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

“To add more restrictions will be heartbreaking if my kids only living grandparents are unable to attend important milestones in their lives due to new criteria,” said Epenesa Pakola, a Samoan mother living in California with parents in Aotearoa.

For Diasporians in NZ who regularly visit their islander families in the United States, that fear may soon become reality.

The US is planning to change the rules for people from visa-waiver countries, including Aotearoa. That is the ESTA form most travellers fill out before hopping on a flight. Under a new proposal, travellers could be asked to hand over far more personal information than ever before.

“That’s crazy. It’s extremely disappointing and unnecessary,” Epenesa said.

Under the proposal, travellers may be required to provide five years of social media history, phone numbers used over the last five years, email addresses from the past ten years, detailed information about family members, and even biometric data such as facial images and fingerprints. This information would not be optional. It would be mandatory.…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

“The approach we take at TALA to represent the Samoan way and culture is instilled in our staff and evidenced through the apa fafano ceremony. This is our way of showing gratitude (gaga fa’afetai), servitude (tautua) and respect (fa’aaloalo) to the guests.”

For Henry Onesemo, executive chef and co-owner of Tala, these words define everything the restaurant stands for. Yesterday, Tala was crowned the Supreme Winner of Viva’s Top 50 Restaurants 2025, a milestone moment for Pacific cuisine in Auckland and a rare celebration of Samoan excellence in a predominantly Palagi-dominated fine dining scene.

Judges made the decision almost instantly. “Choosing a Supreme Winner usually takes hours of discussion and negotiation, but I will be honest and tell you that this year it only took a few seconds,” said Viva dining out editor Jesse Mulligan, who delivered the news in person to Henry and co-owner Debby Onesemo.

At just two years old, Tala has already redefined what Samoan food can look and feel like in Parnell.…more