Latest news with #SusanaSuisuiki
Scoop
18-06-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Womb Cancer ‘Really Hitting The Pacific And Māori Communities', NZ Biologist Says
Article – RNZ Mori and Pasifika women have some of the highest rates of womb cancer in the word. , RNZ Pacific Bulletin Editor Susana Suisuiki, Pacific Waves Presenter/Producer Christina Persico, RNZ Pacific Bulletin Editor A University of Auckland biologist working on less invasive tests for womb cancer (or endometrial cancer) says studies suggest that one of its causes is higher weight or metabolic diseases, such as diabetes. The number of diagnoses of the disease in New Zealand has risen from 600 a decade ago to around 750 a year. Māori and Pasifika women have some of the highest rates of womb cancer in the world. Researchers say younger New Zealand women are now being diagnosed with womb cancer, which previously struck after menopause. It is occurring in women aged 30 to 40 and is particularly prevalent in Māori and Pasifika populations. 'We need to do a bit more work and to have a look at the numbers,' Dr Cherie Blenkiron told Pacific Waves. 'But the studies that are out there suggest that is really one of the main causes…particularly in New Zealand, for the increased number of people who are being diagnosed each year. 'Unfortunately, that really is hitting the Pacific and Māori communities.' She said there have been 'really tight studies' that have shown that one of the causes is higher weight or metabolic diseases, such as diabetes. 'What they've shown in these trials overseas is if you treat and you manage those conditions better, then you reduce the likelihood of those women developing endometrial cancer.' However, Dr Blenkiron said it is a type of cancer that can be removed if found early. Symptoms can include cramping and abnormal bleeding or spotting. 'You know your body perfectly well, so if there's any change in in bleeding, then really do get it checked out by your GP. 'Women will present with symptoms, and that really means that if they act on those symptoms…we can pick up the cancer early, we can treat it early, and this is a type of cancer that can be cured very easily with surgery or really limited forms of drugs.' The new screening tests the university is working on aim to do move away from 'quite nasty' biopsies and to minimally invasive tests, Dr Blenkiron said. 'We're looking for molecules, for example, in the blood or in little biopsies. Or one of the projects that we're doing is looking for swabs. So taking self swabs, much like have been done in cervical cancer,' she said. 'So blood tests, swab tests – much easier to take and much more painless. 'What we do with these tests is to first, hopefully, pick up the cancer earlier. So these would be screening tests. 'And second to pick the right medicine or the right treatment for each patient,' she added.
Scoop
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Call For Pope Leo To Issue Abuse Zero Tolerance Policy
Article – RNZ A Fijian abuse survivor is urging the new head of the Catholic church to adopt a zero tolerance policy for child sex abuse. Susana Suisuiki, Pacific Waves presenter/producer A Fijian abuse survivor is urging the new head of the Catholic church to adopt a zero tolerance policy for child sex abuse. Felix Fremlin was seven years old when he was molested by a New Zealand Marist Brother at his primary school in Suva. Although he had received a written apology and FJD$15,000 (approx US$6,680) in financial compensation from the Marist Brothers Order of New Zealand and the Pacific, Fremlin said it's not enough. Speaking to Pacific Waves, Fremlin said culture and faith prevents many people in the Pacific from speaking out. 'It's a Pacific island thing, everybody looks upon the church as messengers of God, and so for people to talk about it… it's a taboo thing,' he said. Seeking mental health support is also a struggle for Fremlin. 'So here, we don't have any specialists where survivors can go to for counselling. The church here has offered counselling but the counsellors here belong to the church itself. So when you go for counselling, you report back to the church.' Fremlin also expressed his dissatisfaction over Pope Leo's appointment as the new pontiff, claiming the former cardinal had allegedly concealed abuse cases of three women while he served as a bishop in Peru in 2022. However, Fremlin said the onus is now on Pope Leo to stand with abuse survivors, calling for him to enact the zero tolerance law. An earlier attempt was done in November 2024 when former Jesuit priest, Reverand Hans Zollner, joined abuse survivors at a press conference in Rome urging Pope Francis to apply the zero-tolerance law throughout the entire 1.4 billion-member church. The law would effectively remove any priests guilty of abuse from the ministry. For Fremlin, it's about taking concrete steps in protecting the most vulnerable. 'When survivors tried to seek or converse with the church, the church gives them the runaround, and always the lawyers,' he said. 