More than 30 Tongans have arrived in New Zealand to join the Recognised Seasonal Employers (RSE) Scheme.
.. Photo: Supplied/NZ Ethical Employers
An Air New Zealand flight left the Tongan capital Nukua’lofa on Tuesday and arrived in Auckland with passengers and cargo from the island.
RSE official Emma Sherwood said this was the first contingent of workers – 32 of them – from the Kingdom since the volcanic eruption and tsunami more than two weeks ago.
“They are going to a number of employers in Hawke’s Bay and Nelson as we come into the pip fruit harvest,” Sherwood said.
“But they will likely be given the opportunity to work in other sectors and different crops that come to harvest as well.”
Sherwood said the focus was now on helping bring more Tongan labourers to work in Aotearoa’s RSE Scheme.
The decision followed the devastation caused by the disaster on 15 January.
Three people died as a result and there was widespread damage to homes, resorts and infrastructure.
Sherwood said New Zealand stands ready to assist the Tongans.
“You know the first question in my first meeting post the tragic eruption with the Tongan group that we work with was what can we do? How can we still get people to New Zealand?
“They were so aware of how important the scheme would be going forward to ensure that workers are able to send money home to support their families.”
There are 800 Tongans in NZ’s RSE Scheme and majority of them work on average for seven months before heading back home, said Sherwood.
Fiji has reported three more deaths and 460 new cases of Covid-19 in the community.
There are now 1,558 active cases in isolation with the death toll at 801.
The deaths were recorded between last Thursday and Friday.
The Government also confirmed that all three victims, aged 46 to 92, had died at home.
A health worker prepares a dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine for a resident at a drive-through vaccination centre in Suva. Photo: AFP / Leon Lord
Health Secretary Dr James Fong said the 92-year-old woman was from the Central Division.
The 46-year-old woman from the Western Division, had significant pre-existing comorbidities, Dr Fong said.
He said the 79-year old woman from the Central Division had a congenital comorbidity.
“Please note that due to the time required by clinical teams to investigate, classify and report deaths, a 4-day interval is given to calculate the seven days rolling average of deaths, based on the date of death, to help ensure the data collected is complete before the average is reported,” Dr Fong said.
He said as of January 20, the national seven-day rolling average for Covid-19 deaths per day was 2.9, with a case fatality rate of 1.32 percent.
“We have recorded 839 Covid-19 positive patients who died from other serious medical conditions unrelated to Covid-19.
“Their doctors determined that Covid-19 did not contribute to their deaths, therefore, these are not classified as Covid-19 deaths.”
Dr Fong said there were 100 Covid-19 patients in hospital – 42 in the west, 37 in the central division and 21 in the north.
Over 500,000 doses of Pfizer going to Fiji
A commitment of more than half a million doses of the Pfizer vaccine from New Zealand and Australia is expected to boost Fiji’s fight against Covid-19 over the next three months.
The first batch of 175,000 doses arrived in Fiji on Tuesday.
Fiji’s Health Secretary James Fong says the vaccine will be used for children aged 12 years and above, as well as the Covid-19 booster programme.
New Zealand had also committed 100,000 doses.
Australian High Commissioner to Fiji, John Feakes, said Australia would work with UNICEF and Fiji’s Health Ministry to improve the nation’s cold chain storage to support the rollout of the Pfizer vaccine.
Tonga have only four active cases of Covid this morning, a day after it was confirmed five people tested positive.
Minister of Health Dr Saia Piukala. Photo/Screenshot (FM87.5 online)
Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku said one patient has recovered.
Health official tested 389 suspects yesterday. The results all came back negative.
The Minister of Health Hon Saia Piukala said this morning during a press conference that “Covid-19 is everywhere and is here to stay”.
He said people have to learn to live with it.
He said it says “we learn from our mistakes but God has given Tonga an opportunity to learn from others mistakes”.
Hon Piukala said he was referring to the opportunity of about two years the country was Covid free while the government was gearing up before this week’s first community transmissions.
Health CEO Dr Siale ‘Akau’ola said it was pleasing to see that Tonga was prepared to tackle the pandemic.
He said people can save many lives and help control the pandemic if they all commit to following mask guidelines and other standard preventive measures.
This was the third press conference held by the Prime Minister to update the country’s transmission which led to a five-day lockdown beginning yesterday.
A man’s body has been found by police divers in a lake on Auckland’s North Shore.
Lake Pupuke (file picture). (Source: istock.com)
The Police National Dive Squad was deployed to Lake Pupuke in Takapuna, after the man got into difficulty and disappeared into the water on Tuesday night.
“Despite efforts from his friend, the man disappeared into the water,” police said in a statement on Wednesday.
