By John Pulu, Tagata Pasifika presenter/reporter/director

It’s been a busy start for the newly elected leader of Fiji, Sitiveni Rabuka.

And while he’s only held the role for a little over a month, walking into the Prime Minister’s office felt familiar for the leader of the People’s Alliance (PA) party.

“The office dynamics are still the same,” he says.

• WATCH ON TAGATA PASIFIKA PLUS: Fiji FM Rabuka on the country’s future
• READ MORE: Fiji police suspend questioning of former AG Aiyaz in ‘hatred’ case
• Who broke the law in Fiji? – Naidu responds to Sayed-Khaiyum
• ‘Claims a serious matter’, says lawyer Richard Naidu
• Other Fiji politics reports

“It was just like going back to an old car or an old bicycle that you have driven before or ridden before.

“The people are new…[there’s] possible generational difficulties and views but I have not encountered any since the month I came into the office.”

However, his journey into office was not an easy one. After the initial tally of votes at last years’ December election, neither Rabuka nor his predecessor Voreqe Bainimarama had gained a comfortable majority to take Parliament.

Sodelpa (Social Democratic Liberal Party) became the kingmakers, voting to form a coalition with the PA, and they were joined by the National Federation Party (NFP).

Bainimarama out of office
For the first time since 2014, Bainimarama was out of office. Rabuka says they have not spoken since the election.

“There has been no communication since the outcome,” he says.

“It was something I tried to encourage when I was in the opposition and opposition leader, for across-the-floor discussions on matters that affect the nation.

“We grew up in the same profession…we are friends,” Rabuka insists.

However, there’s plenty else to keep Rabuka busy at this time.

The coalition trinity means more cooks in the kitchen, but Rabuka is confident that they can work together to lead Fiji.

“I worked with the National Federation Party in 1999. Sodelpa was the party I helped to register,” he recalls.

‘Differences in past’
“There might have been differences in the past but we are still family and it’s only natural for us to come together and work together again.”

They’ve already enacted a number of changes including lifting a ban on a number of Fijians who were exiled by the previous government.

“It’s interesting that many of those returning thought they were on a blacklist,” Rabuka muses.

“When we asked Immigration, Immigration [said] ‘there is no such thing as a blacklist, or anyone being prohibited from coming back’.

“They all came back and they were very happy. But it also reflected the freedom in the atmosphere.”

And speaking of freedom, investigations into former attorney-general Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum have reportedly been suspended.

Under investigation
According to FBC News, Sayed-Khaiyum was under investigation for allegedly inciting communal antagonism.

Rabuka says Sayed-Khaiyum is a person of interest, but isn’t yet subjected to any prosecution processes at this time.

“But if it develops from there, there might be restrictions on his movement – particularly out of Fiji.”

Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ On Air. Republished from Tagata Pasifika with permission.

By John Pulu of Tagata Pasifika

A trip down memory lane for Tagata Pasifika’s first host, Foufou Susana Hukui as she watches a video clip of an interview she did with former Prime Minister of Samoa, Tupua Tamasese Efi.

“It was just the most exciting journey that we were going to take,” Hukui says.

“Because I have watched the white man, white people, other people but never us telling our own stories. When they were told, they were told from a white man’s perspective.”

• READ MORE: Tagata Pasifika — the Pacific voice on NZ television since 1987

The weekly show first aired on the 4 April 1987, as a pan-Pacific voice on New Zealand television.

“When I got on our first programme, I made sure that we were different. I didn’t deliberately do it — that’s just the way I was,” Hukui says.

“Coloured clothes, summer right through the whole year and flowers in my ear. I just wanted people to know who I was, this is me and this is going to be our people’s programme.”

Hukui switched from working in radio to pioneer storytelling from a Pasifika lens on national television covering a myriad of stories and events.

‘Flooded the market with colour’
“We did suddenly flood the market on the media with colour that we are used to with flowers, with headgear, with cooking, the puaka, hair cutting ceremonies, weddings; and this, you know, even though it’s our culture, we love to see it on TV.

“In those days we didn’t have social media so we were, at the time, just right because that was the strongest medium at the time,” Hukui says.

From the very start, Tagata Pasifika was a news and information show for the community.

Radio broadcasters like the Reverend Maligi Evile played a key role as the first news reader.

“The programme was more or less bifocal in the sense that I was telling our people what is happening out there at home in your country and your home and I was also telling the NZ public, the NZ community that this is what is happening out there in our homes in the Pacific,” Reverend Evile says.

