Police investigating what they say is the New Zealand’s biggest ever drugs conspiracy have arrested nine men including two Tongans.
Operation Weirton was a joint investigation between police and Customs.
All accused will face a High Court trial in 2025.
The arrests follow police and Customs intercepting a shipment of 613 kilograms of methamphetamine at Auckland Airport in March 2022.
“Eight men and one woman have been charged with various charges including importing methamphetamine, money laundering and possessing a Class A drug for supply”, according to a report published by Stuff.
“They had all previously entered guilty pleas at the District Court but at the High Court on Wednesday Justice Sally Fitzgerald set down a seven-week trial for April 2025”, the news outlet said.
Daniel Aperahama Hannett is charged with importing methamphetamine, money laundering, unlawful possession of firearm, pistol and explosives and possession of MDMA.
Warrick Wong, Hooi Keat Chai and Shen Tyson are all charged with money laundering.
Muli Paunga, Bradley Te Mai Koha Wijohn and Seni Lavakeiaho Langi all face charges of possessing methamphetamine for supply.
A man and a woman with interim name suppression are also charged with possessing the Class A drug for supply.
A name suppression hearing was set down for June.
The investigation, dubbed Operation Weirton, had been looking at a criminal syndicate’s alleged links to importation of controlled Class A drugs into the country, police commissioner Andrew Coster previously said.
Several of the people arrested are linked to the Comancheros gang.
Coster said the March 2022 bust was a “significant result” by the National Organised Crime Group to combat community hard caused by meth.
The initial drug seizure at the border had a street value of about $250m.
“Had this shipment been distributed across New Zealand it would have caused immense harm to the vulnerable communities these criminal groups were preying upon.”
It is estimated the drugs would have caused over $500 million worth of social harm, as per drug harm index figures, Coster added.
Several Moana Pasifika players are expected to be heading to the 2023 Rugby World Cup with the Ikale Tahi of Tonga in September.
Solomone Funaki with his year end awards and outgoing coach Aaron Mauger Photo: Caroline Ducobu www.ducobu.co.nz
That’s the indication from Tongan head coach Toutai Kefu, who says the Tongan players in the Moana outfit have improved immensely in the last two years the team has been part of the Super Rugby Pacific competition.
Kefu is expected to announce Tonga’s squad to meet Ireland, Scotland, South Africa and Romania in France this coming weekend.
Speaking with RNZ Pacific from Brisbane this week, the former Wallaby loose forward said he and his panel of coaches have been following the performances of Moana Pasifika players and those playing around the world.
He said the two years of being conditioned in the Super Rugby Pacific professional rugby environment has helped the players and the competition has offered players the opportunity to play at a higher level.
“We are going to take a good portion of those Tongan players from Moana to the World Cup and those players we’ve watched closely over the last two years have improved significantly,” he said.
Moana Pasifika’s 2023 captain Solomone Funaki, who won four awards at the Moana Pasifika 20223 Awards Evening in Auckland on Tuesday, is a top contender for a World Cup spot with the Ikale Tahi.
Funaki, a tough loose forward, won the supreme award – the Moana Man – in a season which saw him step up into the captaincy with maiden skipper Sekope Kepu out for the season.
Funaki could also be in the running as Ikale Tahi captain at the World Cup.
He finished the regular season as the competition’s fourth best tackler with 173 (95 percent success rate) in 13 games, made 129 tackles, won 11 turnovers, scored three tries and carried the ball 141 metres past contact.
He also won the Tangaloa Award for Best Defender, the Savae La’auli Sir Michael Jones Forward of the Year and the Players Player of the Year.
Props Abraham Pole and Sosefo Apikotoa, flanker Penitoa Finau, winger Tima Fainga’anuku, Fine Inisi and fullback William Havili look set to also get the call up for national duties.
Stars available
Europe-based players Malakai Fekitoa, Israel Folau, Charles Piutau, George Moala and Vaea Fifita are all available to play for the Ikale Tahi and Kefu says they are in the radar for selection.
“Those players are busy, undergoing training at the moment.We will announce the team this weekend and those players are all available for us,” Kefu said.
Fekitoa, Piutau, Moala and Fifita are all former All Blacks while Folau is a former Wallaby.
