Tonga Police say they have arrested two members of the Comanchero gang in the kingdom.
Tonga Police
The Police made the arrest following 17 people arrested and the seizure of several kilograms of methamphetamine in raids across Tonga’s main island of Tongatapu last month. At the time, the Police warned of increased illegal activity involving the gang.
The Police alleged a Comancheros gang member deported from Australia was behind moves to establish the outlaw motorcycle group in the Pacific Island – an attempt they say was disrupted in a drug bust last month.
Today’s arrest included two men aged 35 and 44. The Police also seized cash, Comanchero t-shirts, hoodies and vests.
Both suspects have been charged with ‘Participation in an Organized Criminal Group’ under the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Organized Crime Act.
The men are alleged to have been the Sergeant-at-Arms and the Treasurer of the Comanchero OMCG in Tonga.
“Tonga Police, in its effort to combat transnational organised crimes, continue to make more arrests of individuals affiliated with the Comanchero Outlaw Motor Cycle Gang (OMCG)”, the Police said.
“Tonga Police is reminding the public to look out for one another and stay away from getting involved and associating with gangs or organized crime groups.
“Not only are these types of groups unlawful in Tonga, but they also involve themselves with organizing and committing a wide range of illegal activities that all have a detrimental effect upon our communities and our culture.
“We encourage anyone with information about illicit drug activities, Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs, other gang and organised criminal groups, to contact Tonga Police on phone numbers 740-1657 or 7401660 or 922, to assist us in ensuring the safety of our families, our communities and our culture”.
The first-ever opportunity for applicants to apply for US visas through the Nuku’alofa embassy is now closed to new applications.
Today’s announcement comes after US Deputy State Secretary Kurt Campbell confirmed last month that applicants who wanted Non-Immigrant Visas to the US could apply in Nuku’alofa.
The Tongan Embassy said this afternoon that “all visa appointments for the September outreach are full.”
“If you missed out on scheduling an appointment for this outreach, you can kindly wait for the November outreach”.
It said applicants are “always welcome to apply in Suva”.
Applicants in Nuku‘alofa can apply for B1, B2, B1/B2, F1, F2, J1, J2, M1, M2, and R visas.
This opportunity resolves the challenges Tongan applicants have faced for years when travelling to Fiji to process their US visa applications.
A photo of children about to board a Fiji Airways aircraft has sparked heated debates online.
Children spotted at the Fua’amotu airport ready to board a Fiji Airways aircraft. Photo/Supplied
Public outrage erupted after a report on social media claimed the children would travel by themselves because their mother had been stopped at the check-in to sort out an issue with her baby’s name.
It was unclear whether the issue had been resolved and whether the mother and her baby had finally joined the children or whether an adult had been arranged to travel with them.
Most commenters were concerned about the children’s safety if they travelled alone.
It said an airline staff queried the baby’s middle name on their passport because it did not match that on the ticket and declined to give them a boarding pass.
The authenticity of the social media reports and the photo in question, which Kaniva has not been able to verify independently, includes commenters criticising the staff for being too fussy.
The mother and her children were apparently in Tonga after travelling from overseas.
It has been claimed that the mother insisted that the baby’s name was not an issue while travelling from overseas to Tonga.
Commenters who claimed they were eyewitnesses alleged the mother desperately appealed to the staff to allow her to talk to the airline boss to see if they could resolve the issue. The staff reportedly said she did not have a phone.
Commenters on Facebook chipped in and shared their experiences on similar situation.
“Travelling from New Zealand, as long as the first and last name on your ticket matches your passport, that is it. It’s not mandatory to have your middle name(s) on the ticket”, a commenter wrote.
A commenter who posted in favour of the airlines reminded that the staff who processed the baby was trained to do her job and must have done just that to ensure passengers followed the rules.
“Only in Tonga”, another commenter wrote saying they disagreed with the airline staff.
The family and the airline office could not be reached for comment.
Do you need your middle name on your plane ticket?
The New Zealand government was quoted in an article by the New Zealand Herald as saying, “The name in your passport must match your tickets and your officially registered name.”
It does not explicitly state whether just the first name and surname must match or all names, including middle names.
What do travel agents say?
