Polynesian Night Markets in Manukau Friday fortnights...

 

Last night was the first night that I had visited the Polynesian Night Markets, in Manukau, under an enormous Dome-like tent.

Since last year, after the Pandemic had subsided somewhat and Auckland began to open, a Polynesian company called 'Poly X NZ' came up with the idea to extend their cultural experience business by supporting other Pacific businesses to come together in a Night markets format.

As we became aware last year, that many Pacific peoples had lost their jobs due to the Pandemic affecting workplaces and companies etc. Opening the night markets, fortnightly, gave budding entrepeneurs, Pacific families and organisations the opportunity to sell their wares, foods, products to a domestic market.

Last night, I saw and sampled lots of food outlets that catered particularly to a Poly/Pacific audience. There was also a lot of Pacific merchandise i.e. Tshirts, sweatshirts, earrings, posters, dresses etc. and the list goes on.

I would definitely recommend the Polynesian Night markets with fortnight dates that start from 5.30pm - 9.30pm for that quick dinner after work and a stroll around to see what else there is on show. There was even a Pasifika floor show with dancers and Pacific music throughout the night. 

So why not check it out and see if it's something that you'd like to try out too...

No Olympic medals for Samoa just yet...

 

As of today, Samoa has yet to receive any medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic games. It's been very difficult also as Samoa's borders remain closed and the government chose not to send any athletes to Tokyo.

Therefore, the only athletes who are able to support Samoa, in their quest for medals at these Olympic games, are those who are based outside of Samoa and are registered to represent Samoa.

That must have been very sad for the athletes who have been training for years and especially for the Weight lifting team who were in for medal contention having done well at the Commonwealth games in 2018, in Australia, with 5 medals (2 gold and 3 silver) but this was not to be.

Hopefully at the next games, Samoa will be in to win. By that time, may the vaccinations be fully utilised and the pandemic a distant memory but until then we're wishing well to those athletes who are still awaiting for their events to start before the closing ceremony in the next few days, especially if they represent Samoa...

Congratulations to Samoa's first female and new Prime Minister...

 

Finally, a big congratulations to Samoa's first female and newest Prime Minister Honourable Fiame Naomi Mata'afa which was officially conferred this week.

There had been a lot of political maneuverings over the last few months since the April elections that must have brought about a surprise result to the then incumbent HRPP (Human Rights Protection Party) now former Prime Minister.

He probably had not anticipated the quick rise of the FAST Faatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi party (his former deputy being the leader) and the many Samoans who did not vote for his party therefore not giving him the mandate to continue another term in office.

The dramatic constitutional crisis that unfolded, as a result of his not accepting the result and not wanting to leave office for various reasons, brought about many court cases that were finally thwarted by the Supreme court of Samoa, the appeals court and finally many people of Samoa who lost faith and much respect for him and his followers.

What it did show was the amazing patience of the now new Prime Minister, the restraint of the people of Samoa and the extent to which the opposition would go to not exercise the rights of the people in a democratic process to have the leader that the majority had chosen in office. 

Some even compared it similarly to what happened with Donald Trump when he lost his election to become the American President for a second term and the riots and violence that occurred due to his not accepting the voice of the majority.

Plus the fact that Samoa has been in need of a new leader since more legislation was brought in last year that effectively challenged the constitution of Samoa that was established in 1962 and even changed it with three new bills that were brought in with the knowledge of the financial power that China has over Samoa in the debts that have incurred by the outgoing government during its time in office.

Now is the time for a clean up within all government departments, to get rid of any trickery or corruption, bribes or deceit that may have festered during the past decades and to have Samoa's government services support the people, by the people, for the people...

Pacific Islands nations and Rugby...

These last couple of weeks have proved to be very interesting for the males in my household who are very interested in Rugby in general and especially with Pacific Islands nations qualifying for the Rugby world cup that is to be held in 2023.

In the last two weekends, Samoa has played Tonga and last night Samoa's place was sealed qualifying for the Rugby World Cup having won twice against Tonga. This was place as the undercard match before the All Blacks (NZ team rugby team) won twice against Fiji who were surprisingly strong.

