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Haʻa Ngata disappoints with report their leader was kicked out of Liukava royal residence

By
Kalino Latu
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A member of the Haʻa Ngata royal clan has expressed his disappointment over a report by Talaki newspaper that their leader, Dr. ʻAhio, was kicked out of the Liukava royal residence during the ha’amo occasion following the Queen Mother’s death.

The report said Dr. Ahio, who is also the president of the Free Wesleyan Church, arrived late with the king’s meal.

It said they were told  to stop at the gate and leave.

It said Dr. ‘Ahio, who is also the royal chaplain, and his followers were told that it was important to bring His Majesty’s taumafa on time.

The report did not say who made the decision to send Dr. Ahio away.

The paper’s report did not seek Dr. Ahio’s side of the story or clarification from the palace.

A member of Ha’a Ngata, Vaha’ifefeka Namoa has vehemently denied the report.

He said the story was false.

He said no ha’amo was taken to Liukava. It was all carried and presented to the king at the Nuku’alofa Royal Palace, where the nimatapu were staying and the Mahinafekita residence.

No one was kicked out during the ha’amo from day one until it was finished on the tenth night since the burial of the matriarch.

Vaha’ifefeka said he had written to the newspaper to retract their story, but had yet to receive a reply.

He said he and the rest of the Ha’a Ngata were really disappointed about the paper’s report.

Kaniva News has sought a comment from the paper’s publisher, Filokalafi ‘Akau’ola.

The main points

  • A member of the Haʻa Ngata royal clan has expressed his disappointment over a report by Talaki newspaper that their leader, Dr. ʻAhio, was kicked out of the Liukava royal residence during the ha’amo occasion following the Queen Mother’s death.
  • The report said Dr. Ahio, who is also the president of the Free Wesleyan Church, arrived late with the king’s meal.
  • A member of Ha’a Ngata, Vaha’ifefeka has vehemently denied the report.
  • He said no ha’amo was taken to Liukava.

First Tongan to qualify for World Mr. Olympia says ‘it was hard’

By
Kalino Latu
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The first Tongan body builder to qualify for the 2017 World Mr. Olympia title has attributed his success to hard work and sacrifice.

Mateo Vaihū of Veitongo said he had to keep to a very strict diet to make sure he gained the required weight for the competition.

He had to get his weight down to between 93-95 kilograms 12 weeks before the competition.

He said it was hard because his body fat level was already low and he had to lose some muscles to get the weight.

Vaihū will take part in the Mr. Olympia Men’s Classic physique competition in September after defeating Teina OʻMalley in the New Zealand International Federation Bodybuilding (NZFBB) Classic Men’s Physique early this month.

His name has been listed on the Mr Olympia website as the only Pacific contestant among 14 competitors from the United States and one from Trinidad.

He said he was lucky to be sponsored by Moe El Moussawi, the president of the New Zealand International Federation Bodybuilding, who represented New Zealand in the Mr. Olympia Open top 10.

Sharing his experiences with anyone who was interested in bodybuilding, the 41-year-old said. “If you are interested in body building you have to live a healthy living,”

“Look for advices from those who have reached international stage.”

Vaihu is a personal trainer and helps people exercise and advises them on their diet and nutrition.

He became interested in body building in 2008 while he was a rugby league player.

He said he met a friend at the gym when exercising for the league and he encouraged him into becoming a body builder.

In 2015 he won gold representing New Zealand in the 2015 Amateur Olympia on the Gold Coast in Australia.

His award led him into professional body building, becoming the second Tongan body builder in the world to be recognized with an IFBB Pro Card.

He followed Tevita ʻAholelei who is based in the United States.

Vaihu was stripped of the gold medal in 2011 at the Pacific Games in New Caledonia after a positive drug test.

He is married and has a son and a daughter with his wife.

The main points

  • The first Tongan body builder to qualify for the 2017 World Mr. Olympia title has attributed his success to hard work and sacrifice.
  • Mateo Vaihū of Veitongo said he had to keep to a very strict diet to make sure he gained the required weight for the competition.
  • Vaihu is a personal trainer and helps people exercise and advises them on their diet and nutrition.
  • He became interested in body building in 2008 while he was a rugby league player. 

Loving what you do is half the battle, Dame Valerie tells Tongan youth

By
Philip Cass
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Finding something they loved doing was half the  battle, Olympic  gold medallist Dame Valerie Adams told the Youth Excellence awards dinner at Ellerslie last night.

“If you don’t love it, change,” she said.

Adams was guest speaker at the event, which was hosted by the Tongan Youth Trust.

The Olympic gold medallist told the audience that her mother’s death was the turning point of her life.

She said she was watching the opening ceremony of the 2000 Olympics in the hospice where her mother, Lilika Ngauamo, died of cancer.

She said her life could have gone either at that point, but she chose to focus on her goal of one day being at the Olympics opening ceremony.

Adams recalled growing up in South Auckland in a family where the income was about $40 a week, but said there was always a lot of love in the house.

She said she was proud of her Tongan heritage and language.

Adams was appointed a Dame in the 2016 New Year’s Honours List.

