A body of a newborn baby was reportedly found at a beach on Tongatapu.
Van crashes into a power pole. Photo/ Supplied
Local media reported the discovery on Friday.
Police have yet to comment on their Facebook account.
The details of what happened remain unclear.
Tapuhia landfill death
A man working at the Tapuhia Landfill was killed when a heavy loader ran him over Tuesday, the Tonga police said.
The 32-year-old man from Ngele’ia died at Vaiola Hospital.
The Tonga Police said the man’s job was to operate the heavy loader inside the landfill.
The fatal incident happened after the machinery overturned and trapped him underneath.
“He was rescued and transported to Viola Hospital where he passed away, due to severe internal injuries and fractures, shortly thereafter,” the Police stated.
An inquest into the man’s death was expected to be held.
Van smashes into a power pole
A van hit a power pole east of Tongatapu yesterday.
Power lines came down on the vehicle and it was unclear whether any person was trapped inside.
Tonga Power Board said this afternoon Sunday 28 the power supply to eastern area has been temporarily interrupted due to a broken pole caused by an accident in the area of Vaini.
It said its staff were “currently replacing the broken pole on-site and addressing issues before restoring power to all areas once the work is complete”.
“We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience caused by this unforeseen power disruption”.
A quarter of the New Zealand team was not tested ahead of the Paris Games, according to International Testing Agency data.
By enz.co.nz and is republished with permission
Close to 90 percent of athletes worldwide were tested ahead of the 33rd Olympics – but a breakdown of the anti-doping data shows 25 percent of New Zealand athletes were not tested at all.
Twenty-nine percent were tested once and 46 percent were tested frequently.
Of the top 25 nations – based on medal count from the last Olympics – New Zealand had the highest percentage of athletes not tested this year.
Conversely, all athletes from Russia and Belarus, who are competing as individual neutral athletes (AIN in the French translation) due to the war in Ukraine, were tested at least once, with 97 percent tested more frequently.
The International Testing Agency (ITA) table of drug testing ahead of the Paris Olympics. Photo: supplied
Athletes competing in sports considered as high-risk disciplines by the International Testing Agency were under more scrutiny in the lead up to the Games.
Competitors in these 45 identified sports and disciplines were recommended to be tested at least three times during the pre-Games period. Of this group, 95 percent were tested at least once, 75 percent three or more times and less than 5 percent were not subject to any testing.
Every surfer competing in Tahiti was tested frequently as were 98 percent of weightlifters, 97 percent of marathon swimmers and 97 percent of athletes competing in breaking, which is making its Olympic debut.
Chinese swimmers have been in the spotlight this year after it was revealed in April that 23 Chinese swimmers had tested positive for a banned drug before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
ITA data up until 22 July showed that 98 percent of China’s 405-strong Olympic contingent had been tested this year.
New Zealand surfer Billy Stairmand was among the New Zealand athletes tested ahead of the Paris Olympics. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
However, 20 percent of Olympic swimmers from around the world arrived to compete at La Defense Arena without being tested.
New Zealand swimmer Lewis Clareburt, who is competing in three events at his second Olympics told RNZ “you can never have full confidence” that Olympic swimming would be clean.
“Especially after the news that has been coming out over the last six months, but all you can do as an athlete is do your best and make sure that you’re clean and you just hope that the people that are testing and are in charge of keeping sport safe are doing their job and that’s all we can do.”
ITA director general Benjamin Cohen said the anti-doping programme his organisation ran ahead of the Paris Olympics “is the most robust pre-Games programme ever implemented for an edition of the Olympic Games”.
“Pre-Games testing is not only key when it comes to risk and anti-doping strategies, it also aims at giving athletes and fans confidence in a clean Olympic Games.”
Photo: Supplied / Drug Detection Agency
Cohen said the Pre-Games testing project had “highlighted some gaps, limitations and areas for improvement that we need to address immediately if we are to continue to raise the bar for all athletes who train so hard and want fair and clean competitions”.
However, a day after the ITA released the data on the anti-doping programme in Paris, the organisation was reporting an out-of-competition doping violation by Iraqi judoka Sajjad Ghanim Sehen Sehen.
A sample collected from the athlete returned an adverse analytical finding for an anabolic androgenic steroid on the World Anti-Doping Agency prohibited list.
