Hawaiian/Samoan MMA fighter Max 'Blessed' Holloway was brought to tears at the UFC Singapore press conference talking about the Maui fires.

The 'Blessed Express' takes on the Korean Zombie in the early hours of Sunday morning and shared in the presser above that seeing the faces of family and children that had lost their lives in this Hawaii News Now post really hit him hard. 

“I always go in there with Hawaii on my back, but it feels a little bit heavier now” he concluded. 

He announced that in honour of the lives lost in the fire his walkout song would be dedicated to those who had been lost in the fire and the heroes like the fire fighters who are still doing what they can.

He will also be wearing red trunks for the first time in his UFC fight career in solidarity with the people of Lahaina.

For those wanting to donate directly to families affected by the fires go to @lahaina_ohana_venmo and donate.

By Loveni Enari

The Waltons was a 1970s TV series that became world famous while the Jacksons were simply world famous. Now there are some new Waltons on the scene but unlike the country folk from the series, this family are definitely more Jacksons in style!

Meet brothers Bowie and Kaia Walton.

From Byron Bay in Australia they are of Polynesian, Melanesian and white Australian stock, and they are about to Rock you. Well Bowie already is, playing the role of Roman Reigns in the series, The Young Rock.

'It was funny because I had to yell it out at first,' says 11 year old Bowie, referring to his shouting at the screen, 'Acknowledge me!'

'The best thing about it is the experience, because each time you do something you have more experience and you can go on and do more.'

Bowie talks the talk on the screen, but he also walks the sports walk.…more

"I don't know if I have a fairy godmother or my ancestors had some say in it, but I was able to do something tonight that I didn't think was possible," Tausaga said after smashing her personal best and snatching Gold at the World Athletics Championships.

The 25 year old made history when she stunned the crowd in Budapest with her personal best throw of 69.49 to win the first ever Gold medal in women’s Discus throw for an American at the World Athletic Championships.

She follows in the footsteps of fellow Samoan Beatrice Faumuina ONZM, who won Gold for New Zealand at the 1997 World Athletic Championships.

Prior to this meet Tausaga had finished last twice in the finals at the World Athletic Championships and she went into this years final with a personal best of 65.46 metres.  She obliterated her personal best by 4 metres.…more

By Loveni Enari

Feel like a dose of Samoan pride this weekend?  There’s a club team from Samoa looking to win at least four gold medals at the National Taekwondo championships in Kohimarama (19-20 Aug 2023).

The Barfoot and Thompson Stadium is hosting the tournament and Samoan club KLAS Taekwondo have arrived with big expectations.

According to the head coach Leuluaitumua Tapunuu Kaino Thomsen-Fuataga, anything less than four golds will be a disappointment.

Thomsen-Fuataga, himself a former Olympian and Oceania gold medalist, and current head coach of the Samoa national team:  "If we don’t get at least four golds we won’t be happy".

"We've got four national team members here who will be aiming to take out gold and I’m well aware of the level of competition they’ll be facing" he said from their base at Ngati Otara marae.

Those four members are Oswald Tapelu (-68kg), Ryan Eteuati (-74kg), Irae Mose Simi, (87kg+), and the only female from the national team, Tovale Filipo (-57kg) category.…more

By Thomas Airey

The Matildas, already Australia’s favourite team in sports long before the FIFA Women’s World Cup, are smashing every record there is for crowd attendance, television ratings and merchandise sales on their historic run in the tournament.

The nationwide interest is unprecedented but thanks to one forward’s starring role in the success it has been equalled in a village in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.

A massive banner suspended over one of their streets reads ‘Kira Kira Village, the home of Koita Maiyago, Mary Boio Fowler’.

That means girl from our tribe – Fowler was born in Cairns but her mother Nido is from there and that’s where she met her husband, Mary’s Irish father Kevin.

Kira Kira has been draped in green and gold to support the Matildas, with hundreds gathering around TVs outside to watch each game wearing shirts and hats with Fowler’s number 11 printed on.

Her uncle Nabura Geita explained to the Papua New Guinea Post-Courier that his village was mainly into volleyball and cricket.…more

by Loveni S. Enari

After the wonderful scenes of Don Bosco Technical College, resplendent in the pouring rain, wowing, no - absolutely smashing the International Va'a opening ceremony in Apia Harbour yesterday - at 7:30am today, it was business time.

The Under 19 men kicked off the championship and Samoa came in an honourable fourth behind race favourites, Tahiti, Aotearoa and Hawaii, in that order.

The final medal table on 18 August will look similar, with a very tight struggle expected between perrenial champs, Tahiti and the always strong Kiwis, with permission of Hawaii, Australia and the Cook Islands.

The opening ceremony and march past were well supported and provided spectacularly festive images of the beach front road for the rest of the world.…more

August 11th 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of hip hop - an art form that has helped influence so much of pop culture in the USA where it was birthed and around the world even down to tiny island nations & communities in the South Pacific.

Hip hop historians are able to pinpoint the date because a party in the Bronx on August 11th 1973 was when DJ Kool Herc debuted his 'merry go round' technique of playing funk breaks back to back.  The event inspired DJs, breakdancers, graffiti artists, and eventually MCs in the early 80s which is when the culture spread beyond New York.

To honour the legacy and influence of this now global culture, we asked a number of our Pasifika hip hop artists who their all time favourite hip hop artist is or who would be the most influential hip hop artist in their career.

We start with Gawtti from the legendary Boo Yaa T.R.I.B.E (the group of Samoan brothers who are celebrated as the pioneers of Samoan and Polynesian hip hop).…more

In the heart of Manurewa, MJ Fau Fuimaono Latu has captured the hearts of many with his extraordinary journey. Born and raised in South Auckland, MJ attends Finlayson Park School, a decile 1 school that has become the backdrop of his inspiring story.

MJ is the son of Anthony and Teresa Latu, hailing from the village of Samata i Uta, Samoa. Described as ‘very reserved’ by his mother, his early years were spent in homeschooling, but now embraces school work with enthusiasm. 

Through sheer determination and unwavering dedication, MJ triumphed over numerous challenges to secure the prestigious Buchanan Charitable Trust Scholarship for Kings School/College - an accomplishment that holds a value of over $200,000.

MJ's pursuit of this life-changing scholarship began with stiff competition. Numerous applicants vied for the award, but MJ's brilliance and hard work set him apart. He passed the preliminary assessments and testing day, securing a spot in the top 5 finalists; and then went on to be shortlisted among the top 3 finalists for the final interview.…more

MORGAN HOGG

MULTIDISCIPLINARY ARTIST 

COOK ISLANDS