On Saturday the 19th of June, a freak tornado wreaked havoc through Papatoetoe in South Auckland tearing through homes, shattering roofs and uprooting trees. It killed one man, contractor Janesh Prasad, and injured at least two others.

Jordyn Makiha and Rob Pome'e shared clips in the video above showing some of the devastation to Jordyn's family home and damage to cars and houses in Rob's neighbourhood.

Many residents were without power for at least two nights but they didn't want to leave their homes in case things went missing from their property.  Some families sent their children to stay with relatives where they could, until the power was restored.  

Freyberg resident Taulagi Momoiseā thought she was going to die when the tornado hit, thinking the house was about to collapse.  She was so traumatised she wouldn't go back into the house and stayed with her grand-daughter in Otara until the power in their house was back on.…more

7 Pasifika women have made the Y25, a list of 25 extraordinary women under the age of 25.

Each year the YWCA Aotearoa puts together a list of Y25 rising trailblazers. The YWCA looks for young women who are raising their voices, . The Y25 are doers, makers, shakers, change-makers and community leaders doing incredible things to change their world. 

This year the Y25 list has environmental activists, STEM champions, community advocates, rainbow warriors, innovative entrepreneurs, and more. Amongst this list of passionate and talented young women are 7 young leaders from the Pasifika community.

These young Pasifika women are empowered, motivated and ready to change the world. 

Introducing the 7 Pasifika women on the Y25…  

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Latayvia Tualasea Tautai, 22

Pasifika Advocate & financial advisor

Latayvia is a champion for equality, uplifting the voices of those most marginalised. She is studying towards a conjoint degree BA/LLB and works part time at Fonua Ola, a Pacific social service. As a financial mentor, Latayvia also does  WINZ advocacy, delivers financial literacy courses, food parcel support and anything needed.…more

Story collated and written by Haitelenisia Afemui ‘Uhila Angilau for her 'Ordinary Tongan Lives' facebook page

“We have four children—two of them are autistic. When Viliami was 2, he still couldn’t say a word. I took him for checkups but everything was just normal. He did like to suck his thumb though. To stop it, we put chili on his thumb. Once he stopped thumb-sucking, he started making certain noises. And he began to be very clumsy. He was healthy and strong but he just never spoke.

At about 5 or 6 years old, that’s when I knew he’s just never going to speak. But that didn’t stop us from taking him to school. We took him to Ella’s Kindergarten then to the government’s school at Ngele’ia. It was through the teachers that we learned Viliami was autistic. Once I knew, I turned to the internet to learn as much as I can about autism. I learned so much from parents who were raising autistic kids and it helped a lot to bridge the communication breakdown we had.…more

Auckland Councillor Efeso Collins, Equal Employment Opportunities Commissioner Saunoamaali’i Dr Karanina Sumeo and Tonga RSE coordinator and former journalist Sefita Hao'uli discuss the upcoming Dawn Raids apology in an extended panel with Indira Stewart.

"They prioritise integrity and cultural safety and making our stories for us, by us. Once I experienced working with my people .. why would I wanna go anywhere else?"

Destiny is a writer and development producer for SIS - the first Polynesian show to be platformed on Comedy Central. In this episode of Generation Next, she talks about story sovereignty, the resiliency of Southside youth, and becoming a new mum in the midst of a global pandemic.

Generation Next S2 | Southside is a series of videos profiling four talented young people who call South Auckland home.

via RNZ 

Four men appeared at the Auckland High Court yesterday in front of a packed public gallery of Vake's friends, family and team mates, including UFC star Dan Hooker.

One man, Ofa He Mooni Folau, pleaded guilty to two assault charges - he admitted assaulting Liufau Vake and his brother James Ika Vake (pictured above) on May 16 in Auckland.  A sentencing date has been set down for August. 

However the three others, one of whom is charged with manslaughter, entered not guilty pleas through their lawyers.  They have interim name suppression, and a trial date has been set for October next year.  A name suppression hearing has been set for July 29th.

The twenty-five-year-old rising MMA fighter died in hospital after he was hit from behind on Symonds Street on the 16th of May.

Family spokesman Mike Angove from City Kickboxing has spoken out on social media after the trial calling on supporters to maintain public pressure and awareness in regards to harsher coward punch laws.…more

Tongan journalist Laura Tupou is the new face of TV3 popular show 'The Project NZ' making her one of several Pacific people fronting prime time TV in Aoearoa! 

Taking over while Maori co host Kanoa Lloyd is on maternity leave, Laura says "I’m really excited to be part of a team where we share our thoughts and opinions on air. It means people get to hear differing views and my opinion is just as important as the next hosts’, and sometimes more so depending on the topic. This is important for us because we have a real opportunity to speak up and offer an authentic view that is ours and isn’t always heard." 

"Pasifika faces mean we’re at the table and our voices are present. For me, having more Pasifika faces in mainstream media strengthens our stories, people’s understanding of our culture, and our presence in Aotearoa. We’re capable, competent and we have something to say" Laura added.…more

Stacey Leilua’s performance in ‘Young Rock’ has had viewers talking from the get-go. Her performance has been described as magnetic, captivating, and Stacey has also been named a ‘scene-stealer’ for her role as Ata Johnson. A role and performance that might even snag the Samoan actress an Emmy.

The nomination process for the 73rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards kicked off last week, where the TV academy posted their ballots online. Amongst the ballots was Leilua for her role as Ata. If she makes it past this round of ballot votes, she’ll be in as an Emmy nominee. She finds herself in good company with fellow Young Rock co-stars also in the ballots for their categories. 

‘Young Rock’ is the American sitcom series based on the life of almost every Samoans claim to fame, Dwayne The Rock Johnson. The series gained rave reviews, a huge fan base, and was picked up for a second season. Stacey plays The Rocks mum Ata Johnson. 

Before she was well known for being the strong Samoan mother she is, Ata was Feagaimaleata Fitisemanu Maivia.…more