May 14th 2012
Tonga police push set up of neighbourhood watch groups after spate of robberies
Tongan police are calling on their communities to establish neighbourhood watch groups. This comes after 17 men were arrested at the weekend for a range of robberies of homes and businesses in Nuku’alofa.
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May 10th 2012
Variety concert remembers Fijian flood victims
Victims of the recent Fijian flood will be remembered during a special fundraising concert held in Palmerston North on Saturday, May 12. The Fiji Flood Appeal is a colourful variety concert put on by the Manawatu Indian community.
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May 10th 2012
10 easy tips for enjoying a healthy Winter
While the most common illnesses during winter are colds and flu, these great general tips on how to keep you and your family healthy, will help prevent illness such as allergies, asthma, and other respiratory diseases.
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May 9th 2012
Family forced to live in sewage soaked home
A solo mother with five children has been forced to live in a sewage contaminated state house for four days. Housing New Zealand refused to move the south Auckland family after their contractor damaged the toilet which led to raw sewage spilling through their home.
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May 9th 2012
Three police officers shot in Samoa
A man is dead and three police officers wounded after a shoot-out during a drug raid in the early hours at Faleatiu village in Samoa near Apia. The officers were taken to Tupua Tamasese Meaole hospital, where one has serious injuries and the other two are recovering from moderate wounds.
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May 8th 2012
Eucalypt forestry advocates eye Maori Lands
Many Maori communities could benefit from the development of a durable timber industry in New Zealand, according to the Dryland Forests Initiative. A cross-sector research and development project, the initiative wants to have several species of eucalypt planted on pastoral land.
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May 2nd 2012
Te Vaka winners at International Songwriting Competition
Te Vaka’s lead singer and chief songwriter, Opetaia Foa’i, has won second place in the World section at the recent 2011 International Songwriting Competition. Foa’i’s accolade, his third at the competition, also brings up to fifty the total number of wins and honourable mentions for New Zealand-based artists.
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May 1st 2012
Ngati Whatua Orakei wins excellence award
The Ngati Whatua o Orakei Maori Trust Board received a Special Recognition Award for Excellence in Tribal Strategic Planning at the Aotearoa New Zealand Annual Business and Alumni Awards held Friday at the University of Auckland.
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April 30th 2012
From gang member to successful tutor and role model
Don Tahere is proof it’s never too late to turn your life around. Just before he turned 50, Don enrolled in the Certificate in Agriculture and Farm Maintenance at Waiariki Institute of Technology in Tokoroa.
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April 24th 2012
On time immunisation best protection
Pacific children have the highest immunisation rates in New Zealand compared with other groups which is great, says Ministry of Health Chief Advisor Dr Api Talemaitoga, but there is still more we can do to help protect our families and our communities.
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April 19th 2012
Maori land trust wants a bright future for its young beneficiaries
A multimillion-dollar Maori land trust is looking to give its young beneficiaries a headstart in life. The Rotorua Daily Post spoke to its health and wellbeing co-ordinator, Adele Barsdell, about how the Tauhara North No2 Trust is putting its plans into place.
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April 19th 2012
Wellington Pacific Forum set down for May 2nd
An upcoming forum will give Wellington’s Pacific communities the opportunity to have their say about the future direction of the city, as well as hear what the Wellington City Council has been doing about issues raised in the previous forum.
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April 18th 2012
Cook Island descendants gather for Atiu reunion
Their people have spread far and wide across the world, but for the first time they will be celebrating their culture and history in their adopted home of Rotorua. More than 160 descendants, relatives and family members from the small Cook Island of Atiu will converge on Apumoana Marae in Rotorua.
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April 17th 2012
Maori and Pacific students shine in Southland arts workshops
A number of workshops in Southland gave Maori and Pacific students the opportunity to shine last week. For the second year running Auckland’s Tautai Contemporary Pacific Arts Trust are working with the local Murihiku Maori and Pasifika Cultural Trust.
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April 17th 2012
Save The Children providing lunches for Fiji's flood kids
The chief executive of Save the Children Fiji says more than 700 Nadi students affected by floods are getting a hot school lunch. Recent severe flooding has displaced thousands of people, with more than 1,000 still in evacuation centres and another thousand estimated to be staying with friends and family.
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April 16th 2012
Ministry of pacific Islands Affairs Northern Updates
The Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs is working alongside the Ministry of Education to develop a new Pasifika Education Plan, to replace the Pasifika Education Plan 2009-2012. Consultation is planned for April and May of this year.
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April 16th 2012
UNICEF urgently responding to Fiji's needs
UNICEF urgently responding to water, health and education needs associated with Fiji floods. Over 14,000 thousand people, including 5,000 children, have been displaced from their homes due to flooding in the Western and Central Divisions of Fiji.
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April 12th 2012
Quitline's new Campaign will motivate more people to quit smoking
To help reach the Government’s goal of a Smokefree New Zealand by 2025, Quitline has launched a major new television, outdoor and online campaign to inspire more people to get in touch with them for support to quit smoking.