As our people continued to come to Aotearoa, the half hour show played an important role in helping them settle in and feel like they belonged here.

“I was really appreciative to think that, considering the number of Pacific people who were living in NZ at the time, I think it’s about time that we have some small window on the screen on TVNZ,” he says.

‘Transforming a window’
“When this opportunity came along, I thought this was the window that we were waiting for and I was hoping that this window will transform into a door and perhaps into a room and even a big house for bigger things to come for the Pacific people.”

And over the years Tagata Pasifika has moved through different time slots and faces have come and gone, but through it all viewers have remained loyal.

Former researcher and reporter Iulia Leilua says there was a demand for Pacific voices and faces to be seen and heard in the media following major events like the Dawn Raids which happened in the previous decade.

“I thank TVNZ for their foresight, I thank even more so the people who lobbied for this programme. TVNZ really had no option but to showcase the Māori and Pacific voice and faces at that time,” Leilua says.

In 2014, TVNZ announced that the show will no longer be made in-house and the following year production company Sunpix Limited started producing the show.

“Tagata Pasifika is reflective of our Pacific peoples and it’s been there on that journey for many people and their lives. People come to the show to see stories that they are not hearing or seeing elsewhere so the legacy is kind of this, you know, this trusted source of story telling about our people and an important place that documents our people’s lives and history,” Leilua says.

Playing a role online
Now, 35 years on, with a wide variety of media to choose from Tagata Pasifika continues to play a role not just on our television screens but also online where more content is available. But there has always been a dream for more time on air.

“We started off with half an hour, perhaps give us another 15 mins on air or perhaps give us an extra half hour you know we need a bit more frequency on air and we need more support,” Reverend Evile says.

Hukui acknowledges the changing media landscape but adds that it is even more important than ever to have a trusted source of information.

“No matter what, no matter if you have Instagram, your TikTok, whatever, Facebook, the people of our Pacific always go to what’s Tagata Pasifika to see the real, to get the real story.”

John Pulu — “JP” — is a Tagata Pasifika reporter/director/presenter and a Pacific community broadcaster. Republished with permission.

By Anauli Karima Fai’ai in Auckland

Papuan students are appealing for support in New Zealand after the Indonesian government terminated the autonomous West Papuan scholarships of 42 tertiary students across the country.

“We humbly ask Kiwis to support us in terms of financial support,” says masters degree student Laurens Ikinia.

“This is something that’s really worrying us.”

• READ MORE:  West Papuan students in dire straits in NZ after Indonesia cuts funding
• West Papuan students fight to keep scholarships to study in Aotearoa
• Overcoming trauma, Papuan students in NZ now face new challenge
• Papuan students form global umbrella body, reaffirm campaign for education rights
• Papuan students succeed in NZ – ‘the golden generation from Papua’
• Mahasiswa Papua di luar negeri deklarasikan IAPSO – Tabloid Jubi [Bahasa Indonesian]
• Other reports on the Papuan education controversy
• WATCH: Te Ao Māori News video

Indonesia cut the scholarships in December, claiming that the students were either failing their studies or taking too long to finish their degrees.

Ikinia, one of the students affected, is trying to complete his master’s degree in communications at Auckland University of Technology.

“The claim that the government is using is baseless,” he told Tagata Pasifika.

“Some students are on their pathways to finish their programmes and, like myself, I’m just about to finish and this is my final month to complete the programme.”

Half close to completion
At least half of the students are close to completion and have thus defied Indonesia’s orders to be repatriated.

Now they have been left to fend for themselves.

“It’s really hard for us to purchase our grocery needs and also for us to pay for our rent so it’s really restraining us.”

Last week, affected students in Palmerston North approached Green MP Teanau Tuiono to help raise their concerns with the government.

“That’s deeply concerning that a student can get that far to completing their education qualification and get told that their funding’s cut and they’ve got to go home. That’s not cool,” Tuiono said.

The MP has already sent a letter to Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta requesting a scholarship fund, visa extensions and accommodation for the students.

“We totally support the cause to have refugees from Ukraine because it is an area under conflict, let’s see that for West Papua as well, which is also a region under conflict.”

Givealittle page
In the meantime, a givealittle page has been set up to help the students — many of whom are afraid to speak out.

Page creator and advocate Nik Naidu, who is originally from Fiji, says it is important for the wider Pacific community to get involved.

“You know we were always taught to listen and not just speak and not to ask for things, wait for things to be given to you but, even then, you decline it, you know.

