sent newsletter, issue 16, june 2016

S.E.N.T NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 16, JUNE 2016
TALOFA TUPULAGA TALAVOU!
E ao ona mua pea mea i Matautu Sa, tatou ave le
fa'afetai ma fa'afo'i le viiga i le Atua ona o lana pule
fa'asoifua ua mafai ai ona fa’ataunu’uina nisi o a tatou
fuafuaga ma polokalame o lenei tausaga. Vi’ia Le Atua!
Can you believe we are already half way into 2016?
Time flies when you’re having fun right?! Since the first
issue of S.E.N.T for 2K16 NYLO have been travelling up
and down the North Island sowing seeds of growth
(hoping so) in the work of Tupulaga Talavou. The
journey thus far has consisted of learning new things,
seeing up-close what Tupulaga are doing in their local
places and also being able to offer help & support to
our Tupulaga and others where needed. God is good!
prosper.
If we give full participation with radical acceptance
and absolute inclusion, we will unleash the full
potential of our young people." (GPS Youth Action
Komiti)
Just ask, in Jesus name! (Tumema Faioso)
Last month, I was invited to attend the Ueligitone
Itumalo Youth Rally which was held at St Marks Church
in Lower Hutt. What a thrilling and inspiring
opportunity, to be a part of an event which saw such a
powerful message shared through beautiful singing,
creative items and also an encouraging message that I
delivered, hoping to inspire tupulaga. The rally was led
by Tupulaga leaders, and I am happy to say that STEP
IN, STEP UP, and STEP OUT was evident through your
preparation! Malo lava le galue, malo le tauāta’i!
Ruta and I also had the opportunity to share about our
trip to Cambodia, and encourage tupulaga to step out
of their comfort zones, accept the calling God has given
GROWING PASEFIKA SOLUTIONS
us, and take up the missional opportunities offered by
CONFERENCE AUKILANI!
NYLO had the wonderful opportunity to attend the Growing the wider Church, NZMWF and other groups.
Pasefika Solutions Conference on April 21-20 which was held Reflecting on GROW was an important part of the
at the Vodafone Events Centre, Manukau Souf siiiiide. It was message shared; also encouraging Tupulaga to put the
also awesome to see Filo Tu & Malavai P-Misikei attend this strategies of GROW into action, for us to see the work
Conference as representatives of Puna’Oa. The two-day
of Tupulaga blossom into something amazing. The ice
event aimed to address the social sector issues that are
was even broken a few times with hilarious, fun ice
relevant for New Zealand’s young Pasefika, such as
breakers that saw the Tupulaga and elders sharing a
preventing suicide, violence and addictions, improving
few laughs and smiles. Thank you Tautai, Masterton
mental well-being, understanding cultural identity, and public
and A2J for allowing NYLO and our sister Ruta be a part
health and education priorities. The conference was
of an event so inspiring and beautiful. Thank you for
organised by a committee of 15 young Pasefika people. GPS
the heart-felt messages portrayed through your
consisted of plenary sessions, workshops, creative cultural
creative items; the Holy Spirit was definitely present
performances by young people – including spoken word,
through it all. Thank you for the gifts and lovely
contemporary dance, drama & theatre.
There was a lot of support from Pasefika role models whom
hospitality, which reminds me, can I please have the
What have we achieved since
our last newsletter?
our Young people are inspired by – including Krit Schmidt
(MTV) Sonny Bill Williams, and Tofiga Fepulea’i from Pacific
comedy duo “The Laughing Samoans” whom also were the
MC’s for the event.
The Conference saw many pasefika people (youth workers,
church and community leaders, and health workers) from the
many corners of Aotearoa come together to discuss solutions
that will help address the issues that our Young Pasefika
people are facing today. We have taken home with us a
baggage of useful tools; new learnings and creative ideas that
will help the work of Tupulaga and Sinoti Samoa grow and
S.E.N.T NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 16, JUNE 2016
recipe to that delish carrot cake? Tupulaga, don’t let the Hawkes Bay and Taranaki; be prepared because we are
singing, dancing and messages stop there! Our prayer is coming to your turf real soon!
Hawkes Bay June 25 & 26
that you continue to use your gifts and talents for the
Taranaki July 1 & 2
work God has called you to do, to ensure a God-centred
We are in the month of June right now, so that means *drum
heart and growth in your Tupulaga.
NYLO VISIT #1
“For where two or three gather in my name, there I am with
them.” (Matthew 18:20)
Praise God for allowing NYLO the opportunity to visit our
meko brothers and sisters in Gisborne.
Our NYLO visit was over two days; with a colourful program
consisting of a dinner meet and greet with Tupulaga/
Autalavou leaders, devotion and SOAP, ice breakers and team
building activities. NYLO also presented the new draft vision
G.R.O.W and elaborated on the strategies that have been put
in place to ensure growth within all Tupulaga in Sinoti Samoa.
Part of our presentation included the structure of Sinoti
Samoa and also the structure of Tupulaga Talavou in Sinoti
Samoa; also touching base on section 9 in the Tusi Fa’avae.
There was an opportunity for Tupulaga to ask questions, also
for them to also share their vision and what direction they
would like to see their Tupulaga go in the next few years. Our
two day visit to Gisborne did reveal to us its treasures, not
only the beautiful weather and amazing people but the heart
and passion that our Gisborne family have in trying to blossom
and grow both spiritually and culturally. Although small in
numbers, they do not see this as a barrier to striving towards
a brighter future. Thank you to our brothers and sisters from
Gisborne for your commitment, support and hospitality. Our
prayer is that you continue to use to tools and gifts that God
roll please* we are weeks away from Sinoti AGM meeting
yayyyy! That’s right Tupulaga; NYLO are in the process of
preparing for Leadership training follow up and Sinoti
Tupulaga Talavou AGM so we ask that you please do your part
and start writing up your reports for our meeting. Reports are
due 1 July 2016 and you can send these through to the
Tupulaga Talavou Comms email or via FB messenger on the
comms page.
Leadership Training Follow-up Thursday 14 July
Sinoti Samoa Tupulaga Fonotaga Friday 15 July
Sinoti Samoa AGM Saturday – Sunday 16 & 17 July
NYLO are currently working together with the Sinoti ofisa
applying for funding for Sinoti Samoa Tupulaga Talavou Camp
which is next year Labour weekend. You will find out more
information regarding camp at Sinoti.
Sinoti Samoa Tupulaga Camp October 20 – 23 2017
We would like to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU to
all our Tupulaga Talavou families for all your hard work thus
far; reading through the articles we are seeing GROW shine
through the work that you are doing praise God! Our prayer is
that God continues to be the centre of everything that we do,
and that we continue to lean on God when times are tough.
Also remembering, that NYLO are here if you need support,
advice or assistance with anything to do with the work of
Tupulaga Talavou. Till next time, keep sowing the seeds of
growth. God bless!
Tumema Faioso & Lusia Taloafulu
Sinoti Samoa National Youth Liaison Officers
has blessed you with to continue the work of Tupulaga in your
local church, but most importantly for his glory. We are
excited to see what God has planned for you all. God bless!
What are we currently doing?
Putting this newsletter together of course! Lol Currently
we are preparing for our next NYLO tour – that’s right
S.E.N.T NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 16, JUNE 2016
Talofa Tupulaga! Warm greetings from your
brothers and sisters from A2J in Windy Wellington!
It has been a busy couple of months for our
youth group with youth sessions, volleyball and
fellowship with our wider Methodist Tupulaga
and other denominations. Something that has
been highlighted within A2J has definitely been
our growth. Growth in our love for our church,
growth in own own personal progression,
growth in our spirituality and growth in our love for youth ministry.
We have celebrated a number of our youth members entering into
new employment, competing in national level sporting competitions, entering their first year of NCEA and of course, their birthdays!
We have spent hours dedicated to fundraising through our numerous carwashes and we’re looking forward to our sausage sizzle in
the upcoming week and variety night in the next couple months!
