CITY KICKBOXING STARS SUPPORT OTARA COMMUNITY BOXFIT
For the last two years MMA & Kickboxing fighter Sigi 'Showtime' Pesaleli has been running a free boxfit programme for his community in Otara out on the basketball court at Otamariki Park.
He started off on his own and since then the numbers have slowly started to grow and he now has the backing of the Otara-Papatoetoe local board and Bridge the Gap Charitable Trust. He also set up the Desire for Greatness initiative or 'D4G' sharing his life experience with youth in South Auckland and developing leadership skills while also promoting mental health awareness.…more
NZ born Samoan recruited by University of California, despite never playing a game in the US
Ieremia Moore’s donning the University of California, Berkeley gear next season after having had three top schools chasing him.
His choice came down to three schools - CAL, UCLA and Duke and a couple of weeks ago he committed to the University of California.
Ieremia left a close-knit family behind to pursue his football dream but says his multi-ethnic heritage makes him feels at home in America's melting pot.
"My mother is Samoan with a little part Chinese," he said. "But I don't know much about my biological father except that he's a New Zealand Caucasian and part Maori."
As a football player, Moore played the sport at the club level in New Zealand and arrived in California to play football, but the pandemic has prevented him from playing games for St. John Bosco.
Yet he's taken part in different camps and made an impressive showing, receiving defensive lineman most valuable player honors at the SoCal National Preps Showcase.…more
Why Te Tiriti o Waitangi is so significant for all Moana people
By FotuoSamoa Jody Jackson
As Aotearoa commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, I asked some of the Pacific people in my life, in private and on social media about what their thoughts were on the connections of Te Tiriti and Moana people. There was unanimous support and agreement that this is significant, and that we should be interested and taking the time to learn more about it.
The question was, What is Waitangi to you as a Pacific person and why should we care?
From Vaasiliifiti Simon in Christchurch:
“Why should we NOT care? The same challenges happened to us as indigenous people in the past. We were faced with colonisation and it threatened our sovereignty and rights to our land. The Mau o Pule resistance in Savaii Samoa and the movement was born out of it was by the people. So for me, it’s not just a Maori story, it’s a Polynesian story but it’s also a universal story and we must support our brothers and sisters in Aotearoa”.…more
Where do Pasifika fit in the Treaty of Waitangi?
Koro Vaka'uta, RNZ Pacific Journalist
Waitangi Day conjures up different things for different people, but what does it mean for the thousands of Pasifika who live in Aotearoa?
Today Aotearoa-New Zealand marks 180 years since the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi between the British Crown and a number of Māori chiefs.
But where do our Pasifika whānau weave into that fabric? Do they see themselves as Treaty partners?
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Ali Leota is the president of Tauira Pasifika, the voice of Pacific tertiary students. He was raised in the diverse city of Porirua.
"We make up just under 50 percent of the population and growing up in Porirua, most of my friends were either Pacific or Māori.
"We learnt to grow side by side with one another and we treat each other like family," he said.
"There's always been that mutual respect ... based on the values we grew up [with] and we could relate on everything."
When it came to Pasifika and the treaty, Ali Leota compared it to a pōwhiri.…more
Caleb Clarke's breakout debut season
Caleb Clarke captured the imagination of rugby fans around the world with an outstanding debut season for the All Blacks in 2020.
Relive the best moments from his breakout season.
HUMANS OF THE ISLANDS - SEFA PALU & JESSICA MATAVAO from The Amazing Race Australia
SEFA PALU & JESSICA MATAVAO
COMPETITORS IN THE AMAZING RACE AUSTRALIA
TONGAN & SAMOAN
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SEFA - I'm from Western Sydney, Australia. Born in Auckland, NZ but have lived in Australia since I was 9. My mum and dad are Tongan and come from Tofoa, Ha'apai and Holonga, Tongatapu respectively. I did high school in Sydney, then moved to the US when I was 19 for a mission for my church and then I stuck around for college over there. I have a degree in Public Relations and Philosophy and I am currently working as a Sales Rep in the health sector. So, a bit of mixed bag in regards to life experience.
JESSICA - I'm of Samoan heritage. My mother is from Falefa which I know more about than my fathers side. I was raised in Samoa (Leifiifi) until I was 14, I moved to Sydney Australia. I work in Government.…more
YOUNG ROCK - Official Trailer
Watch Dwayne Johnson, Uli Latukefu, Stacey Leilua and Adrian Groulx in Young Rock, a new comedy about Johnson's outrageous youth.
Young Rock premieres Tuesday, February 16 at 8/7c on NBC.
Check out behind the scenes photos here -
NZ vs US Slang with Riverdale Stars KJ Apa and Cole Sprouse
KJ Apa and Cole Sprouse from Riverdale sat down to discuss the idiosyncrasies of their home languages (alright, it’s mostly Cole making fun of KJ for NZ slang).
HUMANS OF THE ISLANDS - JOHNSON RAELA
JOHNSON RAELA
JOURNALIST and PRESENTER ABC AUSTRALIA'S 'THE PACIFIC'
COOK ISLANDS
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Kia Orana, my name is Johnson Raela and I am a proud New Zealand born Cook Islander from the island of Aitutaki and my village is Amuri (Te Upoko Enua). I’m also proud to be from Mangere, South Auckland.
I’m currently living in Melbourne/Naarm, and work at ABC Australia as host of ‘The Pacific’ TV show.
I have a background in television (Tagata Pasifika, Sky Sport News, What Now, Operation Hero and Polyfest), radio (Flava FM) and communications.
Prior to moving to Australia I owned 008 Media, which is a creative communications agency specialising media, digital and communications management. I guess the easiest way to describe this mahi is that I helped to advise organisations on various campaigns.
You'll be presenting Season 2 of the ABC Pacific show 'The Pacific' which premieres 03 . Can you tell us a bit more about the show and how the opportunity came up?
'The Pacific' is a 30-minute news program that airs on ABC Australia.…more
The Water Tank Project Samoa - By Brown Girl Woke
The Brown Girl Woke Women initiative empowers young girls in primary schools in rural areas of Samoa by investing in their education, aspirations and success.
Recently the Samoan humanitarian group started 'The Water Tank Project' after doing surveys during the measles epidemic and realising a lot of children that were affected didn’t have basic needs at home and in particular clean water.
Clean water and sanitation: the keys to breaking free from poverty
Access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation are vital for health, especially among children. Poor sanitation, water and hygiene have many serious consequences: Children die from preventable illnesses like diarrhoea; Children – and particularly girls – are denied their right to education because their schools lack private and decent sanitation facilities; Women are forced to spend large parts of their day fetching water; Poor farmers and wage earners are less productive due to illness; Health systems are overwhelmed and national economies suffer.
It's impossible to break the vicious cycle of poverty – and enable sustainable development – without first addressing these issues.…more