You probably know about the last moments of the Rainbow Warrior. But what do you know about the Greenpeace ship's last voyage before it was bombed by the French in New Zealand in 1985? Where had it come from, why was it there and what was it doing? Find out in The Last Voyage of the Rainbow Warrior.
When you educate a woman you educate a nation, however, in many parts of the Pacific it's still difficult to access a good education, because of distance, or the cost, or even family obligations. And when parents have to choose whether their sons or daughters will go to school, girls are still missing out. Fortunately, that is changing as more young parents are graduating from high school and university and bringing their knowledge back to their villages and communities. This week Sistas Let's T...
Debbie Kaore was a well-known athlete in Papua New Guinea, but behind the scenes she was one of the many women in her country going through domestic violence. When her partner hit her with a hot iron she let her friends share a video of her injuries. Debbie tells Natasha Meten on Sistas Let's Talk why she wanted the world to know what she was going through.
Getting to the Olympics is no easy feat. Especially when you're from Pacific Island nations that don't always have the professional sporting facilities and funding to support you in your training. We meet three women who dedicated their time and efforts to achieve excellence in sport and at the same time, have pushed the boundaries and narratives of the role of women in their countries. Hear from Yuri Hosei, a swimmer from Palau, Ellie Enock a parathlete shot-putter from Vanuatu and Leonie Beu a...
Growing up in the Pacific Island culture, one of the many commandments we have to live by is to respect our elders. At times this means dealing with certain members of family that we just have to tolerate for the rest of our lives - - our overbearing aunties.But, of course, we do more than just, tolerate them. We adore them, we look up to them, and we love them. And most of all, we obey them. ABC broadcasters Seiuli Salamasina von Reiche and Agnes Tupou share what made their aunties so special a...
The internet and social media have changed our lives in so many ways. It's connected us to communities and family, helped us express ourselves and share our stories. But there’s also a dark side to using social media that can be unsafe for women. Hear how we can use the internet to grow and connect and at the same time tackle online abuse.
This week we’ve selected some of our favourite episodes that celebrate women taking the lead and doing amazing things for themselves and their communities.
Women are the backbone of society in Papua New Guinea, but when it comes to who has the power to make big decisions, particularly around resources, it's the men who dominate this space. Women are often excluded, dismissed or told to focus on domestic chores. But more and more organisations are actively working with women to empower them with leadership skills to help address climate change.
When Tongan woman Alisi Jack-Kaufusi was diagnosed with ovarian cancer at just 24-years-old, she was in disbelief. The subsequent surgeries and treatments have taken their toll, but, after seven years living with the disease, Alisi is passionate about sharing her story to help raise awareness of ovarian cancer and ensure it gets more resources into research, treatment and prevention.
We discuss the power of self care and community support to help you escape violence and create a path that's healthier and safer.
Women face many challenges, but there are many across the Pacific making it in business and leadership
Florence Swamy's job is to build peace, ranging from working with relocated climate-affected communities to dealing with violence in villages and working with Fiji's military.
Sistas, Let’s Talk is a show for women across the Pacific region.
Sistas, Let’s Talk is a show for women across the Pacific region.
Sistas, Let’s Talk is a show for women across the Pacific region.
Sistas, Let’s Talk is a show for women across the Pacific region.
This edition of Sista's Let's Talk was a repeat of the program broadcast on 28th September 2023 Changes to Australia’s PALM scheme have been life-changing to many families across the Pacific. We’ve heard from women who have made the sacrifice for their families, signing up to contracts that can be as long as three years. For those in Australia, it is often a culture shock, lonely and isolating. But what is it like for those left behind? Pacific governments have raised concerns about the brain dr...
Sistas, Let’s Talk is a show for women across the Pacific region.
Facing stigma can be one of the hardest battles for single mothers, along with financial hardship and lack of family support. Being accepted by their family or community can make a huge difference for single mothers. On Sistas Let's Talk, Natasha Meten speaks to mothers who have raised their children without a partner and want to share their stories so that women like them don't have to feel so alone.