Sehen Sehen has been provisionally suspended, meaning he is prevented from competing, training, coaching, or participating in any activity during the 2024 Olympics.
The High Court of New Zealand has dismissed an appeal in a trademark dispute between two churches with identical names in different languages, finding that the appellant’s trademark registration would likely cause confusion and lacked prior ownership or use.
As Kaniva News previously reported, three lay preachers who claim they were stripped of their roles with the Tuingapapai Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga New Zealand in Otahuhu officially declared in 2016 that they would launch the Siasi Uesiliana Tau’ataina ‘o Tonga (SUTT) in New Zealand.
Sione Fono Latu, ‘Isileli Tonga and Siulolo Malamala were reported to have claimed the Church’s board of trustees was dissatisfied when it learned they had obtained the sole official right to make, use or sell the name SUTT.
The acronym is Tongan for FWCTNZ or Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga New Zealand.
Tonga said at the time they were told by the church their roles had been removed pending a decision at the church’s September quarterly meeting.
Last week a report by theNew Zealand lawyers websitesaid: “The case concerned the appellant’s registration of the Tongan language mark “Siasi Uesiliana Tau’ataina ‘O Tonga ‘I Nu’usila,” translated as “the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga in New Zealand.” The respondent, whose registered name is “The Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga in New Zealand,” challenged the validity of the appellant’s trademark registration.
According to the Lawyers’ website, the assistant commissioner of the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand ruled in favour of the respondent. The assistant commissioner found that the appellant’s use of the mark would likely deceive or cause confusion among the public. The appellant failed to establish prior ownership or use of the mark before its registration in 2013. The assistant commissioner’s decision was based on the evidence that the respondent had an established reputation and ongoing use of similar marks in both English and Tongan.
The appellant argued that the assistant commissioner had overemphasised the conceptual similarities between the marks and had improperly relied on unsubstantiated evidence of the respondent’s use of the Tongan language mark. The appellant contended that since 1994, the respondent had abandoned the use of the Tongan language mark when it changed its registered name to the English version for business reasons.
The High Court, however, upheld the assistant commissioner’s decision. The court found that the conceptual similarities between the English and Tongan language marks were significant and would likely cause confusion among bilingual consumers who speak both English and Tongan. The court noted that the unique aspect of the case was that the Tongan and English language marks were direct translations of each other, making the ideas conveyed by the marks identical despite differences in visual and aural presentation.
Furthermore, the High Court agreed with the assistant commissioner’s finding that the respondent had not abandoned using the Tongan language mark. The evidence demonstrated continuous use of the mark and no intention to abandon it, even after the respondent’s name changed to English in 1994. The court concluded that the respondent’s use of the mark was ongoing and that the appellant’s registration was invalid due to the lack of prior ownership or legitimate claim.
A driver has been arrested after a 19-year-old boy died following a hit-and-run incident on Tongatapu.
Tonga Central Police station. Photo/Kalino Lātū
The injured boy was discovered by a member of the public on a roadside on Monday, the Police said.
The victim from Kolovai died on Tuesday 23.
“The incident was reported to the Nukunuku Police Station by a member of the public who discovered the victim on the roadside between ‘Atatä Si’i and Fo’ui early Monday morning”, the Police said in a statement.
It said a 50-year-old man from ‘Āhau has been arrested in connection with the incident.
“The suspect remains in police custody pending further investigation. This marks the fourth road death this year”.
In a separate incident early yesterday morning, 23 July 2024, at approximately 12.55am, a collision involving two vehicles occurred on Taufa’ähau Rd at Haveluloto.
One of the drivers, a 21-year-old man from Haveluloto, has been arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.
The other driver, a 46-year-old man from ‘Utulau, sustained a right leg fracture and is currently receiving treatment at Vaiola Hospital.
Police continue to investigate this incident.
Tonga Police advised drivers to obey speed limits, designate a sober driver, and follow traffic regulations to protect themselves and others on the road.
“Under Section 47 of the Traffic Act, drivers involved in accidents are mandated to stop, offer assistance to the injured person, and report the accident to the nearest police station”.
His Majesty King Tupou VI has named a new tugboat, Fanga-‘i-lifuka, this morning in Nuku‘alofa.