“And so for us in our Pasifika culture, the important thing is to be aware of everybody’s situation to keep an eye out for all our whanau and our families and our children,” Naidu said.

Ikinia fears the possibility of having to leave New Zealand before finishing his studies and the impact it could have on his community back home.

“For me, I would love to learn here so that young people who would love to have an education, like myself, can think positively – that hope is there.”

Anauli Karima Fai’ai reporting for Tagata Pasifika. Republished with permission.

• Donate to the givealittle page

A global aid effort is underway for Tonga with vessels en route to the Pacific kingdom from Australia, the United Kingdom, Japan and the US as well as New Zealand.

NZ Defence Force Maritime Component Commander Commodore Garin Golding told RNZ Pacific nearby Fiji was also assisting in the relief efforts.

“Fiji is assisting Tonga, they are providing land forces which are going to be embarked on the Adelaide,” he said.

• READ MORE: World rushes aid to tsunami-hit Tonga amid water, food shortage
• Tonga Eruption: Leaders grateful for the support from across the communities
• Second day of NZ’s Tonga tsunami emergency fundraiser
• Other Tonga volcano eruption reports

Three New Zealand Navy vessels have departed already and a second C-130 Hercules dropped aid off yesterday following the devastating undersea eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano and tsunami on January 15.

The HMNZS Canterbury set sail for Tonga on Friday night, the latest to assist with the aid effort.

The ship has two NH90 helicopters, personnel and supplies onboard.

“On board the HMNZS Canterbury is water, milk powder and tarpaulins, but due to her size they have also embarked vehicles and forklifts which are needed to help distribute aid around the airport and port,” Commodore Golding said.

Engineer task force embarked
“We have also embarked an engineer task force and they can help purify water.”

The HMNZS Wellington and Aotearoa are already in Tonga.

Commodore Golding said the team onboard the Aotearoa had successfully offloaded five containers of stores and spent Saturday offloading bulk water supplies to be distributed across the island.

“They will be doing that today right through to early next week,” Golding said.

“The HMNZS Wellington sailed overnight [Friday], they received another survey task to the island ‘Eua which is the south east of Tongatapu, they will spend the whole day using their hydrographic and diving personnel just to verify that it is safe for shipping to go in and out.”

Wellington was set to return to Nuku’alofa to continue the survey task, with Aotearoa to stay alongside to continue to offload water supplies.

Australian efforts
The Royal Australian Navy is supporting the effort too, while HMNZS Adelaide is on its way.

“My understanding is, in addition to the three ships we will have, [the] Adelaide from Australia, the [Royal Navy ship HMS] Spey from the UK, and the US already has the Sampson [there] and a coast guard vessel is on its way down. I understand a Japanese vessel is on route. I have no information with respects to China,” Commodore Golding said.

The Tongan government has requested covid-19 measures be observed during the effort and Golding said that was a major focus of the team.

“We will be receiving tasks from the Tongan government and we will be responsive to whatever these tasks are.”

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

Tagata Pasifika on the latest aid efforts for Tonga. Video: Tagata Pasifika

The second day of a drive to receive emergency supplies in Aotearoa New Zealand to be sent to Tonga has started in Auckland this morning.

Hundreds queued for hours at Mount Smart Stadium in Penrose yesterday to deliver emergency goods that will be sent to their families in Tonga.

Almost six shipping containers were filled yesterday and organisers say at one point queues of more than 400 cars stretched three kilometres.

• LISTEN TO RNZ MORNING REPORT: ‘I’m 100 percent confident that none of our deployed forces have Covid’ – NZDF Rear Admiral Jim Gilmour (duration 8′:27″)
• READ MORE:  Tonga’s King Tupou VI offers hope to families who lost relatives in deadly tsunami
• Safety at Tonga port being checked for arrival of more humanitarian supplies
• Tonga eruption: Airport runway cleared of ash, says WHO official
• Tonga eruption: Images appear to show most of Atatā island wiped out
• Scientists warn Tonga eruption may damage environment for years
• Gallery: What the NZ air crew saw at Tonga’s Nomuka – a choking carpet of volcanic ash
• Other Asia Pacific Report coverage of Tonga

Aotearoa Tonga relief committee secretary Pakilau Manase Lua said it had been heartening to see the support and today was expected to see an even bigger turn out.

He said only vaccinated people can enter the stadium but donations from unvaccinated people can be dropped off at the stadium gates from 9am to 8pm.

Mepa Vuni said it was a long wait yesterday and many people had taken the day off work to make their deliveries for Tonga to the stadium.