'My experience in Fiji is that they bring up the lawyers and then they hide behind the lawyers you know, so I wish the pope would come on this – it's just something that he can put into law that the survivors can go to, without the church giving them the runarounds.' In a statement sent to RNZ Pacific, the New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference said significant work has been undertaken to 'promote a culture of awareness and vigilance'. An immediate risk assessment is carried out once a complainant in New Zealand comes forward. Any risk identified would result in the accused priest to step down. For those convicted of abuse, the conference said the policies in place would permanently remove them from the ministry. The conference also said that abuse survivors can seek a mental health counsellor of their choice. 'If they don't have already a counsellor, the church can provide them a list of counsellors to choose from – with some or all being people without ties to the church.' Even if Pope Leo was to eventually adopt a zero-tolerance policy, Fremlin said it'll do little to restore his faith in the church. 'It's like asking the cow to jump over the moon. It's very hard for [the survivors] to come out openly. 'We're just hoping for something concrete you know, written in black and white, that states they're doing something about it.' Pacific survivors deserve more justice – advocate A long-standing advocate of Pacific abuse survivors said they deserve more justice. Dr Murray Heasley, who was instrumental in Fremlin's case, said the payout that Fremlin and his brother John received is 'outrageous'. 'It's about dignity; it's about human rights,' he said. 'How can you be paying a fraction of the money to a Fijian survivor abused by a New Zealander in Fiji, particularly if you take into consideration some of the notion of the colonial background and the assumption of superiority of Western culture at the time… The colonial mentality seems to still be in place. 'If you happen to be a Fijian survivor that got sexually molested by a New Zealander, you're worth less as a human being? Than a Pasifika abused in New Zealand? Why the differentiation? 'It's absolutely outrageous and it has to be revisited now. The FMS Marist Brothers have massive resources.' The New Zealand Bishop Conference said each case that the church considers is unique and so is each response. Part of the response can include an ex gratia payment to a survivor as part of the 'healing process'. However, they also said that 'comparisons cannot be made between different cases across the various components of each process'. Last year, New Zealand journalist Pete McKenzie broke the story in the New York Times of how the Pacific was used as a 'dumping ground' for accused priests. Heasley said it was a 'standard procedure'. 'It's extremely common to shift predators around. It was called the geographic cure. It didn't cure anything. 'The worst predators were those who were fluent in the local language, Fiji and Samoan and Tongan, because parents trusted them. They used the language to predate and groom.' The New Zealand Catholic Bishop's Conference responded with a statement they had issued last year in response to McKenzie's story. 'We were given 10 or 11 specific names and NONE had any record of allegations of abuse before they were assigned to ministry in the Pacific. It was anything but 'common practice', the statement said. 'Catholic priests and religious [orders] have regularly been appointed to the Pacific Islands to support the faith life of communities there. For many religious orders, the Pacific is part of the same province as New Zealand. 'There is no record of any of the nine men about whom [McKenzie] enquired being accused of abuse before the order of diocese appointed to them to the Pacific. Allegations against some were not received until after their death.' As for Pope Leo's alleged handling of abuse cases in Peru, Heasley said he's concerned. 'We've seen pushback from people inside the Catholic Church calling these women 'liars'. It's an astonishing thing where you have so-called advocates of women's voices, the silence of women's voices coming in behind the pope who they see as a fellow Peruvian because he has joint citizenship.' He said canon lawyer Brendan Daly has called the sexual abuse of children the greatest threat to the Catholic church. 'None of these folks are dealing with this, and even to this point, with this new pope has yet to say anything except to deny the accusation. He has not reached out to sexual survivors, and without that, he is not an acceptable pope.' The New Zealand Catholic Bishop Conference said there are many first-hand reports 'including from victims and survivors of abuse' that have shared their appreciation for how well then-Bishop Prevost handled the cases in Peru. 'He played a pivotal role in having a religious community shut down – which is a rare and severe course of action,' the statement read.