Travel agencies such as Flight Centre are, arguably, the experts when it comes to booking airline tickets, simply due to the thousands they book every year for clients.
According to a Flight Centre spokesperson, the rules on middle names tend to be set and enforced by airlines and while most only need a first and last name, some do require it to match the passport exactly.
“A handful of airlines do require middle names on bookings in order for customers to travel, but the general rule for the majority of carriers is first and last name as per passport is sufficient,” they said.
What do airlines say?
Because airlines will check your ticket and passport when you check in and board the aircraft, it’s important to understand their specific terms and conditions around names, especially if they are not universal.
Air New Zealand does not require middle names on flight bookings but gives passengers the option to include them if they wish.
If you’re flying Jetstar, you also do not need to add your middle name to your booking, unless you’re travelling to one specific destination, a Jetstar spokesperson told the Herald.
“When travelling, the name on your Jetstar booking is required to match the name on your ID or passport. However, it is not a requirement to add your middle name, unless you are travelling to Honolulu (US).”
Qantas does not require a middle name to be included when making a booking. If other airlines are included in a single journey, it recommends checking their policy.
In the US, however, airlines may be stricter on this, as the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is required to collect “secure flight data” on passengers. According to the TSA: “This includes the passenger’s full name as it appears on the non-expired government-issued photo ID, date of birth, gender.”
Better safe than sorry, says Consumer NZ
If you’ve booked with a travel agency and there is an issue with your name on the booking, the agency is obliged to correct the error without charging you, consumer watchdog Consumer NZ says.
This could extend to omitting a middle name when an airline requires one.
Since some airlines demand it and other airlines are not bothered by its inclusion in a booking, Consumer NZ recommends a “better safe than sorry” approach.
“While omitting your middle name might be fine with one airline, we think it’s safest to always ensure it appears on your ticket if it’s also on your passport.”
Given how simple it is to include your middle name when booking a ticket or with a travel agency, it seems like a simple but worthwhile precaution to take.
Australia is moving to impose age limits on social media – and New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is open to looking at the issue.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says he’s be open to looking at the age limits on social media use. ROBERT KITCHIN / THE POST
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese made the announcement on Tuesday, saying the government would enforce the minimum age to social media “and other relevant digital platforms”.
“We know social media is causing social harm and it is taking kids away from real friends and real experiences,” he said.
“Australian young people deserve better and I stand with them and with all Australian parents in protecting our kids.”
On Tuesday, Luxon was asked if New Zealand would follow suit.
“It’s something that I’ve been following as well from around the world, as you know, with mobile phone bans and things like that.
He said he was “up for looking at all of that”.
However, it was not on Luxon’s “quarterly action plan”.
Labour leader Chris Hipkins said he would also be open to a discussion on it.
“I do think keeping kids safe online is becoming more and more of a challenge for parents, for schools, even with the incredible filtering that we have in our schools already.”
He said that he had put parental controls on his kids’ devices and encouraged “parents to make sure they know what their kids are looking at online and use the tools that are available now”.
Social media restrictions to come in Australia
According to the Department of Internal Affairs, most social media sites in New Zealand have an age barrier of 13.
Popular social media platforms TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, and YouTube are among those that require the user to be 13.
Willow-Jean Prime, the Labour Party’s spokesperson for youth and children, said she was concerned about the dangers social media posed for young people and thought a ban in New Zealand was something worth having a conversation about.
“It’s worth having a conversation about it and looking at what they’re doing to address the issues that they’re seeing.”
The Australian legislation will be introduced this year, but it is not yet known what age limits will apply to the platforms.
Michelle Rowland, Australia’s Minister for Communications said big tech platforms had a responsibility to keep their users safe, and the government would be holding them to account.
“We will continue to engage experts, young people, advocates and parents through the age assurance trial which is an important aspect of this journey,” she said.
Tongatapu 8 MP Johnny Grattan Vaea Taione told Kaniva News this afternoon that justice will be served soon.
MP Johnny Taione. Photo/Fale Alea O Tonga)
He was responding after he was asked to confirm reports of police charges implicating him in fraud activities.
