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SkyCity casino shut down after vulnerable player loses $1m: ‘We made mistakes’

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission

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.

  • Sky City casino in Auckland

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

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.

Sky City casino in Auckland

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.”

Sky City logo

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.

Tonga Law Society members launch petition to remove Kingdom’s first openly gay chief justice

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

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.

Malcolm Bishop KC

Malcolm Bishop KC Photo: LinkedIn / Malcolm Bishop KC

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.

Mpox outbreak: New case linked to Queenstown’s Winter Pride Festival

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

A new case of mpox with a “likely” link to the recent Winter Pride Festival in Queenstown has been detected today, Health NZ has confirmed.

Mpox (previously monkeypox) virus particles, illustration. (Photo by SERGII IAREMENKO/SCIENCE PHOTO L / SIA / Science Photo Library via AFP)

Today’s case is the fifth confirmed case of mpox in NZ this year. File photo. Photo: SERGII IAREMENKO/SCIENCE PHOTO L / SIA / Science Photo Library via AFP

Today’s confirmed case brings the number of cases of mpox in New Zealand to 54 since the disease became notifiable in June 2022. Five have been confirmed so far in 2024.

In a statement, national clinical director Dr Susan Jack said the National Public Health Service was continuing to investigate after several people who attended the event – including today’s case – came into contact with people who later reportedly tested positive for mpox overseas.

“While it is possible that other cases may yet be confirmed, it’s important to remember that mpox is a rare infection and the risk of it spreading widely in New Zealand remains low.

“Anyone who thinks they may have been exposed to mpox, or who develops symptoms, especially a rash, should seek medical advice.

“As the mpox virus can spread through close contact (including intimate / sexual contact) with a person with mpox, we also strongly urge anyone with symptoms to refrain from sexual activity and seek support.”

Health NZ said most people with mpox developed a rash or other skin change known as lesions. Lesions are spots, bumps, blisters or sores, usually around the face, hands, feet, mouth, throat, genitals and anus.

The sores usually go through stages – they appear flat, they become solid and raised or bumpy, they fill with fluid, crust over and eventually flake off. The lesions were often painful and itchy, and could take a few weeks to heal.

Pain, bleeding or discomfort in the anus was a possibility.

There are two types of mpox, known as clade I and clade II – both have caused the current outbreaks in African countries with a recent increase in clade I. There are no cases of clade I in Aotearoa, or in neighbouring countries.

More information about mpox can be found here.

Miss Universe Fiji pageant ‘tainted’ with drama over winner

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

Fiji’s first Miss Universe beauty pageant in more than 40 years has been “tainted” by ugly accusations, a New Zealand judge at the contest says.

Manshika Prasad (middle) has had her throne restored after ‘the real Miss Universe Fiji’, runner-up Nadine Roberts (left) was handed it instead.

Manshika Prasad (middle) has had her throne restored after ‘the real Miss Universe Fiji’, runner-up Nadine Roberts (left) was handed it instead. Photo: Asvin Singh

Manshika Prasad, a 24-year-old MBA student, was adorned with her tiara and winner’s sash on stage at Fiji’s Pearl Resort and Spa last week.

Days later, after she had celebrated winning the chance to represent Fiji at the international beauty pageant in Mexico in November, everything changed.

Manshika Prasad at a photoshoot the day after her win at Miss Universe Fiji.

Prasad celebrated her win with a photoshoot on a boat around the sparkling waters of the South Pacific island nation. Photo: Supplied / Melissa White

Over the weekend, a press release from Miss Universe Fiji claimed that “correct procedures” had not been followed and Prasad’s title was given to runner-up Nadine Roberts, a 30-year-old model and property developer from Sydney whose mother is Fijian.

Marine biologist Melissa White had flown over from New Zealand to represent an environmental charity as a judge at the event. She told RNZ’s Midday Report on Monday that the days following the win had taken away from what should have been a historic event for Fiji.

“This whole thing is tainted.

“When the votes were counted on the night of the event, it was four to three. So Manshika Prasad had the four votes to the three and was given the crown as the clear winner,” White said.

“Two days later we were told that the crown had been taken from her and that all of a sudden there was an eighth judge who was the licensee of the holder for the Miss Universe Fiji.”

The controversy about the winner centres around this extra eighth vote, with vote-rigging allegations flying.

“That was all very strange, to all of us judges,” White said.

