An 80-year-old Tongan mother visiting New Zealand has been left devastated after thieves ransacked her home in Mataika, Kolofoʻou, Tongatapu, stealing possessions her family estimates to be worth $200,000, including treasured ancestral handicrafts she had intended to pass down to future generations.
Photographs supplied to Kaniva News show the aftermath of a reported burglary at a home in Kolofoʻou, Tongatapu, with overturned beds, displaced bedding and clothing scattered across rooms. Photo: Supplied.
Her daughter, Maʻata Baranyi Heimuli, told Kaniva News that they were both in New Zealand when they received news of the burglary earlier this week and are now making arrangements to fly to Tonga.
Among the stolen possessions were traditional Tongan handicrafts inherited from the mother’s ancestors, carrying deep cultural and sentimental significance that cannot be measured in monetary terms.
These included fuatanga toka 20 x 2, toka hongofulu x3, fihu Tonga fute e 30 e 3, kie Haamoa fute e 12, ta’ovala falavala 2, ta’ovala fanakio 2, ta’ovala putu 2, ngafingafi 1, lōkeha 1, around 10 different types of ta’ovala, fala Paongo 20, fala Paongo 15, fala Paongo 12, fala tofua 15, fala fihu 20 and four kiekie.
Heimuli said her mother, Lipeti, was “devastated and deeply upset” after learning of the burglary.
House left in disarray
Photographs provided to Kaniva News by Heimuli show the apparent aftermath of the burglary, with beds overturned, mattresses and bedding propped against walls, and clothing scattered across rooms.
Heimuli said her mother’s nephew had been looking after the Kolofoʻou property while they were overseas.
Although he lives in Maʻufanga, he occasionally stayed overnight at the house or visited to check on it.
It remains unclear how the intruders gained entry, when the burglary occurred or how many people were involved.
Family appeals for information
A complaint has been lodged with Tonga Police, and Heimuli is urging anyone with information about the burglary or the whereabouts of the stolen property to come forward.
The family is particularly concerned about recovering the ancestral handicrafts, which represent generations of family history and were intended to be preserved for future descendants.
The estimated $200,000 loss has not been independently verified, and police have yet to publicly confirm details of the reported burglary.
