Bundee Aki - What it takes
Irish Rugby International Bundee Aki (Samoan) shares the training elements for him that leads to success in his sport.
WOMEN OF THE ISLANDS - PŌHAIKEALOHA P
Pōhaikealoha P
Media Producer / Indigenous Story teller
Hawaiian
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Tell us about yourself. What places do you call home and how do you like to be introduced to the world?
Aloha! My name is Pōhai and I am Kanaka Maoli. My ohana hails from Hawaiʻi on the island of Oʻahu. Kaʻala is our mountain range and Mākaha is our home, where I currently live and create out of.
First and foremost, I consider myself a storyteller or haʻi moʻolelo. Fittingly, the story of my name is linked to my sense of self so I love when it’s the first one I get to tell. The mo’olelo, or story of my name, is derived from both definition and introspection as pō is the night sky and Pōhaikealoha is the circular nature of love, how it surrounds and gathers, how it comes back around to the start. The stories I find myself drawn to tell often have themes of space, the stars, and of course, love.…more
Jemaima Tiatia appointed top Pacific job at Auckland University
by Mariner Fagaiava-Muller
Last week, Associate Professor Tiatia was formally welcomed into the position of Pro Vice-Chancellor Pacific with a Cook Islands turou and Fijian yaqona ceremony.
It was opened by the office of the Pro Vice-Chancellor Māori with a mihi whakatau and then a lotu by Dr Therese Lautua.
The following yaqona was led by Fijian community member Malcolm Andrews with student leaders from across Pacific nations taking part.
Tiatia (Taga, Salelologa, Fusi Safata, Siumu, Vaimoso) acted in the role before her apppointment, whilst also co-head of The University of Auckland's School of Māori and Pacific Studies.
Her academic background lies in Pacific health and mental wellbeing.
Her Masters degree looked at why young Pacific peoples were leaving traditional churches; leading her to write the book Caught between Cultures.
Tiatia's PhD examined suicide and mental health and wellbeing in the Samoan community.
She serves on the board of the Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission - having previously been on the Suicide Bereavement Service Advisory Group, National Depression Initiative Advisory Group, and Suicide Mortality Review Committee.…more
NZ's first Tokelauan MP Kris Faafoi farewells Parliament
by Mariner Fagaiava-Muller
Delivering an emotional valedictory speech on Thursday, he thanked mentors, parliamentary colleagues and his kāiga.
Kris Faafoi also poked fun at fellow Pasifika in the Labour Party caucus.
“To my Pacific caucus colleagues, fakafetai lahi lele,” he said.
“Our Pacific caucus shows the connection that Labour has to our Pacific community.”
“I'm not sure when we'll get another Tokelauan, but we will, and I'm sure Anahila [Kanongata’a-Suisuiki] will be there to take a selfie.”
In 2010, Faafoi took over the reins of the Mana electorate from Luamanuvao Dame Winnie Laban.
He thanked the “amazing and talented” current MP for Mana, Barbara Edmonds.
“[She] has a long future in that seat, and I am sure she will make a massive contribution to the country during her tenure,” he said.
The highlight of his ministerial career was accompanying Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on a visit to Tokelau, he said.…more
Pacific News Headlines: 24th June 2022
Watch a wrap-up of your week in news from across the Islands, in under a minute.
Fiame Naomi Mata'afa has landed in Aotearoa making noise not for her politics, but her fashion.
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Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air
Makali’i: The Pacific connection to Matariki
by Mariner Fagaiava-Muller & Teherenui Koteka
Māori herald their New Year with the rising of the Matariki star cluster, but it’s used too by Pacific Islanders to track time and seasons.
In Hawai’i, the Pleiades star cluster is called Makali’i. It appears at sunset, as opposed to sunrise as Aotearoa sees it.
Whereas Matariki is observed in Aotearoa during June/July, Makali'i in Hawai'i comes about during the latter end of the year around October.
Kamehameha Schools tells the traditional mo’olelo (story) about how the name came to be.
“It begins with the evil deeds of an aliʻi of Kona on the island of Hawaiʻi. He greedily decides to hoard everyone’s food into one enormous carrying net and travels with it to the highest stratum of the heavens, where he hangs it up.”
“Meanwhile, the ravenous people hastily gather to plan a way to get their food back. A little mouse bravely consents to take on the arduous task. He successfully gnaws on the net until the food drops to the earth.…more
Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson Responds to School Dance Invite, Surprises PACTS Program Students
The PACTS Program at Parma Senior High School in Ohio hosts an annual spring luau dance for nearly 400 special needs students in the surrounding area.
The Parma High students posted a video invitation to social media to invite Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson to their luau. When Johnson got wind of their request, he made sure that the students had a couple special surprises in store for them as they celebrated their big night…
"The Island in Me" trailer
The Island in Me is an award-winning feature by Spanish/American filmmaker Gemma Cubero del Barrio that takes the viewer to the remote atoll of Pukapuka in the Cook Islands, a unique place never before captured in film – Pukapuka is only four hundred inhabitants and ten metres above sea level.
The film follows two women who grew up on Pukapuka and return home after decades away - Amelia Hokulea Borofsky, the daughter of anthropologist Robert Borofsky who lived in Pukapuka in the mid-1970 and Johnny Frisbie, a Cook Island legend in her own right (her book Miss Ulysses of Puka-Puka, written at age fifteen, was the first published literary work by a Pacific Island author).
Both lived on Pukapuka as children and left at different times, but they both return to reconnect – with emotion, celebration, and a sense of belonging. Director del Barrio also weaves in her own intimate story.
Winner of the Special Jury Prize at the 19th Festival International du Film Documentaire Oceanien FIFO in Tahiti.…more
Radio 531PI announces new show
" ... What excites me is the opportunity to continue serving my community by providing a platform where our people can share their stories. I also look forward to working with Tofiga to shift misconceptions about Pasifika people because this is truly our time as a people to be unapologetically proud of our origins." - Inangaro Vakaafi
Radio 531pi has announced its new look mid-morning show called ‘Island Time’, featuring legendary entertainer Tofiga Fepulea’i alongside journalist and co-host Inangaro Vakaafi.
The pair aim to deliver a show that is creative, fresh and fun when it launches this Monday 27 June at 9am.
“My vision for the show is to continue to be myself as an entertainer but also show more of Tofiga as the father, husband and passionate Pasifika male that I’ve grown to be through my upbringing, my faith and culture,” says Fepulea’i.
“I hope people will enjoy the new tag team of Ina and myself on air.…more
24-year-old Samoan editor speaks at acclaimed Tribeca Film Festival
Aysha Nanai-Leifi was selected by Converse to represent the big shoe company at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival in New York.
The Samoan creative walked the prestigious red carpet alongside notable industry names, on her way to take center stage to share her experience as a young brown storyteller.
The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, talks, music, and art. This year the festival was attended by names like Taylor Swift, Lupita Nyong'o, ASAP Rocky and John Legend. Among these celebrities and creatives was proud Pasifika woman Aysha Nanai-Leifi.
Converse flew Aysha out to New York to speak on a panel at TribecaX2022 titled "HOW CONVERSE CREATES NEXT WITH ITS ALL-STARS". The Converse All-Stars serves as a global network connecting creatives, providing digital and physical experiences, commissioned work and mentorship to a community around the world. A community in which Ms. Nanai-Leifi has been proud to be part of since she was 20 years old.…more