The passing of the King (Māori)...

 

Yesterday, it was announced all over the news that King Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII had died at the age of 69 years.

I acknowledge the special legacy that he came from as a King who was gracious and often unassuming, however, he leaves a legacy behind of a King who cared for his people.

He is indeed a King for all of NZ, however, not all Māori tribes subscribe to him as their king and not all New Zealanders are aware of him or if they do, they see him as the Māori king as seen in this news clip from RNZ (Radio New Zealand). 

It is a sad day for New Zealand and especially for the Kingitanga, a movement that was grown out of the the 1950s as a answer to lots of land being taken from Maori (mostly illegally) and then resold to Europeans and other immigrants so much so that Māori own only 10% of New Zealand's land to date.

There have been tributes pouring in from all over New Zealand and all over the world from many nations who recognize his sovereign state as King as his mother was also known as a gracious Queen when he succeeded her.

According to the news, he is lying in state at the Kingitanga marae at Nguruawahia where only two weeks ago, he was at the celebrations of his coronation or Koroneihana. Many will be visiting his tangihanga or paying their respects for his passing before his burial on Thursday.

I visited the marae (or meeting house) called Turangawaewae Marae and observed a Koroneihana one year with a group of kaiako or teachers and students. At the time there were many speeches and singing waiata (Māori songs) and they catered for everyone there.

This time around it will be a massive undertaking with so many tribes and people paying their last respects to him i.e. NZ's politicians and Indigenous leaders from Pacific nations arriving to pay their last respects. There has also been speculation as to who will succeed him, which is a discussion for the leaders to make. 

There is a Maori proverb or whakatauki that when translated says that a mighty tree has fallen in the realm of Tane (god of the forest). It reminds me of a similar Samoan alaga upu or proverbial saying which says the heart and the earth weep at the passing of a beloved chief or leader...

Neat new Cafe & Eatery "The Gaff" with eldest...

 

Had a neat lunch with my eldest yesterday as she took me to a newish local Cafe and Eatery called "The Gaff" in Māngere Bridge, a 5 - 10 minute drive from home.

My eldest ordered our food, after we made our choices. I have to say that it was the first time I'd tried 'Camomile tea' (my eldest's choice for me) which I think doesn't stand a chance next to my usual 'Green tea' option but it wasn't too bad either.

She told me that there was information on the history of the place and that the concept for the name 'The Gaff' came from England which means a person's home.

What's neat is that I watched the conversion (over a few years) of what I thought was a early 1900s old colonial styled home into a Cafe complete with settings to eat outside, inside, and on the landing around the skirting of the house. There's even a little play house for the littlies to run around and climb up.

The menu was superb and made with love! as we ordered a steak sandwich, chicken burger and a sweet 'n savour dessert made of waffle, edible flowers, meats, banana and maple syrup. I loved the way that the plating was set up with rich colours especially for the waffle.

You'd have to taste it to believe it! as it definitely wasn't something that I would have tried by my eldest is quite daring in her palette choices plus she's gymming almost everyday so I threw caution to the wind and enjoyed it too :)

It's safe to say that I would highly recommend this Cafe and Eatery to any as there were so many people there having lunch when we were there and I would definitely recommend the outside setting too complete with overhead umbrellas where we were seated.

The prices were definitely reasonable given the amount of care and love that went into the cooking and plating up of the food that we ordered. I like that it was very diverse in it's clientele with corporate groups, friends and locals attending and I think I'll definitely be making my way there again...

New sounds "Hinamoeaki"...

 I heard my lil' sister listening to this song that she had heard/seen on TikTok. It was the first time that I'd heard it and thought that some of the words were definitely from our Poly languages it's from French Polynesia. 

I've had the blessings of having travelling to the Cook Islands, Hawaii, Samoa, Fiji, American Samoa and Tonga (but didn't venture out of the airport - does that count? :) all with their own unique sounds, traditional dance music and songs, dance costumes etc.

In my youth (not as much these days) I've danced traditional Niuean, Cook Islands drum dances, Samoa siva and tried the Hawaiian hula and Tahitian drum dance and just love the sounds. So when I listened to this song that was released this last year, it was neat to listen to but not so sure of the lyrics although some of the words have a Pasifika or Poly sound...

"Die with a Smile", new song by Bruno Mars & Lady Gaga...

