(light piano music) www.able.co.nz Able 2022 (children laughing) (children chanting in foreign language) (Vai laughs) (speaking foreign language) (distant thunder claps) - (All) If you want to play this game you shall be the he today. You're the he! (all yelling) (percussive music) (thunder claps in distance) - (Mom) Easy, Vai. Too hard, bubba. - (Vai) You see him, Mamma? - See who? See who, bubba? - (Vai) Bloody Kakamora! - Savaia! Don't you let your Yaca hear you say that, you hear me? Can you watch what you're doing? Early night tonight, right? Put out your clothes. Big journey ahead of us. Your aunty got that for you to wear on the plane. - I only like shorts and T-Shirts. Keep you warm! - Bye mirror. - That's for Yaca? Vai, what are you doing? Vai? Vai! Savaia! Stop it! - Moses said, when I go to school I won't have any friends! - Oh. Come here. You know what? Moses is a bloody Kakamora. (chuckles) (light orchestral music) Mum? - I'm okay, bubba. It's just your baby brother dancing again. You want to say hello? - Bubba? It's me Vai. You dancing again? Me too. When you come we can both dance forever. She loves me dancing. She says one day, I'm going to be on Fiji One. You can watch me, too. I can't wait to show you. He's coming. - Go on. Go and play, bubba. (door opens) (distant men laughing) (speaking foreign language) (hands clapping) (hands clap) (whispering) Right. (hands clapping) - Yuck! (laughing) - Oi. Oi, have you been giving your mum a hard time? Hm? No? Yes you have, just like your Yaca, eh? (laughs) (light acoustic guitar music) (distant children howling) (laughs) Go play, go play, go play. - We can set it up for you tonight. And it's got video chat so you can see us, see Vai when she speaks. Ma? Ma! Oh well. She starts school on Monday so you might want to check before that. - Oh, we've got lots of warm clothes Ma, she'll be fine. - It's going to be cold there. - Can't just leave her here Ma, I told you this. - Well, she's my daughter. - And I'm her Yaca. - (Mom) You know I can't do that, Ma. (Nana cries) - (Mom) Oh, Ma. - Ma, stop it. - Ma! No one is going to forget you, Ma. Okay? No one is going to forget you. (sighs) - Fiji One, hey, Yaca? - (Girl) He's coming, he's coming. (rain pattering) (light orchestral music) (Vai laughing) - Vai! (children laugh) Vai, what are you doing? Get out of the rain! (laughing) Vai! Inside, Yaca. (children laughing) Inside. (children laugh) - (Boy) Vai. Vai. (children whoop) (hip hop music) (singing in foreign language) - Yes, Nena. (singing in foreign language) - Louie! Louie! Louie! Louie! (singing in foreign language) (clicking tongue) (sighs) (chuckles) Like Elvis Presley? - Oh, yep. (laughs) - That's cute. Okay. # I'm jealous of the wind # - No. No, no, no. Sing your favourite Tongan song. (singing in foreign language) That's my favourite Tongan song, too. - Yeah? - Yeah. That's my grandparents house. My grandfather's passed away now but my grandma is getting old and she wants to come home. That's why I've come. To clean up the place and get it ready for her to come back. - Oh, you'd better hurry and get the water back then. - No. (laughs) But what I will do is teach you how to use your own beautiful voice. Sing like Vai. Don't sing like anybody else. (light orchestral music) - Malo. - And we'll have our singing classes while Elvis Presley gets the bottles. (water laps) (water laps) (distant horn blowing) (distant humming) - Ki? (whistles to shellfish) (whistling) (conch shell blown in distance) Ki? (laughs) (water splashing) (dramatic orchestral music) (conch shell blowing) Oh shit. - (Kylie) Ah, your assignment is due next week and we'll also be exploring ecological anthropology covering the way humans adapt to their environments, the purposes, and the consequences. Right, now the readings and the assignment are available online but I do have hard copies and for those who weren't hear earlier you can also collect your marked assignment. Okay. Thank you. - I'm so sorry I'm late, Kylie. - Yeah well, just be on time for the meeting, okay? There's that, and ah, well done. - (Girl) Hey, Vai. What grade did you get? - A minus. You? - I ah, I got a B. - Ah. - See ya. - Hey! How come you're so late? You're making us look bad. - I had to work a double shift last night. Those last minute ones. - Eh? Your shout for lunch then. - What do you want from the dollar menu then? - Nah, actually I'm going vegetarian for the next few months. (laughs) - Oh, did I miss any notes in class? - Yo, I got like, five paragraphs of all your notes. - Sweet! - Oi. Any update on your