Coco Talanoa — Pacific Blog / Page 9

From our most famous artists to sports people and thriving businesses, the humble South Auckland garage has been the heartland for creating some of our biggest success stories.  Here are some of the flavours of the Pacific born and bred from the four walls of a garage ...

"We’re a tinker society with limited access to resources, our Garages become the incubation space from where we build our dreams and hatch our ideas.

They’re also transitional spaces which changes with the context, be it a meeting house for family gatherings and funerals, where we plan our weddings, it becomes a hall for a 21st.  Sleeping quarters noho Marae styles when Family pop in. It was our corporate box for the Tua fights, Manu, MMT and TOA games.

It’s where Popohardwear started in my Sister’s humble garage in Papatoetoe. Luxon ...…more

Grace Malama Maselusi of Vaovai, Falealili is living proof that empowering rural women with access to finance and resources, they can help improve the livelihoods of their families and entire communities by reducing poverty, malnutrition and hunger.

📽 Watch Grace's story "In Her Hands: Feeding the Future" to see how she secured a better future for her family through farming while contributing to the increase and sustainability of nutritious vegetables in her village and district.

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Dave Letele aka Brown Buttabean aka the 'New Zealand Local Hero of the Year' is teaming up with PERSOLKELLY recruitment to help drive the 3,500 'boots on the ground' needed for the 2023 Census.  

Thousands of workers are needed to help deliver the 2023 census and Dave is putting the call out to people of all ages, stages, backgrounds and ethnicities to get involved and help ensure everyone taks part, is counted and represented in the data collected.  It's particularly important our Maori and Pasifika communities are accounted for.

As someone who sees the power of community in action daily at his BBM Motivation programme, Dave Letele was compelled to get involved, encouraging New Zealanders to do their bit and apply to be a census collector.

“If we want change in our communities we first have to be seen and heard – and helping deliver the census is a great way to make sure your friends, whānau and neighbours are all counted,” says Dave.…more

The life of Manono Island, is the sea!

In Samoa, artisanal fishers are a link to our cultural history and traditions. They face many challenges to their way of living especially due to climate change, overfishing and ocean pollution not to mention it is a risky job.

Depending on the ocean to make a living is not easy. Take a look into the world of small scale fisheries through the eyes of the Leiataua family from Manono-Tai.

Get an insight into a day in the life of this Fisher family, the challenges they overcome and risks they face to generate income while also providing food for their families and community.

Small scale Fisheries and Aquaculture are crucial to people's nutrition, food security, sustainable livelihoods and wellbeing.

This year is the International Year of Artisanal Fisheries and Aquaculture #IYAFA2022 which aims to focus world attention on the role that small scale fishers, fish farmers and workers play in human wellbeing, food security and nutrition.…more

Travel to Samoa to get an insight into the incredible work of Ruta Rae-Aikin and Kelvin Bell of Faala Palauli, Savaii who built 'Rea Farms' and 'Florence's Homestay Accommodation' from the ground up over the last three years.

With funding support from the World Bank Pacific funded SAFPROM Matching Grant Program, the dynamic duo were able to expand production and increase productivity in their agribusinesses which means communities, visitors and hospitality businesses in Savaii have consistent access to fresh organic meat and vegetables.

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For 22 weeks, nearly 200 young people from around the Gold Coast & Brisbane area, gave up the majority of their weekends to learn about their Samoan culture through song & dance at the largest Samoan performing arts school in Queensland - Vasa Gold Coast 

The peforming arts school group whose ages ranged from 5 - 21 years then presented a fiafia showcase at the Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre on the 30th of September 2022 in front of a packed arena.  The show also featured recently crowned Miss Samoa 22/23 Haylani Pearl Kuruppu who performed a solo dance to 'Sosefina' and the taualuga at the conclusion of the performance.

We spoke to Lapi Mariner and Logovi'i Tupa'i who tutored vocals and taught the group Samoan songs, about their experience with the show and why it's important for our children to know their culture and heritage.  (Video above)

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You can check out the full performance from the night below.…more

Over a decade ago, Fogālepolo Lepou (Paul) and wife Joan decided to pack up and move from New Zealand to Samoa, driven by a duty to his mother, Su’a Siapo Suisui Faiga Ripley Lepou, and her restless dreams of making something her family land in Fasito’o-uta, Samoa.

What started off as an exercise in honouring a parents’ wish eventually evolved into a journey of self discovery for Paul, who found himself re-connecting with his culture, family and the land. Paul and Joan built and developed the Ifiele'ele Plantation, a stunning organic farm retreat offering accommodation.

Today it is a living tribute to an inherited dream and a celebration of the inextricable bonds between family, land and traditions in Samoan culture.

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Film credits:
Created with funding support from World Bank Pacific for the SAFPROM Project
Film maker/Editor: Denisa Manaskova
Producer: Liz Ah Hi/ Fine Mat Creative

By Angelica S. Eke 

We, as Pasifika people, are born into this world unknowingly pushed into a place of old and new cultural expectations. We come from a world of rich culture; however, due to economic crisis or the necessity of preserving family life, at times it is necessary for us to depart from our motherland. Often, during these types of transitions, we find ourselves with varying decisions to make. One of those decisions may represent whether we choose to follow the norms of the community we settle in or choose to keep the traditions, mindsets, and rituals that have been ingrained into our very DNA. Let’s not forget the transition that our elders might experience. As life moves quickly, we forget that our elders may also experience a suspension in time being suddenly thrust into a new setting that is unknown to them. The change can be overwhelming; traumatic even. We all have some experience in understanding how it feels to be somewhere unfamiliar and it can make one feel unseen or unheard.…more

The first-ever town plan for Avarua - the capital of the Cook Islands - has won an International Federation of Landscape Architects (IFLA) award for its response to the climate crisis at a Gala Awardsd Ceremony in South Korea recently.

The honour was awarded to Auckland/Wānaka based practise Reset Urban Design in association with traffic engineers Stantec and Rarotonga based architect Romani Katoa.  It was one of two prizes presented to Reset Urban Design.

Te Tau Papa o Avarua - The Avarua Town Plan, which was praised by judges for its climate change mitigation and positive contribution to the wider Cook Islands community, was commissioned by the Cook Islands Investment Corporation (CIIC) - a wholly owned subsidiary of the Cook Islands Government and controls the country’s property and public works.

The second IFLA award presented to Reset Urban Design who again worked with local architect Romani Katoa on the project, was for the development of Aitutaki's first-ever spatial plan: Te Papa Tau o Araura.…more