Coco Talanoa — Coco News / Page 48

In 2019, Time Magazine named their TIME 100 Most Influential people in the world and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson not only covered Time but was the one and only Polynesian to have made the list.  

This year (2020) he's amassed more than 200 million followers on Instagram making him the #1 most followed man in America and the #1 most followed American man in the world! 

In his Instagram post celebrating this milestone he wrote “Always speak your truth, and do your best to speak your truth with compassion, with a little bit of poise, with a little bit of dignity, with respect and with empathy. Even when speaking your truth means you’re going to dive into some conversations that might make people a little uncomfortable”

He was obviously referring to his recent decision to endorse Joe Biden as president, the first time he has declared for a candidate.…more

2019 is the year of the Brown Female Story in Aotearoa!  So many great stories from the sistas of the Moana Nui A Kiwa are exploding on the big screen this year with an unprecedented number of films made by and about Polynesian women. 

The critically acclaimed story of the legendary Merata Mita just got picked up by Ava DuVernay's "Array" distribution company.  The film made by Maori producer Chelsea Winstanley and Merata's son Heperi Mita opened to rave reviews in Aotearoa before its Sundance premiere in February. Celebrating the life of the first Polynesian woman to direct a film, 'Merata' is an ode to the singular vision of this filmaker, a solo mother of 6 who pursued her dream of filmmaking until the end. 

Also on NZ screens this year is the multi director feature film 'Vai' made by Papuan producer Kerry Warkia and featuring the stories of 9 different Pacific directors.…more

Tongan female director Vea Mafile'o has the amazing feat of having two of her films premiere at the Berlinale Native festival this year.

Alongside a host of other largely female driven films like the multi Pacific director film 'Vai', Mafile'os documentary 'For My Fathers Kingdom' and her short film 'Toa'ipuapuagā Strength in Suffering' about Toa the young girl who hit headlines with her 'stigmata' bleeding, are both in the line up.

For Vea making the first fully funded Pacific documentary film in Aotearoa was an epic feat that is now beginning to pay off as this unique story is launched to the world:  

"It's been a long hard emotional journey, over the 3 years of making the film we have faced many challenges, its pushed us to our limits there has been no separation from work and life, literally babies on the edit room floor!  But our familys & our people have helped carry the load, this was a true collaboration of family, for trusting us with their truths and the willingness to share with others.…more

Keys Down, Real Talk – True Story #3

“You know your parents shouldn’t be drinking and driving but you don’t say anything because you think it’s going to be alright…they’ve been doing it for years”

Here is the 2nd #KeysDownRealTalk story featuring Swiss.  The campaign message is simple: there’s no safe level of alcohol when you’re driving.

#KeysDownRealTalk is a new campaign aimed at reducing drink driving. The community-led initiative features three video stories created in collaboration between, South Auckland award winning sound/music & video producer Anonymouz, and three popular South Auckland urban music artists - Tha Movement, Mareko, Swiss and Ōtāhuhu-based DB Breweries.

#DontDrinkAndDrive

Keys Down, Real Talk – True Story #2

“I didn’t think anything of it, that anything was serious at the time”

Here is the 2nd #KeysDownRealTalk story featuring Mareko.  The campaign message is simple: there’s no safe level of alcohol when you’re driving.

#KeysDownRealTalk is a new campaign aimed at reducing drink driving. The community-led initiative features three video stories created in collaboration between, South Auckland award winning sound/music & video producer Anonymouz, and three popular South Auckland urban music artists - Tha Movement, Mareko, Swiss and Ōtāhuhu-based DB Breweries.

#DontDrinkAndDrive

By Indira Stewart, RNZ

Read RNZ’s full investigation into Pasifika mental health here: http://shorthand.radionz.co.nz/together-alone/index.html  

Mental health will become the most important issue for Pacific people in New Zealand over the next decade, a South Auckland psychiatrist says.

Dr Siale Foliaki says self-harm and suicide attempts are growing issues in the Counties-Manukau district, which has the country's largest Pacific population.

"They sometimes end up in an intensive care unit. We see all sorts of self-harm, the sort of self-harm that would frighten you if you saw them, so some serious trauma. And you've got to ask yourself [what] the state of mind of a young person has to be able to inflict that level of trauma,” he says.…more

Keys Down, Real Talk – True Story #1

“Everyone that knows me, knows that I’m just the sober driver, and the main reason why is because I try make sure my friends get home”

Here is the first #KeysDownRealTalk story featuring Tha Movement.  The campaign message is simple: there’s no safe level of alcohol when you’re driving.

#KeysDownRealTalk is a new campaign aimed at reducing drink driving. The community-led initiative features three video stories created in collaboration between, South Auckland award winning sound/music & video producer Anonymouz, and three popular South Auckland urban music artists - Tha Movement, Mareko, Swiss and Ōtāhuhu-based DB Breweries.

#DontDrinkAndDrive

PIC church that beacon of Pacific Islandness in the middle of Krd, has been a home to generations of Pacific people and was the original hub for early migrants to form new communities in Aotearoa. The extraordinary legacy of this church is celebrated in an exhibition of images and memorabilia that spans the decades since it first opened. Check out some of the amazing Pacificans that were brought up at the church, and the many events and initiatives over the years that cemented our Pacific identity in Aotearoa.

Roz Tuitama (pictured above) coordinated the 'living museum project' and she shared her vision with us.

"At the entrance when you first walk in there's a scripture that says 'Now faith is the confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see'.  If you look at the journey from the 40s through until the present day, our people literally stepped off the boat, came and set up home here in faith.…more

World Homeless Day is on the 10th of October every year and was born out of discussions between aid workers around the world, all of whom were helping the homeless in their own countries.

The aim and slogan of the Day is ‘locals act locally on a global day’. The emphasis is on giving hands-on aid that is sensitive to local needs in your community, while being aware of the global problem of homelessness and feeling solidarity with other charity workers around the world.

On this day, you can celebrate by helping to raise awareness for the homeless in your own community. Grassroots campaigns and fundraisers work at the local level, while taking advantage of the increased publicity and solidarity a global platform provides.

We had a look at one of the grassroots campaigns that has been happening in South Auckland as a solution to immediate and local needs in the area - PATAKA KAI or Open Street Pantries.…more