Fijian lawyer Ana Tuiketei Bolabiu has become the first Pacific counsel on a global roster working for the International Criminal Court in the Hague in Netherlands. Ana joins us now on Pacific Breakfast for more on her incredible achievement.

As we continue our celebrations of Rotuman Language Week 2020, we’re joined now on Pacific Breakfast by Beril Kustao Lal, who is the treasurer, of the Canterbury Rotuman Community.

Let's start with the situation in Afghanistan.  

What's the political problem there?

Is this a problem for the United States?

  Why does the outcome matter to us?

 The rivalry between the United States and China may be taking a new turn. 

What's the latest?

And speaking of China,  why is Winston Peters' support of Taiwan's participation in the World Health Organization so controversial?

Also controversial might be a new referendum on independence for Tokelau. What's the outlook?

Finally, what is the pleasing Pasifika news coming out of the New Zealand Parliament?

Tausia Mere Solomone works as a medical lab-o-ra-tory scientist at the Southern Community Lab in Dunedin.  

As we continue to celebrate Rotuman language week. The theme for this week is Putua‘os fäega ma ‘os ag fak Rotuma; Nurturing our Rotuman Identity through Language and culture.  

Today we head down to the South Island.  Tausia Mere Solomone works as a medical lab-o-ra-tory scientist at the Southern Community Lab in Dunedin.  

She was born and raised in Rotuma up until Form 1 before she was sent to boarding school in Fiji.  Tausia attended Ballentine Memorial School where she was the head girl and as the top student got dux.  She was awarded a full government scholarship to the Fiji School of Medicine and graduated with a medical lab diploma.

Tausia is the mother of three grown sons and one daughter.  

Tausia joined CWM hospital Laboratory and was assigned to Cytology dept and just started with Cancer Society starting to take root in awareness in the Pacific Region. 

She enrolled in further studies long distance with Greenlane Hospital “Gynae & Non Gynae” that  was to be aPathway to NZ On completion of the distance study,DML “ Diagnostic Medical Laboratory “ in Auckland offered me a position .

The family moved to NZ year 2000 where she worked full time and 6yrs later decided to study. at AUT where she graduated in 2010.

DML lost its tender contract and many jobs went,as well as redundancy,I was retained but later decided to leave.  That prompted the move to Wellington “Aotea Pathology Lab” till 2015 and just like DML with Government restructuring and centralising its services  Aotea Lab was replaced and they moved again further down South Island to Dunedin SCL.

Riki Welsh leads the Pacific Development Team who are the main pastoral care providers for Pasifika students at UC. They are available to help with almost anything and can be considered the first stop for most issues.  

The University of Canterbury is a holistic place of learning made up of 7 dimensions that prepare you to change the world.

The Pacific Development Team (PDT) provides extensive support, opportunities, programmes, and events for Pasifika students at UC as well as some initiatives for UC staff and the wider community.

Riki joins Ete to talk about the level of support since COVID-19 came along and disrupted the normal flow of student life.

Liz (Loriza) Yunus is a South Auckland midwife. She began her studies at Otago university. She took some time out to train as a chef, before returning to her passion and finishing her Mid Wifery degree at Waikato University. 

Liz saw a real need for qualified Pacific midwives, particularly for our South Auckland Pacific population and moved there in 2015, to help respond to this need.

 Liz is particularly passionate about increasing ante-natal education, particularly incorporating Pacific cultural perspectives regarding birthing. 

Liz works across the South Auckland Primary Care sector, working closely with the Nga Hau Mangere Birthing Centre and also travels between New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga and Samoa observing the different approaches and practices in each country’s health system.

Lani Alo is a Dunedin based Artist and award-winning Choral Director of Samoan Descent. He is an alumnus of the University of Otago where he graduated with a Bachelor of Music in 2015 and a Postgraduate Diploma in Music Performance (with Distinction) in 2017. 

Lani has a wealth of experience in the performing arts and has performed with and opened for local and international acts including Six60, Paramore and the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra.

In 2018 his choir EFKS Te Atatu Junior Youth was nominated for the Best Worship Artist at the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards and won the Best Gospel Artist at the Vodafone Pacific Music Awards.

This year Lani Alo has been nominated for 3 categories - Best Pacific Song, Best Gospel Artist and Best Pacific Langauge.

Lani Alo "Alo i ou fiava" : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bj6uNXhIuB4

8 Mountain's motto is: Imagine! Create! Believe! 8 Mountains was established on the runway of Fiji Fashion Week 2009, and is a contemporary fashion label that proves that if you can imagine it, then nothing is impossible. Joining us right now this morning on the 531 Breakfast show is the amazing Moira Sovalu-John to speak more about her Rotuman fashion celebrating Rotuman Language Week.

International Nurses’ Day is celebrated around the world every 12 May, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, a celebrated English social reformer and statistician, and the founder of modern nursing.

The International nurses day 2020 theme of 'Nursing the World to Health' rings rightly with the current pandemic situation the world is facing. 

This morning we’re joined on Pacific Breakfast by Apii Vavia-Nore, nurse at Manukau Super Clinic, Former Clinical Specialty Nurse at Manukau Surgical Centre, Studied Post Graduate Diploma in Advanced Nursing at The University of Auckland.

Professor Vilsoni Hereniko is from Hapmak in Rotuma but now lives in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi. He is a professor at the University of Hawaiiʻs Academy for Creative Media, as well as a playwright, screenwriter, and film director. 

He is an author of several books and has written a large body of creative and scholarly articles and essays. 

His feature film "Pear ta ma ʻon Maf: The Land Has Eyes" is in his native language (Rotuman) and had its world premiere at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. It also won "Best Film" at the Inaugural Wairoa Maori Film Festival. 

He has a Masters Degree from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne in England and a Ph. D. from the University of the South Pacific in Fiji.