tala samoa, samoan news,
south auckland
New Fale Samoa Opens in Mangere
Fale o Samoa – Samoa House was officially opened on Saturday 30th July by the Prime Minister of Samoa, Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi and attended by over three hundred guests. The first of its kind, the multimillion-dollar complex on the corner of Bader Drive and Mascot Ave in Mangere is the result of a 20 year vision by the Government of Samoa. The 5345sq m site will house the consulate-general offices which has been located on Karangahape Rd, in the central city, since the 1970s.
The move to South Auckland will be welcomed by the Samoan community, many of whom have moved from the central city to areas such as Mangere, Otara, Papatoetoe and Manurewa.
The $19millionSAT (building and land) was funded by the Unit Trust of Samoa (UTOS), a Government of Samoa initiative mandated under the Unit Trusts Act 2008, whose goal is to provide “an investment vehicle for an ordinary Samoan out in the village, a small farmer or fisherman”.
At the opening, the Prime Minister also acknowledged the support by Mayor Tauaaletoa Len Brown and Auckland Council. Len Brown spoke about the close relationship between Samoa and Auckland city. Len Brown also acknowledge the leadership and presence of Minister of Pacific Peoples, Peseta Sam Lotu I’iga and Mangere MP, Su’a William Sio. Peseta, in his address shared about the arduous journeys of our ancestors from Samoa to New Zealand over the years.
The compound will be available to the community for general functions and events. There is also a three storey building on site that will house the offices of the Consul General to New Zealand, Afioga Fa’aolotoi Reupena Pogi.
The move to South Auckland will be welcomed by the Samoan community, many of whom have moved from the central city to areas such as Mangere, Otara, Papatoetoe and Manurewa.
The $19millionSAT (building and land) was funded by the Unit Trust of Samoa (UTOS), a Government of Samoa initiative mandated under the Unit Trusts Act 2008, whose goal is to provide “an investment vehicle for an ordinary Samoan out in the village, a small farmer or fisherman”.
At the opening, the Prime Minister also acknowledged the support by Mayor Tauaaletoa Len Brown and Auckland Council. Len Brown spoke about the close relationship between Samoa and Auckland city. Len Brown also acknowledge the leadership and presence of Minister of Pacific Peoples, Peseta Sam Lotu I’iga and Mangere MP, Su’a William Sio. Peseta, in his address shared about the arduous journeys of our ancestors from Samoa to New Zealand over the years.
The compound will be available to the community for general functions and events. There is also a three storey building on site that will house the offices of the Consul General to New Zealand, Afioga Fa’aolotoi Reupena Pogi.
Parker continues South Auckland Samoan boxing legacy.
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American Samoa'S Football team tours New Zealand – By Falaniko Tominiko
On Saturday 16th July, the inaugural American Football match between New Zealand and American Samoa was played at Mountfort Park, Manurewa in the area where American Football was first played in New Zealand during the late 1970s, South Auckland. It was befitting that one of the people on hand to watch this historic match was Coach Pose Tafa, who along with his brothers and friends started the American Football league here in New Zealand in 1978. Despite American Football having been played in New Zealand for almost forty years, the opportunities that New Zealand players get to play overseas opponents are few and few apart. There have only been three other instances within the last sixteen years where a New Zealand national team has played an international game, and they have all been against Australia in 2000, 2002 and 2005. I was fortunate enough myself to have played in the 2000 match as a young quarterback under Head Coach Pose Tafa. The American Samoa game is therefore a major step forward for New Zealand getting the much needed international experience it needs. According to the American Samoa Eagles Coach, and President of the American Samoa National Football Federation Ethan Lake, the trip down under was also a much needed step forward for American Football in American Samoa. Although the game has been played in Samoa for over 50 years, the senior game hasn’t been developed. The boys play up to the age of 18 and then if they are good enough, they then go onto college in Hawaii or the United States and from there to the National Football League. Those players who don’t make it to college will never play the sport again. According to Lake, there are 72 countries in the world that have senior leagues for American Football and he wants to develop the senior league in American Samoa. Last year they formed the very first senior league with only three teams and the majority of the players were from the age of 19-24. His goal is to continue growing the league and encouraging the older retired players to get back into the sport so that in a few years’ time, American Samoa can consistently field competitive teams that can compete at the senior world competitions. The hardest thing is changing the attitudes of the people back home about senior football and feels regular games between New Zealand and American Samoa can be beneficial in promoting the senior game in both