The 20th Pacific Music Awards took place at the Due Drop Events Centre in Manukau last night  (Thursday 29th Aug).  

The event marked a milestone in Aotearoa’s music history, signifying two decades of celebrating  Pasifika contributions to the New Zealand music scene.  

The atmosphere ran electric as musicians, friends, families and entire communities gathered to  celebrate the achievements of the years nominated finalists.  

The first award for the evening, the Most Promising Artist Award, went to brother and sister country duo Miti. The Porirua raised siblings dedicated the award to their parents and remarked  “This is so surreal.…more

The Paris 2024 Paralympics kick off 29th August 6:00am NZST (28th Aug 1pm CT, USA) and for the first time ever there will be 13 Pacific athletes competing.

The record breaking Pacific registration was celebrated by the Oceania Paralympic Committee who remarked that ‘this moment represented years of preparation, sacrifice and determination.”

The Pacific cohort boasts representation from 6 pacific nations - Fiji, Tonga, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and Kiribati.

The 13 strong Pacific athlete squad consists of 7 women and 6 men competing across the para-taekwando and the para-athletics.…more

Celebrity Treasure Island is BACK and the cast includes a cohort of Pacific household names!

Bubbah - Samoan

Bubbah the comedian/writer/actor from South Auckland known for her crack up videos online, and backyard comedy shows put on for her beloved Saute Aukilani - and of course Tina from Turners! She’s taken mainstream media by storm with her most recent appearance in Taskmasters NZ. 

Bubbah is supporting the Pillars Charity “I chose Pillars NZ because they do mean as mahi with children of prisoners. A lot of their work is done with love and care in facilitating a space for families to grow and heal while their family members serve their prison sentence.…more

There are five Pasifika wāhine in the 2024 Y25 (25 young wāhine and irarere under 25 yrs who are fighting for better systems, communities, and worlds)!

The Y25 programme is a celebration of self-identified wāhine and tāhine, 25 years and under, doing incredible things for their communities and world. Get to know them and their incredible work here!

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ANNAFINAU ESETA PONITA TUKUITOGA

Country Music Star / Niuean Language Activist

Niuean-Fijian Annafinau is a rising country music/ bluegrass star who received the Creative New Zealand ‘Arts, Culture and Creativity Award' at a ceremony for the Prime Minister’s Pacific Youth Awards at the Beehive in 2022. Annafinau’s music has resonated in spaces across Aotearoa, which was acknowledged in the title she was given as ‘New Zealand Country Music Youth Ambassador’ by the PM.

This bright afine Niue is a testament to the warrior women who raised her. From her beautiful Nan to her incredible Mum, she often says that the strong women in her life shaped her world and that she wouldn't be who she is without them.…more

Pacific peoples are some of the best storytellers in the world. Pre-colonisation oratory storytelling was held in the highest regard because it was through myths and legends we preserved our cultural heritage.

The stories passed from generation to generation taught valuable and important life
lessons, and in some cases, these lessons were essential to our survival.

Before we continue, do you know the difference between a myth and a legend?

Myths are works of fiction created to explain the unexplainable.

Take, for example, the myth of The Creation of Pukapuka. In short, Te Ulu O Te Watu (The Head of the Rock or Pukapuka) came to be when the God Tamayei, who was traveling, grew tired and needed somewhere to rest. From the sea, he summoned Pukapuka, and from within Pukapuka emerged its first man Mataalki. Fun fact Pukapuka is the only island in the Cook Islands whose population story doesn’t include an arrival on a vaka.…more

Last week the Cook Islands celebrated 59 years of Self-Governing. In Avaiki Nui, Te Kuki Airani, this momentous occasion is affectionately marked by Te Maeva Nui (The Grand Celebration.)

Te Maeva Nui is arguably the most vibrant week in the Cook Islands calendar. The nation’s capital runs electric as Cook Islanders from the Pa Enua (outer islands) and overseas flock to Rarotonga eager to represent their respective islands and villages on the stage of the National Auditorium.

The week that unfolds is one filled with float parades, trade and the most cutting edge and unique Cook Islands dancing, singing, drumming and costumes making.

Preparations for Te Maeva Nui begin months in advance with group leaders attempting to secure the best composers, choreographers, costume makers, musicians and dancers to represent their island or village.

With a population of only 17,000 people, every Cook Islander knows who the heavy hitters of Te Maeva Nui are. You know, the people who are going to elevate the performances and take their teams to the A-grade category.…more

“A strong culture means a strong team”

The very first Pasifika Rugby League team in Aotearoa was the legendary ‘Samoana’ team from Dunedin in the early 1960s, now a new exhibition at the Hocken Library in Dunedin shines a light on the ragtag team and their extraordinary success on the field. 

‘Samoana’ made up of scholarship students and Samoan locals, was formed in the wake of local NZ rugby teams not seeing the value of Pasifika players, and the low Pasifika playing representation across rugby and league codes. 

Proving them spectacularly wrong, the newly formed team smashed a series of South Island league championships to remain undefeated in a 3 year run. In their first season, 1964, Samoana triumphed over the local competition, with 18 wins of19 games played, their success saw them dominate the sport for the next 3 years, winning local and South Island titles.…more

Down, But Not Out. 

In the opening weekend of the 2024 Summer Olympics, three very different boxers took to the ring, each with extraordinary pressures on them. Though none would be victorious in their match, it was in many ways what happened off the ring that made them simply competing vitally important to both their nations and the wider Pacific community. 

Fe’ofa’aki Epenisa is the first female boxer to compete for Tonga at the Olympics, which you may have already heard about. What you might not know is that boxing was banned in Tonga less than a decade ago. 

In 2018 a letter was sent from then Education Minister Penisimani Fifira to Tonga High School issuing a ban on rugby and boxing. The ban made international headlines, with rugby the focus, partly because Jonah Lomu remains the most famous pacific rugby player of all time. The boxing ban was a bit of an add on to most stories, but it was a big deal for female boxers because the ban was not about safety.…more

Pacific Kids Learning: The organization dedicated to creating Educational Pacific Content for the young Pacific Generations to come. 

Pacific Kids Learning (PKL) continues to make significant strides in the education space, specifically in Pacific education. Earlier this month, PKL hosted their 4th Digital Showcase at Hoyts Cinemas in Sylvia Park, presenting “Digital Navigators: Legacy of the Islands.” This compelling feature-length film highlights the adventures of two spirited children from South Auckland, 'Alisi and Semisi,' as they explore the islands of Te Moana Nui a Kiwa through digital storytelling.

PKL’s rapid growth, from their first digital showcase at the Māngere Arts Centre four years ago to this grand presentation at HOYTS, is a testament to the dedication of its founders—parents who are passionate about creating Pacific-led children’s content. 

Co-Founder & Education Director Theresa Tupuola-Sorenson expressed her passion for educating the next generation of Pacific kids “it's about nurturing all children as if they were your own.…more