Scoop
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Fijian Indians In NZ ‘Not Giving Up' On Pasifika Classification Battle
This week marks the 146th anniversary of the arrival of the first indentured labourers from British India to Fiji. Susana Suisuiki, Pacific Waves Presenter/Producer , RNZ Pacific Bulletin Editor The co-founder of Auckland's Fiji Centre is concerned that Indo-Fijians are not classified as Pacific Islanders in Aotearoa. This week marks the 146th anniversary of the arrival of the first indentured labourers from British India to Fiji, who departed from Calcutta. On 14 May 1879, the first group of 522 labourers arrived in Fiji aboard the Leonidas, a labour transportation ship. Over 60,000 men, women and children were brought to Fiji under an oppressive system of bonded labour between 1879 and 1916. Today, Indo-Fijians make up 33 percent of the population. While Fiji is part of the Pacific, Indo-Fijians are not classified as Pacific peoples in New Zealand; instead, they are listed under 'Indian' and 'Asian' on the Stats NZ website. Nik Naidu said that he understands Fiji was the only country in the Pacific where the British implemented the indentured system. 'It is also a sad legacy and a sad story because it was basically slavery,' he said. 'The positive was that that Fijian Indian community made a lasting impact on Fiji. 'They continue to be around 30 percent of the population in Fiji, and I think significantly in Aotearoa, through the migration, the numbers are, according to the community, over 100,000 in New Zealand.' However, he said the discussions on ethnic classification 'reached a stalemate' with the previous Pacific Peoples Minister. 'His basic argument was, well, ethnographically, Fijian Indians do not fit the profile of Pacific Islanders,' he said. Then-minister Aupito William Sio said in 2021 that, while he understood the group's concerns, the classification for Fijian Indians was in line with an ethnographic profile which included people with a common language, customs and traditions. Aupito said that profile was different from indigenous Pacific peoples. 'StatsNZ recognises ethnicity as the ethnic group or groups a person self-identifies with or has a sense of belonging to,' Aupito said in a letter at the time. It is not the same as race, ancestry, nationality, citizenship or even place of birth, he said. 'They have identified themselves now that the system of government has not acknowledged them. 'Those conversations have to be ongoing to figure out how do we capture the data of who they are as Fijian Indians or to develop policies around that to support their aspirations.' Naidu believes the ethnographic argument was a misunderstanding of the request. 'The request is not to say, like Chinese in Samoa, they are not indigenous to Samoa, but they are Samoans, and they are Pacific Chinese. 'So there is the same thing with Fijian Indians. They are not wanting to be indigenous. 'They do want to be recognised as separate Indians in the Pacific because they are very different from the mainland Indians. 'In fact, most probably 99 percent of Fijian Indians have never been to India and have no affiliations to India because during the Girmit they lost all connections with their families.' However, Naidu told Pacific Waves the community is not giving up. 'There was a human rights complaint made – again that did not progress in the favour of the Fijian Indians. 'Currently from…Fiji Centre's perspective, we are still pursuing that. 'We have also had a discussion with Stats NZ about the numbers and trying to ascertain just why they have not managed to put a separate category, so that we can look at the number of Fijian Indians and also relative to Pacific Islanders.' Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka told RNZ Pacific that as far as Fiji is concerned, Fijians of Indian descent are Fijian. Last year, RNZ Pacific asked the current Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti on whether Indo-Fijians were included in Ministry of Pacific Peoples as Pacific people. In a statement, his office said: 'The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is undertaking ongoing policy work to better understand this issue.' Meanwhile, the University of Fiji's vice-chancellor is asking the Australian and British governments to consider paying reparation for the exploitation of the indentured labourers more than a century ago. Professor Shaista Shameem told the ABC they endured harsh conditions, with long hours, social restrictions and low wages. She said the Australian government and the Colonial Sugar Refinery of Australia benefitted the most financially and it was time the descendants were compensated. While some community leaders have been calling for reparation, Naidu said there are other issues that need attention. He said it has been an ongoing discussion for many decades. 'It is a very challenging one, because where do you draw the line? And it is a global problem, the indenture system. It is not just unique to Fiji. 'Personally, yes, I think that is a great idea. Practically, I am not sure if it is feasible and possible.' Focus on what unites – Rabuka Fiji is on a path for reconciliation, with leaders from across the political spectrum signing a Forward Fiji Declaration in 2023, hoping to usher in a new era of understanding between the indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians. Rabuka announced a public holiday to commemorate Girmit Day in 2023. In his Girmit Day message this year, Rabuka said his government is dedicated to bringing unity and reconciliation between all races living in Fiji. 'We all know that Fiji has had a troubled past, as it was natural that conflicts would arise when a new group of people would come into another's space,' he said. 'This is precisely what transpired when the Indians began to live or decided to live as permanent citizens. 'There was distrust as the two groups were not used to living together during the colonial days. Indigenous Fijians did not have a say in why, and how many should come and how they should be settled here. Fiji was not given a time to transit. The policy of indenture labour system was dumped on us. Naturally this led to tensions and misunderstandings, reasons that fuelled conflicts that followed after Fiji gained independence.' He said 146 years later, Fijians should focus on what unites rather than what divides them. 'We have together long enough to know that unity and peace will lead us to a good future.'
