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Quake rattles Tonga

By
Kaniva Staff
-

UPDATED: A 6.0 magnitude earthquake that struck Tonga today Sunday 8 has been reported on social media.

The tremor, which struck at 10.39am, was 10km deep 170km East of Tongatapu, Tongan Met Service said.

The above magnitude is provisional and may be increased or decreased as more seismic data becomes available.

Tongatapu residents described its intensity as “moderate”.

“Ki’i lulu leka pe he ko e Sāpate” said Parliament Deputy Chief Clerk Dr Sione Vikilani. He was saying that it was just a minor tremor because this is Sunday.

There have been no reports of damage or casualties.

No tsunami advisories have been issued.

The report comes after a magnitude-6.9 earthquake occurred northeast of Tonga at around 12.29pm on Aug 26.

The epicenter of that earthquake was approximately 72 km (45 miles) west of Pangai.

The tremor occurred at a depth of about 107 km (66 miles), and moderate-to-strong shaking was probably felt throughout Tonga.

What you need to know about the draft English and maths curriculums

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By John Gerritsen, Education correspondent

Should a five-year-old be able to count to 10 and accurately describe shapes?

Stylised illustration of maths student struggling to climb ladder

Photo: RNZ

The draft Year 0-6 English and Year 0-8 maths curriculums expect they will be able to do that, and more, after six months at school.

The curriculums are out for consultation and the government is rushing to introduce them next year.

The Ministry of Education (MOE) says the drafts are designed to be much clearer than the previous document, especially in terms of what children should learn at each year level.

They also include guidance for teachers – suggestions of what they should teach and how.

Underpinning both documents is the “science of learning”, which the MOE says is basically a well-sequenced approach to teaching that ensures children master one skill or area of knowledge before moving on to the next.

A big change in the English curriculum is a nation-wide shift to “structured literacy” as the approach for teaching children in Years 0-3 to read.

Focused on teaching children to decode words and understand the sounds represented by letters and groups of letters, it has emerged triumphant from the so-called “reading wars”.

The move to structured literacy began under the previous government and most schools spoken to by RNZ are enthusiastic about its effectiveness.

It means families can expect to see young children learning to read from books that emphasise particular sounds with sentences like “Can Nan nap?” and “Nat taps on a pot”.

The draft English curriculum also includes more of a focus on punctuation, grammar and spelling than the current document.

That has led University of Auckland associate professor Aaron Wilson to describe it as more a literacy curriculum than an English curriculum.

Meanwhile, the maths curriculum is aiming for significant acceleration in what children learn in the subject that is without doubt New Zealand education’s weak spot.

Initial testing indicated just 20 percent of Year 3 children and 22 percent of Year 8s would meet its expectations, a sharp contrast to the current curriculum where 82 percent of Year 4s and 42 percent of Year 8s are at the level expected of them.

Julia Novak from the MOE told RNZ the new curriculum would be more explicit about ensuring young children mastered the basics of maths so they had the skills and knowledge they needed by Year 8.

“They are seeing fractions sooner than they were before … using addition, subtraction, multiplication and division a little sooner than before,” she said.

Both the English and maths curriculums specify what children should be learning each year they are at school.

That is a big change from the current system of broad curriculum levels that cover a number of year levels.

For example, curriculum level four applies mostly to children in the final year of intermediate school, Year 8, but children in Years 6, 7, 9 and 10 could also be working at that level.

The curriculums also include guidance for teachers on what they should teach and how.

For example the English curriculum advises teachers of Year 4-6 to “teach students to segment words into syllables and phonemes” when covering spelling and to “teach spelling every day”.

Ellen MacGregor-Reid from the MOE said the advice built on the Common Practice Model developed under the previous government.

She said it was aimed at ensuring teachers were using proven approaches to teaching, increasing consistency between schools, and reducing teacher workloads.

“It’s not about taking away teachers bring things to life in an exciting way. It is about providing that clarity about across all of this learning at different year levels, what is important to teach,” she said.

What do teachers think?

Teachers and principals agree the curriculum needs to change.

Many welcomed the increased specificity about what to teach and when, but some worried it might go too far and restrain teachers’ professional judgement.

They also warn that the government is moving too fast. Consultation on the drafts was open for just four weeks and schools are expected to start using the documents from the start of next year.

Principals say that is totally unrealistic.

Minister of Education Erica Stanford has been at pains to reassure teachers.

She said there was no expectation that schools would use the curriculums perfectly from day one next year and there would be more teacher training and resources to help them.

But she said the government needed to crack on with the changes – too many children are struggling with reading, writing and maths and change has to start now.

Also of concern to teachers is the shift to year-by-year achievement expectations.

They say children develop at different speeds, especially in the early years, and expecting all children of a certain age to meet particular benchmarks is not realistic.

Is literacy and numeracy really as bad as the government says?

National studies of children’s achievement show the percentage of children achieving at the curriculum level expected of them declines as they get older and curriculum expectations increase.

By the time they were finishing Year 8, generally the final year of intermediate or primary school, 47 percent of children were at the expected curriculum level in reading and 42 percent were at the expected level in maths.

