Champions of the Pacific: Recent Episodes
RNZ
A weekly sports show exploring the triumphs, struggles and passions of the Pasifika athlete.
Wednesdays at 9:40pm or via shortwave and digital broadcast from early Wednesday on RNZ Pacific.
From representing Samoa on the football field to becoming FIFA's first chief women's football officer. Sarai Bareman is on a mission to put women front and centre of the football world stage. The former Samoa representative tells us how a holiday in Samoa set her on the path for a career in the sport, and her dreams for women's football in the Pacific.
Pacific nations are gearing up for a boost after World Rugby decided that players will be allowed to switch national teams from next year. Prior to the new change, once a player had represented a country at international level, they couldn't turn out for another - unless they utilised an unintended sevens loophole. We talk to Manu Samoa coach Seilala Mapusua, 'Ikale Tahi coach Toutai Kefu, and a former All Black who says he's ready to represent his Pacific heritage.
It's no secret that Fiji is packed with sporting talent. All over the world Fijians can be found running, jumping, tackling and shooting with the best of the best. But when it comes to roles off the field, particularly in the nation's more popular sports, it's overseas coaches and administrators that dominate leading roles. Sainimili Saukuru tells us what she's doing to see more locals leading the way.
Sosaia Tulikihakau is one of the few Pasifika football referees in Aotearoa. The 21-year-old has been recognised by the community as a champion for diversity and inclusion in football, selected as a finalist for the Counties Manukau Sporting excellence awards for Referee of the Year. We talk to Sosaia about his football journey and his hopes to see more Pasifika in the game.
The World Rugby Council will consider a proposal next week to change the sport's eligibility rules to make it easier for players to switch their international allegiance. Think Lima Sopoaga lining up for Manu Samoa or Charles Piutau playing for Tonga. So will it happen? Or will Pacific Island nations once against be given rugby's cold shoulder? Former 'Ikale Tahi captain Inoke Afeaki and Pacific Rugby Players Welfare CEO, former Manu Samoa lock Dan Leo, join us to discuss rugby politics, representation and why eligibility reform is long overdue.
More than 100 people drown in New Zealand waters each year and one Pasifika family is on a mission to educate the community about keeping safe when making a splash. The Fuluifaga Chan Foung aiga - mum Aanoali'i Rowena, dad Mike and their daughter Helena - talk to us about their experiences as surf lifeguards at Te Henga, Auckland's Bethells Beach and we discuss what more can be done to ensure people are being safe in and around the water.
She was the last woman to captain the Samoa women's rugby team at a Rugby World Cup, now she's doing everything she can to help them return to the games biggest stage in 2022. Cynthia Ta'ala-Timaloa talks to us about the obstacles the Manusina face to compete and qualify next year, and reflects back on her time with the team as both a player and now assistant coach.
Mariner Fagaiava-Muller talks to Johnnie Timu, the Pasifika owner of Brown Pride gym in South Auckland, about the struggles of running a business during lockdown, and how they're keeping the community moving.
Ray Sefo is a six-time Muay Thai World Champion and eight time K-1 World Grand Prix Finals tournament participant who turned his love and passion for the sport into a lifestyle. The proud Samoan talks about the explosion of mixed martial arts, what he thinks about the Pasifika talent coming through the ranks, and could we see him fighting in the ring again?
After more than 100 days apart, members of the Cook Islands Olympic team are finally back home with their friends and family.
The Northern Mariana Islands is not letting a global pandemic affect their preparations for hosting the Pacific Mini Games in 2022.
Abigail Tere-Apisah is the undisputed Queen of Pacific Island tennis. This month she added another accolade, after being inducted into the Georgia State Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2021.
Aaron Mauger is Moana Pasifika's new head coach for their inaugural season in the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific competition. The 45-Test All Black has Samoan, Tahitian and Cook Island heritage and has inked a three-year deal with the new franchise, who will play their home matches at Mount Smart Stadium until 2028. He tells us what he's looking forward to the most, and what fans can expect to see in their debut season.
The Opeloge family is sporting royalty in Samoa. 10 of the 12 Opeloge siblings have gone on to represent Samoa in international weightlifting competitions, bringing home six Commonwealth Games medals, a gold medal at the Junior World Championships, numerous Oceania and Pacific Games titles and an Olympic silver medal in 2008.
Maselino Masoe was the first Samoan boxer to win a major world title, but the opportunity almost never happened. Masoe sat down with Talei Anderson and Faivaeselopepe Anric Sitanilei to talk about the sacrifice and lessons he learnt going pro, and the moment it all came down to in 2004.
