Tongan Member of New Zealand Parliament Jenny Salesa has paid heartfelt tribute to a beloved community matriarch whose unwavering dedication and leadership left an indelible mark on the lives of many.
Leiola Finau. Photo/Supplied
Leiola Finau, a Tongan mother and teacher at the Catholic Church’s McAuley High School in Ōtāhuhu’s death has been remembered.
Known for her generosity and tireless efforts to uplift those around her, Finau’s passing has been deeply felt across the community.
MP Salesa described the mother as being a valuable teacher to the community’s children.
“May you Rest in God’s Eternal Love Mrs Leiola Finau. Thank you so much for your dedication, your service and for teaching so many of our McAuley Girls students which included our daughters”, Salesa wrote on Facebook.
McAuley High School is in shock following the devastating news.
” It is with great sadness that our school whānau announces that our dear friend and school mum, Leiola Finau, has gone to God this morning after falling ill this week”, it said on Facebook.
“Leiola served McAuley as Head of Lea Faka-Tonga. She was a lot more than that to our school and faith community. From 2006, she has served as a support staff member before retraining to teach” a post on the school’s Facebook read.
It said Finau was recently a Dean over the last six years, receiving the title ‘Dean for Life.’
“Leiola became a pillar of the McAuley and Ōtāhuhu Parish Communities. She has always been an integral part of every Special Character event of the school.
“We are beyond grateful that we were blessed with Leiola – her prayers for us, her heart, her leadership, and her service.
“She made it known to staff and students about her high expectations of us all.
“We will miss our uniform police, and her infamous “helloooooooooo.”
Finau was a teacher at Kelana High School in Tonga before relocating to New Zealand.
The McAuley School’s post regarding her passing stated that Finau “lived to serve God.”
“We can’t imagine McAuley without our Tongan mum but we know Leiola would expect us to do our best and continue to pray” read the post.
“Our love and prayers go out to Hinemoa and all her siblings, George, Johnny, Sela and all her grandchildren.
Leiola, mālō ‘i he me’a kotoa. Kuo lava ho fatongia, ho ngaue mateaki, ‘osikiavelenga mo e ‘ofa ‘iate kimautolu fanau ako mo e kau faiako hono koto’a”.
Disturbing images reveal emaciated dogs that have suffered from prolonged neglect and starvation.
Animal Welfare encourages dog owners to embrace their responsibility and prioritizes the well-being of their pets. Photo/Tonga Animal Society Welfare (Facebook)
The Tonga Animal Society Welfare (TASW) shared the photo on Facebook, stating that the dogs’ owner was reportedly on an overseas vacation while leaving them unattended.
Kaniva News was unable to verify the authenticity of the information independently.
TASW has urged the community to contact them if they need help caring for their dogs.
The post described the dogs as “skinny,” and said that was heartbreaking.
“We have received so many call outs this week from friends of TAWS about dogs who appear to have been left at home without food and water while their families travel”, it said on Facebook.
It advised the community, “If you want your dog to keep your property safe and secure while you are away, you need to make sure somebody is feeding them”.
“If you have asked or paid someone to feed your dogs and you are concerned about them, let us know and we are happy to do a drive by and a welfare check and report back to you.
“Please be responsible pet owners and make sure you leave food and water for your dogs even if you are only travelling one or two days”.
On social media, several people said the revelation was unacceptable.
One wrote: ” Very sad and irresponsible.”
Another person wrote: ” Awwwwww they look so sad n hungry.”
“Whereabout is this property pls? Care to share? May be we can do something about it?”
TAWS describes itself on Facebook as “a not for profit organisation to help animal welfare in the Kingdom of Tonga”.
The minister of police, Piveni Piukala, said he had declined the Air Terminal Services (ATS) boss’s request to grant a permit for an aircraft to land in Tonga on Sunday.
ATS Boss Paul Karalus (L) and Minister of Police Piveni Piukala
Mr Piukala made the move in response to his growing concern over the escalating trafficking of illicit drugs across the kingdom’s borders.