“I haven’t spoken to my Mum since the eruption on Saturday. We are all doing this for the time being. We have been queing here for more than two hours. People have been queuing since 7 o’clock,” she said last evening.

Pasifika doctors ready
The Pasifika Medical Association is ready to mobilise the necessary support for Tonga, following the devastating volcanic eruption and tsunami.

PMA’s Medical Assistance Team is ready to send an experienced and specialised team of doctors, nurses and technical support workers.

Watch today’s report on Tagata Pasifika. Video: Tagata Pasifika

The medical team has previously been deployed to Tonga to help with the measles outbreak and Cyclone Gita.

PMA chief executive Debbie Sorensen said they are prepared and are on standby.

She said the volcanic ash is a major concern for people with asthma or respiratory conditions, who will require extra health assistance.

Concerns about covid threat
Tonga’s Minister of Trade and Economic Development is reassuring the public there is minimal threat of covid-19 being imported into the kingdom via the international emergency response to last week’s volcanic eruption and tsunami.

Emergency assistance from the international community is ramping up with navy vessels and flights arriving into the kingdom from Australia, New Zealand and other countries.

Tonga has had a strict border closure in place since the start of the pandemic and has so far had no community transmission of covid.

Ulu’alo Po’uhila, editor and publisher of the Tongan newspaper Kakalu O Tonga, is in New Zealand and said he managed to speak with minister Viliame Latu and put to him concerns raised by the public about covid-19 protocols around the international relief effort.

“I was asking because there is a concern throug these [emergency] aid and these people going to Tonga it might take the virus, covid virus, to Tonga.

“And I was told that they, all they do is just, it is a contact-less delivery,” he said.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.

• More on the Mt Smart Stadium collection for Tonga

Two New Zealand naval ships are being sent to Tonga to provide support, carrying fresh water, emergency provisions, and diving teams.

It comes as ashfall on the Nuku’alofa airport runway means one of the aircraft readied yesterday — a C-130 Hercules, to supply aid — would be unable to land.

The official death toll from Saturday’s eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano and tsunami is two, but getting accurate information from the ground has been difficult.

• READ MORE:  Eruption renews debate on lack of backup for Tongan communications
• Tongan volcanic eruption reveals the vulnerabilities in global telecommunications
• Tonga’s undersea communications cable could take weeks to repair
• Why the volcanic eruption in Tonga was so violent, and what to expect next
• Other APR reports on the tsunami

In a statement this afternoon, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta and Defence Minister Peeni Henare said New Zealand was ready to assist.

The HMNZS Wellington would transport survey equipment and a helicopter, while HMNZS Aotearoa would transport 250,000 litres of water and is able to produce an extra 70,000 litres per day through salinisation, they said.

The journey is expected to take three days.

Mahuta said authorities had struggled with communications on the ground so decided to send aid before an official request.

“The delays mean we have taken the decision for both HMNZS Wellington and HMNZS Aotearoa to sail so they can respond quickly if called upon by the Tongan Government,” she said.

Henare said the ships would return to New Zealand if not required.

He said the survey and diving teams would be able to assess wharf infrastructure, and changes to the seabed in shipping channels and ports, to assure future delivery of aid and support from the sea.

The Hercules flight remains on standby with humanitarian aid and disaster relief stores including collapsible water containers, generators and hygiene kits.

Tonga is free of covid-19 and operates strict border controls, so all support is being offered in a contactless way.

The ministers’ statement said a further NZ$500,000 in humanitarian assistance had been allocated, bringing the total to $1 million.

Serious damage has been reported from the west coast of Tongatapu and a state of emergency has been declared.

Acting High Commissioner for New Zealand in Tonga Peter Lund told Tagata Pasifika he could see rubble, large rocks and damaged buildings, with serious damage along the west coast of Tongatapu.

“There is a huge clean-up operation underway, the town has been blanketed in a thick blanket of volcanic dust, but look they’re making progress… roads are being cleared,” he said.

A Briton among fatalities
UN Coordonator in the Pacific Jonathan Veitch said one of the fatalities was British national Angela Glover, who was reported by her family to have been killed by the tsunami.

Glover is thought to have died trying to rescue her dogs at the animal charity she ran.

Veitch told RNZ full information from some islands — such as the Ha’apai group — was not available.

“We know that the Tonga Navy has gone there and we expect to hear back soon.”

The communication situation was “absolutely terrible”.

