Coco Talanoa — Coco News / Page 34

Samoan/Tuvaluan, Auckland based poet Dr Selina Tusitala Marsh has won the supreme prize at the 2020 New Zealand Book Awards for Children and Young Adults.  She won the 'Margaret Mahy Book of the Year Award' for her personal picture book, "Mophead"

'Mophead' is the story of what it felt like to be a little girl with big hair and how she grew into it and became our Poet Laureate. It's dedication: “For those who stick out.”

Watch her acceptance speech in the video above where she talks about how she also illustrated the book herself as well.

Here’s a snippet from the press release, covering what the judges said:

Mophead is “clever, joyful and inspiring, with not a smidgen of pretension or condescension”. They went as far as calling the book “perfect” – describing it as a taonga that should be placed in the hands of every child in Aotearoa, especially young Pasifika children who might not yet know their own creative power.

“We love this book’s design and production.…more

11 August 2020 9.30pm

Prime Minister Jacinda Adern and The Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield have addressed media tonight in a press conference.

Media were only notified shortly before 9pm.

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There have been four positive cases of Covid-19 outside of managed isolation or quarantine, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says.  After 102 days without community transmission they are the first cases acquired from an unknown source.

Ardern said we must take a "precautionary" approach as no origin had been found, or link to isolation facilities or people who work at the border.  She reiterated the message of "going hard and going early".

"In line with our precautionary approach we will be asking Aucklanders to take swift action with us."

Auckland moves to level 3 restrictions from 12 noon tomorrow. The restrictions will last three days until midnight Friday.

"These three days will give us time to assess the situation, gather information, make sure we have wide-spread contact tracing," Ardern said.

Aucklanders are asked to stay home to stop the spread.…more

Story collated and written by Haitelenisia Afemui ‘Uhila Angilau for her 'Ordinary Tongan Lives' facebook page

“At about 2:30pm yesterday, we were at Fanga selling a truck-load of manioke. After 30 minutes of sitting there, we sold one basket. That’s when I called my Mom and asked to speak to my Dad. I wanted his permission to give away the cassava for free—especially for those in dire circumstances after the cyclone. My Dad grows a lot of different crops. We help him and we also sell his crops. Knowing him, I knew he’d say yes. It’s something he’s always done so of course he said yes. We stopped selling right away and headed straight to Pātangata. We stopped at every house to drop a basket for each family. Many of them thought they had to buy them.

They told us how they live off the ocean and don’t have tax allotments for farming. I really felt for a lot of them. They definitely needed it. Some people ran to their houses to get seafood in exchange for what we gave.…more

On Monday the 3rd of August, the State of Victoria in Australia entered a State of Disaster (Stage 4 Lockdown).

Many of the Pasifika communities in the State were needing precise information on the lockdown rules in order to pass on to families and elders where English is their second language.

Rita Seumanutafa and the Standing Together - Brimbank Pasifika Facebook page have worked together with local translators to get this resource and information out to the Pasifika communities. 

Please find this important information below summarised and translated into Fijian, Niuean, Samoan & Tongan.

** IMPORTANT COVID UPDATE **

As promised, here are the STAGE 4 RESTRICTIONS in Pacific languages. We apologise for the delay in getting these organised, government is too slow for us and our Pasefika communities need accurate information ASAP, so we have called on our local elders for help with this.…more

As part of her Cacao and Kofe retreats she runs on Ms Sunshine Farms for tourists and locals, Chocolate Creator Floris Niu is transforming the way Samoans think about Koko Samoa - imparting her knowledge and experience in growing and processing cacao to creating new cooking traditions with her brand of organic Koko Samoa.

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Shot & Edited by Denisa Maňásková.

