RNZ: Champions of the Pacific

A weekly show celebrating the best of Pacific Island sport. 

From representing Samoa on the football field to becoming FIFA's first chief women's football officer. Sarai Bareman is on a mission to put women front and centre of the football world stage. The former Samoa representative tells us how a holiday in Samoa set her on the path for a career in the sport, and her dreams for women's football in the Pacific.

Pacific nations are gearing up for a boost after World Rugby decided that players will be allowed to switch national teams from next year.  Prior to the new change, once a player had represented a country at international level, they couldn't turn out for another - unless they utilised an unintended sevens loophole. We talk to Manu Samoa coach Seilala Mapusua, 'Ikale Tahi coach Toutai Kefu, and a former All Black who says he's ready to represent his Pacific heritage. 

A weekly show that talks to the stars and unsung heroes of Pacific Island sport.

It's no secret that Fiji is packed with sporting talent. All over the world Fijians can be found running, jumping, tackling and shooting with the best of the best.  But when it comes to roles off the field, particularly in the nation's more popular sports, it's overseas coaches and administrators that dominate leading roles.  Sainimili Saukuru tells us what she's doing to see more locals leading the way.  

Sosaia Tulikihakau is one of the few Pasifika football referees in Aotearoa. The 21-year-old has been recognised by the community as a champion for diversity and inclusion in football, selected as a finalist for the Counties Manukau Sporting excellence awards for Referee of the Year.  We talk to Sosaia about his football journey and his hopes to see more Pasifika in the game. 

A weekly show that celebrates the best of Pacific Island sport.

The World Rugby Council will consider a proposal next week to change the sport's eligibility rules to make it easier for players to switch their international allegiance. Think Lima Sopoaga lining up for Manu Samoa or Charles Piutau playing for Tonga. So will it happen? Or will Pacific Island nations once against be given rugby's cold shoulder? Former 'Ikale Tahi captain Inoke Afeaki and Pacific Rugby Players Welfare CEO, former Manu Samoa lock Dan Leo, join us to discuss rugby politics, representation and why eligibility reform is long overdue.

More than 100 people drown in New Zealand waters each year and one Pasifika family is on a mission to educate the community about keeping safe when making a splash. The Fuluifaga Chan Foung aiga - mum Aanoali'i Rowena, dad Mike and their daughter Helena - talk to us about their experiences as surf lifeguards at Te Henga, Auckland's Bethells Beach and we discuss what more can be done to ensure people are being safe in and around the water.

A weekly show that explores the world of Pacific Island sport.

She was the last woman to captain the Samoa women's rugby team at a Rugby World Cup, now she's doing everything she can to help them return to the games biggest stage in 2022. ‎Cynthia Ta'ala-Timaloa talks to us about the obstacles the Manusina face to compete and qualify next year, and reflects back on her time with the team as both a player and now assistant coach. 

Mariner Fagaiava-Muller talks to Johnnie Timu, the Pasifika owner of Brown Pride gym in South Auckland, about the struggles of running a business during lockdown, and how they're keeping the community moving.

A weekly show that talks to the stars and unsung heroes of Pacific Island sport.

Ray Sefo is a six-time Muay Thai World Champion and eight time K-1 World Grand Prix Finals tournament participant who turned his love and passion for the sport into a lifestyle. The proud Samoan talks about the explosion of mixed martial arts, what he thinks about the Pasifika talent coming through the ranks, and could we see him fighting in the ring again? 

After more than 100 days apart, members of the Cook Islands Olympic team are finally back home with their friends and family.

A weekly show celebrating the best of Pacific Island sport.

The Northern Mariana Islands is not letting a global pandemic affect their preparations for hosting the Pacific Mini Games in 2022.

Abigail Tere-Apisah is the undisputed Queen of Pacific Island tennis. This month she added another accolade, after being inducted into the Georgia State Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2021.

A weekly sport show celebrating the best of Pacific Island sport.

Aaron Mauger is Moana Pasifika's new head coach for their inaugural season in the 2022 Super Rugby Pacific competition.  The 45-Test All Black has Samoan, Tahitian and Cook Island heritage and has inked a three-year deal with the new franchise, who will play their home matches at Mount Smart Stadium until 2028. He tells us what he's looking forward to the most, and what fans can expect to see in their debut season. 

The Opeloge family is sporting royalty in Samoa. 10 of the 12 Opeloge siblings have gone on to represent Samoa in international weightlifting competitions, bringing home six Commonwealth Games medals, a gold medal at the Junior World Championships, numerous Oceania and Pacific Games titles and an Olympic silver medal in 2008.

A weekly sports show celebrating the best of Pacific Island sport.

Maselino Masoe was the first Samoan boxer to win a major world title, but the opportunity almost never happened. Masoe sat down with Talei Anderson and Faivaeselopepe Anric Sitanilei to talk about the sacrifice and lessons he learnt going pro, and the moment it all came down to in 2004. 

Fitness guru Naca Cawanibuka has been instrumental in Fiji's success in sevens and fifteens for almost 15 years. Now he's taking on a new challenge as Head of Athletic Performance for the country's first ever Super Rugby team, the Fijian Drua.