The body was recovered late on Thursday.
“Our thoughts are with the man’s friends and family at this difficult time, and Police are ensuring there is support for the family in place,” the police said.
Police are referring the man’s death to the coroner.
New Zealanders in Australia will be able to return home by the end of the month under a five-stage reopening plan announced by the government today.
The first stages of the plan would see returning vaccinated New Zealanders able to go into self-isolation and taking a test on arrival, rather than going into managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ).
The five stages:
11.59pm 27 February: Self-isolation opens for New Zealanders and eligible travellers coming from Australia
11.59pm 13 March: Open to New Zealanders and eligible travellers from the rest of the world; skilled workers earning at least 1.5x median wage; working holiday visas
11.59pm 12 April: Offshore temporary visa holders who still meet visa requirements; 5000 international students; consideration of further class exemptions for critical workforces that do not meet the 1.5x median wage test
By July: Anyone from Australia; visa-waiver travel; a new Accredited Employer Work Visa opens and skilled worker exemption is phased out
In October: Border reopens to the rest of the world, all visa categories fully reopen
Unvaccinated travellers would still go into MIQ, but with less demand the Defence Force would begin withdrawing and some facilities would return to being hotels. A core quarantine capacity would be maintained and scaled up, to become a National Quarantine Service.
The self-isolation period for returning travellers would match that for close contacts under the government’s phased approach to Omicron: 10 days under phase one, seven days under phase two and three.
All arrivals will be given three rapid antigen tests, returning results on day 0/1 and on day 5/6, with one extra test. Positive results will be confirmed with a PCR test.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern revealed the plan in a speech to Business New Zealand this morning, in which she defended the government’s use of MIQ.
“It’s easy to hear the word MIQ and immediately associate it with heartache. There is no question that for New Zealand it has been one of the hardest parts of the pandemic,” she said.
“But the choice to use it undeniably saved lives … MIQ meant not everyone could come home when they wanted to but it also meant that Covid could not come in when it wanted to, either.”
She said the tools used to help battle the health crisis had not stayed the same, and while some may feel anxious about the reopening plan, the isolation, testing and high vaccination rates would help keep the virus from spreading too quickly.
Ardern said the government would be continually monitoring the value of self-isolation, and it was possible it may not be needed in the “not too distant future”.
She also confirmed she would lead trade delegations this year to Australia, Asia, the United States and Europe.
“New Zealand is in demand. Our exports are at record highs, people want to live and work here, international students want to study here, our friends and whānau want to return,” she said.
“Covid laid bare our unsustainable reliance on temporary migrant labour. Immigration will continue to be a part of our economic story, but we have the opportunity now to build resilience into our workforces while also attracting the skills and talent we need. We have a chance to do things differently.”
“I hear much talk of a return to business as usual but we are better than business as usual … we must now carve our own recovery. On our terms.”
“We are vaccinated, increasingly boosted, and continue to prepare ourselves at home and work with a plan – and so now it is time to move forward together, safely.”
The critical worker border exemptions under Step 1 of the border reopening would cover:
An eight-year-old boy has died after he allegedly attempted to climb up an aluminum ladder in his home in Kolofo’ou last week.
It is believed the house against which the ladder was placed had electrical faults, a Tonga Power Limited (TPL) spokesperson told radio FM 87.5 online this morning.
The boy was trying to get up to the roof to fetch a brush that was forgotten there, the radio reported.
He was rushed to hospital before he was confirmed dead.
The TPL spokesperson said they were awaiting medical reports.
The victim’s family used the ladder previously to remove volcanic ash which blanketed the house after last month’s volcanic eruption.
The powerful eruption on 15 January sent gas 20km into the air, prompted a tsunami, with waves reaching up to 15 metres (49ft), and blanketed the country in ash.
Four people died as a result and the government estimates that 85 percent of people in the country have been affected by it. In some islands and villages, every single house was destroyed by the tsunami.
The gap between second and third doses of the Covid-19 vaccine is being shorted from four months to three, the government has announced.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins and Director-General of Health Ashley Bloomfield made the announcement this afternoon.
Ardern said Cabinet made the decision on the advice of the Vaccine Technical Advisory Group, and it would mean a million more New Zealanders would be eligible for their booster shot.
The shorter interval, which only applies to the Pfizer vaccine, would take effect on Friday, 4 February.
“It now means a total of 3,063,823 people aged 18 and over – two thirds of our population – will be eligible for their booster from this weekend. Over 1.3 million people have already got theirs,” Hipkins said.
The change would mean more people, especially Māori, would be able to receive a booster before Omicron took hold, he said, urging anyone who was eligible to get their booster as soon as possible.