The “Fanga-‘I-Lifuka” with its 4,500 horsepower twin propeller is currently the largest tugboat that Ports Authority Tonga has in its towboat fleet. Photo/Embassy of Japan in the Kingdom of Tonga
The 4,500-horsepower twin propeller provided under Japan’s Non-Project Grant Aid (NPGA) projects was worth 1 billion Japanese Yen (TOP$15 million).
A statement said this was the largest amount of funding Japan has provided for an NPGA project to date.
It demonstrated the level of commitment Japan undertakes to increase Tonga’s maritime capacity, it said.
The Fanga-‘I-Lifuka is currently the largest tugboat in Ports Authority Tonga’s towboat fleet.
Five Japanese engineers are currently in Tonga to provide operation training for designated staff of Ports Authority Tonga.
The Ambassador of Japan to Tonga, H.E. Mr. Inagaki Hisao, gratefully handed over the new tugboat to the people of Tonga in the presence of His Majesty King Tupou VI during an official event in Tongatapu today.
“ It was a festive occasion as the Ambassador highlighted that the friendship between Japan and Tonga was founded upon the warm relations between the Imperial Household of Japan and the Royal Family of Tonga, and it continues to flourish under His Majesty King Tupou VI’s benevolence”.
Former Fanga-’i-Lifuka
The king’s naming the new boat brought back to life an incident in 1961 when a hurricane sunk the government’s then-inter-island vessel Fanga-’i-Lifuka.
Reports said that after the Queen’s birthday celebrations on 13 March 1960, she told her matāpule Lutui: “Ka ‘i ai ha fo’i fuatau pea mou manatu’i mai au he kuo u uitou”.
This would be translated into English as: “If you have any yams, please remember me, for I am a widow.”
It was made as part of the fakalaunoa practice, which involves jokey remarks made by royalty when meeting their people.
The people of Ha’apai understood it was their cultural duty to provide the yams for the Queen. On Her Majesty’s birthday the following year, they travelled to Nuku’alofa in the then Fanga-‘i-Lifuka and a barge, bringing with them yams and other produce.
On their return to Ha’apai the boat was caught in a cyclone before it sank near Ha’apai’s ‘Otumu’omu’a islands. All passengers and crew survived the tragedy.
The Queen composed the song in memory of the dreadful incident. It was titled Hiva Afā ‘a Vaea (Vaea’s Hurricane Song), after Noble Baron Vaea, the father of current Lord Vaea. Noble Baron Vaea was a son of Queen Sālote’s half-brother Vīlai. He was the Governor of Ha’apai at the time and he was one of those people from the islands who travelled to Tonga and returned in the Fanga-‘i-Lifuka before it sank.
The version of the lyrics is copied verbatim below in Tongan and in English.
Hiva Afā ‘a Vaea
The wind veered westerly Wrathful was the storm Overwhelming the Kolongatata Converging upon Faka’oskato Alas, Kao mo Tofua My kie tāua has blown away The Fanga-‘i-Lifuka has fled The rock of Loupua is forsaken
Screaming and calling were heard The Fangafalikipako awoke Women of Ha’apai, harken to the nose flute’s call in the night And broadcast to the distance That is my cherished salusalu Embrace the command lest it falls wasted To please the Sia ko Veiongo
If the Futu Ko Vuna questions it Or the Taungapeka asks about it Then tell them, Tautavale I am the talatā Fishing bird of Uoleva My only food is pandanus I drink of the dew, eat of the sunshine My bed, the foam of the wave
Oh Lēlea, I send you my love And to you, Sia ko Kafoa and ‘Alo’italau How the ironwood tree Tu’uakitau weeps For our mutual helplessness When the mask breaks, we turn to Manono Let the calabash shell spilling at Vaha’akolo Send forth its perfume to the heart Increasing ever your love for the motto Be it hard or be it easy Ha’apai stand in your legendary daring
Tongan version
Hiva Afā ‘a Vaea Ne sika-a-hema fakahihifo Louloua'a e Matangi to Kolongatata ke fakauo 'O falala 'i faka'osikato Ise'isa e Kao mo Tofua Vilingia hoto kie tāua Kuo hola e Fanga-'i-Lifuka Tounoa e maka ko Loupua
Pā ‘a e ui moe sīle’o Ofo a e Fanga falikipako Fine Ha'apai ke fakafanongo Ui 'a e fangufangu 'i he pō Fakamafola ki he vahamama'o Ko si'oto salusalu manako Ke talia 'a e angi na'a to Ke me'ite Sia ko Veiongo
Ka fehu'i 'e he Futu ko Vuna Pe 'ekea 'e he Taungapeka Tautavale pe i ke tala He ko au e ko e talatā Ko e Manusiu o Uoleva ko si'eku me'akai ko e fā 'Ou inu hahau mo kai la'ā Mohenga 'ihe fisi 'oe naua
Tau
Lēlea e hoku 'ofa atu Sia ko Kafoa 'Alo 'i Talau Tangi 'a e Toa Tu'uakitau He kuo fe'ofa'aki 'a kakau Fasi pe sila tuku ki Manono He fangumalingi 'i Vaha'akolo Ke Ngangatu ‘o 'alaha 'i he loto Kae tupulaki 'ofa 'i he Moto Ka faingata'a pe faingofua Ha'apai tu'u ho'o kāaimu'a
A woman who already has 200 poultry says if she had not taken in 13 dumped roosters from rural Whakatāne, they would have died.
