Sign language is the third official language of Aotearoa and this week is New Zealand sign language week which coincides with the International Week of the Deaf.  

 

Lani Wendt Thomson is of Samoan and Scottish heritage. She completed studies in NZ Sign Language Interpreting through AUT just under ten years ago. 

 

Her love for NZSL is because of the access it provides to members of the Deaf community and others who cannot communicate verbally, to daily tasks, events and information we as hearing people often take for granted. 

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Gabriel Faatau'uu Satiu and Taofia Pelesasa are Pasifika creatives and graduates from New Zealand who are now based in Australia.

Taofia Pelesasa is of Tokelauan and Samoan heritage, born in Rotorua, New Zealand and replanted in Mt Druitt, Western Sydney. He is a graduate of the Unitec School of Performing and Screen Arts (Auckland, Aotearoa) as an acting and writing student, he has worked as an actor, producer and writer in both screen and theatre in New Zealand and Australia. Independently, Taofia has worked on his own works the most significant of which is "Polinesia" which has had him spend a two-year research project between Sydney and Lima, Peru. 

Gabriel Faatau’uu-Satiu is a Sāmoan creative born and raised in Porirua, NZ, lived in Mangere for most of his adult life, and has found his voice in South-West, Sydney.   A creative writing graduate from the Manukau Institute of Technology and now a postgraduate student doing a Masters in Creative Practice with Unitec, he has worked mostly as a writer for both screen and stage in New Zealand and Australia. Gabriel has written for major TV networks/shows like Shortland Street, What Now, Maori Television and 7 Productions - a few doing small stints in front of the camera too. 

 

Gabe and Fia are are on the line with us now taloha ni and talofa lava

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Jerry Seuseu is a former professional rugby league player and is the Community Engagement Advisor Pasifika for the Electoral Commission.  He speaks with Ete about the NZ Warriors team, mental health awareness and the importance of voting.

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Kristina Iuli is an Access Coordinator and NZ Sign Language Interpreter at Unitec, supporting the development of an inclusive environment, liaising with lecturers and students in identifying support needs for students with disabilities, and responding in a timely manner with the right support.

 Sometimes as a Sign Language Interpreter for Deaf students she goes into their classes and interprets the content simultaneously into NZ Sign Language. She has also interpreted the Unitec Graduations for many years.  

She trained at AUT in 2000, but prior to that spent many years living overseas with her family.  

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Iata Peautolu is a multidisciplinary artist who has made quite an impact with his practice of tāmoko and tatatau. Inspired by his Māori and Niuean lineage he purposely features a combination of imagery from both connections, and also highlights his skill as an illustrator and painter. 

The iconography in his body of work investigates migration and navigation practices from the Pacific, which he uses to develop his visual narratives.

One of the recent developments with his Fekai collection is the collaboration taking island motifs and linking in with D-lish perfumes

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Sign language is the third official language of Aotearoa and this week is New Zealand sign language week which coincides with the International Week of the Deaf.  Lani Wendt Thomson is of Samoan and Scottish heritage. She completed studies in NZ Sign Language Interpreting through AUT just under ten years ago. 

Her love for NZSL is because of the access it provides to members of the Deaf community and others who cannot communicate verbally, to daily tasks, events and information we as hearing people often take for granted. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After winning the vacant Professional Boxing Commission New Zealand (PBCNZ) Super Lightweight title in Feb this year, beating Taranaki's Tarn "The Terminator", Karen Lina Te Ruki-Pasene is scheduled to fight Pit Bull Nansen, who has a record of 13 fights, with 8 wins, 4 losses & 1 draw, for the for the WBO Super Lightweight Asia Pacific Title at the Vodafone Events Centre in Manukau on the 10th of October. 

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Remittances (i.e. the sending of money in payment or gift) are a key source of foreign exchange for many Pacific Island countries, and are crucial to the income for many families in these communities.

Remittance transactions in the Pacific are expensive due to structural reasons such as the small size, remoteness, and limited infrastructure of the region.

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As of yesterday New Zealand had 3 positive cases in the community and 6 historical cases.  Auckland moved from 2.5 down to alert level 2 while the remainder of the country moves down to level 1.

Dr Api Talemaitoga is with the Pacific Medical Association, the Ministry of Health’s Pacific Response Taskforce and the COVID-19 Surveillance and Testing Strategy Group.   Dr Api Talemaitoga joins us this morning for an update on core messages for COVID-19 and what these alert levels mean for us.

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Saili Matagi is a group-based programme delivered in the Pacific focus unit for male prisoners of Pasifika descent with a medium risk of re-offending who are serving a sentence for violent offences. It teaches a range of skills so that participants can change attitudes and behaviours and so reduce the likelihood of them re-offending. It involves family and community groups in the participants’ rehabilitation and reintegration.

The programme was designed in 2003-2004 by a Pasifika staff member working in Ara Poutama Aotearoa (NZ Corrections Services) at that time.

Photo: TPP Plus

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