The Council for Educational Research, which conducted the research with the University of Otago, said there had been no real change in Year 8 children’s maths achievement over the past 10 years.

They also tested children against the draft maths curriculum and found that only 22 percent of Year 8s met its expectations.

The government headlined that figure when announcing the results earlier this year, and principals are still angry about it, saying the government misrepresented the facts to create a sense of crisis.

However, the OECD’s international PISA tests of 15-year-olds shows a steady decline in New Zealand teens’ scores in reading and maths with this country most-recently ranked 10th in reading and 23rd in maths in the 2022 round of tests.

The tests found 21 percent of New Zealand 15-year-olds were reading at the lowest level – meaning they struggled with all but the simplest reading tasks – and in maths 29 percent performed at the lowest level.

Meanwhile secondary schools are warning that too many students, especially among Māori, Pacific and poor communities are failing new NCEA reading, writing and numeracy tests designed to ensure teens leave school with basic literacy and numeracy.

In May about 55,000 teens attempted the tests with pass rates of 59 percent in reading, 56 percent in writing, and 46 percent in numeracy.

A second round of tests will be held in September.

While the new curriculums raise the bar for what is expected of children, it is not a given that they will raise achievement.

Stanford is confident that improvement will happen quickly, especially in maths.

Certainly the changes should scoop up any schools or teachers that have been neglecting reading, writing and maths or teaching those subjects badly.

But teachers warn they need ongoing professional development and good resources for years to come to ensure any improvements stick.

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Pacific Nations Cup: Fiji beats Tonga 50-19 to top Pacific pool

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By Iliesa Tora, of rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission

The Flying Fijians have topped the Pacific pool of the Pacific Nations Cup 2024 series, following a big 50-19 win over Tonga in Nuku’alofa on Friday.

Crown Prince Tupouto'a and around 4000 Tongans watched the battle, the highlight of 100 years of rugby celebrations, marking the first time the two countries met in a Test match in 1924.

Crown Prince Tupouto’a and around 4000 Tongans watched the battle, the highlight of 100 years of rugby celebrations, marking the first time the two countries met in a Test match in 1924. Photo: Screengrab / RugbyPass TV

That means they go to the semi-finals in Tokyo next weekend, meeting up with either Japan or the USA, in the Asia pool.

Manu Samoa will join them as the runner-up from the Pacific.

Fiji captain Tevita Ikanivere, who also scored a try in the game, said they had to cut out indiscipline to get the win.

He said they had to get back to upping their discipline, after they had let Tonga into the game midway in the first half.

“We spoke about discipline because towards the back end of the first half we dropped and let Tonga into the game,” he said.

“We had a bye week last week and worked hard towards this game, knowing that Tonga will be tough playing on their home ground.”

His Tongan counterpart and ‘Ikale Tahi captain, Ben Tameifuna, said they fought hard and thanked his warriors for staying in the game.

“It’s always hard playing against our Fijian brothers,” he said.

He said the young side is on a learning curve and will only get better.

“This is the stepping stone for us as Ikale Tahi,” he said.

“Our focus is giving our young boys the opportunity for putting their hands up. It’s a whole new experience for these new guys and it is good to expose them to the opportunity now.”

Tonga's Crown Prince Tupouto'a meets Fijian captain Tevita Ikanivere before the match.

Tonga’s Crown Prince Tupouto’a meets Fijian captain Tevita Ikanivere before the match. Photo: Tonga Rugby Union

The Flying Fijians held on with an early 19-0 lead in the first quarter of the game to claim another Tongan scalp, in the countries 95th Test match in 100 years.

Three quick tries within that time saw the side lead the home team, who suddenly came alive after that as Fiji were reduced to 14 players.

Iosefo Masi, captain Ikanivere and flanker Elia Canakaivata had their names on the scoresheet early.

In the end Masi and Canakaivata had claimed two tries each, from their team’s total of seven tries.

Fijian centre Adrea Cocagi charged into lock forward Harison Mataele in a ruck and was yellow-carded, leaving Fiji with 14 players mid-way through the game. That was later upgraded to a Red card, for 20 minutes.

Tonga attacked from the ensuing penalty and flyhalf Patrick Pellegrini’s chip over the Fijian defense saw inside centre Fetuli Paea pick up and dived over. Pellegrini converted as Fiji led 19-7.

Then when the Fijians were still trying to recover from that shock outside centre Fine Inisi finished off a good movement from the Tongans inside the 20 minutes mark. Pellegrini had floated a chip kick over the Fijian defense again after a good scrum win and the conversion saw the home side close to gap to 19-14.

Tonga had Fiji under pressure and won a number of penalty calls, pinning the Fijians inside their 22 metre zone.

A penalty and scrum in front of the posts saw Tonga’s Pellegrini dummy and dive over to score, levelling the scores at 19-all.

Fiji were back to 15 players with replacement player Inia Tabuavou took the field close to halftime.

Putting Tonga under pressure the Fijians won a lineout penalty and Canakaivata crashed through near the sideline, with Caleb Muntz converting as Fiji led 26-19 at the halftime mark.