countries. Coach Lake hopes to make this an annual game with each team taking turns playing at home. First Quarter The American Samoa Eagles kick-off and the New Zealand Steelers field the kick with a small gain. In the first play, Steelers QB Hayden Ikinepe hands off to RB Tolu Pitone-Iese who makes a 20 yard run for a first down, giving the crowd a taste of what was to come from New Zealand’s dynamic runner. Unfortunately the drive stalls and New Zealand are forced to punt. On their first possession, the Eagles QB Daniel Fereti drives his offence into the Steelers territory and is halted with a fourth and long situation in the Steelers half. Set up in a punt formation, Eagles punter Lui Lui Jr instead runs the ball and gains another first down to keep their offence on the field. A couple plays later Fereti connects with WR Ryan Pa’aga for a 30 yard touchdown. Fereti then runs a bootleg and runs the ball in himself for the extra 2 point conversion. American Samoa leads 8-0. The Steelers receive the ensuing kick-off for their second serious of the quarter. FB Des Sefo shows some strong running with an 8 yard carry followed by a 20 yard carry to bring up a first down for the Steelers. Unfortunately Eagles CB Joseph Spencer intercepts Ikipene’s pass in the next play turning the ball over and bringing the Eagles offence onto the field for their second offence series of the game. Not long into their second spell, Eagles QB Fereti connects again with Pa’anga for another long pass bringing their offence to the 18 yard mark of the Steelers half. From there Fereti passes to TE Filipo Matai’a for a 20 yard touchdown. Fereti then hands off to TB Lemu Filipo for the extra 2 point conversion. American Samoa leads 16-0 In the first play of their thirds offensive series, New Zealand’s Ikipene hands off to Sefo who picks up 10 yards and a first down for the Steelers. A couple of plays later, Ikepene throws a long bomb to WR Jake Hughs who runs it in for a 40 yard touchdown. Steelers kicker Nick Bassett converts the extra point bringing the score to American Samoa 16 - New Zealand 7, and bringing the first quarter to an end Second Quarter The second quarter starts with the Steelers kicking off to the Eagles with the ball coming to rest 10 yards short of the Eagles goal line. On the first play, Fereti finds Pa’aga on a quick pass with a short gain of 2 yards. On the very next play, Fereti connects again with Pa’aga for a 70 yard pass, the Steelers defence stopping him just within their 20 yard line. With veteran MLB Wesley Mana’o and OLB Fia Laufau Peni applying pressure, the Steelers defence manages to hold off the Eagles offence with DT Richard Fata sacking America Samoa’s quarterback behind the line of scrimmage, losing a number of yards in the process. The Eagles drive stalls at the New Zealand 30 yard line and they retire to the side line while the New Zealand offence returns to the field for their first offensive series of the second quarter. Starting at their 30 yard line, the Steelers go with a run play with Sefo running for short 3 yard gain. A 15 yard pass to WR David Michl drives the New Zealand offence up to just short of the half-way mark. At this point the Steelers drive is stalled by the Eagles defence and they are forced to punt. The ball is fielded at the 15 yard line of the Eagles side of the field and American Samoan offence returns to the field for their second spell of the quarter. On the first play, Fereti hands the ball off to Filipo for a 15 yard run and a first down. Filipo adds another further 3 yards on the next carry. A couple of plays later, Fereti passes for 20 yards and another first down to Pa’aga taking the Eagles back into the Steelers territory. Another long pass to Pa’aga edges the Eagles closer to the 20 yard line of the Steelers. At this point the New Zealand defence stands strong against the air attack of the Eagles and manage to hold them off and push them back to the 40 yard line before retiring America Samoa’s offence to the side line. The New Zealand Steelers start their second series of the quarter with Jonathan Entwistle entering the game for the first time at the quarterback position. On his first play he passes to Hughes for a 10 yard catch and a first down. He then connects with a 33 yard pass to Pitone-Iese who brings up another first down for the Steelers at the Eagles 17 yard line. A couple of short strong runs from RB Raymond Saipele aren’t enough to get New Zealand over the goal line for a touchdown, and the Steelers resort to kicking for goal at the fourth down making the score American Samoa 16 - New Zealand 10 at the half. Third Quarter The second half of the game starts off with the American Eagles kicking off to the New Zealand Steelers. MLB Mark Tinilau fields the kick and returns it for a 20 yard gain. Entwistle back in at quarterback runs a play action fake and then connects with Pitone-Iese for a 10 yard pass and a first down. In the next play, Entwistle hands off to Pitone-Iese for a 5 yard carry. This play is repeated again with Pitone-Iese coming up with another first down for the Steelers. Unfortunately in the very next play Entwistle fumbles the snap and the Eagles defence recover the ball bringing on their offence for their first series of the half. In the first play of the series, Eagles QB Fereti is sacked by Steelers OLB Bong-Chong Khanchaleun for a 5 yard loss. The Eagles offence are stopped