A2J are also very heavily involved within our Parish tupulaga. with
Tinei and Nerisa being members of the Parish Social Committee
who organise social events encouraging fellowship between the
Samoan, Fijian, Tongan and English speaking youths within our Parish.
We also helped with the Wellington Fiji Cyclone Relief Appeal
where we donated boxes of bottled water to be distributed to
those affected by the cyclone.
We celebrated Easter with a camp Ekalesia. Shortly after, we lost
one of the pillars of our Church which affected our youth group
dearly. One of his encouragements was to be consistent with our
work within the church so that is something that will be continuing
to motivate us throughout the year.
We hope the rest of the year for all our Tupulaga is productive!
Looking forward to catching up with you all in July J
S.E.N.T NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 16, JUNE 2016
Nineteen year old Timena Tuma’ai, also known as
Mena, started playing rugby since the age of 6 for
the Under 7’s at Ories and has dedicated her rugby
life to this club ever since currently playing for the
Women’s Grade. Mena tried playing different other
sports codes such as softball and netball but not as
much as rugby. Ex St. Mary’s College student has
also played for her school in Year 9, and made the
Wellington Secondary Schools Team in 2010.
Thus far in her rugby journey, Mena made the Wellington U13 Rep Team (Girls) when she was 12 and
13 years old. In 2013, when she was 16, she made
the Wellington Women’s NPC team (Wellington
Pride) and have made the team ever since. In the
same year, she made the Wellington Women’s 7s
team and continues to make the team. Continuing
to reach new heights, Mena made the Black Ferns
wider training squad last year.
Mena travelled around Wellington and all around
NZ, where her passion for the sport and determination to become a better rugby player may lead this
rising star to places beyond her wildest dreams.
Ina and Vae may not only be Mena’s supportive and
loving parents, but they are also her biggest fans.
They encourage her to always try her best in rugby
as well as life in general. They are Mena’s greatest
critics she continues to say, “They are always picking out what I done bad in the game and letting me
know so I can do better in the next game.” One of
her biggest fans also was her late Grandfather, Tauvale Tuilagi Tuma’ai. “He would
S.E.N.T NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 16, JUNE 2016
be at every club game I had, even if it was raining and would
take to training sessions if my parents couldn’t.”
One of Mena’s inspiration would have to be Milner-Skudder. “I
would love to have a hot step like him!” Her father, Fa’avae
Tuma’ai, had a lengthy rugby career in Wellington and represented Samoa at the Hong Kong Sevens. Mena would love to
follow in her father’s footsteps to play internationally and
travel the world.
What is up next for Mena Tuma’ai you ask? Mena has her
sights on making the Black Ferns 7’s Squad. Although she has
had a lot of distractions, she knows that making the top teams
consists of hard work, getting fitter and stronger to make it
further.
A message Mena would like to leave with the Sinoti Samoa
Tupulaga is, “never give up! Set a goal for yourself and keep at
it until you achieve it. There will be distractions and obstacles
you will have to overcome but keep working hard and everything will slowly fall into place…And PRAY! To constantly Pray.
Mena’s favourite bible verse:
Proverbs 3:5 & Joshua 1:9
Talofa Lava and warm greetings to you all our Meko brothers and sisters across the
North Island! We hope this finds each and every one of you in good health! Ia fo’i le
viiga i le Atua i lona alofa ma lona agalelei ua ia ta’ita’ia mai lo outou soifua ma so
matou nei ola ile lona 5 nei o masina o le tatou faigamalaga i lenei tausaga.
#PraiseHim!!
Just a quick update about what’s been happening since our last publication: At the
end of April we farewelled our sister Lesa Vaalele who made the move to South
Korea on a one year contract to teach English in Jeju Island.
May has been a super busy month for us! On the May has been a super busy
month for us! On the first Sunday of this month we joined our Tongan brothers and
sisters in celebrating Faka Me (Tongan White Sunday.)
On Mother’s Day we
celebrated the work
our mothers do for us together and we put on a breakfast for
them. It was the first time we’ve done something of the kind
and we all enjoyed working together to prepare for it J
The following week we spent preparing for our first Itumalo
youth event which was our youth rally held at our church. We
were blessed to share that event with our guests Mema and
Ruta!
As part of our mission to GROW this year and to engage in
mission work within our community, on Sunday 22 nd we went
along to support our brother Flow in his first service at the Woburn Presbyterian Rest Home. It was a first for us and an
experience that both the elderly people and we thoroughly enjoyed! This upcoming Sunday (29 th) is our parish’s Youth service and that is the latest event we are preparing for J
We look to forward to reading and hearing about what everyone has been upto! That’s all from us!
God Bless and much love to you all! XO #GROW
S.E.N.T NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 16, JUNE 2016
"Ou te mafaia mea uma lava i le fa'amalosi mai o Keriso ia te a'u, aua e leai lava se mea e tasi e le mafaia
e le Atua".
Ta’ita’i: Pu’a Tafa
aoga Malatai
Failautusi: Fai-
E Muamua ona si’i le vi’iga ma le fa’afetai i lo tatou Atua, ona o lona pule to, ma
lana pule fa’asao ua mafai ona tatou
fa’alogoina ai le leo alaga fiafia i totonu
o tatou galuega fa’aletupulaga. Talofa
and warm greetings to our tupulaga
brothers and sisters.
We currently have 18 members within
our Masterton youth group, age ranging
between 13 – 26 years.
So far our youth group are still meeting up as per usual every second Friday of the month, where
we are updated on things that are happening within our church and community.
G.R.O.W – so far this year our youth group session have been based on G.R.O.W our intentions of
using this version is so each and every member can implement this into their daily lives and not just
within church. Each of these characteristics has helped our tupulaga to grow each and every day, with
games, icebreakers, praise and worship and bible studies put in place while implementing G.R.O.W
during our meet ups it has also allowed our tupulaga to “walk the talk” bond as a tupulaga and become
closer as brothers and sisters and most importantly have a relationship and become closer to God.
Celebrations:
March: we celebrated Merina Tafas 21st
birthday.
April: Recently one of sisters Rosa Pule got
married. We wish her and husband the
very best for the future.
Past & Upcoming Events:
We have been involved with many community events, such as
Cultural events, school events, visiting other youth groups and
their churches and also with helping our elders from our palagi
congregation with work around their homes such as gardening,
lifting etc. We are thankful for being able to lend a hand to those
who are in need especially working with the elders from our
palagi congregatiion. We have been on going with fundraising
such as Car wash, Sausage sizzle, faleaiga (food stalls) etc.. to
S.E.N.T NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 16, JUNE 2016
account (lol) and for future events. Every Friday and
Saturday we have volleyball which is open to others,
here we are joined by other samoan youth groups
around Masterton, Also on Saturdays we host an
evening zumba before volleyball we are joined by
many young kids, youth and many adults from our
Pasifika community, this has a huge impact on our
Pasifika people, praise the lord we are able to host
an event that helps our Pasifika people especially
with their health and wellbeing. Last Sunday we had
our Wellington Itumalo Youth Rally combined with
Tautai Petone youth and A2J Wesley youth group –
Just ask in Jesus name. This was a successful end
enjoyable event, shout out to our guest speakers
Ruta & Mema for their words of encouragement.
Events that we have
Queens Birthday –
Labour
WeekendMasterton Youth Rally - TBC
planned thus far:
Youth Ta’alogas
Youth
Camp
Words of Encouragement for our tupulaga brothers and sisters:
Commit to the lord whatever you do, and your
plans will succeed. Proverbs 16:3
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the
Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm
you, plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11
We wait in hope for the Lord; he is
our shield, in him our hearts rejoice for
we trust in his holy name. Psalms
33:20, 21
From the masekoge youth group
we would like to wish our tupulaga
brothers and sisters all the best for
the rest of the year, God bless!
S.E.N.T NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 16, JUNE 2016
Achievements:
We forgot to mention in the last newsletter (blame our
leader), our four youngest members
who received great achievements from their school,
we couldn’t let this get unnoticed.