'Ikale Tahi captain Ben Tameifuna ready to lead his side out against Fiji.

‘Ikale Tahi captain Ben Tameifuna ready to lead his side out against Fiji. Photo: Tonga Rugby Union

Second half battle

Referee Agnus Gardiner kept a tight control of the game, but let the teams run at every opportunity.

It was a tighter battle at the resumption of the second half, as both teams battled it out for possession and the advantage.

Fiji finally got the chance when Muntz stepped up to take a shot at goal to give his side a 29-19 lead after 15 minutes.

Then replacement Tabuavou finished off a sevens style Fijian move, dragging tacklers with him over the line.

Muntz converted and at 36-19 it looked as if the Tongans were going to be shut down again.

With around 300 Fijians cheering for them, the visitors then slowly took control of the rest of the game.

Fijian Drua captain Ratu Meli Derenalagi crashed his way through for his try after having come up short just a few seconds earlier, with Muntz converting for a 43-19 lead.

Winger Vuata Karawalevu dotted down twice on both sides of the field but the TMO ruled a knock-on and a forward pass in the build up to his final runs.

But Iosefo Masi claimed an intercept and raced away untouched to score under the crossbar and in between the posts, reading a Tongan set move from a scrum. Muntz’ conversion saw the Fijians lead 50-19.

Crown Prince Tupouto’a and around 4000 Tongans watched the battle, the highlight of 100 years of rugby celebrations, marking the first time the two countries met in a Test match in 1924.

The win was also a great birthday present for Fijian captain Ikanivere, who celebrated his birthday today. A special cake gifted by members of the Fijian community was presented to him after the game to celebrate the special day.

Both Fiji and Tonga will head to Japan on Monday, the Fijians playing in the semi-finals while Tonga meets Canada in the fifth place play-off.

Fijians at Teufaiva Park.

Fijians at Teufaiva Park. Photo: Supplied

More mental health support for Tonga and Vanuatu through Ngalu Fānifo initiative

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By Christina Persico, RNZ Pacific bulletin editor, and is republished with permission

The Pacifika Medical Association (PMA) has partnered with Australia to improve mental health and wellbeing in Tonga and Vanuatu.

A young person with short hair looks into the sunset.

Photo: Unsplash / Traveler Geek

The Ngalu Fānifo project aims to strengthen the capacity of health and community providers to provide mental health care.

PMA president Dr Kiki Maoate said this project will follow on from the work PMA emergency response teams – or PACMAT – have delivered in both Tonga and Vanuatu.

PACMAT was deployed following the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption and tsunami and following Cyclones Kevin and Judy in Vanuatu.

Vanuatu’s Ministry of Health Curative & Hospital Services director, Dr Sereana Natuman, said the Ngalu Fānifo project represents “a significant step forward in our commitment to enhancing mental health services across the country”.

“We are confident that the Ngalu Fānifo initiative will lay the groundwork for a sustainable and community-centered approach to mental health in Vanuatu, ultimately leading to healthier and more resilient communities.”

PMA chief executive Debbie Sorensen said their Ngalu Fānifo team have just returned from their inception visits to both countries.

“The response from community through to ministerial level has been incredibly positive, stressing the need for mental health and wellbeing support that is family-centered, community-led and culturally-anchored.

“PMA will work in collaboration with health ministries, health providers, and community and faith-based NGOs (non-government organisations) in Tonga and Vanuatu, to co-design training pathways, and support the implementation of new, sustainable mental health models of care.”

The World Health Organisation (WHO)’s Regional Framework for the Future of Mental Health in the Western Pacific 2023-2030 said over 215 million people suffer from mental health conditions in the Western Pacific Region.

It quoted the 2019 Global Burden of Disease report, which said disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) attributed to anxiety and depressive disorders, schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia, and self-harm increased significantly in the region from 1990 to 2019.

The Framework said since the release of the 2013-2020 action plan, some progress in advancing the mental health agenda had been observed.

“As of 2020, all member states in the region who responded to the Mental Health Atlas survey had a stand-alone or integrated mental health policy or plan.

“However, the transition towards community-based care remains disappointingly slow.

“Mental health promotion and prevention programmes and activities have increased, but it is unclear whether this increase has translated into concrete impact.”

Where to get help in Aotearoa New Zealand:

  • Need to Talk? Free call or text 1737 any time to speak to a trained counsellor, for any reason.
  • Lifeline: 0800 543 354 or text HELP to 4357
  • Suicide Crisis Helpline: 0508 828 865 / 0508 TAUTOKO (24/7). This is a service for people who may be thinking about suicide, or those who are concerned about family or friends.
  • Depression Helpline: 0800 111 757 (24/7) or text 4202
  • Samaritans: 0800 726 666 (24/7)
  • Youthline: 0800 376 633 (24/7) or free text 234 or email talk@youthline.co.nz

Pacific Nations Cup: Fiji and Tonga make changes for Teufaiva Park clash

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By Iliesa Tora of rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission

Teufaiva Park is ready to host the Flying Fijians and ‘Ikale Tahi as both sides have named their match-day 23, with changes made to their starting XVs for Friday’s Pacific Nations Cup battle.

