Community / Health

June 30th 2008
NZ$6 million for Moriori preservation

The government has given NZ$6 million to a trust fund for the preservation of Moriori culture – a Polynesian people many New Zealanders think are extinct.
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June 30th 2008
Clydesdale still going to Brazil, but paper dropped

The controversial report by Dr Greg Clydesdale that suggested Pacific migrants were a ‘drain’ on the New Zealand economy has been stopped from being presented at an international conference in Brazil in July.
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June 30th 2008
Anti-smacking referendum blocked by PM

The New Zealand government has blocked a 390,000-signature petition by Kiwi Party leader Larry Baldock to have a referendum with a view to revising the anti-smacking bill introduced last year.
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June 30th 2008
Lipine Sila sentenced to 17 years jail

Convicted killer Lipine Sila has been sentenced to a non-parole term of 17 years jail for running down and killing Christchurch teens Jane Young and Hannah Rossiter, and injuring 16 others in May last year.
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June 24th 2008
ISSUE 26 ARTICLE
Message in the music

ACC may have played a part in helping kick-start the career of budding Samoan songwriters through its involvement with the 2008 Polyfest held in Manukau, Auckland, during March.
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June 23rd June
Jandals - bad for your health?

This may be a shock to many proud Pacific people but wearing jandals could be putting your health at risk. MELE TU’UHOLOAKI a jandal-wearer herself, gets the low-down.
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June 23rd 2008
Street Beat: Tagging and Youth Crime

SPASIFIKmag.com intern MELE TU’UHOLOAKI from MIT is back on another Street Beat, this time asking our young people what should be done about taggers and the high youth crime rates in south Auckland.
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June 20th 2008
Choosing baby gender – playing God?

New Zealand could soon be following suit with the United States by allowing parents to choose the sex of their unborn child. This comes after a report by the Bioethics Council, a ministerial advisory committee, endorsed the practise.
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June 16th 2008
Westie celebrities say ‘Its not OK’ to domestic violence

Waitakere Mayor Bob Harvey has applauded new powers given to police to stop domestic violence. Mayor Harvey’s taskforce has joined with the Ministry of Social Development to roll out a localised version of the “It’s Not OK” campaign in Waitakere.
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June 11th 2008
Funding Seminar for Pacific organisations

The Ministry of Social Development Northern Region held a Community Seminar for Pacific community organisations in Auckland to assist them in obtaining funding, attracting 100 representatives.
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June 11th 2008
Kids' nightwear fire danger

Give thought this winter to the type of pyjamas and nightwear you dress your children in. Last year three children were seriously injured and sadly one died as a result of the burns they received when their pyjamas caught on fire.
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June 9th 2008
Street Beat: Pacific youth on Dr Clydesdale and raising the drinking age

SPASIFIKmag.com intern MELE TU’UHOLOAKI hit the streets again to ask young Pacific people what they thought about Dr Clydesdale’s ‘Pacific people’s draining the economy’ report and raising the drinking age.
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June 9th 2008
Schwarzenegger appoints Tongan to Asian/Pacific Commission

California Governor and former Hollywood actor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, has appointed a Tongan woman as the only Pacific island representative on the Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs Commission.
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June 5th 2008
Maori, Pacific icons join Queens Birthday honours list

Former All Black and Manu Samoa international Tuigamala Vaaiga Tuigamala was among the many Maori and Pacific people to join the Queens Birthday honours list with other distinguished New Zealanders.
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June 4th 2008
Westie Oscar Kightley to be honoured on Walkway of Fame

After public nominations, entertainer Oscar Kightley will be inducted into Waitakere’s “Walk of Fame”, located outside the Civic Centre in Henderson Valley Road, Henderson.
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May 29th 2008
Baby Miracle homeward bound

US surgeons say a deformed Samoan baby girl, initially denied entry into New Zealand last September but now set to return home to Samoa this week, can now live a “long, long time”.
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May 28th 2008
Street Beat: Our youth on education & elections

The budget is out and the general elections are just around the corner, so SPASIFIKmag.com intern MELE TU’UHOLOAKI from the Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT) hit the streets to ask Pacific tertiary students what they think.
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May 27th 2008
Pacific peoples draining the economy?

