If we are all honest with ourselves, then there is no surprise the Samoa Rugby Union is broke.  Who could have guessed that after years of financial mismanagement and corruption the once mighty Manu would be brought to its knees in such an embarassing fashion?

Well we all did really.

The fact that it happened today doesn't make it any easier to swallow. The alarm bells were there, and culminated in a player revolt at the 2011 World Cup.  The promises made by the board and the Prime Minister have changed nothing.  The levels of corruption at SRU must be so deeply rooted you would need Wonder Woman and all her sisters from the girl island to dig for a thousand years before you could weed it all out.

Yes there were a few that fought a good fight in the name of the Manu and it's players, but most of them, where it most mattered sat back and enjoyed the ride.  In a sense I'm glad it has come to this.…more

Meet Daniel Fa'alele, a 6 ft 9, 180 kg Samoan/Tongan, 17 year old out of Melbourne Australia.

He gained a football scholarship to the IMG Academy High School Football team in Florida after a chance meeting with a NFL recruiter in a Melbourne gym and before he'd even played a game in the US he'd already received College scholarship offers from Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Florida State, Hawaii, Miami, Michigan and Oregon State!

Check out more of his story here in this article on Sports Illustrated

KATHARINE & JESSIE ATAFU-MAYO 

Fine Arts & Visual Arts Students 

Samoan/Palagi 

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Katharine: We’re New Zealand born Afakasi’s. Half Samoan from Mum’s side and half European from Dad’s. I’m the eldest of three girls. We initially grew up in Te Atatu North but after a little shuffle around, we’re now living in Grafton. I keep busy now days with a lot of study and work. I’m currently a second year Fine Arts student at Whitecliffe School of Art and Design and I’m working part time fixing people’s Internet at a telecommunication Centre. Busy, busy, busy!

Jessie: I sit nicely in the middle of the Mayo sister clang. I’m in my last year of studying Visual Art’s at AUT and work part time in retail. Like my sis, lot’s of our time is spent on study and work but I think if we ever get spare time these days we love to explore, check out art galleries and chill on our back deck listening to music.

What inspired you both to want to become artists?  

Growing up we were constantly surrounded by creatives.…more

WE’RE READY, ARE YOU!? 

In preparation for the big game tomorrow night, we've put together 10 tips for the 'Toa Samoa' & 'Mate Ma'a Tonga' fans who are heading in to support their teams ...

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SAMOA - By Mario Faumui 

* Bring a helmet, a shield, a bulletproof vest…

And the real tips start now:  

1. Get your dance moves ready for those spontaneous dance battles with the aunties around the stadium - let's be real - the Tongans don't play around when it comes to cutting a fala!  

2. Learn the words to your National Anthem - You don’t wanna be that guy who knows all the words to Bodak Yellow but can’t remember the 1st verse of your National Anthem!

Lucky God said, let there be The Coconet TV so you can learn your words - Samoan National Anthem here & Tongan National Anthem here 

3. Even though it’s a dress up thing please .....…more

By Hanalei Temese

Approximately 38.5 percent of men and women will be diagnosed with cancer of any site at some point during their lifetime.

For Elisapeta and Shannon Skews, it was a double hit.

Born and bred in Samoa, Elisapeta (commonly known as Mousie) and her husband Robert, live in the tropical paradise of Rarotonga; their home of 27 years. With 5 children, 10 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren, the fight to jump this hurdle, is a fight she is determined to win.

 “They’re why I want to live forever” Mousie says proudly.

With a natural drive to be active and involved with her community, Mousie was just that. She represented the Cook Island’s in squash, became manager of the team as she retired from playing and joined forces with her husband in 1990 as entrepreneurs of their very own tourism company, Turama - Pacific travel group.

“Everything was fine.…more

The Rugby League World Cup 2017 kicks off tonight in Melbourne where Australia take on England and our Pacific boys - Toa Samoa, Mate Ma'a Tonga, Fiji Bati & the PNG Kumuls are set to take the field over the next couple of days in the first rounds of pool play.

With there being a lot of discussion & some controversy over a couple of the Tongan players opting to "Turn their backs" on Australia & New Zealand and go with Tonga & their heritage, Toa Samoa have managed to escape a lot of the media focus in the build up to the Rugby League World Cup.

We caught up with some of the boys earlier in the week and asked them their thoughts on playing for their country of heritage, whether they feel like they're coming in as the Underdogs, who the funny guys in the team are & more ...

What do you think about players going to play for their country of heritage?

Frank Pritchard (Captain)  I think it’s healthy for the game. It evens up the competition, especially for international rugby.…more

By Grace Taylor 

Something you would not expect the daughter of a Samoan woman to say, but yeah, I said it.

Being afakasi, my mother tongue was not a fluent language for me but what I did learn was fa’a Samoa. Mostly as an observer and occasional participant. By the time I was in my mid-20s I had learned how to navigate the politics of my afakasi-ness well. This fringe dwelling position granted me the ability to exercise analyzing the sociology of fa’a Samoa from the perspective of one that dips her toes in each worlds simultaneously. Two key principles of fa’a Samoa is alofa (love) and aiga (family). Whilst I have only been surrounded with my immediate aiga in my daily life, these two principles are entrenched in my DNA. This means that when these things are absent or lacking in my life, they are missed. Therefore, I ensure that as a single mother my son is surrounded by love and has as much access to quality time with both my aiga and his fathers.…more

By Hanalei Temese

Cancer. One of the heaviest words known to mankind.

New Zealand born Fijian and solo mother of 7, Ruve Peterson, wasn’t ready to hear it.

Having already been through the loss of a father and not long after, twin grandsons; Ruve wasn’t prepared for more bad news.

On September 29th, Ruve’s only daughter, Kuila Tuivoavoa, was diagnosed with T Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia; a type of blood cancer that grows progressively quicker than most.

The nineteen year old was rushed to Waitakere Hospital with severe chest pain the Monday after she had finished 4 weeks of an acting production with PIPA (Pacific Institute of Performing Art’s). “They said it was just a muscular thing, but if I hadn’t of told them about the little bits of bruising I found scattered on my body, I wouldn’t of had to do any blood tests, so that was lucky.” Kuila said.

After several tests and a CT scan over her chest, doctors found a 7-millimeter tumor situated only inches away from her lung.…more