Polynesia

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06/21/2011 | Polynesia
As written in this article. China and the US will have a consultation on Asia-Pacific co-hosted by China's Vice Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai and U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell in Honolulu, Hawaii on Saturday.
06/10/2011 | Polynesia
Soul Surfer and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides are among the most recent movies about the Pacific Islands and/or filmed in the Pacific Islands.
03/08/2011 | Polynesia

DNA study shows that Polynesia Bismarck Archipelago, island group of Papua New Guinea from 6,000 to 8,000 years ago and may have even begun the migration from mainland South East Asia as far back as 10,000 years ago with later migrations from Taiwan with relations to Austronesian languages.

Polynesia is well known for is multiple related cultures and nations of people who settled a vast area of scattered islands in the worlds largest ocean, the Pacific. Their navigation and settlement skills were great that when the first major documents “discovery” of the islands took place by the Europeans, the native Polynesian Islanders had already been settled for thousands of years before documented European contact.
03/06/2011 | Polynesia
National Geographic is doing a great special report about Biodiversity under Microscope in Moorea as seen here
01/03/2011 | Polynesia
Petaia Media Interactive Agency by Stephen Petaia offers web design and devlopment products and services for buisinesses
11/11/2010 | Polynesia
DXYL Films Samoazfinest Production with Athletic Recruiting Video Packages as seen here on youTube
08/29/2010 | polynesia
This time magazine article by time.com higlights conservation of coral reefs which should become a gobal concern. Due to their location, most coral reefs are affected by coastal pollution. As obvious as it sounds, their has been a low priority among the global coastal community to preserve fragile reefs which take years to build and are integral to the ocean ecosystem.
02/27/2010 | Polynesia

Pacific and Pacific Islands are under tsunami watch and warning following a 8.8 earthquake in Chile.

This includes:

CHILE / PERU / ECUADOR / COLOMBIA / ANTARCTICA / PANAMA /
COSTA RICA / NICARAGUA / PITCAIRN / HONDURAS / EL SALVADOR /
GUATEMALA / FR. POLYNESIA / MEXICO / COOK ISLANDS / KIRIBATI /
KERMADEC IS / NIUE / NEW ZEALAND / TONGA / AMERICAN SAMOA /
SAMOA / JARVIS IS. / WALLIS-FUTUNA / TOKELAU / FIJI /
AUSTRALIA / HAWAII / PALMYRA IS. / TUVALU / VANUATU /
HOWLAND-BAKER / NEW CALEDONIA / JOHNSTON IS. / SOLOMON IS. /
NAURU / MARSHALL IS. / MIDWAY IS. / KOSRAE / PAPUA NEW GUINEA /
POHNPEI / WAKE IS. / CHUUK / RUSSIA / MARCUS IS. / INDONESIA /
N. MARIANAS / GUAM / YAP / BELAU / JAPAN / PHILIPPINES /
CHINESE TAIPEI

NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center

Hawai'i civil defense reporting the first waves to hit Hawai'i at 11:04AM HST Hawaii Standard Time

Oahu Evacuation maps (also in local phone books) from Pacific Disaster Center

Baltimore Sun Pacific Rim tsunami alert and evacuation article

Reuters Hawai'i tsunami alert and evacuation article

The Commercial Appeal Samoa tsunami alert and evacuation article

Feb 27 2010 Live web cam of Waikiki Beach

Hawaii news Now Live Covereage Feb 27 2010

KHON Hawaii news Live Covereage Feb 27 2010
01/26/2010 | Polynesia

Festival of Pacific Arts showcases the finest in art and culture from almost 30 Pacific based countries. In 2012 this festival is scheduled to be held in teh Solomon Islands for which preperations have already begun.
01/01/2010 | Polynesia

1. Ensure clean fresh water drinking systems for all Pacific Islanders. Many take for granted that Pacific Islands with lush green vegetation still have to meet the demands of supplying fresh clean drinking water for their inhabitants as well as water treatment systems that will ensure better health from sanitation of waste water. As the world struggles with thirst the Pacific Islands can be a leader as well as supplier of this essential resource.

2. Enforce better air quality standards. Anyone who has been on locations away from the city on Pacific Islands will breathe in some of the cleanest air on earth, this needs to remain the same with better air quality standards. As the pacific Islands become increase development their reliance for air polluting machines is growing.

3. Find an alternative energy source for electricity. The amount of remote villages and cities in the Pacific that are dependent on diesel electrical generators is still very high. Although it'll take far more than a decade to replace them, there needs to be alternatives for such remote locations. Wind, sun, geothermal and ocean waves could produce much of the electrical needs of most islands, but the cost and efficiency are not competitive with current infrastructure. The Pacific islands are a perfect place to utilize and test these new technologies as all have to compromise installation in fragile ecosystems.

