“I don’t know where else we could have gone” – Emergency Housing for Pacific families
via Pasifika Medical Association Group
"I don’t know where else we could’ve got this help, with the way we were provided with food and accommodation. I don’t know where else we could have gone." - Citizen Halafihi and his family have been so appreciative of the help and support they've received from both Pasifika Futures and the Fono after he was unable to return home after quarantining in MIQ facilities.
When he came out, members of his family were having to self-isolate due to being at a location of interest.
The use of self-isolation for Delta containment has added additional stress for some Pacific families as their circumstances have sometimes made it difficult to comply with health authority directives.
Pasifika Futures (PFL) - the Whanau Ora commissioning agency for Pacific families – are conscious of this and similar challenges so throughout this entire period have provided where appropriate and necessary - emergency accommodation for Pacific individuals and families affected by the Delta outbreak.…more
JASON MOMOA - Dune Awaits: Becoming Duncan Idaho
Jason Momoa gives us a sneak peak at getting ready and training to become Duncan Idaho in the upcoming blockbuster movie "DUNE"
Pacific Islands Dance Class Pt3
Our Pacific Dance teacher Charlene Tedrow of 'Ura Tabu' is back to get us moving while we're at home on lockdown.
Be sure to try out her first two classes in the links below.
Get fit and learn these beautiful Pacific dance moves at the same time!
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Island Dance Class Pt1
https://www.thecoconet.tv/coco-talanoa/health-well-being/island-dance-classes/
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Island Dance Class Pt2
https://www.thecoconet.tv/coco-talanoa/health-well-being/island-dance-classes-pt2/
#FitnessInTheFale - Learn this dance routine with 'The Royal Family's Justyce Petelo
Samoan/Maori dancer Justyce Petelo takes you through an "easy, cute" dance routine you can learn at home!
'The Royal Family' dancer breaks down all the steps for you right here and then you can dance it through with him at the end.
Upload your videos doing the routine and tag in both @theCoconetTV and @JustycePetelo on Instagram so we can see how you're doing and share with our Coco fam!
Samoa's HRPP Party sworn in - 17th Parliament of Samoa officially convened
All's well that ends well ...
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Friday 17th September
10.30am NZT -
Samoa Observer reports that ahead of the 18 HRPP elected Members of Parliament swearing-in ceremony this morning, Samoa’s two dominant parties have finally set aside their differences, in what would hopefully bring to an end the four-months running political crisis.
Former Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi shook hands with his successor Fiame Naomi Mataafa as her Cabinet Ministers and Members arrived for Friday’s session of the House.
Read the full article here
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Parliament Sitting Friday 17 Sept 2021. HRPP's 18 elected members being sworn in (video below - click thru to watch on facebook)
Thursday 16th September
4pm NZT -
#BREAKING The Supreme Court has ruled in favour of the Human Rights Protection Party and ordered the Speaker of the House to swear in the party’s members who were elected in April’s national poll.…more
Ikuna Taste, Making Healthy Treats Accessible To Everyone.
Ikuna taste is more than just a business but a family with a passion to provide treats that are nourishing to our bodies and environment.
Run by Tongan Entrepreneur Pauline Fotu-Moala, Ikuna Taste offers carefully made products that is raw, organic, and natural. Their costumers rave on about their products such as cheesecakes, cookies and brownies. The icing on the cake of these delicious treats is that they’re plant based and keto friendly.
The name of the business comes from the friendly islands of Tonga. In translation “Ikuna” simply means to “Conquer”. The word is often used by Tongan’s to describe a victorious moment of overcoming a significant hurdle life.
“IKUNA is never used lightly however is often expressed with humility and gratitude towards goals and aspirations endured”, says the team at the Auckland based business.
Its proud owner Pauline started her business after finding a gap in the market for raw, organic, healthy and tasty treats in her home of South Auckland.…more
Jordan Mailata with the richest contract ever earned by an Australian in the NFL
Samoan NFL player Jordan Mailata officially signed a massive four year contract extension with the Philadelphia Eagles as first reported by ESPN - the deal is worth US $64 million which could go up to US $80 million if he meets performance bonus clauses, with US $40.85 million guaranteed.
The deal also puts him near the top of the highest earning Australian athletes and News.com.au reported it as the richest contract ever earned by an Australian in the NFL.
In his first post game press conference this season he told reporters he felt extremely blessed to receive the contract extension "It gives me an opportunity to represent my family, my country and my people".
He also opened up on where some of his money would be going to "I’ve been wanting to buy my parents a house, I can finally do that”.…more
Breaking down Covid-19 information for our Samoan aiga (in Samoan)
A group of young Samoans at the centre of one of the AOG clusters in Auckland have been working hard to break down information to their aiga and community who have tested positive for the virus.
They made this video to help the many elderly people who had tested positive to understand the process. Many of the older Pasifika members of their community were traumatised by the positive test and anxious about what would happen to them.
The young students who put the video together to help them based on Ministry of Health information, hope it may help other people with the testing, social distancing and isolation process as well.
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Click here for Covid-19 information translations in all Pasifika languages
Click this link here for an interactive map on where to find a vaccination clinic near you https://karawhiua.nz/all-clinics/
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Made by Marcus Savelio, Tali Meavale and Ullrich Von Reiche.
VEA MAFILE'O - Tongan Film maker on the rise
Mālō e Lelei, My name is Vea Mafile'o and I am Scottish, English, Māori and Tongan from Tongoleleka, Ha'apai.
We need to have a voice on screen, so Pasifika women get to see stories on screen from our perspectives. Society puts us in such a box especially women of colour, we are all so judgy (I am too) about how we should look, think, act, behave, but as we all know there is no one size fits all.
So we need to know that it's ok to be a mixture of things, to be influenced by many different things, to be made up of different cultures that all have different values, challenges and to adapt to our environment.
We have the right to chose what fits us best, there is no right or wrong way, you are never going to please everyone and so we shouldn't have to. What we go through as women most men will never ever understand, and as brown women, that's adding a whole other layer.…more
WOMEN OF THE ISLANDS - 'OFA-KI-LEVUKA GUTTENBEIL-LIKILIKI
'OFA-KI-LEVUKA GUTTENBEIL-LIKILIKI
WOMENS RIGHTS ACTIVIST & FILM MAKER
TONGAN
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Women’s rights activist, community organiser and filmmaker ‘Ofa Guttenbeil-Likiliki is a courageous Tongan woman who has dedicated her life to telling stories that most people sweep under the fala. She dares to tell harrowing truths of the real life struggles of women in Tonga - survivors who she crosses paths with through her grassroots work to end violence against women and girls.
'Ofa is the Director of the Women & Children Crisis Center (WCCC) in Tonga. A space where women can turn to in a time of need. 'Ofa and her team of 25 don’t just wait for survivors to show up to doors, they work tirelessly on outreach and prevention.
The WCCC team carry out their prevention work through their concept of FOFOLA E FALA KAE FAI HA TALANGA. This means rolling out the mat and holding conversation with communities so that they can carefully unpack lives realities female survivors of violence in Tonga. Ofa and her team also use what they call a ULOA approach.…more