Fitness guru Naca Cawanibuka has been instrumental in Fiji's success in sevens and fifteens for almost 15 years. Now he's taking on a new challenge as Head of Athletic Performance for the country's first ever Super Rugby team, the Fijian Drua.
A weekly sports show celebrating the very best of Pacific Island sport. [image:256172:full]
In 2020 the Kaiviti Silktails and Papua New Guinea Hunters rugby league team's seasons were scrapped because of Covid-19. In 2021, they left their families at home and relocated to Australia to keep their sporting dreams alive.
Rugby is described as one of the toughest sports on the field, but it's nothing compared to how they used to play it back in Tonga. Kasivaki is an ancient Tongan sport very similar to rugby, but it was played in the ocean, under the water and with a rock. Tongan artist and practitioner, Milika Pusiaki, talks to us about the history of the sport, and where in the world it's being played today.
A weekly sports show that celebrates the very best of Pacific Island sport. [image:256172:full]
The push for a Pacific Island Super Rugby team has been decades in the making and finally, in February, it will come to fruition with not one but two new teams, Moana Pasifika and the Fijian Drua. So with less than five months to go until kick-off, how ready are they?
Rugby league is back at De La Salle College for the first time in 22 years. Despite the absence of a rugby league team since 1999, the south Auckland school has been a melting-pot for talent, which boasts the likes Jason Taumalolo, Jeff Lima, and Leeson Ah Mau to name a few. Former student and New Zealand international, Motu Tony, has helped re-establish the programme. The General Manager of Football and High-Performance at New Zealand Rugby League tells us what playing for De La Salle meant for him, and why it was important for him to get the rugby league programme up and running again.
A weekly sport show that celebrates the very best of Pacific Island sport on and off the field.
Papua New Guinea's cricketers on preparing to play in the biggest tournament in their history, in the middle of a pandemic.
For the first time in history, New Zealand's Rugby Smart programme is being delivered in Pacific languages, to encourage more Māori and Pasifika coaches to the field. Central region delivery lead of Auckland Rugby, Tidah Leaupepe, is on a mission to remove any barriers that might be holding back Pasifika people from taking up opportunities both on and off the field.
A weekly sport show that celebrates the very best of Pacific Island sport on and off the field.
Whether it's standing up to bullies, opening a clinic in the middle of a pandemic, or overseeing Fiji's first ever Olympic medal, Cathy Wong is a born leader. A physiotherapist by profession, she joined the Fiji Olympic Committee in 1985, a year after graduating from medical school, and was approached by Fiji Rugby two years later, and has never stopped fighting for opportunities for women both on and off the field.
The Paralympics get underway later this month, and for Ben Tuimaseve it's his time for the big dance. The 32-year-old tells us how taking up shot-put has helped him to embrace his disability, and how some help from New Zealand's Dame Valerie Adams has given him a boost for his debut at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
Whether it's the Tokyo Olympics, grand slam tennis or the Rugby League World Cup, the Covid-19 pandemic continues to cause major disruption to sporting competitions around the world. Papua New Guinea footballer Alwin Komolong is currently playing for Lae City in PNG's National Soccer League, while Tongan skier Kasete Naufahu Skeen is based in Sweden. The Pacific sporting duo discuss their decision to get vaccinated and why they believe others in the Pacific should too.
Former Cook Islands international and Women's Development Officer of the Cook Islands Football Association, Tupou Patia-Brogan, explains how football changed her life and how she intends to use it to inspire the future football players of the Pacific.
Vanuatu rower Rio Rii reveals how the pandemic forced him to train solo and how his career in the sport could have turned out very different.
Rising netball star Amorangi Te Pa'a Malesala, who is of Samoan and Maori descent, talks school, shooting and surreal teammates.
Last weekend's Rugby World Cup qualifier against Tonga will live long in the memory of the Sopoaga family, with three brothers and a cousin all making their test debut, with older brother Lima Sopoaga cheering them on from the sideline.
The Tongan taekwondo star is set to make her Olympic debut, but it's not the competition or the threat of Covid-19 that's giving her sweaty palms.
New Zealand's Pasifika Rugby community have officially welcomed Saveatama Eroni Clarke this month, in an intimate Ava Usu ceremony at Auckland University's Fale Pasifika.
A weekly sport show that celebrates the very best of Pacific Island sport on and off the field.
We profile our Pacific Olympians heading to the 2021 Tokyo Games, starting with two Cook Island swimmers and this year's flag bearers, Wesley Roberts and Kirsten Fisher-Marsters.