Packing down...the Flying Fijians forwards. Photo: FRU

Packing down…the Flying Fijians forwards. Photo: Fiji Rugby

Fiji flew into Nuku’alofa early on Wednesday morning and went for a test run at the matchday pitch straight after lunch, before announcing their team.

Tonga trained out at the home of the Vaini Doves in the village of Vaini, situated between the city of Nuku’alofa and the Fua’amotu International airport.

Flying Fijians assistant coach Aaron Mauger revealed there were injuries that has forced positional changes plus the recruitment of new hands during the week.

Star winger Selesitino Ravutaumada is in Australia undergoing surgery.

Young Naitasiri hooker Kavaia Ragivetaua is also out, with North Harbour prop Penaia Cakobau called up, alongside Fijian sevens rep Ponipate Loganimasi as injury covers.

Fijian Drua flyhalf Isaiah Washington-Ravula has been moved to fullback, former Waratahs rep Vuate Karawalevu moves to wing and Mesake Vocevoce jumps in at lock forward – the three being major changes from the team that defeated Manu Samoa 42-16 in Suva two weeks ago.

Mauger said they have had a good review of their last game as they look forward to Tonga.

“There were lots of things we thought we did well against Samoa in the first PNC game, and there were lots of little things we think we could tidy up, so last week gave us a good opportunity to work on our game and prepare for this game,” the former Moana Pasifika mentor said.

“The squad is fit.”

Mauger said Tonga will not be easy at home, as past games have proven.

“It’s been a long history, lots of close fought battles, and you know, the guys who have come to Tonga and played here have acknowledged how tough it is to come and play Tonga in Tonga,” he said.

“We’ve acknowledged all those chapters. But really for us we’ve focused on our own game as well, like really growing our game and where we want to take Fiji and rugby, trying to take to the next level, and sort of building over the next few years.”

He said they are heartened by the support of local Fijians in Nuku’alofa, who have been anticipating the team’s arrival.

The Flying Fijians last played in Tonga in 2017, during the PNC that year.

The 'Ikale Tahi forwards soaring into the skies in this lineout move as they prepare for Fiji. Photo: TRU

The ‘Ikale Tahi forwards soaring into the skies in this lineout move as they prepare for Fiji. Photo: TRU Photo: Tonga Rugby Union

Tonga builds foundation

Tonga, on the other hand, returned home from Apia on Saturday, following their 43-17 loss to the Samoans.

While head coach Tevita Tuifu’a and his assistant Nili Latu have not recorded a win in their first three Test matches in charge so far this year, the Tonga Rugby Union said the development phase is focused on the 2027 Rugby World Cup.

Chief executive officer Aisea ‘Aholelei said on Wednesday the two coaches and the new squad are building their foundation and they will go out and give their best against Fiji.

“It’s very important if you’re building a house to make sure that the foundations are firm first and foremost.

“Different teams, different organisations, have different types of foundations, and that’s what we’re trying to do here for the Tonga Rugby Union and the ‘Ikale Tahi.

“At the same time, what kind of foundation that suits Tongan rugby. And a lot has to do with culture, as I was saying before, that we are a Tongan team, and we know what is best for our team, the Tongan way.

He said it was important to look forward to the next Rugby World Cup.

“We are trying to close those gaps in performance, but at the same time, you can’t go past trying to get the foundations right.

“This is probably the most important time for us and the hardest part of working and putting all our efforts into it and hopefully things will flourish once 2027 comes around.”

‘Ikale Tahi head coach Tu’ifua told The Fiji Times in Nuku’alofa they are looking for a win this Friday at home.

He said the game is important for them to win.

“Competition wise it is so important to win this game moving forward for the knockout next week,” he told the newspaper.

“Secondly, it is the anniversary between Fiji and Tonga so it can be a history-making for our group, and it is vitally important that we perform well.”

Countering Fiji’s speed and physicality is something they have been working on.

“We are looking at our defence and execution as well as our discipline,” he said.

“Fiji will play their Fijian style of rugby with a bit of physicality and conditioning wise as well. The biggest threats from the Fijians have always been their speed and their offloads.

“Possession is so important, so we can’t give away any possessions or penalties.”

Big Ben Tameifuna has been retained as captain with the coaches also opting for changes.

Tough number eight Lotu Inisi and brother, winger Fine are also retained, after impressive outings last week, where Lotu scored a double.

The match kicks off at 3pm.

Fijian fan Jonetani Baisagale, who lives in Nuku'alofa, with Flying Fijian number eight Albert Tuisue in Kolomotu'a, Tonga on Thursday after the team's captain run. Photo: Jonetani Baisagale

Fijian fan Jonetani Baisagale, who lives in Nuku’alofa, with Flying Fijian number eight Albert Tuisue in Kolomotu’a, Tonga on Thursday after the team’s captain run. Photo: Jonetani Baisagale Photo: Jonetani Baisagale

If Tonga wins by 27 points that will throw the Pacific pool open, with the top two teams then decided by points average.

