Maria Tutaia joins tennis stars on streets of Newmarket!
Traffic stopped for a celebrity tennis match on the streets of Newmarket, Auckland in preparation for the upcoming ASB Classic next Monday.
A section of popular Auckland shopping destination Newmarket was closed off on Sunday as tennis stars Ana Ivanovic and Caroline Wozniacki had a friendly few hits with Silver Fern Maria Tutaia and TV host Makere Bradnam.
The ASB Classic favourties went head-to-head with their Kiwi partners right in the middle of Broadway on a makeshift tennis court spanning the entire road.
Silver Fern Maria Tutaia - the only one of the four without a background in tennis - was paired with Wozniacki. The pair lost both sets gracefully to Ivanovic and Bradnam.
"Well, for me it was pretty easy, I'm quite the tennis guru!" Tutaia joked.
Bradnam said it was an awesome opportunity to smack the ball around with her heroes.…more
Humans Of The Islands - Seuta'afili Patrick Saulmatino Thomsen
Seutaafili Patrick Saulmatino Thomsen
31 years old
Samoan
Where do you come from and where are you currently located?
I was born in Auckland New Zealand, my village in Samoa is Vaimoso, and I grew up in Manurewa. After living in Korea for the last 7 years, I recently moved to Seattle, Washington, USA.
What are you currently doing with your life?
I completed my MA in International studies at Seoul National University in Korea a couple of years ago. After that, I moved to Seattle and I’m now a PhD student at the Jackson School of International Studies, University of Washington.
Is this where you'd planned to be?
In all honesty, I wanted to be in entertainment or sport, like most poly kids of my time. I left New Zealand at 25 years old, to go on my OE to South Korea - that was only meant to last one year!
I ended up doing further study there. During my MA studies, I fell in love with the research and made up my mind to pursue my PhD.…more
Pacific Youth amongst The Queen's Young Leaders winners
The Queen's Young Leaders Programme discovers, celebrates and supports exceptional young people from across the Commonwealth - which include Youth Leaders from the Pacific!
Last year the search was launched to find exceptional young people to receive the first ever Queen’s Young Leaders Awards. Hundreds of applications flooded in from incredible young people all dedicated to making lasting change in their community and beyond.
The Queen’s Young Leader Award recognises and celebrates exceptional people aged 18-29 from across the Commonwealth, who are taking the lead in their communities and using their skills to transform lives. Winners of this prestigious Award will receive a unique package of training, mentoring and networking, including a one-week residential programme in the UK during which they will collect their Award from Her Majesty The Queen.
Amongst those recognised from the Pacific include:
Aiona Prescott TONGA
Easter Tekafa Niko TUVALU
Luisa Tuilau FIJI
Mary Siro VANUATU
Salmon Parairua SOLOMON ISLANDS
Seini Fisi'Ihoi PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Tabotabo Auatabu KIRIBATI
Unique Harris NAURU
To see the full list, check out https://www.queensyoungleaders.com
SBW sparks conflict with graphic images of dead children
Sonny Bill Williams tweeted extremely graphic images of two dead children after returning from Syrian refugee camps in Lebanon, demanding to know what they had done to deserve death.
The two images, which thecoconet.tv has chosen not to publish due to their graphic nature, show young children lying on the ground with wounds to their heads, torso and legs.
"What did these children do to deserve this?" SBW tweeted on Tuesday evening.
Williams recently returned from visiting a Syrian refugee camp in Lebanon as a Unicef ambassador working to bring awareness to the plight of the children and their families living in the camps.
The All Black star said his time at the temporary settlements at Faida in the Bekaa Valley, made him realise how "ignorant" of the refugee crisis he was.
He continues, "This summer share a thought for the innocent lives lost everyday in war,"
Early mixed reactions to Williams' tweet were followed by a flood of support on Twitter.…more
As a Pacific person, you are someone.
Last week, I shared my thoughts on the media’s storytelling of the sad death of Tevita Ba Daunibau. Like you, he was someone. A son, grandson, nephew, cousin, friend, and a valuable, young Pacific person. His life was meaningful, and his death – a tragedy. The media barely mentioned his name, only giving a small bite to the reader, leaving a person like me – a person who cares – starving for more.