Narration & Story - Floris Niu 

Producer - Liz Ah Hi 

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* This content has been developed with support funding from the Australian Centre for International Agriculture Research (ACIAR)

Get to know the Valu famili from the first ever Tongan language drama series: 'Brutal Lives - Mo'ui Faingata'a'

The full series premieres here tomorrow night on the CoconetTV 

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Soane Valu 

Played by Joe Folau 

Soane, the ‘Shark’ Valu was the hope of the South Pacific. Twenty years ago, the Tongan boxer had the world at his feet and the hopes and dreams of the whole Pacific until it all came crashing down when he lost the challenge for the World Heavyweight title.  Too embarrassed to return to Aotearoa, Soane hid away in America for 20 years until he is confronted by his father’s spirit.  Soane returns home for his father but is too late.  He’s rejected by his three kids he left behind and his angry sister.  But his problems run far deeper when he discovers the family’s curse and the spirit that’s been tormenting him and his family. He must do what it takes to protect his loved ones.…more

BRUTAL LIVES - MO'UI FAINGATA'A 

ACTOR PROFILE 

SESILIA PUSIAKI 

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Malo e lelei my name is Sesilia Pusiaki Tatuila daughter of Ahosivi and Asipesio Tatuila. My dad is from Lapaha and mum is from Atata. I’m the third eldest of five and was raised on the Northshore, Northcote. My mother and father were one of the founding members of the Tongan Catholic Community on the shore so being part of this wider Tongan community played a big role in my life growing up and even though we’ve moved to Onehunga my Northshore community and families will always be a part of me. My father taught Tongan faiva within the church there so singing, dancing and performing was a way of life for me so graduating from P.I.P.A empowered me to realise that being a Tongan performing artist is who I am. Did I also mention I’m a mother of five. Their numbers are eight/ six/ five/ two and nine months, as well as a partner that supports everything I do. I’m BLESSED.…more

BRUTAL LIVES - MO'UI FAINGATA'A 

ACTOR PROFILE 

SESILIA PUSIAKI 

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Malo e lelei my name is Sesilia Pusiaki Tatuila daughter of Ahosivi and Asipesio Tatuila. My dad is from Lapaha and mum is from Atata. I’m the third eldest of five and was raised on the Northshore, Northcote. My mother and father were one of the founding members of the Tongan Catholic Community on the shore so being part of this wider Tongan community played a big role in my life growing up and even though we’ve moved to Onehunga my Northshore community and families will always be a part of me. My father taught Tongan faiva within the church there so singing, dancing and performing was a way of life for me so graduating from P.I.P.A empowered me to realise that being a Tongan performing artist is who I am. Did I also mention I’m a mother of five. Their numbers are eight/ six/ five/ two and nine months, as well as a partner that supports everything I do. I’m BLESSED.…more

BRUTAL LIVES - MO'UI FAINGATA'A 

ACTOR PROFILE 

JASON MANUMU'A 

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My parents arrived into New Zealand during the 70’s - fresh-faced and eager to find a living. They became part of a thriving Tongan church community in Onehunga in the 80’s, where I was born, before moving to Mangere Bridge where our family house stands til today.  I count myself so blessed to have learned how to read, write and speak my Tongan language through Sunday school growing up - despite surviving  the ‘passionate’ smacks & whacks, and the ‘loving’ stares & glares of numerous White Sundays - every Polynesian kids’ introduction to the performing arts lol!  
The 90’s was a great time to be a teenager - great music, movies and no internet, no social media and you walked everywhere lol. However for me, I was shipped off back to Tonga almost every summer as a kid, while my parents worked.…more

BRUTAL LIVES - MO'UI FAINGATA'A 

ACTOR PROFILE 

HAANZ FA'AVAE JACKSON 

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My name is Haanz Fa’avae Jackson. Born in South Auckland, where I still reside with my big Otahuhu family. My bloodline runs through Niue, Tonga & Samoa. When I'm not working on my career or spending time with family, I help manage "Konfident Clothing", a clothing brand me and my brother launched mid lock down. When there's no work, make work. 

How long have you been in the entertainment industry and do you have a highlight or favourite experience in your career so far?

I graduated from PIPA in 2014, and I haven't stopped performing since.  Started strong on the theatre stage, where I really got to sharpen my craft and find my feet as a professional performer & actor, which then later on lead to the huge world of screen.

Highlights for me would have to be the travelling. I never really got to travel much as a kid, but I had always wanted to.…more