The players became available for Tonga after World Rugby approved new eligibility rules that allowed players to play for their home nations after having represented other national teams.
Kefu and his coaching team have been monitoring players that they had identified over the past few months.
Once named, the squad members will assemble in Nuku’alofa in early July.
They will have a warm-up game against Australia A at Te’ufaiva Park on July 14 before going into the Pacific Nations Cup with the Flying Fijians and Manu Samoa.
Following the Cup series the Ikale Tahi will play two home Tests against Canada in their only other warm ups before flying to France.
Kefu says their Pool C is a tough one.
“It’s a tough pool. We got the best teams in the world, Ireland, Scotland, South Africa and then Romania. All really hard games,” he said.
“But we’ve got a new team now and we got some X-factors and we will be able to throw some punches I reckon and I think we just need to come up with a really good game plan and a blueprint to win.”
Tonga will play their opening World Cup game against Ireland in Nantes on September 16.
Moana Pasifika Awards
Moana Man of the Year – Solomone Funaki
Players Player of the Year – Solomone Funaki
Savae La’auli Sir Michael Jones Trophy for Forward of the Year – Solomone Funaki
Tuifa’asisina Sir Bryan Williams for Back of the Year – Levi Aumua
Fans Player of the Year – Timoci Tavatavanawai
Niu Award for Rookie of the Year – Miracle Faiilagi
Maui Award for Attacking Player of the Year – Timoci Tavatavanawai
Tangaloa Award for Defensive Player of the Year – Solomone Funaki
Moana Pasifika Under 20s Player of the Year – John Samuelu
A call for authorities to consider making health checks a requirement for all candidates running for Parliament has cropped up again.
The issue has been increasingly debated recently after four MPs died in two years while or after seeking medical treatments overseas.
Seinimili Fonua (L), Kapeli Lanumata (top middle), Dr Fotu Fisi’iahi (Top right), Matani Nifofā (Bottom middle) Daniel Fale (Bottom right)
The latest call comes a month before Tongatapu 10 voters go to the polls to elect a new MP after former MP Pohiva Tuionetoa died in March.
Five candidates were officially named after a registration process on Wednesday 7.
The announcement of the candidates yesterday triggered a debate on social media with one PTOA (Democrats Party) group drawing its followers’ attention to the important of MPs being physically fit.
“Maybe the most important thing is their having good health”, a Facebook poster said in Tongan.
Some commenters said some people in the past knew they were unwell, but insisted on getting to Parliament so they would be entitled to be sent overseas for treatment.
Responding, another commenter said: “Absolutely right”.
“Tongatapu 10 it is about time for you to watch carefully especially those who appeared to be overweight they were people who are at risk of being unwell”.
“People who looked unfit could end up being sent to New Zealand to see a specialist”, one commenter wrote.
Some said it was a good idea to make health checks a law to help reduce the cost to taxpayers of sending MPs and Ministers overseas for medical appointments.
The call came after former Prime Minister and MP Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa died in the United States in March. His family paid for his medical treatment, but he still received his salary from government while he was there.
In 2021 his Deputy Prime Minister, Sione Vuna Fa’otusia, died after spending months in a New Zealand hospital for medical treatment.
In June 2022 the former Minister for Agriculture, Food and Forestry, Viliami Manuopangai Hingano, died in Auckland City Hospital while receiving medical treatment.
In November 2022 the former Minister of Fisheries, Semisi Fakahau, died after returning from a medical appointment in New Zealand.
There were also similar cases of former Prime Ministers and MPs passing away while on medical treatment in Auckland.
This is not the first time the public has been concerned about MPs and Cabinet Ministers’ overseas medical treatment entitlements.
Early this year a Parliamentary press release announced that Hon. Tu’i’onetoa’s family had paid for his medical treatment in the US. It prompted a call for the Speaker to confirm whether he was also still receiving his salaries. Parliament later confirmed that Tu’i’onetoa was still being paid while in the US.
At the time a heated debate erupted on social media, with calls for the authorities to review the MPs’ entitlements to reduce unnecessary spending of tax revenue.
This included suggestions that MPs who were unwell should be first tested in Tonga and if their conditions were terminal they should not be sent overseas.