by the Steelers’ defence and go four and out. The Steelers offence returns to the field and run the ball for a 2 yard gain by Saipele. With the Eagles defence shutting down the running game, Entwistle goes to the passing game and finds Pitone-Iese once again who runs the ball 40 yards for another first down before getting stopped at the halfway mark. The game then returns to the running game with a handoff to Saipele, but unfortunately during the tackle the ball is fumbled and the American Samoans recover the loose ball. The Eagles offence once again take the field but after not making much advancement, they are left with a fourth and long situation. With Pa’aga lined up at punter, the ball is snapped to him, he fakes the punt and instead runs the ball down the side line for a 30 yard gain and a first down. This is followed up with an 8 yard carry by Filipo to nudge them closer to the New Zealand goal line. With the American Samoan offence in a favourable position, Fereti tosses a 25 yard pass to Matai’a for his second touchdown of the game. After being penalised during their two point conversion attempt, the Eagles are marched back to the 30 yard line to reattempt their point after. With considerable distance to the goal line, Fereti opts for a pass play to WR Brandon Salanoa who catches the 30 yard pass in the endzone for the two point conversion, American Samoa 24 – New Zealand 10. On the ensuing kick-off, the Steelers’ Pitone-Iese returns the ball for yet another remarkable 30 yard gain. Unfortunately in the next play, starting quarterback Ikinepe is intercepted by Eagles CB Fuzzy Puni bringing the quarter to an end. Fourth Quarter The final quarter of the game begins with another pass from Fereti to Pa’aga for another 30 plus yard gain, stopped within 20 yards of the New Zealand goal line. An 8 yard carry by Filipo takes the Eagles within 8 yards of the goal line. From there DL Usoali’i Ta’inamu is brought in as a running back and he punches through the New Zealand defensive line to score a touchdown. The two point conversion is unsuccessful and the American Samoans extend their lead to 30 – 10. The New Zealand offence return to the field and look to finishing the game on a high. They start off with a few run plays with Sefo and Pitone-Iese picking up carries of 15 and 8 yards respectively. With a fourth down and short situation, quarterback Ikinepe picks up the much needed first down with a quarterback sneak. With momentum on the side of the Steelers, and with veteran offensive linemen C Joseph Burke, OT Luke Wynyard and OG Paul Meredith providing valuable blocking, the ball is handed off once again to Pitone-Iese who picks up another long carry bringing them to within 25 yards of the American Samoa goal line. With the goal line in sight, Ikinepe goes for a pass but is intercepted by LB Vaikona Taufatofua who runs it back 75 yards for a touchdown. The touchdown is disallowed by the officials due to infringements during the run by the American Samoans and so the play is brought back to the 45 yard line of the New Zealand half. From there, the Eagles offence return and go straight back onto the attack with a quick 10 yard pass from Fereti to Pa’aga. With the pass game working, Fereti then attempts another pass play but is intercepted by Steelers’ FS David Natua who returns the ball for 30 yards bringing them into the Eagles’ 35 yard line. From there Saipele is handed the ball and gains 15 yards for a first down nudging the New Zealand offence to within 20 yards of the goal line. Looking at finishing the game on a high note outstanding runner Pitone-Iese is given one more chance to penetrate the defence but is well defended with only a 3 yard pickup. Unfortunately the New Zealander fail to capitalise on the gains and the game ends with the final score being American Samoa 30 – New Zealand 10. Notable Samoan Players
#1 Quarterback Daniel Fereti – Passed for 257 yards and 3 Touchdowns. He also ran in a 2 point conversion. He hails from the villages of Fagatogo and Tafuna in American Samoa and is currently playing for the Mustangs American Football Club #16 Wide Receiver Ryan Pa’aga – MVP for American Samoa – 8 catches for 210 yards and 1 touchdown. He hails from the villages of Nu’uuli and Tafuna in American Samoa and is currently playing for the Mustangs American Football Club #33 Running Back Tolu Pitone-Iese – MVP for New Zealand – 8 carries for 120 yards and 2 catches for 50 yards. He hails from the villages of Manono, Safotu and Mulivai, Safata in Western Samoa. He is currently playing for the South Auckland Raiders American Football Club where he has played for the junior, colts and senior teams. #52 Middle Linebacker Wes Mana’o – Veteran player for New Zealand – Played American Football for 14 years with the Tamaki Lighting American Football Club. GNZ New Zealand Colts representative in 2005. Selected for the GNZ New Zealand Men’s team in 2006. He has been the Head Coach for the senior Tamaki Lightning team for the past three years, and the junior’s coach for a number of years prior to that. He hails from the villages of Faleasi’u and Vaivase in Western Samoa. BRUCE RINGER: Give South Auckland a little respectThe phrase South Auckland frequently appears in the media these days, usually in association with some act of violence or criminality. The juxtaposition is so common that the phrase itself has become a term of pity or abuse.
