Books

When a boy helps free a dolphin tangled in a discarded fishing net, they develop an unexpected friendship. "Once there was a boy who lived by the sea. He loved the sea and he swam in it every day he could ... which was most days. [+]
Yu tok wanem?
Following in the steps of an earlier volume, Media, Information and Development in Papua New Guinea, by Papoutsaki and Rooney (2006), young, emerging and established researchers associated with the Communication Arts Department at Divine Word University have come together to write about issues involving mainstream media, social concerns, development and the information gap and teaching and training the young media and communication professionals. [+]
Media, Mayhem and Human Rights in the Pacific
A comprehensive "hidden stories of the Pacific" media and communication book about many of the region’s major issues of the past two decades such as the Fiji coups, Papua New Guinea’s Bougainville war and resource development crises, nuclear testing and health challenges, environmental degradation and climate change. [+]
Creativity and climate change in the Pacific
Dreadlocks was originally published as the literary journal of the School of Language, Arts and Media at the University of the South Pacific (USP), by the Pacific Writing Forum (PWF). This special issue of Dreadlocks includes the proceedings of the Oceans, Islands and Skies - Oceanic Conference on Creativity and Climate Change – The Role of Writers, Artists and the Media in Environmental Challenges in the Pacific. The OIS-OCCCC was held from 13-17 September 2010 at the Laucala Campus of the University of the South Pacific in Suva. [+]
The Last Voyage of the Rainbow Warrior - 30th Anniversary Edition
On 10 July 1985, French secret agents bombed the Greenpeace campaign flagship Rainbow Warrior in Auckland Harbour, New Zealand. Portuguese-born photographer Fernando Pereira died in the sabotage outrage that shook the world. [+]
Fatu Feu`u is an internationally recognised Samoan-New Zealand artist. He has been pivotal in shaping the interest in contemporary Pacific art globally and nurturing a generation of Pacific artists locally, leading to his reputation as the Father of contemporary Pacific art. In this book, Fatu shares his story, from wilful Samoan-village boy, to New Zealand factory-worker immigrant, to leader in his home communities and the global art world. [+]
"Girl can I give you a lift?" He smiled at me as if he were meeting me for the very first time. Inosia, a huge fan of science and Star Trek, accepts a ride to Apia from her favourite high school teacher to buy thread for White Sunday. This sparks an intimate relationship between the two as they discover much more about each other through science, knowledge and love. A story about taboos, loyalty and the lingering impact of colonialism. [+]
That first night in Sāmoa, Ana slept next to her grandmother on an old bed with sheets that smelled of mothballs. Now it was morning and as she opened her eyes, Ana saw that the other side of the bed was empty. She sat up and looked across the room. [+]
Often fiction allows authors to tell truths that otherwise would be too painful. Sia Figiel is uninhibited in The Girl in the Moon Circle, an observation of life in Samoa for perceptive and inquisitive 10-year old Samoana. Samoana describes the detail of her life so well that we are both outraged and charmed by it. She talks about school, church, friends, family violence, having refrigerators and television for the first time, crushes on boys, and legends. [+]
A Collection of Patterns and Motifs
Hiapo is the barkcloth of Niue, made from the ata (mulberry tree) and used at important events, such as a hair-cutting ceremony. [+]
The Reverend Joseph Waterhouse witnessed Fijian life at the earliest stages of the nineteenth century. His work offers an excellent insight into the traditional Fijian way of life. [+]
O le pō muamua i Sāmoa, na momoe ai Ana ma lona tinā matua i luga o se moega tuāi lava, ma `a`āfu i ni `ie`afu namu atigi mogamoga. Ua malama le taeao, ma e ala a`e Ana, ua leai se `olomatua. [+]
An Alphabet Book
Take a journey from A to Z through this cabinet of curiosities. Evoking surprising new friendships – vampires, harpies and yeti are all welcome here. [+]
Have you ever wondered how the first coconut tree appeared on the islands of Tungaru? In this traditional myth, find out how a man’s love for his wife created the first coconut tree. [+]
After hearing about the endangered manumea bird on the radio, Mose and his cousin Niko set off to search for a manumea in the deep dark forest on the far side of the mountain. [+]
The First 30 Years of New Zealand's First Samoan Bilingual Primary Class
In 1980s Auckland there were many New Zealand Samoan children whose first language was not English and who struggled in mainstream classes. [+]
