Victory for Mauna Kea protectors
The Hawaii Supreme Court has voted unanimously to vacate the permit allowing the Thirty Meter Telescope to be built atop Mauna Kea.
In order to proceed, project officials must return to the state Board of Land and Natural Resources to seek re-approval.
The justices concluded that the state Board of Land and Natural Resources violated due process when it approved a permit for the $1.4 billion project in 2011 prior to holding a contested case hearing.
The state and University of Hawaii, which applied for the permit in 2010 on behalf of the TMT Observatory Corporation, argued that the 2011 permit was preliminary and the final permit was issued in 2013. But the justices weren’t swayed.
“Once the permit was granted, Appellants were denied the most basic element of procedural due process — an opportunity to be heard at a meaningful time and in a meaningful manner,” wrote Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald and associate justices Paula Nakayama and Sabrina McKenna in the majority opinion.…more
New hit show starring Beulah Koale and KJ Apa
Sci-fi drama The Cul De Sac centres on 16 year old Rose who must keep her siblings safe after all the adults mysteriously disappear and dark forces begin to tear the world apart. Produced by Greenstone TV, the six episode series will screen in a prime time slot on TV2. Starring Samoan/Kiwi actors KJ Apa and Beulah Koale.
KJ Apa hosts Fresh with Pua Magasiva, check it out here
Rose wakes to a world where there are no adults … technology has mysteriously ceased to function … and the rules by which she used to live no longer apply.
Without authority figures like parents and teachers, teenagers are left to run things. While most, like Rose, just want to survive, there are some young people who see this as an opportunity to create a new order in which they make the rules.…more
Beulah Koale lands lead role in U.S Drama
Kiwi-born Samoan Beulah Koale will join Miles Teller and Haley Bennett in Jason Hall’s directorial debut
Beulah Koale has landed the third lead in DreamWorks’ PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) drama “Thank You for Your Service” alongside Miles Teller and Haley Bennett.
Jason Hall, the Oscar-nominated writer of “American Sniper,” will make his directorial debut with the project, adapted from the non-fiction book by David Finkel.
“Thank You for Your Service” follows a group of U.S. soldiers who return from Iraq and struggle to integrate back into their civilian lives with their families, as they’re still haunted by the horrific memories of a war that threatens to destroy them long after they’ve left the battlefield.
Koale will play Solo, an American Samoan soldier raised on the streets who feels indebted to the military for making his life better. The character is based on real-life soldier Tausolo Aieti, who saved two comrades but remained haunted by a third whom he was unable to rescue.…more
Indigenous groups hold healing ceremony in Paris
On November 29th the Indigenous Environmental Network organized a healing ceremony in front of the Bataclan Theater before thousands gathered to participate in a human chain action in the streets of Paris.
It was a beautiful ceremony featuring Indigenous youth speakers from North America, the Arctic, and the Pacific Islands. Our delegations always see it as a necessity to have prayer before any large action. We offered kind words, song, and calls for climate justice and peace.#DefendProtectRenew #IndigenousRising
Video produced and originally postedby @The New Internationalist
Meet Poly WWE Diva Nia Jax
Savelina Fanene is a professional wrestler currently signed to WWE under the ring name Nia Jax.
Fanene was born in Honolulu, Hawaii and is the daughter of Joseph and Renate Fanene. She attended Palomar College in San Marcos, California where she played college basketball.
While in California, Fanene was a plus-size model. (ALL THATT!!)
Fanene is of Samoa and German ancestry. A fan of professional westling since her childhood, Fanene decided to pursue a career in westling after watching her cousin Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson perform at Wrestlemania XXVIII
Song for Jonah #RIPJonahLomu
Lomu’s wife wept through a song performed by ADEAZE, while the crowd waved flags in unison.
Source: TVNZ
Jonah Lomu's casket welcomed with stirring haka
Tributes have been paid to the late Jonah Lomu at a traditional cultural ceremony in South Auckland yesterday.
About 400 people, made up of family, friends, dignitaries and sportsmen gathered at the Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau for the late great All Black.
The official memorial service takes place on Monday at Eden Park.
Source: TVNZ One News
'Tongan Thor' named in Reds squad!
Tongan born Taniela Tupou, nicknamed the Tongan Thor, has been confirmed in the Reds' Super Rugby squad for next season.
The ex-Sacred Heart College student moved to Australia two years ago after being blocked by the NZRU for not having a NZ passport.
Despite this, Tupou has gone from strength to strength, starring for the Brothers club and turning heads for Queensland Country in Australia's National Rugby Championship where he scored three tries in six matches this year.
He is one of eight new faces in the 37-man Reds' squad.
The Reds began pre-season training this week in preparation for the 2016 Super Rugby season, which starts on February 27 against the Waratahs in Sydney.
Steven Adams shows off NZ in his doco "The Kiwi Way"
After offering the United States a taste of Kiwi in his first two seasons in the NBA, Steven Adams has showcased the entire culture in a new documentary recently released.
The Oklahoma City Thunder sent a film crew to follow Adams to New Zealand in the NBA off-season, to capture the essence of their starting centre in a project called The Kiwi Way: Steven Adams' New Zealand.
The film aired in Oklahoma over the weekend and is available to watch in its entirety on the Thunder website, with Adams showing off his homeland and illustrating the impact he has made on New Zealand basketball.
Bidding war for Manu Tuilagi tops $1M
The Samoan born player is at the centre of a tug of war that is set to see him become English club rugby's richest player at $1.15 million a season.
English coach Stuart Lancaster's hard-line disciplinary attitude in the leadup to the tournament saw Tuilagi dropped from the World Cup squad after he was convicted of assaulting two female police officers and damaging a taxi.
Now the recent hike in the salary cap by $2.13m is set to earn the 24-year-old Samoan a fortune as a bidding war for his services escalates.
Last month Saracens offered Tuilagi a $920,000 deal, yet Tuilagi's club Leicester have raised the stakes beyond the million dollar mark as they look to keep him for next season.
Tuilagi, who is both midfielder and winger, has played 25 tests for England since 2011 and was part of the British & Irish Lions triumph in Australia in 2013.