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“I won’t support any law to allow child marriage”, says PM Pōhiva

By
Kalino Latu
-

Tonga’s Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva said his government will not support any bill to allow children as young as 15-year-old to get marry.

He said the matter was mentioned in Parliament apparently for the MPs to consider because it was evident Tongan children as young as 15 were pregnant. He said the statistics was significant and there was a problem.

Hon Pōhiva said the government has no proposal to allow child marriage and as far as he understands there was nothing submitted into Parliament on it.

He said he understood those who were behind the idea have taken into consideration the condition in which young girls who fell victims to their perpetrators suffered severe consequences as a result.

But we do not want to encourage it through law, he said.

The Prime Minister said there are other ways of resolving the problem and he believed those at the responsible sectors are working on it.

The legal age of marriage in the kingdom is 18. Children as young as 14 can marry but only with parent’s consent according to the law.

As Kaniva News reported last month the Tongan Deputy Speaker Lord Tuʻiʻāfitu told the House he was shocked at the number of child marriage in Tonga.

Radio New Zealand has quoted Ofa Gutteinbeil Likiliki from Tonga’s Women and Children Crisis Centre (WCCC) as saying the young victims of rape have been made to marry their rapists under a law that gives parents the power to approve underage marriages.

“We do have cases that we have documented at the centre where the young girl has been forced to marry the perpetrator who raped her,” she said.

“She’s been forced to marry the perpetrator to prevent shame, embarrassment, talk in the village. So the perpetrator will come with the family, make the traditional apology and then it’s accepted by the young girl’s family and then the decision, which is made largely by the family, is to get them married.”

READ MORE

Child marriage in Tonga “shocking,” Lord Tuʻiʻāfitu says, questions power of Tongan law

Pedestrians escape being hit as car ploughs into a Maʻufanga residence

By
Kalino Latu
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Pedestrians in a road in Maʻufanga were left shaken after a car suddenly careened off the road and smashed into trees at a nearby residence.

The car ploughed a fence and ended up in front of a house opposite ʻAhopanilolo Technical Institute just after midday today.

An eyewitness, Soana Angianga said the car narrowly missed her and some of the students from ʻAhopanilolo.

There were no reports of injuries.

Police could not be reached for comments.

Ministries, donors need to overcome cultural problems says Tongan graduate

By
Philip Cass
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Tongan ministries need to become more efficient and effective, according to a young Tongan researcher awarded a doctorate at Auckland University’s graduation ceremony today.

Sisikula Sisifa’s doctoral thesis looked at management practices in five development projects in Tonga.

It concluded that cultural differences in management practices undermined the projects’ success.

With Tonga receiving a substantial amount of donor aid funding towards development projects, this was a serious problem.

But she also said that donor agencies needed to recognise that they needed to adapt their practices to working in the kingdom.

Sisifa said she was sad that her father, who had supported her studies, was unable to enjoy her graduation.

He died in her third year at university.

Sisifa and fellow Tongan Ilaisaane Fifita, both 31, were both awarded doctorates today.

Earlier this year they became the first Pasifika women at Auckland University’s Business School when they began working as research fellows.

Sisifa told the New Zealand Herald that when she was a student she wished there were female academics in the business school.

“Now I get comments from students saying that it’s nice to see a brown female face standing at the front of the class.”

Fifita said one young male Pacific student told her that having her as an undergraduate tutor had inspired him to do an honours degree.

She said she was inspired to study marketing after watching her family start their own business from scratch.

Her research looked at why Tongan and Pakeha female non-smokers don’t smoke.

She hopes her findings will help design of public health campaigns to persuade other women not to take up the habit.

One in four Pacific adults smoke in New Zealand, compared to 15 per cent of New Zealand Europeans and 10 per cent of Asian New Zealanders.

She is applying for funding for research into e-cigarettes and alcohol consumption.