Taione, 54, has allegedly been charged after he purportedly agreed to get involve in a vehicle deal with an individual for $100,000 but failed to fulfil the agreement. When asked about the charges he neither confirmed nor denied them.
Kaniva understands that the alleged frauds occurred in December 2023.
MP Taione said he was glad that the matter had been brought before the court.
“The only place to find justice is the court. So will leave it at that”, he told Kaniva News.
“So am happy that justice will soon be served”.
MP Taione believed that the charges were politically motivated.
He suspected that another Member of Parliament was responsible for the allegations levelled against him.
A new take on the traditional Kava bowl is a finalist of the 2024 Best Design Awards.
The Kava bowl made from metal named the G Bowl. Photo: PMN/Supplied
The Kava bowl, dubbed “The G-Bowl”, offers a detachable five-litre hand spun metal bowl resting on a wooden frame.
Brett Band designed the bowl alongside Anau Mesui-Henry and Todd Henry to be sold and used at their store; The Four Shells Kava Lounge.
Henry says the metal kava bowl idea originally came out of necessity to meet council requirements.
“They wanted us to be using some sort of stainless steel, food grade material, or wood that has a food-safe coating over it.
Design sketches of the “G-Bowl”. Photo: PMN/Supplied
“So we started thinking about what we could do to kind of get around that, like making a kava bowl that pays homage to the traditional design, is clearly made for kava, but is also quite different. It’ll tick the boxes of the council regulations.”
The G-Bowl uses food-safe alloys like stainless steel and copper, and Henry said people noticed a different tasting experience.
“Some people were saying that the kava feels like it stays colder, in the metal bowl.
“I used to think that people wouldn’t like it cold, but now we get people coming in asking for cold kava. I think our taste buds interpret those bitter notes differently when the kava is cold, you can’t taste it as strongly.”
Kava researcher Dr Apo Aporosa said the G-Bowl showed respect for the tradition that Kava holds.
“Four Shells clearly demonstrate an awareness of the potential for cultural appropriation, commitmenting to avoiding such exploitative and disrespectful behaviour.
“In essence, what they have produced is not a traditional kava bowl but rather a purpose-built, culturally respectful receptacle for serving kava to their clients. I believe they should be commended for their cultural consideration.”
Design and development
Research pictures taken on the history of Kava. Photo: PMN/Supplied
Band did a deep dive into the history and cultural significance of kava and the kava bowl for two months before coming up with a prototype.
“I looked into any images that I could find from museums that had Kava Bowls from a really long time ago. What I found was really interesting…Some of them were carved out to be shapes of a turtle, other ones had more than 20 legs.
“One aspect that Anau and Todd made really clear was that the detail at the front where the rope connects to is essential. There needs to be a placement at the front which resembles the shape of a triangle and can have a hole to go through.”
Henry wanted to be very clear that the G-bowl isn’t made to replace the traditional crafts from the islands, but to be used as a showpiece alternative.
“It meets the need for a new, contemporary context of Kava drinking, but still upholds the essence of why we drink kava, and people will still come together around these bowls.”
Band used his experience developing bespoke watches at his company Paceracer to help with the design.
“The same process that I go through with personally designing watches…where you research something and you study the materials, you study the environment and you try and work out a responsible way for designing something so that resembles what the customer needs and what the stakeholder needs.”
Both stainless steel and copper versions of the “G-Bowl”. Photo: PMN/Supplied
The G-Bowl took over six months to go from conceptual design into a physical product.
Starting the project in February, Band had to rush the production of the bowl with all their suppliers to make it in time for the Best Design Awards.
“To make this product in time for the award entries was really hard to do.
“They only had a week and a half, it was really hard because they’d never done it.”
After the time crunch and hard work, Band is happy he gets to share this achievement with Anau and Todd.
“Sure, it’s taken a lot of work for me to do, but it’s their baby. It was really exciting to share that with them. I was really stoked for myself because it’s always nice to see that.
“It was awesome to say, ‘Hey look, you guys have invested in designing this new product, and it’s actually getting noticed.’ So it was really special that I could see a lot of excitement from them, I’m really stoked and they were too.”
Band and nine other designers are in the Designed Objects category as finalists for the Best Design Awards, the winner will be announced on 11 October 2024.
