Selective Service system has not been used for an active draft since 1973, during the Vietnam War.…more
Papatoetoe local body election results reveal a surprise victor
A Labour candidate has secured top spot in the Papatoetoe local body election in Auckland, with three members of the Papatoetoe Ōtara Action Team also claiming seats.
The preliminary result marks a shift from the 2025 election, where the Papatoetoe Ōtara Action Team swept all four seats.
Although three of its members have been returned in the latest vote, Labour candidate and petitioner of the judicial inquiry Lehopoaome Vi Hausia has emerged as the leading vote-getter, breaking the group's clean sweep.
Vi Hausia secured the top spot with 2788 votes, followed by Jeet Singh of the Papatoetoe Ōtara Action Team with 2484.
Fellow Papatoetoe Ōtara Action Team candidate Sandeep Saini received 2479 votes, while Kushma Nair claimed the fourth and final seat with 2383.
Papatoetoe Ōtara Action Team's Kunal Bhalla narrowly missed out, finishing fifth with 2343 votes.
Preliminary voter turnout for the election was 23.7 percent.
Final results are expected to be confirmed on Friday once special votes have been counted.
Labour's Vi Hausia said it was a "huge sigh of relief" to see the election process conclude.…more
Samoan baller Charlisse Leger-Walker Makes History with NCAA Basketball Title
Today will surely go down as one of the great days in New Zealand basketball, with Charlisse Leger-Walker becoming the first woman from Aotearoa to win an NCAA basketball title in the United States.
Leger-Walker's UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) has beaten South Carolina in the championship game 79-51.
The 24-year-old was a key figure in the win. She was in the starting five and was on court for 26 minutes, scoring ten points, including two three pointers.
She also claimed four rebounds and two assists.
Leger-Walker, who is from Hamilton, is from a basketball-rich family, with she, her sister Krystal and their mother Leanne having all played for New Zealand.
In 2018, she became the youngest player to play for the Tall Ferns, when she debuted as a 16-year-old at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
She's had a lengthy American college career. She spent several years with Washington State, before transferring to UCLA after being granted a fifth season of eligibilty due to the Covid-19 pandemic.…more
Cook Islands down to just 20 days of fuel stock as local suppliers warn of 'significant price increases'
Fuel stocks in the Cook Islands have dropped to just 20 days - less than half of full capacity - and while suppliers are confident this is sufficient, they warn of further price hikes.
"Our fuel storage capacity, if we think about the full capacity, is about 45 days. We currently have around 20 days of stock. Compared to other Pacific islands, we are relatively well positioned," Ministry of Finance and Economic Management (MFEM) director of Economic Planning Division, Joaquin Vespignani, said while speaking at the Cook Islands Tourism global update on Thursday (Friday NZ time).
Local suppliers are confident that current stock is sufficient to last until the next shipment in early April - provided there is "no panic buying" - but they have warned of looming price increases.
A new price order that took effect on Friday has pushed fuel and LPG prices to among the highest ever recorded in the Cook Islands.…more
The regions next in line for flooding as heavy rain heads south
MetService says there's a strong likelihood of several regions being upgraded to red heavy rain warnings as a damaging storm sweeps across the country.
Northland and Whangārei are currently in a state of emergency, which will last for seven days.
Although rainfall is set to ease for both regions, others may soon be in the flood firing line.
So which regions are preparing for the worst?
Tauranga
Tauranga City Council is also warning people of landslide risks.
An orange heavy rain warning remains in place for Tauranga through to 1am on Saturday.
The warning has a high chance of being upgraded to a red warning.
Due to earlier rainfall and slips, it said there was an increased risk of new landslide occurring and more damage at sites which had already experienced slides.
"If you learn or suspect that a landslide is occurring or is about to occur in your area evacuate immediately if it is safe to do so.
"Seek higher ground outside the path of the landslide.…more
Pads or gas? Pasfika families faced with hard choices
“I’ve had to use my kids’ nappies as pads last week because I was down to my last dollars… we do what we have to do.”
It’s a harsh reality, but for many Pasifika families already hit hardest by the cost-of-living crisis, rising fuel prices have only made things worse.
Seeing petrol prices climb day after day has become a quiet source of pressure for Pasifika across Aotearoa. And yes, even the South Auckland mum with the cleaning job, even the South Auckland mum who’s a lawyer, is feeling the pinch.
Prices have climbed as high as $3.40 per litre following the Iran conflict, landing on top of a cost-of-living crisis that was already pushing families to the edge. All New Zealanders feel it, but not evenly.
The Salvation Army’s State of the Nation 2026 report already shows Pacific communities carrying the heaviest load. Nearly three in ten Pacific children are living in material hardship. Almost half experience food insecurity. Unemployment is the highest of any ethnic group.…more
Jetstar axes some New Zealand flights amid fuel price surges
Via RNZ
Jetstar has axed a number of New Zealand flights as the war in the Middle East drives up the price of jet fuel.
A Jetstar NZ spokesperson said 12 percent of scheduled services had been impacted, including some services between Auckland and Christchurch as well as Auckland and Wellington, and some international flights between Auckland and Sydney and Auckland and Brisbane.
The changes were temporary, the spokesperson said, due to the rise in jet fuel prices and other rising costs.
All impacted customers had been contacted directly, the spokesperson said, and most had been offered same-day travel.
It comes after Air New Zealand announced it was cancelling four return flights to Samoa.
Air New Zealand said it had nine services to Samoa each week and described the change as "minimal".
It said like other airlines it was dealing with unprecedented volatility with jet fuel prices due to the conflict in the Middle East and was adjusting schedules to manage the impact.…more
Bubbah makes history as first Samoan South Aucklander to perform at SkyCity Theatre
Extra Extra, Read all about it!
South Auckland’s Actor, Writer, Comedian and full time Shnack - King Uluvale aka Bubbah is back! She’s leaving the kuā backs to entertain us once again, at SkyCity Theatre no less. The first Samoan, South Aucklander to do so, and who better than Bubbah to break it in for the rest of us brownies.
After leaving the industry last year to move back home to her village of Utuali’i, she’s making her comeback with a one-and-a-half-hour special at the 2026 New Zealand International Comedy Festival. Promised to be just as funny and lemaffs as her last show ‘Pure Mature’, so buckle up baby! No kids, NO elders, you’ve been warned!
When asked what this opportunity meant to her, the South Auckland icon said the recognition felt different this time.
“It means I’m getting somewhere. It means I’m being heard,” she says. “I’m really grateful for the backyard shows, they definitely helped me find my style as a comedian.”
Those early backyard gigs shaped a voice that remains central to her work today.…more