EDITOR’S NOTE:This commentary was edited to reflect the fact that the response from the Deputy Clerk was meant to say that the Parliament using the circular was a normal means of communication.
COMMENTARY: It is time for the practice of using circulars to make decisions in Parliament was reviewed.
Circulars should only be used on agendas that are urgent.
They should not be used on important issues such as pay rises for Parliamentarians.
Such issues should be properly debated in the House so that they can be recorded in the minutes for the public to read and also broadcast for people to listen.
As Kaniva News reported yesterday, the government’s use of a circular to canvas MPs’ views on a pay rise has been called into question.
However, the Legislative Assembly’s Deputy Clerk, Dr Sione Vikilani, said the circular was a normal means of communication approved by the House and any information sent through it was legal.
In Tongan he said: “Ko e tohi ‘avetakai ko e founga ngāue pe ‘oku ‘ataa ke ngaue’aki pea ‘oku ‘ikai ke ta’efakalao ha tu’utu’uni ‘i hono fakahoko ‘i he founga koia”.
Dr Vikilani did not respond to a question asking why a circular was used to ballot the pay hike and not a face-to-face voting in the House.
In 2018 Tonga’s former Prime Minister, the late ‘Akilisi Pōhiva, warned that using circulars in Parliament was open to abuse.
Speaking to Kaniva News, Pōhiva said the use of circulars was normal but did not allow for discussion.
MPs, especially the Opposition, could not debate whatever agenda was being circulated.
He said that traditionally Speakers and the Noble’s representatives, who were mostly the majority in the House, used it to ballot issues they wanted to be decided in their favour.
The late Prime Minister’s comments were made during an interview in 2018 about the decision to approve an invitation from the Tonga Rugby League for a Parliament delegation to attend a match.
The decision was adopted through a circular, by collective resolution of Parliament.
Prime Minister Pōhiva’s concerns are just as relevant today as they were four years ago.
Debates and voting in the House must be open so that all citizens can see how their MPs voted and debate can be held in public.
This was illustrated in our story yesterday when Dr Vikilani would not say how MPs voted on the circular.
A Parliament with secrets is not truly democratic.
The boat that capsized and sank while carrying Anglican Church delegates in Tonga was not licensed or authorised to conduct whale-watching and swimming activities, the Ministry of Tourism has revealed.
The ministry issued the clarification following reports of the marine incident, which occurred between Fafā and Malinoa islands in Tongatapu on Friday, 21 August.
Several passengers were reportedly taken to hospital briefly, but no serious injuries were reported.
The passengers included delegates who had attended the Anglican Diocese of Polynesia’s General Synod in Nukuʻalofa. The gathering brought together bishops, chaplains and other church representatives from New Zealand and across the Pacific.
In its statement, the Ministry of Tourism said preliminary information showed that neither the vessel nor its operator had been approved to provide whale-watching or swimming services.
“The vessel and operator involved in the incident were not licensed or authorised by the Ministry of Tourism to conduct Whale Watching and Swimming activities,” the ministry said.
It said all vessels registered with licensed whale-watching and swimming operators in Tongatapu returned safely to their respective harbours or docking areas on Friday, with no related incidents reported.
Incident under review
Whale-watching and swimming activities require an appropriate licence under Tonga’s Whale Watching and Swimming Regulations 2013.
The ministry said the matter remained under review and further action could be taken.
It was continuing to assess the available information and would take compliance action within its mandate where necessary.
Issues relating to the vessel’s licensing, safety equipment and other maritime requirements would be referred to the appropriate authorities, the statement said.
The ministry did not identify the vessel or operator, disclose how many passengers were aboard or explain whether the trip had been advertised or arranged as a whale-watching excursion.
Australian paramedics assist
Paramedics from New South Wales who were in Tonga for a Rotary International training programme helped lead the emergency response.
According to a Rotary statement, the Anglican delegation prayed with the emergency team before leaving.
“Before leaving, the bishops, chaplains and leaders of the group led a prayer, thanking and blessing the team for the help and support they had provided,” the statement said.
“It was a very special and humbling moment for our team, and certainly not something we expected when we started the day.”
The Diocese of Polynesia had recently completed its General Synod in Nukuʻalofa before the delegates joined the boat trip.