The official candidates for the July 13, 2023 by-election are:
Leman’s body was found in a vehicle at an abandoned property on Tyler Street, Rangiora, on 17 April. He had been missing for almost a week.
“Some of his remains have not yet been recovered,” Detective Senior Sergeant Tania Jellyman said today.
“We are not in a position to provide any further information in relation to this, however this is understandably very distressing for Leman’s family.
“We would like to be able to recover the missing remains so his family can move forward from this tragedy.”
The New Zealand Herald reported his torso was found in the car’s boot, with “several” parts still missing, after being shot.
Jellyman said police were hoping to provide “some closure” for Leman’s family.
“We believe there are also others involved. We believe the others involved would have discussed what occurred with their friends and associates.”
She said police were confident someone in the Rangiora community knew what happened to Leman.
“We are urging you to do the right thing and come forward to speak to us.”
Anyone with information “no matter how insignificant you may think it is” was urged to call police on 105, quoting file number 230415/8026, or by calling Crime Stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
Before his body was found, Leman’s sister Nicola called him “a big baby at heart”, with “the kindest heart”.
In a social media post following the arrest, she said her family had “prayed for this day to come… and for justice to prevail”.
“Richard was and always will be a son, a brother and a father who loved his family with all that he had and in return his family loved him unconditionally. The past seven weeks have been the most heart-breaking and stressful of all our lives,
“As Richard’s book of life is written this chapter is now closed, with the remaining chapters yet to be written, undoubtedly, they will be filled with more tears as we navigate the times ahead, watching, waiting and praying for justice to be served.”
Leman thanked police for their commitment and determination to find his alleged murderer.
The man charged with murder was granted name suppression, and is scheduled to appear in court later this month.
National’s deputy leader says Christopher Luxon was joking when he encouraged people to “have more babies”.
Christopher Luxon Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Luxon was answering questions about New Zealand’s immigration settings while outlining National’s infrastructure policies in Christchurch yesterday.
“Immigration’s always got to be linked to our economic agenda and our economic agenda says we need people.
“I mean, here’s the deal, essentially New Zealand stopped replacing itself in 2016.
“I encourage all of you to go out there, have more babies if you wish, that would be helpful.”
Speaking to reporters today, the party’s deputy leader Nicola Willis was asked if she believed people needed to have more babies in New Zealand
“No, that is the decision for individuals depending on their desires and their family circumstances. I think what you’re referring to is a joke that Christopher Luxon made.”
Willis said National would never be a party that told people what the right size for their family was.
“The National Party does not have a policy that we want to encourage women to change their decisions about their family size or change guidance to men for that matter either and to suggest otherwise is ridiculous.”
“He made a joke.”
Luxon’s comments follow a spat between both major parties after the Labour’s campaign chair Megan Woods likened National’s prescriptions policy to the dystopian TV show and novel The Handmaid’s Tale.
Primary teachers have voted to accept the latest Ministry of Education collective agreement offer.
Photo: 123RF
In a statement this morning, NZEI Te Riu Roa said the offer was the fourth put to teachers.
It followed a long negotiation campaign which included the largest education strike in this country’s history.
A teachers’ protest march in Auckland on 20 March. Photo: RNZ / Jordan Dunn
The settlement includes a six percent pay increase in July, with two further increases in July and December 2024.
A lump sum payment of $3000 would be made in July, plus an additional $1500 for union members.
Classroom release times will increase from 10 to 25 hours per term and mileage allowances are to go up.
NZEI Te Riu Roa president Mark Potter said the more than doubling of classroom release time was the biggest win and the first increase since 2005.
“The work demands on teachers have skyrocketed in the last couple of decades and this means teachers will have more time to plan, assess and do individual work with students.”
The settlement also includes “significant” increases in Māori Immersion Teacher Allowance, the introduction of the Pasifika Bilingual Immersion Teaching Allowance, a rise in the reliever pay cap, and provisional to full certification costs paid for beginning teachers.
Potter said moving the cap on reliever teacher pay rates was a step toward paying experienced relief teachers fairly, and should make it easier for schools to find relievers.
