"Dune" could cement Jason Momoa's ultimate reign in Hollywood
The trailer for "Dune" had movie buffs talking from the moment it was realeased and the anticipation for the epic movie has been rapidly growing with its recent run at the Venice Film Festival.
Denis Villenueve’s science fiction epic is based on the classic novel by Frank Herbert. Dune is described as a sprawling story of power, betrayal and exploitation set in the distant future. The movie has been receiving rave reviews from those who have watched. "Dune reminds us what a Hollywood blockbuster can be," wrote movie critic Xan Brooks, while offering five stars.
Jason Momoa is no stranger to huge action roles from Khal Drogo to Aquaman, but the shinning reviews from Dune might just be the cherry on top of the cake for his soaring career. If the film manages to reach viewers and gain fans like critics anticipate this might be the beginning of a growing fandom.
The Hawaiian actor plays the character Duncan Idaho. In Herbert’s novel, Duncan is described as a handsome man with "curling black hair" to whom women are easily attracted.…more
Tokyo 2020 - Our Pacific Islands athletes Round Up Day 11
To go along with our guide to who, what, when and where our Pasifika athletes are competing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games we'll be doing a round up of how they've all been doing in case you missed their event. Peep the results of our athletes from Day 1-4 here & Day 5-7 here
Here are the results & who to watch out for of our Pasifika athletes who have competed on Day 8, 9, 10 & 11 of the Olympic Games.
Track and field dominate the results here. Cover image of some of our Pasifika sprinters via Oceania Olympics.
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American Samoa
American Samoan sprinter Nathan Crumpton is more widely known for his Winter Olympics sport of Skeleton racing. He only decided to try out for the Summer Olympics track and field 100m race when he was on a training break in American Samoa in 2019 and happened to turn on the TV when the Pacific Games were on.…more
Why Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has a snap of Ben's butt on his phone
Jono and Ben talk to the stars of Disney's 'Jungle Cruise' - Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Emily Blunt.
The Rock reminisces on his time living in New Zealand and reveals the hilarious reason why he has a photo of Ben's butt on his phone.
The Women of the Polynesian Panthers
“A true activist does what they do because of their profound love for their people”
For the Pasifika women who spoke out despite all their life challenges in the Dawn Raids era - this was the mantra.
If you google image search the Polynesian Panthers the first rows of images to pop up are all images of men. You’ll be lucky to find an image of a female panther in those first few scrolls, but what is seen in the images is not always depictive of reality. Women played a vital role in the Polynesian Panther Party and laid a foundation to which their male counterparts were able to stand on.
One of the pivotal female Panthers who dedicated her life to social justice and collective liberation was Dr. Melani Anae. In fact, to this day Dr. Melani continues to work as a Polynesian Panther and has famously said the phrase “once a Panther always a Panther”. Dr.…more
Royal Commission of Inquiry into abuse of Pacific People in State care - Closing Ceremony
The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care has been holding its first ever Pacific Investigation hearing into abuse in care of Pacific people in this country. The enquiry has looked at abuse of Pacific people in both state and faith-based institutions between 1950 and 1999.
The name of the enquiry is Tulou - Our Pacific Voices: Tatala e Pulonga', held at the Fale o Samoa in Māngere and had been open to the public from Monday 19th through to the 30th July 2021.…more
Tokyo 2020 - Our Pacific Islands athletes Round Up Day 7
To go along with our guide to who, what, when and where our Pasifika athletes are competing at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games we'll be doing a round up of how they've all been doing in case you missed their event. Peep the results of our athletes from Day 1-4 here
Here are the results & who to watch out for of our Pasifika athletes who have competed on Day 5, 6 & 7 of the Olympic Games.
American Samoa
Adrian Hoesch and Tyler Paige competed in Sailing in the Men's Two Person Dinghy on Wednesday and again on Thursday. In races 1 & 2 they placed 19th, in races 3 & 4 they placed 18th and after todays races they are again placed 18th.
The pair will race again on Sunday from about noon NZT and on Monday from about 2.35pm.…more
Abuse in NZ Care - Witness Testimonies of abuse in State Care & the Catholic Church
The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care held its first ever Pacific Investigation hearing into abuse in care of Pacific people in this country. The enquiry looked at abuse of Pacific people in both state and faith-based institutions between 1950 and 1999.
The name of the enquiry is Tulou - Our Pacific Voices: Tatala e Pulonga', held at the Fale o Samoa in Māngere and was open to the public from Monday 19th through to the 30th July 2021. The scope of the hearing can be read here
Although this particular hearing has closed, the Pacific Investigation team will continue to gather more information and witness statements from other abuse survivors, gather more stories and weave them together with their recommendations to be submitted to the government. The process will take at least another two years.
"We acknowledge that there are many other Pacific survivors out there that have not been able to come forward because of barriers such as shame and stigma.…more
New Zealand Government's formal Dawn Raids Apology
Today the New Zealand Government will make a formal apology for the wrongs committed during the Dawn Raids of the 1970’s.
You can watch the live stream of the apology in the video below -
Between 1974 and 1976, a series of rigorous immigration enforcement policies were carried out that resulted in targeted raids on the homes of Pacific families. The raids to find, convict and deport overstayers often took place very early in the morning or late at night and were routinely severe with demeaning, verbal and physical treatment.
Learn more about this period of time in New Zealand's history here:
Abuse in NZ State Care - The Witness Testimony of Leota Fred Scanlon
"I would be taken to the electric shock room up the villa stairs to where the machine was. I would be placed on the bed and the nurses would hold me down. They tied me down at the waist and at my feet. The nurses placed the electric shock stuff on my head and then I got electrocuted. Sometimes I was electrocuted until I was unconscious. When this happened, I would only remember waking up in my own bed. Sometimes after the electric shocks, the nurses would give us pills to knock us out." - Leota Fred Scanlon
The Royal Commission of Inquiry into Abuse in Care is currently holding its first ever Pacific Investigation hearing into abuse in care of Pacific people in this country. The enquiry is looking at abuse of Pacific people in both state and faith-based institutions between 1950 and 1999.…more
Tuva'a Clifton represents Team Samoa at the Tokyo Olympics
Samoan athlete Tuva’a Clifton just arrived at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to compete in the men's sprint canoeing, representing #TeamSamoa
Tuva'a is competing in 3 events at the Olympics
You can watch Tuva'as races this Wednesday 4th of August. He competes in the Men's Kayak Single heat at 12.58 pm NZT and Men's Kayak Double at 2.38 pm NZT.
Before he took off for Tokyo we were able to talk to Tuva'a about his Olympic debut and this is what he had to say:
How does it feel to be able to say that you're an “Olympian”?
It's a really cool feeling that sometime in the future I will be able to tell my grandkids that I once competed at the Olympics. But it's also nice to be able to say it after many years of training, and that all that pain during training was not for nothing.…more