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(Photos: Gemma
Leathem) |
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NEW ZEALAND: Sł Pacific
Music Award Winners Announced
Source:
Pacific Music Press
Release
Te Vaka and Scribe lead the list as Pacific
music celebrates bumper year.
Te Vaka and Scribe have taken double honours at
the S3 (pron: ess-cubed) Pacific Music Awards
2008 announced tonight (May 31) in Manukau City.
Te Vaka was honoured with the Radio 531pi Best
Pacific Group award and the coveted Tui for the
S3 Best Pacific Music Album for 'Olatia'.
It's the second Best Pacific Album award for the
11-piece band whose music is inspired by the
Pacific Islands. Te Vaka took out the Tui award
in 2004 for 'Tutuki'.
To acknowledge the band's Tui win, Te Vaka will
also be honoured at the New Zealand Music Awards
in October.
New Zealand's leading hip hop artist, Scribe has
taken out the NZ Music Commission Best Pacific
Male Artist Award for his second album 'Rhyme
Book'.
Malo Luafutu (a.k.a Scribe) is also a co-winner
with Tyra Hammond, Aaron Iusitini and Jordan
Iusitini for 'Say It Again' (published by
Mushroom Music) which has prevailed in the APRA
Best Pacific Song category.
Other winners at the S3 Pacific Music Awards
2008 are:
- Cydel took out the award for Niu FM Best
Pacific Urban Artist for 'Soul Finder'.
- Three Houses Down picked up the Manukau City
Council People's Choice Award - Best Pacific
Artist.
- Lole takes out the Counties Manukau District
Health Board - Smokefree Best Pacific Female
Artist for 'The Movement'.
- The Ministry Of Pacific Island Affairs
Lifetime Achievement Award went to Sione 'King
of Ukulele' Aleki.
- Singer, songwriter and producer Matthew Salapu
Faiumu won The Phillip Fuemana Award.
Pacific Music Awards chairperson the Rev Mua
Strickson Pua says the Sł Pacific Music Awards
2008 acknowledges the contribution of Pacific
Music to the economies of New Zealand and our
Pacific nations.
"Pacific music has been a trail blazer for race
relations, social responsibility, and expressing
human joy in Aotearoa and through out the
Pacific region. Our music continues to be the
fresh face of Aotearoa New Zealand for the
global economy."
RIANZ CEO Campbell Smith says RIANZ is proud to
support the Pacific Music Awards as the home of
the Tui for Best Pacific Music Album.
"It has been another amazing year for Pacific
music and this year's results reflect a growing
diversity in the Pacific fraternity which in
turn makes for a very healthy music industry."
The fourth annual Pacific Music Awards were held
at Manukau City's TelstraClear Pacific venue and
celebrate Pacific music and artists.
The audience was treated to dynamic live
performances by Pacific music stalwarts and
newcomers alike including Nesian Mystik, Three
Houses Down, Cydel, Lole Usoalii, Julie Ta'ale,
Kas Futialo and Vaniah Toloa.
Photo Captions:
Photo 1:
Representing 'Te Vaka'
Liana Foa'i and Manase Foa'i. Te Vaka was
honoured with the Radio 531pi Best Pacific Group
award and the Tui for the S3 Best Pacific Music
Album for 'Olatia'.
Photo 2:
Cydel's Pele and Dee.
Cydel took out the award for Niu FM Best Pacific
Urban Artist for 'Soul Finder'.
Photo 3:
Lole performing. She took
home the Counties Manukau District Health Board
Smokefree Best Pacific Female Artist for 'The
Movement'.
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(Photos:
Agnes Kerslake) |
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SAMOA: Samoa Rugby
Union launches official website
Source:
SRU Press Release
The Samoa Rugby Union jogs into the professional
arena of cyberspace. After months at the drawing
board the SRU recently launched its new 'portal
of communication' the Samoa Rugby Union website:
www.samoarugbyunion.ws.
The website was developed due to great demand
from national and international supporters and
players', wanting to be kept up-to-date with
what was happening with rugby in Samoa (national
team trials, press releases, new developments on
and off the field, advertised vacancies,
team management contacts etc.).