Paeone Goonan, a resource teacher of learning and behaviour based at Ōpōtiki College and a member of the negotiating team, said the introduction of the cultural leadership allowances and the increase to the Māori Immersion Teaching Allowance were “historic improvements”.
“They acknowledge the skills and expertise of those kaiako and their culture and will compensate those teachers who are doing the mahi anyway, such as assisting with the new Aotearoa histories curriculum or teaching kapa haka.”
Last week, primary teachers called off strike action as they awaited the revised government offer.
Newtown Primary School deputy principal Leanne Whitfield said previous offers from the ministry were not good enough.
“The pay jolt we got a few years ago has mostly disappeared through inflation, but actually the impact on teachers through dealing with a very wide range of needs in our classrooms is a much greater problem at the moment.”
She said people would be shocked if they knew how under-resourced schools were.
Teacher Mary Bluck previously said a pay rise was not the most important issue for her.
“It’s about work conditions, smaller class sizes and greater support for our students,” she said.
“I’m striking for our children. Our children at this point in the junior school have not had a normal school or education life due to Covid and so they have greater needs and we don’t have the resources to support them in the way we’d like.”
School principals are backing the government’s crackdown on youth vaping, but say more needs to be done to combat what they are calling a crisis.
Photo: Unsplash
From August, all vapes sold will need removable or replaceable batteries – effectively banning disposable vapes.
New vape shops cannot be set up within 300 metres of schools or marae.
The government is also outlawing flavour names such as “strawberry jelly donut” to make them less attractive to children.
Announcing the changes on Tuesday, Minister of Health Ayesha Verrall said too many teenagers were vaping and the restrictions would have a big impact on the number taking up the habit.
Young people RNZ spoke to in central Christchurch were not so sure.
“I think young people will still be able to get them even with all of those measures … vapes are at every dairy on every corner and you can order them online, it’s all around us,” one teenager said.
“I think teenagers will still find a way to get it, because it’s teenagers and they always do, but hopefully they can stop little kids from getting hold of them,” another said.
The latest figures show youth vaping is increasing.
A recent survey by ASH New Zealand found daily vaping among 13- to 14-year-olds had shot up by 209 percent.
Meanwhile, Ministry of Health statistics showed the number of 15- to 17-year-olds who vaped every day had quadrupled in three years, from two percent in 2018-19 to eight percent in 2021-22.
Principals Federation president Leanne Otene said it was not just a problem for high schools – intermediates across the country, including hers, were dealing with it every day and teachers were feeling powerless.
“It’s definitely hard to police because it doesn’t leave an odour, it can be done in corners and it’s not something like smoking where it was easily detectable. There was some discussion about putting vaping detectors in schools but that’s just not possible, it’s just too expensive to do that.”
Otene said anything to make vaping less attractive to kids was a positive step.
“The mere fact that vaping comes in bubblegum and fruit flavours begs the question of who is this marketed to. The announcement today about flavour names is a real indication that the government realises vaping is directed at our young people in terms of its sale and purchase.
“Vaping was originally a way to help people give up smoking, no one considered that our young people would take it up with such voracity,” she said.
Otene said vaping was particularly a problem for Māori youth.
“Statistics show a high percentage of Māori boys, 28 percent are vaping, and our Māori girls are at 39 percent, so it is a problem for Māori. If we can get it away from our marae, all the better.”
Jacqui Brown, principal of New Plymouth Girls’ High School, said she was glad to see the phasing-out of cheap, disposable vapes.
“Removing access to disposable vapes is probably the strongest step because I think that helps prevent young people starting to vape. Financially they’re more priced in that bracket that teenagers can get hold of that level of money,” she said.
Brown said she wanted to see more help for students who were addicted to vaping.
“One of the things we’re finding are a small but significant number of students saying they’re addicted and can’t get through the day without vaping. Something I’d really like to see is more access to help them stop vaping.”
Cambridge Middle School principal Daryl Gibbs said the regulations were a “good start”, and that a total ban, along the lines of Australia, could be looked at in the future.
“I mean everyone’s pointing towards Australia … and their changes to making it a prescription only. You know there is arguments for that, that will stop those that that need access for smoking cessation, from accessing it,” he said.