4. Take advantage of the internet to educate some of the most remote students on earth. The internet is surely becoming a portfolio of all the information humans can produce. While online entertainment, and social networking are benefits of the internet the true value of being connected is a 24 hour 7 days a week educational tool. Like many other elements of globalization, the internet can level the field of education and prepare Pacific Islanders for their journey with life long learning.

5. Become more self sustainable. Many Pacific Island nations are dependent on foreign aid. As they modernize, the demand for foreign goods and resources will not decrease, but dependency can. Such goals of food, water, shelter, and energy sustainability must become top priority for the new decade in the Pacific. Generosity can be replaced by acquiring when trade is imbalanced and it's unrealistic to think that assistance is forever.

6. Preserve as much as possible. Nothing can stop progress but conservation of environment, as well as cultural knowledge and traditions will be put to the test in this next decade. To establish a high value on the preservation of such things will be the foundation for many more decades to come.

7. Strengthen locally, compete globally. Pacific Islanders both highly collaborative as well as competitive, this must continue to compete globally in fields including and beyond athletics, academics, business, community projects, science, social work, and all other fields in which Pacific Islands can continue to make waves through positive contribution on the global stage.

8. Continue to be ambassadors of friendship and kindness to the world. Many negative stereotypes have plagued Pacific Islanders all of which are shut down by the knowledge and character of the Pacific Island people. One positive stereotype is rooted in the tradition of hospitality. The world continues to have difficulties, negativity and violence, perhaps the Pacific Islands can help to influence others this decade with kindness.

9. Improvise, adapt, overcome, a military motto that has roots in the the survival instinct that allowed humans to migrate and survive around the world, and led to innovation, has been apart of Pacific Islanders past present and needs to maintain apart of their future mindset. Although global influences may be attractive to Pacific Islanders it will be their responsibility to adapt them to the environment and culture of the Pacific Island community.

10. Utilize and protect the the most valuable resource of the Pacific Islands the Pacific Ocean. Just as in the past, the ocean can be an abundant resource for food, transportation. Today it is used as a water source, an energy source, research and development laboratory. The challenge of the Pacific Islands in the next decade will be to use technology to utilize the ocean as a resource without harming it beyond the point of natural repair.
12/18/2009 | Polynesia
Here is video of the deepest underwater volcano eruption on video provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) The full article may be read here. The eruption is reported to be more than 2.2 kilometers (4,000 feet) below sea level near Samoa.
11/10/2009 | Polynesia

The Tahitian Luxury is often associated with its famous Black Pearls. As seen in this article, Air Tahiti Nui is also making a reptuation as a luxury airline. This is a great boost for the Tahitian tourism since the airline is the first and last impression of their journey to Tahiti.
11/04/2009 | Polynesia
As seen in this video on CNN, plastic garbage in the Pacific is a huge problem, that can affect oceanlife as well as the food chain.
10/21/2009 | Polynesia
A cencus will start November 16 and the population of Vanuatu is expected to be over 200,000 as noted in this article
09/28/2009 | Polynesia
In to pursuit of the Maori past knowledge and culture, as written in this article, Archaeologists study ancient Maori section of the Whanganui riverbank
09/20/2009 | Polynesia
As written here, Rarotonga Reviewed as a great tourist destination. Many Pacific Islands have strong foundations in tourism due to the popularity of Hawai'i, Tahiti and Samoa as vacation hot spots including Rarotonga
09/14/2009 | Polynesia
As writeen in this article, the Benthic Rover explores ocean floor in depths of up to 4,000 meters or 13,123 feet below sea level. In comparison Mauna Kea of Hawai'i about 4,205 meters above sea level and Mauna Loa in Hawai'i is 4,170 meters.
08/28/2009 | Polynesia
In this article, a remote controlled sphere for a fish farm could allow movement of the fish farm for healthier fish.