NEWS The NZ Government has released an update on New Zealand’s support to #Tonga https://t.co/01JrI41gNx#Force4NZ #NZAirForce pic.twitter.com/TeYAvdRJMR

— NZ Defence Force (@NZDefenceForce) January 18, 2022

“I have worked in a lot of emergencies but this is one of the hardest in terms of communicating and trying to get information from there. With the severing of the cable that comes from Fiji they’re just cut off completely,” he said.

“We’re relying 100 percent on satellite phones.

‘Bit of a struggle’
“We’ve been discussing with New Zealand and Australia and UN colleagues … and we hope to have this [cable] back up and running relatively soon, but it’s been a bit of a struggle.”

It had been “a lot more difficult” than regular operations, Veitch said.

One of the biggest concerns in the crisis was clean water, he said.

“I think one of the first things that can be done is if those aircraft or those ships that both New Zealand and Australia have offered can provide bottled drinking water. That’s a very small, short-term solution.

“We need to ensure that the desalination plants are functioning well and properly … and we need to send a lot of testing kits and other material over there so people can treat their own water, because as you know, the vast majority of the population in Tonga is reliant on rainwater.

“And with the ash as it currently is, it has been a bit acidic, so we’re not sure of the quality of the water right now.”

Access in ‘covid-free nation’
Another issue was access.

“Tonga is one of the few lucky countries in the world that hasn’t had covid … so we’ll have to operate rather remotely. So we’ll be supporting the government to do the implementation and then working very much through local organisations.”

For those in Tonga who were cut off, Veitch said the main message was “everybody is working day and night on this. We are putting our supplies together. We are ready to move.

“We have teams on the ground. We are coming up with cash and other supply solutions … so help is on its way”.

This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ. It corrects an earlier report on the death toll headlined “Tonga volcano tsunami death toll rises to three, reports UN”. The death toll stood at 2 as confirmed by MFAT.

They were the face of a generation growing up in a new land. They were the Polynesian Panthers, young activists fighting against social and racial injustice in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Fifty years on, they’re back to share their struggles and triumphs as we look back on their legacy.

From 1971-1974, the Polynesian Panthers continued to fight for civil, social and legal rights. From their headquarters in Ponsonby, they implemented initiatives to improve the quality of life for Pacific communities.

The Panthers were also crucial in the fight against the government-sanctioned Dawn Raids where, in the early hours, police would force their way into homes demanding proof of residency, or stop people in the street to ask for permits or passports.

These immigration tactics were mostly targeted at Pacific people.

While Tagata Pasifika honours the activism and sacrifice of the Panthers, it also remembers the lasting impact of the Dawn Raids.

The Panthers have spent the better part of the year working together with the Ministry of Pacific Peoples to obtain an apology from the government.

This week, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced she will make a formal government apology for the 1970s Dawn Raids next week on June 26 at a commemoration event in the Auckland Town Hall.

Republished with permission.

• Watch the full PPP 50th Anniversary Special presented by Tagata Pasifika’s John Pulu.

More than 22,000 Pacific people have tested for covid-19 in recent weeks, as the community in New Zealand has rallied in the face of the latest surge of the coronavirus.

At a news conference for Pacific media on Friday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and the Director-General of Health, Dr Ashley Bloomfield, paid tribute to the community for the way it had responded to the call to get tested.

“That’s a 23.2 percentage of testing for Pacific people and of course New Zealand’s Pacific population is less than half that,” Ardern said.

WATCH: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern talks to Tagata Pasifika

That could be seen in the long queues that had formed at testing centres right across Auckland’s south in the past week, with queues that had stretched for kilometres down roads.

Ardern and Dr Bloomfield also paid tribute to the family at the centre of the latest cluster, who had been subjected to some of the internet’s worst vitriol since coming forward.

“Where would we be right now if that family hadn’t done exactly the right thing and been tested,” the prime minister said.

“Had they not been tested in the way that they were, we would be dealing with a much larger outbreak than we have.”

‘Potentially saved lives’
“They have potentially saved lives,” she said.

While most of the cases in Auckland’s latest outbreak are from the Pacific community, both Ms Ardern and Dr Bloomfield stressed the response from the Pacific community had been unlike any other.

The Prime Minister’s Pacific media briefing.Video: RNZ News

Dr Bloomfield said he had been working closely with Pacific colleagues in district health boards, the Pacific team at the health ministry as well as agencies across Auckland.

“We want to reach into the Pacific community to ensure they have what they need,” he said. “The response from Pacific people in general has been fantastic,” he said.

Ardern said she had not been in contact with the family, but wanted to extend her gratitude to them, while also speaking out against vilifying comments and conspiracy theories that had emerged in the past week.