The  main points

  • Tongan ministries need to become more efficient and effective, according to a young Tongan researcher awarded a doctorate at Auckland University’s graduation ceremony today.
  • Sisikula Sisifa’s doctoral thesis looked at management practices in five development projects in Tonga.
  • Sisifa and fellow Tongan Ilaisaane Fifita, both 31, were both awarded doctorates today.
  • Earlier this year they became the first Pasifika women at Auckland University’s Business School when they began working as research fellows.

For more information

First Pasifika academics graduate from university business school

Fuel shortage ease as tanker arrives in Vavaʻu

By
Kalino Latu
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The arrival of a tanker with petrol in Vavaʻu on Saturday 26 brought smiles to the faces of drivers and motor  users.

MV Leiloa arrived in Vava’u with six tanktainers of fuel.

“Each tanktainer contains 23,000 litres of fuel, and there were two of diesel and four of petrol”, Matangi Tonga reported.

Customers were told to buy the petrol from Small Industries at Kameli for $2.99 per litre.

Tongan air traffic controller’s career is up in the air after leaving university

By
Philip Cass
-

University study didn’t work out for Sela Ahio Fonua, but she is literally up in the air over the way her career has developed.

She began studying for a medical degree at the University of the South Pacific’s Tongan campus, but now plays a vital role in keeping New Zealand’s air traffic flowing safely.

“I was a year into my medical studies, but medicine wasn’t a passion, and this career that I didn’t know about looked interesting,” she told the Manawatu Standard.

Instead, she got a job as an accounting officer and after three months was asked to train as an air traffic controller.

Fonua is now working as an aerodrome/tower controller.

Air traffic controllers keep aircraft separated from each other – both in the air and on the ground.

Fonua trained in Singapore, Christchurch, and Tonga and then moved to Auckland when her husband was posted there.

She was posted to Palmerston North in February to complete her training with Airways, which provides air traffic control in New Zealand.

While Fonua has carved her own path in the sky, other members of her family have followed a more traditional academic route.

Her mother ‘Alilia ‘Ahio was a primary school teacher and her father Titali ‘Ahio was one of very few students in their village of Houma to pass the New Zealand School Certificate in the 1970s.

Her oldest sister Melolini holds an MA in accounting and is a research student at AUT, investigating how accounting standards affects the quality of financial reporting in Tonga. She works as a manager at the University of Auckland.

Her brother Stan has a scholarship from the New Zealand government to study a Bachelor of Engineering Honours in Electrical and Electronics at AUT.

Careers in air control

People interested in becoming air traffic controllers can apply online with New Zealand air traffic control provider Airways.

Successful applicants undertake a year’s training.

The first six months is intensive, using simulators to apply theory. Students then relocate for on-the-job training in one of Airway’s regional towers.

The main points

  • University study didn’t work out for Sela Ahio Fonua, but she is literally up in the air over the way her career has developed.
  • She began studying for a medical degree, but decided it wasn’t for her.
  • Instead, she became an air traffic controller.
  • People interested in becoming air traffic controllers can apply online with Airways.

For more information

Airways

Unexpected career from medical student to Palmerston North air controller

Dispute over costs after four refrigerated containers of rotten chicken disposed

By
Alpha Latu
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A dispute has emerged between authorities in Tonga after four containers of rotten chicken were disposed.

The product ended up in the bad condition after the containers were not connected to the power at the wharf for days.

The dispute last week was over who should pay the costs surrounding the products and how they were kept at the wharf.

Local reports said an Asian company – Billion Star imported about 4,000 cartons of chicken from the United States in April this year.

Radio and Television Tonga said the dispute was between the Ports Authority and the shipping agency.

The Ports Authority was reported as denying any responsibility for the incident.

The four containers were disposed last week at the Tapuhia Solid Waste Management Facility.

Power pole brought down in Maʻufanga car crash

By
Kalino Latu
-

Some residents in part of Maʻufanga woke up on Sunday morning without power after a car smashed into a power pole causing the Power company to replace it shortly.

According to Tonga’s Radio Waves of the Pacific the crash occurred just in front of the Tonga Houʻeiki Church.

Police arrived at the scene shortly but they could not be reached for comments.