When the Bougainville conflict erupted in 1988, Rose Pihei was living away from her village on the south of the island. After the crisis – which led to killed 20000 people and saw many more displaced – Rose saw the crucial role women played in rebuilding their communities. Inspired to create lasting change, she co-founded the Bougainville Women's Federation, empowering women and fostering peace in the region. Rose speaks to Natasha Meten on Sistas Let's Talk about the future for women in the Aut...
Child protection workers in the Pacific are seeing increased reports of child abuse including sexual abuse. According to a recent study by Save the Children, more than, 80% of the child protection workers who were surveyed in Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Fiji said emotional, physical and sexual violence had increased or significantly increased in their country. When it comes to sexual violence in the Pacific, the majority of reported victims under 16 are girls, and the p...
The Pacific corporate world still has a long way to go when it comes to being inclusive and supportive of both neurodivergence and mental health. It's an issue Samoan sisters Olisana Mariner-Hughes and Okalani-Mariner are addressing through their business Onelook Studio: a social enterprise helping companies with their digital transformation. But they're also addressing inclusion on a more personal level. They're sharing their own lived experiences with a touch of island humour on Instagram and ...
So many women in the Pacifc put up with persistent pain. It might be because they can't access the care they need. Or they can't afford to take time off work. Or it could be that women are conditioned to be stoic and put other people's needs before their own. So how do they get up every day and endure such pain? And more importantly, what needs to change so that they can actually stop and get the rest and the treatment that they need?
When Maakarita Paku was growing her family in the 1990s, it was a time of renaissance for Aotearoa's Maori people. People like her were looking to their mothers and grandmothers to learn about the rituals that enabled women to endure the pain and risk of bringing new life into the world. And she was one of many women who wanted to bring their children into a family that practiced those rituals. Now, as more and more midwives are being trained to incorporate culture into safe birthing practices, ...
Bringing a baby into the world is one of the most important things a woman can do, and for millennia this experience has been shrouded in rituals designed to keep both the mother and baby safe. But in the 21st century, ancient birthing traditions have given way to lifesaving medical support. This week, Sistas Let's Talk examines the contrasting experiences of Pacific women in developing counties and colonised countries. In one place there are women who feel so disconnected from their culture tha...
Life is easier for everyone when the household chores are done, but in most cases only half of the population is actually doing them. Women do 80 per cent of the unpaid labour in the Pacific. Work like childcare, domestic duties and caring for neighbours. And it's impacting their ability to make a paid living. It's been this way for decades so when and how is it going to change?
All over the world, dating apps have changed the way people get together, but is that happening in the Pacific? Or are there just too many logistical and cultural barriers for online dating to take hold in the region? When Natasha Yalo, a woman from Papua New Guinea living in Cairns, went looking for love on a dating app she found it hard to meet men from her culture. So she decided to try creating her own app especially for people from PNG.
This edition of Sista's Let's Talk was a repeat of the program broadcast on 15th June 2023 Casting a light-skinned woman to play a brown character in a Disney movie is one version of colourism, but in the Pacific it's just the tip of the iceberg. Polynesian voices have managed to find their way to the mainstream - even though it is still problematic - but has that been at the expense of people from the Melanesian and Micronesian regions? Surely there's space for all of us to represent and tell o...
More than ninety-five per cent of the popular music made in the last decade was produced by men. That's according to a 2022 study from the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative in the United States. So where are all of the talented women in the music industry? What does it take to break through and gain recognition, not to mention earn a living as a woman in the music industry? Especially in the Pacific where it's already so hard to gain global recognition. Sistas Let's Talk examines the ways that ...
Among the many treasures of Samoan tradition is the Tuiga, a ceremonial headdress which symbolises power, prestige, and cultural identity. For centuries they were worn by chiefs and high-ranking men and women during important ceremonies, battles and celebrations. There has been a cultural shift, with the Tuiga now being repositioned as a dance-oriented adornment. But this has not changed how culturally significant it is for Samoans.