As a person who lives in South Auckland, and who loves South Auckland, I think it's time to reclaim the name. When I went to school in the 1960s South Auckland was a real place with an actual geographical location. It started at Otahuhu in the north and stopped at Mercer in the south. It stretched from the Firth of Thames to the Tasman Sea. It included the counties of Manukau and Franklin, and the boroughs of Otahuhu, Papatoetoe, Manurewa, Papakura, Pukekohe, Waiuku and Tuakau, and for most purposes Howick as well. South Aucklanders had a shared history. South Auckland's first European settlements were Fencible settlements. Its other towns had mostly grown up strung out along the Great South Rd. The term South Auckland had a proven lineage. We played sport together. We called ourselves South Aucklanders with a sense of identity and pride. In the 1970s, however, the meaning of South Auckland seemed to both shift and contract. Against the wishes of Manukau, both county and city, large state or group housing areas had been developed in Otara and central Mangere. Attendant social problems had developed. South Auckland became a shorthand way of referring to what was supposedly a town planning disaster. As if by osmosis the whole region gradually became labelled as such. The eastern parts began to dissociate themselves from the name. After local body amalgamation in 1989, the term Counties Manukau was coined in place of South Auckland for sporting and administrative purposes. This was adopted by organisations such as the Counties Manukau Sports Foundation and Counties Manukau District Health Board. It referred to the area covered by Manukau City, Papakura District and Franklin District. By this time the older term "South Auckland" had lost any geographical precision. It had become not a place but a state of mind, used to conjure up a largely imaginary vision of an urban wasteland. That is the way the phrase is used today. It's used by journalists who write precious little articles in which they describe bravely venturing anywhere south of Penrose as if they're entering the heart of darkness. It's used by politicians to refer loosely to anywhere that combines a certain amount of poverty, whether real or imaginary, with occasional incidents of violence. (Thus I've seen it used to refer not just to Otahuhu, Otara, Mangere and Manurewa, but also to Owairaka, Mt Wellington and Glen Innes.) It's used by social workers to convey a sense of despair and hopelessness. It's used equally freely by hand-wringing liberals and closet racists (often the same thing), practised in bemoaning the way the world has become, but unpractised in providing real solutions to problems or in treating people with respect. Even the mayor of Wanganui, a man who should know better, coming as he does from a very beautiful city which has an unfair reputation as the gang capital of New Zealand, uses "South Auckland" as a term of generic contempt. I suggest it's time for politicians and journalists to stop using South Auckland as a phrase with such indiscriminate carelessness. If they're referring to a place, then they're actually referring to an area which has a proud and complex history, is rich in ethnic and socio-economic variety, includes communities of great social vitality, and retains areas of great natural beauty. Before they open their mouths, they might like to find out something about it. It's true some parts of this region have problems with graffiti, crime and gang violence. In this they're by no means unique in New Zealand. Robberies happen. Murders happen. They shouldn't. But implying that these are endemic to an entire city or region is dishonest. When referring to such incidents it's not difficult to be precise about the location. And I suggest when writing about them, journalists in particular should stop reaching automatically for their cliche dictionary ("mean streets", "trouble in the hood", etc). These are lazy, careless phrases. They stereotype and demean the large majority of people who live there, who are not hapless and helpless ghetto-dwellers, but whose main aim is to try to lead decent lives. After all, we don't call Central Auckland "sick city". Although perhaps we should, because if we believe media reports, it's inhabited mostly by indigents, drunks, rapists, murderers and people who urinate in doorways. * Bruce Ringer is a librarian and writer who lives in Manurewa, Manukau City. - NZ Herald By Bruce Ringer |
upcoming events and calendarSeulupe Falaniko Tominiko II is the new Editor in Chief for the
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