OLINA LOAU - AUSTRALIA GOT TALENT GRAND FINAL PERFORMANCE
Olina Loau's stunning rendition of Andrew Lloyd Webber's iconic ballad 'Don't cry for me Argentina' in the Grand Final of Australia's Got Talent. She had previously received 2 Golden Buzzers to put her straight through to the Grand Final but missed out to Pole Dancing Mum Kristy Sellars.
Leading up to the final she had also visited this Mt Druitt Hospital's palliative & supportive care unit to sing 'Hallelujah' to Brenda, a terminally ill patient. There wasn't a dry eye in the room as staff and carers watched the emotional duet.
RUGBY WORLD CUP HIGHLIGHTS - PACIFIC TEAMS WEEK 1
All 3 of our Pacific teams have started their 2019 Rugby World Cup campaigns with Samoa taking on Russia last night. All of them are looking to make it past the Pool rounds of the tournament and will need vital bonus points and good for/against points differential to get them there.
Our week 1 extended highlights thanks to the Rugby World Cup include Fiji vs Australia (vid above), Tonga vs England and Samoa vs Russia (video highlights below)
Tonga vs England
Samoa vs Russia
With Fiji set to take on Uruguay tonight and USA still to play in Tonga's pool we only have Pool A's standing so far and Samoa have taken a good lead.
WOMEN OF THE ISLANDS - VENNA TOHILIMA & AMA HEMANA
WOMEN OF THE ISLANDS - VENNA TOHILIMA & AMA HEMANA
OWNERS & MANAGERS of LASHFIX
NIUEAN/SAMOAN
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We are two Samoan/Niuean sisters. Venna (32) & Ama (25), we grew up in Ranui (West Auckland). Just like most Pacific Island parents, our parents worked in factory jobs most of their life. Some weeks working up to 80 hours a week. Even after all of those hours of working, our parents still dedicated a couple of hours to maintaining our house. They were proud to own their home and made sure the paint wasn’t faded or grass didn’t over grow. They always talked about us inheriting their home when they pass.…more
RUGBY WORLD CUP 2019 - A PACIFIC ISLANDS PLAYER GUIDE
Our 3 Pacific Islands rugby teams have bowed out of the 2019 Rugby World Cup at the end of Pool Play.
We've put together a Pacific Islands player guide so you can see which other teams have Pacific Islanders playing in them that you can now support with our island nations no longer in the playoffs mix.
We've counted 55 players of Pacific Islands heritage playing for 8 other countries so if any one of those countries win the Rugby World Cup - we've all won!
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FIJI
Fijians you can support in other country's teams:
AUSTRALIA
Isi Naisarani, Samu Kerevi, Tevita Kuridrani & Marika Koroibete
ENGLAND
Joe Cokanasiga
FRANCE
Virimi Vakatawa & Alivereti Raka
JAPAN
Michael Leitch
NEW ZEALAND
Sevu Reece
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TONGA
Tongans you can support in other countries teams:
AUSTRALIA
Folau Fainga'a, Tolu Latu, Adam Coleman, Sekope Kepu & Taniela Tupou
ENGLAND
Billy Vunipola & Mako Vunipola
JAPAN
Asaeli Ai Valu, Uve Helu, Amanaki Lelei Mafi, William Tupou, Ataata Moeakiola, Lomano Lemeki & Isileli Nakajima Vakauta
NEW ZEALAND
Shannon Frizzell, Richie Mo'unga, Atunaisa Moli & Ofa Tu'ungafasi,
USA
Paul Lasike & Olive Kilifi
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PACIFIC SETTLEMENT SUPPORT SERVICES OPENS IN AUCKLAND
Pacific Settlement Support Services, a first of its kind service in New Zealand, was set up 3 months ago by 3 Samoan women, Zeprina Fale, Laura Keil-Hall and Mandy Si'itia through a collaboration between their organisations. Zeprina and Mandy through Bluespur Charitable Trust and Laura through LKH Consulting. Laura also owns and runs The Pacific Business Hub.…more
FROZEN, UMU BAKED BREADFRUIT FOR EXPORT
Families and friends outside of Samoa can now receive umu baked ‘ulu (breadruit) in the frozen form, to be microwaved and ready to eat!