The Minister said he received the request through the Acting Commissioner of Police to allow the medivac aircraft to airlift two alleged tourist patients who had been in an emergency state in Tonga on Sunday, 2.
He claimed the request had been originated from the ATS boss Paul Karalus.
Kaniva News contacted Mr Karalus for comment.
Mr Piukala said that, upon further inquiry, he felt that the request may not have been intended for medical evacuation purposes, as initially claimed.
He said he learned from the Minister of Health that the Ministry had not been informed of patients requiring emergency airlift transport to overseas facilities.
Mr Piukala said the Minister of Health claimed the tourists had been discharged from the hospital a day after their admission and were residing in a motel.
Suspicious
Mr Piukala said he became even more suspicious after learning that the air ambulance had not arrived the following Monday.
The Minister also questioned the procedure and wanted to know why such a request came from ATS, not the Ministry of Health.
He said he had contacted the Acting Commissioner of Police and informed them that he had declined the request because there was no ” life-threatening” case.
Mr Piukala said he had been concerned regarding the “timing of the request”, which had been made amidst the ongoing drug trafficking crisis impacting the country, he told Katalina Tohi of Broadcomm 87.5FM.
The news comes after the Minister recently said he had received photographs of ships allegedly lowering their cranes into the seas in Vava’u, implying that that may be one of the ways used by drug traffickers.
The Minister announced last week that new initiatives have been implemented to enhance border security in order to combat drug trafficking.
ATS
ATS is a local Tongan company and one of only two in the Pacific that has been approved to conduct Ground Service Provider (GSP) operations at airports. The other company, also named ATS, is based in Fiji.
ATS Tonga shareholders are EM Jones Group, TETA Tours, and Pacific Forum Line. These companies have been ground handlers since 2004, when the Government mandated the establishment of a single GSP to enhance the security of international services at Fua’amotu Airport and Lupepau’u Airport.
ATS with 20 years of service to Tonga’s aviation has established ground handling contracts with all international carriers operating flights into Tonga. These carriers are required to utilize ISAGO-registered Ground Service Providers (GSPs) wherever such services are available.
Sunday law
Tonga prohibits any business activities and trading on Sunday.
However, there are exceptions including emergencies.
The Minister of Police, with the approval of the Cabinet Minister, has the authority to permit an individual or company to conduct business operations on Sunday, provided that they present valid and justifiable reasons for such a request.
WASHINGTON -The Trump administration rolled out a new app on Monday that will allow immigrants in the United States illegally to “self deport” rather than face possible arrest and detention, building on President Donald Trump’s deportation push.
FILE PHOTO: Colombians deported from the United States arrive at El Dorado International Airport in Bogota
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection app, called CBP Home, will offer an option for someone to signal their “intent to depart,” the agency said.
“The CBP Home app gives aliens the option to leave now and self-deport, so they may still have the opportunity to return legally in the future and live the American dream,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in a statement. “If they don’t, we will find them, we will deport them, and they will never return.”
Trump, a Republican, has vowed to deport record numbers of migrants in the U.S. illegally. Trump’s initial deportation numbers lagged the monthly average in fiscal year 2024 under Democrat Joe Biden, although Biden’s deportations included many recent border crossers.
The Trump administration has taken other steps that could pressure immigrants in the United States illegally to leave.
A Trump administration regulation set to take effect April 11 would require people lacking legal status to register with the federal government or face fines or jail time.
CBP Home replaces an app known as CBP One that was launched under Biden. The Biden-era app included a feature that allowed some one million migrants in Mexico to schedule an appointment to request entry at a legal border crossing.
Republicans criticized the Biden program, saying it facilitated mass migration to the United States and did not adequately vet migrants.
Trump shut down CBP One hours after taking office, leaving migrants with pending appointments stranded and unsure of next steps.
‘Apifo‘ou College, Tonga’s oldest high school, is organizing a reunion to celebrate 160 years.
The new chapel’s conceptual design.
Founded in 1865 by the French Marist Brothers at Ahopanilolo as St Stanislaus College, the biggest Catholic school has had different names since then.
