Sarai Bareman is one of the most influential women in world sport ⚽️

Hailing from West Auckland, she’s been FIFA’s Chief Women’s Football Officer since 2016, when the role was first created. You might have heard of her brother too - Eugene Baremen is the coach of UFC stars Israel Adesanya, Alex Volkanovski, and Dan Hooker.

On the back of this year’s record-breaking Women’s World Cup, Between Two Beers spoke to her about organising the tournament and the chaos of Opening Day, as well as her fight against corruption and sexism in football.

As the excitement continues to build, fans of The Voice Australia are now firmly entrenched in the Callbacks stage of the competition.

With the Blind Auditions having concluded, the stakes are higher than ever as contestants face off in groups of three, vying for a spot in the upcoming Battle Rounds. The pressure is on as one singer advances directly to the Battles, another earns a second chance in the Ultimate Callback, and sadly, one hopeful's journey comes to an end.

With emotions running high and the judges, as well as the audience, holding their breath, the Callbacks stage has proven to be a true test of both talent and skill.

This season of The Voice Australia has been particularly special for its Pasifika contestants who have captivated both the judges and the audience with their skills.

Among them, Samoan crooner Marley Sola stands out as a shining star.…more

By Loveni Enari

Is it time to start dreaming once more?

Just like in 1991, 1995 and 1999, those being the last golden years of Manu Samoa rugby when they successfully navigated the pool stages and made the quarter finals of a World Cup.

The boys in royal blue were millimetres away from beating Ireland, the world number one last Saturday and, according to team manager Faautu Talapusi, it may be a sign of better things to come.

'The team was absolutely heartbroken and you could see they absolutely believed they could beat Ireland but they fell short,' said Talapusi from their current base in Perpignan.

'The win was there for the taking.' 

So near, yet so far ... just what the doctor ordered ... just not good enough ... an inch is as good as a mile ... plenty to be pleased about ... stands us in good stead for the tournament ...…more

In 2018 & 2019, the Rise UP Academy primary school in Mangere were part of Ngā Tau Tuanguahuru (‘looking beyond for ten more years’), a longitudinal study of Māori and Pacific educational and family success.

77 Pacific students aged between 5-19yrs of age from five South Auckland schools (including the Rise UP Academy) were asked what success and 'doing well' means to them - what helps, what stands in their way and how they overcome barriers to success and doing well.

Last week the researchers who are funded by Foundation North held a special screening of a short video they had put together to share the results from the study which captured the voices of Pacific students. 

The celebration and screening was held at the Mangere Arts Centre and attended by both the students who had taken part in the study as well as their families.…more

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