Eteri Tafa: Manaakitanga Award
Faith: Most Improved
Destiny Malatai: Overall Lakeview Cup DUX & Sports
Cup
And also big shout out to David Kelly who was Head
Boy for
Lakeview
School
My Family!!!! They drive me to do the best i can do and to
make them proud makes me complete.
How did the group ‘deelicious’ come about?
No comment lol Well to cut long story short basically its a
group of guys who loved dancing and entertaining people
doing what they do best, Mixing Polynesian dance to modern day music we all worked at dressmart and we all wanted to make some money.
What are some of the challenges you’ve faced in the entertainment industry? Some of the challenges I've faced
is auditions, im getting used to the rejections but it does
take its toll when you really want a role or you work so
hard for it and you don't get it for some reason you just
gotta brush it off and start again. im a firm believer in everything happens for a reason.
NAME: Tavai Faasavalu but just call me TEE
AGE: 28 years young
TUPULAGA/CHURCH/ITUMALO:
Manukau
Where have you travelled?
Manurewa
Methodist,
OCCUPATION: Labourer, Actor, Dancer, Husband, Father,
Uncle
Bible scripture/famous quote that you live by: (1) E fa'asaga
a'e o'u mata i mauga e o'o mai ai lo'u fesoasoani, o lo'u
fesoasoani mai ia Ieova lea, o le na faia le lagi atoa ma le
lalolagi. (2) Be yourself because everyone else is taken.
I've been blessed to be able to travel to quite a few places
like Italy, Scotland, Poland, Spain, Greece, Ireland, America, Hawaii, Samoa, China, Australia
What important things have you learnt as an artist?
Stay true to yourself and humility
What is your biggest accomplishment so far?
Growing up, what were your dreams and ambitions?
Growing up my dad wanted to become a rugby player and my
mum wanted me to become a doctor but i didn't know what i
wanted to be, so in high school i fell in love with performing
arts then i set my heart on that, my parents weren't really
keen on the idea at first but they saw me on the big sceen
they approved and they supported me all the way.
Take us back in time, when you first fell in love with music/
entertainment – and knew that it was something you wanted
to do in the long run.
Basically in high school i took drama in year 10 because i
thought cool just muck around for this period and chill, but
little did i know i would be making a career out of it, an actor
named Brian Sagala who came into our drama class that year
did a 5 minute piece it made me cry, laugh, smile nervous all
in the space of 5 minutes and i knew i wanted to be able
entertain people just the way he did.
What inspired you to follow your dreams?
S.E.N.T NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 16, JUNE 2016
#GrooveCity The Movie.
What is coming up for you?
I’m in the process of writing a play and also starting new
dance crew in Australia
An encouraging message to share with Tupulaga:
Go out there and follow your dreams and be you! love and
honour your parents, be grateful and humble.
Talofa Tupulaga
Welcome to another edition of
Since the last edition, La’asaga
has been up to the following:
Easter Camp Devotions
During Easter weekend,
La’asaga led devotions with our
30+ group So’otaga. This was a
great opportunity for our
tupulaga to incorporate
G.R.O.W by sharing in worship
and fellowship with our church.
We incorporated the theme of
Step Out to our devotions, this allowed our tupulaga to share in praise and worship, prayer and drama
Sinoti Workshop – April 2016 , Wellington
La’asaga sent a representative to the Sinoti workshop held in Wellington during April 2016. This was
an awesome opportunity for our members to learn more about the different roles within our local and
Workshop with Tumuaki Diana Tana - May 2016, Manukau
La’asaga sent representatives to the workshop run by Tumuaki Diana Tana, held in May in Manukau. This workshop
Church in New Zealand and also the different roles and
functions of each of the conference committees and
groups.
Achievements:
research was involved recently in an exhibition at the
Pataka Art and Museum in Porirua, Wellington.
Fundraisers- We have various fundraisers coming up
Sinoti 2016- Laasaga will be sending two of its members to this year’s Sinoti AGM
NYLO Visits- La’asaga will be having NYLO come to visit in the next few months
Church Service- La’asaga will be leading the worship service on 20 November.
Laasaga would like to take this opportunity to wish all of our sinoti tupulaga who have exams and
assignments coming up, all the best and many blessings. We look forward to catching up with everyone
S.E.N.T NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 16, JUNE 2016
Kia Ora, Bula, Malo e lelei, Talofa Lava and greetings Meko’s.
Malo le soifua! Malo fo’i le lagi e mama! Welcome to another
edition of S.E.N.
“But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength,
they will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not
grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.” Isaiah 40:31
Since our last S.E.N.T newsletter, Tatupu Fou o le Vine Moni
have been up to the following:
Friday Cultural Sessions:
One of our goals this year for our Tupulaga is to grow culturally. We have started the journey with introducing ourselves
in our mother tongue, learning simple Samoan words and
sentences through games and icebreakers, to presenting our
family tree, and now Ali’i learning a folafolaga and Tama’ita’i
learning a sulatoga.
Sunday Spiritual Sessions:
We continue to use S.O.A.P as our bible study with an alternative bible study – G.R.O.W – Greet, Read, Observe, and
Write your Application. We have also been using our Sunday
spiritual sessions for our practices for our Tupulaga Lotu coming up.
Mother’s Day:
Tupulaga sang a song for our Mother’s as well as a shout out
video from individual tupulaga to our own mothers.
Chapel Helper/Toso Ma’i:
One Sunday morning, Tupulaga gave up their time to serve
God through mission work by helping patients dress themselves and take them to the church service help in the Hospital’s chapel. They were able to converse with the patients and seeing them sing and smile was a priceless moment which we will treasure forever. God is GOOD!
Fundraising:
It is our Church’s mission to work together and grow together. Tatupu have been helping our Matagaluega with
our carwashes. We have held about 5 carwashes so far this
year.
Upcoming Events:
Tatupu Fou are currently practicing for the up and coming
Youth Service in June, where we will also be hosting our
NYLO who will be visiting our Tupulaga as part of their
agenda this year.
As Tatupu Fou are still under the umbrella of the Autalavou, we are preparing for the Autalavou Lotu at the end of
May.
Setu and Ruta will be representing our Tupulaga at Sinoti
this year.
That is currently what is happening in the BAY. Our prayer
is that our MEKO brothers and sisters are well and your
Youth programmes are thriving and tupulaga are growing.
#sowingtheseedtogether #grow
Tatupu Fou o le Vine Moni
(Hawkes Bay)
S.E.N.T NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 16, JUNE 2016
NAME: Siauala Nili
AGE: 25
TUPULAGA/CHURCH/ITUMALO: St Pauls Otara
OCCUPATION: Musician/Pwnbroker
Bible scripture/famous quote that you live by: Joshua
24:15 - And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD,
choose this day whom you will serve, whether the
gods your fathers served in the region beyond the
River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you
dwell. But as for me and my
LORD.”
house, we will serve the
Growing up, what were your dreams and ambitions?
I always wanted to be a singer/songwriter. I did try
out sports and other things but always wanting to be
in leading parts whether it be church plays or choir, I
made sure I never backed down if asked to do a
certain part.
Take us back in time, when you first fell in love with music/entertainment – and knew that it was something you wanted to do in the long run.
I think for me it was when I performed at a School concert back in intermediate, I was fortunate to put together
a little band with my school friends and perform at the end of the year, but the turning point was actually when
my mum convinced me to take the same item to the National Autalavou Camp 2002 that summer. Having to
perform to every itumalo in the country at that time made it way more believable that I wanted to this as a career.
What inspired you to follow your dreams? My brothers, my family. They’ve supported me every step of
the way. Have gone out of their way to accomodate and make sure I was kept on the straight and narrow. I
wouldn’t be able to do this without they’re love, prayers and support. The neighborhood/peers keep me accountable too, what I see within our communities definitely inspires me to keep pushing along.