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April 11th 2012
Applications for Mara Kai (community gardens) funding open
Getting dirt under your fingernails, growing your own food and sharing the fruit of your labours is an emerging trend that has many benefits for communities. It is one that Te Puni Kokiri is happy to support through its Māra Kai programme.
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April 10th 2012
Better support for youth mental illness
Youth workers trained to recognise mental health issues will be put into selected secondary schools and Youth One Stop Shops as part of the National-led Government’s youth mental health package, says Social Development Minister Paula Bennett.
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March 29th 2012
Colloquium to discuss Maori and social issues
Ngā Pae o te Māramatanga (NPM) will hold a national colloquium on April 5th to discuss Māori and social issues research and policy needs and priorities, and the contribution research may make to address these issues.
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March 28th 2012
Minister congratulates Maori housing initiatives
Associate Minister of Housing, Tariana Turia has congratulated Ngati Hine Health Trust for opening the Moerewa Housing Project, and also Te Matapihi He Tirohanga mo te iwi Trust for hosting the National Maori Housing Conference, after attending both events in Northland.
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March 20th 2012
Cleanliness practices could help stop typhoid in its tracks
Two confirmed cases of typhoid have shown up in Tongatapu, the first cases of the year. A teenage boy and a five year old child from Tatakamotonga are in Vaiola hospital getting specialist treatment for typhoid.
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March 20th 2012
Registration dates announced for 2012 Pacific quota
Registration with Immigration New Zealand for this year's Samoa Quota (SQ) and Pacific Access Category (PAC) ballots will be open from 2 to 30 April 2012. Eleven hundred places are available under SQ (Samoan nationals only) and 400 under PAC (Tonga, Tuvalu, Kiribati nationals only).
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March 20th 2012
Forum to discuss suicides and stress
Youth suicide rates worldwide are a distressing problem and recently more than 140 young people from Rarotonga and her sister islands gathered in Vaimaanga to discuss the problem and how to prevent it from happening in the future.
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March 14th 2012
Northland pre-European fortified pa and village plays host to overseas visitors
As reported by Delwyn Dickey in the Rodney Times, a Kiwi-born Japanese pop star has stopped in Te Hana with a film crew to reconnect with his roots and he was given a true Maori welcome…
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March 13th 2012
First conference in NZ on the impact of alcohol on children
An upcoming conference is a first for New Zealand. The “Babies, Children and Alcohol” conference on March 22 at Te Papa, Wellington, is focused on the damage that alcohol is doing to New Zealand’s children and what can be done about it.
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March 12th 2012
ISSUE 49 EXCLUSIVE
Working For Successful Pacific Peoples
Successful Pacific Peoples has been the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs’ vision for New Zealand’s Pacific peoples for some time now. We’ve said repeatedly that working for that success is what underpins all our work.
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March 12th 2012
Gambling Helpline and Kidsline working together to reduce the impact of gambling
Two of the country’s leading helplines, Gambling Helpline and Kidsline, have agreed to work more closely together, providing a consistent approach towards helping families and individuals affected by problem gambling.
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March 7th 2012
The Islands come alive at Auckland Libraries
Visit Auckland Libraries during Pasifika and get a feel for the Pacific Islands through stories, books, music and family history. In March 2012, Auckland Libraries will be celebrating Pasifika with a range of activities, events and displays that showcase the libraries’ Pacific treasures.
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March 7th 2012
More needs to be done to improve Maori respiratory health
Sharon Cavanagh, The Asthma Foundation’s new National Maori Health Manager, has a strong new vision for helping Maori with respiratory conditions. Prevention is the key. We need to make asthma and respiratory conditions a health priority.
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March 6th 2012
Oxfam highlights poor access to water across the Pacific with Queen Street water haul
In a show of solidarity with people across the Pacific, many of whom lack the basics taken for granted by Kiwis, Oxfam New Zealand’s Executive Director Barry Coates was joined by staff and supporters to carry heavy loads of water, vegetables and bedding up Queen Street at a lunch time walk.
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March 2nd 2012
Edible garden helping people blossom
A community garden in Point England has received a funding boost that will ensure plenty of vegetables are planted this winter. The Island Child Charitable Trust has received $2300 from Auckland Council’s Environmental Initiatives Fund to buy, install, fill and plant new macrocarpa garden boxes
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March 2nd 2012
FIFA health programme spreads to Oceania
Oceania will become the latest region to benefit from the FIFA '11 for Health' programme following the visit of Professor Jiri Dvorak, FIFA’s Chief Medical Officer and Chairman of the FIFA Medical and Research Centre, to the Solomon Islands capital of Honiara this week.
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March 1st 2012
Seeking the next of kin of a Pacific deceased man - Mr Molia (Joseph) Sio
No known next of kin have come forward to claim the body of Mr Molia (Joseph) Sio since his death was reported to the Police. The body has been in the Police Mortuary since the time of death which was on or about the 2nd of February.
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February 29th 2012
PhD student determined to keep the Samoan language alive
The Samoan language won’t die if Salainaoloa Wilson has anything to do with it. Speaking to Troels Sommerville of the Manukau Courier, Miss Wilson admits she is fortunate that her family unit was determined to maintain their language.