There is much news of the Tuna canneries in Samoa closing. Although the job and revenue loss will have a huge impact on Samoa, perhaps it’s time to pursue other opportunities. In the Pacific fishing industry, most Pacific Islanders receive their fish supply from the ocean which is currently being overfished and expected to cause extinction of some fish species. Fish farming could be a solution in providing a food supply while trying to keep fish in existence.
08/21/2009 | Polynesia
As seen in this article, the Polynesian Cultural Center held its annual Maori Whakataetae cultural competition on August 8th.
A webpage for the Maori Whakataetae cultural competition may be seen on the Polynesian Cultural Center website here.
08/12/2009 | Polynesia
As H1N1 aka. swine flu is speading among people travelling throughout the Pacific, the native wildlife of the Galapagos is also threatened by mosquitoes as seen here. This not only an example of the fragile ecosystem in the Galapagos as scientists are comparing this issue with the spread of foreign diaseases in Hawai'i during the 19th century.
08/07/2009 | Polynesia
Pacific Storms Morakot near Taiwan and Felicia near Hawaii

As written in his article the people of Taiwan are already feeling the winds and rains from Typhoon Morakot. A video clip may be seen here.
Hawai’i is also keeping a close watch on Hurricane Felicia as seen at the Centeral Pacific Hurricane Center and weather.com
08/04/2009 | Polynesia
As noted in this article, Wild Pacific a documentary based in the Pacific has been released on on DVD and Blu-Ray discs, episodes of Wild Pacific have also been featured on the discovery channel.
07/27/2009 | Polynesia
According to this article, a local census shows the poplution of Wallis and Futuna has been on the decline.
07/27/2009 | Polynesia
As the world has recently experienced the full solar eclipse over part of Asia, Rapa Nui will also host a Solar eclipse on Sunday July 11, 2010, which has already been a boost tot he local tourism industry.
07/19/2009 | Polynesia
As written in this article the Guam government is looking to amendment their current laws regarding indigenous fishing rights. This is a important issue as is is the right of the native indigenous people to fih their ocean but will be a compromising government desicion as all people of the Pacific are becoming more aware of the decline in fish population in which the most popular solution is to allocate conservation areas allowing fish populations to grow without fishing by all humans.
07/13/2009 | Polynesia

The Discovery Channel is now showing a series titled Wild Pacific which includes epsodes in this week's Wild Pacific Schedule.

The series is a documentary much like the the Planet Earth Series (narrated by Mike Rowe) with vivid HD video displaying footage of the Pacific not often seen visitors and residents alike. The series also focuses on highlighting the fragile ecosystem including ocean life, native plants, land animals and the many native communities of people which have settled the Pacific over thousands of years ago.

Wild Pacific Clips:

Alien Ocean
Sea Lion vs Fish
Revenge of the Whale
07/02/2009 | Polynesia
As written in this article, Likiep Atoll in Marshall Islands connected to internet. Network connections are enabling the atoll residents to the world wide web. Some of these connections in the Marshall Islands are using solar power and satellite.
06/30/2009 | Polynesia
As written in this article, the French Goverment is supporting the to return the heads of Maori to Aotearoa. The heads were originally kept by the Maori as apart of their culture and taken across the world as apart of a wider trading network occuring at the the times of earlry European contact with Aotearoa (New Zealand) in the 18th and 19th century. Manyof the heads which ended up in museums worldwide have been retruning home in recent years.
06/17/2009 | Polynesia
As written in this article the President of French Polynesia suggests a name change to names such as Maohi Nui or French Polynesia-Tahiti Nui.
06/16/2009 | Polynesia
As written from this article Solomon Islands look to forward to tourism from China
06/14/2009 | Polynesia
As written by this article the project orginally Vaimaanga hotel is now back by the Hilton hotel empire and will expect to open for guests in 2011. I'm sure this will be a large contributor to construction and hospitality jobs open the Cook Islands to international markets and tourists familiar with the Hilton brand.
06/05/2009 | Polynesia
Kiribati is creating world's largergest marine protection area in the Pheonix islands as this article reports.
06/04/2009 | Polynesia
As written in the article, the Cook Islands is looking to increase trade with China, historically the Cook Islands has trading ties with New Zealand.
05/27/2009 | Polynesia
As written in this article Whanganui National Park could be the first park in New Zealand to be designated a Maori national park. Although many locations and Aotearoa on a whole have been a a significant part of the heritage of the Maori, should this park gain its designation as a Maori national park, it hopefully will serve as a gateway to Maori culture and heritage.
05/26/2009 | Polynesia
As written in this article two siblings both bilingual in Maori and English were awarded during the Manu Korero regional speech competition. As known among Pacific Islanders is that most are bilingual usually in thier native language and english and/or frenc or other european based language but many including those who have migrated from the islands are challenged to preserve their native language. In any case it's a great honor to have recognition for those who are proficient in any language since language a foundation for every culture.
05/18/2009 | Polynesia

Although many theories of Polynesian Migration exist the most prevalant are those who place The Islands of Manu'a, Samoa, Tonga and Fiji (athough melanesian had strong regional ties) as the source of the Lapita and Polynesian people who later migrated to Marquesas, Tahiti and Rarotonga, and later to Aotearoa, Hawai'i and Rapa Nui. Many theories have been documented reasons for these migrations including, exploration, settlement of new lands, war, lack of food and water supply.