What does the name GiantKilla mean? What significance does this name have in your life? My middle
name is David (from the story of David & Goliath) and the name GiantKilla associates with the story. We all face
challenges in life that can somewhat be seen as Giants everyday. We have the ability and power to bring those
Giants if we are strong in faith, determined to succeed and of course prepare for everything to be thrown our
way
What are some of the challenges you’ve faced in the entertainment industry? Some of the challenges
would be keeping up with the technology and how Music is being distributed now. I mean, growing up in the
90’s - early 2000’s, people would go out and buy CDs and probably listen to a few every 5 months or so. Whereas nowadays there are apps like Soundcloud, Spotify etc. which don’t get me wrong are amazing for our people
to get exposure and all but
S.E.N.T NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 16, JUNE 2016
sometimes we’re spoilt for choice and the race to stay
relevant and ‘hip’ amongst other artists has now prevented
other creative people from getting their shine they
rightfully deserve. I mean, everyone nowadays sound the
same.
downs and challenges and we are just stoked to share
it with the world. At the moment, it is only screening
in Auckland and Wellington but do not worry, we are
working towards bringing it to all Cinemas around the
country.
Where have you travelled?
What is coming up for GiantKilla? I am going to be
releasing new music this year. I’ve worked on an album for the last 4 years which is pretty much ready
for everyone to hear. I’ll also be putting out an audio
Trilogy series - kind of like Lord of The Rings but
through albums instead of film. Looking to do a summer tour around the country.
I have been fortunate to travel to Australia, Samoa,
Rarotonga and the United States a few times. Basically with
0 funding, all from working a normal job and saving up
enough pingaz from gigs haha I know the last answer I gave
was about how technology is a challenge - but i can say the
Pros of technology has allowed me to run things how I want
things done. I ain’t signed to a big record company or label,
everything I do is using all online material and it’s great to
be independent.
What important things have you learnt as an artist?
I have learnt that God has blessed us with something unique
and different to everyone else, and through music/art/craft
we can discover that. We don’t have to be singers, song
writers and actors but we can merely just be an audience
member. A song can change the way we think, touch and
feel about something and honestly that is most definitely a
God given thing. I also have learnt that I have a
responsibility now as an artist. I have to make sure
messages I push through music are messages of hope,
determination, faith and most of all love.
What is your biggest accomplishment so far?
My biggest accomplishment so far would be the release of a
movie called “Groove City” which was a project my team
filmed over 6 years ago and it has finally hit Cinemas
around Auckland and Wellington. We are stoked to say that
it is the first New Zealand/Pasefika Musical Film - so expect
Grease or High School without the cheesy Hollywood
rubbish. A homegrown story about a reformed bad boy
Solomon, on the path to keep his younger siblings and
friends off the streets and pushing them towards they’re
dreams. It has a universal message and connects to
everyone. The film
itself took 6 years
to finally come to
the screens - it had
its many ups and
S.E.N.T NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 16, JUNE 2016
An encouraging message to share with Tupulaga:
My message would be you are Chosen and Selected.
No one else on earth is like you, you are a unique design that only our father in the heavens can create.
You are strong and mighty, able to overcome any situation and progress forward at your pace. Last but not
least, you are blessed to be a blessing.
Since the last SENT newsletter... Otara Saints have started to implement the Tupulaga vision of GROW by having
weekly Fellowship every Sunday evening/afternoon to help build on our own personal mission as a youth of "Unity"
as well individual goals of having that relationship with God. So by having Fellowship, it is not only helping us bond
as a youth but also helping us grow together in our faith for our Redeemer.
Over the past few months St Pauls Methodist Church has seen Otara Saints Youth Group grow exponentially with
over 15 new members now attending on a regular basis and it has been amazing. Currently have Vili Lemau
Tauofaga and Suzanne Su'a as our youth leaders and who are also first time leaders and they are doing an extrodinary job so far with our youth both inside and outside of church and an example of their amazing work so far was
Easter where our performance was a hit & also managing to organize a sleepover movie night and fun day for that
long weekend.
God Renews Our Walk, meaning that in order for us to grow as a Tupulaga we need to return to our roots, which is
God. As a youth and as individuals, everyone has simply stepped up, stepped in and stepped out together to implement our vision in our youth through praise and worship and during activites where we are expressing ourselves
spritually more about the Bible whether its through spoken word, songs, dances and even games.
Currently, our youth is in the process of preparing for Manukau Itumalo Youth Rally 2016 and when its over, we will
definitely keep going with the regular fellowships and maintain the momentum that we have going on at the moment. Looking forward to the rest of the year with my youth as its going to be an amazing year!
S.E.N.T NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 16, JUNE 2016
E ao lava ona ave le mua ma le fa’asao ia Manuvao, ma ave le fa’asagi i le Tapaau o i le Lagi, ona o lana pule fa’asoa ma
lona agalelei, ua mafai ona ta’ita’i filemu mai ai lo outou soifua ma so matou ola. E lelei le Atua!
O se taumafaiga vaivai lenei a Pameko, aua se ripoti o lenei kuata.
Pameko have been blessed with 7 new members. Viia le Atua!
In our previous SENT report, Pameko were practicing items for our combined fundraiser with our English-speaking
congregation and preparing a skit for Easter Sunday. Both events were a huge success, especially for our combined
fundraiser as both congregations were able to fellowship and enjoy each other’s company! All Glory and thanks to
God.
We also advised our goal to fundraise for upcoming events. We have successfully completed two carwashes for youth, raising over $700 each. Praise God! For
Mother’s Day, we made lollie/chocolate necklaces for all mothers, prepared a
On Labour Day, Pameko visited the homeless people on the streets of
Papatoetoe, Otara and Queen Street. Our youth members gathered items from
their homes; blankets, clothes, shoes and water bottles and went on a mission
to ‘pay it forward’ and help those in need. For each homeless person we met, we
also prayed with them. It was an overwhelming experience for us and one we
are grateful for, as it put things into perspective. To be grateful for what we
We have implemented the theme ‘Step In, Step Up, and Step Out’ through our
Praise and Worship bracket before service, by
encouraging all our youth members to lead. The purpose for this
concept is for individuals to use this platform to gain selfconfidence, to encourage them to step out of their comfort zones
and an opportunity to step up and lead. We have created a list so
they know in advance when their Sunday will be. Gloria Ieli and
Faleupolu Meleisea have done an incredible job so far. All Glory
to God!
Pameko are continuing with Friday and Sunday weekly sessions. Friday session is for Praise and Worship practice, leaving Sunday as a time to
S.E.N.T NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 16, JUNE 2016
.Our Pameko vision, “you’re not a question, you’re an
answer” stems from Jeremiah 29:11, “for I know the
plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper
you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a
future”. Through this vision, we have introduced our
‘Common Goals’ we do together as a youth. Our main
goal is #EightyEight which is daily prayers at 8am and
8pm wherever we are. We’re flexible with the times as
we acknowledge the different schedules, but our goal is
to encourage praying as a daily routine as we believe
this will strengthen our relationship with God, and
build our trust in His Will because He has a plan, and
we have a purpose in this life.
Upcoming events:
fellowship with each other through games (family feud,
mafia, group charades, skits etc) warm fuzzies, and SOAP
led by our youth leaders and Faifeau Paulo Ieli.
Achievements:
Jacqueline Tuivaiti was selected to represent her school
prems team at a netball tournament held in Australia.
Moravia Tummai took part in a Pacifica programme at the
University of Auckland, and won the English writing
competition.
Faleupolu Meleisea and Jessica Tuivaiti have been invited
to take part in the MENA Fashion Runway show in
Auckland on the 27th May.
Many of our younger members took part in the annual
Polynesian Festival! Congratulations to Naomi Gasu who
was part of the Mangere College Samoan Group who
placed 1st overall in the co-ed category.
Janine Tuivaiti was a successful candidate and will be
taking part in the YATRA programme in Indonesia. The
two week programme commences from the 28th May – 11
June.
We are proud of our youth members and continue to
encourage our members to set goals and pursue them
without giving up. At the same time, we give all the Glory
to our Heavenly Father for these blessings as without
Him, these would not have been possible. As our parents
say, a mae’a se faamoemoe ona faapea ifo lea, o a’u o se
auauna e le aoga i luma o lau afio.