However, the sad news for many Fijian players was that COVID-19 has ravaged the Island nation and there have been many recent deaths that has been so difficult for players who have not seen family members for months since boarder closures.

It was also good to see the camaraderie amongst Pacific nations players in understanding the connections between players and their families, faith and villages back home in their Island nations. It was also good to see this being displayed in dances and uniforms by fans and also commentary by the rugby commentators.

This is the dawn of a new era in Rugby, that although I'm not a great fan of the sport, it has been interesting to watch it's development especially around supporting Pacific nations rugby as it has a very direct impact on players livelihoods, families, villages and Islands nations...
 

'Those who wish me dead' movie comparison...

 

It's been interesting to watch another movie with a female hero/heroine where a woman heads a particular fire fighting division in what is usually a male role. Right from the beginning of the movie there is a lot of violence incurred due to financial corruption in 'higher roles' that assassins are employed to keep the silence.

What's interesting about this movie is that in comparison to the 'Black widow' movie, where there is a lot of violence, here the heroine is able to still continue with her feminine traits and not have to dispose of them in order to become a hero.

In fact, there is a secondary black pregnant woman who is in a very vulnerable situation who has to also fight back. Initially one would think that there would be no way that a pregnant woman would be able to fight off two armed gunmen but the plot showed otherwise.

I think was a very brave movie to produce but I do feel saddened by the fact that a lot of wild animals, insects etc. would have been killed in order to produce the movie as the fire fighting happened in forested areas and in order to make it look real, a lot of land would have been burnt in order to get that affect but then that's Hollywood...

'Black Widow' recent Avengers movie...

 

This film has been a long time coming for the Marvel series as the back story of 'the Black Widow' i.e. the only female in the Avengers superhero films. Although there are more female characters, the Black Widow is the only character that continues throughout the series.

It's interesting as it's taken some 20 years to get to the space that we have now with female fight scenes that equal many male fight scenes i.e. looking very realistic and violent with lots of killings to boot. Not really my cup-of-tea but interesting to reflect on.

Even the back story of how she gets the name 'Black Widow' brings about the idea that to become an assassin one needs to have her female part removed (so that she becomes more male?) again, not my cup-of-coffee but it somehow defines how women can't really be defined as superheroes unless they are more male-like.

All in all, an interesting movie that was very late in coming i.e. after the fact, in that the Avengers movie series have all but finished and now there are loose ends in the storyline that need to be completed and this is one of them.

However there are bigger questions that still remain answered and that is the role of women as superheroes...

Law student's take on the NZ constitution and indigenous peoples...

 

A big shout out with thanks and appreciation to our eldest for her support with general discussions in my classes on the New Zealand constitution and how it affects The Treaty of Waitangi and Te Tiriti o Waitangi (the agreement between the English Crown and the Tangata Whenua (the people of the land) or the indigenous people of New Zealand being the various iwi or tribes of Maori.

As a youngster, our eldest had a keen sense of social justice so it seemed to be a natural progression for her to take interest in gaining a scholarship into attending law school at AUT University, initially at the city campus and now at the South Auckland campus. I had wanted for her to follow in my footsteps at the University of Auckland where I first started my academic journey and now as an alumni and post graduate from that and now two three other tertiary institutions.

Now in her second year, she has developed a keen sense of sharing her knowledge with lay people, like myself and my class, in order to be able to understand the NZ constitution, its structure and how it affects the Treaty with indigenous peoples. 

It made for an interesting conversation and also a flipping of the narrative regarding Maori in low rates of academic achievement, high rates in prison and in need of medical support etc. that in actual fact the Treaty of Waitangi was created to benefit those who were non Maori.

You only have to look into New Zealand history to see that soon after the signing of the treaty by some Maori leaders (not all) at the time in 1840, the illegal confiscation of land grabbing began (disguised under legal speak). There began the demise of the indigenous peoples of the land and the negative outcomes and impact is what we see in NZ society today.

It was a real wake up call for myself and the audience. It was also an important wake up call in the sense of a new generation studying and reading case law and being able to make sense of it for themselves and sharing the injustices that have happened in the past instead of normalizing it. 