New Zealand faces the threat of thunderstorms, heavy rain and hail today as an unstable air mass hits the country.
Photo / File
MetService warns there’s a moderate risk of thunderstorms with heavy rain, wind gusts up to 100km/h and possible isolated small tornadoes for Central and southern Westland in the afternoon. The far north of Westland and Buller could also be hit in the afternoon and evening.
For North Otago and Canterbury, there is a moderate risk of thunderstorms with heavy rain, and hail later on Tuesday.
For Kapiti to coastal Whanganui there is a moderate risk of thunderstorms with heavy rain and strong wind gusts in the evening and at night.
There is a low risk of thunderstorms in some other areas, including the Kaikoura Coast, far west of Nelson, Wellington, Wairarapa, Taranaki, coastal Waitomo, the far south of Fiordland, coastal Southland and coastal Clutha.
MetService meteorologist Tuporo Marsters said the North Island will see some residual effects from a departing front, but the weather is expected to clear as the day progresses.
Meanwhile, the South Island will brace for a cold front arriving in the afternoon, bringing snow flurries down to around 900 metres.
“We’ve got a few road snowfall warnings in place for key routes, including Milford Road, Crown Range, and Lindis Pass, with snow expected through tomorrow afternoon and early evening,” Marsters said.
In addition to snow, cold southwesterly winds are expected to move in behind the front, particularly affecting the southern regions.
As the front clears the country late on Tuesday, the weather will improve heading in to Wednesday.
“We’ve got a ridge of high pressure moving in from the Tasman Sea, which should bring some more settled weather on Wednesday, with winds easing and temperatures becoming a bit more comfortable,” said Marsters.
However, this reprieve will be short-lived.
The ridge will retreat to the North Island by Thursday, making way for another low-pressure system developing in the Tasman Sea.
This system is expected to bring further unsettled weather across the country by the weekend, with rain and wind impacting both islands from Friday night into Saturday.
Road snowfall warnings have been issued for Lindis Pass SH8 from 12pm today to 8pm. Snow showers are expected to affect the road above about 800 meters, about 1 cm or less of snow may settle at times.
There is also a warning for Crown Range Road from 11pm last night to 8pm this evening, and for the Milford Road (SH94)Valid: 22 hours from 8 pm last night to 6 pm this evening
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SkyCity casino has been shut down for five days for failing to help a problem gambler who lost more than a million dollars on the pokies, but the business’ boss will not say if they have paid any back.
SkyCity casino’s have been forced to close their doors this week, after they failed to intervene to meet their host responsibilities to help a problem gambler avoid losing more than $1 million. Photo: RNZ/Nick Monro
The shutdown began at midnight Sunday and runs until Friday night.
On one occasion the gambler spent up to 9 hours playing continuously.
On 23 occasions between 2017 and 2021 they played for five hours or more without a break and no casino staff intervened.
The five day gambling shut down is SkyCity’s punishment for failing to meet its harm minimisation and host responsibility obligations.
SkyCity chief executive Jason Walbridge would not answer Checkpoint’s repeated questions about how much of SkyCity’s profit was from problem gambling.
International research puts the figure at anywhere between 20 and 70 percent for overseas casinos.
“We’re absolutely not proud, at all, to be in this situation, and we’re sorry this occurred and we just simply did not get it right. We made mistakes and we’re rightfully being held accountable here,” Walbridge said.
“We don’t want anybody to lose $1 more than they can afford to. We’ve put in place significant programmes to help us assist and identify where people are having problems with gaming.”
SkyCity chief executive Jason Walbridge Photo: Supplied/ SkyCity
“We absolutely recognise that a very small percentage of our players have a problem with gambling. We are working hard every day to help them, and we put significant resources in place to date.”
Walbridge said he would not discuss whether any of the money lost by this anonymous problem gambler, who was failed by SkyCity’s host responsibility policies, had been paid back, or if any problem gamblers have had money paid back by the casino.
“We’re not able to talk specifically about our agreements that we’ve reached with this individual player, what I can tell you is we’ve absolutely apologised to [the person],” he said.
“For any customer that feels like they haven’t been treated appropriately, we welcome them to come forward and we will absolutely talk about how we can take care of them … every person’s situation is different, what we’re interested in is helping players identify if they have a problem, and to seek help.”