A weekly sports show celebrating the very best of Pacific Island sport. [image:256172:full]

In 2020 the Kaiviti Silktails and Papua New Guinea Hunters rugby league team's seasons were scrapped because of Covid-19. In 2021, they left their families at home and relocated to Australia to keep their sporting dreams alive.

Rugby is described as one of the toughest sports on the field, but it's nothing compared to how they used to play it back in Tonga.  Kasivaki is an ancient Tongan sport very similar to rugby, but it was played in the ocean, under the water and with a rock. Tongan artist and practitioner, Milika Pusiaki, talks to us about the history of the sport, and where in the world it's being played today.

A weekly sports show that celebrates the very best of Pacific Island sport. [image:256172:full]

The push for a Pacific Island Super Rugby team has been decades in the making and finally, in February, it will come to fruition with not one but two new teams, Moana Pasifika and the Fijian Drua. So with less than five months to go until kick-off, how ready are they?

Rugby league is back at De La Salle College for the first time in 22 years.  Despite the absence of a rugby league team since 1999, the south Auckland school has been a melting-pot for talent, which boasts the likes Jason Taumalolo, Jeff Lima, and Leeson Ah Mau to name a few. Former student and New Zealand international, Motu Tony, has helped re-establish the programme. The General Manager of Football and High-Performance at New Zealand Rugby League tells us what playing for De La Salle meant for him, and why it was important for him to get the rugby league programme up and running again. 

A weekly sport show that celebrates the very best of Pacific Island sport on and off the field.

Papua New Guinea's cricketers on preparing to play in the biggest tournament in their history, in the middle of a pandemic.

For the first time in history, New Zealand's Rugby Smart programme is being delivered in Pacific languages, to encourage more Māori and Pasifika coaches to the field.  Central region delivery lead of Auckland Rugby, Tidah Leaupepe, is on a mission to remove any barriers that might be holding back Pasifika people from taking up opportunities both on and off the field. 

A weekly sport show that celebrates the very best of Pacific Island sport on and off the field.

Whether it's standing up to bullies, opening a clinic in the middle of a pandemic, or overseeing Fiji's first ever Olympic medal, Cathy Wong is a born leader. A physiotherapist by profession, she joined the Fiji Olympic Committee in 1985, a year after graduating from medical school, and was approached by Fiji Rugby two years later, and has never stopped fighting for opportunities for women both on and off the field.

The Paralympics get underway later this month, and for Ben Tuimaseve it's his time for the big dance.  The 32-year-old tells us how taking up shot-put has helped him to embrace his disability, and how some help from New Zealand's Dame Valerie Adams has given him a boost for his debut at the 2020 Tokyo Games.  

Celebrating the superstars and unsung heroes of Pacific Island sport.

Whether it's the Tokyo Olympics, grand slam tennis or the Rugby League World Cup, the Covid-19 pandemic continues to cause major disruption to sporting competitions around the world. Papua New Guinea footballer Alwin Komolong is currently playing for Lae City in PNG's National Soccer League, while Tongan skier Kasete Naufahu Skeen is based in Sweden. The Pacific sporting duo discuss their decision to get vaccinated and why they believe others in the Pacific should too.

Former Cook Islands international and Women's Development Officer of the Cook Islands Football Association, Tupou Patia-Brogan, explains how football changed her life and how she intends to use it to inspire the future football players of the Pacific.

Shining a light on the very best of Pacific Island sport. [image:256172:full]  

Vanuatu rower Rio Rii reveals how the pandemic forced him to train solo and how his career in the sport could have turned out very different.

Rising netball star Amorangi Te Pa'a Malesala, who is of Samoan and Maori descent, talks school, shooting and surreal teammates.

Last weekend's Rugby World Cup qualifier against Tonga will live long in the memory of the Sopoaga family, with three brothers and a cousin all making their test debut, with older brother Lima Sopoaga cheering them on from the sideline.

A weekly show that celebrates all things Pacific Island sport.

The Tongan taekwondo star is set to make her Olympic debut, but it's not the competition or the threat of Covid-19 that's giving her sweaty palms. 

New Zealand's Pasifika Rugby community have officially welcomed Saveatama Eroni Clarke this month, in an intimate Ava Usu ceremony at Auckland University's Fale Pasifika.

A weekly sport show that celebrates the very best of Pacific Island sport on and off the field.

We profile our Pacific Olympians heading to the 2021 Tokyo Games, starting with two Cook Island swimmers and this year's flag bearers, Wesley Roberts and Kirsten Fisher-Marsters.

Manu Samoa played Tonga in the first of two tests at the weekend, to see who will qualify for the 2023 Rugby World Cup. While fans were excited to see two Pacific teams go head to head at Mt Smart Stadium, there was someone else getting props on the night too. 

A weekly sports show exploring the triumphs, struggles and passions of the Pasifika athlete.

The Tongan body builder who won the Mr Real Man Construction competition in his homeland.