Manu Samoa played Tonga in the first of two tests at the weekend, to see who will qualify for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. While fans were excited to see two Pacific teams go head to head at Mt Smart Stadium, there was someone else getting props on the night too.
A weekly sports show exploring the triumphs, struggles and passions of the Pasifika athlete.
The Tongan body builder who won the Mr Real Man Construction competition in his homeland.
A weekly sports show exploring the triumphs, struggles and passions of the Pasifika athlete.
Former Tongan rugby international, Isileli Tupou, is breaking down cultural barriers by helping to empower the Christchurch Pasifika Community, changing perceptions of disability.
"If you're still a kid like me, a teenager like me, there's no need to like, think about doing sports professionally. Just enjoy what you're doing now." At 15 years old, Olivia Selemaia is smashing weightlifting records across the board. In this episode of Generation Next, she talks about growing up with a solo mum, her love for the sport and not taking life too seriously as a teen. Generation Next S2 | Southside is a series of videos profiling four talented young people who call South Auckland home.
Former New Zealand and Samoa netball international Linda Vagana is hoping to revive a love of reading in homes across Aotearoa and the Pacific.
One of Palau's first Olympians, Nicole Hayes, reflects on the highs and lows of an all too brief sporting career.
A weekly sports show exploring the triumphs, struggles and passions of the Pasifika athlete.
Southern Steel shooter Tiana Metuarau is doing her bit to eliminate barriers for Māori and Pasifika netballers. The 20-year-old of Cook Island, Tahitian and Māori descent has created a new pathway, Te Ara Angitu, which translates as the pathway to success, aimed to bring out the best of up and coming Māori and Pasifika players without the financial and language barriers.
Nauru's first Olympian has gone from lifting power to weilding power. Marcus Stephen represented Nauru at two Olympic Games before embarking on a political career that included a four-year stint as President.
History will be made in 2023 when Oceania plays host to football's FIFA Women's World Cup for the very first time. But will there be another first? Can a Pacific Island team make it to the biggest stage in the world game?
Roman Cress is a rapper, a model, a father and, if it all goes to plan, a future movie mogul. But before all that, he was a runner, who became the first person to represent the Marshall Islands at the Olympic Games.
Blaire Apu'ula dreams of one day playing alongside her rugby heroes in the world champion Black Ferns. Last year the 11 year old delivered a speech at school encouraging more girls to join in and play the sport she loves.
An unsuccessful attempt at becoming a professional tennis player was probably one of the best things that happened to former Silver Ferns' legend Margharet Matenga.
A weekly sport show that celebrates the very best of Pacific Island sport on and off the field.
Former Super Rugby and NRL player Tupou Sopoaga and Pacific Rugby Players Chairman Hale T-Pole discuss the challenges facing young Pasifika players who are being promised the world by player agents, and what support is available to them when making what can be a career-defining decision.
It's been 24 years since Ezra Iupeli played a game of rugby but the Petone club stalwart has never been more involved with the sport he loves.
Growing up in Vanuatu, the idea of females surfing was frowned upon. Despite a number of surfing competitions being held on the island, girls were never included. But thanks to pioneers like Risu Kalotiti things are changing.
Cook Islands tennis player Brett Baudinet has been swinging a racquet since he was five years old and at 39 he has no plans to leave the court just yet. The Pacific Oceania Davis Cup captain has been representing his country for over 20 years and says there is a huge amount of talent in the region, but money remains a major barrier.
Manu Samoa rugby coach Seilala Mapusua is eagerly awaiting his first match in charge, after an extended wait caused by Covid-19. Samoa haven't taken the field since the 2019 Rugby World Cup but Mapusua says the lack of international rugby had allowed him to dedicate more time to the grass roots. [image:239119:full]no caption
After Covid-19 forced it to close its doors, the Oceania Weightlifting Institute has reopened in Australia. But with most international borders still shut, the Pacific's top lifters have got creative in their training.
Papua New Guinea rugby league star Elsie Albert is a rugby league trailblazer, tackling gender stereotypes back home, and carving a path for other young women to chase their sporting dreams.
What is being done to help today's Pasifika sportspeople prepare for tomorrow? Is it something they're thinking about? Hurricanes Professional Development Manager Arden David-Perrot and All Blacks loose forward Ardie Savea join us to talk about life after sport.
Former Australian football star Archie Thompson was born in New Zealand to a Kiwi dad and Papua New Guinean mother. The retired striker has never been to PNG but is keen to learn more about his Pacific heritage.
