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Minister sings Swing Low Sweet Chariot with guests before launching Siu Ki Moana health Action Plan in Mangere

By
Kalino Latu
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Minister for Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio began a speech to introduce a new health Action Plan for Pacific Peoples recently by singing a well-known spiritual.  

The Minister asked about 100 guests to join him in singing Swing Low Sweet Chariot,  visibly heightening the emotion at the Fale O Sāmoa in Mangere.

Afterwards, the Minister briefly reminisced about how the song had become popular in Samoa. He said it brought to mind people who pursued difficult tasks and those who prayed for the success of those tasks.

Hon. Sio was speaking at the launch of the Pacific Health Promotion Action plan.

The Minister said the plan was designed to address the inequity in the New Zealand health outcomes.

The new initiative for the Pacific Peoples has been given the Tongan name Siu Ki Moana, meaning to travel, to sail or to fly over deep water.

He acknowledged the use of Pacific peoples’ knowledge, wisdom, cultural values and practices as centrepiece of the plan.  

The Minister said the only way for the Pacific Peoples to address their own problems was to totally abandon what he referred to during his speech as “colonial approach to health education”.

He compared his statement to the African-American writer and civil right activist who fought for Black American rights, Audrey Geraldine Lorde.  Lorde wrote the “The master’s tools, will never dismantle the master’s house”. It was a metaphor which was interpreted as meaning the people could not solve problems of oppression working with the tools of a system of oppression.  

Hon. Sio said the only way forward for Pacific Peoples to get rid of the inequity was to start fresh and create their own tools.

“Where do you get the inspiration to create your own tools?” he asked.

“Our traditional knowledge, our cultural intelligence, the stories that are carried in our songs, in our poetry, in our oratory”.

Siu Ki Moana was created for Pacific peoples to enjoy the full benefits of equitable health outcomes. 

Siu Ki Moana represented the journey of Pacific youth, not only in developing this plan but also in their roles and positions within their community. It offered advice on how to work towards equitable Pacific health promotion by doing things differently where necessary.

This meant Pacific Youth would create and deliver health messages, Pacific Communities were enabled to advocate for change, Pacific Communities could access funding easily, health workforce teams were culturally intelligent and connected and health promotions and service delivery was cohesive and connected.

Alongside the launch of Siu Ki Moana, was the announcement of the Tanoa Community Grants programme which provides a pool of funding to local Pasifika communities who are well connected, trusted and well placed to improve health and wellbeing outcomes and address inequities.

Gang member jailed for seven years for fatally stabbing RSE worker Hiko Lynch

By
Kaniva Staff
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Hiko Lynch

The New Zealand gang member who stabbed a Tongan seasonal worker  to death in central Blenheim was sentenced to seven years in jail at the High Court in Blenheim on Thursday.

Auckland man George Junior Pikaahu, 34, plunged a 24-centimetre knife into 23-year-old Lynch who was trying to defend a wounded friend during a large brawl in central Blenheim in the early hours of June 20, 2021.

The knife pierced Lynch’s heart and he died at the scene, reported the Stuff.

The fatal incident happened after an altercation between local RSE (Recognised Seasonal Employer) workers and members of the Rebels gang from outside Marlborough.

Another gang member Peter Uelese was sentenced to six months community detention, 100 hours community work, and 12 months supervision for the charge of assault with intent to injure.

Lynch was out celebrating a friend’s birthday when the fight broke out.

Lynch arrived in New Zealand from Tonga as a Recognised Seasonal Employer worker. He worked for Hortus farm.

His body was returned to Tonga on a repatriation flight after his relatives and friends in Auckland held prayer services in front of his coffin.

Lynch, one of seven children, had been in New Zealand since 2019 working in the horticulture and viticulture industries. He hadn’t been able to return home between seasons because of the coronavirus pandemic.

New law allows tenants to ban door-knock traders for two years says commissioner

By
Kalino Latu
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A new law in New Zealand makes it an offense if a salesperson refuses to leave a property when told to do so.

An uninvited seller who contacted a household through email or phone call could face a court order to cancel or vary a sales agreement, as well as compensation, the law says.

A door-knocker who breaches the ‘Do Not Knock’ sticker law will face hefty fines of up to $30,000.