“It was just a bit unheard of that there was an absentee judge all of a sudden, and now all of a sudden there was a tie, there was a tie-breaker, and this other girl wins and they take the crown away from the girl who won fairly that night,” White said.

Fiji had not held a Miss Universe competition since 1981 as they had not been able to find anyone willing to fund a national pageant in the small island nation.

The global beauty pageant is run on a franchise basis, which enables licensees to use the brand and sell tickets. This year, property development firm Lux Projects Bali inked a deal for Fiji.

Miss Universe Fiji confirmed to RNZ that the Miss Universe Organisation were dealing with Lux Projects Bali “at the highest level”.

“What has been presented by Lux Projects Bali is false and defamatory and my legal team will also be addressing,” Miss Universe Fiji spokesman, Grant Dwyer, wrote in a statement to RNZ on Monday evening.

“This has been very sad for both Manshika, the other finalists, the judges, the sponsors and Fiji.

“The rightful winner was and is Manshika.”

Lux Projects has not responded to RNZ’s request for comment.

In a social media post, Prasad said the experience “has been a wild ride of growth and challenges” and that she was “beyond excited” to take on the world. Roberts had posted that “the world needs to see the FULL crowning footage from the MUF finals”. Neither had replied to a request for an interview.

White said on Monday morning that she understood the Miss Universe Organisation had stepped in and reinstated Prasad as the rightful winner after a “really confusing” few days.

Manshika Prasad, Miss Universe Fiji winner.

Prasad has been reappointed the winner of Miss Universe Fiji. Photo: Asvin Singh

“It was quite an emotional rollercoaster for her,” White said.

“The night of the crowning was life-changing for her and she was so grateful and she just couldn’t believe it was happening to her.

“She had this big burst of emotion when she won and then it was all taken away from her.

“Now she has understood that all of the judges have been fighting for her because we wanted to truth to come out, we wanted people to know what actually happened and what was fair.”

New weather radar to ‘save people’s lives’ in Tonga

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

A new weather radar installed at the at Fua’amotu Airport is expected to empower Tonga to issue crucial early warnings, reducing the impact of severe weather on vulnerable communities.

Tonga's Minister of Meteorology Fekitamoeloa Katoa 'Utoikamanu said the installation of the radar will save lives.

Tonga’s Minister of Meteorology Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu said the installation of the radar will save lives. Photo: Supplied

The NZ$4 million weather radar, funded by the New Zealand government, was launched by the UN Secretary-General AntĂłnio Guterres and NZ Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters late last month.

Tonga’s Minister of Meteorology Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu said the installation of the radar will save lives.

“Technology investments are a part of our fight against [natural] disasters, and this new radar system does provide us with the critical data that is needed to anticipate and respond and to ensure that we do save people’s lives,” she said.

Schools in the Kingdom will greatly benefit from the early warning system, according to the principal of St Andrews School.

Losana Latu said the new radar gives staff more confidence they will have enough notice to safely evacuate students in time during natural disasters.

She said having early notice will reduce panic amongst students and staff, allowing them to better respond during emergencies.

“As the principal of the school it is my responsibility to ensure the safety of the children and staff of my school.

“We have to make sure during any disaster, no child is left behind.”

‘Utoikamanu said children were Tonga’s “most valued possessions” and the government’s investment in their education resilience is very important.

The project is a pilot, part of a $20 million Weather Ready Pacific Program, which is aimed at strengthening the Pacific’s ability to prepare for extreme weather events.

Peters said the radar represents a major step in their commitment to Pacific Island nations.

“We’re delighted to be here for the commissioning of this valuable new installation following the announcement of funding for this work when we visited in February.

“The radar will provide Tonga with the ability to give communities critical early warnings and mitigate the impacts of high-risk weather.”

The New Zealand MetService also provided construction and training support.

Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) director general Sefanaia Nawadra said the radar was just the first step of the rollout of the Weather Ready Pacific Program across the entire region.

“Through this initiative, I’d like to assure you of the commitment of the region to implement early warning systems for all, so no one is left behind,” he said.

“So that we are better ready for all the weather impacts we will continue to experience.”

Auckland Muslim schools in lockdown after threat

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

A threatening email to an Auckland schools reinforces the error of the Government’s recent decisions, the Federation of Islamic Associations (FIANZ) says.

Al-Madinah School. Auckland

Photo: Supplied / Google Maps

Al-Madinah School and Zayed College, both on Westney Road in Māngere, were in lockdown after being sent an email with a threatening video.