This photo of the dumped roosters at Wardlaw Glade was posted on social media by Denise Peiris, leading to their rescue by Nicola Wood. Photo: Denise Peiris / supplied
It all started when Nicola Wood – a poultry keeper from Edgecumbe – found the Facebook post by a woman who was asking if someone could help with dozens of dumped roosters that neither council nor the SPCA would remove.
“Just surfing through Facebook a couple of weeks ago, I saw these pictures of these big roosters and I saw a caption ‘dumped’,” she said.
Denise Peiris from Whakatane had posted images of about 20 roosters that had been dumped at Wardlaw Glade in Waimana.
She told Wood the SPCA had said it was not their job to remove the birds, and when she he rang the council they told her they would not do it either.
Wood said there was no way the roosters would survive in their outdoors – they would either starve or be ripped apart by dogs.
“So I decided that’s it, I’m going to go and catch them. So that’s how that happened.”
Nicola Wood keeps about 100 free range chickens and has rehomed some roosters from Wardlaw Glade. Photo: Troy Baker / LDR
She said when she went with her husband and they could tell the roosters had been there a “couple of weeks”.
Wood said they caught the roosters from four different places within the area they had been dumped.
She said there was a technique to catching roosters.
“You just reach up and get a firm grip and grab them.”
Wood said she brought the roosters home, and some of them looked “skinny”.
“They were just lucky that someone hadn’t stopped and let the dogs off.”
She said the roosters had been dumped next to a road with a speed limit of 100km/h
“I did see a body of one that I don’t know how old it was. It obviously been hit by a car.”
But she said it was a hazard for drivers too.
“Most people’s instinct is to swerve and it can cause an accident.”
She said if people could not take care of roosters it was best to give them away.
“The other option is you have to kill them. And if you can’t do that well, then you get a friend to do it. That’s way better than letting them starve or run over or ripped apart by dogs.
The Supreme Court has ordered the Public Services Commission to stop advertising for and recruiting a Chief Executive Officer for the Ministry of Foreign affairs.
St George Palace at Pangai Si’i. Photo/Kaniva Tonga (Kalino Lātū)
It has also suspended the appointment of Paula Ma’u as acting CEO of the Ministry.
The court made an interim injunction to this effect in April.
In his summary of the case, Judge Cooper said the defendants, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Public services Commission and Mr Ma’u, sought a review of the decision.
In February this year the Secretary for Foreign Affairs asked for leave to begin in a judicial review of the appointment, arguing that the Public Services Commission had acted outside its powers in creating the position of CEO and recruiting Ma’u.
It was also argued that the Minister had acted outside his powers by appointing a person to the role.
Chief Justice Tupou granted leave for a review.
The defendants argued that the Secretary had caused the work of other immigration section to suffer and that staff had felt bullied by the installation of CCTV cameras to monitor staff.
Senior members of staff felt excluded from work they would normally do, such as being involved in the recruitment of staff and that the work of embassies was not being properly attended to.
The Secretary argued that he had been in his role since 2019 when he weas appointed by the king.
He also said the question of Mau’s appointment rested on whether it was in line with the provisions of the Public Services Act.