But a Flying Fijian will see them and Manu Samoa advancing into the semi-finals in Tokyo next week, with Tonga meeting Canada in the play-off for fifth and sixth.

The teams:

‘Ikale Tahi lineup: 1 Jethro Felemi, 2 Solomone Aniseko, Ben Tameifuna (c), 4 Harison Mataele, 5 Onehunga Kaufusi, 6 Tevita Ahokovi, 7 Tupou Afungia, 8 Lotu Inisi, 9 Aisea Halo, 10 Patrick Pellegrini, 11 Samuel Tuitupou, 12 Fetuli Paea (v/c), 13 Fine Inisi, 14 Esau Filimoehala, 15 Nikolai Foliaki (v/c); Reserves – 16 Penisoni Fineanganofo, 17 Salesi Tuifua, 18 Brandon Televave, 19 Paea Fonoifua, 20 Sosefo Sakalaia, 21 Siaosi Nai, 22 Tyler Pulini, 23 Latu Akauola

Flying Fijians lineup: 1 Eroni Mawi, 2 Tevita Ikanivere (c), 3 Samuela Tawake, 4 Mesake Vocevoce, 5 Temo Mayanavanua, 6 Ratu Mele Derenalagi, 7 Elia Canakaivata, 8 Albert Tuisue, 9 Frank Lomani, 10 Caleb Muntz, 11 Epeli Momo, 12 Adrea Cocagi, 13 Iosefo Masi, 14 Vuate Karawalevu, 15 Isaiah Washington-Ravula; Reserves – 16 Mesulame Dolokoto, 17 Haereiti Hetet, 18 Peni Ravai, 19 Ratu Leone Rotuisola, 20 Kitione Salawa, 21 Peni Matawalu, 22 Inia Tabuavou, 23 Ilaisa Droasese

Norman Kirk’s Tongan tapa cloth unveiled in its new home

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By Jimmy Ellingham of rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission

A Tongan tapa cloth presented to prime minister Norman Kirk has come out of storage to show off its full beauty.

The intricate patterns of the tapa cloth, which Sesi Mausia says could be older than 50 years.

The intricate patterns of the tapa cloth, which Sesi Mausia says could be older than 50 years. Photo: RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham

Fifty years to the day after Kirk’s state funeral, another ceremony was held in Palmerston North on Wednesday.

A couple of dozen people turned out to remember Kirk and unveil the special piece of Pacific art in its new home, in city MP Tangi Utikere’s electorate office.

It was a gift from Kirk’s private secretary Margaret Hayward.

“In those days – this is in the 1970s – there was no person to curate any gifts at parliament,” she said.

“Parliament was very backward because no extra money was spent on anything.”

This included the carpet. Hayward recalls the threadbare floors people had to avoid tripping on.

“When notables like prime ministers and leaders of the opposition were given gifts, they were sometimes not able to be put up in their homes.

“They didn’t know what to do with them, to be quite frank. Mr Kirk used to hand them to staff and say: ‘Could you do something with this or could you look after this?’.”

Hayward has looked after the tapa cloth for 51 years. Kirk received it at the South Pacific forum in Apia, Samoa, in 1973.

“I never actually saw it presented to him. It was probably in one of the sessions.

“When I saw Tangi and showed it to him he said it’s definitely Tongan. He picked it in one. It’s so big and it’s taken so much work that it would just be criminal, I think, if it was lost.”

Hayward initially hung it on the wall of her place in Wellington, but when she moved she did not have a space big enough, so lately it has been in storage at her Kāpiti Coast home.

She recently asked if parliament had a Pasifika room where it might hang, but it does not.

Margaret Hayward, left, says she was delighted to learn of the cloth's history from Sesi Mausia.

Margaret Hayward, left, says she was delighted to learn of the cloth’s history from Sesi Mausia. Photo: RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham

Utikere – who is of Cook Islands heritage and a Labour MP like Kirk – said he would take it and put it on display.

Hayward said she was delighted to learn the meaning of the intricate patterns on the tapa cloth, which stands about 2×4 metres and depicts a Tongan shield, doves, trees and lions.

She worked for Kirk for eight years until his death, aged 51, on 31 August 1974. It shocked the nation.

He had won office in a Labour landslide in 1972 and in two years was racing through his policy agenda on the home front and abroad.

His government recognised China and protested French nuclear testing in the Pacific, although New Zealand was facing uncertain economic times.

His last public appearance was in Palmerston North, opening a school.

Kirk was firmly of the working class, building his Canterbury family home brick by brick.

So it is likely he would have appreciated the artistry that went into turning the bark of mulberry trees into a tapa cloth.

Reverend Sesi Mausia – who blessed the cloth in Utikere’s office on Wednesday – said the work that went into creating them was immense.

The plants were grown, cut down, and their skins pulled off and dried. After a couple of weeks or a month they are soaked in water to soften, then beaten and stretched to become a piece of tapa.

Then the pieces are joined together and the pictures hand drawn.

Mausia said the cloth Kirk was given could be a lot older than 50 years, judging by its style, and it made her as a Pasifika woman feel welcome, offering a silent greeting.

