DWAYNE 'THE ROCK' JOHNSON - 'MEET THE BROTHERS'
Dwayne The Rock Johnson introduces us to the 'uso's' that play his brothers in 'Hobbs & Shaw' and they're ALL Polynesian.
And the one uso he knew he had to get because they're related .... Roman Reigns
FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS & SHAW - WORLD PREMIERE in LOS ANGELES
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson takes us behind the scenes of his world premiere in Los Angeles.
"It's the very first time that the culture of Samoa has ever been showcased in a big global movie like this" he said before the screening in Hollywood.
Check out all the action at the premiere here ...
TOP FINISHES: Max Holloway
Check out Hawaiian/Samoan UFC Fighter Max Holloways top finishes!
Jerome "Max Blessed" Holloway is the #1 contender for the UFC Featherweight Championship belt after losing it to Alex Volkanovski in December last year. In his previous title defence he broke the record for most significant strikes in one fight with 290, broke the record for landing 134 of those significant strikes in a round, and set the record for most victories in UFC featherweight history with fifteen.
He has earned nine performance bonuses over his 23 career UFC fights, holding division records for knockout wins with eight as well as the most stoppage victories with 10.
PASIFIKA SUPPORTING IHUMATAO PROTECTORS
"Ihumātao, a west-facing peninsula on the shore of Auckland’s Manukau Harbour, is the city’s oldest settlement. In 1863, the land was illegally confiscated from Māori. Sacred hills were quarried, 800-year-old burial sites were demolished, archaeological remains were destroyed, a sewage-treatment plant was built over traditional fishing grounds, and a dye spill killed the local creek. Now Ihumātao has been designated a Special Housing Area, without public consultation, and a development of nearly 500 houses is in progress. But for some tangata whenua, enough is enough." - From "When Worlds Collide".
Learn more about the history of Ihumatao and click on the link here to understand why there is a fight to protect this land.
Members of our Pasifika community who went down to support/tautoko the Tangata Whenua and their fight to protect Ihumatao share with us why they felt it was important.
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NOMA SIO-FAIUMU & her husband MATT FAIUMU aka ANONYMOUZ
- Arts Practitioner (Noma) Producer/Musician (Matt)
"Matt is a Māngere boy through and through.…more
PANIA NEWTON - IHUMATAO: RECOGNISING INDIGENOUS HERITAGE
Pania Newton’s path through life has led her to find her purpose, her kaupapa: protecting Ihumātao. Home to the earliest inhabitants of New Zealand, Ihumātao is a landscape of cultural, historical, and environmental significance. Despite this, the Crown has failed to recognise its heritage values for New Zealand, allowing it to be sold for a proposed housing development.
Realising that the plan meant 480 high-cost houses on the confiscated land, Pania and her cousins created the SOUL Campaign to resist the development. Later with family members and other supporters, she has occupied the land to protect it. Looking deeply into why Ihumātao has not been recognised as heritage worthy of protection in New Zealand, SOUL has uncovered the extent of the bias toward protecting colonial built heritage over sites of indigenous significance - an issue that is seen across the world.
Here Pania tells the story of the fight to #ProtectIhumatao. From a childhood of struggle Pania never focused on the negative, but was fortunate to stay true to her Maoritanga.…more
DWAYNE 'THE ROCK' JOHNSON VISITS MAUNA KEA
Samoan actor Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson has shown his support for the protectors of Mauna Kea, heading up there today to meet with Kaho‘okahi Kanuha, a leader in the Thirty Meter Telescope opposition group and other Hawai'ian elders.
Video above & Cover image via Star Advertiser Hawaii. Photo credit: Jamm Aquino
Video above via Hawaii News Now
He’s the highest-profile celebrity to visit the protector's camp, though other big names have weighed in on the conflict. Johnson spent much of his childhood in the islands, visits Hawaii frequently and has also shot several of his movies in Hawai'i.
At Mauna Kea, he was greeted with lei, chanting and hula performances. He also spoke to several protest leaders and kupuna.…more
POLYNESIAN FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME LEGENDS
Polynesian Football Hall of Fame Legends Vai Sikahema, Reno Mahe & Ma'a Tanuvasa were in Auckland to check out some of the local Poly talent on offer and to help out at the NZ Down Under Bowl Team training.
HOW DO YOU SLEEP? - SAM SMITH (CHOREOGRAPHED BY PARRIS GOEBEL)
Check out British Pop singer Sam Smith's video for his latest single 'How Do you Sleep'? choreographed by our very own Parris Goebel.
The 2 have been teasing the video for a couple of months and now you can watch the full video here.
PACIFIC GAMES 2019 - DAY 12 HIGHLIGHTS & CLOSING CEREMONY
Check out the highlights from the final day of the Pacific Games 2019 in Samoa!
The Netball Bronze medal final between Samoa & Papua New Guinea and the Gold medal final between the Cook Islands and Tonga, both the Men's and Women's Football Gold Medal matches, the Women's Half Marathon and the Men's triathlon plus highlights from the Closing Ceremony.
Cover image - Photo Credit Pacific Games News Service: Therese Rivers
CELEBRATING OUTSTANDING PACIFIC FILM MAKERS IN AOTEAROA
Malo lava to Samoan screenwriter Sima Urale who is the recipient of the New Zealand Film Commission’s (NZFC’s) 2019 Gender Scholarship. She will receive a grant of $50,000 to help progress her filmmaking career.
Application assessors said of Urale, “The sample script from her feature film, Solo, is breathtaking in its fine detail and slow build-up of nuanced tension. The work of an expert screenwriter at the height of her powers. The voice is original and authentic with detail that can only come from lived experience.”
Congratulations also go to Matasila Freshwater who was awarded a special grant of $15,000.
The NZFC’s annual gender scholarship award is a way of recognising and celebrating women in the filmmaking community who have displayed a high level of achievement and aims to support their career progression.…more