Coco Talanoa — Coco News / Page 1

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 has taken out one of the top environmental awards at the Sydney Film Festival.

Multi award-winning Solomon Islands filmmaker Matasila Freshwater has won the festival's prestigious Sustainable Future Award for her latest documentary Sukundimi Walks Before Me — a visually striking and deeply personal film following communities fighting to protect Papua New Guinea's Sepik River from a proposed mining development.

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

The documentary follows communities living along the Sepik River, one of the largest and most culturally significant waterways in the Pacific. Rather than telling the story through the lens of outside observers, Freshwater places audiences inside the community itself, with the story unfolding through the perspective of Sukundimi, a river spirit woven into local knowledge and belief systems.

Producer Kerry Warkia says that Indigenous perspective is what makes the film stand apart.…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

Twelve Pasifika leaders have been recognised in the 2026 King’s Birthday Honours List, celebrating decades of dedication to sport, language revitalisation, public service, education, and community development across Aotearoa and the Pacific.

Representing Sāmoan, Tongan, Tokelauan and Niuean communities, this year’s recipients have spent generations strengthening cultural identity, creating opportunities for young people, and serving their communities both locally and internationally.

Highest Pacific honour awarded to Beatrice Faumuinā

Leading the Pacific recipients is former world champion discus thrower and Olympian Beatrice Faumuinā, who has been appointed a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) for services to sport and governance.

Faumuinā represented New Zealand at four Olympic Games and five Commonwealth Games and has continued to influence sport through leadership, governance and athlete wellbeing initiatives. Her work has also helped elevate Pacific representation across a range of sectors.

Honouring leaders in sport, language and public service

Several recipients were appointed Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for their outstanding contributions.

Freddie Ah Kuoi – For services to rugby league and the community.…more

“Because organised crime does not grow in the light. It grows where warning signs are ignored, where communities stay silent, and where vulnerable young people can be pulled toward pathways that change lives forever.” Doris Tufilau 

Social media has erupted across Samoan and wider Pasifika communities following the shocking fatal shooting of an Australian man in Ho Chi Minh City, allegedly carried out by two Samoan nationals.

Many online expressed heartbreak, disbelief and concern for young Pacific people being influenced by criminal networks overseas.

Comments across social media range from shock, to concer, to outrage. 

According to Vietnamese police, the shooting took place on the evening of May 21 outside Cee’f Restaurant in downtown Ho Chi Minh City.

Authorities say two armed suspects approached a group after dinner and opened fire. Australian national Lemalu Lorenzo Tovia, 25, died after being shot twice, while another Australian citizen, Sauni Sam, 27, was critically injured and remains in hospital.

Police allege the suspects were 27-year-old Vaa Vaa, accused of carrying out the shooting, and 23-year-old Tafia Steve, who allegedly acted as an accomplice.…more

“Samoa is in my blood, in my music, and in my spirit.”: Jerome Grey returns home for historic Independence celebrations

For the first time in more than a decade, legendary Samoan entertainer and composer Jerome Fa'anana Grey is returning home to Samoa, joining the nation’s 64th Independence celebrations in what many are calling a deeply emotional full-circle moment.

Best known as the writer of the iconic song We Are Samoa, Grey will return to Samoa this June for his first visit since 2012, performing during national festivities that celebrate Samoan identity, resilience and cultural pride.

Now approaching his 80th birthday in 2027, Grey says the journey is about far more than music.

“At this stage of my life, I find myself looking back to my roots,” he shared in an exclusive Q+A.

“I wanted to come home to see family and old friends, revisit the places where I grew up and went to school, and spend time honoring my parents at their resting place.…more

“This is for our people, by our people. That’s something that’s been missing in museums for far too long”

A new digital display at the National Maritime Museum is placing contemporary Pasifika voices at the centre of one of the world’s most visited cultural institutions. Launched on 1st May 2026 in the museum’s 'Pacific Encounters' gallery, 'Pasifika Now' showcases powerful photography by young artists from across Te Moananui-a-Kiwa and its global diaspora.

At its heart, the exhibition is about visibility, ownership, and perspective. It brings together island landscapes, intimate portraits, moments of celebration, and everyday life, offering a lived and self-determined view of Pacific identity in the present day.

A Pacific lens on contemporary life

Rather than framing the Pacific through historical or colonial collections, Pasifika Now centres the voices of those who live it. The photographs connect past and present, highlighting how history continues to shape Pacific communities while also celebrating resilience, creativity, and cultural strength.

The work directly challenges long-standing stereotypes that have often defined Pacific peoples in European museum spaces.…more

“The only thing that is saving us is the alofa of our big family but many of them are also in social housing and struggling hard. Where is this imaginary place we are supposed to live now with rents going up?” - Ataliisi Johnson on Housing Reform

“People aren’t in social housing because they’ve chosen an easy ride. They’re there because rents are unaffordable, wages haven’t kept up, and this Government has made the housing crisis worse.” — Kieran McAnulty