Former Manu Samoa prop Mike Mika wants to give better opportunities to young people after being appointed New Zealand's first Pasifika resident district court judge outside of Auckland.
18 years after making his professional rugby debut, former Tonga captain Nili Latu is still clearing rucks and making tackles at the ripe age of 39.
A Lower Hutt boxing gym is proving a major hit among the local Pasifika community, with entire families coming together to work up a sweat at an affordable price.
Vanuatu beach volleyball star Miller Pata made global headlines when she won a bronze medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, alongside teammate Linline Matauatu, seven months after giving birth to her son Tommy. After representing Vanuatu around the world for the past 15 years, the national sporting icon is hoping to sign off in style in Tokyo.
A new exercise craze is taking the Pacific community across the United States by storm, with people gathering in their hundreds dancing and stepping to the smooth grooves and pumping basslines.
Fijian rugby league referee Misaele Vakadranu is a man on a mission. The Fiji-born UN worker now lives in Vienna and has set his sights on reviving the sport in Austria.
Teenage striker Trina Davis is on a mission to score goals and help raise the profile of Fijian football around the world.
Kiwis rugby league international Katelyn Vaha'akolo could make her World Cup debut later this year, but the 20 year old is just as motivated about achieving goals off the field, advocating for the revitalisation of Te Reo Māori and mental health.
After close to two decades chasing the rugby dream, former All Black prop Neemia Tialata has returned to his old school to help coach the next generation.
A weekly sports show that celebrates the highs, lows and unsung heroes of Pacific Island sport.
A couple of Pacific Olympians have taken the rough waters of the Covid-19 pandemic in their stride as they prepare for the Tokyo Games.
Koroi Hawkins takes in a local football tournament bringing Wellington's Fijian community together on and off the pitch.
Former NFL player Joey Iosefa is now making his mark in rugby union. The Seattle Seawolves midfielder hopes that he can inspire more American Samoans to try their hand at the 15-man-game.
Amini Fonua carried the flag for Tonga at the 2012 London Olympics. Now the 31 year old wants to use his platform to promote water safety and lead the way for others in the rainbow community.
His brother was a NZ and Wellington rugby league legend but Andre Whittaker hopes to transform the sport from outside the white lines of the field.
Tonga rugby league international Mele Hufanga is running boot-camp style challenges that aims to improve the lives of the Pasifika community.
Prominent Pacific Island rugby players say it's time for the sport's eligibility rules to change, to allow more players to represent their heritage.
Former Manu Samoa captain Pat Lam reflects on his playing days, growing up in New Zealand and how rugby can be a blueprint for social change.
Former New Zealand discus star Siositina Hakeai has set her sights on reaching the top in a new sport.
A weekly sports show exploring the triumphs, struggles and passions of the Pasifika athlete.
Mental health is just as important as physical prowess when it comes to athletes' performances and there are a number of unique challenges faced by Pasifika sportspeople.
The Counties Manukau Kilikiti Association and Tau i Tua & Eagles Sports & Cultural Collective are using sport and church connections to keep the Samoan culture alive.
Adrian Lam is rugby league royalty in Papua New Guinea. The former Kumuls player and coach explains how he turned down the Kangaroos and what it means to watch his son follow in his footsteps.
Rugby league trailblazer Olsen Filipaina explains how the three woman in his life helped guide him through dealing with racism, cultural dislocation and depression.
The number of Pasifika playing cricket in New Zealand is on the rise, with a range of community programs starting to make an impact.
The Jonah Lomu of pétanque explains why everyone should take up the sport and makes his pitch to the International Olympic Committee.
Champions of the Pacific, where we engage in talanoa with Pasifika athletes and their families and celebrate the very best of Pacific sport.
A basketball organisation in east Auckland is creating opportunities on and off the court for youth in the community.
Former Samoa rugby league international Mose Masoe talks about his ongoing recovery from a career-ending spinal injury.
One of the highlights of last year's Cook Islands Games was the revival of the traditional sports programme, which included stilt racing, juggling, coconut husking and weaving.
Champions of the Pacific, where we engage in talanoa with Pasifika athletes and their families and celebrate the very best of Pacific sport. This week, the mispronunciation of Pasifika names in sport, a game of cricket like no other that brings Tokelau to a standstill and the Ah Kuoi sporting legacy continues.
Prominent Pasifika sportspeople discuss the ongoing mispronunciation of Pacific Island names and ask, "What more can be done?"
Cricket is the national sport in Tokelau and every January its people come together for a month-long tournament before returning to work.
Father and son Ken and Naitoa Ah Kuoi talk about the legacy of their famous sporting family.