Despite the ongoing work by the casino, Walbridge said he could not name a figure for how many of the customers the casino serves are problem gamblers. He said work was ongoing to find ways to help staff identify problem gamblers.
The SkyCity casino in Auckland Photo: RNZ/Nick Monro
SkyCity’s host responsibility policy currently allows the casino to let people gamble for five continuous hours before staff intervene: “After five hours we approach players to see if they need some help or they would like to take a break,” Walbridge said.
Despite recommendations by experts on gambling addiction who say intervention should begin after no more than three continuous hours, when challenged about if the casino would consider lowering the five hour time limit to try to reduce harm, Walbridge said that limit was set by regulators The Department of Internal Affairs. However the casino does submit research to the department supporting its own stance about what the time limit should be, he said.
“Five hours is a long time, but our average player is on our floor for just over one hour, so we’re really not talking about the majority of players here…There’s absolutely no doubting that we failed in this case,” he said.
“Our systems and our people failed to identify and to talk to this player, and we are working very hard to put that right.”
Any time the casino operates, its host responsibility requirements mean it must have at least six ‘host responsibility executives’ covering the casino floor monitoring players and on the watch for problem gambling. Walbridge said the casino does meet their requirements, but could not give numbers for how many ‘host responsibility executives’ the casino does have at work each day.
“We’ve got individuals who are monitoring or supervising our staff every day, and after two months on the job I am committed to making sure that we’re absolutely doing the right things.”
Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly
This case was being taken seriously by the organisation, and the shutdown was “an unprecedented event for us”, Walbridge said.
“We’ve got all of our employees together this week going through training to uplift our skills and capability on host responsibility, to change our culture and to talk about new technology that we’re going to implement to introduce 100 percent carded plays that will help us improve our capabilities next year.”
The shutdown period this week avoided weekend hours, the casino’s busiest time, and Walbridge was challenged about whether that was fair.
“We’re closing from midnight last night through to midnight Friday,” he said. “And that five day period was agreed with our regulators the Department of Internal Affairs,” he said.
A petition circulating in Tonga is calling for the newly appointed chief justice, Malcolm Bishop from Wales, to have his position revoked because he is openly gay.
The petition was launched by members of Tonga’s law society and a protest is also planned.
Tonga Law Society president Lopeti Senituli has distanced himself from the petition.
Senituli said the lawyers who kicked the petition into motion were acting independently and not in conjunction with Tonga Law Society.
“That is not an official petition of the Tonga Law Soceity,” he told RNZ Pacific on Monday.
“It is a petition by members of the [Tonga] Law Society but it is not sanctioned by the Tonga Law Society executive council,” he added.
Senituli said he has not signed the petition and he did not know how many people signed it.
He said the petition was meant to be handed to Tonga’s King last Friday.
Tonga’s Criminal Offences Act criminalises acts of “sodomy”.
Bishop, 79, began his role on 1 September.
RNZ’s Tonga correspondent Kalafi Moala told RNZ’s First Up some people view the appointment as a mockery to the legal system.
“The appointment of an openly gay man from Wales to be the Chief Justice of Tonga has become a very controversial issue in Tonga this past week,” he said.
Moala said it was up to King Tupou VI to decide what happens.
“The appointment has taken place…some members of the law society are against,” Tonga Law Society president Lopeti Senituli was quoted as saying by Talanoa ‘o Tonga.
“There are at least two members that have signed a petition,” Senituli said.
Moala said signatures are being circulated and a protest march is planned in an attempt to get the King to revoke the appointment.
“In order to keep a check on the balance of power, the King is authorised to appoint the judges of Tonga, the Police Commissioner, the Anti-corruption Commissioner, and the Attorney General.
“The King has councils, such as the judiciary panel and the Privy Council, to advise him on his appointments, but the final decisions are his.”
According to Talanoa ‘o Tonga’s report, as debate continues on the issue, the future of the Chief Justice position in Tonga remains uncertain.
Senituli said prominent local lawyer William Clive Edwards is one of the main people involved in the petition.
RNZ Pacific has reached out to Edwards but has not had a response.