She also serves as New Zealand’s first sports ambassador, in which role she has toured the Pacific promoting healthy living among young people.

Apart from her Olympic achievements, she has won medals at the Commonwealth games, holds several international titles and is one of only nine athletes to have won at youth, junior and senior level in an athletic event.

She was appointed by Lord Vaea of Houma with the hingoa matapule (herald name) Tongitupe-He-Funga-Taua. It is believed she was the first Tongan woman to be appointed to the cultural position.

The main points

  • Finding something they loved doing was half the battle, Olympic  gold medallist Dame Valerie Adams told the Youth Excellence awards dinner at Ellerslie last night.
  • “If you don’t love it, change,” she said.
  • Adams was guest speaker at the event, which was hosted by the Tongan Youth Trust.
  • Adams was appointed a Dame in the 2016 New Year’s Honours List and also serves as New Zealand’s first sports ambassador

For more information

Valerie Adams at Tongan Youth Excellence Awards

International Athletic Federation

Police hunt men who attacked them

By
Philip Cass
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Tongan police are hunting for 10 men who attacked officers yesterday.

The men, who are known to police, were travelling in an unlicensed vehicle when they were stopped by police in Mailetaha.

Police Acting Superintendent Tevita Vailea said the men began attacking the officers with sharp objects including machetes.

The officers fled for their own safety.

For more information 

Tonga manhunt underway after police officers attacked

Tongan graduate at USP honoured with three gold medals

By
Alpha Latu
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 An Assistant Teacher at Tonga College, Mrs. Petina Ulakai Vi will be presented with three gold medals at the USP Medals and Prizes Awards Ceremony to be held on Wednesday, 29 March, 2017 at 6pm at the Japan Pacific  ICT Multipurpose Theatre, USP, Suva, Fiji. 

 

Tonga’s Ministry of Education said Vi’s three Gold Medals were awarded after she was outstanding in the following courses:

 

1. The Gold Medal and Prize for the most outstanding graduate majoring in education

2. The Gold Medal and Prize for the most outstanding graduate majoring in Literature and Language

3. Gold Medal and Prize for the most Outstanding Bachelor of Education graduate

 

Mrs. Vi was advised of the above-mentioned awards through a letter from the Group Manager – Student Administrative Service, USP, Fiji on 17 March.

Tonga test date against Wales in Auckland changed

By
Kaniva Staff
-

Tonga will play Wales in Auckland on June 16, a day earlier than originally scheduled,  UK media have reported today.

The test had originally been scheduled for June 17.

World Rugby assessed facilities in Tonga and has confirmed the match has been moved.

The WRU had expressed doubts over the readiness of Tonga’s Teufaiva Sport Stadium, which is being redeveloped.

Another concern was the availability of medical cover should a serious injury occur.

Delegations from World Rugby and the WRU visited Tonga in December to see whether sufficient progress had been made, but concerns remained that the pitch would not be fit for purpose.

The match will take place the day before the British and Irish Lions take on New Zealand Maori in Rotorua, while Wales’ game in Samoa will go ahead as planned in Apia on 24 June.

Wales’ last Test in Tonga was in 1994

Tonga has rarely had the the opportunity to host tier-one nations.

The last time Wales toured the islands in the South Pacific was in 1994.

In February World Rugby chairman Bill Beaumont said: “World Rugby shares in Tonga’s disappointment that this match will be moved given the huge effort made by the Tongan Rugby Union (TRU) to date.

“But the decision was jointly agreed by the WRU and World Rugby with the objective of ensuring that the fixture can go ahead albeit in a different location.”

Fans and travel companies had been in limbo for a number of months as they were unable to confirm itineraries for those wishing to travel.

A venue has yet to be confirmed, though North Harbour’s QBE Stadium is among those being considered.

Tongan near London terror attack receives “message” from husband to stay inside

By
Kalino Latu
-

A Tongan woman in London had received a text message from her husband warning her to stay inside a cathedral because a terror attack had hit nearby.

Falasima Tuʻifua Kautoke was attending a Mass at the Westminister Cathedral in which she said it took only eight minutes to walk from there to the scene of horror.

Five people have died and at least 40 were injured after the attacker drove a car along a pavement in Westminster, stabbed a policeman and was shot dead by police in the grounds of Parliament.

The dead officer has been named as PC Keith Palmer, 48, a husband and father.

Dressed in black, the UK Prime Minister condemned “the sick and depraved terrorist attack

Falasima Tu’ifua Kautoke and husband Paulo Kautoke. Photo/Facebook

on the streets of our capital this afternoon.”

She added: “We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart.”

Police believe that the attack was “inspired by international terrorism” and that they know the attacker’s identity,  but did not give further details. Authorities are also looking at the suspect’s possible associates.

Falasima and her family were in London while her husband was working as Director of the Trade Division of the Commonwealth Secretariat.

She took to Facebook and wrote: “Terrorist attack in Westminister resulted in loss of lives and injured many pedestrians right at the heart of London.

“I was at Westminister Cathedral for Mass and Adoration (about 8mins walk from the site for (sic) the attack), totally unaware of the attack.

