The man accused of murdering young Rebels MC member Texas Jack Doctor in Mt Wellington last month can now be identified as 23-year-old Sione Tupou.
Name suppression lapsed today for Tupou and co-defendant Malio Soakimi, who is charged with being an accessory to murder after the fact, as they appeared together for the first time in the High Court at Auckland.
Defence lawyer Annabel Ives, representing both men, entered not guilty pleas on their behalf.
Doctor, 22, was fatally shot while sitting in a car on Penrose Rd on the night of Saturday, July 13.
Police cordon outside the Puffing Kiwi vape shop on Penrose Road, Mt Wellington at the scene of a fatal shooting incident. Texas Jack Doctor (inset). Photo / Isaac Davison
Police have identified Tupou as a member of rival gang the Head Hunters but emphasised that the shooting was not being treated as gang-related.
“While both the offender and the victim are members of separate gangs, we want to assure the public that what has transpired related to an ongoing dispute between individual members of two families,” Acting Detective Inspector Chris Allan said in a statement last month calling for calm.
“Our inquiries have established this was not a gang-motivated incident.”
Sione Tupou appears in the Auckland District Court on July 18 charged with the murder of Texas Jack Doctor in Mt Wellington. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
Tupou was arrested just under a week after the shooting, charged with murder and unlawful possession of a pistol. Soakimi, accused of having given Tupou a ride on the night of the shooting, had been arrested a day earlier.
During today’s brief court appearance, Justice Timothy Brewer set a trial date for October next year.
Malio Soakimi appears in Auckland District Court in July 2018 charged with being an accessory after the fact to the murder of Texas Jack Doctor by giving a ride to co-defendant Sione Tupou. Photo / Dean Purcell
Both defendants wore white as they stood side by side in the dock – Tupou in a T-shirt and Soakimi in a long-sleeve button-down shirt. Tupou, who has been remanded in jail while awaiting trial, glanced back at supporters in the gallery as his case was discussed.
Next year’s trial is slated to take three weeks.
Craig Kapitan is an Auckland-based journalist covering courts and justice. He joined the Herald in 2021 and has reported on courts since 2002 in three newsrooms in the US and New Zealand.
Police have recovered stolen vehicles and made a dozen arrests across Auckland overnight.
A range of Police resources were deployed to assist in the apprehensions, with many of those arrested facing court over driving and theft related offences.
Car stolen in New Lynn:
The night began at LynnMall just before 7.30pm with a report of a group of young people trying car doors in the centre car park.
Inspector Kelly Farrant, of Waitematā West Police, says the group eventually managed to break into one vehicle.
“The group left the car park, and the Police Eagle helicopter was advised of the incident.
“Police didn’t pursue the vehicle, but spikes were successfully deployed near Avondale.”
The occupants eventually gave up and abandoned the vehicle in the Kelston area.
“A 12-year-old male driver was soon taken into custody and we are following lines of enquiry into the others in the car at the time,” Inspector Farrant says.
The driver will be dealt with by through the Youth Aid process.
Stolen vehicles attract attention further south:
Seven arrests were made after a speeding vehicle caught the attention of Police in Ōtara.
The stolen vehicle was sighted on Flat Bush Road just after 11.30pm and was not pursued.
Inspector Gaylene Rice, of Counties Manukau West Police, says the vehicle was travelling at high speeds.
“Eagle was soon overhead and monitored the vehicle’s movements,” she says.
“The vehicle travelled south toward Takanini and was successfully spiked on multiple occasions.”
Before 12.30am, the vehicle came to a stop and all seven occupants were taken into custody.
Inspector Rice says the 14-year-old male driver is facing the Manukau Youth Court on charges of unlawfully taking a motor vehicle, dangerous driving and failing to stop.
“The other six occupants were all aged between 12 and 17 and will be dealt with by way of Youth Aid.”
A second incident in Ōtara before midnight also involved another speeding stolen vehicle.
The vehicle failed to stop for Police and the unit did not pursue.
“Shortly afterward, the vehicle collided with a fence and both occupants, including the 16-year-old driver, attempted to run on foot.”
Both were taken into custody.
In Ōtāhuhu, in the early hours of the morning, Police became aware of a stolen vehicle travelling at speed.
“The Eagle helicopter observed the vehicle park at an address with both occupants walking away,” Inspector Rice says.
“A dog handler at the scene located a man and woman a short distance away, and they were arrested.”
A 45-year-old man is facing a charge of dangerous driving in the Manukau District Court, with a 33-year-old woman being charged with possession of methamphetamine.
