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Kiwi-Tongan woman complains after shipping drums of shopping turns to ice; company takes back compensation offer after dispute goes public

By
Kalino Latu
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A woman in Auckland said she was overwhelmed with anger after her five cargo drums of non-refrigerated goods arrived in Tonga frozen.

Lani Pongi Vaea accused the owner of the Tika Way cargo shipping in Papatoetoe, South Auckland of being negligent and not telling her the goods would be sent in a refrigerated container.

The goods included packs of wipes, rolls of toilet papers, tinned fish and beef, 20-litre buckets of paint, bags of white sugar and flour as well as other cans of food.

Vaea claimed the goods were unusable and not fit for consumption.

She said her shopping for her parents had ended up being thrown into the deep ocean (“laku ki he moana.”)

She said the paint looked like sand after it was defrosted.

The goods included packs of wipes, rolls of toilet papers, tinned fish and beef, 20-litre buckets of paint, bags of white sugar and flour as well as other cans of food. Photo/Lani Pongi Vaea (Facebook)

“I feel for my dad as he was looking forward to painting our house,” she said in Tongan on Facebook.

She also shared photos of the goods which appeared to have been taken in Tonga after they were unloaded from the container.

The photos showed what appear to be various frozen goods and the post received a number of supports for Vaea on Facebook.

The post racked up 358 reactions, 151 comments and had been shared 252 times.

Vaea cursed the company and said it would bear the brunt of her anger.

Tika Way response

Tika Way representative Kalo Koloamatangi said she was unhappy after she discovered her customer had shared the complaint on Facebook.

She said her service provided refrigerated shipping containers.

The goods included packs of wipes, rolls of toilet papers, tinned fish and beef, 20-litre buckets of paint, bags of white sugar and flour as well as other cans of food. Photo/Lani Pongi Vaea (Facebook)

Koloamatangi said she contacted her staff in Tonga who confirmed the goods had become blocks of ice.

She said she was willing to pay for the damage, but because the issue had been made public she had withdrawn her offer of compensation.

“They have posted it on Facebook and any problems on Facebook are difficult to be resolved,” she said in Tongan.

Koloamatangi said on Facebook the complainant contacted her, but instead of naming the complainant she likened them to the coronavirus.

She also denied an allegation made on a livestream video that she swore at the complainant.

She said she told the client she can pay back up to $700- $1000 but they weren’t happy with that.

Koloamatangi said her service had operated for two years and she felt for the complainant as it was her duty to look after her clients.

She said she was free to put whatever she wanted in her containers and how much she charged. She said her license could not be revoked unless she shipped illegal or prohibited goods.

She said the complainant threatened to see a lawyer, which she welcomed.

Ko e ongoongo’ ni ‘i he lea fakaTonga:

Lāunga ha fefine Tonga ko Lani Pongi Vaea ‘i Nu’u Sila he  ‘ai hake ‘ene ngaahi talamu ‘e nima ko e me’akai mo e me’a ki he fale kuo poloka ia ‘i he ‘aisi’ ‘i Tonga. Ko e ngaahi kane vali fale ‘eni, mo e me’akai kapa hangē ko e kapapulu mo e kapaika pea kau ai e pepa toilet, uaipa mo e suka pehē ki he mahoa’a. Kuo’ ne tukuaki’i ai ‘a e kautaha ‘ave uta koloa ko e Tika Way mo e tokotaha ko Kalo Koloamatangi ki he ngāue pango’ ni. Kuo fakamahino ‘e Kalo he ope’ ko ‘ene kautaha’ ko e kautaha fetuku koloa ‘aisi pea’ ne ‘osi fakahā mei he’ene kau ngāue ‘i Tonga’ ko e mo’oni ne tū’uta ange uta’ kuo poloka ia. Pehē ‘e Kalo ne ‘ai ke ne totongi fakafoki e maumau ko ‘eni’ ka kuo’ ne kaniseli hili ‘ene ‘ilo kuo ‘ave ia ‘e he tokotaha lāunga ‘o tufaki he Feisipuka’.

Heartbreaking: Tongan-US survivor of COVID-19 says “great courage” saved her; husband returned to ventilator

By
Kalino Latu
-

A compassionate Tongan mother who contracted Covid-19 in Salt Lake City said she recovered because she did not want to surrender to the disease.

Lotomo’ua Tu’akalau was isolated in her house along with three of her children while her husband Lelea Tu’akalau was fighting for his life in a hospital isolation ward.

Lotomo’ua said she understood there were a number of Tongans infected with Covid-19 in the US and she urged them to be strong.

