International Women's day commemorations...

Today Google acknowledges International Women's day

In case you didn't already know, today as in March 8th is International Women's day. It is a day that commemorates and encourages worldwide discrimination against women to end.

This year in New Zealand, we celebrate 125 years since women were given the opportunity to vote alongside their male counterparts.

In fact, New Zealand was the first country in the world to officially allow women the right to vote. This was years before America or even Britain gave women the freedom to vote as they were still treated in many respects as second class citizens, the weaker sex with sexism in society accepted as the norm.

This is no longer the case with many movements that now uphold the right for women to no longer be marginalized in politics, workplaces, education, health, and in domestic violence in homes etc. which for years was sanctioned as the norm.

There are still many hate crimes against women but it is no longer being tolerated as a norm, as there are now higher standards expected within the workplace i.e. anti sexual harrassment laws, anti domestic violence in homes and no longer the acceptance of women as being second class citizens.

Truly something worth commemorating as we have come a long way but there is still a long way to go. So don't forget to do something special for that special woman/women in your life who give so much, and ask for so little so that you can do something big in your life. Have a blessed Sunday...

"Generational Echoes"...

Our youngest with my parents 'a generational echo'...

This has been another busy week with so much to do and so little time but we do what we can with what time and resources we have. Thank you God!

Last night I was able to take my parents to see their granddaughter at her Siva (dance) Samoa practice with Elei dance at Te Puke Hall in Otara.

They've only been here for a short time and plan to celebrate her birthday mid-month but will fly back to Samoa by the end of the month so they'll miss the dance performance but they did get the chance to watch her in action with the many girls who were dancing with her and their parents/guardians.

What was so neat about this journey was in consideration of our next Mana Mangere writers' publication I have been consciously aware of much of the knowledge and understandings that my parents hold, now both in their eighties, that this precious knowledge and love needs to be passed onto the next generation.

What has been a blessing has been for them to see are the values that they passed onto their children being now passed onto their grandchildren and that's when "generational echoes" that have been passed down to us from our forefathers and foremothers through our parents and their parents are exampled.

I first heard this concept through a discussion by our senior Ps Paul de Jong this year at our Life South church and it resonated with me and when I started considering what we might write about from last year's discussion with our writers' group, I knew it to be about the importance of this idea of shared inter-generational understandings and ensuring that those things of importance are shared between generations while there is the time...

First time serving holy communion as an Elder...

I'm the one with the hat

Today was the first Sunday that I served communion as an Elder at our local PIC Mangere church. The interesting thing for me was that for over 50 years, I had watched my father and many other Elders over the years serve holy communion at my local church and finally it was my turn.

The significance for me was that it was something that I had wondered about all these years. The mystique of seeing the red drink symbolic of the sacrificial blood of Jesus and the bread being the body of Christ.

This is not meant to be a sermon but it has been an important part of my Christian life since being born again many years ago, in that, it reminds us that Jesus gave of his life for our sin i.e. in the empty cross that many still wear.

I am so encouraged that I now stand in a legacy that many people have stood in for many years and that my father got to see me serving as he has in returning back from Samoa just this week with my mother.

Again, I give thanks to an amazing God who allows us to experience these things without us ever planning for it and I was surprised to see our youngest taking photos as she was also aware of the significance of this moment for my family.

Although I must say that I was a bit nervous, having been my first time, and I walked out of the service far too early and then when I was heading out in the line to walk into church, I accidentally opened the door too far and almost fell over myself. Thanks be to God, just to remind me to walk humbly with my God.

But it was neat with all the ritual of serving the bread and then the drink with accompanying Elders from the Cook Islands and Niuean group - not to mention that my good friend and prayer partner over the years i.e. Cecily of Niuean descent was also blessed in becoming an Elder from the Niue EKLS.

So many abundant blessings today...

Powhiri and Orientation day at Te Wananga o Aotearoa...

https://www.facebook.com/TWOATamaki/videos/135866614392473/

Today is Te Wananga o Aotearoa's Orientation day with a powhiri (Maori welcome) for new students and their families to the Wananga. It was good to be there with my husband in the haka powhiri lines with the women at the front and men's lines at the back.

Many students and their families gathered together at 10am to arrive and then be ushered in by the conch shell blowing and a karanga (Maori women's call) to invite the manuhiri (guests) into the compound.

Above is a video of the proceedings with whaikorero (speeches) all in te reo Maori (Maori language) supported by waiata (Maori songs) after each speech. It was then time to hongi (touch noses) or touch cheeks as an acknowledgment of sharing breath with light refreshments to end the formal proceedings from a place of tapu (sacred and restricted) to a space of noa - neutral.

Now the real fun begins with students starting their studies and making new friends. Learning new things and sharing their stories with others in their classes. I also look forward to teaching yet another group of students and learning along the way...

Blue Moon $2 birthday special with Krispy Kreme donuts...

This week has been a really busy week with so much happening for our family, at work and with the volunteer work that I do in the community. So much so, that today I decided to go to Krispy Kreme (once in a blue moon) and shout our family to a couple of dozens of donuts.

