(UPBEAT PERCUSSIVE MUSIC) Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air. www.able.co.nz Copyright Able 2025 - Noa'ia e mauri gagaj 'atakoa, and welcome to Tagata Pasifika. On the show today ` A week after it was fast-tracked in Parliament, changes to the pay equity law are still raising concerns ` issues we will discuss in our talanoa today. In our Pacific News Wrap, Cook Islands educators and cultural leaders look at new ways to promote language. - We've got to give our rangatahi reasons to be proud. And when you start to hear the stories in the language they can understand. - And young leaders from across the region get together to talanoa on ocean health and sustainability. - I really feel like we should use the knowledge of our ancestors to help us in the future. - Faiakse'ea. Well, as we mentioned, a amendment to New Zealand's pay equity law were fast-tracked through Parliament last week. The changes mean 33 claims being considered under the law will now have to be resubmitted. And critics argue it's a huge blow for gender pay equity in Aotearoa. Here to give their views on the change is former Pasifika Inc president and advocate, Tofilau Bernadette Pereira, and union organiser Etevise Ioane from the E Tu union. Noa'ia and malo soifua to you both. - Malo. Soifua lou afio. - Malo 'aupito. Tofilau, I might start with you first. Your reaction to this change? - It's` shockingly I think it's a work that everybody had felt. It's so unfair, very undemocratic as people were expecting that these should have gone through at least the parliamentary select committees for their critique, for the review and the opportunity for the public to comment, particularly those groups that are really affected as a result of the changes that have come forth. - Io. We'll come back to you, Tofilau. Etevise, talk to us about` You've been meeting` You work directly with some of these workers. What's the feeling? What are they sharing with you? - Yeah, I think the whole sector, because I work with the care and support sector... - Yes. - ...It was a shock. It was devastating. It was really sad because our members and the workers who've been working hard for this pay equity ` we were expecting an outcome and... a pay rise. But then that was brought, or that was announced. It was like a shock to everybody. And the women and the workers feel more undervalued as ever. So it was` We just joined all the other people who are feeling the same about these pay equity changes. - And I'm sure there's a lot of frustration and anger that 33 claims were almost there; now they have to go start again to meet the new thresholds. - Yes, we we've done a lot of work the last three years. We have our members told their stories. We lobbied ministers. We had lots of submissions, letters to the MPs. And there was a report last year to the Minister of Health. And still, they don't believe that it's an issue or they still didn't look at how it's affecting the workers, especially women. A lot of them are our Pasifika workers. Yeah. - Weren't we making good progress, Tofilau, in terms of, you know, bringing some hope for some of these women in low-paid jobs? But where does this put us? Does this set us back maybe five, 10 years? - Absolutely. I want to bring in the work that Saunoamaali'i Dr Karanina had done in terms of the space of pay equity for the time when she was the EEO, and she championed this. We worked together as Pasifika to really bring it to the attention and to work mainly with the... the government, for instance, and work with organisations, particularly the companies, for instance, to bring forth the importance of why it is, uh, important for them to value the actual work that is contributed by women across. As you know, that, um, 25.9% of Pacific women are paid less than, uh, European men. And that is 2024. So that's quite current. So this changes that has come about is going to really impact the vulnerable communities, which is largely our people, our women who have had to work several jobs in order to bring the income. Another thing equal to that is the ripple effect that is going from having these, uh, claims not approved. It's going to have a ripple effect on our households, our families, the health of our people. The socioeconomics people are usually the ones that suffer, mainly because all these services that are provided in the social sector, in the service sector ` uh, nursing, teaching and so forth ` are all going to be compromised. And um, interestingly, who are going to be most affected is the low socioeconomic. It falls disproportionately on our people in terms of the impact. - Now, the government's argument ` they're going to save money. What do you say to that, Etevise? - So we cannot understand how they can save money, taking away money from people who are already in the low socioeconomic and also low paid to give to the tobacco companies and those are landlords and other multi-million companies. How can they save money? How can they take that from the people who have been struggling all these years? Because when you look at it, all these workers, they never go on holiday. Their money go back into the economy. We go to the supermarket, and they spend the money here. Those multi-million companies, they go overseas, and their money go overseas. So they already` So that is the most sad thing, is taking the money out of the low-paid people to pay for taxes for other multi-million companies. - And despite all that's happened, there's been some good out of this. There's been people that have signed up for the unions. Can you tell us more how this has become a motivation for some? - It was amazing. Last week after the announcement, people are getting more and more... fired up and they` they are motivated more now to fight back because they express their frustration, their emotion, raw emotion last week. And since the announcement last week, we've had lots of rallies. We've had lots of meetings. Women's groups getting together, and our communities. And last night was one of our first one. We have a Transforming Care campaign, and part of it is listening` listening campaign. So over 60 women and some men turned up last night to share their stories and to see how this is directly impacting their families. And