She said while her husband was struggling with the disease she kept on telling him to keep fighting as he would be fine.

She said while in isolation, she lost appetite, was nauseous and frequently become unconscious.

She said she could no longer taste anything,  but forced herself to drink a lot of smoothies and energy drinks to keep her active.

She said when she became ill she felt weak and in pain for the first three days.

She said she tried hard to make sure she would not have any difficulty breathing because she did not want to end up in hospital, too, because of her children.

Lotomo’ua said her positive test result came after her three children also tested positive.

She said her children asked where she would stay  if her result came back negative.

Lotomo’ua was emotional and said she told her children if her result was negative she would never leave them, no matter what.

“Their question was so heartbreaking to me,” Lotomo’ua told Kaniva News.

“This disease takes away your sense of taste and you must force yourself to drink otherwise you will end up dehydrated, which puts you in a worse situation.”

Lotomo’ua and her children were cleared after three days. She was given 21 isolation days, mainly because of her job at the Salt Lake International Airport which included spraying aircraft cabins.

“If you are not courageous enough you will end up in hospital,” Lotomo’ua said.

“I tell you I had great courage.

“When Lelea put in a video call to me he could not look straight at me, but I urged him to look at me and be strong he would be fine.”

As Kaniva News reported last week, Lelea was on ventilator and Lotomo’ua had asked the community and relatives to pray for him.

On Monday Lotomo’ua celebrated after doctor removed the ventilator.

However, this morning she said Lelea was returned to the machine.

She said Lelea was struggling because of his diabetes.

International media reports said study showed that almost one in three deaths from Covid-19 among people in hospital in England during the pandemic have been associated with diabetes.

Get tested

Earlier this month Kaniva News ran  story  about a Tongan woman who was stranded in Auckland while her daughter was ill in the United States.

Tongan mother Sloane Tai Finau called for people to take the Covid-19 virus seriously.

“If any of you are feeling unwell, go and get tested,” Finau said.

The main points

  • A compassionate Tongan mother who contracted Covid-19 in Salt Lake City said she recovered because she did not want to surrender to the disease.
  • Lotomo’ua Tu’akalau was isolated in her house along with three of her children while her husband Lelea Tu’akalau was fighting for his life in a hospital isolation ward.

For more information

Tongan mother of Covid-19 victim in United States calls for people to take virus seriously

Time to give RSE workers a voice in the media and start asking hard questions says research

By
Philip Cass
-

Recognised Seasonal employee workers in New Zealand rarely have a voice in the New Zealand media, new research at Massey University has found.

Doctoral student Angie Enoka said coverage of the RSE scheme by regional media  tended to focus on official sources and employers’ views and almost never quoted workers.

Ms Enoka said she was inspired to research media coverage of the RSE scheme when, in her former role as a communication officer for the scheme, she noticed a disparity between what workers were telling her, from one Samoan to another, and what the media were publishing.

She examined 115 media articles from 2007 to 2012, in key regional newspapers in New Zealand’s busiest horticulture regions: Hawkes Bay, Marlborough, Nelson, Bay of Plenty and Southland.

Her research looked at coverage of the RSE in its first five years  by regional media.

Ms Enoka said even when workers were heard there appeared to be little understanding of the Pacific cultural values that would make it difficult for them to voice complaint or criticism.

Most articles quoted representatives of the horticulture and viticulture industries, who were predominantly European, she said.

Industry-affiliated individuals were the most frequent sources in articles, followed by government officials.

She said the two most common themes found in regional media centred on the idea that there was a labour shortage which represented employers’ views that a shortage of labour was the key reason for needing the scheme and reports on government policy.

Enoka said the media could have asked whether increased pay and better conditions could make the jobs more attractive to local workers. None of the articles she had seen quoted unemployed locals for other views on work and conditions.

Instead, regional media had “parroted the employer view that cheap imported labour was the only solution,” she said.

“With the closing of borders here and in the Pacific, we have an opportunity to hear all the relevant parties’ voices and ask the hard questions about whether it is fair to Pacific workers to expect them to come and work in New Zealand at pay rates and conditions that New Zealanders won’t accept.”

“It is an opportunity to speak to Pacific countries and Pacific workers, not just to employer and government officials in New Zealand.

“It is an opportunity to query what long-term benefits really go back to the Pacific, and whether there is any room to move in profit margins for horticulture and viticulture in order to make the work attractive to resident communities, including regional Māori and Pacific communities.”

Enoka said questions needed to be asked about what skills RSE workers were able to develop that could help them when they returned home.