dad? - Oh, he's still on sick leave. I didn't get the chance to see him this morning. Oh, I gotta go check on him. - Oi, that's so sad, eh. - Hard out. (cellphone buzzing) Hold on! Hi, Nana. - (Vai) Oh, okay Nana, well I'm at school, I'll tell Dad when I get home and see how much we can give. - (Vai) Bye, bye! - Yo. My shout then. - Yeah, for like, the rest of my life. Oh, sorry! - (Man) Yo! Let's go get a feed quick! - Oh. I have a meeting with Kylie. - Nah, it will be all good and plus the others haven't seen you in like, forever. Come on, you know you want to. Yea-yah. (chuckles) That's the one. Okay, I was thinking, you know Kylie? - Mm-hm. - She's always on her phone like 24/7. Obviously she has email, why can't you just email her? - Nah! - Why not? Because it's better to talk to her face to face. - Oi. It's like the 21st century. - What? It is? It is! - It is? It is! - It is! I don't really care, I'm hungry. - Pumpkin's first. (all chattering) Hi, guys! (all chattering) Well, I got to head off. I'll see youse later? - (Man) Vaia! - Sis, Just grab some food before you leave? - Yeah, yeah. - What do youse have? - Apple, chip-- - There's a bun. - And we got ah, Ramaman noodles. - Oh mean. I'll take the apple though. Shot guys. (phone rings) Hi, Vai speaking. - (Amy) Hi Vai, it's Amy. Hey, I was wondering, could you work another double shift tonight? - Tonight? Yeah. Sure. No problem. - (Amy) Thanks so much. - Okay. - Hi, it's Vai Speaking. - (Girl) Hi, Amy (all laughing) (all chirping) - Sorry, I can't be late, um, I'll catch youse up later. - Okay! - See ya, sis. - Yo! Hold up! - Oh. (cellphone buzzing) Hi. Vai speaking. - (Mark) Yeah, hi. Mark here. We seem to be having a problem again with your payments. We haven't received your full rent? - Oh. Sss-- - (Mark) Yeah, with the increase. - So sorry it must have been the automatic payment. I'll add it to this weeks rent. Yeah, it won't happen again. - Yo. What's so important about this meeting that you made me run five thousand hundred kilometers? - With everything going on, I might have to follow the milk and honey. - What? Why? We could just do tutorials and stuff. - Nah, it's not that. I need Kylie to listen. - Oh, that's right, I saw her, she gave you like, the meanest evils. - I know. - Well have you spoken to your dad or your family about it? - I don't want to disappoint them. - Well we need to tell someone. - You don't get it. - I do get it. - No you don't. (scoffs) (exhales) (knocks on door) - Oh, just a moment I've got to finish this email. Right, come on in, Vai. I have so many emails to catch up on it's endless. - Um, do you mind if I close the door? - (Kylie) No. Of course. - Oh, thanks. - (Kylie) So, why did you want to see me? - Well you see, I'm finding it a bit hard to keep up with all the deadlines and assessments. - (Kylie) Well I have noticed your attendance hasn't been very good. Look, I think it's really a question of priorities. - Yeah, I understand that but you see, a box fell on my dad's head at work. And he's recovering at home with, not even his full pay. - Well look, I'm very sorry to hear that and I, I can imagine that's making you anxious. Look, um, would our counselling services be of help? - No, it's okay. It's really just the pressure of all the academic workload. And my other commitments. - Yeah, but, all the students have that pressure. So do I. I mean, I hope you don't feel alone in this. Look, um, what are these other commitments? - Well there's my dad, family stuff, work, I just don't know if I have time to complete the assignment that you handed out today? Am I able to get an extension, please? Maybe? - (Kylie) Vai, you have a lot of potential, and ah, you could do amazing things for your people, but, in order to achieve academically you need to cut out all these distractions that are compromising your learning. Yeah? (cellphone buzzing) - Sorry. - (Kylie) And in terms of the assessment it's not grounds for me to give you an extension, Vai. So that's a no. - Yeah. - (Kylie) Right. Um, I'm due in my next lecture soon. Right? - How'd it go? - (Vai) I just want to talk to my dad. - Oh, yeah sweet then. Awks. Laters. - I'm sorry! - Nah, it's all good. - For being mean to you! - Nah, we're sweet. Straight up. - I'll buy you food! Double cheese burger, steamed buns, no pickles, onions, extra cheese? And a coke? No ice? And you get an apple. - You missed bacon. But we're cool. (laughs) - (Automated Voice) Sorry you do not have enough credit to complete this call. (cellphone buzzing) - Hey, do you know this number? It called me earlier. - Probably