Life in prison given to man for killing human rights activist in Tonga
via RNZ Pacific
A death penalty was seriously considered by Tonga's Lord Chief Justice, before he gave a life sentence on Monday, to the man who admitted the murder of prominent human rights activist Polikalepo "Poli" Kefu in April this year.
Lord Chief Justice Whitten QC, convicted 'Inoke Silongo F. Tonga, a meth addict, of the murder at a beach in Tatakamotonga.
The 27 year-old, who was living at Halaleva and was originally from Vava'u, had pleaded guilty to the murder charge on September 2.
He appeared for sentencing in the Nuku'alofa Supreme Court on October 11.
The injuries inflicted on the victim were among the worst encountered by the court according to Matangi Tonga online.
The murderer had taken alcohol and a heavy dose of meth on the night of the murder.
"Regrettably, the scourge of methamphetamines has been and continues to be felt in Tonga... directly or indirectly, methamphetamines have robbed one innocent of his life and now threaten to end another," the Chief Justice concluded.…more
Aigagalefili on the Inequality of Lockdown | Coco Talanoa
Introducing ... Coco Talanoa!
A podcast-inspired space for Pacific Islanders to unpack current events and have open discussions about their worlds.
In this Talanoa Brianna Frueans sits down (virtually) with Aigagalefili Fepulea'i Tapua'i to discuss the current New Zealand lockdown. They have a casual conversation about the experiences of young people, the working class, and our overall Pasifika aiga struggling in the midst of the Delta variant of Covid 19 Pandemic.
HUMANS OF THE ISLANDS - ERIC SOAKAI
ERIC SOAKAI
POET
SAMOAN/TONGAN
Eric Soakai is a Samoan Tongan activist, artist and academic based out of South Auckland. In his artform Eric explores indigenous storytelling through his lense as a Polynesian man.
The young and talented creative was featured in The Panthers Documentary where he shared a powerful spoken word piece.
We got to catch up with Eric and chat about his art, purpose and passion for telling indigenous stories through poetry.
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You did a powerful spoken word piece as part of the Panthers Rapp doco series - what was the essence of this piece and what drove you to write it?
For me the essence of the piece is ‘ka mua, ka muri’. It is an expression of walking backwards into the future, of recognising we bring all that was of our gafa/whakapapa into a space of potentiality/ what will be. The way I was able to understand better the weight of what this carried was to learn the history behind the different names I carry.…more
Fiji TikTok Highlights
Happy Fijian Language Week! Here are some of our famour TikToks for our Fijian community:
Fijian Comedy
Fijian Kava
Fijian Family Vibes
Fijian Appreciation
Fijian Dancing
Fijians Abroad
WOMEN OF THE ISLANDS - PATRICIA LOGA
PATRICIA LOGA
STUDENT - DOCTORATE IN MANAGEMENT STUDIES
FIJIAN
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My name is Patricia Loga and I am from the village of Tubou in Lakeba, Lau with maternal links to Yaroi in Matuku, Lau. I am a proud 'mum' to my 9 year old daughter Noelani and am currently in New Zealand to pursue a Doctorate in Management studies at Massey University. I was born and raised in Suva and come from a loving Fijian family and I am what they call in Fijian the 'buina' - I am the youngest of my siblings.
You're currently studying towards a PhD in Management history and public history, why is this particular topic important to you and something you wanted to pursue/research?
My PhD research is in the area of management history and public policy. It is titled: "Public Service Motivation in a Post-Conflict State: the case of FIji."
To be honest, I am a complete nerd at heart. I enjoy research and picked up the interest whilst completing my post-graduate studies at the University of the South Pacific.…more
Manurewa community respond to call to get Samoans in Auckland vaccinated
via the Cause Collective
Cover image of Manu Sina assistant coach Cynthia Ta'ala at the Rally Your Village event at the Vodafone Events Centre, via South Seas Healthcare
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A community group of passionate Manurewa residents has responded to the rallying call to increase the vaccination rate for Samoans in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland.