She also said consideration needed to be given to whether RSE work could lead opportunities for citizenship in New Zealand.

“Now that we have hit ‘pause’ on the flow of temporary workers over our borders, we have the opportunity to diversify the media coverage and encourage investigative journalism,” Enoka said.

“This should open up a wider public debate that can help us evaluate who really benefits and how much, from temporary migrant worker schemes.”

The RSE scheme began in 2007 with a cap of 5000 workers from five eligible Pacific nations. It now has a cap of 14,400 workers from nine Pacific nations.

She said her research showed that important questions were not being asked about the scheme’s ethos.

“When the media don’t ask key questions, those questions typically don’t make it into public debate, either, so community understanding of an issue is limited.”

“These are the kinds of questions the media should have been asking all along, but with limited resources and limited diversity in print newsrooms, particularly regional newsrooms, this certainly wasn’t the case in the media coverage I sampled,” she said.

The main points

  • Recognised Seasonal employee workers in New Zealand rarely have a voice in the New Zealand media, new research at Massey University has found.
  • Doctoral student Angie Enoka said coverage of the RSE scheme by regional media tended to focus on official sources and employers’ views and almost never quoted workers.

For more information

Allocation of RSE workers in 2019/20

Ko e ongoongo’ ni ‘i he lea fakaTonga’:

Kuo pehē ‘e ha fakatotolo fakaako fo’ou ‘a ha taha e kau ako Toketā Filōsefa mei he Pasifiki’ ‘i he ‘Univēsiti ‘o e Massey ‘oku si’i ‘aupito ‘a hono ‘ohake le’o ‘o e kau ngāue Fakafa’ahi Ta’u’ ‘i he mītia ‘a Nu’u Sila’. Ko e tokotaha Ha’amoa ‘eni tupu hake ‘i Nu’u Sila ko Angie Anoka pea na’a’ ne pehē ko e ngaahi ongoongo ‘oku tuku mai kau ki he ngāue ko ‘eni’, ‘a ia ‘oku tokolahi taha ko e kau Pasifiki kau ai ‘a e kau Tonga, ‘oku fakatatau pe ia ki he ngaahi fakamatala faka’ōfisi mo e anga e lau ‘a e ngaahi ngāue’anga’, kae ‘ikai pe tuku ange mai ha lau tonu mei he kau ngāue’.

Watch: Suspicious chicken eggs discovered in Vava’u amid food complaints and disputes saga

By
Kalino Latu
-

Food officials in Vava’u were investigating the possible discovery of fake chicken eggs being sold in Neiafu.

An experiment was carried out included boiling the suspicious eggs together with real eggs before comparing them appears to have confirmed the suspicion, Neiafu Town Officer Vāvā Lapota told Kaniva News this morning.

A video clip, whose authenticity Kaniva could not verify independently was taken during the experiment. It showed a person was trying with his hand to break what appears to be a mixture of cooked egg white with rubbery stuff.

Lapota said the eggs were reported to him by locals at Holonga, Vava’u after buying them from a local convenience store.

He took them to the Food Division office before they initiated the investigation by performing the experiment.

He said the eggs will be sent to Tongatapu for further scientific investigation.

READ MORE:

The discovery is the latest in a long running concern about unfit food being brought into Vava’u.

On Friday, the Food Division authorities have been accused of being indecisive and letting down the Vava’u taskforce team after the release of six inactive refrigerators of meat that had been seized.

World Bank says Pacific households may be at risk as pandemic lowers flow of remittances

By
Philip Cass
-

Remittances to Pacific islands, including Tonga, could drop dramatically as a result of the Covid-19 crisis.

A World Bank report said households could be put at risk because of the projected decline.

Remittances – money sent home by Tongans working overseas accounts for 37.6% of the kingdom’s GDP.

Tonga is the largest receiver of remittances of any of the Pacific Island nations.

A World Bank report said remittances to East Asia and Pacific were expected to decline by 13 percent this year.

Inflows of money from overseas workers grew by 2.6 percent to $147 billion in 2019, about 4.3 percent lower than in 2018.

The World Bank said it expected remittances to grow by 7.5 percent in 2021.

World Bank Group President David Malpass said remittances helped families afford food, healthcare and basic needs.

“Remittances are a vital source of income for developing countries,” Malpass said.

“The ongoing economic recession caused by COVID-19 is taking a severe toll on the ability to send money home and makes it all the more vital that we shorten the time to recovery for advanced economies.”