Award winning Tongan film director Vea Mafileo is one of five finalists selected for this year’s New Zealand’s Best short film competition.
Photo: Woman Magazine
Guest selector Gerard Johnstone made the selection after 95 films were submitted for consideration. The shortlist was cut down to 12 and then to five.
Vea who directed her 2019 award winning documentary My Father’s Kingdom is nominated for her short film Lea Tupu’anga/Mother Tongue. The story is about a young speech therapist who lied about her language skills and her ability to speak Tongan. She must find ways to communicate when she is assigned to an elderly Tongan patient who can no longer speak English.
A jury of three will select the winner of the $7500 NZIFF Patrons Best Short Film Award, the $4000 Creative New Zealand Emerging Talent Award, and the $4000 Auckland Live Spirit of The Civic Award.
The winner of the audience vote takes away the Panavision Audience Award, consisting of a $5000 credit for Panavision equipment hire and 25 percent of the box office from NZIFF screenings in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.
The jury awards will be presented following the Auckland screening. The Panavision Audience Award will be announced at the NZIFF 2024 Auckland Closing Night on Sunday 18 August.
More than 30 flights in and out of Auckland Airport have been delayed or cancelled as fog blankets much of the city.
Fog caused flight cancellations and delays at Auckland Airport on Wednesday. Photo: RNZ / Mark Stevens
Fog restrictions were put in place at the airport about 6.30am on Wednesday.
Thirteen regional flights were cancelled, and 15 delayed.
Main trunk flight were also delayed, with seven servies to and from Christchurch and Queenstown affected.
No international flights were affected.
Travellers were advised to check with their airline for the latest updates on their flight.
Fog restrictions were lifted late morning. MetService meteorologist Oscar Shiviti said conditions should clear completely by midday and fine weather was expected for the rest of the day.
A Tongan Supreme Court judge has accused Learned Magistrate Similoni Tu’akalau of failing to recuse himself from a case involving an acquaintance.
The case had been successfully appealed and a Supreme Court decision ordered a retrial before a different Magistrate Court judge.
The Supreme Court had been told Mr Tu’akalau had declared the conflict of interest before presiding over the case.
The Supreme Court judgement said Tongatapu police stopped a vehicle with broken taillights at Fanga in September 2023.
The driver was Uasike Pailate, and the passenger was the accused, Ma’ake Kali.
Upon close inspection, the police found a wet boat engine inside the vehicle next to Kali, who was sitting in the car’s passenger seat.
They seized the engine and took it to the police station.
Not long after the engine was seized, Sione Silivou Taufalele of Tatakamotonga reported to the police that his engine had been stolen from his boat at a beach.
Police believed the seized engine belonged to Taufalele, so they charged Kali with theft.
Magistrate decision
The case previously went to the Magistrate Court before Mr Tu’akalau acquitted Kali.
Mr Tu’akalau in his judgement ruled that the Crown had not proven all the elements of the charge beyond a reasonable doubt.
He saidl that in relation to the element determining the value of the boat engine, there was no evidence given that verifies the value of the boat engine at $7,000. This would especially need to determine a sentence if Kali was to be found guilty.
In relation to the element of Kali taking Taufalele’s boat engine, Mr Tu’akalau said no evidence proving or witnessing that Kali took the boat engine from Taufalele’s boat was put forward in court.
However, Supreme Court judge ‘Elisapeti Langi said: “Another issue raised by the Prosecution and which, in my view, clouds the judgement of the Learned Magistrate is the fact that he is closely acquainted with the accused and his family”.
Justice Langi said Mr Tu’akalau had clearly informed the Prosecution that he is very good friends with the accused’s older brother and that he finds it difficult to judge this case.
However, the Prosecution had agreed for the Learned Magistrate to hear the trial because the case had been around for too long.
“In my view, His Worship should have removed himself from hearing this case as there was a real likelihood of bias”, Justice Langi said.
“Although the Prosecution agreed for him to hear the case, the Learned Magistrate should have removed himself as he had confessed to finding it difficult for him to judge this case”.
Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party’s candidate, has chosen Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as her running mate in the United States presidential election, according to US media reports.
Harris, the first woman and first Black and South Asian person to serve as vice president, considered a broad field of candidates during a fast vetting process in the race for the White House, after President Joe Biden ended his re-election bid on July 21.
Walz, 60, who was elected governor of Minnesota in 2018 and won re-election in 2022, would bring to the presidential ticket a record of defeating Republicans in a Midwestern state.
Harris, 59, will hold a major rally with her vice presidential pick later on Tuesday in Philadelphia in the swing state of Pennsylvania, followed by rallies in Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Arizona and Nevada through Saturday.