Youth goals:
Together, we have agreed our aim for the end of year is to
fundraise $15,000 in preparation for camp, our Fun Day,
events and to also contribute financially to church
through Tausala fundraisers to help our parents
S.E.N.T NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 16, JUNE 2016
Church tausala:
June 18th
Manukau Itumalo Youth rally:
June 19th
Pameko looks forward to the youth rally; to fellowship
with our brothers and sisters within the Itumalo. We
also would like to thank NYLO for their continuous
support through the daily spiritual encouragement on
the Tupulaga Facebook page. A huge thank you to our
church minister Paulo Ieli for his guidance and support
for Pameko. Continue to #GROW fam J
Pameko (Papatoetoe Youth Group)
Youth Leaders: June Palelei & Kimiora Malesala
Number of Youth Members: 20 members
ranging from ages 12 – 30.
Papakura collectively decided that this year
would be the year to work on re-building and
strengthening our Youth group. Over the Easter
Weekend, we held our Annual Easter Camp just
to create more opportunity for fellowship and to
this camp there was open-discussion about our
goals for the year which then led to discussion pertaining to the proposed vision that was drafted-up at LT camp. This provided
us with guidelines in terms of what we’d like to see happen within our Youth this year, and below are some of things that we
have lined up for our tupulaga in 2016.
prepare items for the Easter service. At the end of March.
This year we will be hosting the annual Manukau Itumalo Youth Rally, 2016. This was huge decision for us to make considering
we have not participated in a Youth Rally in over 5 years. Our Youth has faced challenges that have led them to shy away from
being involved in combined stuff, but we thought that hosting the rally could be the perfect opportunity to work on becoming
more confident and active members of Sinoti Samoa Tupulaga Talavou, but more importantly to Step In, Step Up, and Step Out ;
-)
We also have a few programmes that we aim to have implemented by the end of the year. The first of these is an Aganu’u
programme that will be established by mid-July (fingers crossed). This will have a strong focus on the Samoan Language &
Cultural-practice. We want our tupulaga to be more familiar with their duties in different cultural-context, as well as educating
them on gender-specific roles. Classes are likely to be run by Alaelua Malesala who currently runs Aganu’u classes for the Pacific
Education Centre.
Our tupulaga have expressed an interest in starting regular Bible Study once a week as well as creating more time for
fellowship. The purpose of these sessions will be to help tupulaga in interpreting the Word of God, as well as getting them to
realize how applicable the teachings within the bible can be to the real-life struggles that they may face daily. As the year
progresses we hope to have more things included in our programme as well achieve our our goals of being active within our
Sinoti!
Achievements
Amorangi (17) was named in the
development squad for the Mystics and
has commenced her first year of study at
UoA towards Bachelor of Laws and Arts
Conjoint Degree
Uenuku (16) was signed to the development
academy for the Vodafone Warriors
Words of Encouragement:
“Problems are not stop signs, they are guidelines.” Although we may be faced with challenges that pose
threats to our success, we must not see these as hindrances, but see them as guidelines that will pave our
way to success!
S.E.N.T NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 16, JUNE 2016
directed by none other than our God fearing leader
Lynley Tai and finally a creative dance choreographed by the wonderful Sharlene Malaeimi. Our
ta’ita’I for the service was potential pastoral candidate, Fo’Ilagi Tufuga and the person in charge of delivering the word for the day was Tulua Vatau who
also showed the potentials of ministerial work in the
future.
Up! Up! Jesus! Down! Down! Satan! Glory and power to the
most high for his everlasting grace and love, for blessing us
with the countless gifts and opportunities we have and for his
protection over us all. Greetings Tupulaga and welcome to this
edition of S.E.N.T! Rewa would love to send a very warm welcome and an insight into what we’ve up to thus far…
Rewa continue to carry out Gods work through monthly fellowships with a small secluded church in East Tamaki, whose
church’s
attendance
can often be
equivalent
to the number of digits
on
one’s
hand. This
has been a
blessing and
a source of
rejuvenation
for us as a tupulaga, often being encouraged and told that our
presence at the church seems to draw in more and more members. God works in wonderful ways!
As far as annual events go, we didn’t cut corners with celebrating the life, works and love of our mothers. Along with waking
up early to make breakfast and prepare tona’I, this year Rewa
added a new song to their repertoire and performed this song
as well as a short skit, written by our lovely Tulua (lynne)
Vatau with the inspiration and help of a few others.
For the two weeks prior to Sunday the 22nd of May, Rewa
would once again came together regularly to practice for our
youth service. We managed to put together a trinity of God
inspired performances. A song, a short skit
S.E.N.T NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 16, JUNE 2016
2016 saw the birth of a new group with in the four
walls of the Manurewa Methodist church. This group
is formally known as “Sweet Praise”. This group consists of Rewa youth members as well as some of the
young couples and 30+ members. On the evening of
the 22nd of May, Sweet Praise and Rewa youth were
invited to a youth rally held in Rewa and hosted by
our geographical synod brothers and sisters, Unique
Faith who are also from Manurewa. Both groups
were given the opportunity to perform items and
fellowship with other geographical youths such as
Oasis Mt Eden, Pap, and Pakuranga. The rally was a
success and an awesome night of unity, fellowship,
good music and fun.
That’s the majority of what we’ve been up to here at
Rewa. We can’t wait to read what everyone else has
been up to, but for now, preparations for the Manukau youth rally as well as our own youth rally are
underway.
Us here at Rewa would like to extend our love to all
tupulaga for being the amazing people that you are.
We hope that you continue to grow as well as
G.R.O.W through these times of stretching and
strengthening. Blessings from your brothers and
sisters here at Rewa x
Taeao Fou has 18 active
youth members this year,
ranging from 12 years to
early 30s. Our current
youth leaders are Miriama
Te’o and Junior Mareko,
who lead our youth sessions and report back to
our
Faifeau and the Autalavou (as our youth are under the
Aukalavou’s umbrella) and more importantly work together
with the Faifeau to plan our youth events for the year.
We started our programme in April and meet every 2nd and
4th Fridays monthly.
Taeao Fou lead praise and worship before our communion
service every first Sunday and it is very encouraging to see
some of our youth members stepping out of their comfort
zone and sharing their talents in this area.
Bible study sessions are led by our Faifeau to strengthen our
spiritual walk of faith and we will have culture/aganu’u
workshops to help our youth to understand our Samoan culture and traditions. We also have some workshops scheduled to go over the structure of the Methodist Church of NZ
as well as Sinoti Samoa as our younger members are still
learning where we fit in the structure of the Church.
So far this year we have been involved in:

Performing at Solinuu Semu’s 60th birthday
Attending Sinoti workshops lead by
Tumuaki Diana Tana at Otara on 14 May and Komiti o Social
Issues at Mangere East
S.E.N.T NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 16, JUNE 2016

on 21 May
Running man challenge (nominated Wellington to carry
on) NYLO Programme
Junior Mareko and Keith Tua were our representatives for
Leadership Training this year. They really enjoyed the programmes and workshops that they participated in at Leadership Training and reported this back to our Aulotu.
These are Taeao Fou’s thoughts on future programmes
that can be implemented within our Sinoti for the benefits
of our Tupualaga talavou:
Aganu’u mafutaga - practical workshop – learn our skills
and then have a Cultural day where we faaali/faatino
what we’ve learned eg. Preparing an umu, fa’alifu,
sapasui, palusami, Ava ceremony, exchange of ie toga,
lauga faafetai etc
Praise and Worship – workshop (how does everyone do
this? What skills can we learn/share/teach?)
The Methodist Church of NZ/Sinoti Samoa – learning the
structure of the church (should be ongoing)
Encouragement for other tupulaga
‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look
about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely
I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous
right hand” Isaiah 41:10
Youth Leaders: Mecham Smalley, Corrie Ioelu
Youth Sessions
members to also step up and hope that this will be a common theme in our youth.
