Pacific Media Centre launches
by Jackie Tran Van
The Pacific Islands have been a long time interest of AUT University’s Associate Professor Dr David Robie.
And on Friday October 13, his efforts in the field were recognised as many big names in Pacific media and politics gathered to celebrate the culmination of those interests at the launch of the Pacific Media Centre.
The launch was opened by Hon. Luamanuvao Winnie Laban, Associate Minister of Pacific Islands Affairs, whose speech heaped praise on AUT University and the School of Communication Studies, for their efforts in the pasifika domain.
Her speech, however, was preceded by a wonderful display of Tongan traditional dancing, performed by communication studies student Natasha Greer.
The performance was all the more exciting when Robie and Barry King, head of the school of Communication Studies, joined in on the dancing, displaying their own unique take on the traditional style.
After her speech the minister officially opened the centre by unveiling a 3-D printed plaque, created by Olaf Diegel, director of the Creative Industries Research Institute of which the PMC is a research branch of.
Independent social documentary photographer John Miller, who had been awarded a four-month “journalist-in-residence” fellowship grant by the PMC, was on hand to show a slideshow of some of the work he has done so far.
The grant he was given gave him the opportunity to research the Ngatihine forestry land issue and the media and the work that he showed was an amazing insight into some of the issues that seem to have fallen off the radar.
Jim Marbrook, an independent film-maker and senior television lecturer at AUT University, was also on hand to showcase his pilot video - again funded by the PMC.
Marbrook’s eight minute film, Towards Grand Terre, was filmed during a two-week stint in New Caledonia earlier in the year.
The pilot is only the beginnings of a documentary that plans to delve into New Caledonia’s indigenous Kanak political and industrial rights and nickel mining in the Pacific country.
The night marked some incredible achievements that have been made by those involved with the centre and was celebrated in style with wine and traditional pacific fare.
All the effort that was put into this event and the PMC itself can be recognised by the success this night was and the quality of the work produced by the PMC.