CARMEL SEPULONI
In a historic moment for Pasifika people in Aotearoa and the region, Samoan/ Tongans MP Carmel Sepuloni has been sworn in as the Deputy Prime Minister of Aotearoa. This is the first parliamentary appointment at this level for Pasifika people and is hugely significant in presenting a Pasifika presence at senior political level.
“I am truly humbled” were her first words to media about the appointment. A long standing MP for Kelston, Carmel Sepuloni was born and raised in Waitara but has lived in Auckland since 1996. Outside of politics Carmel has worked broadly across the health and education sectors, working as a Literacy Educator with youth in West Auckland, teaching in Samoa, managing equity programmes at the University of Auckland, managing the non-regulated Pacific health research project and acting as CEO of New Zealand’s only national Pacific health provider, Vaka Tautua.
Carmel has always been committed to improving social, health and educational outcomes for all New Zealanders but has especially focused during her career on low socio-economic groups, Māori, Pacific, disabled people and sole parents.…more
HUMANS OF THE ISLANDS - Natasha Finau & Saione Greer
Natasha Finau & Saione Greer
LEI CAFE Owners/Managers
Tongan
Saione - I was born in Tonga but grew up in Australia and have now been living in New Zealand for 30 years. I started my own business 25 years ago and it’s been apart of my journey ever since. This one with Tash; this is the latest and most exciting thing. It’s all pretty much self-taught with many learning’s along the way. We’re both strong believers in Christ and for me, as well as being a business learning experience it’s been a spiritual one too. We’ve done a lot of stepping out in faith and it’s gotten us to where we are today.
Natasha - I’m the middle child of 7 and I’m a younger sister to Saione. I am a very proud Tongan and Christian so this café represents a lot of who I am.…more
Call to Ensure Transgender Recognition
Tonga’s Leiti’s Association calls for recognition of transgender people
The Vice President of Tonga Leiti’s Association has called for a clear definition of gender equality to ensure that everyone, including transgender people, are included and taken into consideration in decision-making.
Joey Mataele, who was born male but lives as a woman, was in Suva as part of the 13 Triennial Conference of Pacific Women where a platform for gender equality was approved and passed by Pacific Ministers for Women for endorsement.
“When you talk about gender equality , you are talking about the overall population not just women and men, people living with HIV, people living with disability, transgender women, transgender men, that do exist in this world,” Mataele said.
She said one of the challenges that they faced in Tonga was the limitation of being recognised for who they are.
“We are known to be the decorators, we are known to be the chefs, we are known to be the hard- labour people but when it comes to decision making, we are nowhere to be seen,” Mataele said.…more
Violence and Bullying Against Pacific Minorities
Discrimination against sexual minorities limits chances for economic development.
Horrific experiences of violence and bullying are preventing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people of the Pacific from achieving their potential and making more of a contribution to society.
A group of courageous young LGBT people shared their stories with women attending the 13th Triennial Conference of Pacific Women in Suva this week. Gillio Baxter, 29, from Vanuatu was born male but feels deeply that she was supposed to be female. She told how she was bullied at school because she allowed her feminine side to show.
“In my days of High School, I was bullied, faced harassment and violence every day,” Baxter said. She said at one incident, she was attacked by 45 students with the presence of a school teacher but nothing was done to stop the assault.
“That was April 18, 2005, I was in year 12 or form 6. That same year, I quit school only because going to school was a torture for me,” Baxter said.…more
HUMANS OF THE ISLANDS: Nicole Whippy, Actress
NICOLE WHIPPY
Tell us a little bit about yourself...
I was born in Suva where we lived with my grandmother for the first couple of years of my life until we moved to Botany Downs in East Auckland, NZ. I spent my schooling years in Halfmoon Bay where we were probably the only Fijian family in the neighbourhood although there were a few other Pasifika families with kids who we became good friends with. It was fun. Lots of war games on Pigeon Mountain, dancing to New Edition and eating too many Van Camp chocolates because our friends Dad worked at the Factory.
I always knew I wanted to be an actor. I took part in every speech, poetry and book reading competition at school because I loved talking. Probably a little too much if you asked my teachers but it's all helped me later in life. I starred in every school play from playing Delilah in "Samson and Delilah" the biblical musical at Primary School to Olivia in "Twelfth Night " at Macleans College.…more
Mate Ma'a Tonga - National Rugby League Press Conference
Konrad Hurrell, Sika Manu, Coach Kristian Woolf, Captain William Hopoate & Jason Taumalolo at the National Rugby League Press Conference.
Fiji vs Tonga Rugby Highlights in Nuku'alofa
Fiji defeated Tonga in Nuku’alofa 2017 to qualify for the RWC 2019.
TONGAs SWIMMING STARS
The Kingdom of Tonga have never been short on world class athletes - they've competed on the international stage in Boxing, the NFL, Rugby League, AFL, Rugby Union, Taekwondo, netball and now a small group of young swimmers are making waves internationally.
This year alone, they've competed in the Apolima Strait swim (Upolu to Savai'i) in Samoa in April where they not only won but were the youngest team, the Fiji Long Course Nationals in June, the Commonwealth Youth Games in the Bahamas, FINA World Championships in Budapest (Andrew Emberson) and four of the swimmers have just recently returned from the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan ... and they're not done.
The team have set their sights set on the Fiji Short Course nationals at the end of this month, the Victorian age championships in Melbourne, Australia in December and the Anthony Mosse classic in New Zealand at the beginning of 2018.…more
HUMANS OF THE ISLANDS - Isadora Blake
Isadora Blake
Body Artist
Fijian
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Bula everyone, my name's Isadora Blake and I'm a makeup artist living and working in New Zealand. I was born and raised in Fiji, come from Fijian and a mix of European heritage. My father is from Udu Kabara in Lau, and my Mother is from Levuka she's of European Fijian heritage.
I have 5 brothers and 12 sisters. 7 of the siblings including myself live in New Zealand, 2 in Australia and the rest live in Fiji.
My maiden name is Bulatiko. I married Benjamin Blake in 2010 whom I met in Fiji late 2005 and moved to New Zealand in 2008. We have a 4-year-old girl.
When/How did you realise you wanted to pursue a career in Body Art?
In 2010 I studied makeup artistry at The Makeup School (TMS) in Auckland and graduated with a diploma in Professional Makeup. It wasn't until a couple of years later I realised I wanted to do something more than just beauty makeup application.…more
HUMANS OF THE ISLANDS - Niuafe Malupo
24 year old Tongan, Niuafe Malupo owns & runs the Niu Cakery in New Lynn.
Find out how he got started!
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Shot & Edited by Hanalei Temese
Graphics by Adrian McBirney