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February 21st 2012
Iwi leaders, Sharples letting our children down
Iwi leaders should spend less time dreaming of ways to profit from sales of state-owned assets, and more time on salvaging the children of their tribes, says Labour's Economic Development (Maori) spokesperson Shane Jones.
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February 20th 2012
Cancer research and education for Maori
Kia ora - E te iwi, a cancer education and support programme for Maori, has been gifted to the Maori health community by the Cancer Society. The programme is the result of the Society working collaboratively with Iwi and Maori health providers to develop a Kaupapa Maori cancer education programme to be delivered for Maori by Maori.
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February 20th 2012
Cook Islands may get suicide helpline
Around the clock support via a telephone helpline is being investigated as a tool for addressing suicide in the Cook Islands. The Celebration on the Rock Church and a newly-formed government-affiliated committee are both looking at the possibility
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February 15th 2012
Privacy (Information Sharing) Bill passes first reading
Justice Minister Judith Collins has welcomed the first reading of a bill to improve information sharing between public service agencies. Ms Collins said the Privacy (Information Sharing) Bill will improve the rules around the collection, storage, and use of personal information while ensuring...
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February 14th 2012
Fast food outlets are a poor substitute for good healthy fresh foods
It will be a great step forward in the fight against obesity and the continued care of young people in Auckland’s poorer suburbs if drastic measures can be taken to stop the spread of fast food outlets in Auckland.
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February 14th 2012
Learning results in raft of changes to better protect children
Social Development Minister Paula Bennett says a Ministerial Inquiry into a case of serious abuse of a nine year old, has led to major changes. “Both parents responsible for the appalling litany of abuse against their nine year old child have now been found guilty and sentenced and that’s where the primary responsibility lies,” says Ms Bennett.
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February 13th 2012
Many NZ primary schools need to be 'sun smarter'
While New Zealand primary school students are benefiting from improved sun protection efforts over recent years, our schools still lag behind those of Australia in the ‘sun smart’ stakes, according to latest University of Otago research.
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February 7th 2012
Assessing Children's needs in Fiji after flood
Save the Children colleagues in Fiji are currently completing a post-flood assessment and working with schools to identify the number of children who are likely to need assistance to ensure they can return to school this week.
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February 2nd 2012
French return more Maori remains
Te Papa will welcome home to New Zealand 20 toi moko (human remains) from France at a ceremony next week. Staff from the museum's Karanga Aotearoa repatriation programme team are in Paris for a handover ceremony at the Musee du Quai Branly today.
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January 27th 2012
Manukau stepping up to create support programmes for young people
Youth suicides, particularly among young Pacific people are causing great concern in New Zealand and the fact that 14 Pacific people, many of whom were young Tongans took their own lives in the Manukau district in the latter part of 2011 has prompted organisations there to work together to create a massive prevention and support programme.
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January 26th 2012
Campaign targets high Maori drowning rates
Water Safety New Zealand – in conjunction with sponsor New Zealand Post – is launching a campaign aimed squarely at improving the water safety skills of Maori. The campaign - Kia Maanu, Kia Ora! [also called Stay Afloat Stay Alive] - is in response to the consistent over representation of Maori in New Zealand’s drowning statistics.
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January 25th 2012
Epilepsy research underway in the Islands
Epilepsy New Zealand today announced that it had received funding from the IBE (International Bureau for Epilepsy), the world governing body for epilepsy based in Europe, to conduct research in the Pacific Island region in 2012, to ascertain the services available to people with epilepsy and the treatment, if any, they are receiving.
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January 23rd 2012
Kiribati invites Fiji expertise on labour reform
Kiribati officials have requested technical assistance from the Fiji government’s Ministry of Labour to undertake their Labour Reform agenda in the fields of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) and Labour Inspection procedures.
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January 20th 2012
Maori health advocate wants Maori to have a choice about immunisation
Maori health advocate, Colleen Tuuta wants Maori to have a choice about immunisation. Maori immunisation rates became a hot issue at the Taranaki District Health Board when some interesting figures revealed the situation regarding the health of Maori children.
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January 19th 2012
American Samoa First Lady urging people to take action against diabetes
The wife of American Samoa’s governor is calling on everyone to do their part in fighting non-communicable diseases. Mary Ann Tulafono says health professionals have declared diabetes in the territory to be at epidemic levels.
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January 18th 2012
Milk in schools programme applauded
A significant number of children in NZ are living in circumstances where their nutritional needs are not being met. The NZ College of Public Health Medicine welcomes the introduction of the ‘milk in schools programme’ by Fonterra.
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January 18th 2012
Gifted Hands hero to help Books in Homes
Duffy Books in Homes General Manager Linda Vagana is thrilled to be part of a charity event on March 6 in Auckland featuring US paediatric neurosurgeon and philanthropist Dr Ben Carson, whose journey from extreme poverty to world-renowned neurosurgeon featured in a hit movie starring Cuba Gooding Jr.
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