“It was after the Adoration at 4.45pm and was about to leave the Cathedral when my husband messaged me to remain in Church and informed me about the attack.

“Watching the evening news at home my heart went out to the innocent victims and their families and friends. May they rest in the love and peace of God”.

Her family members and friends on Facebook commented on her post and told her to “stay safe”.

“…thank God you’re safe and sorry for those who have lost their lives rip”, another commenter wrote.

“…he protects you from this terrorist attack coz you were at the right place….ofa atu and keep safe”, another commenter wrote.

Government needs to find real solutions to Tonga’s economic problems, CEO says

By
Kalino Latu
-

The Tongan government should find the real economic problems facing Tongans, the CEO of Revenue and Customs ‘Anisi Bloomfield said today.

Bloomfield said it was time to stop relying on solutions from economic textbooks.

As Kaniva News reported last month, the government announced that from now on budgets would be set according to a policy of aligning expenditure with GDP ratios.

“This problem has been raised from time to time and people are sick of it,” Bloomfield said.

He said economic policy was the cause of the civil servants’ strike in 2005.

Budget allocation should reflect activities and solution to stop these problems.

Dr ʻAisake Eke, former Finance Minister . Photo/Viola Ulakai, Facebook

“It is about time for us to talk about the solutions to these problems,” Bloomfield said.

“If not, we cannot resolve our problem.”

He said Tonga faced high unemployment, but still imported foreign workers.

“The government still issues visas to taxi drivers and shop keepers and after staying in Tonga for five years these foreigners are allowed to apply for permanent residency,” Bloomfield said.

He said solutions needed to stop the government from having to absorb employees,  including those who have just finished university.

“Is the policy for selecting our scholarship candidates still valid and should it still be based on government’s need or is it about time to include the views of the private sector?” the CEO asked.

“We should not only look at Government human resource development but also national human resource development so the private sector should absorb part of those human resources.

“I am afraid otherwise we will reach a stage where 80% of our budget goes to the salaries and wages and only 20% goes to service.

“If we do not do something about it now while the rate of unemployment is high our situation will be worse.”

The main points

  • The Tongan government should find the real economic problems facing Tongans, the CEO of Revenue and Customs, ‘Anisi Bloomfield, said today.
  • Bloomfield said it was time to stop relying on solutions from economic textbooks.
  • He said economic policy was the cause of the civil servants’ strike in 2005.
  • Budget allocation should reflect activities and solution to stop these problems.

For more information

Finance Ministry sets financial targets to underpin future budgets

Tongans encouraged to register for NZ immigration ballot

By
Kaniva Staff
-

Citizens of Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati, Tuvalu and Fiji are encouraged to register for this year’s ballot under the Samoan Quota and Pacific Access Category, which takes place between 3 and 28 April.

Immigration Instructions recognise the special relationship between New Zealand and Samoa and the Pacific Access Category countries of Tonga, Tuvalu, Kiribati and Fiji. Each year up to 1100 Samoan citizens, 250 Tongan and Fijian citizens and 75 Kiribati and Tuvaluan citizens are selected by ballot to be considered for the grant of residence in New Zealand.

Eligible citizens of these five countries must be aged between 18 and 45 to register under the ballot.  The successful registrants selected from the ballot process will have eight months to lodge their resident visa applications; the principal applicant must also have an acceptable job offer from a New Zealand employer.

Prospective ballot registrants are reminded to make sure that they have the required forms and necessary documents. Only one ballot registration form is needed for each family. Photocopies of birth certificates must also be provided for everyone named on the registration form.

Immigration New Zealand will contact each ballot registrant via a mobile text message or email to acknowledge receipt of their ballot registration form including their Client Registration Number. Ballot registrants will need to hold on to this number to check the status of their registration after the ballots are drawn.

Pacific Access Category quota ballots will be drawn on 9 June and results will be announced on 16 June.

This year the Samoan Quota ballot will be drawn later to manage the significant number of registrations traditionally received. It will be drawn on 30 June and results will be announced on 7 July.

The relevant ballot registration forms and guides can be found at the following link https://www.immigration.govt.nz/new-zealand-visas/apply-for-a-visa/tools-and-information/forms-and-guides/live-permanently. Limited numbers of forms will be available at the INZ offices in Nuku’alofa and Apia.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to register their interest as early as possible.

Muʻa Saints, Vikings game ended early after fights break out

By
Alpha Latu
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The match between Muʻa Saints and Fasi Maʻufanga Vikings rugby league teams had to be stopped after brawls broke out between players and fans on Saturday 18.

Both teams were unbeaten before the match and when officials decided to call the game 20 minutes before full time Muʻa Saints leads 20 – 6.

The trouble started when a Viking player  landed a dangerous high tackle on a Muʻa Saints player, according to Talaki Newspaper.

Within a couple of seconds nearly every member of both sides was involved in a full-on mass brawl, with so many punches thrown it would be impossible to count.

Their supporters also got involved before the referee Tei Tahituʻa could be able to bring it under control.

The paper said both teams would face an executive committee final decision against their behaviour this week.

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