Mapa Haʻangana of the Radio said an arrest was made.

The crash came after two incidents occurred on Saturday in which a van overturned in Nualei after crashing with a car shortly after two cars collided at an intersection in Nukuʻalofa.

Radiance of the Seas visits Tonga for the first time

By
Kaniva Staff
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Royal Caribbean announced it will offer cruise stops at the Tongan ports of Vava’u on December 12, 2016 and Nuku’alofa on December 13, 2016 for the very first time.

Radiance of the Seas will offer these new stops in the 2016/2017 cruise season, as part of a 13-night South Pacific, Fiji and Tonga journey.  The cruise begins in Sydney on December 3 2016, and calls at the Isle of Pines in New Caledonia, Lifou in the Loyalty Islands, Suva and Lautoka in Fiji, as well as Tonga, before arriving in Auckland.

The two new destinations offer a host of experiences unique to Tonga for guests to enjoy, such as the islands of Vava’u are renowned for their coral gardens and sparkling lagoons, while Nuku’alofa, capital of Tonga and home to the only royal family in the Pacific Islands, is a thriving hub of island charm and regal tradition. Guests will have the opportunity to explore the islands further with a range of optional excursions, including whale-watching and snorkeling in Vava’u and a cultural tour in Nuku’alofa.

“We’ve had our eye on Tonga as a destination for our guests for some time, with its vibrant culture, diverse marine life and stunning natural beauty,” says Adam Armstrong, managing director for Royal Caribbean International in Australia and New Zealand.

“Radiance of the Seas is the perfect size for us to explore new ports in our region, paving the way for a number of new, exciting destinations for our guests.”

–Royal Caribean

Tongan Speaker attends International Day of Peace Commemoration in China

By
Kalino Latu
-

Tonga’s Parliament Speaker Lord Tuʻivakano attended the 2016 Commemoration for the International Day of Peace in Yinchuan, Ningxia, China on Friday 23.

He was greeted and welcomed by H.E. Mr. Li Yuanchao, Vice President of the People’s Republic of China and distinguished guests from over 33 countries around the world.

In a speech during the ceremony the Lord Speaker said:“despite our geographical locations, the differences in the sizes of our military or economies or the types of government in our countries, we all share the same prayers and visions of living in a peaceful and sustainable world and leaving behind a peaceful, safe and prosperous planet for our children and future generations to come.”

The Lord Speaker discussed with Vice President Li Yuanchao the future of the diplomatic relationship of the two countries after the ceremony.

A statement from the Chinese embassy in Tonga said: “Ningxia, located in the northwest of China, has started the good cooperation with Tonga since 2012 and established friendly relationship with Vava’u in August 2014.

“Last year, Tonga Parliament and Government Delegation, jointly led by Hon. Siaosi Sovaleni, Deputy Prime Minister and Hon. Lord Tu’iafitu, Deputy Speaker of Tonga, also paid a visit to Ningxia and learned about the development of renewable energy, tourism and poverty reduction”.

Family share tributes to Tongan fruit picker online

By
Kalino Latu
-

The family of a Tongan fruit picker who died in Australia have shared tributes for the man online.

Paulo Kivau, 39, was rushed to hospital before he was pronounced dead yesterday.

The tributes showed Kivalu went to Australia to work as a fruit picker through government’s seasonal work programme.

It was believed he was sick before he died.

In 2014 Tonga sent more than 1,200 to work in the Australian agriculture and farms.

On the same period the government announced it has received $35.6 million worth of remittances under New Zealand’s Recognised Seasonal Employment (RSE) and Australia Pacific Seasonal Worker Pilot scheme.

The Australian programme however was subjected to criticism regularly.

According to an ABC report early last year the Unions Tasmania has raised concerns that a Tongan fruit picking work force in the state’s north-west could be subject to substandard living and working conditions.

It was reported that about 40 Tongan workers were living in a primary school in the regional town of Burnie, in north west Tasmania.

Some of the workers in Latrobe were living in converted shipping containers in a caravan park.

The family grieved for their loved one on Facebook.

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