via Radio New Zealand   

A quick round-up of the latest Covid news in the Pacific region from the last couple of days. 

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Cook Islands 4th positive case confirmed 

via Covid19 Cook Islands response 

The Cook Islands is reporting a fourth person who has tested positive for Covid-19.

The case is a New Zealand-based Cook Islander who arrived in Rarotonga for a family funeral on February 15 on-board an Air NZ flight.  Health Ministry Te Marae Ora (TMO) confirmed the case tested positive on Thursday from a sibling who had tested positive in New Zealand.

The positive case and 3 of the adults are fully vaccinated, with the young contact with their first vaccine dose.  An additional 16 close contacts have been identified, connected through the family funeral the case attended on Wednesday.

Due to the new positive case, the Cook Islands government has announced an extension to their suspension of passenger travel to the rest of the Pa Enua (other islands) to midnight of February 23.…more

by Shaneel Lal

I was born in Vakasalewalewa and Hijra in Fiji, a colonised Christian Island. My community knew I was queer before I did; I carried myself in the fashion of a woman. My community was given a choice between the church and their child. I wish they had seen the broken heart of a child and chosen me. I cannot describe the excruciating pain a child feels when they are rejected by the only people they've ever known and loved. 

After five long years of activism, New Zealand banned conversion therapy on the 15th of February. I will always remember this day as a win for indigenous peoples. Before colonisation, queer people were integral to indigenous communities, playing a role in raising children, cleaning the house, caring for the elders, and doing things indigenous peoples relied upon to survive.…more

via Radio New Zealand 

A quick round-up of the latest Covid news in the Pacific region from the last couple of days.  We will provide an update again at the end of the week.  

Cover image photo credit:  Unicef

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American Samoa - two more cases from Hawaiian airlines flight 

American Samoa has two new positive Covid-19 cases in MIQ after a third round of Covid tests.

Close to 200 travellers, who've spent 14 days in MIQ since arriving in the territory January 27 on a Hawaiian airlines flight, have not been released.

They have been told that they will undergo a fourth test on a Sunday and all those who test negative will be allowed to go home on Monday.

The two new positives are passengers, bringing the total number of positives from the January 27 Hawaiian Airlines flight to 43 - 35 passengers and eight Health Department quarantine staff.

Health Director Motusa Tuileama Nua said the overriding objective is to protect the territory's nearly 50,000 residents and stop a community transmission.…more

Story collated and written by Haitelenisia Afemui ‘Uhila Angilau for her 'Ordinary Tongan Lives' facebook page.  She is currently covering survivors stories from the Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption and subsequent tsunami.

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“This is the 50th year of living and working at Pangaimotu. And we’re still going. I’m part Tongan; I came here when I was 24. The dream was to develop an island in an idealistic tourist way. Not too commercial but just a nice place. Much of the dream has been taken away by a few cyclones but we just start again after each one. We started the business at 1972.

I remember cyclone Isaac back in 1982 which was a big one. There was another one called son of Isaac but it’s not recorded in history. The hurricane left and came back the next week and hit us again. That’s why the Lady Lata—the sunken ship—is at Pangaimotu now. Although here have been many cyclones, this is the first tsunami. The business has been affected so badly by the COVID lockdown then omicron came and made things worse.…more

By Taualofa Totu’a

Heres a list of Pasifika small businesses where you can get all the coolest accessories! Style up your summer or find statement pieces to add colour to your work fits. 

Sprinkle Pacific flava on to your "Outfits Of The Day" with these gems: 

HANDMADE TIE AND EARRINGS GIFT SET!

Who: FOU Custom Made

From Pacific Fusion Fashion Show Designer Profile:

Mt Roskill label Fou Custom Made  is a stylish fusion of old and new. Describing their style as out of the box but wearable, the trio behind FOU Custom Made – Asomaliu Tagi’ilima, Nora Harriman and Mary So’onaoso – say they want Pacific women to be confident in their designs.

“We want to empower women to be proud and embrace their bodies in all shapes and sizes,” says Asomaliu.  “No matter their shape, anyone can rock a sassy, gorgeous outfit.”

