Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder: A Story of Sight, Sport, and the Gift of Vision
For many Kiwi kids, the dream of wearing black, whether as an All Black on Eden Park or a Silver Fern on the netball court, is the pinnacle of sporting success. I dreamed that dream.
After my grandfather’s passing in 2017, sport became my anchor, helping me navigate the storm of grief. I joined the Marist Club in Samoa, playing social first as a netball player before switching to Touch Rugby. My final tournament was in Samoa, in 2019, when our Open Women’s team secured silver medals, and our Open Mixed team won the Vailima Marist Touch Rugby Championship.
It was my proudest sporting moment. Not because of the trophy we collected that day, but rather standing side by side with my teammates, singing the Samoan national anthem before the final. Hearing the crowd echo back "Samoa Tula’i" (the Samoa National Anthem) was an emotional moment, forever etched in my memory.…more
Jaylen Rodwell Makes History as Niue’s First Professional Footballer
As Oceania prepares for its first-ever professional football league, the small island of Niue will be represented by its first professional football player.
23-year-old midfielder Jaylen Rodwell has signed with New Zealand’s South Island United, making history for the island nation with a population of under 2,000 people.
“It was crazy once I found out that I was the first ever Niuean professional footballer, I didn’t think that it was true to be honest, until people confirmed that for me,” he says.
“I’m just super grateful and super proud to be the first professional and hopefully to inspire others and local guys that also live back home in Niue.”
Rodwell began his football journey at South Auckland’s Manurewa FC, before moving through several clubs around Auckland and Wellington. He also played NCAA college football at the University of Portland.
His senior career has included stints with Birkenhead United, Edgeworth Eagles in Australia, Auckland United, and now South Island United in Christchurch, part of the south island’s first professional football team.…more
Moana Pasifika 2026: Ngani Laumape Returns, Israel Leota Switches Codes, Miracle Fai’ilagi Leads
Moana Pasifika kick off their 2026 Super Rugby Pacific campaign with exciting new signings and returning stars following a strong 2025 season.
All Blacks midfielder Ngani Laumape returns to Moana Pasifika after two years in Japan, coming home to represent his culture and inspire the next generation, including his sons.
Rising star Israel Leota, the 21-year-old former Brisbane Broncos player, officially switches codes to Rugby Union and joins Moana Pasifika as one of the team’s most promising young talents for 2026.
Newly appointed Moana Pasifika captain Miracle Fai’ilagi reflects on his journey to leadership and shares his excitement about leading a squad packed with experience, youth, and Pasifika pride.
Credits
Archival Footage: Moana Pasifika
Samoan literary figure Sia Figiel found dead in prison while awaiting sentencing
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
Kiribati fisherman swept away in Mahurangi River, wife clings to hope
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
Nonosina take on the Jennifer Hudson Show
Pacific dance on a global stage. Tiana Nonosina Liufau shares how our movements come from island life, the ocean, the land, and the rhythms we grow up with. Through Nonosina Polynesia, you see how culture lives in the body and how our stories are carried every time we move.
About Nonosina Polynesia
Founded in 1965, world-renowned Nonosina Polynesia is based in Anaheim, California and is known for its community and cultural performances both locally and abroad. For nearly six decades, Nonosina has shared authentic Polynesian dance, music, and professional stage training, positively impacting thousands of lives. Rooted in values of dedication, humility, mutual respect, and strong work ethic, Nonosina is a cultural home for dancers of all backgrounds who share a deep respect and love for Polynesian culture.
The group celebrates it's 60 years by taking Pacific Dance Global!
The incredible Tiana Liufau gave us this 'How to drum like a tahitian boss' years ago - a video that is still relevant to today!
Matt Damon praises Dwayne Johnson's Performance in Smashing Machine
In a recent interview on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Matt Damon talked about his experience watching The Smashing Machine and singled out one particular scene that really hit him emotionally.
He said the moment where Dwayne Johnson’s character is in a hospital after an overdose “really walloped me” and stayed with him because of how raw and authentic it felt. Damon described how Johnson built that scene collaboratively with director Benny Safdie and pulled from his own life to shape the performance.
Damon explained that when he asked Johnson about how that scene came together, Johnson said they worked on it together and that the emotional core came directly from his own experiences.
Johnson has said in multiple interviews that to portray that breakdown, he drew on deeply personal memories from his family life — especially his father’s struggles with alcoholism and his mother’s cancer diagnosis and treatment. Those lived experiences helped him access the vulnerability required for the scene, particularly moments of denial, fear, and emotional collapse.…more
18 Pasifika Families Move into new homes with 'Our Whare, Our Fale'
“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
‘More Brown Faces Needed’ says Sonny Bill who is advocating for Ardie Savea for ABs Captaincy
“I love Scott Barrett. He’s one of the best players in the world, but I think we need to give the captaincy to Ardie,” said Sonny Bill Williams.
"He’s our guy moving forward, just because of the mana he brings. He’s got the runs on the board, look at what he’s done with Moana this year.”
Dual code star Sonny Bill Williams has added his voice to the current All Black discussion, saying that the changes to the team shouldn’t end with the firing of coach Scott Robertson.
Iconic sports star Sonny Bill, who played 58 tests between 2010-19 including several seasons alongside both Savea and Barrett, also said that the incoming coaching group should be focused on team culture.
“This is just my honest thoughts and opinion, but I think we need a coaching group that knows how to connect before correcting. Because these players know how to play and we do have the squad,” he said.…more
Becoming a doctor, the Ōtara way
Jodeci Namulau'ulu-Siō wants patients and future doctors from Ōtara to find a sense of home and belonging in medicine.
After a decade of working in factories during his study breaks, Dr Jodeci Namulau'ulu-Siō (Fogapoa, Lauli'i, Gataivai, Pu'apu'a, Iva) has graduated with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery from the University of Auckland.
Raised in Ōtara, affectionately known as ‘Home of the Brave’, as one of seven siblings in a three-bedroom home, Jodeci says his pathway into medicine looked different to many of his peers, having added responsibilities outside of the classroom.
“I was balancing study with work and family commitments,” he says. "But I have watched my parents who have worked tirelessly to support me and my siblings my entire life, which gave me the determination to graduate."
Jodeci’s first experience of the health system came at 14, when he helped care for his grandparents. His grandfather was admitted to Middlemore Hospital, where Jodeci stayed to assist with daily care. But his most significant role was to be a translator for his grandfather during medical conversations.…more