This article has proposed another theory having to do with food supply, specifically, fish poisoning. Polynesianfood for the ocean included reef fish but also kinds of reef animals like octopus, sea cucumbers, crabs, and also deep sea fish. Polynesians historically had many vessels and the ability not only to travel thousand of miles but also hundreds giving them the capability to travel beyond the reef to fish.

On land, Polynesian cultures did experience famine, for which some even had famine provisions (special foods buired underground) but they also had taro, bannanas, coconut, chickens, pigs among other above ground food soucres.

In conclusion although the article proposes a great theory based on scientific data, it may only be a piece of a greater puzzle as to reasons for Polynesian migration throughout the Pacific.
05/15/2009 | Polynesia
As written in this article a Master of Education Thesis in Maori sucess in education recieves award.
05/13/2009 | Polynesia

As written in this article Nonu juice makers of Samoa are joining to strengthen exports of nonu also known as and marketed as noni throught the Pacific.

The drink is made from native plants and has been shown to have have benefits like the benefits of another native drink Ava, or Kava.

Variation of Nonu/Noni and Ava/Kava come in liquid drinks and powered forms (requiring the addition of water) and well as many other products derived from the Pacific Island ingredients.
05/13/2009 | Polynesia
As this article states a new shipping service for some of the Pacific Islands is coming to Nauru, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Wallis and Futuna and Suva. This service should bring improments and more scheduled shipments.
05/08/2009 | Polynesia
Polynesians have known of the many benefits for the coconut tree which from literally top to bottom can be used in daily life. One more use from the coconut is opening up a possible opportunity for exports for a renewable Pacific Island product as written in this article.
05/03/2009 | Polynesia

As written in this article the recent Pacific Island, Lapita Voyage is now complete using traditional based navigation.

Comment on this blog directly or share your thoughts at the Pasefika Forum about Polynesian Pacific Ocean navigation, voyaging and migration.

Write an educational article about Polynesian Pacific Ocean navigation, voyaging and migration at the Pasefika Wiki.
04/29/2009 | Polynesia
As written in this article Tahiti Tourism is using an online video contest to help increase visitors. The contestants submit the videos for a chance to win a free vacation to Tahiti. Contests and Sweepstakes are frequently use in marketing to help increase revenue by adding the chance of incentives for a select few of the many who will compete for the chance to win. This is lso good execution because the visitor videos can be free positive advertsing for Tahiti.
04/23/2009 | Polynesia
As written in this article, a Marshall Islands copra mill is seeking fianancial breaks as the price of Copra has dropped. Copra is the dried coconut meat and historically is an important natural resource among many Pacific Island nations including Samoa.
04/09/2009 | Polynesia
As written in this article the government of Pitcairn has made revisions in alcohol consumption laws. The article notes the prohibition of alcohol may have been due to the strong safety concerns for the small community following the consumption of alcoholic beverage made from the ti (Liliacea) plant. As with the Vailima Beer of Samoa and Hinano beer of Tahiti, perhaps the alcoholic beverage made from the ti (Liliacea) plant could be made into a product of export for Pitcairn and other Pacific Islands or also a renewable source of alcohol to be used for an alternative fuel source. Of course studies would need to be made if the plants could yield enough alcohol sutible for an alerternative fuel like ethnol camparied with other plant's like coconut, banna, breadfruit, sugarcane, and mango, all of which can be grown in the Pacific Island climate.
04/06/2009 | Polynesia
As seen in this article Aotearoa (New Zealand) residents will vote on the proper spelling of the city of Wanganui to Wanganui or Whanganui. The "h" is a matter of debate as some feel is was lost in translation of the Maori language to written form.
04/04/2009 | Polynesia

Samoa joining the WTO will be a great milestone, it shows its growth and recognition of itself as an independant nation on the international stage.