“People who say anything to vilify others who come forward for a test or who test positive, they’re the problem and that’s what I hope we all remember,” Ardern said.

Komiti Pasefika, the Council of Trade Unions Pacific Island worker representative group, has said that there were fears around getting a test, partly because of fears around immigration status or being exposed.

No barriers
Ardern said there should be no barriers, and anyone with symptoms or concerns should get tested.

Dr Bloomfield reiterated the message.

“Prior to this lockdown, the Pacific community had the highest rates of testing by ethnic population in the country,” he said.

“I think this time around we’ve seen once again their willingness to really support the efforts.”

Ardern said she did not want New Zealand to inadvertently be the source of an outbreak in the Pacific, drawing comparison to last year’s deadly measles outbreak in Samoa.

“I also feel a responsibility for our Pacific neighbours in what we may inadvertently share with them and so measles was a huge lesson for all of us around the close connection between our communities and the responsibility to keep one another safe, so that’s the lens I view our border restrictions,” Ardern said.

Border reopening decisions
“One of the basis in which we’ve made the decisions about opening up has been to be free from community transmission for 28 days, so we’re not there at the moment and so therefore that will affect any border re-openings with realm countries.”

Ardern said she was looking to speak to Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna soon about what support could be offered to the realm countries, as a reopening did not appear to be on the near horizon.

“It’s just simply whether or not we can both maintain covid-free status when we open our borders.”

The Health Ministry reported just one new case of covid-19 reported in the community in New Zealand today – along with two more imported cases, reports RNZ News.

There was no media conference today.

In a statement, the ministry said there were still nine people in hospital with the coronavirus, including three in ICU.

There were six new cases of covid-19 reported yesterday.

This article is republished by the Pacific Media Centre under a partnership agreement with RNZ.

• All RNZ coverage of covid-19
• If you have symptoms of the coronavirus, call the NZ Covid-19 Healthline on 0800 358 5453 (+64 9 358 5453 for international SIMs) or call your GP – don’t show up at a medical centre.

The president of the Mate Ma’a Tonga Rugby League Association has turned to Tongan tradition in announcing the attendance of King Tupou VI and international Tongan singer Dinah Jane at the Tonga-England semifinal at Auckland’s Mt Smart Stadium today.

Sēmisi Sika said his committee made the invitation to make sure the national team and Tongan supporters enjoyed the historic event to the full.

READ MORE: England beats Tonga 20-18 in incredible semifinal

In Tongan, Sika said: “We have plucked down the stars, moon and the sun for you so that you can calm down and become satisfied.

“Let’s focus on supporting our MMT in their battle and may we all put together our efforts so we can bring about a great game for the Conqueror of the Nation.”

[“Kuo tau paki’i mai e fetu’u , mahina mo e la’aa ke mou nonga aa mo fiemalie . Tau hanga taha ki hono poupou’i e tau fanau MMT i he feinga tau mo fakatauange ke tau ma’u ha fakame’ite fakaholo mamata ki he Hau o e fonua.”]

The poetic references were meant for the king, the queen and all invitees.

Fifth Harmony singer Dinah Jane will sing the Tongan national anthem before the kick-off of the Rugby League World Cup semifinal match.

Among other invitees were Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva and other local VIPs, Sika said.

Tagata Pasifika
John Pulu of TVNZ’s flagship Pacific current affairs programme Tagata Pasifika has been invited to be master of ceremonies.

The invitation from the Tongan Rugby League committee was also extended by the chairman of the Rugby League World Cup 2017, Dr George Peponis Oam and the Rugby League World Cup CEO Andrew Hill.

No Pacific nation has ever made it to a World Cup final, but Tonga is hoping to become the first.

Tongan winger Konrad Hurrell said: “It was our first quarterfinal last week and this is our first semi-final as well – imagine if we make the final, it would be crazy.

“That would be good but we’ve got to knock out England as well to make the final.”

Australia crushed Fiji 54-6 yesterday in the first semifinal.

Police warning
Meanwhile, Auckland police have warned they will not tolerate disorderly behaviour following this weekend’s rugby league game.

Police will be out in force on the streets tonight in an effort to keep the public safe and prevent any disorderly incidents, Counties Manukau East Area Commander Inspector Wendy Spiller said.

Over the past few weeks, police have dealt with a number of disorderly incidents following Tongan league games on the streets of South Auckland, particularly around the Otahuhu Town Centre.