A scan through FOU’s Facebook and Instagram accounts shows the company has been busy custom making a wide range of clothing for all occasions.  It’s a small money earner for the FOU team who all have day jobs.…more

The Minister for Arts, Culture and Heritage, Carmel Sepuloni has announced that the Government is delivering a $121 million funding boost to support the arts and cultural sector through this latest phase of the pandemic.

The etra funding comes from the Governments Covid Response and Recovery Fund.

"Artists, musicians, creatives and performers across the motu have been both generous & instrumental in supporting & promoting the Govt’s COVID-19 response & vaccination efforts. I acknowledge & appreciate every effort this sector has made, because they’ve helped save lives.

Now it is the government's opportunity to respond quickly & throw our support behind the sector, which has served New Zealanders so well during the pandemic." - Minister Sepuloni

Designed to cushion the blow from Omicron after the Events Calendar was sabotaged, the funding will supports artists and arts practitioners (who are usually sole traders/self-employed individuals), arts organisations, the screen sector, as well as support for performances and events that were planned before the move to Red.  

An additional $70.7m in funding will to the Arts and Culture Event Support Scheme, originally set at $22.5m.…more

Another new Covid positive case today takes Samoa's Covid count up to 31 active cases in managed isolation. Controversy hit the country after it was revealed that last Saturday 29th January a breach in the Island's State of emergency led to a frontline worker in isolation being driven to an ATM machine in town.

The Prime Minister has assured the country that this breach has been taken seriously and there are currently no community cases of Covid on the Island.  

Here's the latest from the Samoan Government regarding Samoa's covid status: 

Following completion of the sixth testing schedule on 1st February, one new positive case was identified from the nursing staff that work in the Isolation Ward taking the total positive cases in managed isolation to 31.

All other 48 passengers continue to test negative and are in good health. The 25 positive tested passengers are all asymptomatic and are in good health

All frontline workers in quarantine continue to present negative test results, remain asymptomatic and in good health.…more

Via Radio New Zealand 

Cover image photos courtesy of Willie Vake 

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A man has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Fau Vake, a rising MMA fighter who was punched in a late night attack in Auckland last year.

Liufau Vake, 25, known as Fau, died in hospital nine days after being hit late at night outside a bar on Symonds St. He was in critical care and underwent surgery to try relieve pressure on his brain.

Today in the Auckland High Court, Daniel Havili pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Fau Vake, and to assaulting Fau's brother Ika Vake, who survived. Havili's name suppression lapsed today and he can be named for the first time.

Another man, Siofilisi Paongo, pleaded guilty to assaulting Ika Vake.

Both men initially pleaded not guilty and were set to be tried in court later this year. They will now be sentenced on April 12 this year.

A total of four men were charged. Three have now pleaded guilty, and one denies his charges and will go to trial this year.…more

After the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Haʻapai erruption on 14 January 2022 Tonga has been on the minds and in the hearts of many around the world.

The current covid travel restrictions and islands safety measures have meant that not a lot of people are able to go to Tonga to help with relief. This coupled with continued connectivity hiccups, has lead many people to express their love for the kingdom online.  

The bountiful love for Tonga is evident in the various fundraisers, resource drives and community mobilisations to get help back to the beloved islands. Along with tangible forms of ofa (love) there has been a outpour of written love online.

Through our social media pages we were able to collect anonymous Love Letters to Tonga. Since the devastating disaster we have received an enormous amount of love for Tonga in our inbox through peoples heartfelt messages.

Below are some of the messages we've received, accompanied by Images from Malau Media:

"I love you my dear homeland."

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"Tonga we are praying for you take care of yourself.…more

via Radio New Zealand 

Cover photo above - Digicel Tonga’s technical team working on satellite link equipment to restore internet connection Photo: Digicel Tonga

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Tonga is already rebuilding amid the devastation of a double whammy of natural disasters, according to the Red Cross.

Tonga Red Cross staff and volunteers have been assisting people from the moment the tsunami alert was triggered, and are ramping up the delivery of drinking water, temporary shelters and other critical relief supplies across the country.

Tonga Red Cross secretary general Sione Taumoefolau said its teams were using boat and trucks to take vital items to communities in need of the basic necessities.

Shelter was a top priority for families whose homes had been wiped out, he said.

Meanwhile, the humanitarian response into Tonga has been described as well a handled process, almost two weeks on from the eruption and tsunami.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has been helping to meet immediate needs, with a response coordinaton based in Fiji.…more