He claimed that Ma’u would not be able to devote sufficient time to the role of CEO since he was also Chief Secretary and Secretary to Cabinet.
After considering a range of evidence the judge ruled that it was important to maintain the existing hierarchy within the department and to pursue channels of diplomatic engagement which had been in placer for some years.
A car dealer has been found guilty of defrauding two men by obtaining TOP$ 47,000.00 by false pretence for vehicles that do not exist.
Siosina Valerie Vakasiuola. Photo/Supplied
Siosina Valerie Vakasiuola, 32, of Fua’amotu was charged in respect of two fake agreements she had made with the two prospective buyers, both involving importation of motor vehicles from Japan.
Miss Vakasiuola ran V & G Auto Tonga, a business that sold motor vehicles on Tonga’s main island, Tongatapu. Her business either imported vehicles or provided the service through connections she had with other importers.
Isileli Latu Akauola
Between June and October 2022, at Kolofo’ou, Miss Vakasiuola obtained $30,000.00 by false pretence from Isileli Latu Akauola to purchase him a truck.
Mr ‘Akau’ola agreed to pay her $35,000.00 by instalment payment plan. She would import the truck from Japan, and he would receive it upon full payment.
Between 3 June 2022 and 7 October 2022, a deposit of $10,000.00 was sent to Miss Vakasiuola’s bank account. It followed with weekly payments of sums ranging between $1,000 and $2,000 until the full amount of $30,000.00 was paid to Miss Vakasiuola.
Viliami Pomale Blake
On or about 19 April 2022, at Ma’ufanga, Miss Vakasiuola obtained $17,000.00 by false pretence from Viliami Pomale Blake to purchase two vehicles for him.
Mr Blake complaint to the police that he had paid $17,000.00 to Miss Vakasiuola for a Skyline and Honda Stream and of that date, 10 October 2022, he had received nothing.
Mr Blake came to court but refused to answer questions from the Crown advocate or the judge, the court judgement read.
He referred to the amount of money he lost and the amount he was repaid. He stated that a woman outside the court had approached him. She was a relative of Miss Vakasiuola, called Anna. He did not know her surname.
She had offered to repay the money he lost. No final agreement had been reached.
Mr Blake refused to answer any question Miss Vakasiuola put to him.
The court judgement said: “She is very sorry that in both cases things went wrong, she has entered into repayment arrangements with both Mr Blake and Mr ‘Akauola and that is a sign of both having a conscience about what went wrong and her bona fides, so her honesty.”
Mr Copper said: “Miss Vakasioula was not a convincing witness, and I concluded that she had lied to the Court”.
Two fishermen were pulled to safety Sunday morning hours after their vessel sank in Tongan waters.
The boat departed Nuku’alofa at 1.30 pm local time on Saturday for the five-hour journey to Fonoifua, north of Tonga’s main island, Tongatapu.
The Tonga Police requested New Zealand assistance after the two men were reported missing. Maritime New Zealand’s Rescue Coordination Centre (RCCNZ) helped by providing drift modelling and search areas.
The drift modelling helped locate the pair after they drifted back from Tau Island towards Ata Island with the prevailing current in a southeast direction,
It turned out that their vessel had capsized near Tau Island before they drifted 35 nautical miles (64.8 kilometres) over approximately 20 hours.
The two fishermen were found alive and well by Tongan Police.
The news comes after a post on Facebook reported that Fonoi town officer was one of the two fishermen.
“Well done to the Tongan Police and RCCNZ for this successful rescue operation – a testament to their dedication and expertise!”, the RCCNZ posted.
Early this year, the New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 Orion crew rescued two Kiribati fishermen who had been missing at sea for six days.
Several agencies across Kirbati, Fiji, New Zealand and the United States were involved in the search and rescue operation.
Maritime New Zealand’s Rescue Coordination Centre helped by providing drift modelling and search areas.
Drift modelling
It is described as a multi-purpose tool that can forecast the trajectory of any object, such as ships, boats, or resources, drifting at the sea surface or in the water column.
Organisations can monitor and manage the model’s performance on their data and artificial intelligence (AI) platform.
The analysis tool provides an estimate of the ensemble spread and the likely impacted areas.
They are among the most valuable tools in managing the coastal and marine environment, marine resources and maritime safety.