Scoop
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Fijian Indians In NZ ‘Not Giving Up' On Pasifika Classification Battle
Article – RNZ This week marks the 146th anniversary of the arrival of the first indentured labourers from British India to Fiji. Susana Suisuiki, Pacific Waves Presenter/Producer , RNZ Pacific Bulletin Editor The co-founder of Auckland's Fiji Centre is concerned that Indo-Fijians are not classified as Pacific Islanders in Aotearoa. This week marks the 146th anniversary of the arrival of the first indentured labourers from British India to Fiji, who departed from Calcutta. On 14 May 1879, the first group of 522 labourers arrived in Fiji aboard the Leonidas, a labour transportation ship. Over 60,000 men, women and children were brought to Fiji under an oppressive system of bonded labour between 1879 and 1916. Today, Indo-Fijians make up 33 percent of the population. While Fiji is part of the Pacific, Indo-Fijians are not classified as Pacific peoples in New Zealand; instead, they are listed under 'Indian' and 'Asian' on the Stats NZ website. Nik Naidu said that he understands Fiji was the only country in the Pacific where the British implemented the indentured system. 'It is also a sad legacy and a sad story because it was basically slavery,' he said. 'The positive was that that Fijian Indian community made a lasting impact on Fiji. 'They continue to be around 30 percent of the population in Fiji, and I think significantly in Aotearoa, through the migration, the numbers are, according to the community, over 100,000 in New Zealand.' However, he said the discussions on ethnic classification 'reached a stalemate' with the previous Pacific Peoples Minister. 'His basic argument was, well, ethnographically, Fijian Indians do not fit the profile of Pacific Islanders,' he said. Then-minister Aupito William Sio said in 2021 that, while he understood the group's concerns, the classification for Fijian Indians was in line with an ethnographic profile which included people with a common language, customs and traditions. Aupito said that profile was different from indigenous Pacific peoples. 'StatsNZ recognises ethnicity as the ethnic group or groups a person self-identifies with or has a sense of belonging to,' Aupito said in a letter at the time. It is not the same as race, ancestry, nationality, citizenship or even place of birth, he said. 'They have identified themselves now that the system of government has not acknowledged them. 'Those conversations have to be ongoing to figure out how do we capture the data of who they are as Fijian Indians or to develop policies around that to support their aspirations.' Naidu believes the ethnographic argument was a misunderstanding of the request. 'The request is not to say, like Chinese in Samoa, they are not indigenous to Samoa, but they are Samoans, and they are Pacific Chinese. 'So there is the same thing with Fijian Indians. They are not wanting to be indigenous. 'They do want to be recognised as separate Indians in the Pacific because they are very different from the mainland Indians. 'In fact, most probably 99 percent of Fijian Indians have never been to India and have no affiliations to India because during the Girmit they lost all connections with their families.' However, Naidu told Pacific Waves the community is not giving up. 'There was a human rights complaint made – again that did not progress in the favour of the Fijian Indians. 'Currently from…Fiji Centre's perspective, we are still pursuing that. 'We have also had a discussion with Stats NZ about the numbers and trying to ascertain just why they have not managed to put a separate category, so that we can look at the number of Fijian Indians and also relative to Pacific Islanders.' Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka told RNZ Pacific that as far as Fiji is concerned, Fijians of Indian descent are Fijian. Last year, RNZ Pacific asked the current Minister for Pacific Peoples Dr Shane Reti on whether Indo-Fijians were included in Ministry of Pacific Peoples as Pacific people. In a statement, his office said: 'The Ministry for Pacific Peoples is undertaking ongoing policy work to better understand this issue.' Meanwhile, the University of Fiji's vice-chancellor is asking the Australian and British governments to consider paying reparation for the exploitation of the indentured labourers more than a century ago. Professor Shaista Shameem told the ABC they endured harsh conditions, with long hours, social restrictions and low wages. She said the Australian government and the Colonial Sugar Refinery of Australia benefitted the most financially and it was time the descendants were compensated. While some community leaders have been calling for reparation, Naidu said there are other issues that need attention. He said it has been an ongoing discussion for many decades. 