On two occasions police officers have been attacked while trying to manage and contain the disorder, Inspector Spiller said.

In one incident last weekend in Otahuhu, a female police officer from Counties Manukau was king-hit and knocked unconscious by a male who then disappeared into the crowd.

“Police will not tolerate this violent and cowardly behaviour,” Inspector Spiller said.

“Our hard-working staff come to work every day to keep our communities safe and the last thing they deserve is to be attacked or harmed.”

Inspector Spiller said the injured officer was yet to return to work, but was making a good recovery.

“Someone out there knows who is responsible,” she said.

“We will do everything we can to identify the offender and hold them to account.”

Anyone with information is urged to contact Counties Manukau Police on 09 261 1300 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Flagpole attack
A second police officer who was struck in the face with a flagpole in a separate disorderly incident several weeks ago has only been able to perform light duties since returning to work.

Police have arrested a male in relation to that incident.

With a large number of people expected to take part in festivities over the weekend, Inspector Spiller said police would have additional staff on duty to monitor crowd behaviour and ensure the safety of the public.

Alcohol would be banned in and around the Otahuhu Town Centre and police would not tolerate violent or reckless behaviour.

“We want people to keep themselves safe,” Inspector Spiller said.

“People acting recklessly and putting themselves and others at harm by riding on vehicles or setting off fireworks in crowded areas will not be tolerated.

“It is important that excited fans do not block streets stopping traffic.”

Asia Pacific Report republishes Kaniva News items by arrangement.

Pasifika voters in South Auckland have stressed they would like to see “hand-ups, not hand-outs” following New Zealand’s 2017 general election on Saturday.

At a live Q+A election panel held at the Māngere Arts Centre Community Café, homelessness and Auckland’s housing crisis were the issues front-and-centre for the audience.

Hosted by Affirming Works and presented by Tagata Pasifika’s John Pulu, the election issues important to the community were put to Pacific candidates from across the Auckland region.

On the panel were Leilani Tamu (Green Party candidate for New Lynn), Lemauga Lydia Sosene Labour Party list candidate), Manase Lua (Māori Party candidate for Maungakiekie), and Agnes Loheni (National Party candidate for Māngere).

All issues drew strong responses from the candidates – families package, equal pay, climate change and euthanasia, but the Q+A turned heated over education, homelessness, housing and immigration.

Lua said the issues could not be addressed in isolation and should not be ‘politicised’.

He said the Māori Party was the only party to offer an amnesty for overstayers, which drew cheers and claps from the audience.

Climate refugee visa
According to Immigration Department statistics, Tongans and Samoans were the largest group of overstayers in New Zealand in 2016 and the controversial Dawn Raids of the mid-1970s to the early 1980s still haunt the Pacific Island community.

The Green Party’s inclusion of a humanitarian visa for Pacific and climate change refugees received similar enthusiasm from the audience.

“One vote for the Greens is critical, particularly for our Pasifika people, who we know are the people who are dying because of this injustice.

“The people of Kiribati and Tuvalu did not ask for their islands to basically be sinking,” Tamu said.

Loheni, however, told the audience the National Party’s stance on immigration would remain the same if re-elected.

“It stays where it’s at,” she said.

This drew criticism from Sosene, who said the government’s immigration policy was not sustainable for Pacific communities.

‘Turning a blind eye’
“This government has changed the rules in terms of Pasifika culture, in terms of shutting out the elderly and siblings that were covered under the Clark Labour government,” she said.

Sosene also criticised the government for “turning a blind eye” to homelessness.

“I want to remind you, right here in Māngere, right here in South Auckland, we see the homelessness every single week. The government is turning a blind eye to that issue.”

Loheni responded by stating the solution to Auckland’s housing crisis lay in the government’s work with community groups and NGOs.

“The solutions come from the communities, which is why the government has backed community groups and NGOs to help solve some of these societal issues.

“It’s about housing and it’s about ensuring we’ve got the social services to support them through those complex issues,” she said.

Both Sosene and Tamu were vocal and outspoken in their responses to Loheni’s comments.

Auckland housing ‘unaffordable’
“The government has to offer housing options for our communities. We have people living in cars.

“If you drive a couple of streets in Māngere you will see the house, the garage, a little unit, another little unit, and another little unit. All those families are paying over $300 a week to stay on their property.

“What I can say is Labour’s plan is to address the housing unaffordability, particularly for our young people who are working, who are doing tertiary education, and yet they can’t save up a deposit of $110,000 to buy a property,” Sosene said.