Evotia Tamua's photographic essay on Pacific Islands life in the city of Auckland, New Zealand. Full colour and b/w photographs. [+]
Founded at the University of Papua New Guinea in 1994, this peer-reviewed research journal explores journalism, media issues, communication and diversity in the South Pacific, Asia-Pacific, Austral [+]
Written by Eleitino Paddy Walker. Set in a Pacific island, this is a story of two young children who discover their power to inspire change, peace and love by helping a stranded dolphin with the guidance of the Peace Bird. [+]
Reflections on the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, through a re-reading of Albert Camus' great novel La Peste (1947). [+]
The ASB PolyFest is an annual celebration of Pacific Islands' culture for the secondary schools of Auckland, captured here in photographs taken over the last 15 years of the festival. [+]
an account of a family, a house and a restaurant
The Town and Country Roadhouse was a ‘pioneer fine food restaurant’ located in the Oratia Valley at the foot of the Waitakere Ranges from 1948 to 1968. [+]
Samoa: Pacific Pride introduces the Samoa islands - their geography, the history of the people and their way of life today. [+]
A life story
Sāmoan Odyssey takes us on a journey through the Pacific diaspora. Throughout the second half of the twentieth century thousands of Sāmoans left their island homes to live in far-flung countries. They went for self-betterment although they were among their nation’s best. Semisi Ma`ia`i was one of the first of his generation to make this journey. Here, he tells his life story. [+]
Samoan Queer Lives is a collection of personal stories from one of the world’s unique indigenous queer cultures. [+]
The beauty of this Samoan proverb poetically describes The Samoans: A Global Family. From the tea estates of Sri Lanka to the deserts of the Sudan, from the Himalayas of Bhutan to the jungle [+]
The Story of Tava`e Raioaoa
When his boat engine failed him in March 2002, Tahitian fisherman Tava`e Raioaoa was cast adrift in the currents and winds of the Pacific Ocean. He travelled over 1,200 kilometres in his small open vessel for more than 100 days until landing on Aitutaki in the Cook Islands. Tava`e Raioaoa told his story to French journalist Lionel Duroy. [+]
Stories from the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Indian and Pacific Oceans
Edited by Nicholas Laughlin with Nailah Folami Imoja [+]
Four Pacific Plays
Talanoa: Four Pacific Plays is a timely collection from five playwrights who interweave Pacific languages with English. [+]
in Niuean & English
These twelve tales from the island of Niue, in both Niuean and English, give traditional Polynesian storytelling a new twist. [+]
"Tērā tētahi tamaiti e noho ana i te taha o te moana. He nui tōna aroha mō te moana, ā, i ngā rā e āhei ana ka kauhoe ia ... me kī, i te nuinga o ngā rā. [+]
Taranga is the mother of Māui, a great cultural hero in the Māori creation narrative. [+]
The Sāmoan Dictionary of Papaāli`i Semisi Ma`ia`i
Tusi`upu Sāmoa is a long-awaited dictionary of Sāmoan, the first comprehensive work of its sort written by a Sāmoan, Papaāli`i Dr Semisi Ma`ia`i. The work of over 40 years by one man, while working full time and helping raise a family, it is a comprehensive collection and explanation of Sāmoan words. [+]
James and Jessie are embarrassed by Uncle Tino’s old car and the way he honks the horn so loudly when he drives them to school. [+]
A children's picture book about a Sāmoan family set in New Zealand from the perspective of a palagi girl. A normal event in one culture may seem unusual to another culture. [+]
Winner of the 1997 Asia/Pacific Commonwealth Writer’s Prize for fiction. In Where We Once Belonged Sia Figiel uses the storytelling traditions of Samoa to weave together experiences and dreams to tell the story of Samoan village life through the eyes of thirteen year old Alofa Filiga. It is spirited and fiercely written. Where We Once Belonged is an unflinchingly honest, poetic and often wildly funny coming-of-age story set against the backdrop of 1970s Samoa — a society on the cusp of change. [+]
Young Léna's quest is to gain an awareness of a repressed childhood trauma. It is, she says, like the excitement of a detective sensing he's about to uncover the clue that will open the gates of truth. "Naked, cruel, indecent - whatever. I must have the truth. And I will track it down until it blows up in my face." Set against the fight for independence in New Caledonia, The Wreck is the first Kanak novel and a turblent examination of inter-generational abuse. [+]
The ABC English-Chinese, Chinese-English Dictionary (ECCE) is a student-oriented bilingual dictionary that, like other dictionaries in the ABC series, organizes Chinese words by their pronunciation [+]