Ardern said an extra 100,000 Māori will be eligible for a booster, representing a 59 percent increase in Māori eligibility from Friday, while an additional 52,000 Pacific people will be eligible, representing a 47 percent increase.
Ardern said the reason for getting the booster was clear – Omicron was usually more mild, but it could be severe for some.
“So don’t think getting a booster is just about keeping yourself safe, it’s about ensuring our hospital and health system is not overwhelmed so those you love and everyone in our community who needs our hospitals can get the care they need.”
Hipkins said New Zealand was one of the top-10 most vaccinated countries in the OECD, and the earlier booster would also help reduce the impacts of Omicron on workforces and supply chains.
“We have given ourselves a head start that we cannot afford to give up,” he said.
People can check their eligibility on MyCovidRecord, by referring to their vaccine appointment card, or calling 0800 28 29 26 between 8am and 8pm seven days a week.
Ardern said today that 94 percent of New Zealanders over the age of 12 were fully vaccinated.
“A year ago, achieving that level of community immunity would have been considered incredibly ambitious, but the overwhelming majority of the team of five million have done what they’ve done best this entire pandemic, banded together and turned out to get vaccinated not just for themselves but to keep their loved ones and communities safe.”
The high rates had helped stop a Delta outbreak and given New Zealand a head start against Omicron, but now the number boosted needed to get as high as possible, she said.
The government would create a big booster campaign during February, with details to be provided by the Ministry of Health next week, Ardern said.
Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield speaking about boosters this afternoon. Photo: RNZ
Dr Bloomfield acknowledged the work put in by vaccination teams across the country in achieving 94 percent vaccination. Māori vaccination rates were now up to 90 percent first dose and 85 percent second dose, he said.
Ardern said there had been a significant boost in funding for community organisations which was helping support the efforts to help vaccinate Māori around the country.
“What we’ve had to do is make sure that we’ve stood up a system that worked for Delta, now we need to make sure that we are able to expand to deal with what will be a larger number of cases but actually the majority of cases won’t need the level of care that delta may have required. So that has been an ongoing programme of work with our Māori providers.”
Dr Bloomfield said the impact of waning protection over time from the vaccine had been seen.
“The good news is that there is clear evidence with that booster dose of the Pfizer vaccine, that people’s protection goes back up to a similar level to what it was for Delta with two doses, and that is well over 90 percent protection against hospitalisation or serious illness.”
He urged everyone to make a plan, and said there was excellent capacity for vaccinations across the system.
“Whilst we can’t administer boosters to everyone in that one million this Friday, I can assure you we have excellent capacity across our system and we certainly have a good supply of vaccine.”
It was even more important for vulnerable people and those working in higher-risk settings to get the booster, and considerable work was under way to make boosters as available as possible to those people, Bloomfield said.
New Zealand data so far was similar to that overseas – we had not seen an increase in side effects, and overall adverse events after each additional vaccination had declined, he said.
He had asked for advice on when 12- to 17-year-olds would be able to get booster doses.
Ardern said the reason behind the delay until Friday was the government needed to make sure all the infrastructure was stood up.
New Zealand was still relatively early on in its Omicron outbreak compared to other countries, and there was still time for people to get their booster in the coming week and have the benefit of it before the variant spread widely, she said.
Dr Bloomfield said New Zealand was an early mover in reducing the booster interval from six months to four, and was moving to reduce the interval again to three months before the Omicron outbreak, which was something many other countries did not have the opportunity to do.
Ministry of Health Chief Science Advisor Ian Town said bringing it forward to three months, which had been done in the UK and in many Australian states, meant New Zealand could get the level of antibodies at a peak before it was facing widespread transmission.
There did not appear to be any downside to reducing the interval to three months, he said.
Dr Bloomfield said he wanted to emphasise that the evidence was clear that while two doses was great for Delta, that was not the case with Omicron, “so we will be pushing really hard to vaccinate”.
This morning, Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson defended the government’s approach to pregnant journalist Charlotte Bellis’ emergency MIQ requests, and its acquisition of rapid antigen tests (RATs) ahead of an expected rapid increase in Omicron variant cases across New Zealand.
Cabinet yesterday discussed its plans for reopening the borders, and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is expected to make announcements about that tomorrow. A staged timeline was outlined late last year, but was quickly delayed because of the risks posed by Omicron.
The government this morning announced it would adding $70.7 million to its Events Support Scheme, and extending coverage to events scheduled for before 31 January next year that were planned before being cancelled by the red traffic light setting.
A man has pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Fau Vake, a rising MMA fighter who was punched in a late night attack in Auckland last year.