A third Auckland Islamic school, Iqra primary school in New Lynn, was not in lockdown but was on restricted access Monday after the threat to Al-Madinah.

Al-Madinah Assistant Principal Amjad Ali told RNZ a video was sent to the school’s principal at 11pm on Sunday.

It featured a man showing guns in a car and randomly shooting, he said.

It wasn’t filmed at the school, but police recommended going into lockdown.

Zayed College for Girls in Auckland.

Zayed College for Girls. Photo: Supplied / Google Maps

The Federation of Islamic Associations (FIANZ) said it was particularly concerned about the well-being and trauma of the students, staff, parents and wider community.

The threat could have been made to a church, synagogue, community centre, women’s refuge, or shopping centre, the organisation said in a statement.

It reinforced their concerns about recent political decisions regarding the recommendations of the Royal Commission into the mosque terrorist attacks.

“We urge the Right Honourable Prime Minister to reconsider the decision of his Lead Coordination Minister regarding the most important recommendation of the Royal Commission: to establish a dedicated and purpose-specific national security agency.

“Threats like this demonstrate why we need to have a strategic approach for our national security.”

The group also queried withdrawal from other Royal Commission recommendations, the “vitriol” around firearms reform, and the need to teach young people how to identify and counter disinformation.

Schools take caution

Al-Madinah school was advising students to stay at home and it would be in lockdown until further notice.

The state integrated area school has primary and secondary age pupils from Year 1-13.

Zayed College said on its website that it was also closed Monday as a matter of caution following the threat to Al-Madinah.

It initially went into lockdown, but all staff and students had since safely left the school, commissioner Linley Myers said.

“A very big thanks to the staff involved for their calm and responsive support.

“I will update you later today on plans for tomorrow when we know more,” Myers said.

Zayed College said it was the first Islamic College for girls in New Zealand, it was a state integrated special character Islamic secondary school for girls Year 7 – 13.

Police said they were notified of the email at 7.15am Monday.

They were investigating the email “of a concerning nature” sent to staff at Al Madinah School.

“Police are in attendance at Al Madinah School and enquiries are under way to determine the circumstances surrounding the email.”

IQRA School in Auckland.

Iqra School. Photo: Supplied / Google Maps

Iqra School principal Leanne Chartrand said on the school’s website that the school was open on Monday and was not in lockdown, but did have restricted access.

“We are on alert currently in the event of an emergency due to another school in South Auckland receiving threats.

“We have very good practises in place and the staff will be on alert to ensure our children stay safe.”

Precautionary safety measures were being taken, she said.

Auckland bus drivers threaten to stop work after attack by passenger

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission

Auckland bus drivers are pushing for a stop work meeting to discuss their safety after a fellow driver was punched in the face on Saturday morning.

Rajnish Trehan was attacked by a passenger who refused to pay his fare when he was driving the number 18 bus in the Auckland suburb of Avondale on Saturday 7 September 2024.

Auckland bus drivers are pushing for a stop work meeting to discuss safety after Rajnish Trehan was punched in the face by a passenger. Photo: Supplied

Roskill depot-based Rajnish Trehan was hit by a man who wouldn’t pay, he required hospital care for stitches and emergency dental work.

Tramways Auckland union president Gary Froggatt told Morning Report members were now pushing for a stop work meeting, which he acknowledged would cause disruption across the city.

“I don’t want to do that if we can avoid it but we can’t let this go on… bus drivers are concerned about their ongoing safety.

“We’re being pressured by our members (for the meeting) and I think the time has come that we have to do that.”

He said they were talking to management first before confirming a stop work meeting which would see union members taking time off during their shift.

Froggatt said they wanted a full investigation by WorkSafe into the attack on Trehan.

And he said they were disappointed by the company’s response, with Trehan taken back to the depot where his wife picked him up and took him to hospital.

“She took him into Auckland Hospital where they put some stitches in his chin and then they had to go out to Middlemore Hospital to have the tooth fixed.”

Froggatt said there had been a quieter period of violence towards bus drivers, particularly after most were sent on a de-escalation course.

However, the frequency of events was starting to increase again, he said.

“It does happen and it’s starting to happen more frequently just recently.”

He reiterated the need for security screens.

“We’ve been talking about this for some time.

“We’ve got to the stage where we’ve seen some samples of what the bus companies and Auckland Transport are looking at.”

While new buses would come fitted with screens, it would take some time to retrofit the 2000-odd existing buses, Froggatt said.

