Kūmara: How One Word Crossed the Pacific

Posted 3:02pm Sunday 12th September 2021 by Karamea Pēwhairangi, Te Āwhina Pounamu Waikaramihi, and Fox Meyer

About 1,000 years ago, a Polynesian navigator made a historic trade. Goods from the Pacific were exchanged for a stubby, brownish root vegetable from the foothills of Peru. There, on a presumably sunny day on the South American coast, kūmara was introduced to Polynesia. It’s called Read more...

Samoan Language Week: Time to Learn About Samoa

Posted 7:55pm Sunday 30th May 2021 by Susana Jones

Talofa lava you beautiful things. This week, from Sunday 30 May to Saturday 5 June, it’s Samoan language week. To learn more about Samoan culture and the importance of our Pacific neighbours, I caught up with Fa’ataumamatemalesoatau, a Samoan student at the Polytech and a cultural rep on Read more...

Samoan Students On Why Their Country is Ready for Change

Posted 2:45pm Sunday 9th May 2021 by Erin Gourley

The Samoan election was in a deadlock between a new opposition party, FAST, and the current governing party, HRPP. Another seat was added to break the deadlock, but it’s not clear whether that was legal, and the Head of State has recently called for a fresh election, but it’s not clear Read more...