Tuimaseve Kuinimeri Finau and her Food Science team in Samoa are collaborating again with Su’as Traditional Growers & Farmers to ship frozen, umu baked ‘ulu to Australia as an additional new product via sea freight, the more economical route for exporting frozen crops. Products have been prepared since the beginning of the fruiting season, packed and labelled.
Fresh and even baked breadfruit through personal consignment from Samoa has been banned by New Zealand for more than five years. In May this year the Scientific Research Organisation of Samoa collaborated with Event Polynesia Ltd (marketing) and Oasis Resources Ltd (importer) two companies based in Auckland New Zealand, allowing 243 packs of traditionally umu baked, frozen Maopo and Puou to be air freighted over.…more
IHUMATAO - FOR THE LOVE OF THE LAND
By Sapati Apa
The walk to the frontline at Ihumatao is a cold and windy one, the air is heavy and I can barely get a proper breath in as I put one gumboot in front of the other. It’s ten minutes past 1:00am, and I’ve volunteered for a frontline shift that starts after midnight, and finishes just as the sun rises at 7.
In all honesty, I don’t want to be here. I’d rather be anywhere else than trekking through the muddy grounds, wearing five jackets and still being unable to feel my toes. I’m not a bush girl.…more
HUMANS OF THE ISLANDS - ALI COWLEY
ALI COWLEY
ARTIST
SAMOAN
My full name is Ali Ekeroma Cowley and I was born in the Year of the Dog. I am married to Donna Michele Cowley, née Waetford, Ngātiwai. We have four children and live in Manurewa, South Auckland. My parents are from the Island of Upolu in Samoa. My mother Hanamoa Cowley, née Ekeroma, is from Vaimoso and my father, Alofipoi Tupa’i Utupo Henry Cowley, is from Vaigaga. They migrated individually to Aotearoa in the early 60s, met and married in the late 60s and had three kids. They bought their first house in Mangere, South Auckland in 1973.
I admire my parents very much and missed them when they went to work. Mum was a maternity nurse and dad worked in construction, so they were working opposite times of the day. They supported my art when I was little. Dad drew cowboys for me which really sparked my imagination and fascination with creating images on blank paper using only a pen.…more
FIRE RESISTANT COCONUT HUSKS CAN REPLACE WOOD & SAVE MILLIONS OF TREES
Each year, more than 70 billion coconuts are consumed and their hairy shells become waste.
Dutch start up company Cocopallet decided to make pallets out of them that are stronger, cheaper and much more sustainable than the wooden alternative.
They have developed a technique to press 100% bio-based export compliant pallets for Asian exporters.
Currently, these exporters use 1.7 billion wooden pallets per year, causing 170 million trees to be harvested. CocoPallet saves millions of trees, heavily reducing our carbon footprint while paying farmers for their waste and saving costs for customers.
Check out more of the uses for Coconuts here:
RUGBY: MANU SAMOA LEGEND PAPALI'ITELE PETER FATIALOFA INDUCTED INTO THE WORLD RUGBY HALL OF FAME
Video above - Interview with Papali'itele Pita "Fats" Fatialofa by Asia Women's Rugby on his team's performance and women's sevens in Samoa at the Asia Pacific Women's Sevens 2013
World Rugby announced that six legends of the game in Richie McCaw (New Zealand), Shiggy Konno (Japan), Os du Randt (South Africa), Peter Fatialofa (Samoa), Graham Henry (New Zealand) and Diego Ormaechea (Uruguay) would be inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame in 2019.
The World Rugby Hall of Fame presented by Tudor recognises those who have made an outstanding contribution to the game of rugby throughout their careers, while also demonstrating rugby's character-building values of integrity, passion, solidarity, discipline and respect.
The 2019 inductees were honoured at the World Rugby Awards in Tokyo on the 3rd November, the day following the Rugby World Cup 2019 final. The ceremony was held at The Prince Park Tower during a night dedicated to the game with important members of the rugby family.
Peter's wife Annie attended to accept the award on his behalf.…more