In 1987, while it was known as St John’s High School, it merged with St Mary’s High School and was renamed Apifo‘ou College.
Another historical event marking the anniversary was the publication of the first book in English about the school’s history.
As Kaniva News reported recently, the new book has been recognized as a groundbreaking contribution to the history of the church and Tonga.
The book “Catholic Church in Tonga” focuses on its history, missionaries, and timeline and has been translated from French by Dr Felise Tāvō, an ex-student and former dux of Apifo’ou College.
The celebration is set to take place next month, April 24 until 28.
This year’s anniversary is all about gearing up to rebuild the school’s chapel, which was damaged by Tropical Cyclone Gita in 2018.
The program for the celebration:
Wednesday 24 April – Mass at the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary Immaculate
Friday 25 April – 160th Anniversary Ball, to be held at the Hall in ‘Apifo’ou
Saturday 26 April – March from ‘Ahopanilolo to ‘Apifo’ou, AGM.
Monday 28 April, Mass at ‘Apifo’ou College to commemorate the day of Peter Sanele, the patron saint of the college.
At least 11 people were killed and 30 wounded, including five children, in an overnight attack on the town of Dobropillia, about 15 miles from the frontline in the Donestsk region of eastern Ukraine.
The attacks come as the Ukrainian war is at a critical point, with the United States having halted military aid and intelligence sharing with Kyiv as part of efforts to pressure it into accepting a peace agreement. The move has left Ukraine even more vulnerable to Russian attacks.
Trump has said he is “strongly considering large-scale banking sanctions and tariffs” on Russia until a “ceasefire and a final peace settlement agreement” with Ukraine is reached.
His statement comes after Moscow launched a massive drone and missile attack on Ukrainian energy and gas infrastructure on Thursday.
In addition to those killed, the latest strikes injured more than 30 others, Zelensky said, including five children.
Authorities said that more people could be trapped under the rubble, with at least eight residential buildings in the area damaged in the attack.
The Ukrainian police service said a Russian ballistic missile, rockets and attack drones hit eight multi-storey buildings as well as a shopping centre and dozens of cars.
The Ukrainian president described the strikes as “a vile and inhumane tactic of intimidation that Russians often use.”
Zelensky has said he will meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia next week ahead of negotiations between Kyiv and Washington. After that, his team will stay in Saudi Arabia “to work with our American partners,” he added, according to CNN.
A man from South Carolina, convicted of killing his ex-girlfriend’s parents with a blunt object, has become the first death row inmate in the US to be executed by firing squad in 15 years.
Brad Sigmon was declared dead at 6.08pm by on-site medical staff after three prison guards who volunteered for the grisly task fired at his heart with rifles from 15ft away.
Sigmon, 67, was convicted of murdering David and Gladys Larke with a baseball bat in 2001 before kidnapping his ex-girlfriend at gunpoint. She managed to escape as he shot at her.
He had requested death by firing squad over the other two state-approved methods of execution: electric chair and lethal injection.
Sigmon’s last meal was four pieces of fried chicken, green beans, mashed potatoes with gravy, biscuits, cheesecake, and sweet tea, according to Daily Mail.
Now, it has been revealed that during his last words, Sigmon listed four Bible quotes that he said showed that ‘nowhere does God in the New Testament give man the authority to kill another man’.
‘I want my closing statement to be one of love and a calling to my fellow Christians to help us end the death penalty,’ he said through his attorney. ‘We are now under God’s grace and mercy.’
After the guards shot Sigmon, his arm started to tremble and strain ‘as if he was trying to break free from the restraints’, according to his lawyer Gerald ‘Bo’ King.
In a statement, he also added: ‘It is unfathomable that, in 2025, South Carolina would execute one of its citizens in this bloody spectacle.’
Since 1977 only three people had died by firing squad, all three of them in the state of Utah. The last to die had been Ronnie Lee Gardner in 2010.
Ahead of Sigmon’s execution, anti-death penalty protesters held a rally outside the jail in the city of Columbia.
They held signs saying “all life is precious” and “thou shalt not kill”.
The state allows witnesses to observe the death from behind bulletproof glass, but the executioners are hidden from view to protect their identities.