You are More
Tevita was more than a gang member, more than a few lines in a news article. He was a person and he was one of our own. Lovingly raised by God-fearing grandparents, loved by his family and respected by his friends, he brought life and laughter to those who knew him. After 10 years in the Australian Army, he was discharged due to post-traumatic stress disorder, and later joined a bikie gang. The fact that he joined both the defence force and a gang tell me he was looking to belong to something bigger than himself.…more
FIJI: Just another Island boy living in America
He's one of the pioneers of the island reggae sound and continues to represent the Polynesian culture and music scene to this day. Fiji's voice is soulful and moving. Coupled with the fluid sound from the islands of the Pacific and the strong cultural roots and history, his music refuses to be categorized and boxed up. It's reggae, R&B, hip hop...it's island music.
You can close your eyes, listen to Fiji, and be taken anywhere you choose. It's spiritual. It's grimy. It's about love. It's about community. It's about culture. It's about truth.
All of it comes from "just another island boy living in America."
All Images Copyright Brad Puet
On who Fiji is:
I've had a pretty humble beginning. I was born in Fiji. Where I was born was regarded as a ghetto in a garrison. Even though we were in a very poor area, it was full of athletes, musicians, and artists. As I was growing up, I had a lot of musicians to look up to. A lot of them were my uncles.…more
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and the great 'King Tonga'
The Rock is known for not only looking out for his fans, but also his family - check out his awesome Facebok post about his Uncle - King Tonga!
Years later and I get a call from WWE saying "Vince McMahon wants to see you wrestle immediately. He's flying you to RAW tomorrow and you'll have a tryout match." I thought holy shit that's awesome, buuuut there's a few problems: For me, I wasn't just having "a tryout match", because I had never actually HAD a real match in my life. Ever.…more
World First for Samoan Doctor
A proud daughter of Samoa is set to achieve a first for the region.
When Satualafaalagilagi Dr. Leinani Salamasina Aiono Le-Tagaloa graduates as a Pain Specialist, she is likely to become not only the first Samoan to achieve the feat, she could also be the first Pacific islander with such a qualification.
A Pain Specialist or pain management specialist, is a medical doctor who specialises in pain medicine. Pain medicine is a medical specialty that focuses on the evaluation, treatment, and prevention of pain.
Speaking to the Sunday Samoan, Satualafaalagilagi said she is humbled by her achievement and she wants to use it to motivate other Samoans.
“There are many Samoans who are popular in sports but the world should know that we do have brains as well,” she said.
“This is what I am proud of, is to have Samoa be the first and that’s my pride.”
Satuala is the daughter of a former Member of Parliament, Le Tagaloa Pita and the late Aiono Dr. Fanaafi.…more
Jarryd Hayne back in business!
After being banished to the 49ers' practice squad for almost two months, Jarryd Hayne became the team's top running back option in today's game.
His time in the practice squad quickly paid off, Hayne showing the power and speed that made him an NRL star, including an 11-yard run that put quarterback Blaine Gabbert in a position to connect with tight end Vance McDonald for the first touchdown of the game.
Hayne also showed his toughness, with one highlight late in the second half when he was hit by the Lions' 185cm tall, 110kg linebacker Josh Bynes, but bounced off and kept moving forward for a three yard gain and, more importantly, a first down.
The former rugby league star had five receptions and nine carries for a combined 47 yards at running back, including the 11-yard run that set up the 49ers' first touchdown.
Humans Of The Islands - Keith Waldron Moala
Keith Waldron Moala
Telecommunications Engineer
Tongan
How did you start your career in Telecommunications?
I was only 18 years old at the time when a British company offshore called Cable and Wireless came to Tonga. It was 1976 and it was the first Satellite dish ever brought to Tonga. I was so excited and I wanted to know about it so I applied for a job as a trainee technician. Before this, the way we communicated with the outside world was through radio high frequency and we only had one or two radio channels to New Zealand and you would have to shout down the phone line for people to hear you properly from Tonga. So Cable and Wireless started the first Satellite communication in the country. I spent ten years with them was able to replace the expatriate who was a British Engineer, and look after the Satellite station for the country.…more