Mahvash Ali
US Consul General waits with bated breath – like the rest of us
It has all quietened down at the Auckland Decision 2012 hub, but it may well be the calm of before the storm. The general hush is interrupted by occasional cheers as election results for the battle ground states roll in. With US$3 billion spent on the election campaign between the two presidential candidates, this is the most [...]
Warren takes Massachusetts
Outnumbered Republicans at AUT University’s watch party are putting on a brave face. “It’s tough but it aint over yet,” says a somewhat disappointed Romney supporter Stefan Sunde. He had just witnessed Elizabeth Warren being declared winner of the hotly contested Massachusetts race. Another Republican defeat came seconds later for Richard Mourdock, who recently made [...]
No more American than this …
It doesn’t get more American than this. The US election results are trickling in and depending on your preference you could be seeing red, or blue. There is food, drink and fun to be had. The American Consulate has pulled out the stops so Kiwis can join in their party. In a room full of [...]
Students send ‘positive message’
Muslim youths in Auckland have responded to the controversial anti-Islam video Innocence of Muslims by distributing booklets about the life of Prophet Muhammad. Six members of the Auckland University Muslim Student Association distributed around 100 booklets about the Prophet Muhammad on Auckland’s Queen Street on September 26. President of the association Azim Alexander [...]
Kiwi Muslims suggest cultural holiday swap
Kiwi Muslims are backing the suggestion that they be allowed to swap statutory holidays for Islamic festivals, but critics fear this could open a can of worms. Muslims have two main holidays. Eid-ul-Fitr marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan and Eid ul Adha is celebrated two months after Ramadan. President of the [...]
Big leap in the reporting of emotionally abused NZ children
The past decade has seen a steady rise in the reporting of New Zealand children being subjected to emotional abuse, according to a report released last week. The statistics, released as part of a Families Commission-funded project, showed emotional abuse cases had risen from 9 per cent of incidents requiring further investigation in 2003 to [...]
New Zealand media need to be more active – Pakistani journalist
The New Zealand media must be careful not to take peace for granted, says a Pakistani journalist studying in Auckland. Ruskhsana Aslam, a doctoral student and journalist from Pakistan, joined a panel of three other speakers at at a seminar held by the AUT Pacific Media Centre discussing the “rhetoric and reality” behind media freedom, [...]
Hunt for funding is on as refugee arts project looks to the future
A one-of-a-kind youth arts project for refugees is looking for funding. Mixit, a charitable trust, runs weekly performing arts workshops for Auckland refugee and migrant youth aged 13 to 20, during the school term. Up to 35 people attend Saturday workshops at Corban Estate in West Auckland. Sessions include various forms of dance, drama, singing [...]
Van explosion leaves residents shaken and house uninhabitable
Carbon monoxide, cyanide and other dangerous gases left a New Lynn home uninhabitable following an explosion. Undetermined causes lead to a fire that engulfed 55-year-old Donny Chan’s campervan parked alongside his Delta Ave home at around 4pm on Wednesday. The van contained equipment for his painting business. Chan, his wife and a boarder were inside [...]
New name suppression regulations a ‘step in the right direction’
A new law that gives media some say in name suppression decisions in court is a “step in the right direction”, says Gavin Ellis, media academic and former editor-in-chief of the New Zealand Herald. Under the Criminal Procedures Act 2011, which came into effect recently, media representatives can tell the court their views on name [...]
Social media ‘at its best’ – Facebook followers hunt for stolen laptop
An Auckland ice cream chef who had his laptop stolen last week has been left “speechless” by overwhelming support from the online community. Head chef and owner of Giapo gelato parlour, Gianpaolo Grazioli, had his Apple MacBook stolen from his Queen St store in Auckland around 2pm on Monday, April 23. Grazioli was serving customers [...]
Mangere refugee centre’s future seems safe despite cabinet paper
The future of the Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre is not as bleak as suggested in a recent media report. According to a report on Radio New Zealand, a briefing paper to the Minister of Immigration revealed the centre’s future was “in doubt”. Jan Jeffery, refugee quota manager for Immigration New Zealand, says the report did [...]
77-year-old boatie raises funds to get to London for Queen’s pageant
A 77-year old Blenheim boatie will take his entry to London for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee River Pageant in June without any government support – because of a misunderstanding. Instead, Ron Perano is relying on community fundraising to get him to London. His boat, the Swiftsure, a 32-foot replica of a whaling boat, was selected [...]
NZ has three big race issues to deal with, says human rights commission
Poor treatment of Maori, bias from employers and continuing discrimination against Asians are the key race relations issues facing New Zealanders, says the Human Rights Commission. This year’s theme for Race Relations Day on March 21 is Aotearoa: A fair go for all. Sam Sefuiva, principal advisor on race relations at the commission, says the [...]
The Pacific Media Centre
- The terrible legacy of Fiji’s national trauma of May 1987
- AUDIO: Media freedom 'great achievement' in Afghanistan, says BBC reporter
- FIJI: Rabuka refuses to reveal name of coup co-conspirators
- FIJI: Fiji Times ordered to pay $5000 fine under media decree
- AUDIO: NZ moviegoers enthused over epic Polynesian tale
Pacific.Scoop
- Media freedom ‘great achievement’ in Afghanistan, says BBC reporter
- Fatty meat imports issue at Pacific forum boosts local food focus
- Pacific Scoop challenges political elites over health, human rights, social justice
- Papua peace journalist tries to drum up NZ support amid Indonesian crackdown
- Proposed new Samoan law may change identity criteria
