Coco Talanoa — Coco News / Page 1

Samoan writer and playwright Papalii Sia Figiel has been found dead in her prison cell while in custody for the killing of Professor Caroline Sinavaiana-Gabbard.

The 58-year-old was being held at Tanumalala Prison, where she was discovered by corrections officers early Monday morning. Police were alerted and her body was later taken to the hospital morgue. Authorities have not released the cause of death.

Figiel had been in custody since May 2024 after being charged with the violent murder of Dr Caroline Sinavaiana-Gabbard, a 78-year-old American Samoan academic, poet, and Figiel’s long-time mentor and friend.

Sinavaiana-Gabbard, is remembered as a poet and environmentalist, in 2013 became the first person of Samoan ancestry to reach the rank of full professor at a U.S. university, according to the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where she taught from 1997 until her retirement in 2016.

The charge followed an incident at Figiel’s Vaivase-uta home, which also served as her theatre space, GaluMoana Theatre. Police say Dr Gabbard’s body was found at the property.…more

Police have named the man found dead in the Mahurangi River near Warkworth as 47-year-old Tekanimaeu Arobati from Kiribati.

His body was located on Saturday, 24 January, after concerns were raised for his safety during the recent storm that affected parts of Auckland and surrounding areas.

In a statement released on Monday, police said Arobati had been formally identified following enquiries after his body was discovered in the river near Warkworth over the weekend.

The 47-year-old was travelling to work early Wednesday morning when the car he was in was swept into the Mahurangi River at a flooded crossing on Falls Road, near Warkworth. Search efforts were suspended overnight, with police yet to locate either the man or the vehicle.

His wife, who RNZ has agreed not to name, said the couple moved to New Zealand from Kiribati in 2023, bringing their four children with them in search of work, stability and a future for their family.

Back home, her husband had spent his life on the water.

“He was a fisherman in Kiribati. He knows how to swim.…more

“When Pasefika lead, when we design for our own needs, when we work in true partnership, we can change our future.”

That belief is now taking physical form in eastern Porirua, where 18 Pasefika families have received the keys to their new homes as part of Our Whare Our Fale, a community led housing development delivered by Central Pacific Collective (CPC).

For new homeowner Erin Millar, the moment represents long awaited stability after years of uncertainty.

“This is a life changing moment for me. In the last eight years we’ve had to move four times. Our new home will bring stability, and certainty to me and my whanau. We even have an accessible space for our Grandma when she needs to come and stay.”

Manu and Viena Paongo are also preparing to build new memories in their home, surrounded by community. “We are particularly excited to celebrate our first Christmas in the new home,” they stated early December last year.…more

As the United States steps back from climate funding in the Pacific, China has stepped neatly into the frame.

Within days of Washington confirming it would withdraw support for the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme, Beijing handed over USD $200,000 to the Samoa-based agency, a move that was equal parts timely and telling.

The funding itself was not new. It had been promised at the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Tonga two years earlier. But the timing of the handover, landing less than a week after the US announcement, allowed China to control the moment and the message.

“This again demonstrates our sincerity and determination to help Pacific Island countries cope with climate change and achieve sustainable development,” said China’s envoy to Samoa, Fei Mingxing.

Until its withdrawal, the United States accounted for around 15 percent of SPREP’s funding. That position is now reportedly held by China, which has also signalled it has set aside a further USD $362,000 should the region need it.…more

Pacific excellence across diverse fields is being recognised in the 2026 New Year Honours, with eight Pacific leaders and community advocates included among 177 award recipients nationwide. 

Their work spans a broad range of sectors, from education and disability advocacy to sport, faith, cultural leadership, language preservation, and social justice. Many of those honoured have expressed genuine surprise at the announcement, viewing the recognition as a reflection of shared community effort. 

Saveatama Eroni Clarke
Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to the Pacific community and rugby

Former All Black Saveatama Eroni Clarke, who received a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for his service to rugby and the Pacific community, told PMN News he was “absolutely surprised,” noting that the honour belongs not just to him, but to the collective work of those he serves.

Saveatama has made major headway for Pasifika in rugby, with the NZ Pacific Rugby Council now an affiliate body of the NZR.…more

“We've just finished receiving a Christmas box from our church aiga as they do this yearly to help support those that are struggling during the Christmas period.”

For other solo- mums living away from their aiga, this crucial support isn’t often available, and now that many food banks have closed down, this Xmas is particularly tough.

Auckland City Mission is facing ongoing challenges due to reduced government funding for its general year-round food bank services, which has resulted in a significant increase in community need. 

Likewise the popular Butterbean Motivation Foodbank in South Auckland has had to cut back staff, operating on limited capacity due to funding cuts. 

Is the pay gap to blame?

Many of these struggles are not accidental - and sadly are a reality for many Pacific Women in Aotearoa.

Pacific women face the highest gender pay gap in the country at 20.9 percent. In October, data showed Pacific women are effectively working for free from October 15 through to the end of the year compared to Pākehā men.…more

“Pacific players, both men and women, make up a huge part of rugby in Aotearoa, from Provincial Unions to Super Rugby and our Teams in Black. That’s why it’s so important for the Pasifika Rugby Council to have a voice at the decision-making table,” says Eroni Clarke, a member of the Pasifika Rugby Council.

His comments come as Pasifika rugby officially gains a formal say in how the game is governed in Aotearoa, after New Zealand Rugby voting members approved the New Zealand Pasifika Rugby Council as an Affiliated Body of NZR.

The decision was confirmed through a postal ballot that closed on December 10, with the country’s 26 Provincial Unions and the New Zealand Māori Rugby Board backing the proposal by the required two thirds majority.

The vote means the Pasifika Rugby Council will hold two votes under the NZR constitution and represent Pasifika rugby interests at all levels of the game. It also places Pasifika representation alongside Provincial Unions and the New Zealand Māori Rugby Board within NZR’s governance structure.…more

New United States travel restrictions have now expanded beyond Fiji, with Tonga officially placed on a list of countries facing full and partial visa suspensions.

Under measures that came into effect on January 1, the US has stopped issuing visas to Tongan nationals for short-term visits, tourism and business, with the State Department also suspending processing of some immigrant visas.

Tongan citizen and former Hawaii student Lionel Funaki told ABC Pacific the policy felt like “collective punishment,” saying, “I was looking forward to continuing my educational journey, but unfortunately, that now looms in limbo.” The White House cited visa overstay rates and concerns about civil documentation, with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stating, “We love to have visitors - but they have to come here legally.” The move has caused growing frustration across Tonga and its US-based diaspora, where families fear the restrictions will further limit education, travel, and reunification opportunities.…more

The Harm is Real

Recently, the work of Tongan artist Lucid Luca was fed into AI and reposted online. The original piece, inspired by his birthplace of Lautoka, captured the warmth of Fiji’s western coast. 

The AI version, however, altered the work: it softened features, lightened skin, and stripped away the cultural depth Luca had embedded into every brushstroke. The repost went viral before it was eventually removed, but the broader harm remained.

Luca explains, “It chips away at the work we’ve put years into, and it distorts how our people see themselves. It may depict brown people, but it has been trained on a western lens and western data. We may become redundant but everyone else will not be far behind, so I resent being offered up as the sacrificial lamb to this shift in attitude.”

Colourism in AI, where dark-skinned Pacific faces are lightened to fit Western ideals, is a reflection of a broader, pervasive issue in Pacific communities.…more