CEO Su'a Peter Schuster stated that "This is
part and parcel of the SRU's new strategic plan
2008-2011. Embracing the professional area of
rugby means that we operate at the level at par
with international standards, both on the rugby
pitch but also with our corporate services."
The public can now easily access information
about Samoan rugby online and allows SRU to stay
close to it's player pool and supporters. The
website will be a vital marketing tool for the
Samoa Rugby Union and its National Teams. It has
been designed to be informative and interactive
to keep all stakeholders abreast of ongoing
developments at the Samoa Rugby Union and
it's properties. It will also feature the SRU-PUMA
Online Merchandise Facility, allowing fans from
around the world to purchase SRU and Manu Samoa
merchandise at their convenience.
In a nutshell, the website is the world's
gateway to the Samoa Rugby Union.
"We are on the way" says Su'a P. Schuster,
referring to British writer Stephen Jones
article just before Rugby World Cup 2007, "Samoa
is the most remarkable rugby nursery in the
world, bar none. Bryan Williams, Olo Brown,
Michael Jones, Va'aiga Tuigamala, John Schuster,
Frank Bunce, Alama Ieremia and Tana Umaga are
all in the pantheon of All Black greats, yet all
could have played their whole careers for Samoa.
"Just how great would Samoa be if they had been
allowed to choose all their eligible players? In
my opinion, they could well by now become world
champions."
Features of the site include news, fanzone,
events schedules, tournament fixtures and an
attractive interactive design by iPasifika makes
it worth a visit.
Photo Caption:
Samoa Rugby Union CEO, Su'a Peter Schuster;
SRU's new website.
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(Photos: FFAS) |
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AMERICAN SAMOA:
Futsal Kicks Off At Pago Park
Source:
Football Federation of
American Samoa Press Release
The FFAS Senior Futsal League kicked off on a
bright and sunny Pago Pago Saturday afternoon
with an exciting round of football.
Ten men's and seven women's teams are taking
part in this years event which will double up as
a preseason for the Senior National League which
is to commence in August.
Following 2 rounds FC SKBC have taken an early
lead in the men's pool with two wins and 6
points closely followed by Peace Brothers and
Ilaoa Toomata on 4 points.
In the women's division Pansa and Lion Heart top
the group with two early wins apiece.
With two rounds being played each Saturday,
places can change very quickly and an exciting
tournament is expected over the coming weeks.
Photo Caption:
The Football Federation of American Samoa Senior
Futsal League at Pagopago
Park.
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AROUND THE WORLD: Making Governance Gender
Responsive
Source:
UNDP Press Release
Civil society organisations from ten Pacific
Island countries converged in Suva this week for
a five-day training programme on "Making
Governance Gender Responsive". The training is
targeted at building the capacity of CSOs to
advocate and implement gender responsive
programmes in their own work and the work of
their governments.
The meeting is being organised by the UNDP
Pacific Centre in collaboration with the Centre
for Asia Pacific Women in Politics, otherwise
known as CAPWIP. Resource people from the
Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Secretariat
for the Pacific Community, Fiji Women's Rights
Movement, FemLink Pacific, and the Regional
Rights and Resources Team provided support to
the training programme.
Thirty participants attended from Fiji, Vanuatu,
Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands,
Nauru, Samoa, Tonga, Cook Islands, and Marshall
Islands. Participants came from a range of
organisations working on women's rights,
community-based development, regional
accountability and good governance and policy
advocacy, as well as from academia.
Ms. Daisy Alik Momotaro from Marshall Islands
said that "as the Executive Director of Women
United Together in Marshall Islands, the
training has been a very timely and useful
source of information on how to integrate gender
into our programmes, and I will be translating
some of the basic resource materials provided
for our own community training programmes".
Participants came together to learn and share
experiences on developing effective and
strategic campaigns for promoting gender
sensitive legislative change and gender
sensitive governance. Participants unpacked the
principles which underpin gender and development
and learned about tools and strategies such as
gender budgeting, gender auditing, gender
analysis and how to use
and develop gendered statistics.