Tangi Utikere says he's honoured to have the cloth hang in his office.

Tangi Utikere says he’s honoured to have the cloth hang in his office. Photo: RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham

Utikere said he looked back at Kirk’s focus on education, support for trade unions and the importance he placed on security in the Pacific – so he was delighted to have a marker of the former prime minister so close.

“It’s pretty special, and learning the history and provenance today makes it even more so.”

The ceremony on Wednesday was held 50 years to the day of Kirk’s state funeral in Wellington, which Hayward said was an unforgettable occasion.

“The thing about Mr Kirk is he never thought anyone really cared very much about what he did. I kept thinking if he could have been there he wouldn’t have believed it.

“The Queen sent Prince Charles out and that was very nice too. A whole lot of things happened that day that were mind-blowing.

“There was a wonderful Māori choir. It was absolutely fantastic – very moving.”

St Vincent de Paul to open first shop in Tonga

By
Kaniva Staff
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By rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission

St Vincent de Paul organisation in New Zealand are sending a container load of clothing, household utensils and medical goods to their sister organisation in Tonga.

Nuku’alofa

The Tonga branch is being supported to open its first ever shop in the Kingdom in September.

Last week, St Vincent de Paul in Porirua sent 41 banana boxes of goods to Auckland to be shipped to Tonga along with donations from other chapters around the country.

St Vincent de Paul twinning coordinator Arthur Schultz says the Tonga shop initiative is the first of its kind for St Vincent de Paul and is an integral part of a three-year strategic plan to help them with their work and support for families in need in the kingdom.

Mr Schultz says they are also sending pallets of medical equipment to support their sister organisation in Samoa.

He spoke with RNZ Pacific reporter Grace Fiavaai Grace who began by asking how they decide what to send to the islands.

‘Significant concern about influence China has’ – security expert on PIF Taiwan communique bungle

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By Don Wiseman, of rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission

Last week’s Pacific Islands Forum leaders’ summit ended dramatically when China demanded the conference communique be changed to eliminate a reference to Taiwan.

China's Ambassador to the Pacific, Qian Bo, takes questions from the media in Tonga.

China’s Ambassador to the Pacific, Qian Bo, takes questions from the media in Tonga. Photo: RNZ Pacific/ Lydia Lewis

The document had made a reference to the Forum reaffirming its relations to Taiwan, which has been a development partner since 1992.

But the Chinese Ambassador to the Pacific, Qian Bo, was furious and the document was rewritten.

RNZ Pacific asked Massey University lecturer in security studies, Dr Anna Powles, what she made of all of this.

(The transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity.)

Anna Powles: I think for a start, it isn’t actually surprising the way in which China, through its Special Envoy, Qian Bo, reacted to the inclusion of section 66 which reaffirms the 1992 agreement between the Pacific Islands Forum and Taiwan as a development partner. I don’t think it’s particularly surprising that China did react that way to the inclusion of it in the communique, given their own sensitivities.

However, it does raise serious questions about the level of influence that external actors have on the Pacific Islands Forum.

Don Wiseman: The pressure on the Forum over Taiwan goes back a long way. I can remember going to Forums 20 years ago, and the Taiwanese meeting would always be held off site, and a significant way off site. It’s just remarkable that the Forum itself would buckle so easily.

AP: Look, I certainly do agree. I think this raises some very serious concerns about the way in which an external partner, such as China, is able to really seek to disrupt the status quo, and by that, I’m referring to Taiwan’s relationship with the Pacific Island Forum, because it does effectively sit within the regional architecture as a consequence of the 1992 agreement. It also reflects the way in which China is seeking to utilise Forum processes in order to squeeze Taiwan even further.

Taiwan now has three allies remaining in the Pacific, that’s Palau, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands, and that has significant consequences. Going forward, for a period of time, the Pacific Islands Forum has been able to keep China at bay when it has sought to push the Forum to adopt a One China policy, or in Beijing’s term, a one China principle. And the Forum has been able to push back on the basis that that it has a number of its members recognise Taiwan, but as the numbers there are dwindling, that becomes increasingly more difficult.

Now, of course, Solomon Islands has been key to all of this, because Prime Minister [Jeremiah] Manele raised the issue of Taiwan being a development partner, because of Taiwan being a non-sovereign country, and this really speaks to concerns, key flash points, that we can see down the track.

One of which obviously is the fact that Solomon Islands will be hosting the Pacific Islands Forum next year, which raises questions around Taiwan and the ability of Taiwan to participate, and Prime Minister Manele did not answer that question when asked at the press conference last week in Tonga.

But it also raises questions around, as part of the review of the regional architecture, there is a tiered approach that will be adopted. Tier one are the other strategic partners – so those countries that partner with the Forum, and tier two, which refers to the broader range of entities. The question here is: where does Taiwan fit between tier one and tier two? Those questions will certainly need to be answered.

DW: One of the odd things is the amount of aid that has come from Taiwan for the Pacific, particularly for countries like Nauru, over the years. Millions and millions of dollars that rescued that country before it discovered the value of having detention camps on the island, and got a heap of money from Australia, but they needed Taiwan to pay for everything. It’s just astounding that now these countries can blithely forget about that. And the most zealous of all of the new friends is, it would seem, Kiribati.