Keeping Active
As a youth we try to stay physically active. A number of us
are part of school or club sports teams. But every week, if
there are no meetings or other church events, we would get
together and play a game of touch or soccer. Our warmups
would include outdoor ice breakers that requires a lot of
movement. After our game of touch or soccer, we start our
workout session that is run by members of the youth that
In the past our youth was one that would only get together
when we needed to perform for an event. This year we decided to have youth sessions to keep everyone together. We
currently have 25 members in our youth which is the most
we've ever had. It's also starting to balance out gender
wise with the number of boys starting to increase. Within
our youth we have a leadership team that consists of five
people which are our youth leaders, (myself and Corrie) Polu,
Matilda and Rosita. We have meetings twice a week to discuss our plans for youth sessions and also fundraisers. In our
youth sessions, we incorporate skills and workshops learnt
from leadership training. We started with presenting the
new sinoti tupulaga vision which is G.R.O.W and the strategies that came with it. We made sure to use icebreakers and
other activities to help clarify the message in each lesson.
We also had a youth session based on the leadership
toolbox. We thought it would be a good idea to teach our
youth members the same skills we were taught at leadership
training because we believe that for a youth to work productively, each person must be a leader. Just recently, instead of
the leadership team, we had two of our youth members run
our youth session. Charles and Lorenzo stepped up and took
on the leadership role for that session. We encourage each
of our youth
S.E.N.T NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 16, JUNE 2016
are in sports teams.
Fundraisers
With our youth rally coming up, we began to discuss ideas for fundraisers so that we can buy new uniforms. Movie
night, suppers, car wash and many more were considered in
our discussion. In the end we decided to do a Bake Sale. We
came up with a menu and posted it on our facebook pages.
We used this fundraiser as a bonding activity. We spent all
day baking with the help of some of mothers from church. It
was exhausting for all that were involved but the result was
very rewarding. We managed to raise a total of $2000. So
far this has been our only fundraiser this year but we plan
on having a few more in the coming months. We would like
to thank all the members of our Sinoti who placed an order.
We
appreciate
your support.
NAME:
Sharlene Fnone Malaeimi
AGE:
If it is ok? I do not want to display my age please lol. I am a child of
88.
TUPULAGA/CHURCH/ITUMALO:
Manurewa Youth Group, Manurewa Metotisi, Manukau Itumalo
OCCUPATION:
Teaching at the Manurewa High School; teaching Gagana Samoa and
Social Science and also a Whanau Dean.
Bible scripture that you live by:
There are actually a few scriptures I try and live by for my daily
walks:
Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through
CHRIST who strengthens me.
1 Timothy 6:12 – Fight the good fight of faith…
Philippians 2:3 – Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.
Brief description about the dance group that you are a part of (i.e.
Nationalities of the members, name of the group, age range, type of
dance, founder)
MBRACE Pacific Dance has been operating for a number of years.
Our Director is Robert Ng Shiu, he is leading our dance company with
the assistance of our management team: Melva Leota and Kristy Ng
Shiu, they coordinate our gigs. Our choreographers are Irene Alatini,
Sina Godinet Tuuau, Melva Leota and Kristy Ng Shiu (they have been
serving the dance company for years and have contributed a lot to
the group).
This is currently my third year with MBrace Pacific Dance. There are
16 members and out of those members, 15 of us are dancers. Many
of our dancers are Samoan, we have a few Tongans and one Cook
Islander. There is an age restriction due to late rehearsals and the
traditional/cultural attire we wear during performance. The youngest
member is 18 years and the eldest is in her early 30’s.
The name of the group MBRACE Pacific Dance is the collaboration of
Pasefika dances – where we celebrate the unique cultures and the
importance of the different types of cultural dances. We are Pasefika
women who have a passion for dance and through movement we
demonstrate passion, beauty, history (traditional and contemporary
movement – the stories of the pacific) and dance styles.
We are trained to perform each culture like it is our own for example.
Cook Island dance – we sway and move like a Cook Islander, every
arm/leg movement and facial
S.E.N.T NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 16, JUNE 2016
expression must be precise and we must execute
every movement during practises and on performance day.
Dance is all about expressing yourself and telling a
story, some movement is free and vibrant, there
are some movements that are restricted and controlled… The following cultural groups we are
deeply involved with is: Tahitian, Cook Island,
Samoan, Tongan, Maori and Hawaiian.
What is the purpose of this group?
The purpose of this group is to explore and express Pasefika dance. We showcase our culture
and our story – we demonstrate the beauty of the
pacific. In history dance was seen as a form of
depicting myths and legends, where song and
dance were for tribal practises, celebrations for
coming of age, ceremonial for men or women
who held titles in their village(s). MBrace pacific
dance incorporates all of these. Every part of our
body needs to dance from our head to our toes.
We learn the background and meaning to the
music/lyrics so we are able to portray the true
meaning of the song through our actions.
What inspired you to join the group?
My upbringing has inspired me to join the group –
the drive and passion I
have for dancing and the want to better my performance
skills and do it professionally J.
From a very young age my mother was my first dance teacher – she taught me Siva samoa and critiqued me all the time.
I attended Finlayson Park Primary School and joined the
Samoan Bilingual ‘O le Ta’iala’ with my brother Pesi. Siva
Samoa was something we were involved in… and we participated in many Polynesian events. As I was growing up, I
took it on board to be one of the dance facilitators with
cousins Lyn and Taunese for our Manurewa Youth group
and teach some our dances – whether it was Siva Samoa,
Creative dances OR teaching other Pasefika dance… I was
also involved in the University of Auckland Pacific song and
dance papers and was able to co-ordinate my own group
and contribute to choreographing the show…
What are some of the highlights so far?
The highlights have been performance days - the huge
events like Pasefika and the Easter show, my sister Lise’s
wedding and joining the Takitimu Vaka Cook Island dance
group to perform in the Maeva Nui competition held at the
Trusts Arena. Practices are always awesome – we learn new
dances and have MBrace bonding dates with the girls J
What are some of the challenges you’ve faced?
It has been a struggle to attend every practice due to extracurricular commitments. Also, practices have been on the
same dates as youth practices. One thing I am thankful for is
dance practices are held at the Manurewa High School
dance studio so I would stay after school go to volleyball
trainings or go to my department/collaboration meetings.
Where have you travelled?
We have only travelled around Auckland – we have had opportunities to travel outside of Auckland however, it has
clashed with my working hours so I was unable to go.
In the past MBrace has travelled to Brisbane, Australia and
to Samoa.
What important things have you learnt from being in this
dance group?
Since being in MBRace I have accepted all my imperfections
– I use to be very insecure about my features and my body.
Joining MBrace has allowed me to accept who I am and
what I bring to the dance group. Learning that it is difficult
to perfect different styles of dances and learned it is important to perform each move accurately
S.E.N.T NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 16, JUNE 2016
and gracefully. It is a MUST to have a positive approach and
attitude at all times, especially when something seems too
complex.
How does G.R.O.W relate to this part of your journey?
GOD RENEWS OUR WALK
This relates as a pathway God has led me to... As someone
who has always been passionate about Siva Samoa and now
being involved in a group that is embracing Pasefika dance is
a dream that has become reality.
Spiritually: my journey through dance has not been a walk
in the park. There have been times where I have felt beaten
mentally and physically, there frustration and anger has taken control of me. BUT because I have the good Lord with
me, He has been holding me up and allowing me to keep
going.
Religious beliefs: knowing and gaining the knowledge
about the Methodism way was something I learned during
Tupulaga Camp – my dance and my religion allows me to
participate and enjoy every part of what I am involved in.
Aganu’u: something that I thrive to keep learning and be
involved in. As a Teacher of the Samoan language it is very
important to keep our young people educated about our
traditions and customs. What is means to be a teine ma
tama Samoa.
Maintaining faith/proactive service: This is an ongoing
process of keeping my faith and pouring my heart and soul
into what I do at all times. To role model what it is to be a
professional dancer and a woman of God through my daily
walk, the words I speak and the actions I perform each and
every day.