Being that there was a $2 (for a dozen when buying another dozen) birthday special on as Krispy Kreme was celebrating it's 2nd year in NZ. I still remember the opening (earlier blog) when I took my children and sister over to check it out in the evening and there were queues spilling out over the sidewalk.

Nowadays, the long queues have diminished and the drive-thru isn't so busy and there's a nice atmosphere for a sit-in hot chocolate and donut. So today was a neat day to take it easy, enjoy a donut and relax for the rest of the night...

Elei dance (academy)...

Elei dance session at Otara, Te Puke

 Looking forward to attending our 4:8 Elei dance week session this Friday which is held out at the Otara, Te Puke Hall. I'd been waiting to see if there would be a Mangere one but it looks like it's the only one in South Auckland.

What's so neat about it is that it gives young girls the opportunity to learn to siva (dance) Samoa over an 8 week period with some 30+ other girls.

There are 3 groups consisting of different age groups and named after some significant Samoan female heroines i.e. Salamasina (often referred as Queen) was one of the first women to hold all 4 Tafa'ifa paramount kingly titles; Levalasi is a taupou (princess-like) title; Nafanua was a noble female warrior and the first to hold all four Tafa'ifa titles before bequeathing it to Salamasina.

• Salamasina (Juniors): aged 5 -6 years
• Levalasi (Middle): aged 7 - 9 years
• Nafanua (Seniors): aged 10 - 12 years

This is the second year that Elei dance have opened their doors for young girls to learn dance and I'm so glad to have been able to give that opportunity for our youngest to learn together with a group of girls with a performance date in March. 

Another neat opportunity in our communities...

ASB POLYFEST 2020, 18 - 21 March in Manukau...

Photo credit: Sourced as Official Polyfest poster for 2020

It's that time of year again with the frenzy of many Auckland schools Poly groups practicing their dances for the upcoming Polyfest that is, this year, happening from 18 - 21 March at the Manukau Sports Bowl in Manukau, Auckland.

I'm also told that it's 45 years since it first started which was back in 1975. At that time, I was still in primary school and it's been on every year since with ASB Bank as the major sponsor for well over a decade.

I've blogged about this before but it's always good to remind ourselves that this is the largest Polynesian Dance Festival in the world where youth from High schools around Auckland combine to compete (although there are none competitive stages) in different cultural categories to win bragging rights of being the best Tongan, Samoan, Niuean, Cook Islands, Maori etc. group.

This year our eldest is in Uni and our middle child has decided to have a go on the Tongan stage. I know you might ask why not the Samoan stage? but we like to encourage our children to have a go at learning different dances. 

This is similar to how I was brought up in the PIC (Pacific Islanders Presbyterian church) as a teenager learning Cook Islands, Niuean and Samoan dances by skilled authentic teachers in the language, culture and in dance. The Polyfest allows these dances to be passed onto new generations who learn to sing, dance, smile and learn about the different values and mannerisms of the cultures that they are choosing to dance in.

And over the years the Polyfest has grown from strength to strength with so many schools competing that it's now over 4 days with many community food stalls and government, university, jewellery etc. stalls vying for youth attention.

Only a few more weeks and all will be revealed for another monumentous POLYFEST 2020...

Adult Education course upskilling...

Innovation Hub at Te Wananga o Aotearoa, Mangere campus

This weekend I was busy with my first class in upskilling in an Adult Education (level 5) course where I work.

What was so neat about the first day was that I got to study with my beloved in the same class with a neat kaiako/tutor who shares the same Maori/Pasifika vibes that we have.

On our first day, our kaiako, Sheryl, got us to sign into various social media Apps and then had us running around, enjoying ourselves, meeting other adult students and learning how to use new technologies which is always good for teachers to keep up with.

Now with so many assignments starting to pile up, I'd better start delegating some of my other works to do with others around who are well able to complete. But suffice for now as this study course will end in July.

Never a dull moment but so much to learn in the meantime...

2020 - the dawn of a new decade at Uni..

Source: www.aut.ac.nz

It's hard to believe how fast the years have passed with our eldest attending her first classes as a first-year law student at AUT University where she received her scholarship (although I'm hoping she'll jump ship and go to my alumni Uni of Auckland University but we'll see).

So on her first day of the orientation week, I decided to drop her off and to have a look around. It's amazing how the two Universities sit side-by-side i.e. AUT University on one side of Wellesley Street and University of Auckland (name changed) on the other.

I was reminded of the times I would race up the hill (those many years ago) and visit the other campus for cheaper stationery supplies etc. back when I used to be called AIT or Auckland Institute of Technology but that's all changed since it's become a University.

Our eldest is also attending an evening function tonight for all of the AUT scholarship recipients and would have been checking out an AT Auckland Transport hop card as well as the bus stops, bus timetable, and her own class timetable.

It seems like it wasn't that long ago since I first started and then graduated from U of A (University of Auckland) and later also graduating from AUT and looking back it had a lot to do with the support of my parents and the environment that they brought me up in PIC Mangere church (Presbyterian) where anything was possible with hard work and integrity.

