Coco Talanoa — Coco News / Page 27

As New Zealand prepares to roll out the first lot of Covid-19 vaccines tomorrow, Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield, says he hopes there are good vaccination rates amongst the Pacific community to strengthen their resistance of Covid-19.

Dr Bloomfield and a panel of Pacific health clinicians who are also members of the Pasifika Medical Association (PMA), spoke at a national zoom talanoa last night attended by over 600 Pacific church, community, and youth leaders. Hosted by the Hon. Aupito William Sio, Minister for Pacific Peoples, the focus was on providing information and answering questions regarding the Covid-19 vaccinations.

Dr Bloomfield said, “We are adamant that we do not want New Zealand being the route where Covid-19 gets into the Pacific.

In preparation for our Covid-19 vaccination campaign, we are thinking not just about New Zealand but about our Pacific neighbours, and in particular the countries across the Pacific region.…more

Tevita Funaki, CEO of The Fono - an organisation providing medical and social services to Pacific communities in Auckland and Northland, has a clear message to those needing food and welfare support during the unexpected lockdowns.

“We are ready to respond,” he says.

The Fono and other community organisations across Auckland including Pasifika Futures partners; The Village Community Services Trust, Mt Wellington Integrated Health Care and South Seas Healthcare, mobilised their staff and resources immediately in preparation to support vulnerable families who need urgent assistance.

Since the announcement, Mr Funaki’s team have been working around the clock to restock their shelves, made possible through donations from local businesses and support from the Pasifika Medical Association (PMA) through Pasifika Futures - the Whānau Ora commissioning agency for Pacific families.

“We’ve been through this before, this is our third lockdown. Our team are experienced now and are familiar with what support our communities need “, says Mr Funaki.…more

Three new community cases in a single South Auckland household were reported yesterday on Valentines Day.  Dr Ashley Bloomfield said last night in a media briefing at 7pm that a mother, father and daughter had tested positive for Covid and had been transferreed to quarantine while the other household contact is isolating at home.

UPDATE: New Covid-19 cases are UK strain and are not lonked to MIQ.  The UK variety of Covid-19 has proven to spread at a far higher rate and could possibly be more deadly than the original.  The PM said one of the most likely routes for transmission, so far, is from an international airline crew member.

University of Otago's public health dept has said that the spread of the virus thru handling of laundry was unlikely.…more

Koro Vaka'uta, RNZ Pacific Journalist

Waitangi Day conjures up different things for different people, but what does it mean for the thousands of Pasifika who live in Aotearoa?

Today Aotearoa-New Zealand marks 180 years since the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi between the British Crown and a number of Māori chiefs.

But where do our Pasifika whānau weave into that fabric? Do they see themselves as Treaty partners?

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Ali Leota is the president of Tauira Pasifika, the voice of Pacific tertiary students. He was raised in the diverse city of Porirua.

"We make up just under 50 percent of the population and growing up in Porirua, most of my friends were either Pacific or Māori.

"We learnt to grow side by side with one another and we treat each other like family," he said.

"There's always been that mutual respect ... based on the values we grew up [with] and we could relate on everything."

When it came to Pasifika and the treaty, Ali Leota compared it to a pōwhiri.…more

The Brown Girl Woke Women initiative empowers young girls in primary schools in rural areas of Samoa by investing in their education, aspirations and success.  

Recently the Samoan humanitarian group started 'The Water Tank Project' after doing surveys during the measles epidemic and realising a lot of children that were affected didn’t have basic needs at home and in particular clean water.

Clean water and sanitation: the keys to breaking free from poverty

Access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation are vital for health, especially among children. Poor sanitation, water and hygiene have many serious consequences: Children die from preventable illnesses like diarrhoea; Children – and particularly girls – are denied their right to education because their schools lack private and decent sanitation facilities; Women are forced to spend large parts of their day fetching water; Poor farmers and wage earners are less productive due to illness; Health systems are overwhelmed and national economies suffer.

It's impossible to break the vicious cycle of poverty – and enable sustainable development – without first addressing these issues.…more

Over 700 Samoan Recognized Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme workers will depart for employment in New Zealand starting this week.

The rising number of youth violence incidents in Melbourne’s West has prompted members of the community to take action to voice their concerns.

 The ‘Youth Violence is not OK’ march will take place next Saturday, January 2nd at 10am and will begin from Tenterfield Park, Caroline Springs and end behind Sunshine Police Station in Brimbank. 

The march, which welcomes all, is being organised by the Samoa Community Advisory Council Victoria Incorporated (SCACVI) with support from the Victoria Police, local government councils and other notable community groups.

It urges people to march in solidarity in an effort to combat youth violence by raising awareness and helping to find solutions.

Incidents involving youth this month alone include a 15-year-old boy who was bashed and stomped on in Caroline Springs.  This week, five teenagers were arrested in Tarneit charged with assault, theft and robbery. Two of the arrested were out on bail.

Earlier this year Brimbank teenager Solomone Taufeulungaki was fatally stabbed by a youth gang while walking home from school.…more

The wedding of Ashneel & Benita.

Check out the beautiful wedding ceremonies held for Ashneel (Indian) and Benita (Samoan) - a celebration of marriage and a celebration of two cultures coming together

Video credit:  Canaan Ene

If you come from the Pacific, chances are you’ve lived through a cyclone, flood or other natural disaster.
If your family and community back home is affected by disaster, naturally, you’re going to want to help.

But what if the way you choose to help is doing more harm than good? Would you change the way you donate?

Our friends at Donate Responsibly.Org have come through with some helpful tips and suggestions on their website that they organised with the World Food Programme

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We've got the information to share with your communities in English, Samoan, Fijian and Bislama.

Check them out below - 

ENGLISH 

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BISLAMA  

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FIJIAN

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SAMOAN

PG (Parental Guidance Recommended for Younger Viewers)

Domestic abuse affects many families in Pacific communities in New Zealand.  But finding people to speak to about it was tougher than Simonne expected.  Abuse is shrouded in secrecy and shame and people rarely speak publicly about it.  So, when Simonne discovered a video called Say Something, which dramatised domestic violence in a Pacific family, she went to visit the actors.

Samoan New Zealanders Landa, her husband Ace and their 19 year old son Lavahki participated in the Say Something video.  The video was produced by Pacifica Proud, a Ministry of Social Development initiative to curb domestic abuse in Pacific communities.  Once released on social media last year the video touched a nerve.  It’s been viewed over 220,000 times without any promotion and Lavahki and Ace have been inundated with messages.  Many of these were to thank them for creating space for Pacifica to speak out about their own experiences of abuse.…more