AP: Indeed, across social media, has certainly been a topic of conversation about the way in which Taiwan, as you say, so recently a partner to Kiribati, to Solomon Islands, for instance, is effectively being sidelined in these attempts to really strip Taiwan of its status in the region. It’s worth noting too that at the Forum last week Taiwan and the Forum signed another agreement with additional funds going from Taiwan to the Pacific Islands Forum. Taiwan is a development partner in the region, and has been for a long period of time.

These efforts to strip Taiwan of its status and to effectively disrupt and reshape the status quo within the regional architecture are deeply concerning, and the Pacific Islands Forum certainly need to really invest in ways to better manage these types of crises going forward, whether that be through establishing some forms of guardrails for instance.

Or even as part of the proposed Ocean of Peace declaration. But there really do need to be some serious discussions about how to better manage this because the dangers are that it could reinforce the divisions felt between the North Pacific and the rest of the Pacific. The Solomon Islands, as I said, is hosting the Forum meeting next year.

But then in 2026 Palau will be hosting the Forum meeting. We certainly do not want to see those splits that led to the Micronesian members seeking to withdraw from the Forum re-emerging, again, as a consequence of these geopolitical plays.

DW: What do you think will happen at this point? I mean what are they saying for instance, in Canberra or Washington about what happened the other day?

AP: The perspective is that China has effectively gotten its way by having the section 66 removed from the communique. The Secretariat [of the Forum] itself has stated that it was an error that that version of the communique went up online – that it was not the agreed communication. There’s still a lack of transparency around the processes, the process by which this took place.

DW: It is actually odd that that reference was there. Taiwan has been an associate since 1992 but in various communiques, I can’t remember any reference to Taiwan before, but someone, somewhere thought it was a good idea to put it in there.

AP: Exactly. And so that it isn’t clear in my conversations with people in the region. It certainly does seem that that was an error, possibly coming out of conversations that were had at the leaders’ retreat, perhaps. Then the decision was made to insert that. But certainly I can’t imagine that there would have been consensus across all leaders to have that inserted into the communique, given Solomon Islands and Kiribati have both been fairly strong on Taiwan’s position within the regional architecture. It is surprising.

I do think it’s worth noting that the 92′ agreement was in the 1992 Forum communique, which was actually held in Solomon Islands. There is a degree of synchronicity here. But also there are concerns around the way in which the Forum is sufficiently robust and able to withstand these types of pressures that we have seen over the past few days from China, and obviously there will be a great deal of concern in Canberra and Wellington about this.

But I would say, for Pacific countries, and you would know this very well, Don, there have been long standing concerns about the level of influence that a range of actors have had over the Forum agenda, including Australia and New Zealand.

This isn’t necessarily new, but it is certainly no less concerning, particularly when we see footage of Special Envoy Qian Bo having a conversation with Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, who assures him the communique will be corrected. So again, significant concern about the degree of overreach and influence and access that China has into the Forum processes.

MSD bans ‘deceptive and underhanded’ use of fake social media profiles

By
Kaniva Staff
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By Phil Pennington of rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission

The Ministry of Social Development (MSD) will permanently ban staff from using fake profiles on social media sites to spy on beneficiaries in fraud investigations.

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The Ministry of Social Development has taken years to implement a policy on using fake social media profiles. File photo. Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King

RNZ inquiries have revealed the ministry secretly used the fake profiles for years, before suspending the practice in 2021 when parliament was asked about it.

But a policy that bans the practice only fully kicks in from next month.

“We accept that the policy has taken considerable time to finalise,” MSD told RNZ.

Internal papers show the ministry knew by 2017 that the use of fake profiles was a “misleading” practice, and that it was breaking social media platforms’ own rules, but judged the risk was worth it to get hold of personal information.

“This practice does not currently break any New Zealand laws,” said a 2017 report newly released to RNZ under the OIA. “Currently the MSD Acting Security Intelligence Manager accepts the risk of using fake profiles to hide the identity of the analyst.”

But by 2021, independent reviewers were telling the ministry the practice “can be viewed as deceptive and underhanded”.

“The use of pseudo or skeleton social media profiles is of particular concern,” they said.

They found the controls were “ineffective” – not all the information gathered online of people who were not targets was being blurred out, which appeared to be “unnecessarily invasive and a potential intrusion of privacy on the general public”.

The papers showed the ministry paused the practice in June 2021, after a question in Parliament was asked about pseudo profiles.

It had already been using the fakes for years by then.

The practice persisted throughout the course of several inquiries and a 2018 crackdown across the public sector, aimed at rooting out dodgy information-gathering practices. This came after other agencies were caught using private spy firms to surveil the public.

Around this time, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment was criticised over training its staff to use fake social media personas in immigration investigations.

But the Ministry of Social Development carried on with the practice.

A public inquiry in 2019 found MSD had acted improperly and breached people’s privacy in gathering data without them knowing – but it failed to mention the use of fake personas.

