Coco Talanoa — Podcast / Page 5

Welcome to the Akanuanua Podcast! A space to unpack what its like being a part of the ever-evolving MVPFAFF Queer Pasifika community.

The Talanoa is guided by our host, Doron Semu. He is an ‘afakasi Samoan siapo maker, acupuncturist and community advocate raised in Tamaki Makaurau,  Aotearoa. His most recent interview with  Tagata Pasifika on conversion therapy has  opened conversations within the pasifika  religious community about the treatment  of the LGBTQIA+ community. He has been  a guest on podcasts such as ‘A thoughtful  faith’ and ‘Malaga’. Over summer, he held  community workshops with support with  from Rainbow Youth for the queer Pasifika  and Maori community.  

In this episode Katrina Malisha Aho speaks to Doron about her life story, from being a Fakaleitī to her relationship with God. 

Katrina Malisha Aho also known as Hurricane Katrina by her fellow Divas, is a young, brown, trans registered nurse strutting the wards of Auckland City Hospital. Before this, she attended De La Salle College and for all of her years there was part of the school’s legendary fa’afafine collective ‘The Divas’.…more

"The documentary is pretty much about my lifes journey up until this point, about adversity, overcoming adversity and about life in general as a Pacific Islander & New Zealander growing up in South Auckland.  

Coming from a troubled past, probably similar to a lot of kids in that age and era in South Auckland - the repercussions of it all, you don't realise you're not normal until you meet someone who's normal, you don't realise how bad you are until you meet someone who's normal and cares about you" - Mark Hunt 

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Legendary K1, Pride & UFC fighter Mark "Super Samoan" Hunt joins us to talk about his new feature length documentary which is out now in both New Zealand and Australia in select cinemas.

He talks about how sharing his story through both his book and the doco has been therapeutic, the financial and emotional toll the lawsuit against the UFC has taken on his life, life after professional sports, his advice to up & coming fighters and much more.…more

"I think it should be celebrated, I think that to be able to play at the top shouldn't just be for people who have to put their families on hold, it should be supported and encouraged and if you can't come back then at least you tried, but for too long it's been "Don't have babies, because you won't be able to come back" 

 ... ... that's not been said, it's been implied ... in the last few years we've seen so many Mums come back to netball, especially at the top level and it's really cool to see.  Not that they should get pregnant early, but they don't have to put off having families if that's what they want to succeed in first" 

We catch up with former Silver Fern Cathrine Tuivaiti about being a Mum of two boys, living in Italy with her husband Jimmy during the Covid-19 pandemic, making her comeback to professional sports after having two children and much more.…more

"Growing up there was always that stigma that we didn't really talk about our feelings, we weren't as open and ...…more

* Trigger warning:  This video contains discussions about mental health issues & suicide. Viewer discretion and parental guidance is advised.

"I guess it's the side of me that no-one really sees - they just see the big, tough guy who goes out on the footy field and does his best work out there but making people aware of this (mental health/suicide), it's a massive problem for our Pasifika people, our maori, our indigenous ... it's an eye opener and for our people, it's what inspired me to do this app" - Andrew Fifita 

We catch up with NRL & Tongan rugby league star Andrew Fifita who has co-founded & helped develop an app which he hopes can help break the stigma around mental health.

He shares why he's passionate about helping others through sharing his own mental health journey and how he was inspired to create the app.

CROO is a safe and secure app that monitors a person’s mental wellness and notifies trusted family and friends (their ‘croo’) when their ‘wellness signal’ appears vulnerable.…more

Tomorrow People have ended the year on a high with a 16-track album – including 3 new songs! Journalist Mariner Fagaiava-Muller catches up with two of the groups founding members Avina Kelekolio & Tana Tupa'i.

The album 21 features the 11 #FirstFriday tracks, two Māori bonus tracks, and three new previously unreleased tracks.

“21 represents a celebration for us. After a year of challenges, it is a nice way to wrap everything up,” says band music director, Avina Kelekolio.

“21 not only showcases the hard work we put in during the year, but it also represents maturity within the band and in some ways, a new start, kinda like a 21st birthday,”

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Wellington’s Tomorrow People are one of Aotearoa’s most loved reggae bands. The seven-piece group, made up of Avina Kelekolio, Tana Tupai, Hennie Tui, Fredwyn Kisona, Te Aranga Savage, Snow Chase and Duane Te Whetu, have a string of Gold and Platinum hits to their name including ‘Souljah Feeling’, ‘Feel Alright’ and ‘Take It Away’.…more

COVEN's Moe Laga on running away from home and finding her family.

"I don't have all the answers but I just base it off what I've been through and my survival, having to start life all over at 21, and as a woman." 

Moe Laga gets blazed and 30 minutes later sits down in the shower with comedian James Nokise to talk running away from home, her performance art and the responsibility of becoming a “queerant” to the COVEN ballroom house, a family of young queer POC.

“Motherhood is an art practice in a way,” says Moe. “When you think of mothers you think of them as creating something and I feel like that’s what artists naturally do. So I’m like, fuck my art practice, my art practice is my motherhood.” 

Features chicken and waffles from Peach’s Hot Chicken in Panmure, Auckland. 

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Eating Fried Chicken in the Shower is a podcast series where depressed alcoholic comedian James Nokise invites famous people into his mental health safe space, for a finger-licking chat about headspace and happiness.…more

With the release of Sole3 Mio's 3rd studio album "Coming Home", journalist Mariner Fagaiava-Muller catches up with Moses and Amitai. (Pene is currently in Amsterdam)

The beloved trio's new album features a mix of contemporary hits and well-known classics and was recorded here in Auckland at Auckland's legendary Roundhead Studios.  

With the pandemic shutting down theatres and opera houses around the world - there was only one place for them to retreat to and that was home.  The album marks the first lot of new music since their multi-platinum certified 'A Very Merry Christmas' album.

The award winning Samoan opera group are known for their aiga oriented Pacific feel good vibes and the 12 track album features beautiful renditions of fan favourite tracks such as "Hallelujah", "Hold me while you wait" and more.

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Enjoy the chat with the guys above and listen to/purchase the album here 

“I remember I would sign surveys and when it would ask what nationality I was, I would put NZ/European. Because I didn’t have any association with my Māori or Fijian side.” - Comedian and social media star Joe Daymond on the identity struggles he faced moving back to New Zealand after living in Malaysia and India as a boy.

In this episode of Eating Fried Chicken in the Shower, Joe joins comedian James Nokise, to talk about never fitting in anywhere, his career in comedy and being true to himself.

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Eating Fried Chicken in the Shower is a podcast series where depressed alcoholic comedian James Nokise invites famous people into his mental health safe space, for a finger-licking chat about headspace and happiness.

Pacific Climate Warrior Bruean Fruean speaks with CoconetTV Executive Producer Lisa Taouma from COP26 in Glasgow.

She is there with the Marshall Islands delegation and talks about the impact of her speech, what the experience was like, a brief encounter with US President Joe Biden backstage, why the Pacific delegation are so worried about being heard at this crucial summit for the Pacific region and much more.