a scam. - Hi, Vai speaking. - (Beej) Hi, Vaisea, my name is Beej, and I'm a nurse from Bell Hospital. Ah, listen your dad is with paramedics on his way to us-- - What? What happened. Is he okay? - (Beej) Well we will know more when he arrives but we believe that he's had a stroke, it's ah, it's best that you come to the hospital. - Ah, ah. - (Man) What happened? What's wrong? - My dad had a stroke. I don't know what to do. - Vai, it's your dad, what are you still doing here, I'll cover for you in class. - Are you sure? - Yeah, Don't worry. I got you. - Hey! What class are you due in now? - I actually don't know but I really have to go. - Hey, Vai! We just discussed your priorities. - I was trying to tell you. I work a full time job to provide for my family at home in Samoa and now I'm here with my dad and I'm the only one that looks after him because we don't have family in New Zealand. I can barely afford to get to uni, with my bills, food and my dad's medication. I know what I'm capable of but you just won't listen to me. I'm tired of explaining and moulding myself to become who you want me to be. But my dad, my family, my village, has sacrificed so much for me to be here for a better life. I'm not going to waste it. And my name is Vaisea. Vaisea Lulaluti Polusi. (dramatic orchestral music) (water laps) - (Elvis) I will be captain of my own boat, for the first time. - If she was thinking of Mata, she wouldn't do this. Hey, Vai! (slow drum music) (distant voices murmuring) (breathing heavily) - So this is what you learnt at that flash university. How to cause trouble. You have these thoughts. - These. these thoughts. These thoughts, they are my own, Elvis. - These are the biggest fleets in all the world, and they are here! We are lucky, sis! - Seining yes, but it's not just that. - Seining. - They are using FADs. - FADs? - Our turtles, our sharks and after all of that, hundreds of piles of rubbish washing up onto our beaches. - You are going to ruin this for all of us. - They've asked me. - Then say no. - These are our waters. - You know what, Vai? You're the FAD. You are. (dramatic orchestral music) (engine cranking and starting) - Vai, I wanted to have a word with you. Isn't it exciting? The mother ship out on the water far from land? In the dark their light's still bright, and you know what? They are going to build a brand new house for us. A beautiful place of worship. They've answered our prayers. (laughs) Can you believe it? I said, if only she knew, Vai wouldn't stop it. You wouldn't stop it. You wouldn't take that away from us, would you? Vai? We deserve this. I knew you would come this way. I knew you would. Vai, this is what we deserve! (man laughs) (speaking foreign language) Plenty of fish in the sea they said. (percussive music) (protestors chanting in foreign language) (dramatic orchestral music) (protestors cheering) Heya ha ha. - I will not allow you take any more from us! (speaking foreign language) (Vai sighs) - I'm glad I'm not doing this. - You didn't teach me. - (Woman) How long has it been? - I'm posting them. (metal clanging) (metal clanging) (metal clanging) (crying) Mum. - You being back here strengthens my connection here. And Moana's. Remember, it's in your bones. (singing in foreign language) - (Girl) Nana. Nana. (dramatic orchestral music) (waves crashing) (light orchestral music) (whispering) (light orchestral music) (children yelling) (both chuckle) (speaking foreign language) - Moana! Oi! - Moana! (gasping) (laughs) (ukulele music) (singing in foreign language) (whooping) (whooping) (whooping) (whooping) (all cheering) (speaking foreign language) (percussive music) (singing in foreign language) (dramatic orchestral music) (river water splashing) (river water splashing) (singing in foreign language) - Hey, Ma. (chuckles) (speaking foreign language) - You're still looking young and fit as, eh? (light orchestral music) - My darlin's are good, eh, Nan. - I know. - I love it here so much Nan, did you come here lots when you were little? - Aue! That must have been freezing! (coughs) (light acoustic guitar music) (singing in foreign language) - I got you Nan! Eh? (singing in foreign language) - Ready? (singing in foreign language) - And we have arrived! The timing of this Whanau! (cheering) - Ay. - (Man) Aw. Mata. - Or, pepi Vai. Named after two of the greatest women I'll ever know. My Mum, and my Nanny Vai. (baby cries) - Ma? (singing in foreign language) - Jeez Nan, could have picked a Waiata we all know, eh? (laughs) - (Man) Come on. (light orchestral music) (light piano music)