South Carolina passed a law in 2023 requiring that the identities of the execution team members remain secret.
Sigmon received two death sentences for brutally murdering his ex-girlfriend’s parents, David Larke, 62, and Gladys Larke, 59, on April 27, 2001.
Having hatched a plan while high on crack cocaine the night prior, Sigmon showed up at the Larkes’ home with the intention of tying the couple up and kidnapping his ex Rebecca Armstrong at gunpoint.
Instead, Sigmon beat the Larkes to death with a baseball bat, hitting each of them nine times.
Sigmon then kidnapped Armstrong, but she managed to escape by jumping out of his moving car.
Sigmon confessed to the crime immediately.
He told jurors during his trial that he had no excuses for his behavior, but when Armstrong fell out of love with him something within him snapped.
‘Do I deserve to die? I probably do,’ he told jurors. ‘I don’t want to die. It would kill my mom, my brothers, and my sisters […] I just want to live for my family’s sake.’
COMMENTARY: Former Deputy Prime Minister Sāmiu Vaipulu could have told Parliament a lot more about how closely he has been involved in the crises surrounding Tonga’s domestic air services for the past 10 years.
Deputy Prime Minister Samiu Vaipulu
Hon. Vaipulu was speaking recently in the Parliament in response to a motion to stop the Hu’akavameiliku government from buying a new aircraft for its troubled Lulutai airlines. The purchase of the new aircraft in 2023 sparked considerable debate and controversy.
Hon. Vaipulu said he and other Cabinet Ministers made a proposal while they were ministers in the late Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa government to set up Lulutai airlines as a solution to the domestic airlines problems which ultimately stretched back to the shutting down of Royal Tongan Airlines.
The doomed national airlines’ flight services collapsed in 2004 before the government sided with the then Crown Prince Tupouto’a and created a one airline policy to give his Peau Vava’u airlines the sole right for the domestic air services, forcing the popular Fly Niu airlines out of the kingdom.
He said a decision by Parliament at the time to shut down the Royal Tongan Airlines caused a lot of trouble for travellers from outer islands.
What Hon. Vaipulu failed to say was the fact that the domestic airlines crisis after the fall of the Royal Tongan airlines venture and the closure of the airline Peau Vava’u in early 2007, had already been resolved after the New Zealand’s Pacific Chatham airline began serving Tongan domestic airlines in 2008.
This was four years after the Royal Tongan international flight services closed. The Peau Vava’u operation had caused many complaints and safety concerns about its 60 year old DC-3 aircraft as well as bad customer services and unexpected flight cancellations and schedule changes.
Chatham airlines started operation and servicing the domestic flights in April that year after the controversial Peau Vava’u airlines was shut down in January.
Domestic air services revival
Air Chatham came to the kingdom at the invitation of the Tongan government and revived domestic flight services.
It reached a point where the domestic services were described by the owner of Air Chatham Craig Emeny as “reliable and sustainable”.
“This has given the inbound tourist operators confidence to promote Tonga as a destination, and Tongan people have been provided with a safe and affordable airline with the lowest domestic seat cost per kilometre in the region”, Emeny said in a statement republished by Kaniva News on February 2013.
That article came after Emeny expressed his disappointment following an announcement by Hon. Vaipulu, who was then Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Civil Aviation, that a new Chinese MA 60 aircraft would arrive in Tonga shortly as part of the government’s plan to set up a new airline to compete with Air Chatham.
Emeny said at the time he was concerned that “Tonga simply is not large enough to support two airlines”.
He also said Hon, Vaipulu “did not include or consider my airline in anyway”.
“I am not able to maintain financially viability in the Tonga market with the introduction of another airline operating a 50 seat (MA-60) and a 17 seat (Y12) aircraft in competition to me”.
After the arrival of the MA60 aircraft the government set up its new domestic airlines in partnership with Real Tonga in March 2013 and air Chatham withdrew its services from the kingdom. The MA60 proved to be a source of continuing controversy.
At the time Hon. Vaipulu said publicly that Real Tonga would provide cheaper airfares.