An encouraging message to share with Tupulaga:
As a year 13 facilitator, what I tell my students is… find out
what makes you happy and something you envision yourself
doing in the future and work towards it… if Art/music/
sports/dance/public speaking/politics is something you are
passionate about? Think about Why you do it and how it
makes you feel? The only person that can stop you from
succeeding is YOU!
The quote I read and see every day that gives me that extra
push is the words from Eric Thomas (An American motivational speaker) “When you want to succeed as bad as you
want to breathe, then you will be successful.” Meaning:
when you really want something so bad, you need to do
everything in your power to make it happen, do not give up
so easily. There will be times where you will be challenged
mentally, physically and emotionally but knowing to Let God
and Let go of all your worries, everything will be FINE, you
just need to keep the faith and keep walking your path.
Talofa lava and greetings to all our Tupulaga family near and far.
We hope that everyone is doing well and keeping warm during the
cold winter season, but still active in implementing our vision God
Renews Our Walk.
Since our last report we have implemented a program to work on
our aganuu. We have had two workshops so far in which we have
learnt how to call in guests to eat (vala’au fa’aaloalo I le taimi o le
taumafutaga) and also to do the folafolaina o mea’ai. We have had
the input and involvement of our Autalavou during these workshops as a means of encouragement and feedback. This gave our
youth members more confidence and willingness to learn their
aganu’u and we will continue to run these workshops with the help
of our parents and the Autalavou.We will run these workshops once a fortnight until our youth group is confident in all aspects of aganu’u.
We have not yet implemented a program in paying it forward due to other commitments, but hope have something in place within the next few months so watch this space.
Although we have not achieved as much we would have hoped to so far, we have been busy helping our matagaluega with our weekly carwash and sausage sizzle fundraisers. Our youth is also heavily involved in other
matagaluega programs that include aerobics to help promote healthy living and exercise.
Future Direction
Continue to work on aganu’u and also continue to fellowship with each other and other youth groups.
Encouragment for other tupulaga
“You have not lived today until you have done something
for someone who can never repay you” John Banyon
S.E.N.T NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 16, JUNE 2016
St Johns Methodist Church (Ponsonby)
Hello fellow meko fams! Hope everyone’s been doing as well as
us. Here’s some stuff we’ve been up to lately and some of which
have been inspired by you guys our fellow brothers and sisters J
completed we discussed what everyone took away from
the race and we were overjoyed to see they had taken
away the following: the importance of team work, communicating with each other to work faster, being equals
th
th
Easter Camp – 24 -28 of March 2016
with your team mates and most importantly supporting
your fellow team mate meaning if one falls behind they all
The first official event directly related to the youth this year was
our annual Easter Camp. The weekend was based around educating our youth on the real meaning of Easter and implementing
the theme, which we decided together as a youth. Our theme this
year is T.E.A.M, which stands for Together Everyone Accomplishes
More. We split everyone up into teams A and B and throughout
the weekend they were tested with activities which tested them
to be leaders, work well as team mates and see how well they had
been listening
fell back and completed the journey together. Another
awesome take back from the amazing race was a message
about faith, collectively the teams agreed that it was important to not give up faith and to trust in what your future holds, A Team was so behind at the start it seemed
almost certain that they would lose but they never gave
up hope and had faith in their abilities and ended up winning the whole race. During the camp we were very fortunate to have Luah and Dom come in and take a workshop about worship. The workshop was so beneficial to
during the workshops. The main event for the teams was the
not only the older ones but also our babies as well, every-
amazing race, this activity was made up of riddles and activities
one was really involved and interacted with what was
over 6 stations and tested their bible skills as well as some fun
physical skills. Although at the beginning it seemed that B Team
were our clear winners by being ahead one whole station, A Team
pulled through with awesome efforts and won in the last station
which was de-scrambling the verse Jeremiah 29: 11+13. After the
amazing race was
S.E.N.T NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 16, JUNE 2016
Youth Service 24th April
would not have had such an enjoyable service.
As a youth we were given the opportunity earlier this year
to hold an evening service, which would allow us to show
our parents and grandparents how our generation prefer
or other ways we know how to worship. So one Sunday in
April we put together a small service to do exactly that.
Together we conducted praise and worship, mass prayers,
a couple of bible readings in Samoan and English, testimonies and at the end of the service the youth performed a
medley of Sa Ou malosi and Ua Ou Iloa. The theme for our
service was ‘Living for God’ which came from the book of 1
Peter: 4, 1-8. What we took away from this scripture was
mainly from verse 8 where it states: “Most important of
all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love
covers a multitude of sins.” With this, we had another
scripture alongside to suffice the theme of our service
which came from the book of Phillipians: 2, 1-5. Us youth
leaders (Olivia and Madelyne) had asked three of our fellow youth members to share something on the night, a
little testimony about their personal journey/walk with the
Lord in regards to our theme ‘Living for God’. We gave the
task to three of our youth members, Lulu Inu, Gafatasi Inu
and Lesina Ta’ala. All three spoke beautifully of their journeys with God, their renewal of faith and with tears in
their eyes what living for God really meant for them. After
this, we gave the opportunity to anyone who wanted to
share something good God has done for them in their lives
and were fortunate to hear from three people including
our Rev Faleatua. We were extremely proud of all of our
member’s efforts in the service and without teamwork we
S.E.N.T NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 16, JUNE 2016
BAND
We have our weekly Band practises usually on Friday &
Saturday depending on everyone’s schedule but this is one
of our main goals/missions within the church and youth to
develop further for us to GROW more. We have further
plans for band but are currently working on being able to
work together as a T.E.A.M – (our current youth vision).
Our band is lead by Zach and Tauvaga two of our older
youth members and is guided by our mama’s Fetalaiga and
Gaifo. Our band was initiated by our tupulaga members
after our return from Youth Camp last year in Ngaruawahia,
we learnt so much about all our hidden talents amongst
our youth and it’s really brought us closer together as we
found a fun common ground and way to praise.
Love from St John’s <3
LEADER - Selau Siitia Afatia and Kalosi Tuala
TEUTUPE - Taufi Afatia.
FAILAUTUSI - Celia Nafoi
MEMBERS - 26
AGE - 13 – 37
EVENTS - We have Bible Study every 3rd Sunday for each month.
CHURCH EVENTS - We have youth services where we have a Sunday
where we do the service with the support of our Faifeau Rev. Ukumauu
Pupulu.
We are preparing for our Itumalo Youth Rally on the 12th of June.
And the Sinoti Conference where we have 5 youth members going to
the Fonotaga.
Other events we will keep you updated on up and coming events.
Thank you.
Selau and Kalosi
S.E.N.T NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 16, JUNE 2016
in terms of sponsorships. Because of your help we were
able to raise $779 so far. More sponsorships are yet to be
received from some of our members.
Community Mission – Helping the Homeless project” with
Leaders: Tanya Asa & Sweden Faitotoa
Secretary/Treasurer: Piula Lasi
Ta’ita’I Autalavou: Lolila Faitotoa
Members, Siona Lasi, Aubrey Lasi, Elijah Lasi, Shona Mata’utia, Clifford Mata’utia, Eteri Asa, John Mila, Tuna Mila, Henry
Faitotoa, Matthew Faitotoa, Jacinta Faitotoa , One Afaese,
Lupe Afaese
Age: from 12 – 28 years old.
Executive Summary
Planned programme for the year:
Youth Sundays : Every third Sunday of every month, members
Auckland City Mission :Our youth are planning to be a part
of this by donating clothes, blankets, food etc...The actual
date for this is on 27th – 28th May 2016.
Itumalo Youth Rally – June 12 2016: Preparations for this
will start next week for our youth.
Sinoti – hosted by Aukilani Itumalo.