'It is a very challenging one, because where do you draw the line? And it is a global problem, the indenture system. It is not just unique to Fiji. 'Personally, yes, I think that is a great idea. Practically, I am not sure if it is feasible and possible.' Focus on what unites – Rabuka Fiji is on a path for reconciliation, with leaders from across the political spectrum signing a Forward Fiji Declaration in 2023, hoping to usher in a new era of understanding between the indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians. Rabuka announced a public holiday to commemorate Girmit Day in 2023. In his Girmit Day message this year, Rabuka said his government is dedicated to bringing unity and reconciliation between all races living in Fiji. 'We all know that Fiji has had a troubled past, as it was natural that conflicts would arise when a new group of people would come into another's space,' he said. 'This is precisely what transpired when the Indians began to live or decided to live as permanent citizens. 'There was distrust as the two groups were not used to living together during the colonial days. Indigenous Fijians did not have a say in why, and how many should come and how they should be settled here. Fiji was not given a time to transit. The policy of indenture labour system was dumped on us. Naturally this led to tensions and misunderstandings, reasons that fuelled conflicts that followed after Fiji gained independence.' He said 146 years later, Fijians should focus on what unites rather than what divides them. 'We have together long enough to know that unity and peace will lead us to a good future.'
Scoop
26-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Scoop
Hawaiian Culture Celebrated In 62nd Edition Of Festival
Article – RNZ 'You can feel the drum beat like going through you, and you can smell the flowers, and you listen to the chanters and you listen to the music.' Susana Suisuiki, Pacific Waves Presenter/Producer , RNZ Pacific Bulletin Editor An annual festival dedicated to preserving traditional Hawaiian arts and culture has been underway on Hilo Island this week. The 62nd Merrie Monarch was started by the late King David Laamea Kalākaua, who advocated for bringing back Hawai'ian culture. Known as the Merrie Monarch, he was the last king and second-last monarch to reign in Hawai'i in the late 1800s. The week-long event includes performances, parades and the Miss Aloha Hula competition. Louisa Tipene-Opetaia, who is in attendence this week, told Pacific Waves it is hard to get tickets and often people end up watching the live stream. She said attending the festival in person is a sensory experience. 'When you watch hula, you don't just watch with your eyes,' she said. 'You can feel the drum beat like going through you, and you can smell the flowers, and you listen to the chanters and you listen to the music. So it's a whole sensory kind of overload. 'You don't get that watching the live stream, as good as it is.' She said a ballot system is in place for tickets. The Edith Kanakaole Stadium hosts the festival every year, but only 5000 people can fit in the ground, and a lot of seats are taken by performers and their families. 'So you have to apply for tickets…it's real old school. They do it all through the mail,' she said. 'You've got to send in an application form, and you've got to send in a money order. And you do that at the end of the year, so in December, and then a couple months later, you find out whether you got in or not. 'If not, you get your money order back and you have to watch the live stream with the rest of the world.' Tipene-Opetaia, who lived on the island for seven years, said previously, almost all of its traditions were banned, and King David Laamea Kalākaua was credited with the revival of the Hawai'ian culture and the Hawai'ian language. 'That's why they've named this festival after him, because of what he did to bring back this dance that actually was outlawed by the colonizers who came in. 'They tried to take these kinds of things away from us – practicing our traditional healing methods, dancing and singing our songs.' The festival wraps up on Saturday.