 

When I first heard this song by Bruno Mars & Lady Gaga, I had to stop and listen as it carried a very interesting tune. Then I listened to the lyrics and thought - Wow! then when my eldest pulled in her car on the weekend to go out, she had this song playing on full blast.

I laughed as I thought to myself that great minds think alike (of course she is my child and I'd say that) then the next day after we watched a movie she drove me (she likes driving me around now) and we had it on full blast and took the scenic route whilst listening a couple of times to the song.

I guess we're both 'hopeless romantics' and have similar tastes in music although mine spans back to the 70s with a little wider repertoire of genres of music and eclectic going back to my classical piano training and taking music in high school and that I took piano exams but that's a whole other story.

Suffice to say that if you haven't heard this ballard then I'd highly recommend it. I've got it on repeat in my head and on YouTube it has already had over 10 million views from over the weekend. This could be the big hit of the year!

Anyway, see what you think as I really like how Bruno's smooth vocals blends in well with Lady Gaga's edgey tones. Simply beautiful - like my feedback on their official music video site. I had to laugh when I saw their Cowboy/Cowgirl costumes as it just gave it that interesting vibe. Enjoy!...

"It Ends with us" movie - domestic violence is not okay!...

 

Had a great day yesterday spent with my elder two: firstly joining me at our local youth White Sunday morning service at church which brought back a lot of memories of my early forays into writing productions for Christmas, creative dances, choir singing etc.

The church is definitely a place that a lot of artists have been able to develop their talents through music production, singing, performing on a stage and acting including myself.

After having lunch together I had a nap after spending some time on my thesis. Into the evening we decided to go to watch a movie encouraged by my eldest. It was an interesting to watch with them as it tackled the topic of domestic violence that can be both physical and psychological. The movie was called "Ends with us".

After the movie we went out for a bite to eat and reflected on the movie in which a (spoiler alert!) spouse is beaten up by her husband and then her daughter goes through domestic violence as well with her new spouse. She has a daughter but then decides that she doesn't want that life to continue and divorces him unlike her mother who stayed in the abusive marriage until his death. 

It was an interesting movie as we women know lots of women who have gone through domestic violence whether it's physical or psychological and then find it hard to understand why they stay together. It's definitely something that's been on my radar as I've watched lots of friends and family go through it with different outcomes. We had a dinner conversation about it in my not ever wanting any of my children to go through life in domestic violence - physical and/or psychological.

I believe that safety for women is important (or men if the shoe is on the other foot - so to speak). Often it's hidden and the perpetrator tries to either pretend it never happened by not speaking about it  or cos it's a power play tries to normalize it and make it the victim's fault i.e in denial and not getting help. It can get real nasty, as I've seen and leaving the perpetrator is the only way forward to see if things can be resolved or to end it like in the movie.

The movies' main character showed resolve as it does take courage and consideration for the families involved but at the end "It ends with us" is a call to action for women (and men who are experiencing it) to end this type of violation that treats individuals as if they have less worth or value. To call out the perpetrators to get help through therapy or speaking a men's group to be accountable and never go back to normalizing domestic violence as it's not normal and it's not okay!...

Borderlands movie...

 Watched the Borderlands movie last night and it was better than I had expected as it had action (plenty of it) and an interesting storyline and backstory that has a climatic twist at the end. It was also interesting to see Australian actress, Cate Blanchett, in the role of a bounty hunter which was very different from her earlier roles, i.e. Lord of the Rings, Thor Ragnarok, The Curious case of Benjamin Button etc.

It was interesting to also see comedian Kevin Hart playing the role of a supporting actor and in the action of a soldier and he plays the role very credibly as well. Then to add well known seasoned actress Jamie Lee Curtis to the mix and young actress Ariana Greenblatt then you have an interesting treatment.

No spoiler alerts as in making a choice between Deadpool & Wolverine and this movie, I think this movie would fare better as one is not always impressed with the lengths to which the character Deadpool goes to in order to get a laugh...

Manawa Bay new Outlet store coming soon...

 

A big congratulations to my middle child who will be working at the new Mānawa Bay Outlet store that opens up near Auckland International Airport, in Māngere on 19th September, next month.

It was really interesting to note that we had driven past the location last month and I had wondered out loud what the construction was about.