Joseph Liava’a, the Associate Commissioner of the Commerce Commission, welcomed the law, saying it gave extra protection to buyers about the information salespeople had to give them.

Liava’a said the law gave customers time to change their mind about sales and what they should do if they decided to cancel the sale.

“The new rules mean residents can stop sale people from coming into their homes without being invited”, Liava’a told PMN.

The householders could use a sign or a ‘Do Not Knock’ sticker to tell salespeople not to enter their property.

People can put the signs on their front gate or their front door.

“It doesn’t have to be a fancy sign it can be simple handwritten sign it just has to be legible, readable and visible.  And it can say things like do not knock or no salespeople or something to that effect”.

“If you tell them not to come to your property that salesperson can’t return for two years, unless you invite them back,” Liava’a said.

He advised householders to make a note of the date that they ask the traders  to go.

“Write down the name of the business. Take a photo or video if that is possible,” he said.

Residents could also complain to the Commerce Commission if traders refused to leave, or ignored stickers, but Liava’a advised people to talk to the knockers first and see if they could resolve it.

“If that sticker is ignored give them a call: Hey, this is the situation we don’t think this is on,” Liava’a said.

Customers who want a Do Not Knock sticker can go to https://www.consumer.org.nz/articles/do-not-knock/get-a-sticker

They can either order a free sticker to be sent to them or download a free downloadable printable copy

Consumer is  also distributing stickers to Citizens Advice Bureaux, Resene ColorShops and any store that sells Resene paints.

Member of reggae band Three Houses Down and businessman Sione Pome’e jailed on million tax evasion

By
Kaniva Staff
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An Auckland labour hire company director has been sentenced to 27 months in prison, with his company, now in liquidation, still owing more than $1.1 million in PAYE, KiwiSaver and student loan deductions.

Sione Na’aniumotu Pōme’e ran Pome’e Engineering Services, which provided workers to the building construction industry.

He was sentenced in the Manukau District Court on May 12 after earlier admitting 66 charges of evading or attempting to evade PAYE, student loan and KiwiSaver deductions.

Despite warnings and offers of help from Inland Revenue, Pōme’e continued offending over a seven year period. The court heard the magnitude of the offending was a significant breach of trust for the community in general and his employees in particular.

From November 2012 until March 2019 Pomee filed returns where he intentionally understated or didn’t disclose wages and bonus payments made to staff. The effect of that was to reduce the amount of PAYE his company owed to IR.

Instead of paying tax he chose to use the money to fund personal and lifestyle choices and admitted using company’ funds for significant personal spending.

About $1 million was transferred from the Company’s bank account to Pomee’s joint account with a relative and was used for overseas travel and spending; personal shopping including in high-end luxury retail stores; bonuses, various loans and gifts to himself; and more than $25,000.00 which was transferred to Jamaican Money Market for his nephew’s music career.

In relation to PAYE, the Company remains liable for a total amount of $1,148,756.99

The judge gave Pome’e a 5% discount in his sentence for his good work in Samoa and Tonga but no discount for remorse which she found was only in hindsight.

Three dead in two-car crash in Waikato

By
Kaniva Staff
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no caption

The crash occured on a stretch of SH29 south of Matamata, police said. Photo: Google Maps

Three people have died in a crash near Matamata this evening.

The crash involved two vehicles on State Highway 29 and happened at about 5.30pm.

The road is closed in both directions and expected to remain so for several hours.

Police said there were no other reported injuries.

Diversions are in place and drivers are asked to avoid the area.

The accident caps a deadly week in Waikato roads, including a crash that left two dead, including an ambulance driver and another killed in a separate crash.

Clendon Park case: Police arrest woman in South Korea

By
Kaniva Staff
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By RNZ.co.nz

A woman has been arrested for the murder of two young children whose remains were discovered in suitcases in Manurewa, South Auckland on 11 August 2022.

Police investigators seen outside a Clendon property in South Auckland 

Police can now confirm that a 42-year-old woman has been arrested in South Korea.

Counties Manukau CIB detective inspector Tofilau Fa’ amanuia Vaaelua said South Korean authorities arrested the woman today on a Korean arrest warrant on two charges of murder relating to the two young victims.

The arrest warrant was issued by the Korean Courts as a result of a request by NZ Police for an arrest warrant under the extradition treaty between New Zealand and the Republic of Korea.