The duo will face off against the Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump and his running mate JD Vance in the November election.
If they win, then Walz will be second in line for the presidency.
A veteran of the US Army National Guard, Walz serves as co-chair of the Democratic National Convention’s rules committee.
As governor, he has overseen state approval of the right to abortion, protected gender-affirming care and introduced free school meals for students.
Electric fly-half Patrick Pellegrini has signed with Moana Pasifika for the 2025 and 2026 seasons.
The 25-year-old is coming off two stellar seasons with the Coventry club in England, finishing the 2023/24 season as the top points scorer in the Championship.
He also received the Coventry Rugby Supporters’ Club Player of the Year Award and was named in the Championship team of the season.
Born and raised in Sydney and of Tongan descent through his mother, Pellegrini represented the ‘Ikale Tahi at the 2023 Rugby World Cup. He also played for the New South Wales U20s team and the New South Wales schoolboys side.
Pellegrini is a menace on attack with a dangerous side-step and blistering speed. He reads the defence well and can adapt to any situation, creating opportunities for his teammates.
His dedication to growth and persistence throughout his rugby journey is admirable, and are qualities that Moana Pasifika respects and embraces.
Pellegrini played for Sevenoaks in England’s fifth tier of club rugby before his stint with Coventry in the second division, catching the eye of Tongan national selectors.
He said he’s excited to live out a childhood dream with Moana Pasifika.
“I’m really excited to join Moana Pasifika for the upcoming season. I’m looking forward to learning from a very experienced coaching staff and team. As well as grow and develop as a player and bring my own experiences and style to Moana,” said Pellegrini.
“Playing Super Rugby has always been a goal of mine since I was a kid and started playing rugby so I can’t wait.”
“With my heritage and experience playing for the ‘Ikale Tahi, joining an organisation like Moana Pasifika is a great opportunity and a very proud moment for myself and my family.”
Head Coach of Moana Pasifika, Fa’alogo Tana Umaga, said he’s looking forward to welcoming Pellegrini to the team.
“Patrick has had an inspiring rugby journey so far rising through the ranks, playing some awesome rugby in England and on the international stage with Tonga,” said Umaga.
“He brings tremendous attacking skills and an ability to play what’s in front of him, allowing his teammates to thrive.”
“We’re stoked to have Patrick join the Moana Pasifika fāmili and know he’ll make an impact.”
Tonga Netball has selected 16 players for trials to choose the Under-21 National team for the World Youth Cup (NWYC) Oceania Qualifiers in the Cook Islands in September.
Nine members of the U21 team are members of the National Tala Netball team,
The top three teams in the qualifiers will earn a spot at the Netball World Youth Cup next year.
They were expected to start a training camp soon to finalize the selection of a team of 12 players.
Players:
Alice Cocker
Isabella Fainga’anuku
Lose Fainga’anuku
Lucia Fauonuku
Lupe Fonua
Joesi Gisinger
Lata Holi
Liesl Hopoate
Ana Kailahi
Elisapeta Lousi
Soana Manuofetoa
Emma Mateo
Beyonce Palavi
Sovika Pousini
Siulolo Richter
Jaelin Tulikaki
New healthcare waste incinerator and equipment for digital village initiatives
Tonga has received a high-temperature apparatus for burning waste materials, especially industrial waste until they are reduced to ash.
The new waste incinerator was transferred to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Forests (MAFF) last month, in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
“The incinerator handed over today is a crucial component of this initiative, designed to improve waste management practices, particularly in safely handling biomedical and agricultural waste. This equipment will significantly enhance public health and environmental protection in Tonga”, a statement said.
Among the equipment donated were screen house nets and laptops for the Digital Village Initiative (DVI).
DVI is a corporate programme by FAO that aims to combat hunger, poverty, and inequality by fostering digital rural transformation.
“This equipment aims to enhance agricultural productivity, promote digital literacy, and foster gender inclusion in agrifood systems.
“The project will support farmers, especially women, in accessing vital information, improving their practices, and increasing their market opportunities”, the statement also said.
The handover ceremony was held at the MAFF Extension and Women Development Division at Vaolōloa.
Imprisonment after fake pa‘anga note payment at petrol station led to the discovery of illicit drugs
Two men have been jailed in Tongatapu after a payment using a fake TOP$20 note led to the discovery of illegal drugs and more counterfeit pa‘anga notes.
Tupou Haupeakui was sentenced to 16 months’ imprisonment, while Sione Songo’imoli must serve four years and 10 months’ imprisonment.