also at the end of this, it's also people receiving the care. The most vulnerable, like, elderly people, children or families ` they are the ones who also suffer because of the results of this. Yeah. - Well, give them our love and prayers and we're thinking of them. - Thank you. - And just finally coming back to Tofilau, we've got maybe 20 seconds just to wrap up. Where would you like to see this go from here? - I believe that we should really be supporting up and down the country. There are pickets; there are demonstrations taking place. I think it's about time our communities come forth, be visible, be heard, and really support the work that the groups, like the unions and others in the community, are doing to advocate to bring our voices to the fore. Utilise your local MPs, for instance. Picket there. - Faiakse'ea to you both, and thank you very much for joining us on polokalama. All right. Stay with us. When we come back, we have our Pacific News Wrap. And this week, more young people are presenting with diabetes in Fiji. - I believe it's mostly on the lifestyle choices from a young age till they get on with their life. (UPBEAT PERCUSSIVE MUSIC) - Noa'ia, ni sa yadra vinaka, welcome back to Tagata Pasifika. It's time now for our News Wrap the region thanks to our partners at Pasifika TV PCBL. This week ` Fiji's fight against youth diabetes, and Papua New Guinea gets to celebrate a new cultural festival. But first, innovative New Zealand businessman Sir Ian Taylor was in the Cook Islands recently. Why? Here's Gladys Hartson. - In the Cook Islands, educators and cultural leaders are encouraged to embrace technology tools for education, language and culture. - The Education and Heritage Symposium is a collaborative effort between the Ui Ariki Ngateitei o the Kuki Airani and the Ministry of Education that looks to introduce a new, comprehensive and innovative way of delivering Cook Islands Maori education that looks to incorporate our language, culture and identity. - Because when a child speaks their own language, they are not just learning words. They are learning who they are. They are reconnecting with their heritage. They are stepping into their future roles as leaders, as nurturers, and as guardians of our culture. - I think it's important that, where I've started from, is to start by telling our cultural stories first. You know, we've got to give our rangatahi reasons to be proud. And when you start to hear the stories in the language they can understand, first of all, but you start to bring the language in; you start to bring the reo in. And we're looking at a new technology to help the rangatahi learn Maori using some of the new artificial intelligence that, you know, we hope to have one of those working within a year. - You need to look at where your knowledge comes from. You need to look at how you support teachers. You need to rethink really what is schooling in the Cook Islands? What is important for your children to learn? And, you know, one of the big things is I want people to realise is that you don't have to fall into the English system to be successful, and you don't need to leave the Cook Islands to be successful. - To Papua New Guinea, where organisers have been granted certification to host the long-awaited Hulunamule Festival. - The many untold cultures and stories for Hela province will now be displayed at the Hulunamule Festival later this year. - One of our objectives for setting up this Hulunamule Festival, apart from the singing and dancing that will be happening every year, we are also trying to write stories. Stories about our mountains and rivers and all these legends, keep them, and then build a heritage centre, like, where you can store all the stories. - To share the platform, to promote and market and maintain the rich culture of the Huli people. - To Solomon Islands, and primary school children are embracing their rich culture and heritage. - The primary division of St Nicholas College marked its cultural day with a theme of participation and cultural interaction, embracing unity and diversity. Headmaster for the Primary Division, Mr Francis Wate, told SIBC TV that the event provides an opportunity for students to learn the country's different cultures. - It's an annual event where mifala hostim for giving more opportunities for students. (SPEAKS PIJIN) - I can say I'm really honoured to be part of the cultural... the cultural performance. And I'm really honoured to be part of it. It's really... It's really outstanding to be part of the cultures, provinces. It's really nice. - In Fiji, health officials are concerned with the increase of diabetes among children as young as 6. - Even as awareness grows, many families are still struggling to change their eating habits. - I believe it's mostly on the lifestyle choices from young age till they get on with their life. - Because it's hard for you to stop them from eating things that they used to like before. - To help families, Diabetes Fiji is running school holiday camps focused on healthy eating. These sessions teach children and their carers how to read labels, make better food choices and stick with them before it's too late. - And finally to sport ` Fiji Drua have two games left for the Super Rugby season, determined to finish strong. - Like I said to the boys, one game at a time. If they give this game in Lautoka, the boys will have come out firing, and I know that, and, uh, just never giving up. - You know, we've got certain areas that we need to be smarter, I think, on field and, yeah, we all know how we want to play, and every team knows that. And unfortunately, when we don't get the ability to look after that and talk about our rucks quite often and not get fast ball, that's what we want. - Drua will now take on the Western Force at Churchill Park in Lautoka on Saturday at 3.35pm. And you can catch all the action live on FBC Sports. - Toso, Drua, toso. After the break, young Pacific leaders converge on French Polynesia to talanoa on ocean health. - A key takeaway from this would be to connect ` to connect and stay connected ` with the other brothers and sisters from around the Pacific and to work together, collaborate, to generate change. (UPBEAT PERCUSSIVE MUSIC) - 'Ia orana. Welcome back