He said NZ police had applied to have her extradited back to New Zealand to face the charges and had requested she remain in custody while awaiting the completion of the extradition process.

“To have someone in custody overseas within such a short period of time has all been down to the assistance of the Korean authorities and the coordination by our NZ Police Interpol staff,” he said.

There were a number of enquiries to be completed both in New Zealand and overseas, he added.

Police said the children, believed to be aged between five and 10 years old, may have been hidden in the suitcases in an Auckland storage yard for several years.

The bodies were discovered after a Clendon Park family won an auction for abandoned goods in a storage unit, without realising what was inside.

Tonga Police bust suspected fake money operation, illicit drugs

By
Kaniva Staff
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Police interrupted and arrested two men for allegedly manufacturing counterfeit Tongan bank notes at their Popua home earlier today.

The two suspects also faced illicit drugs charges.

One accused allegedly spent some of the counterfeit notes at a local petrol station.

Police said they found what they believe to be forged  $50 notes in the accused’s possession.

Police also seized three photocopy machines used to produce counterfeit currency, and illicit drugs from a residence at Popua.

Police identified one of the suspects who used a fake $50 Pa’anga at a petrol station at Lapaha and intercepted his car on Taufa’āhau Road at Vainī on Monday afternoon,  September 5.

The second suspect was arrested earlier today following the execution of a search warrant at his residence at Popua.

Please contact Police on phone 922 / 0800-922 / 740-1660 if you have any information that may help police investigation or if you know of any fake currency that may be in circulation.

New film documents local version of Tongan ouau kava that honours tangata whenua

By
Kalino Latu
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A locally designed cultural practice that blends several Pacific islands cultural traditions to honour the Māori people can be watched in a new documentary film.

A still from the documentary Kava ‘O Aotearoa documentary produced by Maria Tanner and directed by Joshua Baker. 

Kava ‘O Aotearoa was designed as a new version of the Tongan ouau kava to be performed  at non-Tongan functions, ceremonies, celebration and services.

The architectures of the practice added to it the Samoan practice of chief orators who stand with their staff or to’oto’o (talking sticks), as well as the Cook Islands and Tahiti turou, a welcoming gesture by the hosts to guests at kava ceremonies. There were also other parts of cultural kava practices from Fiji and other Pacific island cultures which were added to the new ouau kava version.

The idea was initiated by three prominent Pasifika leaders in the community – Pakilau Manase Lua, who is of Tongan heritage and holding the heraldic name Pakilau ‘O Aotearoa, Christine Nurminen, the international portfolio manager for the Pacific region at Oxfam New Zealand and Therese Mangos, the director of Pacific Vision Aotearoa.

The first documentary to feature the Kava ‘O Aotearoa was released on Wednesday in Auckland.

It showed the formal Tongan kava ritual which included the cultural seatings, instructions and responses, preparations, distributions and receiving of the kava.

The film showed a man sitting at the tou’a or kava server’s place facing the taumu’a or forepart and pounding the kava on the black kava rock. It also showed two women wearing ta’ovala performing the roles of the angaikava.

The newly documented ritual was crafted as a gift by the moana Pasifika emigrants in New Zealand to the Māori people.

The producer of the documentary, Maria Tanner and the director, Joshua Baker, said the film was a milestone in their efforts to preserve and utilise the new practice.

Speaking to PMN Morning Show, Tanner said the film was like “an amazing kind of feeling.”

“It has been great because it is just started with something that is just a grain of sand. And then you just showered love and attention onto it and you watched it grow and you watch it gain momentum and watch all the achievements from these people that want to be a part of championing a story with you,” Tanner said.

She attributed the success of the film to many people who took part in its production.

Baker said it was not just about drinking kava,  but was “so much mana for Pasifika people.”

“I want people to be inspired to learn about their culture, especially when it comes to kava,” he said.

Pakilau o Aotearoa Manase Lua, Luau o Mana Moana Therese Mangos, Vakalahi o Mana Moana Christine Nurminen and others post ceremony at Ihumātao

“It was important to acknowledge the Māori as the Indigenous people of New Zealand, the tangata whenua, in the kava ceremony”.

The Kava ‘o Aotearoa ceremony is only held once a year.

In 2019, the first ceremony was held to support the Muslim community after the terror attack in Christchurch.