It began after Haupeakui paid the fake money in exchange for petrol at the Galilei Enterprise petrol station before they left.
The woman who processed the payment realised it was counterfeit money and contacted the police.
The police traced and arrested Mr. Haupeakui that same day.
They searched his home address the following day, 6 September 2022.
Amongst the items they seized were $5 and $50 counterfeits notes and a torn counterfeit $50 note as well as empty packs and one test-tube,
Haupeakui admitted all those items were his.
The following day, acting on information that they received, the police raided Songo’imoli’s home.
They seized a total of $3605.00 in counterfeit money, which was found in various locations in his home. The money consisted of $5, $20, $50, and $100 notes.
Some notes had been discarded into a bucket, were not properly cut to size, and still showed parts of the white paper they had been printed and cut out of.
Today marks the 79th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945 and the 39th anniversary of the Treaty of Rarotonga opening for signatures in 1985, as the world and region remember the horrors of nuclear weapons and stand in solidarity, there is still work to be done.
Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown has stated that Japan’s discharge of treated nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean does not breach the Rarotonga Treaty which established a Nuclear-Free Zone in the South Pacific.
Civil Society groups who have been calling for Japan to stop the dumping in the Pacific Ocean, but Mark Brown who is also the chair of the Pacific Islands Forum and represents a country associated by name with the Rarotonga Treaty, has backtracked on both the efforts of PIFS and his own previous calls against it.
Mr Brown states during the recent 10th Pacific Alliance Leaders Meeting (PALM10) meeting in Tokyo that Pacific Island Leaders stress the importance of transparency and scientific evidence to ensure that Japan’s actions do not harm the environment or public health.
But, he also defended Japan saying that the wastewater, treated using the Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) to remove most radioactive materials except tritium, meets the standard set by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
“No, the water has been treated to remove harmful isotopes, so it’s well within the standard guidelines as outlined by the global authority on nuclear matters, the IAEA. Japan is complying with these guidelines in its discharge of wastewater into the ocean,” said Mr Brown in an Island Business article.
The Cook Islands has consistently benefited from Japanese development grants, in 2021, Japan funded through the Asian Development Bank $2 million grant from the Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction, financed by the Government of Japan.
Together with $500,000 of in-kind contribution from the Government of the Cook Islands, the grant funded the Supporting Safe Recovery of Travel and Tourism Project. Just this year Japan provided grants for the Puaikura Volunteer Fire Brigade Association totaling US $132,680 and a further US$ 53,925 for Aitutaki’s Vaitau School.
The Contradiction
In 2023, he said it placed a special obligation on Pacific Island States because of ’the long-term consequences for Pacific peoples’ health, environment and human rights. Pacific states, he said, have a legal obligation ‘to prevent the dumping of radioactive wastes and other radioactive matter by anyone’ and ‘to not… assist or encourage the dumping by anyone of radioactive wastes and other radioactive matter at sea anywhere within the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone.
“Our people do not have anything to gain from Japan’s plan but have much at risk for generations to come.” The Pacific Islands Forum went on further to state then that the issue was an “issue of significant transboundary and intergenerational harm”.
The Rarotonga Treaty, a Cold War-era agreement, prohibits nuclear weapons testing and deployment in the region, but it does not specifically address the discharge of the treated nuclear wastewater.
Pacific civil society organisations continue to condemn Japan’s dumping of nuclear-treated wastewater. Of its planned 1.3 million tonnes of nuclear-treated wastewater, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has conducted seven sets of dumping into the Pacific Ocean and is due to commence the eighth from the 7th to the 25th of August.
Regardless of the recommendations provided by the Pacific Island Forum’s special panel of experts and civil society calls to stop Japan and for PIF Leaders to suspend Japan’s dialogue partner status, the PIF Chair Mark Brown has ignored concerns by stating his support for Japan’s nuclear wastewater dumping plans.
This decision is being viewed by the international community as a contradiction of the Treaty of Rarotonga that symbolises a genuine collaborative endeavour from the Pacific region, born out of ten years of dedication from Fiji, New Zealand, Australia, the Cook Islands, and various other nations, all working together to establish a nuclear-free zone in the South Pacific.
Treaty Ratification
Bedi Racule from a Nuclear Justice Advocate said the Treaty of Rarotonga preamble has one of the most powerful statements in any treaty ever. It is the member states’ promise for a nuclearfree Pacific.
“The spirit of the Treaty is to protect the abundance and the beauty of the islands for future generations”, Racule said. She continued to state that it is vital to ensure that the technical aspects of the Treaty and the text from the preamble is visualised.
