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I recently attended a Matua Talanoa session as a part of my local council's efforts to address the enormous representation of Pacific Islander youth represented in Victoria's Juvenile detention centres.  ABC reported that Pacific Islander youth make up a total of 14 percent of youths who are sentenced and spend time in a Juvenile detention centre. This is a huge number.   During our parent discussions, we found that one reason for this discord causing issues in homes is intergenerational conflict and lack of communication.  With one area being the dreams and aspirations of our youth not being heard by parents...

We love life.  We love the beauty that is around us, but we know that if we don’t make changes the world we love will not be the same.  Measina believes that by working together we can make changes in the world. According to Greenpeace, Australians produce close to 1.5 tonnes of rubbish each year.  That’s like the size of a Hippopotamus!  With more than 23 million people in Australia it is like adding 23 million hippos to the population of Australia.  Clean Up Australia have said that the amount of waste Australians produce each year could cover the whole...

Measina Treasures of Samoa have been advocates of the work that the Samoa Victims Support Group (SVSG) do for victims of abuse in Samoa. We have seen first-hand the work that goes into running the shelter, the school and the services that the SVSG provide. Measina sold Get Ya Yum On grain free bread range in our store because we knew that 50% of all profits went to the SVSG. It was difficult reading the stories regarding SVSG in the media over the last month. On the one hand we knew the amazing work that SVSG do for our people,...

Photo Credit: Slant Magazine When I was a teenager, my favourite cartoon was Pocahontas.  I watched it at the movies, I bought the video and the CD, which I listened to regularly and sat in my room singing along to the lyrics.  I may or may not still sit and have a Pocahontas sing along once a year.  I felt such a strong connection to Pocahontas at that time.  I have no Native American heritage, so there was no direct correlation for this bond.  I didn’t have a forbidden love or a pet raccoon, so the connection wasn’t because I...

Our fifth installment of our Meet the Makers series will be talking about the creators of our clothing and snap back caps, Tanoa Samoa. The tanoa is the traditional Samoan bowl that the ‘ava is prepared in. It is different to the bowls you will find around the Pacific as they have many legs around the bowl.  The tanoa is culturally significant in Samoa as it is used during the customary ‘ava ceremony.  It is no wonder that the tanoa is used as the name and logo of Tanoa Samoa, who are fast becoming a significant player in the retail...