I am so thankful for those lessons and hope to pass those on not only to my children but also with those I come into contact either through adult students I come into contact with, or as a board member at an Early childhood centre or through conversations where dreams can come true not only for our generation but also for the next...

A special Valentines day celebration...

A special Valentines card from our youngest

Today was a very special Valentines day with my beloved as we marked 20 years of Valentines days since we first dated on Valentines day 14th February in 2000 in which I thought he would either ruin all my Valentines days or else he was the one.
20 years and 3 children later we're still together and growing stronger having learned so much along the way with our faith in God and love with each other and from our families. I can only say that we've been blessed in having worked together through the tough times and especially in many celebrations.

As with many couples, it's not so much in the good times that we grow but it's especially when things aren't going so well that we've learnt not so much to rely on each other but to trust in a God who helps us to work through things.

Today it was neat to spend time together in sharing a special family dinner and then we went out for dessert and enjoyed time together with a family movie afterwards. A big thanks to our amazing Father who brought us together in the first place but that's another story...

The Movie 'Jumanji 2'...

Last week, we had a family outing to the movies to watch 'Jumani (2) The next level' starring one of our fave actors Dwayne Johnson accompanied by Jack Black,  Danny Devito, and Dennis Glover. We particularly wanted to watch the sequel as we'd all enjoyed the first movie.

Spoiler alert! We didn't enjoy it as much as the first and we were a little disappointed in the storyline that wasn't as credible as the first. However, if you are wanting to watch an action movie with some heart-racing scenes then the scene with the group running away from the baboons is one to watch.

There might even be another sequel as the last scene of the movie brings the 'fantasy world' into their reality and then one wonders how that came to be but that's the wonder of making movies whereby anything can happen but it doesn't always make for a credible movie...

Teaching Cultural competency in course...

Infograph on teaching course

This week, I've been busy working on an Infogram for explaining the course that I teach at Te Wananga o Aotearoa. It's a level 4 foundation year-long programme called 'Te Kunenga o te Ao Tikanga' course that embodies rangahau - Indigenous research and incorporating skills in Cultural competence.

I discovered this when I began researching around the course and found out that Careerforce, a government-appointed body that supports work-based training across all sectors, endorsed our level 3 Certificate in Tikanga Maori as a qualification equivalent and accepted for cultural competence (an 18-week course).

Our 36-week fees-free course builds on this and supports cultural competency through teaching:

• 8-weekend noho Marae cultural experiences (4 on-campus and 4 at various Auckland marae)
• Tuesday tutorials of 3 hours that include discussions, practical exercises/scenarios and keeping up to date with current issues
• 39 weeks of 4 assessments through 9-week modules of discussing important topics i.e. mana tangata (people), mana whenua (environment), mana reo (indigenous language/s) and mana ao turoa (development)
• Indigenous research field trips

This course is especially important for non-Indigenous teaching professionals, health workers and community workers etc. who work or support Maori, Pasifika or other indigenous peoples in their workplaces.

This has been an important concern that I've observed over the years as a teaching professional and in working within our communities with predominantly Pasifika, Maori and other indigenous peoples where situations can go very wrong if cross-cultural communications aren't observed.

Courses such as these are important for cross-cultural understandings and learning to work alongside people with indigenous backgrounds and understandings but it's also important to know your own lens and that's important to learn about as well...

Stan Walker 'Choose' 2019...

Last night, our youngest reminded me that she had shared with a friend, in returning back to school, that she had seen Stan Walker recently at a shopping trip that we had at the Airport Countdown grocery store.

To give a bit more explanation, he is one of my favourite male Maori solo artists as he has a soulful sound (that even Michael Buble commented on) plus he's also a Christian and sings songs about his faith. Last year he released a couple of songs such as 'Choose' and 'Give' and both are beautiful songs to listen to.

To get back to the story, we happened to drop by to pick up some supplies and Stan Walker was standing at the Deli with a cap and a hoody on buying his own supplies. I recognized him instantly because he happened to turn quickly whilst checking out the food on offer. Plus I was aware that he had lost a lot of weight due to a condition that he has.

I also have this facial recognition condition that happens often (that my family have commented on) whereby if I see a familiar face (even if they've aged) like on TV etc. I can often place the name to the face very quickly.

Anyway, upon seeing him and instantly recognizing that he wanted anonymity in being covered up except for a small window of his face, I decided not to say anything to our youngest and kept shopping then paid and left ready to head home.

I then explained to her what I had seen. However, whilst explaining this to her, I saw Stan Walker walk past our car over to the car parked next to us (that reminded me of the retro souped-up mini coup) a Mini Cooper. He opened the door took off his hoody and hat and then left as we pulled out too.

With much interest, I told our youngest not to stare but that the driver next to us was none other than Stan Walker, we decided not to do anything except to enjoy the moment of seeing an artist that we both enjoyed listening to being in our near vicinity as he drove away...