I've since learned that the new construction boasts being a new shopping experience with over 100+ Outlet stores and new eateries experiences. It's only 5 minutes away from Auckland Airport and easy to drive to with rail links to hook up at some time and with parks galore for those driving there.

I'm very interested in how many of us locals weren't even aware of it as its nestled close to the Airport on land that was formerly a Golf course that has now been shortened to allow for this new development from the Airport Group.

I'm also interested in that it's supposed to be bringing in at least 500 new jobs to the area with the opening of this new adventure. Too bad it doesn't have a cinema setting or offering a two storeyed experience. However, it does say that there will be alfresco seating for dining.

I'm looking forward to seeing what it entails as I live and work not so far from it. I also look forward to the new experiences that my child will have there and especially that it was relatively new with plenty of potential for it to take off...

Spring is on the way...

 

I took this picture today when I was going for my usual 5km walk in an hour. I loved seeing the three different trees juxtaposed together.

There is a palm tree on the left (I'm not so sure of the one on the right—deciduous tree?) and a pink flowering magnolia in the bottom middle.

It's getting warmer and I can feel Spring coming a lot earlier with the sun waking up earlier in the mornings with earlier sunrises.

Spring's my favourite season (my birthday's in late Spring) so can't help getting excited for the new season ahead which is not until next month.

Have got some goals that I'm trying to meet so looking forward to the end of the year too with a family trip going to Samoa before Christmas for our Ah Siu family reunion which is my late father's great grandfather Sing Ah Siu from Southern China as we know.

So looking forward to that too but in the meantime we're over 60% of the year already completed and now only around 4 months to go before Christmas and the end of the year. As they say, so much to do but so little time. Definitely putting the hand to the plow and going to make it all happen with God's blessings...

Zoom class and upcoming conference...

 

Last night, I had another online class with my student. I'm definitely blessed to be living at an age where my students can Zoom in from all parts of Aotearoa, NZ.

I have students living up North near remote areas that do have WiFi and then I also have others living in the deep South Island of the country.

But what brings us together every Tuesday night is the camaraderie of working as a class on various engaging and challenging assessments for the Post Graduate Diploma.

The cover pic on the left is the cover that was used for the conference publication of last year's speakers. There are usually two classes of at least 15 students each and their end of year project is to present a 20 minute end-of-year presentation as a culmination of their year's work.

I've had the privilege of working in this space for only a short time but have been quite impressed by the level of skills and consideration that went into writing the curriculum. 

The other neat thing is that the course that I taught for the past few years on tikanga Māori or customary practices and traditions has been very helpful in supporting the teaching and learning of my class. Being able to support students in learning ways of validating indigenous knowledge and learning about ancestral principles and values has been a blessing.

Looking forward to our end-of-year conference on 1 - 2 November and getting my students ready for their presentations. It's quite exciting but a little daunting for some as it's the first time that they would have presented at a conference. 

I remember my first time, in the 1990's presenting a Pasifika play that got accepted at a Conference in Auckland and I had fun as the writer and actor in the play as well. It was a group of us youth, at the time, and one of the actors in my play went on to become a TV host and is still doing today...

Pink magnolias, placentas and land...

 

It's been some 21 years since I first planted this pink magnolia outside our house. Buried beneath it is the placenta of our eldest which is a cultural practice that was lost when many Pasifika people first came to NZ and hospital nurses would take them to be destroyed.

Nowadays, it's common practice for Indigenous women to ask for them, often to take to places where they will be buried. For some Maori women it's about take it back to their whenua (land) where they are from or like me it is buried where they now call home.

I know that this used to be a common practice in Samoa many, many years ago. I don't hear about it often but I do know that the word fanua (land) in Samoan is that same as the word for placenta which is also fanua. This is similar in the Maori te reo (language) in which they are the same word with a different meaning i.e. homonyms. (I can't help it as I used to be a high school English teacher).

It was interesting because last week, I went driving with my children and my eldest saw a beautiful large tree with large pink flowers from a distance that we were driving towards. I reminded her that it was the pink magnolia tree that we had outside our house and that her placenta had been buried under that she had quite forgotten about. 

I then reminded her of the pink cherry blossom tree and the red camellia tree that also had placentas of my other two children buried beneath them. It was good to talk about as now that two of them are adults with one still at high school, it will be a cultural practice that they can decide to do with their families with the understanding of the important unbreakable bond, of old, between the whenua, fanua, land and the placenta of people...