Global remittances are projected to decline sharply by about 20 percent in 2020 due to the economic crisis induced by the COVID-19 pandemic and the accompanying economic shutdown. The projected fall would be the sharpest decline in recent history.

Tongans and other Pacific Islanders working in Australia and New Zealand on government-approved regional employment programmes have been luckier than most.

In New Zealand, Pacific workers on Recognised Seasonal Employee visas had their visas automatically extended and were able to jeep working and earn money as long as they were doing essential work.

This has allowed them to stay in essential employment if they were working in the agricultural and viticultural season as New Zealand enters its main harvest season.

In Australia, Pacific workers on that country’s version of seasonal employment programme were allowed to apply for an extension of their visas and could remain in essential work.

However, not all migrant workers have been so lucky. A survey of migrant workers in New South Wales in April month by the world Bank found that half had lost their jobs and one-fifth had seen their work hours reduced while none would be eligible for government assistance.

A plan to pay employers Aus$1500 per employee each fortnight did not extend to those employing temporary migrant workers, except New Zealanders.

The main points

  • Remittances to Pacific islands, including Tonga, could drop dramatically as a result of the Covid-19 crisis.
  • Remittances – money sent home by Tongans working oversea account for 37.6% of the kingdom’s GDP.

For more information

World Bank Predicts Sharpest Decline of Remittances in Recent History

COVID-19 Crisis Through a Migration Lens

Ko e ongoongo’ ni ‘i he lea fakaTonga’:

Ala malava ‘oku uesia tamaki e ngaahi ‘api Pasifiki he tō lalo ‘a e tā pa’anga mei muli’. Ko e lahi ko ee pa’anga ‘oku ma’u ‘e he fo’i tokotaha Tonga hili hono vahevahe tatau e mahu’inga fakapa’anga ‘o e kakai kotoa ‘a e fonua’  pe ‘oku ‘iloa koe GPD, ko e pēseti ‘e 37.6 mahu’inga ko ia’ ‘oku fakakakato atu ia ‘e he tā pa’anga mei muli’. Ko Tonga ‘a e fonua motu Pasifiki lahi taha ‘ene tā pa’anga mei muli’.

Revered Tongatapu man Ned Cook killed in evening attack; 19-year-old teenager arrested

By
Kalino Latu
-

A 19-year-old from Ma’ufanga has been arrested after Ned Cook, 67,  died yesterday Sunday 17.

The respected drug rehabilitation expert from the Salvation Army died after an incident at Vuna Rd on Friday evening, local media reported.

The victim, who was also from Ma’ufanga, died from his injuries at Vaiola hospital.

Police said investigation continues to determine the full circumstances of Cook’s death.

Further information will be released when it becomes available, Police said.

Gov’t expresses disappointment at IRL involvement following election of Tonga new rugby league board

By
Kalino Latu
-

The Tonga government was not happy with International Rugby League (IRL) after the election of new board members over the weekend to operate the sport in the kingdom.

As Kaniva News reported on Friday, Opposition Leader MP Semisi Sika has been appointed chairman while Speaker Lord Fakafanua has been elected as president by local rugby league clubs in a meeting facilitated by the Implementation Committee (IC) established by the IRL.

“The Government holds strong reservations regarding the IC including the appropriateness of the proposed governance structure, the composition of its membership and the institutional arrangement,” the Prime Minister’s office said in a statement this morning.

“Whilst, the IRL has corresponded with the Government, we feel that this is has not been a constructive, effective nor professional manner in which to have engaged a Member Country regarding a matter of national and international significance.”

READ MORE:

It said the government was deeply concerned with the lack of consultation by the IRL leading up to the expulsion of the TNRL and subsequently with the recommendation to establish the IC.

“The Government is not confident that the IRL will be neutral and unbiased in the establishment of the IC. Furthermore, the Tonga Courts have adjudicated and determined the legal national representative of the Rugby League code in the Kingdom and for international representation.”

“Therefore, any attempt to disregard and defy the decision of Tonga’s sovereign legal system is not appreciated. Furthermore, Government recognizes the proceedings initiated before the Court of Sports Arbitration by the TNRL and will abide by any decision of the Court.

“The Government does not intend to engage any further with the International Rugby League, pending the decision of the Court.”

Early morning earthquake felt in Vava‘u

By
Kalino Latu
-

A deep magnitude-5.3 quake has been felt in Neiafu this morning.

It struck at about 2.11am and was 138km deep, Earthquake Track reported. 

Vava’u Town Officer Vava Lapota said he felt the quake and it took about 5 seconds.

