Fiame Naomi Mata‘afa Moves to Dissolve Parliament After Budget Defeat

Samoa is set to hold an early general election after Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata‘afa announced plans to dissolve Parliament, following the defeat of her Government’s 2025 Budget.

On Tuesday morning, the Budget was voted down 34–16, with two abstentions. The vote marked a decisive blow to Fiame’s minority Government and signalled a loss of confidence on the floor of Parliament.

The defeat comes months after a dramatic split in the ruling Faʻatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) Party. In January, Fiame removed Agriculture Minister and FAST party chairman La‘auli Leuatea Schmidt from Cabinet after he was charged in relation to criminal matters. The move triggered a deeper fracture, with three Cabinet ministers and 13 associate ministers ultimately removed.

La‘auli retaliated by ejecting Fiame and five ministers from FAST, leaving her isolated and leading a minority Government.

Despite surviving two leadership challenges earlier this year—one from opposition leader Tuila‘epa Sailele Malielegaoi and another from La‘auli—Fiame’s administration could not recover from the Budget defeat.…more

“Our children are falling through the cracks”: Māori and Pacific families left behind in broken disability support system

When Montoya’s son was first labelled “naughty” at school, she knew it wasn’t his behaviour that was the issue — it was the system.

“He was struggling. He was overwhelmed. And stimming was his way of coping,” she says. “But too many people, including educators, simply don’t understand what it means to be autistic, because they’ve never been taught.”

Like many Māori and Pacific whānau, Montoya has had to become the system — the speech therapist, the advocate, the support worker — while trying to hold her family together. Her son has been on the speech therapy waitlist for six years.

“One speech therapist for 30 schools is not good enough,” she says. “Families shouldn’t be forced to fill these gaps on their own when they are crying out for help.”

Her experience is not isolated.…more

Still reeling from the impact that the Pay Equity Amendment Bill will have on Pasifika women, today’s announcement comes on the heels of already dire conditions for Pasifika communities. 

Budget 2025 delivers significant results for Pacific communities in Aotearoa and the wider region, with major cuts to climate finance, business support, and cultural initiatives— and some small gains in education and community safety.

The Ministry for Pacific Peoples faces a $36 million cut, on top of $26 million last year. This includes closing the Tauola Business Fund, though $6.3 million annually remains for Pacific business development through existing trusts, while Tupu Aotearoa, a key employment and training programme, has been reduced to $5.25 million per year.…more

“The values of alofa and ‘aiga that mean so much to us as Samoans can be seen here among the families that call the high country their home. I’ve absolutely loved this project. There have been a lot of realisations for me as an artist and a Samoan that have come about from being in this community. I have been well cared for here and all doors have been open for me to explore the valley.” Raymond Sagapolutele 

Pasifika photographers Raymond Sagapolutele and Nick Netzler have completed the first-ever Pacific Arts Nature Residencies — a new Creative New Zealand initiative connecting Pacific artists with rural communities and environmental work.…more

Former Miss Samoa and Miss Pacific Islands joins UNICEF in championing children’s rights across the region

Suva, Fiji / Apia, Samoa – 13 May 2025
UNICEF Pacific has officially named Samoan climate activist and former Miss Pacific Islands, Moemoana Safa’ato’a Schwenke, as its new Pacific Ambassador.

The announcement was made during the Pacific Early Childhood Development Forum, following a two-day visit by Moemoana to UNICEF-supported programmes in Samoa. During her visit, she engaged with children, families, health workers and educators, witnessing firsthand the importance of community-led efforts in protecting children’s wellbeing.

“I am deeply humbled to accept this appointment as UNICEF’s Pacific Ambassador. This is a continued commitment to what I believe is the soul of our region: our children,” said Moemoana. “I offer myself fully to the work ahead, grounded in uplifting the needs, dreams and voices of our children and young people across our Blue Pacific Continent.…more

Undervalued, unseen, and struggling to survive — this is the daily reality for many Pasifika women working at the coalface of Aotearoa’s lowest-paid sectors. They are our nurses, teachers, essential service workers, and frontline staff across a range of industries.

Pasifika women are, proportionally, the lowest paid workers in Aotearoa across most sectors. The fast-tracked changes to the Equal Pay Amendment Bill now risk hitting them harder than any other demographic.

"The Pay Equity Bill was rushed through Parliament then passed to save money, which feels like a slap in the face. Pacific nurses have been undervalued for years — now we’re being told our worth is too expensive. This isn’t equity, it’s exploitation,"  says Pacific nurse and mother Jaz Bee.

For Jaz, the changes are deeply disheartening in what is already a difficult climate in the health sector, where jobs are being cut and employment prospects are increasingly unstable.

The Pasifika early childhood education (ECE) sector, largely staffed by Pasifika women, is also expected to feel the immediate impact of the new law.…more

Luamanuvao Dame Winnie Laban has once again made history.

Already celebrated as the first Pacific woman ever elected to New Zealand’s Parliament, Dame Winnie has nowbeen awarded an honorary doctorate from Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.

The honorary Doctor of Literature, to be conferred at the University’s graduation ceremony this May, recognises a lifetime spent breaking new ground for Pasifika communities in politics, education, and public life.

Born in Wellington to Sāmoan parents who migrated to New Zealand in 1954, Dame Winnie grew up in Wainuiomata, a place she continues to call home. Raised in a family committed to service, she carried these values into her professional life, beginning as a social worker and community development advocate before stepping into the political arena.

It was witnessing the closure of Wainuiomata’s Kenson Industries factory — and the devastating impact on Pacific families — that pushed her to stand for Parliament. Elected in 1999, Dame Winnie served until 2010, tirelessly championing the rights of Māori, Pasifika, working-class communities, and the elderly.…more