MA60 troubles
Controversy surrounded the MA60, after it was revealed that it had a troubling safety record.
Since 2009, MA60 aircraft have been involved in 11 incidents, including three of them in the two months before the Tongan gift.
A month before it arrived in Tonga, Myanmar grounded its MA60 planes for safety checks after two crash landings.
The New Zealand government suspended millions of dollars in tourism aid to Tonga over concerns about the safety of its domestic airline service.
The New Zealand government also issued a travel warning to New Zealanders about flying on the aircraft.
Hon. Vaipulu was removed from the Minister of Civil Aviation in 2014 after a report to the International Civil Aviation Organisation was found to have errors. The details of the report were not released to the media.
The government’s initiative with Real Tonga failed in many respects, including failures to fulfil Hon. Vaipulu’s promise of cheaper fares.
There were lots of ongoing complaints about customer service issues, flight schedules unexpected changes and cancellations. Real Tonga finally ceased operation in 2020 after the government took back its aircrafts.
Hon. Vaipulu, who had supported the setting up of Real Tonga, proposed to the Tu’i’onetoa government that it be closed down and Lulutai airlines be established in 2020.
Hon. Vaipulu is now trying to defend the purchase of a new aircraft for the troubled Lulutai airlines, even though many in the House are unconvinced it will improve domestic services.
Lulutai has caused a lot of trouble to the tourism industry by providing uncertain flight services and reaching the point where it has only been able to survive because Australia has been paying Fiji airlines to run Tonga’s domestic services.
Vaipulu rejects king’s advice
As Kaniva News reported previously in 2021 the king said the government should not run businesses, a statement opposed at the time by Hon. Vaipulu.
“A question was raised in the Cabinet whether the king’s concerns included the government’s operating the Lulutai Airlines,” Vaipulu said in Tongan.
He also said: “I told the Prime Minister Lulutai Airlines is our means of transportation from Tonga to Vava’u. It is the responsibility of the government to create that route so we can use it. As a result, the aircraft must fly in that route we have prepared. And that’s the answer to His Majesty.”
The government has announced that military personnel would soon join police in addressing the country’s drug crisis.
A photo apparently taken at eastern Vava’u purported to show what appeared to be a vessel lowering its crane into the sea. Photo/Vava Lapota (Neiafu Town Officer)
Piveni Piukala, the Minister for Police, said the move was part of the Ministry’s new efforts to combat drug trafficking and transnational crime.
He said that the army will assist the police solely in a patrol capacity.
Mr Piukala said he received photographs of vessels lowering their cranes into deep waters in the Vava‘u islands.
The Minister did not provide any details of those photographs, but he was implying that this may be one of the means utilized for smuggling illicit drugs into the country.
Meanwhile, Neiafu, Vava’u town officer Vava Lapota, shared photos purported to show a ship with what appeared to be its crane being lowered into the sea. Kaniva News was unable to verify the authenticity of the image.
The revelation follows cocaine packages that washed up on beaches on Vava’u in 2021.
In 2012, Tongan authorities seized more than 200kg of cocaine destined for Australia from a yacht stranded on an uninhabited atoll with a badly decomposed body on board.
Mr Piukala said the government has reactivated the Illicit Drugs Response Team, which was established to address drug-related issues. The team last convened in January 2024.
Installation of CCTV cameras at borders, airports, and wharfs was underway, he said.
Tonga’s efforts at sea borders come after New Zealand authorities discovered a strange pink-and-black pontoon bobbing back and forth in international waters near the Cook Islands in February 2023. It was found that the jetsam was 81 bales of cocaine, held together with fishing nets and floating on a bed of yellow buoys, New Lines Magazine reported.
According to the New Zealand Police, at the time, the 3.5-ton cache was worth $290 million.
They believed if the haul remained undiscovered it would have been picked up by a second vessel to be smuggled onward.
The report by the New Lines Magazine said Mexico’s two biggest organized criminal groups, the Sinaloa Cartel and the Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generacion, are also alleged to have conscripted local political leaders into a trade worth tens of billions of dollars.