Twelve arrested in Tonga on drug charges

By
Kalino Latu
-

Police in Tonga have arrested 12 people on drugs charges and seized over 20.88 grams of methamphetamine as well as 272.96 cannabis and drug utensils.

The twelve accused were 20-year-old woman from Kolofoóu; 23-year-old woman from Fangaloto; 26-year-old man from Mataika; 28-year-old man from Maúfanga; 32-year-old man from Houmakelikao; 35-year-old man from Mataika; 37-year-old woman from Hofoa; 38-year-old man from Kapeta; 39-year-old man from Kolomotuá; 41-year-old man from Vaini; 41-year-old woman from Havelu and a 41-year-old man from Patangata.

They have been charged with possession of illicit drugs and to appear at the Magistrate Court at a later date.

Acting Deputy Commissioner Tevita Vailea said these arrests showed that those who were seeking to profit from the harm these drugs caused can continue to expect to be targeted by Police.

“This is a significant seizure, which has a potential to cause serious harm to our local community. There is no denying the detrimental impact illicit drugs has on our people’s lives.”

“Drugs have no place in our community; they destroy the lives of the users, harming our children and communities. We hope these arrests will bring some reassurance to the community.”

Anyone who may have information about drug related offending to please contact 22784.

Release of dead fridges and meat let down team monitoring food imports, says Town Officer

By
Kalino Latu
-

Food Division authorities have been accused of being indecisive and letting down the Vava’u taskforce team.

The Neiafu Town Officer, Vāvā Lapota said the order to release six inactive refrigerators that had been seized was disappointing.

The row over the seizure of the refrigerators is the latest in a long running concern about unfit food being imported into Tonga, in particular Vava’u.

The release of the meat appears to have breached a recent order from Food Division head office in Tongatapu for the Vava’u taskforce to seize and destroy any meat which come to the islands in non- refrigerated containers.

The government taskforce includes members of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Trade and Economic Development, Quarantine Department and Food Division.

Lapota was at the wharf during the incident last Thursday and took pictures of the seized refrigerators.

He said shortly after the seizure a man arrived at the wharf and was told the fridges had been seized, Lapota told Kaniva News.

He said the man then disappeared and returned with a government officer. Lapota claimed that shortly afterwards the taskforce was told that following a conversation with  the Food Division in Tongatapu, the meat had to be released.

Lapota claimed the fridges were not opened for the taskforce to examine their contents.

READ MORE:

“Who in Tongatapu has the power to change the order for the taskforce to confiscate any meat that come in non-refrigerated containers?” Lapota asked in Tongan.

“I think it would be better for those at the main office in Tongatapu to come and inspect the meat here in Vava’u,” he said.

Lapota also complained that it appeared it was normal for Vava’u to buy chicken meat that when defrosted appeared to contain lots of dark blood.

Kaniva News has contacted Leody Vainikolo, the head of the Food Division in Vava’u for comment.

Shipping

Meanwhile, a man who worked in the government’s ships for more than 20 years has shared his experiences with Kaniva News about how meat had been shipped from Tongatapu to the outer islands in the past.

Ngalo’afē ‘Ulupano  said it was not new for meat to be shipped in non-refrigerated containers.

He said he was the first mate of the MV ‘Olovaha and it was his job to look after the shipments.

‘Ulupano said there had been always problems because the meat shipments had to be uploaded to the ship in the morning before it left for the Ha’apai, Vava’u and the Niuas in the evening.

This meant before the ship left, the meat may have been on board for more that 10 hours.

The ships could travel from Tongatapu and arrived in Vava’u within 16 hours depending on the speed, the sea conditions and how long they would spend when stopping at Nomuka and Ha’apai.

“I  witnessed that when the meat arrived they had been well defrosted and especially if they were not placed in safe container they would not  be in good conditions,” ‘Ulupano said in Tongan.

He said meat that had been stored in well sealed containers were still in good conditions when they arrived in Vava’u and the outer islands.

‘Ulupano said once the ship arrived in Vava’u they had to remove the meat for Vava’u from the containers and filled them with the meat for the Niuas.

‘Ulupano also said the complaint regarding the dark blood coming out of the meat was raised during his tenure. He believed it happened because the meat had been shipped in non-refrigerated containers.

The  main points

  • Food Division authorities have been accused of being indecisive and letting down the Vava’u taskforce team.
  • The Neiafu Town Officer, Vāvā Lapota said the order to release six inactive refrigerators that had been seized was disappointing.

For more information

Vava‘u Town Officer claims authorities flouting food safety laws as heated dispute erupts over dirty buckets of salt beef

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