As written in this article Australia and Samoa have reached an agreement in trade terms which will take effect when Samoa joins teh WTO (World Trade Organization).
03/29/2009 | Polynesia

Hulu has a PBS Nova video about hte ancient Moai of Rapa Nui hopefully this video will stay on their website but the PBS website has other NOVA episodes to view online.
03/29/2009 | Polynesia
U.S. congressman, Faleomavaega Eni Hunkin honors nine Polynesians drafted to the NFL as noted by this article
03/07/2009 | Polynesia
Here's is an interesting article about Raiatea or Hawaiki, an island of what is now know as French Polynesia (Tahiti included) which is not a coincidence in sharing it's name with Hawai'i and Savai'i due to Polynesian migration thoughout the Pacific.
03/05/2009 | Polynesia
This article states good news that seven new species of bamboo coral have been found off of Hawai'i, in the area now known as Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument which is a Marine Protected Area about 140,000 sqaure miles. This area officially became a U.S. national monument during the presidency of George Bush in 2006. The discovery of new coral species is a reminder of how much of th Ocean life in the vast area of the ocean is still remaining to be studied and how it is intergrated with our enviornment on the surface of the earth. Perhaps future marines reserves, and studies throughout the Pacific will bring new information about our ocean ecosystem.
03/04/2009 | Polynesia

This article brings up the interesting topic of royalties, paying a fee for each time the Maori Haka, Ka Mate is performed by the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team. The Haka was a sacred wa dance performed by the Maori since ancient times. This topic stems from many others such as when is cultural and national pride a commodity or commercial product. Who if any single entity owns specific pieces of cultural heritage and should htey be paid for rights and usage. Also will commercialism of cultural heritages have a positive or negative effect for native cultures.
02/28/2009 | Polynesia

Both Taiwan and Tuvalu consist of Pacific Islands. Although Taiwan's political idenpendance is a subject of debate, it's making recent headlines as it vows to support Tuvalu from rising sea levels. Policital entities and independance set aside we must note the positive things of such a message.

It recognizes that rising sea levels is a serious problem that would effect all Pacific Islands which should already be planning for the possiblity of rising sea levels and flooding due to climate change. The other key thing to note is that the people of Taiwan want to assist the people of Tuvalu to face this challenge. The rising sea level problem will be better solved when Pacific Islanders work together and with others in the global cummunity.

Article 1 about Taiwan support for Tuvalu with rising sea levels

Article 2 about Taiwan support for Tuvalu with rising sea levels
02/17/2009 | Polynesia
As stated on the Pasefika.com homepage "Pasefika" is a word of Samoan origin that not only can be translated to "Pacific" but all that the Pacific encompasses, it's ocean, it's people, the land and ocean life. The Pacific ocean itself, covers a huge surface area of the earth but the life below is often overlooked. This is a link to a TED lecture about the the life of Pasefika we often take for granted.
View the link here
02/01/2009 | Polynesia
As written in this press release Congressman Faleomavaega Eni Hunkin met with the Zealand Foreign Minister and the New Zealand Ambassador to increase U.S. Pacific relations and address issues concerning with regard to New Zealand's role in the Asia-Pacific community.
01/03/2009 | Polynesia

Although there are over 2009 ideas here are nine that may help Pacific Islanders

1. Human Element: Increased co-operation and positive human interaction at all levels of community, local, Pacific and global.Without positive human relations a list of goals for the community and environment will be almost unattainable.

2. Sustainability: As the world continues to develop technologically so does the increase and demand for imported good and products to the Pacific.Sustainability should be a household word and goal throughout the Pacific.The ability to decrease imports will decrease dependability on those imports for survival while still maintaining their value as trade goods.

3. Education: Increased funding to Educational programs throughout the pacific that span a Pacific Islanders lifetime, formal education, higher education, community outreach programs as well as Pacific Islands educating others about their own cultures and languages.

4. Fiber Optic Cable: Just as American Samoa has planned to bring fiber optic cable to Tutuila, this should be a priority to bring this to as many Pacific Islands as possible to increase the communications infrastructure.

5. Alternative Energy: Solar, Tidal, as well as research into bio fuel and energy from plant mass, sugars from fruits, and algae should be high in the priority list of researching and developing alternatives and additives to the common gasoline for transportation and diesel for transportation and electricity in the pacific region.

6. Efficiency: Historically Pacific Islanders where very efficient with using their natural resources.Prioritizing efficiency at levels with resources (food, fuel, building materials, transportation, energy) most of which are imported to the Pacific will be a continued challenge for this and coming years.

7. Environmental Awareness: Environmental awareness needs to increase in the Pacific with more public education, emissions restrictions, and increased environmental impact data and analysis.Goals in environmental regulation and pollution should help Pacific Island communities to continue providing a healthy environment for Pacific Islanders.

8. Climate Change Planning: Climate change is occurring, scientific data along with theories are gaining acceptance as a global problem.If one theory about rising sea levels prevails much planning will be needed to assist the majority of the Pacific Island population which lives and works it their shorelines.

9. Developing Renewable Industries: Fishing and canning is a major industry , yet fish farming both on and off shore could be a renewable industry.

Polynesia