Liufau Vake known as Fau died in hospital nine days after the attack. Photo: Instagram / Fau Vake
Liufau Vake, 25, known as Fau, died in hospital nine days after being hit late at night outside a bar on Symonds St. He was in critical care and underwent surgery to try relieve pressure on his brain.
Today in the Auckland High Court, Daniel Havili pleaded guilty to the manslaughter of Fau Vake, and to assaulting Fau’s brother Ika Vake, who survived. Havili’s name suppression lapsed today and he can be named for the first time.
Another man, Siofilisi Paongo, pleaded guilty to assaulting Ika Vake.
Both men initially pleaded not guilty and were set to be tried in court later this year. They will now be sentenced on April 12 this year.
A total of four men were charged. Three have now pleaded guilty, and one denies his charges and will go to trial this year.
In August last year Ofa He Mooni Folau, 29, was sentenced after he pleaded guilty to two charges of assaulting with intent to injure.
“That’s not good enough for being part of an attack that took a man’s life,” Dan Hooker said outside court in August 2021.
“Six months, stay at home? That’s Covid restrictions,” Hooker said, who’s also an MMA fighter. “100 percent the laws have to change.”
Neither the Crown nor the defence contended that Folau was responsible for Fau’s death, but the judge said Folau had punched Fau Vake three times in the head with a closed fist. Vake was subsequently assaulted by others and was rendered unconscious. He was taken to hospital and required surgery to relieve pressure on his brain, and died nine days later.
The judge in Folau’s sentencing said Vake and his brother were trying to get away from the men, and were not aggressors in the situation.
Tonga has gone into lockdown after five fresh cases of Covid were recorded in Nuku’alofa.
They included three new covid-19 cases which have been confirmed this afternoon bringing the total number of patients to five.
The latest transmission involved a woman and her 3 and 4 years old children.
The additional cases come after two port workers tested positive and their results were confirmed in a press conference last night.
The Ministry of Health is expected to update the situation every two days during the lockdown which began today at 6pm.
It is expected that more cases could be detected in the community after places of interest had been revealed.
As we reported this morning, a kindergarten in Fangaloto in eastern Nuku’alofa and a church in western Tongatapu have become close-contact locations of interest for Covid-19.
The Ministry of Health has asked anyone who was at the Matahau Free Wesleyan Church last Sunday at 10am and at 5.30pm on Monday 31 or at ‘Ela’s preschool at 11-12pm on Monday or the whole day on Tuesday to self-isolate and get tested immediately or contact the Ministry on phone 080019 or 0800935.
There are also four other close-contact venues in Tongatapu listed today, including a food outlet, liquor shop and a convenience store.
They are:
Saturday 29 January
12 – 1pm
Rodney Liquor in Fanga ‘O Pilolevu
1-2pm
Solomone Ikahihifo convenience store in Kolomotu’a
Sunday 30 January 2022
10am
Matahau Free Wesleyan Church prayer services
Monday 31 January
10-11am
MBF Bank
11am – 12pm
‘Ela’s kindergarten in Fangaloto
12-2pm
Chinese Shop KFC, Vuna Road opposite Taufa’āhau Domestic Wharf
5.30pm
Evening prayer service at Matahau Free Wesleyan Church
A kindergarten in eastern Nuku’alofa and a church in western Tongatapu have become close-contact locations of interest for Covid-19 as Tonga braces for a nationwide lockdown this evening at 6pm.
The Ministry of Health has asked anyone who was at the Matahau Free Wesleyan Church last Sunday at 10am and at 5.30pm on Monday 31 or at ‘Ela’s preschool at 11-12pm on Monday or the whole day on Tuesday to self-isolate and get tested immediately or contact the Ministry on phone 080019 or 0800935.
There are also four other close-contact venues in Tongatapu listed today, including a food outlet, liquor shop and a convenience store.
They are:
Saturday 29 January
12 – 1pm
Rodney Liquor in Fanga ‘O Pilolevu
1-2pm
Solomone Ikahihifo convenience store in Kolomotu’a
Sunday 30 January 2022
10am
Matahau Free Wesleyan Church prayer services
Monday 31 January
10-11am
MBF Bank
11am – 12pm
‘Ela’s kindergarten in Fangaloto
12-2pm
Chinese Shop KFC, Vuna Road opposite Taufa’āhau Domestic Wharf
5.30pm
Evening prayer service at Matahau Free Wesleyan Church
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It is believed the house against which the ladder was placed had electrical faults, a Tonga Power Limited (TPL) spokesperson told radio FM 87.5 online this morning.
The latest transmission involved a woman and her 3 and 4 years old children.