Other events
Between our above events – we’ve managed to do some
of the youth leads our Samoan speaking service. One member
fun – sociable things like going to the movies and we are
leads the service while the other takes the word. If we are not
planning to watch the Blues vs Crusaders game on Sat 28
leading our Samoan speaking service, we are leading our com-
May 2016 after our City mission.
bined youth service with our English and Tongan congrega-
We
are
also
tions. We alternate with our Tongan Youth members. This
thinking
month, Shona Matautia led our Samoan service while John
more fundraising
Mila delivered the word. Our combined youth in the morning
was led by Ofa – a member from the Tongan Youth. This has
been a rewarding experience for most of our youth members.
events
about
and
working on our
first
official
The feedback so far has been positive from our members.
uniform.
Combined Easter youth camp – Redhill – Dargaville :Leaders
End of month – monthly meetings where each member will
of our Parish organised what was a memorable Easter camp
give a lafoga – those who are at work $10, those who are
for both our Tongan and Samoan youth. This took place on
still in school including Uni - $5 each.
Friday 25 March – Monday 28 March 2016. Until this day, our
young people are still talking about
their experience and how much they have missed camp. It
certainly brought both of our youths closer together and also
Goals for Tupulaga: To serve, to GROW closer and
spiritually as a tupulaga.
some of the adults in our Parish. Plans are initiated at the
Achievements: Our brother Matthew Faitotoa who was in
moment for another camp next year due to a high number of
the New Castle Knights development squad has returned to
requests from our youth members.
Walkathon: On 23 April 2016, we walked from Quay Street
NZ to be with his family and was recently signed with the
to Mission Bay to raise some funds in order to help with our
events this year. It was a lovely Saturday morning and glory
and praise to our Father for protecting us and guiding us on
that day as it was a successful event. Some of our parents
were able to help supervise that day just in case something
happens to any one of us. We would also like to extend our
Itumalo youth members who were able to help us
S.E.N.T NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 16, JUNE 2016
Warriors under 20s Development squad.
Talofa tupulaga up and down the North Island! 2016 has just begun but yet we are almost
half way through the year! Oh how time flys by so fast!!
What has SIONA
been up too so
far:
SIONA have not
done much this
year in terms of
regular gatherings
or
fellowship.
However, earlier in the year our church went on
a Easter Camp up at Mangawhai Heads. Our
youth were given the opportunity to lead
morning devotions on the Saturday led by
Suzette Ioapo with Laine Meki giving a
reflection on “TAKE UP YOUR CROSS AND
FOLLOW HIM”. We were fortunate enough to
have a few of our former youth members join us
in our devotion which really brought the unity
in our youth again. As a result, we were able to
deliver a warm, heartfelt and moving devotion
with a song that not only touched our parents
and others, but also ourselves. What an
awesome weekend away it was full of love,
laughter, fun and time well spent with our
lovely church family!!
Upcoming events for SIONA:
At the moment we have a few events coming up for us and starting preparations for:
Samoan service this Sunday will be led by SIONA tupulaga.
Aukilani Tupulaga Youth Rally 2016 in June.
the opening for Sinoti 2016 hosted by Aukilani Itumalo held at Willow Park.
That is all from us. Stay beautiful, keep the faith, and blessings to you all!
SIONA YOUTH.
S.E.N.T NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 16, JUNE 2016
It all began on the grounds of Sir Edmund Hillary College Just make sure your ready to put in a lot of hard work and
Otara back in 1976, as is now one of the largest Polynesian when it comes to the big day, Dance with all your Heart and
Festivals in the world. The purpose of this festival was to be Proud of your school and your Culture.
show a pride in Cultural Identity and to bring the many
people from different cultures and schools together.
As Pacific people, growing up in a English traditioned school,
Interview2//
Taiala Lauaki - Waitakere Meko
What was it like to perform on the BIG stage?
it is a huge challenge to remain consistent with your own
Cultural Identity. With this initiative, it allows these students
and their families to embrace and further educate
themselves of their backgrounds.
It felt scary but hyped at
the same time because it
was my first year joining
Polyfest and I was also in
This year we took our focus to the Samoan stage, and
managed to have a chat with a few of our own brothers and
sisters on roles they had been apart of and also their
experiences.
the front row so I didn't
want to make a single
mistake.
But
performance
as
the
started,
I
Quickfire1//
managed to build in confidence and went hard out.
Tuna aka Faamanutuna Tautalafua - Waitakere Meko
Besides the audience cheering you on, What was your
What was it like to perform on
the big stage ?
It was nerve racking walking on to
favourite POLY moment?
My favorite moment was definately hearing my school come
First Overall for the Boys section and making history.
the stage, but when we got in to Advice for the Young Meko's that want to participate in
it, it felt good.
Poly next year ?
As an All Boys school, what are the Simple. It's all about having fun and getting along with our
advantages and benefits ?
Its good because you don't get
fellow Samoan brothers and sisters, but most importantly
expressing our Samoan culture.
distracted from the opposite sex. Interview3//
You can focus better. Lol
Shoooooo aka Shona Mata'utia Feagaimali'i - Waterview
Feel good to finally create history Meko
for KBHS ?
It felt so good to finally get that trophy to where it belongs.
KBHS haven't won it ever but it was good to finally make
everyone back at school and our Old boys Proud, especially
our tutors and Family's.
What was it like performing on the BIG stage ?
I'm pretty use to it now, it's been 3
years performing for AGGS and
being apart of the most seki school
in Auckland. (Kidding, keeping it
Advice for the Young Meko's that want to take part next humble) But it was different this
year?
S.E.N.T NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 16, JUNE 2016
year, this year i was choosen to be
Fuataimi. I gave up most of the time, cried and that doesn't really seem like Shona, the me that i know, i guess i just felt weak.
Then the day finally came for us to perform and it went by pretty fast. I reckon i was really nervous because before we
performed we we're watching McAuley Girls (our competition) and i doubted myself, told myself i wasn't gonna make it but i
had to get over it and think about the Girls. "Theres no I in team"!
As an All Girls school, what do you think are the advantages/benefits ?
Being an all girls school is a real biggie. Girls can be graceful and all, every move we do is graceful or should be graceful, then
when it's time for the Sasa, we can finally express and be more manlier then actual men. That is just amazing because you
see, we are always told "Be a girl, be a real Teine Samoa, be Graceful, everything we do shows who we are". This is the only
time we can be manly and get more exercise, get more fit and ummm yeah skinny i guess? Lol'n.
Besides the Audience cheering you on, what was your favourite POLY Moment?
Favorite moment was obviously getting up to the very last verse of the 'pese o le aso'. Lol Kidding, a poly moment to
remember is sharing that moment with our leaders on stage for prize giving and getting up there and getting our First place
trophy. Not being all toughy dovey but that was a great moment, i wasn't leader but they wanted me to share that special
moment with them. Oh and the food was just, yummmmm!
Advice for the Young Mekos who are wanting to participate in Poly next year ?
Be yourself! Im not the type of person to be all serious like i am right now, y'all are probably like 'oh serious' but straight up
haha i'm a soso! But yeah Fam, be yourself and be You. Remember what Polyfest is for, aint about that First place trophy! Its
about expressing our Aganu'u and Fa'asamoa, not just for a cool school shirt, or that front row position. Remember theres no
I in team! Once you join it's not
about you, it's about your team or your brothers and sisters with you. So if the leaders tell you to hold your hands up and
don't drop? HOLD AND DON'T DROP! Keep it Up and put your trust in God.
Tofa soifua, Tofa soifua Samoa.
Well Fam, there you have it. Polyfest, a place where you can Express your cultural heritage. Do it, Join and represent your last
name.
S/O to Tuna, Taiala for placing 1st for Boys section OVERALL and Shona placing 2nd for Fuataimi but claiming the Top spot for
the Girls Overall.
POPO aka Nathan Lauaki-Stephens.
S.E.N.T NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 16, JUNE 2016
CONTACT US:
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For all correspondence (including Competition entries, letters to editor, feedback or
any other queries) please contact the Communications Committee by email:
[email protected]
REMEMBER!!!
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S.E.N.T NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 16, JUNE 2016
S.E.N.T NEWSLETTER, ISSUE 16, JUNE 2016