The world is becoming a very different place in what was socially accepted practice and now as there is a re-historying happening from, indigenous perspectives, it is beginning to change the course of history with new narratives that make more sense, give a better sense of hope for now and for the future...

Matariki discussions at Hawkins Theatre Papakura...

This week, I had the honour of attending a Matariki discussion at Hawkins Theatre in Papakura. I had heard about the korero (talk) through a student but thought not to attend due to having listened before to different discussions by the speakers.

However, as she had two free tickets and wasn't able to attend that day then I decided to take up the offer and not waste the opportunity in case I started asking around and no one was free.

In any case, what was so neat about the talk was being able to take my middle child along for the ride on a half rainy night and then over to Denny's for a late dinner and dessert.

The speakers were: Prof. Rangi Matamua (who discussed Matariki star cluster), Hoturoa Barclay-Kerr (Master star oceanic navigator who discussed his background) and Rereata Makiha (who spoke on maramataka and current projects). 

What was neat about listening to their discussions was that they were happy to share their knowledge freely for next generations and current generations to learn and understand from their various perspectives. 

I have heard each of them discuss their thoughts and experiences in various settings but especially Youtube. I've even shared their ideas in class which has informed my classes on the various journeys that each has taken.

What a privilege it was to be able to share this information with a second child as I had been able to take my youngest a couple of years ago when Prof. Rangi Matamua held a session at Manukau Vodafone Events centre.

As more information comes to light, it clearly shows how Maori and Pacific peoples early ancestors were keen navigators and observers of the land, oceans, seas and sky. We come from a knowledge rich past and can keenly transpose those pioneering ways to the future...

 

Kūpapa - a new play at Te Pou theatre, Henderson...

This weekend, I went with another kaiako (teacher) to take our classes to watch the opening night of 'Kūpapa' a play about a Maori/Pākeha woman in the late 1800s.

It was a well written production and very compelling as it spoke about the difficult situations that some people were in having to make choices about supporting the new 'Crown' government who were illegally confiscating land off Maori and building a new nation.

It was also very confronting in seeing some of the decisions that were made my people such as the main character that brought about the demise of her own people i.e. Maori losing many lives during the early wars and also much land.

It was also neat to see my beloved and our two elder children attend it is important to be informed about New Zealand's history in a re-historying, of sorts, from different perspectives and not only what you learn from books and in schools.

The play was based on research that the writer had undertaken about her great aunt but that's a whole other story which in itself is interesting. The production itself took place at Te Pou Theatre in Henderson which is a part of the Corban Arts Estate which supports many artists and workshops etc.

It was a real highlight for our classes as we were able to talk about a lot of events that happened during that turbulent time period in history where colonization was beginning to take a real foot hold in New Zealand and where the fight over land grabbings and territory brought about prolonged wars and the carnage that that time of history experienced...

 

Free 'Digital Boost' to fledgling businesses...

 

I've now finally decided to take the challenge and get into the Digital Boost videos that can actually earn you digital badges as you learn alongside the video.

It's a neat initiative that's to support small to medium businesses to get tech savvy in this new digital age of technology.

I've already had a look at the first 4 minute video and in that short time the creators have been able to pack a lot of information that's very interesting and important for setting up your business to get started.

In fact, there's so many interesting videos to go through and with topics such as: accounting, the basics, world stories etc. and with every 20 videos you get a digital badge which is a pretty good incentive if you're interested in stacking those up. 

I'm thinking of taking notes along the way as each video seems action packed with lots of information and the other neat thing is that it's free to all businesses. As before you needed to be a confirmed business with a NZ companies no. but they've now done away with that and now anyone can join.

It also became very apparent during the COVID-19 lockdowns that it was the businesses who were already tech savvy and had an online presence with followers who were able to promote their businesses online during the lockdowns and those who didn't were in big trouble.

So why not give it a go and have a look through the website as it might be able to support that unique business idea that you have that no one else has and then the world is your oyster. You can also pass on this blog to others who might be interested too...