The Samoa I Manurewa Tutū Fa’atasi (Samoans in Manurewa Stand Together) was formed less than ten days ago but is taking a lead to encourage and mobilise Samoans living in the Manurewa area to make the decision to get vaccinated.
Made up of local church leaders, community representatives and young people, Samoa I Manurewa Tutū Fa’atasi will be hosting a two-day vaccination drive through event in Manurewa from tomorrow, Friday 8 October - Saturday 9 October, 9am - 4pm.
Bookings won’t be required for the event held in the Northcrest carpark, 1-13 Maich Road, which has been made available through the Manurewa Business Association.…more
Pasifika Futures complete wrap around support eases stress for new mother in MIQ
Via Pasifika Medical Association Group
Regardless of recent government announcements around changes with Alert Level restrictions for various regions, the demand from Pacific families for support continues to grow and so Pasifika Futures (PFL) - the Whanau Ora commissioning agency for Pacific families – will continue to respond to these needs.
One individual in need was a heavily pregnant 24-year-old Samoan woman, who was transferred into MIQ facilities with her partner and their two children, after being directly affected by a cluster in Auckland. This young mother has requested to stay anonymous but wanted to share her story of gratitude and encouragement for other mothers and young families.
“At first I wasn’t worried because there was still four weeks until my due date so I thought I’d be okay. We were in MIQ for two days before I needed to go to the hospital. That’s when I started to get a little bit scared. I was admitted into hospital on a Monday and gave birth on Tuesday morning.”
The young mum had given birth three weeks before her due date.…more
Kia Manawanui: be strong, steadfast, tolerant, brave, unwavering, and committed.
#Opinion by Taualofa Totu'a
The phrase Kia Manawanui means to be strong, steadfast, tolerant, brave, unwavering, and committed.
To be honest, like so many in our Moana community, I have been uncomfortable with remaining ‘tolerant’ during this lockdown, let alone committed. But not in the way you may think. I am but one of many Pacific youth fully vaccinated, committed to keeping lockdown rules. The worthwhile highlight of scrolling through petty arguments on Twitter, is seeing other youth like Hele and Fili amongst the vaccination volunteers, encouraging our people to get the vax.
Bubble life for my family this time round has improved in some ways and decreased in others. We have 4 of us challenging our internet strength by streaming school, 1 Zooming with their distracted students, another with their patients, and an elder glued to her Radio Samoa Live Facebook stream. My intergenerational bubble has become more reliant on technology than ever before, (our poor power bills). Our once regulated lockdown cooking schedule seems to have given way to mea’ai saiga, Maccas share boxes and toast at 10pm.…more
Sienna Lalau & Parris Goebel - Choreography Queens
Just over a week ago Jennifer Lopez took the stage at the Global Citizen Festival in New York performing a number of her hits and Rihanna dropped her highly anticipated Savage X Fenty Volume 3 fashion show which premiered on Amazon Prime Video.
Vastly different shows but one thing they do have in common - Samoan choreographers!
20 year old Sienna Lalau choreographed Jennifer Lopez' set. Born and raised in Hawai'i before moving to Los Angeles when she was 16, she's worked with Ciara and then J-Lo touring as a dancer with her previously but it wasn't until she collaborated with K-Pop group BTS that her career sky rocketed.
Check out some of her behind the scenes choreography routines for the Global Citizen Show ("If you have my love" choreography by Sienna in the video above) and then J-Lo performing it live in her show in the videos below.…more
NRL superstar Brian To'o's shock proposal after Grand Final win | Wide World of Sports
Brian To'o suprises his girlfriend Sala Moesha Chrichton-Ropati with the big question following his NRL premiership win.
NRL legend Cameron Smith talks to the couple after the Penrith Panthers win and their engagement.
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Meanwhile Western Sydney are still celebrating the Penrith Panthers win ...