In 2020, it was held at Auckland Museum for the launch of the new Te Ao Mārama space, which houses the largest kava bowl in the world.

In 2021, the ceremony took place in the sea, as a climate-awareness exercise after the America’s Cup.

Tongan kava ceremonies

The Tongan kava ceremonies can be divided into two main categories. The informal kava drinking session and the formal kava session. The informal kava drinking session is mostly just for pleasure and there is lack of formality in it.

The formal kava session is the opposite and it must include the rituals of cultural seating, instructions and responses, preparations, distributions and receiving of the kava in the cups.   

The king’s formal and informal kava sessions are called Taumafa Kava. The chief’s or nobility’s kava sessions are called ‘ilo kava.

The commoners’ informal kava drinking session is called faikava while their formal kava session is called ouau kava or kava. The common phrases which are normally heard and they carry the names for the commoners formal kava are  –  ‘Oku fai hono kava or ‘Oku fai hono ouau kava – a kava ceremony is performed as part of his or her celebration.

Four-year-old boy shoots dead his seven-year-old brother in Tongatapu ‘tragic accident’

By
Kaniva Staff
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A four-year-old boy has allegedly shot dead his seven-year-old brother at their Ha’ateiho home.

Tonga Central Police station. Photo/Kalino Lātū

Police seized a .22 rifle and arrested their 40-year-old father for possession of unlicensed ammunition and firearms. 

Tonga Police responded to the shooting incident at the residence at around 6.20pm on Friday, September 2, 2022.

The seven-year-old boy was playing with his four-year-old brother in their family vehicle where they had found the .22 rifle.

When the four-year-old got hold of the gun, he allegedly fired four shots at his seven-year-old brother, which tragically caused his death.

The father had been charged with possession of unlicensed ammunition and other firearm related charges.

“We are reminding firearms licence holders to take their responsibility with safe storage of their firearms seriously. It was only in April last year that an 18-year-old male died from an accidental shooting, and now we have lost another young life in a similar situation that could have been avoided,” the Tongatapu Districts Commander, Chief Superintendent Filipe Fifita said.

Tonga Police is urging the public to help Tonga Police in keeping our communities safe and feel safe by notifying us and or surrendering any unlicensed firearm in their possession.

Death of Tongan priest and academic Fr Mikaele Pāunga is a loss to all of the Pacific

By
Philip Cass
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The death of Fr. Dr. Mikaele Niusenia ‘Oto’Ota Pāunga SM is a great loss to Tonga and the Pacific as a whole.

Professor Fr Mikaele Pāunga

Fr. Pāunga died in the Colonial War Memorial hospital in Suva, Fiji, yesterday morning (September 3).

He was 68.

A graduate of the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where he gained a doctorate in theology, Fr Pāunga had taught at the Pacific Regional Seminary in Suva for 22 years.

In a post on its Facebook page, the seminary said Fr Pāunga would never be forgotten.

“Prayers and fond memories are what we have to remember our dearly departed. May the love of family and friends comfort you all during these difficult days, our most heartfelt condolences,” the post said.

Born in Vaipoa, Niuatoputapu, Tonga, Fr Pāunga was the youngest brother of Marist Fr Nisifolo ‘Oto’ota.

He was educated by the SMSM sisters in Vaipoa before entering ‘Apifo’ou College in Nuku’alofa, where he was taught  by the Marist fathers.

He finished his secondary education in New South Wales where he attended Belambi High School.

He entered the Novitiate in Tutu, Taveuni and was professed in the Society of Mary at the beginning of 1980.

He studied for a Licentiate in Sacred Theology at the Gregorian, graduating in 1985. This was the start of a lifetime of lecturing, beginning with the Holy Spirit seminary in Bomana in Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea.

He was parish priest of St Anthony of Padua Basilica in Nuku’alofa from 1991-1992.

He then returned to the Gregorian, graduating with a doctorate in Sacred Theology in 1999.

The following year he joined the Pacific Regional Seminary where he taught Dogmatic, Systematic and Contextual Theology, Anthropology, world Religions and Modern Social Issues.

He was also Dean of Studies for five years.

Dr. Pāunga was a regular contributor to academic journals and collections, covering a range of topics including globalisation, culture, justice and development, human rights and the social mission of the church.

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