to Tagata Pasifika. Back to the region now, where 44 young Pacific leaders from 22 nations took part in a conference in French Polynesia focusing on ocean health. Funded by the US government, the Tiaki Moana Summit and Workshop offered hands-on activities and talanoa contributing to oceans' prosperity, security and sustainability across the Pacific. French Polynesia's president, Moetai Brotherson, has addressed many audiences on various topics. Today, he's urging young leaders to protect our ocean. It is who we are. It is what's... what makes us, so there's no... there's no way we can, you know, be outside of the discussion. We have this sacred duty to become tiaki moana, the custodians of the ocean. - The president's message is directed at the 44 delegates from 22 nations visiting his homeland to take part in the Young Pacific Leaders, or YPL, conference. - Being associated with young people from all over Oceania, exchanging views, exchanging ideas, cultures and realising that we have so much in common, so much in common in the issues that we face, the challenges we have. And also when I speak to those young people, they have this epiphany when they realise that they are part of the same ensemble. That is, you know, what unites us, this Pacific Ocean, this Moana-nui-a-kiwa. - First launched in 2013, YPL is the US government's premiere leadership programme for youth in the Pacific. Participants will have a week in French Polynesia to immerse themselves in the different systems of ocean management. - Why the US Department of State invests so heavily in young people in this region is they hope to bring them together for more regional collaboration and really peace-building missions on common issues such as our oceans, like we're focusing on at this particular YPL workshop. (UPBEAT UKULELE MUSIC PLAYS, PEOPLE SING INDISTINCTLY) - And they've come from all corners of the Blue continent, where many face similar threats to their oceans and livelihood. But it's the sense of family that unites them. - We really need to reconnect ourselves to ourselves, to our cousins of the Pacific, to just take in conscience that we are, you know, part of the same heritage, part of the same people that once travelled across the great ocean. And this is something that also, for me, is important for the people of the Pacific. Go back to your own home knowing that you're not alone on this big ocean. - (SPEAKS PACIFIC LANGUAGE) - In the Mariana Islands, the ocean, the tasi, is part of us. It is part of who we are. It is an inspiration. It is a sacred place for healing, for transforming your spirit, for bringing families together, for connectedness. And so doing this work, meeting with other Pasifika people and leaders who understand that relationship is really an honour. - A key thing to take away from this would be to connect ` to connect and stay connected ` with the other brothers and sisters from around the Pacific and to work together, collaborate, to generate change through` It may be small projects to start with, but little impacts can make a ripple effect right across not only in the Pacific, but in the world as well. - I've spent a lot of the last six, seven years focused on the terrestrial ecosystems of Rarotonga, cos I knew that, you know, that was an area we sort of started to forget about. But I'm always trying to refresh and learn more about what's happening coast... you know, sort of coastal marine and even deep sea. - The group have journeyed across from Tahiti's capital Pape'ete to neighbouring island Mo'orea as part of their workshop and already the message is sinking in ` youth need to be involved. - The call of action for me would be for more young people to get involved with the ocean policy space. I feel as though a lot of young people are able to raise signs to say, 'Protect our oceans,' but in terms of clear, concise policy recommendations or being involved with the governance sector, I think we need more young people to be involved. - The tide is turning with new technology used in the ocean science, but some feel we shouldn't forget about our ancestral knowledge. - I really feel like we should use the knowledge of our ancestors to help us in the future. I feel like traditional ecological knowledge is not something that a lot of scientists delve into. - Now, it's more than just a workshop. Our participants got a chance to have a hands-on experience in the best classroom ever ` nature. - For the ocean, the land ` you know, it's all connected with us, the people. One thing that I love to say is, you know, like... some people think that we are all separated from nature, but actually, like, we are not apart. We are not apart from nature. We are a part of nature. - We're united in one way or another ` Melanesian, Micronesian, Polynesian. We're all from the Pacific. We... share basically the same resources, the same sea, everything... and our cultures. And it's just having that sense of belonging and knowing that you can all fight together. You don't have to fight alone. - It's that advocacy that many here take on as their duty to be guardians of the moana for future generations. - With today's challenges, with the development and rapid urbanisation around the world at a, you know, this massive global scale, there's risk of diluting that which is, in essence, a dilution of identity and practice that has kept our people in the Pacific thriving. And so I think more than ever, it's really important to be having these discussions and forums such as this. - I think my fellow colleagues do amazing work in their communities, and YPL provides a platform to bring those amazing ideas together. So once again, you're inspired to go home and think about, 'Oh, if my colleague here in Samoa or in Palau did this, 'you know, how can I translate their inspiration into action in my community?' - Mauruuru roa rahi. Well, that's the end of our show. And right now I'd like to wish all our Tongan fathers happy Father's Day for this weekend. If you want to see any of our stories again or the latest Pacific news, go to tpplus.co.nz or TVNZ+. For now, you great-looking people, have a wonderful weekend. La' ma a lalum. Tofa soifua. Captions by Jessie Puru and Sam Baker. Captions were made with the support of NZ On Air.