Tana Umaga named head coach for Blues!
Former All Blacks Tana Umaga has just been announced as the new head coach for the Auckland Blues!
He replaces former head coach Sir John Kirwan after his resignation last week Friday, and is unfazed by the work ahead of him. The Auckland Blues have had a rough season, winning only 17 of 58 games - their most disappointing season to date.
"It is going to take a lot of very hard work which will be my focus. I want to let our performances on the field do the talking."
Umaga will begin his stint as head coach later on this year, once his commitments as head coach of Counties Manukau have ended.
Congrats uso!
Images: Getty Images
Highlights of the 2015 Vodafone Pacific Music Awards
See what went down at this years Vodafone Pacific Music Awards!
Vid courtesy of the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs - check out their website for more info!
Vodafone Pacific Music Awards 2015
Check out some of the highlights from this year's Vodafone Pacific Music Awards held last weekend at the Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau.…more
Samoa deaf rugby team beat Australia
Samoa's deaf rugby team has beaten the visiting Australian team 20-19 in the country's first ever rugby match for deaf players.
The game was used to promote awareness for people with disability and to kick-start Samoa's preparations for next year's deaf rugby World Cup in Australia.
Samoa coach and deaf instructor Petaia Iamafana says the game was a massive opportunity for the players.
"It helps our deaf community here build their confidence, be more involved and be able to compete in the same level of competitions as everyone else and hopefully to open up more opportunities for them in the future because, at the moment, deaf people here are more in homes and doing all the chores at home. This is an eye-opener for their future and their raw talent in rugby and any other sport".
Source: Radio NZ
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Tony Finau qualifies for US Open!
Huge congrats to the doko-uso for being the first player of Pacific descent to qualify for the US Open!
Finau is the first regular player of Tongan or American Samoan descent on the PGA Tour - yet he’s not the only pro athlete in the family. His cousins Haloti Ngata and Sione Pouha both play in the NFL, and his cousin Jabari Parker is in the NBA.
Finau says that it's special for them, because they're doing awesome things for their family.
“The bottom line is we all respect each other in what we’re doing and we know how hard it is to get to the highest level of any sport."
Check out more on Finau's accomplishment here!
Eat My Lunch - Buy one. Give one.
Check out this new business venture that counts on Kiwis' love of food and big hearts to help fill the hungry bellies of children who need it the most.
Eat My Lunch was started by Lisa King with the help of award-winning chef Michael Meredith, and works on a "buy-one give-one" basis - Eat My Lunch will give a lunch to a child in need for every lunch that is bought from its website.
"The more we hear about children in other countries who go hungry, the easier it is to forget about children right here in New Zealand who live in poverty and go without lunch every day.
"We all know that kids struggle to concentrate and learn on an empty stomach."
It costs just $10 for both lunches, and the childrens meal is distributed by KidsCan to low decile schools - Mangere Central School is the first school to benefit from the service, but Eat My Lunch aims to expand nationwide.…more
American Samoans Denied Citizenship
A federal appeals court ruled last Friday that those born in American Samoa do not have a right to U.S. citizenship because they were born in the U.S. territory.
The ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit preserves federal laws that make those born in American Samoa U.S. nationals, but not citizens like people born in Puerto Rico and other territories.
Leneuoti Tuaua, the Samoan Federation of America, and others born in American Samoa believe that as long as American Samoa is a part of the United States, people born in American Samoa have a constitutional right to U.S. citizenship. Under current federal statute, they are labeled as “nationals, but not citizens, of the United States.” Tuaua challenges the constitutionality of these federal laws.
With the American flag having been now flown over American Samoa for 113 years, American Samoans proudly serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, and suffer casualty rates in Iraq and Afghanistan that are seven times the national average - yet still aren't considered citizens.…more
Breadfruit may aid in feeding 9.6 billion!
The humble breadfruit is fast becoming the answer to the world's growing population!
The Breadfruit Institute is attempting to tackle hunger and deforestation by working with non-profit groups to plant breadfruit trees in such countries as Kenya, Rwanda, Pakistan and Zambia.
A healthy source of carbohydrates and antioxidants, calcium, iron and fiber, breadfruit provides better and quality nutrition - The starchy breadfruit can replace potatoes , and can be boiled, steamed or fried to make chips.
The Institute began at the National Tropical Botanical Garden in Hawaii in 2003 and launched the global Hunger Initiative to respond to global food security issues about five years later.
In collaboration with other organizations, the privately funded institute has sent about 60,000 plants to around 32 countries.
Check out more info on the project here!
Tribute to Jerry Collins
Check out this touching tribute to Jerry Collins by fan Karl Jackson.
American Samoa Flag Day 2015
Check out some of the highlights from last weekend's Flag Day in American Samoa!
Each April 17, the people of American Samoa celebrate the day the first United States flag was raised above their territory in 1900. Homes and offices proudly fly both the Stars and Stripes and American Samoa’s own flag during this lively two-day celebration filled with feasts, parades, cricket matches, and traditional fautasi longboat races.
Here's some of the highlights from the boys of the Technical School of Don Bosco who were invited to perform and compete in this year's festivities.