Emergency protocols followed

Kinetic, which owns bus company NZ Bus, confirmed Trehan notified the operations centre about 10am Saturday that he had been assaulted by a passenger.

“As per our emergency protocols, our team immediately notified the police and ambulance service and sent out our support team to assist Mr Trehan and ensure he was safe and well looked after,” a spokesperson said.

“The health and wellbeing of our people is very important to us, and we are assisting police with their investigation.”

Police are investigating the assault, and want to hear from anyone who saw what happened.

Auckland Airport baggage handler Kimela Piukana sentenced for methamphetamine scheme

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By Craig Kapitan, the NZ Herald

A former high school prefect and deputy head boy turned corrupt baggage handler has lost his bid for a discharge without conviction for participating in an organised crime syndicate that smuggled hundreds of kilograms of methamphetamine into New Zealand by exploiting a loophole in Auckland Airport’s security.

Māngere Bridge resident Kimela Kolo Piukana, 24, was initially alleged to be part of a group of airport workers who, on several occasions in 2021, were tasked with secretly removing illicit drug shipments stowed aboard Malaysian Airlines flights from Kuala Lumpur and Air New Zealand flights from Los Angeles.

“The drugs were subsequently driven off airport grounds and on-supplied to other members of the syndicate,” court documents state.

As part of his guilty plea in June, the Crown conceded he was no longer alleged to have physically removed the drugs from the aircraft. He instead was sentenced for acting as an intermediary between key members of the syndicate, passing along messages via texts.

That concession reduced his culpability, defence lawyer Ben Mugisho said late last month as he asked Justice Michele Wilkinson-Smith for a discharge without conviction. He noted his client had never been in trouble before his arrest in November 2021 after a lengthy undercover police and Customs investigation dubbed Operation Selena.

Piukana had been a university student before dropping out in 2017 to look after his ailing father, Mugisho said, explaining that after his client’s father died Piukana came under the bad influence of a man who was more intricately involved in the meth import conspiracy. That other man, who has also pleaded guilty, has interim name suppression as he awaits sentencing.

Piukana pleaded guilty in June to participating in an organised criminal group, which carries a sentence of up to 10 years’ imprisonment.

The admission of guilt came a week and a half before he was set to go to trial in the High Court at Auckland among multiple co-defendants, including alleged kingpin Nigel Iuvale. Seven others followed suit with their own guilty pleas one week after Piukana, leaving only Iuvale and baggage handler Tungane Manuel to go to trial. Jurors found both men guilty last month.

Nigel Iuvale appears in the High Court at Auckland, where he was found guilty of co-ordinating the smuggling of methamphetame into the country. Photo / Jason Oxenham
Nigel Iuvale appears in the High Court at Auckland, where he was found guilty of co-ordinating the smuggling of methamphetame into the country. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Piukana is the first of the group to have been sentenced.

Police alleged at the time of their arrests that the group had either successfully smuggled or tried to smuggle roughly 500kg of methamphetamine. While the cost of methamphetamine can fluctuate, that amount has been described by police in prior drug import cases as having a value of between $50 million and $90m in New Zealand – considered one of the most profitable meth markets in the world.

“This type of offending is highly concerning not only because of the harm drugs are doing to the community, but the ability to place unchecked items into aircraft … threatens the integrity and security of air travel,” Detective Inspector Paul Newman said at the time of the arrests, estimating an influx of 500kg of the drug on to the underground market would have caused “around $550m in community harm … particularly in vulnerable communities”.

Piukana’s lawyer said his client has ambitions of someday becoming a personal trainer, but a conviction on his record may serve as a barrier. Crown prosecutor Ruby van Boheemen argued against a discharge without conviction, pointing to the seriousness of the charge.

“If those in charge of the syndicate didn’t have members at every level, that syndicate wouldn’t be able to function,” she said, adding the consequences of a conviction wouldn’t be “out of all proportion” to the seriousness of the crime – the standard by which discharge without conviction requests are considered.

Justice Wilkinson-Smith described the offending of Piukana and his co-defendants as “a level of corruption unusual to New Zealand” and as “damaging to New Zealand’s reputation”.

The judge rejected the suggestion Piukana had been ignorant to what was going on when he passed along the messages.

“You must have had a very good idea of what was occurring,” she said, adding that even if he didn’t know the exact amount of methamphetamine being imported he would have been aware it was a commercial quantity. “You knew what was happening and you helped. You gave real assistance.

“You were at best wilfully blind.”