Tamu, however, reflected: “Our people can’t afford to live in South Auckland anymore.

“The median wage in New Zealand is $46,000, for Pasifika it’s $26,000. How are our people supposed to do it? Especially when they’re living in cars and garages? Please.

“There’s only room for a few of us to be successful in National’s world. We can’t afford to live in the city, because National doesn’t want us to live in the city,” Tamu stated.

Loheni hit back, calling Tamu’s view “tragic”.

A ‘Pacific prime minister’?
“All of our kids can be successful. The key to this is education. You keep your kids at school – education is the key to opening up opportunities so that we can all be successful,” she said.

However, where the candidates saw South Auckland in 10 years was the most poignant moment of the Q+A.

All of the candidates said New Zealand would see its first Pacific prime minister in the next 10 years.

Sosene also said the country would also see “one of our Pacific kids” as the leader of the Labour Party.

“We need of our own, it’s time,” she said.

The audience ultimately thanked the candidates for their passion for the Pacific community.

Sosene reflected: “It is really good to see Pasifika, throughout the parties, supporting every candidate.”

‘The Pacific way’
Reflecting on the spirit of the evening, John Pulu concluded: “They argue and then they shake hands. That’s the Pacific way.”

This was echoed by Ika Tameifuna of the One Pacific Māori Party before a closing prayer.

“Tonight, we may disagree, but we are still one family.”

By Kendall Hutt is contributing editor of the Pacific Media Centre’s Pacific Media Watch freedom project.

• More NZ election stories

For three decades Tagata Pasifika has been telling the stories of Pasifika people in Aotearoa and abroad.

A weekend special of the popular programme took the audience back down memory lane – where it all began, with the help from some familiar faces.

It marks turning 30 today.

READ MORE: Tagata Pasifika: 30 years on and still going strong

The TVNZ-founded programme — now owned and produced by Sunpix — has been delivering the New Zealand Pacific news each week for three decades.

Made for the show’s 20th anniversary, this one hour special is hosted by actor Robbie Magasiva and discus champ Beatrice Faumuina.

Among those interviewed are Foufou Susana Hukui, a founding presenter and producer.

“The community got together and wanted to produce a family programme — a magazine programme,” she says.

Presenters past and present surveyed changes in the Aotearoa Pasifika community over the show’s run — from education, arts and culture (Ardijah, OMC and the Naked Samoans), to political pioneers (Mark Gosche, Winnie Laban), and sports heroes (All Black icons Jones, Lomu and Umaga).

Among those also paying tribute to the show’s importance are Helen Clark and singer Annie Crummer.

The rescreening of the programme is presented by Marama Papau and John Pulu, a star graduate from Auckland University of Technology.

A profile of Tagata Pasifika in the New Zealand Herald – by Vaimoana Tapaleao, another AUT graduate.

AUT’s Pacific Media Centre and Evening Report editor Selwyn Manning have teamed up to launch Asia Pacific Report, a news website that will provide a fresh “Pacific” voice to bolster Asia Pacific news and analysis in New Zealand.

PMC director Professor David Robie says the collaboration is a result of a gap in the media market for an independent Asia-Pacific voice that addressed issues of equity and justice.

“AsiaPacificReport.nz will feature in-depth current affairs news stories focused on telling the ‘untold stories’. It will be a public space for no-froth journalism examining real pressing issues,” he says.

Postgraduate student journalists, academics and journalists around the region will contribute to news reports and features on the website which was launched today at AUT’s City Campus.

The idea for Asia Pacific Report was birthed from Professor Robie and Manning’s desire to bring the Pacific Media Centre’s work beyond the university, to serve a greater global audience.

Asia Pacific Report will work closely with Manning’s company Multimedia Investments to enable the publishing of content into other global media outlets such as Dow Jones Factiva, Lexis Nexis, Moreover and Acquire media.

“Multimedia Investments will provide significant reach for the PMC’s reportage and analysis,” explains Manning. “We are confident Asia Pacific Report will be a significant outlet and a reliable source for public discourse and debate within the region.”

Pacific Cooperation Foundation CEO Laulu Mac Leauanae did the honours of launching the site, and a 15 minute documentary, The PMC Project, by Pacific Media Watch journalist Alistar Kata was also screened at the launch. She has just joined the Tagata Pasifika team this week.

The documentary was about the work of the Pacific Media Centre, including interviews with staff, student journalists and their projects.

The news at AUT

David Robie’s comment on Cafe Pacific

PMC launches new website – ‘fresh “Pacific” voice

Watch the documentary