DEJEALOUS SILI PALOTA-KOPA

LAW & PACIFIC STUDIES STUDENT & 

PRIME MINISTERS PACIFIC YOUTH - COMMUNITY STAR AWARD RECIPIENT 

SAMOAN 

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Dejealous is 23 years old, of Samoan descent and is currently studying Law and Pacific Studies at the University of Auckland. She has been an active volunteer, mentor and leader for a wide range of charities and organisations. From being the President of ASTRA Auckland (community service club), coordinator of health packs for Starship, being an ambassador for the Heart foundation, being a Marshall for the annual PRIDE Festiva and being a blood donor to shaking a bucket for the breast cancer foundation, all this was done out of her passion to love and serve others.

She’s always had a particular passion for working with youth with disabilities and for the past 5 years, has worked closely with the special needs community through volunteering for Recreate New Zealand, Star Jam, and the Auckland Down Syndrome Association. In 2016, she received the Sunpix Emerging Leadership Award, and more recently became the first runner up for the Miss Samoa New Zealand pageant.…more

DEJEALOUS SILI PALOTA-KOPA

LAW & PACIFIC STUDIES STUDENT & 

PRIME MINISTERS PACIFIC YOUTH - COMMUNITY STAR AWARD RECIPIENT 

SAMOAN 

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Dejealous is 23 years old, of Samoan descent and is currently studying Law and Pacific Studies at the University of Auckland. She has been an active volunteer, mentor and leader for a wide range of charities and organisations. From being the President of ASTRA Auckland (community service club), coordinator of health packs for Starship, being an ambassador for the Heart foundation, being a Marshall for the annual PRIDE Festiva and being a blood donor to shaking a bucket for the breast cancer foundation, all this was done out of her passion to love and serve others.

She’s always had a particular passion for working with youth with disabilities and for the past 5 years, has worked closely with the special needs community through volunteering for Recreate New Zealand, Star Jam, and the Auckland Down Syndrome Association. In 2016, she received the Sunpix Emerging Leadership Award, and more recently became the first runner up for the Miss Samoa New Zealand pageant.…more

Upcoming movie release 'The Legend of Baron To'a' boasts an all-star Pasifika and Māori cast starring Uli Latukefu, Nathaniel Lees, Jay Laga’aia, John Tui, Shavaughn Ruakere and Fasitua Amosa alongside rising stars Duane Evans Jr. and Lotima Pome’e (General Fiyah).

‘The Legend of Baron To’a’ tells the story of Fritz, a Tongan entrepreneur who returns to his old neighbourhood and inadvertently causes the theft of his late father’s valued pro wrestling title belt by some ruthless gangsters led by ‘man-mountain’ Tahu. When negotiation and diplomacy fail to get it back, he is forced to embrace his father’s legacy to reclaim the title.

'Hunt for the Wilderpeople' meets 'Kung-Fu Hustle' in this action-packed urban adventure directed by Kiel McNaughton.

SAMSON SETU 

ASPIRING OPERA SINGER/PERFORMER & 

WINNER OF THE 2019 CREATIVE NZ ARTS PASIFIKA, IOSEFA ENARI MEMORIAL AWARD

SAMOAN 

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I was born and raised in South Auckland, grew up in Manurewa - Rewa Hard - for about 17 years of my life.  My family attended a church in Manurewa and still do.  My grandfather was a pastor for that church for a good 20 years.  I also went to Primary School in Manurewa, played Rugby League for the Manurewa Marlins and I'm really proud to be from Manurewa.  I'm a Samoan, my grandparents come from Samoa, my Mums family come from the villages of Vaimoso and Salelologa, Savai'i and my Dads parents come from Fasito'o uta and Fogapoa, Savai'i.…more

In 2011 Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu received a six-month suspended ban from the Rugby World Cup for tweeting that top referee Nigel Owens was biased & racist as well as comparing the treatement of Samoa and other Tier 2 countries at the Cup to slavery and much more.

He explains his frustration with the biased policies of World Rugby to both Close Up (video above) and John Campbell (video below).

"I just want the next generation of Samoan rugby players to be given a level playing field, I want them to stop treating the tier-two teams like crap." - Eliota said in his interview with Close Up 

Sadly the issues Eliota raised in 2011 are still major talking points at this Rugby World Cup in 2019 - biased reffing against the Tier 2 teams in particular when playing Tier 1 teams and an obvious bias towards the Tier 2 teams giving them only three or four day breaks between matches when Tier 1 teams like the All Blacks have up to a week rest in between games.

Jope’s experience of growing up in a household facing domestic violence sparked an interest in gender and politics. His academic research is driven by first hand knowledge of how these social structures affect people’s lives every day.

His experience led him to rethink what it means to be a Fijian man in today’s society and to question the role and power that he has as a man in Fiji.  Jope’s talk invites us all to re-think the Fijian man.  Jope Tarai is a research student and teaching assistant at the University of the South Pacific (USP) who spent his early years growing up in the interior parts of Fiji before moving to Suva.

He is dedicated to research in areas of diplomacy, Pacific politics, youth development, social media and gender where he challenges the traditional structure and asks people to question the status quo. Jope attended Assemblies of God Primary School (A.O.G) and Stella Maris before moving to Marist Brothers High School (MBHS) before completing his tertiary studies at the University of the South Pacific (USP).