But the judge also noted his young age at the time of offending and his prospect for rehabilitation, allowing for a 25% discount from the starting point of two years and three months suggested by the Crown. An additional 15% reduction was applied for his guilty plea, as well as two months for the time he was under strict bail conditions awaiting trial.

She settled on a sentence of seven months’ home detention.

The judge said the co-defendant who pulled Piukana into the scheme “should be ashamed”.

“You are, however, an adult,” she said. “You were capable of being better than this, and you are capable of being better than this in the future.”

Craig Kapitan is an Auckland-based journalist covering courts and justice. He joined the Herald in 2021 and has reported on courts since 2002 in three newsrooms in the US and New Zealand.

Tongan man in US charged after rugby coach beaten with umbrella loses sight in one eye

By
Kaniva Staff
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By Pat Reavy, KSL.com. Additional information by Kaniva News

A Tongan man in Draper, Salt Lake City has been charged with attacking a coach with an umbrella at a rugby tournament.

A fight that broke out during a rugby tournament in Salt Lake City resulted in a coach losing sight in one eye after being assaulted by a man with an umbrella, according to police. (Barbra Ford, Shutterstock)

Takes Mafileo Vakapuna, 39, was charged Thursday in 3rd District Court with aggravated assault resulting in serious injury, a second-degree felony.

A tournament by the Utah Rugby Academy was held at the Salt Lake Regional Athletic Complex, 2280 N. Rose Park Lane, on July 27. A fight broke out at one of the games, and a coach tried to break it up, according to charging documents.

“During the altercation, Vakapuna struck (the coach) multiple times with an umbrella. (The coach) lost consciousness and use of his right eye from the altercation,” the charges allege.

The coach needed to have surgery on his eye, and more than two weeks after the incident was still unable to see out of it, according to the charges.

Police reviewed cellphone video of the attack and talked to one witness who saw the coach being hit “multiple times with an umbrella. (The coach) fell, and Vakapuna continued hitting (him) on the ground with an umbrella,” the charges say.

A fierce battle between Fiji and Tonga settles in a draw

By
Kaniva Staff
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Photo credit: OFC Media via Phototek

After Samoa set the Group A pace in the day’s first game, both Fiji and Tonga were keen to hit the ground running similarly fast, resulting in both Teams trying to find their rhythm.

The game settled down after the opener, courtesy of the hosts.

Surrounded by defenders, forward Uliana Vuniyayawa latched onto a bouncing loose ball in midfield, keeping her composure to bury past Temaleti Taufa’ao, prompting rapturous screams from the stand.

Buoyed by the lead, it was a matter of time before Fiji added a second. Sisilia Tuvou Kuladina, who was the youngest player at last month’s inaugural OFC Women’s Futsal Nations Cup, backed up her brilliant goal on the court to double her country’s lead in the 39th minute. Much to the anticipation of the crowd, she stood over free kick about 35 yards out and launched an unstoppable drive past the Tongan goalkeeper.

If Fiji had the momentum going into half time, Tonga were determined to take it back after half time. 

It began with Cienna Filimoeatu’s through ball to Kuria Malohifo’ou. She looked to have held onto the ball a touch too long, but her shot was too powerful for Melania Keresoni to properly block, and so Tonga looked to have found a way back into the game. 

Tonga then found an equaliser four minutes later. Tyra Bagiante, who had looked dangerous up front for Tonga all game, confidently slotted home after being released it. 

Losing the lead so quickly seemed to dent Fiji’s confidence, as Tonga looked more assured on the ball, although they were unable to convert this into a lead.

Bravery from Temaleti Taufa’ao kept the score at 2-2, taking the ball off Teonila Levuiciva’s toes after the winger latched onto a Kuladina through ball, only for the Tongan goalkeeper to deny Fiji.

Bagiante thought she was through for a winner in 75th, but Keresoni was quick off her line to deny the Tongan striker.

Fiji looked to have secured the win in the 78th minute through Grace Lakavutu. The substitute’s outside of the boot finish from close range sparked wild celebrations from the Fijian bench.

But Tonga weren’t finished yet.

Malohifo’ou found the back of the net for the second time in the half, equalising the score and closing out the goal-scoring opportunities for both teams as the match ended in a 3-3 draw.

Fiji: 3 (Uliana VUNIYAYAWA 25’; Sisilia Tuvou KULADINA 39’; Grace LAKAVUTU 79’)

Tonga: 3 (Kuria MALOHIFO’OU 49’, 84; Tyra BAGIANTE 53’)

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