He said vaping started as a measure to support those who had an addiction to smoking, but has now become a huge problem among teenagers.
Minister of Health Ayesha Verrall said the restrictions struck a balance between preventing young people from starting to vape, while still helping adults to quit smoking cigarettes.
Plea for ‘harsher controls’
Asthma and Respiratory Foundation chief executive Leticia Harding said the new rules hadn’t gone far enough.
She told Morning Report they would have liked to see a cap on the 1290 specialist vape retailers around the country.
Harding said the government needed to invest in support for those youth who were now already addicted to nicotine because of vaping.
“We talk to Quitline all the time, they don’t have that expertise, the resources to help our rangatahi actually quit vaping and that’s not good enough.
“And the sad thing is that this had been, this was foreseeable. This was talked about in 2017 and here we are. And so the ministry needs to do harsher controls around the space.”
Three thousands New Zealanders have now died from the Covid-19 virus, the Ministry of Health record shows.
In its latest report this week about the number of new cases it said there have been 12,028 Covid-19 cases reported in New Zealand over the past week.
The numbers cover Monday, May 29 to Sunday, June 4. Case numbers continue to fall, with 2343 fewer cases recorded than the week before.
As at midnight Monday there were 278 people in hospital with the virus.
Nine people were in an intensive care unit as at midnight Monday.
Fifty-nine more people with the virus have died, with the Ministry of Health explaining there was a higher than usual number of deaths reported “due to a backlog of deaths being coded”.
The ministry said two died in June, 13 in May, seven in April, three in March and three in January. The remainder of the deaths occurred in 2022.
The total number of deaths confirmed as attributable to Covid-19, either as the underlying cause of death or as a contributing factor, is 3001.The total number of deaths attributed to Covid-19 since the pandemic began now exceeds 3000 – reaching 3001.
The Institute of Environmental Science and Research said other tracked variants, such as FK.1.1 and XBB.1.5 remain in circulation.
FAKAMATALA FAKATONGA
A’u e mate’ ‘i Nu’u Sila’ ni ‘i he Koviti 19 ‘o fakalaka he 3000 talu ‘eni e tō ‘a e mahaki faka’auha fakamamani lahi’ ni ‘i he ta’u ‘e tolu kuo hili’.
I heene lipooti fakamuimui he uike ni ki he lahi ‘o e ngaahi keisi fo’ou ne pehē ai ko e toko 12,028 ‘i he uike kuo ‘osi.
Ko e fika ko ia kau ai ‘a e Monite Me ‘aho 29 ki he Sapate Sune ‘aho 4 ka ne mahino ‘oku ‘alu ke holo ‘a e fika’ ‘aki ‘a e toko 2343 mei he uike ki mu’a ai’.
I he tu’uapo Mōnite’ na’e toko 278 ‘i fale mahaki ma’u ‘e he vailasi’.
Toko hiva ne nau ‘i he ‘initenisivikea he tu’uapō Mōnite’.
Ne mate ha toe kakai ‘e toko 59 pea ‘i he fakamatala mei he Potungāue Mo’ui’ ne ki’i ngali kehe ‘a e ma’olunga ange fika ‘o e kau mate ‘i he angamaheni.
Pehe ‘e he potungaue ko e toko ua ne mate ‘i Sune, 13 ‘i Me, toko fitu ‘i ‘Epeleli, toko tolu ‘i Ma’asi pea toko tolu ‘i Sanuali. Ko e toenga ‘o e ate ne hoko ia ‘i he 2022.
Ko e lahi fakakatoa ‘o e mate kuo fakapapau’i ko e tupu mei he Koviti 19 pe ko ‘ene hoko ‘a e Koviti ko ha fakitoa tānaki a’u hake ‘eni ki he toko 3001.
Ko e genomic surveillance fakamuimui taha ‘oku ha ko e XBB.1.6 ‘a e fotunga kehe lahi taha kuo ne kama ‘a Nu’u Sila ‘o ne fakafofonga ‘a e peseta ‘e 24 ‘o e ngaahi keisi.
Ne pehē ‘e he Institute of Environmental Science and Research oku kei vilovilo holo pe mo e ngaahi fotunga kehe hange ko e FK.1.1 mo e XBB.1.5.