A Massey University study that says Pacific peoples are draining the New Zealand economy has been scorned by Maori and Pacific community leaders.
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May 27th 2008
Bastion Point occupation remembered 30 years on

Thirty years ago, protesters faced off with 700 police, army, navy and the government over plans to develop Ngati Whatua ancestral land at Bastion Point, Auckland. On May 25, the protagonists met again to mark the 30th anniversary of that day.
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May 26th 2008
‘Proud son of Otara’ is Labour’s man

Labour has selected a 42 year old business man and Community Board Chairperson Mr Efu Koka as its candidate to contest the Otara Councillor position.
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May 23rd 2008
Tomorrow’s generation – computer dummies?

Are Maori and Pacific parents dumbing down their kids by choosing game consoles over home computers? University of Auckland Tuakana Leadership Programme intern ALACE TAUPAU reports.
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May 20th 2008
Waitakere mayor to be bestowed Samoan chiefly title

Samoa has honoured the man responsible for west Auckland’s successful merging of cultures which saw Waitakere becoming the first New Zealand city to sign a binding agreement with its Pacific people.
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May 19th 2008
Sporting icons help youth find their Field of Dreams

Sporting icons Jonah Lomu, David Tua, Ruben Wiki, Valerie Vili and Temepara George are backing a project designed to get youth off the streets they grew up in. MELE TU’UHOLOAKI reports.
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May 13th 2008
Pacific Affairs ministry makes key appointments

The Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs have made two key appointments to their Wellington based team as part of their internal restructuring kicked off last year by the appointment of new chief executive Dr Colin Tukuitonga.
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May 9th 2008
Gangs warned after massive drugs crackdown

A massive drugs crackdown in Auckland and Waikato has been warmly received by Labour MP Su’a William Sio, the former deputy mayor of Manukau City and councillor for Otara.
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May 9th 2008
Pacific youth drinking habits a concern

Pacific youth are in danger from excessive drinking, in what could be a growing epidemic in New Zealand, delegates were told at the opening of the Alcohol Advisory Council of New Zealand (ALAC) Pacific Spirit conference in Mangere.
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April 23rd 2008
Feeding our Futures the Pacific way

The changes in diet from the Islands to New Zealand have contributed to significant health concerns for Pacific Island families. Erik Erika looks at how his family are making changes following the Feeding our Futures programme.
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April 21st 2008
Youth take Pacific message to Asia

The Ship for World Youth took Pacific delegates to Japan, India, Oman and Singapore in early 2008, writes Tagata Pasifika reporter/director MARAMA PAPAU, of Tuvaluan descent, who was part of the Kiwi delegation which travelled with the group.
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April 21st 2008
Manukau graffiti bill gets green light

South Auckland taggers beware. The Manukau City Council has been given the green light from New Zealand’s parliament on a new graffiti bill designed to clean up the city.
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April 16th 2008
Nationwide community meetings begin

The Department of Labour’s Pacific Division of Immigration New Zealand will be visiting Pacific communities nationwide, with 13 community meetings being held from Central Otago to Northland.
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April 14th 2008
Australia’s first Pacific Island style market opens in Sydney

Sydney hosts The Blue Palm Tree Markets at Sydney Olympic Park every Saturday commencing May 3rd. The markets provide an opportunity for the diverse cultures of the Pacific to meet in a dynamic environment of arts, crafts, music, dance and food.
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April 11th 2008
COMMUNITY
MSD engaging with Pacific grass-root communities

Pacific Employment Project Fono held in Christchurch, Auckland and Wellington during the end of March have provided the opportunity for the Ministry of Social Development (MSD) to interact with grass root communities.
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April 10th 2008
ISSUE 25 Article
Forum builds momentum for RSE

The Department of Labour hosted a two-day forum in February to review the first 12 months of the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) policy.
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