Mr. Kum On Tarawa, from the Foundation for the
People of the South Pacific in Kiribati,
commended the training, saying that "as a young
person working on community development, this
training has been very interesting, exciting,
and challenging, being exposed to the concept of
gender and to various issues affecting women.
The training on gender programming was presented
in a simple and effective format and made it
easier for participants to understand".
CAPWIP trainers Ms Remedios Rikken and Ms Lucita
Lazo have played a key facilitation role at the
training event. Ms Lazo was very impressed with
Pacific participants, observing that "there is a
lot of hope in the Pacific with participants
such as those that attended our meeting. There
is so much enthusiasm, energy, and brainpower
present here, all they need is resourcing to be
able to walk the talk".
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FIJI:
Whiteside rules in badminton
Source:
Fiji Times
Fiji women's number one Andrea Whiteside won two
gold medals for Suva as she dominated the Fiji
Games badminton competition.
The University of the South Pacific student beat
her male opponents to scoop the singles gold and
later teamed up with Alika Cooper of Navua to
win the mixed double events.
Whiteside, who represented Fiji to the 2007
South Pacific Games, had earlier beaten Cooper
in the singles final 21-10, 21-9.
Shivneel Chand won the bronze for Nasinu.
Whiteside and Cooper proved to be a winning
combination to beat a strong challenge from
Steven Wong and Devarisi Sharma 21-13, 21-16.
The bronze medal playoff, played between
Gabriella Wong and Chand and Sean Quai Hoi and
Gardiner Whiteside, saw the Nasinu pair come out
victorious 21-18, 21-17.
Badminton official Berry Whiteside said the huge
interest shown by players was indeed a pleasant
surprise. "This was one of the biggest games
judging from the record number of districts to
be represented in this year's Fiji Games from
Suva, Lautoka, Nadi, Lami, Navua, Rakiraki,
Rotuma and Nasinu."
The Fiji Games was a good test of fitness and
stamina, being the first major competition on
the Badminton Fiji calendar.
Whiteside said the games also served as a trial
event for under-18 boys who are hoping to
represent Fiji at the Pune Commonwealth Youth
Games in India.
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TAHITI:
'Baguette Index' Higher In French Polynesia
Source:
Pacific Magazine
The cost of living for those on a minimum wage
or lower income in French Polynesia went up
Sunday when the price of a normal size loaf of
the famous French "baguette" increased 8.51
percent from 47 to 51 French Pacific francs.
Before Sunday, the last time the price of a loaf
of French bread known as the "baguette" went up
was on Sept. 1, 2005, when it rose from 43 to 47
French Pacific francs. At the time that meant a
250-gram baguette went from 59 to 76 U.S. cents
and 36-39 euro cents.
Sunday's increase means the same size baguette
has gone from 63 to 68 U.S. cents and 39 to 43
euro cents. Today's baguette costs less in U.S.
cents than it did nearly three years ago only
because the U.S. dollar is worth 22 percent less
in French Pacific francs than it was in
September 2005.
The Tong Sang government noted in announcing the
price hike last week that Tahiti's baguette,
even at the new cost of 51 French Pacific
francs, is less expensive than a baguette in
France or in New Caledonia, like French
Polynesia, a Pacific overseas French community.
In France, a baguette costs 75 euro cents (89.5
French Pacific francs, or US$1.19), the
government said. In New Caledonia, a baguette
costs 95 French Pacific francs (US$1.27/80 euro
cents).
Large, low-income families in French Polynesia
eat a lot of baguettes per day, seven days a
week. Thus, a four-French Pacific franc price
hike to 51 F CFP for a single baguette can mean
a substantial increase in the monthly family
budget, or less money for other items.
However, the four French Pacific franc hike on
Sunday applies only to the Windward Islands of
Tahiti and Moorea and the Leeward Islands of
Raiatea, Taha'a, Huahine and Bora Bora. Combined
they represent 227,807 people, or 88 percent of
French Polynesia's overall population of 259,596
people, according to the 2007 census.
For the remaining nearly 32,000 people spread
out over smaller populated islands, like the
northernmost Marquesas, the southernmost
Australs and the tiny atolls that make up the
Tuamotu and Gambier Archipelagos, a baguette of
bread today costs even more.
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