“We need to consistently look at this Treaty because of the ongoing nuclear threats that are happening”.
Racule shared that the Treaty does not address the modern issues that we are facing like the nuclear waste dumping, and stressed that there is a dire need to increase the solidarity and the universalisation of the Treaty.
“There is quite a large portion of the Pacific that is not signed onto the Treaty. There’s still work within the Treaty that needs to be ratified. It’s almost like a check mark that’s there but it’s not being attended to”.
Terror-stricken Henderson residents recounted the gunman’s rampage in March last year – one sharing the moment he watched David Fononga point a gun out his car window and shot at police.
A man fired shots during an attempted robbery at the Henderson Valley Rd Gull service station. Two Armourguard vehicles can be seen parked in the forecourt.
Fononga was later shot and killed by AOS officers when he climbed out of his car at the Henderson Police Station and refused to drop his weapon.
In a decision released today, the Independent Police Conduct Authority has found that officers were justified in shooting Fononga to defend themselves and others, in what were extraordinarily difficult circumstances.
David Fononga was fatally shot by police in Henderson after a stand-off. Photo / Facebook
.
At about 10.30am on March 17 last year, Fononga drove to the Gull Service Station on Forrest Hill Rd while Armourguard staff were replenishing an ATM machine.
He fired a shotgun into the ceiling and stole a cannister of cash then drove off.
About 25 minutes later, while police were at the scene, Fononga returned and presented his shotgun at them before driving off again.
In the 18 minutes that followed, Fononga drove around the Henderson area discharging his shotgun at police who were responding to the incident.
He shot at police at six different locations. The first was on Pine Ave, where he shot at a moving police patrol as it passed him at a roundabout. He then shot at another moving police patrol at a roundabout at Bruce McLaren Drive.
Both police patrols were sprayed with shotgun pellets but the officers were not injured.
In Seymour Ave a patrol car pulled over for the officer to lay road spikes. When the two officers saw Fononga approaching they took cover behind a parked civilian vehicle.
Fononga pulled up beside the police car and fired a shotgun blast through the driver’s window before driving off again.
As he approached the intersection of Awaroa Rd and Great North Rd he pulled up alongside a stationary patrol car and discharged his shotgun twice through the driver’s window while an officer was in the driver’s seat.
The officer managed to lean forward to dodge the blast and was not injured.
As Fononga drove along Great North Rd, he passed a police patrol that had stopped to take cover on the side of the road.
Fononga fired at the patrol car but none of the officers were injured. Two officers returned fire, hitting Fononga’s car.
Police say shots were fired during the attempted robbery at the Henderson Valley Rd Gull service station. Photo / Hayden Woodward
When he stopped at the intersection of Great North Rd and View Rd, he pointed his shotgun at officers who had taken cover in a driveway across the road.
Police fired at Fononga which went through the windows of his car but did not hit him.
He then drove to the Henderson Police Station, followed by several police patrols, drove into the carpark, and got out of his vehicle still holding the shotgun.
He was challenged to drop his weapon before being shot by three AOS officers.
First aid was administered immediately, however, Fononga died from his injuries.
In the IPCA decision, all officers who fired at Fonogna were found to have been justified in their actions that day, including the three who shot him at the police station.
“We are satisfied on the evidence that all three officers fired for the purpose of defending themselves and other officers, both outside and inside the station.
“All three officers knew Mr Fononga had shown an intention to shoot Police officers. He was still armed and would have been able to fire again before an officer had time to react. There were no other tactical options reasonably available.”
‘An extremely frightening day’
Relieving Waitematā District Commander Inspector Stefan Sagar said police officers acted quickly and professionally in extraordinary circumstances to ensure the safety of themselves and the wider community.
“This was an extremely frightening day for all police staff in Waitematā and for the community as this event unfolded.
“It highlights the dangerous and unpredictable environment that our officers work in.”
He acknowledged the officers involved in this incident, many of whom had a firearm either pointed or shot at them.
“Despite this, they still acted professionally and quickly with community safety their priority,” Sagar said.
He said police were incredibly relieved that no member of the public or police were hurt during this incident, and acknowledged Fononga’s family who despite his actions on that day lost a loved family member.
A gunman at the centre of a West Auckland rampage is pictured moments before being shot by police outside the Henderson Police Station. Photo / Supplied
Tracy Neal is a Nelson-based Open Justice reporter at NZME. She was previously RNZ’s regional reporter in Nelson-Marlborough and has covered general news, including court and local government for the Nelson Mail.