RNZ has asked the Office of the Privacy Commissioner – which carried out the inquiry – if it knew about the practice.

The 2019 inquiry found that up to two-thirds of all investigations did not turn up evidence of fraud.

The ministry kept the use of fake personas secret from clients and the public.

“We inform clients of information we gather, and this is covered on the Work and Income website Privacy Notice. However this Privacy Notice did not include reference to the use of pseudo profiles for gathering information from social media that was stopped in 2021,” spokesperson George van Ooyen told RNZ.

The fake profiles came to light in an American researcher’s work this year, but it did not go into details.

Van Ooyen said MSD accepted that the 2021 internal assurance review by Ernst and Young had highlighted that “our practice wasn’t up to standard”.

The review said: “Ineffective controls within the intelligence unit over the use of social media for information gathering purposes not only poses an unmitigated privacy risk for the ministry, but also a significant reputational risk.”

Van Ooyen said it was important to note the social media info gathering was “passive”, as analysts merely logged in with the fake profiles and did not interact with others.

Only publicly available information was harvested with the fake profiles, and analysts were told not to go “fishing” for beneficiaries other than the target, the papers said.

They suggest the ministry was using fake profiles for years without any social media guidelines, which it first introduced in 2017.

Analysts were using “discreet online persona … to mitigate the risk of leaving a footprint behind, and potential identification by the person they are looking into”.

“Skeleton” profiles had fake names and fake email addresses but “no profile picture will be used, no pages liked and any interaction with comments/likes will not happen”.

“This will make sure the profile does not mislead anyone further than already necessary,” the 2017 guidelines said.

“Analysts will not engage in misleading behaviour to collect private information. Thus, they are not collecting information through a manner that is deemed unlawful, unfair or unreasonably intrusive.”

The fake personas were used to varying extents across five popular platforms – Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Twitter and LinkedIn.

“We are currently breaking the terms and conditions for the different platforms when using a false account,” its 2017 guidelines said.

But since it only risked deactivation of a profile if it were caught, the risk was “worth taking as the payoff of the information gathered would outweigh” it.

In 2018, the Public Service Commission – spurred by a public outcry – issued stricter guidelines, demanding agencies have policies and be transparent about how they gathered personal information.

It has taken MSD until now to come up with a policy. This was circulated internally in July, to be implemented by October.

Van Ooyen said the delay was due to the pandemic and having to focus on the wage subsidy scheme.

“This was a very substantial programme of work,” he said.

The new policy still allows investigations to use social media, but MSD must identify itself. It can no longer use profiles on Facebook.

MSD told RNZ it did not use fake personas for its investigations into Covid-19 wage subsidies.

The newly released papers also show that MSD moved in 2022 to find out if it was complying with the public sector guidelines on information gathering issued four years before, with an independent review finding that it largely was by then.

Woman died in Waikato Hospital because cardiac alarm volume was turned down

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission

A woman who suffered a heart attack died in Waikato Hospital because no one heard her alarm going off.

Waikato Hospital

The woman died in Waikato Hospital’s emergency department. Photo: RNZ / Simon Rogers

The 84-year-old, who had been living in an aged care facility, was admitted to the hospital’s emergency department (ED) with severe chest pain in February 2023.

While waiting for a cardiology assessment, the patient was put on a bedside cardiac monitor.

She later went into cardiac arrest, but it took ED staff several minutes to notice her monitor alarm had been activated.

The patient was found unresponsive and resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful.

A coroner’s inquiry into the death found the alarm volume had been turned down to an inaudible level. The inquiry was unable to determine who lowered the volume.

Coroner Ian Telford did not accept Health New Zealand (HNZ) Waikato’s claim earlier intervention would not have changed the outcome. HNZ Waikato said the patient had an extensive cardiac history.

But Telford said the death may have been prevented if the patient’s arrhythmia was detected and treated quicker.

The inquiry also found the patient had not been checked on for two hours before she died.

Telford said not being seen by a nurse for over two hours in a critical care setting like ED was not acceptable.

“At the time of the critical event, the nurse-to-patient ratio that night was lower than the ratio recommended by the New Zealand Nurses Organisation and the College of Emergency Nurses New Zealand.”

However, Telford said he could not determine if increased staffing would have made a difference.

“Put simply, even if there were more staff on duty, they may have all similarly failed to hear or see the monitoring devices alarm.”

He recommended alarms for critical events in the hospital be audible and easily distinguished from other alarms.

He said frequent non-critical alarms were distracting and resulted in “alarm fatigue”.

He also called for medical and nursing staff to be appropriately trained on using the monitoring system.

He said HNZ Waikato had taken steps to ensure future patient safety, and therefore did not refer the case to the Health and Disability Commission.

But short-staffing continued to be an issue for Waikato Hospital.

A patient who spoke to RNZ from their hospital bed said they had waited more than a month for cardiac surgery.

Last week, another patient waited more than 16 hours in the hospital’s ED with suspected internal bleeding only to be referred back to their GP.

And on Friday more than 600 nurses, midwives, healthcare assistants, students, and administration staff walked off the job at the hospital over recruitment concerns.

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