Neu: 2002-03-07 Contents of this issue:
1. Pacific Way 2. Message For Monarchy ======================================================================== March 7th, 2002 1. Pacific Way: Tongan war dances, kava, jazz and contemporary Pacific Island sculpture will all feature at this weekend's Pasifika Festival writes Amie Richardson in the New Zealand Herald. Organiser Ayliss Ripley said the festival was exciting because it was the only purely Pacific Island festival held in Auckland. "It's the only place you can visit eight Pacific Island villages - feel them, see them and taste them, all in one day." Miss Ripley said organisers expected about 120,000 people to attend the festival, at Western Springs Stadium and lakeside. The event will be opened tonight at 7.30 with speeches by Pacific Island Affairs Ministe Mark Gosche and Auckland Deputy Mayor David Hay as well as cultural dances and performances by hip-hop groups. Tomorrow, from 9am to 6pm, people can visit the eight villages - representing Aotearoa, Tonga, Samoa, Niue, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Fiji and the Cook Islands - an arts arena, four live stages and a family area, with Jandal, Pasifika's turtle. The event, sponsored mainly by the Auckland City Council and the Pacific Business Trust, is in its 10th year. Miss Ripley said the arts arena would be spectacular, with artists working on contemporary or traditional works and four pumping stages, each with a different theme. "The festival is a huge part of Auckland's culture and the population that lives here. "It's also special in that people gather and meet up with each other. There are some great stories that come out after it's all over." 2. Message For Monarchy: Tongan pro-democracy leader 'Akilisi Pohiva claimed victory in the kindgom's elections yesterday and said the result sent a clear message to King Tupou and his Government that "people want and demand change". Results so far show that Pohiva, an MP since 1987, will be the top-polling commoner in the Parliament. (NZ Herald). __END__
