Meet the Palagi Boi who can speak fluent Samoan
Originally from Chicago, USA, Palagi Boi aka Jeremy Hawkins shares how he came to speak Samoan fluently and teaches us some simple Samoan phrases that are easy to learn and will get you some brownie points with your Samoan friends!
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Shot & Edited by Adrian Mcbirney
Keepin it Fresh at Waitangi ki Manukau
It's a flashback to summer on Waitangi Day in Manukau! With General Fiyah, Shepherds Reign, Aaradhna, Sid Diamond and more!
Celebrate Aotearoa with us!
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Director - Shimpal Lelisi
Camera Operator - Fa'anati Mamea
Sound Operator - Marcus Lawson
PMA Scholar: Pacific support network inspires success in health sector
After graduating from a Bachelor of Medicine and a Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB) at the University of Otago School of Medicine in December 2019, twenty-six-year-old David Nair has been working as a first-year health surgeon at Christchurch Hospital.
He’s also the recipient of the Pasifika Medical Association’s Papali’i Dr Semisi Ma’ia’i University of Otago Scholarship which he utilised to go back home to Fiji and work in hospitals there as part of his elective.
“Part of the reason for applying was I needed help financially for my final year of studies at med school, to cover the cost of electives. Receiving the scholarship meant that I could go back home to Fiji and work in a hospital and cover costs for flights and accommodation. I was also able to bring my parents and grandma over for a week. It was their first time back home in 20-years.…more
Samoan Language is needed in Australia
By Lefaoali’i Dion Enari
Despite Australia being the new land of milk and honey for Samoan and Pasifika people, we face challenges of language survival and sustainability. My love for the Samoan language and anger for its exclusion from the school system was the reason I decided to do a PhD (Doctorate of Philosophy) on Samoan cultural and language practises in Australia.
Growing up in Brisbane I would see many Samoan and Pasifika people financially doing well. However, as the influx of our people grew, so did the importance of our Samoan language and culture. Since I was a child, I was angry at the fact that Japanese and German were taught at school, instead of indigenous aboriginal and Samoan languages. My frustration was driven by the fact aboriginals are tangata whenua to Australia and majority of the students at my school were Samoan.
I had always loved the Samoan language, as everything sounded more reverend, poetic and sophisticated. Not to mention, it was cool and a way we could communicate in public without anyone knowing what we were saying.…more
Gagana Samoa builds trust with patient-doctor relationship
Junior doctor at Middlemore Hospital, Tuipoloa Opetaia Aati is using his mother tongue⎯ Samoan to break down cultural barriers in medicine to help connect with his patients and better understand their medical needs or diagnosis. He has at least one medical consultation in Samoan a week and is happy he can be a familiar and approachable face for Pasifika coming into the hospital.
“Having fluency in Samoan was definitely a skill I wanted to incorporate into my profession. I know it acts as a form of bringing down the barriers between the doctor and the patient and brings us on the same level. There is a power discrepancy in patient-doctor relationships, knowing Samoan helps in this way with Samoan patients,” he says.
“I hope that speaking Samoan helps Pacific patients to feel comfortable enough to converse freely with me during consultations. It also allows me to form a relationship with their family especially, if there is a family member that is responsible for taking care of them.…more
Congratulations to 1 News/TVNZ reporter Barbara Dreaver for her two wins at the Voyager Media Awards last night
Congratulations to 1 News Pacific Correspondent Barbara Dreaver who won 2 major awards at the Voyager Media Awards last night for her coverage of the Samoa Measles Epidemic last year.
Barbara who was born and brought up in her Mothers home island of Kiribati has always been passionate about the Pacific Islands and fighting for Pacific Islands issues to be covered in mainstream media.
She said of winninng both awards "I am so super proud to take out two major categories - 'Best TV news story' and 'Best coverage of a major event' but winning it for my Samoan measles coverage is bittersweet. While I am thrilled that the significance of this tragic event is recognised it does feel wrong in some ways to celebrate because of the lifetime of hurt so many families have ahead of them."
She said the Samoan measles epidemic affected her profoundly on both a personal and professional level and she really struggled with witnessing so much needless grief.…more
Phyllein Pauli Taetafe - Continuing a Legacy of Service
The Pasifika Medical Association's (PMA) scholarship recipient, Pyllein Pauli Taetafe, says that her career as a nurse has helped her realise her dream of helping children suffering with illnesses.
“Seeing children suffer with their illness is sad. But I get my strength from knowing that I’ve given them the best care possible and the times I’ve made them smile, encourages me as I know I’ve done my small part to make them happy.”
She says she can empathize with families, after having to overcome the death of her own father when she was just seven years old.
“When my dad was dying, I experienced the process from a child’s lens and now as an adult I’m seeing children being sick, so the emotional connection is real for me and I feel I’ve come full circle.”
She says the job becomes difficult when patients succumb to their illnesses, especially children.
“I’m a Sunday school teacher and a youth leader so my passion for children does come through.…more
OCEANS APART: MENTAL HEALTH ft Ben Atiga, Ben Ryan, Netani Talei and more
Mental Health is particularly important in today’s landscape, and given all of us have experienced isolation in some form or another through this lockdown, it’s something we can all relate to.
In this episode, we seek to lift the stigma associated with Mental Health in Pacific communities but most importantly, we must act upon it.
As former Fijian captain Sunia Koto says - a few minutes of your time used to check-in on someone might make all the difference.
New life in a time of International Crisis
For first-time mum Louina Tuipulotu being pregnant and having a baby during the Covid-19 lockdown period, made her feel extremely anxious. But when she finally gave birth at the end of April to a healthy daughter and held her newborn in her arms, all that worry went away.
“I’m glad we are both well and healthy. I’m enjoying being a mother for the first time.”
Normally, the Tongan mother and her husband Viliami would rely on their large extended family to support them. But the Hamilton couple only had each other during her pregnancy and while Louina gave birth to their daughter Fusi Athaliah. She says the experience brought her and her husband closer together.
“I was supported because my husband has been taking very good care of me. It’s made me feel comfortable and relaxed.”
Ngatepaeru Marsters, a midwifery clinical educator and member of the Pasifika Medical Association, says Pasifika mothers who are giving birth during this time have had to adapt without having their families by them for support.…more
4TK - 4 Tha Kulture; South Auckland Youth Changing the World
On May 15th, a group of 10 from 4TK/ 4 Tha Kulture (South Auckland Climate Change Activism Group), visited landmarks from all around South Auckland, armed with banners and chalk.
“It’s important for our Pacific and wider community to understand how COVID-19 and climate change are directly related, especially with the rising sea levels in the Pacific Islands as well as the growing rate of natural disasters like Cyclone Herold. The future of our people depends on it.” Says 17-year-old South Auckland 4 Tha Kulture (4TK) Organiser Aigagalefili Fepulea’i - Tapua’i.
The May 15th strike was solely centred on 4 Tha Kulture’s new demand, alongside School Strike 4 Climate (SS4C), for a Green COVID-19 Response. They demand that, as Aotearoa now begins to offset the economic impacts of COVID-19, the Government must invest in building a renewable and regenerative economy. This must be done through meaningful partnerships with communities, Tangata Whenua and Pasifika, and youth to ensure a just transition and that no one is left behind.…more