A Tongan gang member gets home detention for road rage assault.
Viliami Tonga headed to the Rebels gang pad in Otahuhu to join a convoy going to Taurima Reserve for a planned fight at Point England, New Zealand.
On the way from Otahuhu, a driver accidentally merged into the convoy, leading to a violent confrontation at a red light.
The court was told Tonga struggled with his mother’s death and joined Fitus, an Auckland-based gang with ties to the Rebels Motorcycle Club.
He was on a residency visa and wanted to apply for a New Zealand citizenship. He requested discharge without conviction, but this was denied.
The defendant grew up in Tonga and came to New Zealand 12 years ago.
He was also worried about his employment prospects and what not getting citizenship might mean for his desire to move to Australia eventually.
Tongan family multimillion-dollar business in Auckland
A Tongan family in Auckland, New Zealand, has been hailed for their business success.
The family’s business All Stone & Rock has won a multimillion-dollar contract to provide stonework around Auckland Airport.
Visitors to Auckland will see the company’s stonework around the airport precinct, depicting the volcanic landscapes of Tāmaki Makaurau.
The Tagi family’s success is a long way from when the family of 11 was crammed into one bedroom of a state house in Sandringham, Auckland.
“We had some very tough times in the early days,” Lemeki Tagi, 64, told the Herald. “But I always had faith and believed that good things will happen if you work hard.
“When I arrived in New Zealand, the only job for Pacific Islanders was unskilled labour. I had a dream that one day I could start a construction company—and I still have that dream.”
While the airport contract All Stone & Rock won in December 2022 will change the company’s finances, it will not change the values of this family-run business.
The company’s vision and tikanga goes back almost three decades.
Tongan songstress Dinah Jane Hansen’s Ocean Song
Tongan singer Dinah Jane Milika Ilaisaane Hansen has shared her spiritual and cultural experiences following the recent release of her new Ocean Song.
The 27-year-old has described the song as “The Ocean is Calling”
She thanked her hundreds of thousands YouTube followers for supporting her “personal prayer to my ancestors”.
She said: “When I was writing this song in Bali, it started out as a love song. But as it continued to flow, like water, it evolved into something more personal. This one is for the culture”.
Hansen auditioned as a solo artist for the second season of The X Factor and later became a member of Fifth Harmony, which became one of the best-selling girl groups of all time.
After selling millions of records and parting ways, Hansen is now riding solo and smashing goals.
She was raised in Santa Ana, California, and is the daughter of Gordon Hansen and Milika Amasio.
She is the oldest of eight children and grew up with over 24 family members in her home.
