Coco Talanoa — Pacific Blog / Page 7

By Mariner Fagaiava 

“Pride Cook Islands is elated to see the decade long active push for the decriminalisation of homosexuality finally take place in Cook Islands Parliament on Friday April 14th 2023. 

This landmark legislation will forever be remembered as our nation's acknowledgement of the Rainbow Community and their value, importance and rightful place in society.  

It speaks to Human Rights and Equality for all.” Karla Eggleton Pride Cook Islands Chair. 

Another Cook Islands rainbow advocate says “The shackles of colonisation that we bore are now broken”, as the Cook Islands Parliament repeals laws from its Crimes Act that made homosexuality illegal.

The Crimes (Sexual Offences) Amendment Bill 2023 passed it’s third reading on the weekend, amending the Crimes act 1969 which deemed “indecent acts” between men were punishable by up to five years in prison.

People who hosted such acts within their homes faced a ten year sentence behind bars.

Both provisions were repealed in the amendment bill read for the final time on Saturday, submitted by the Cook Islands Party led coalition government.…more

Nafanua, Samoa’s renowned atua and war goddess is just one of the many figures from cultural history on display in a church that highlights Samoan art, culture and religious imagery on its walls.

The Church of St Theresa of the Child Jesus took 8 years to complete and now stands resplendent in the village of Lepea celebrating religious narratives and Samoan cultural stories intertwined in one extraordinary building.  

The 46 stunning stained glass panels represent a significant biblical connection to the growth of Christianity and the Catholic Church in Samoa. 

There are three main entrances for the church and each have their own unique designs on striking display.…more

Red White and Brass follows the mostly true events that happened around the 2011 rugby world cup.

Let’s set the stage ... Tonga plays France in Wellington, a small group of friends fund raise to buy tickets but their dreams of watching their team are dashed when the game is sold out before they can purchase said tickets. Their last hope to see the game is to perform as a marching band during the opening ceremony ... something they have zero talent or knowledge for.  

Queue the sun, or in this case, queue the “tingggggg” of a triangle as the idea forms to learn everything from scratch. An almost impossible task for the rag tag ensemble of friends and family led by newcomer to the big screen John Paul Foliaki.

But as we all know, Tongan fans can be the most nationalistic. If there is a chance to raise a flag, they will buy the whole shop and flag making company.…more

A number of new Pasifika books have hit the shelves. From poetry, to non-fiction cultural books - here are the new titles to look out for and where to find it. 

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Pasifika Navigators – Pasifika Students Poetry Collection

This book is the first of its kind - capturing the voices of 52 Pasifika students across Aotearoa through poetry. 

The student authors ranging from years 7 to 13 have written around themes of language, culture and identity.

One of its authors Bekah Sa’u hopes Pasifika readers feel empowered, heard and encouraged to stand firm in their ancestral and cultural roots.

“To those who are not of Pasifika descent, I hope they learn from these stories, from a place of understanding and education,” she said.

The book is produced by Mila’s Books author and publisher Dahlia Malaeulu.

She said Pasifika Navigators is a result of an overwhelming demand for more Pasifika stories, written by Pasifika, for Pasifika.…more

By Mabel Muller 

Photo above L-R Dinah Jane Hansen, Joshua Leomiti, Peter Filimaua, Kristian Fanene Schmidt & Dana LeDoux Miller at the Netflix API Excellence Celebration

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A group of Pacific film and entertainment professionals have banded together to redefine and expand Pasifika entertainment on the Hollywood front.

Pasifika Entertainment Advancement Komiti (P.E.A.K), set up in September 2022, is offering cultural consulting and referrals as well as development opportunities within film, television and gaming.

P.E.A.K executive director and co-founder Kristian Fanene Schmidt said the use of Pasifika stories, talent or culture in entertainment, needed to be more authentic.…more

By Leki Jackson-Bourke, edited by Tupe Lualua 

On Friday the 10th of March 2023, the ASB Polyfest Samoan section was in full swing. Schools came well prepared with intricate choreography, dynamic formations and soulful harmonies bringing the Manukau velodrome to life.

It was beautiful to see students working collaboratively with tutors, teachers and parents and to see entire communities rallying behind their schools. If you grew up in Tāmaki Makaurau, you would know that school pride is high and in term one, the Auckland school calendar is all about Polyfest! 

THE RESULTS:  

For the co-ed section, Manurewa High School came away with a clean sweep taking out first place overall. Not too far behind them in second place was Avondale College and third place saw the return of past champions Ōtāhuhu College. Other schools also made their way up onto the podium this year: Papatoetoe High School, Māngere College, Hillary College and Tamaki College.

But one school in particular has become the talk of TikTok leaving everyone confused and asking questions.…more

On the 14th of February 2023, the NZ government declared a national State of Emergency in New Zealand to assist in the response to Cyclone Gabrielle.

Tairawhiti, Napier and parts of Hawkes Bay have been among the worst affected towns with Transpower saying it has declared a grid emergency given the loss of power in both regions.

"People should be prepared to be without power for days to weeks, rather than hours" 

Visuals of the widespread devastation have been heartbreaking with 4 deaths confirmed and up to at least 9,000 people displaced in Hawkes Bay alone (10,500 country wide) with those numbers expected to rise as rescues are ongoing.  

RNZ has reported a dozen helicopters from the Defence Force, rescue services and private operators plucked up to 400 people to safety.…more

“Alone we can do so little: together we can do so much” - Helen Keller

Last week during the Miss Pacific Islands pre pageant events, former Miss Pacific Islands Seumanu Fonoifafo Seumanu visited the elderly community of Mapuifagalele - Polynesia's first aged care home - together with this years Miss Pacific Islands contestants, PacifiCast and Samoa Tourism representatives.

As brand ambassador for PacifiCast this was Seumanu's final act as the reigning Miss Pacific Islands and during the visit she was able to gift a number of wheelchairs and crutches on behalf of the agency in partnership with Samoa Tourism, the Ministry of Health and Samoa government. 

PacifiCast is an agency that supports and connects the Pasifika community to global markets, opening a new lens to the Pacific through an intrinsic understanding of the region and serving the people in the region.…more

In order to move forward, we must first look back.

'We Are Still Here' is a unique Indigenous film that interweaves eight powerful tales to tell a sweeping story of hope and survival.  Through the eyes of eight protagonists, 'We Are Still Here' traverses 1000 years from past, present, and future to explore stories of kinship, loss, grief, and resilience.  But ultimately, it shows the strength of love and hope to overcome shared traumas that Indigenous people from Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific have continued to face.

'We are Still Here' is out now in select NZ cinemas and will be released in Australia on the 16th of Feb.

We talk to two of the Pasifika directors involved with the project about their short film 'Uniform' that was part of the anthology.

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MARIO GAOA & MIKI MAGASIVA - UNIFORM 

What is WE ARE STILL HERE about?

WASH is a collective of 8 indigenous films.…more

I was 14 when I first dreamed of one day receiving a Malu but I never imagined the difficult journey that I would embark on.

As a teenager I told my parents and they said one day I’d be ready. 10 years later that day finally came, and I was joined by my older sister who would be my soa.

When the day came, I felt ready. Mentally I felt prepared and logistically I ticked everything off of my list. I had the ies, lega, fagu’u, falas, antiseptic cream, protex, ilis and everything I could ever imagine needing.

My sister went first and I waited for her to finish. Her Malu was beautiful and I got a preview of what was instore for me. When it was my turn I was surrounded by all my friends and family, so I felt all their love strengthen me. When I finished being ka’d (tattoed) I got up looked at my legs and it was like a dream come true. I felt relief, comfort and joy rush over me all at once.…more