Lord Chancellor Lord Afeaki’s recent return to the Supreme Court bench as Acting Lord Chief Justice has revived scrutiny of his controversial appointment to the same position in 2021—an appointment that prompted a group of senior Tongan lawyers to petition King Tupou VI.
King’s Lord Chancellor, Lord Afeaki
Lord Afeaki assumed the acting role while Lord Chief Justice Malcolm Bishop travelled to New Zealand for a medical check-up last month. During that period, Lord Afeaki presided over several Supreme Court cases, including the sentencing of Maikolo ʻEalele to three years’ imprisonment for serious housebreaking and theft.
His return has brought renewed attention to concerns about the process through which Lord Afeaki, who was not a sitting judge, was previously selected to serve temporarily as the head of Tonga’s Supreme Court.
In October 2021, Lord Afeaki was appointed Acting Lord Chief Justice for four months while then-Lord Chief Justice Michael Whitten was overseas on leave.
At the time, Lord Afeaki chaired the Judicial Appointments and Discipline Panel, which was responsible for considering candidates for judicial office.
Lawyers Alleged Appointment Conflict of Interest
The group of senior lawyers—most of whom were members of the Tonga Law Society—questioned whether Lord Afeaki had sufficient experience to hold such an important judicial position. They subsequently petitioned King Tupou VI, seeking the revocation of the appointment.
“The appointment is tainted with cronyism, personal interest and self-promotion within the Panel,” the lawyers told the King.
“There is a conflict of interest with the Chairperson appointing himself to the position of Acting Lord Chief Justice.
“The Panel is established to consider suitably qualified and appropriate candidates for judicial office and is not established for the promotion of its members to the Judiciary. The decision is not transparent and is wrong.”
Lord Afeaki did not formally appoint himself, as judicial appointments are made by the King acting on advice. However, the lawyers alleged that his position as chair of the panel involved in considering judicial appointments created a conflict of interest.
The petition did not result in the appointment being revoked, and Lord Afeaki continued serving as Acting Lord Chief Justice.
Sentencing decision corrected
Concerns surrounding the 2021 appointment were later followed by questions over multiple versions of a sentencing decision delivered by Lord Afeaki in Rex v Siuʻivahanoa Tuʻipulotu.
Three documents relating to the sentencing on 18 November 2021 appeared on the Attorney General’s Office website. They included two versions labelled “Sentencing Remarks” and a third marked “Corrigendum”—a formal correction.
In the first version, Tuʻipulotu was convicted and sentenced to two-and-a-half years, or 30 months, in prison. The final nine months were suspended for two years from the date of his release, subject to several conditions.
The conditions required Tuʻipulotu to commit no further offence punishable by imprisonment, be placed on probation, report to the probation office, complete a drug and alcohol awareness course and undertake 40 hours of community service.
Another version imposed the same 30-month prison sentence but removed the suspension of the final nine months. It instead directed that, following his release, Tuʻipulotu would be placed on probation for 12 months and complete the other rehabilitative conditions.
The corrected version was marked by the Attorney General’s Office on 22 November 2021 and stated:
“Pursuant to the order of the Court dated 22 November 2021, the following sentencing remarks are to replace those issued on 18 November 2021.”
Earlier Judicial Concerns Resurface
No accompanying document publicly available on the website explained why the original sentencing remarks were replaced or why the suspended portion of the sentence was removed.
Courts routinely issue corrigenda to correct errors in judgments.
In this case, however, the publicly available documents showed more than minor changes in wording: the provision suspending the final nine months of imprisonment was removed.
The government is pressing ahead with its ban on social media for under-16 year olds, with the legislation set to be introduced on Monday.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon with students at the government announcement of the plan to ban social media for under 16 year olds.Photo credit:RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
But ACT and New Zealand First will not support the bill.
The bill puts the pressure on social media companies to comply, establishing an online safety regulator and setting up a penalty regime.
Watch the government announcement here:
Education Minister Erica Stanford, who had been tasked with leading the work on the ban, said the bill would bring New Zealand into line with other countries that were placing greater responsibility on tech companies to protect children online.
“The bill places legal obligations on platforms. No penalties are proposed for children, their parents or caregivers,” Stanford said.
“It doesn’t just introduce a minimum age requirement. It creates an enduring framework that can evolve alongside technology and holds platforms responsible for understanding and reducing the risks they create for children.”
ACT and New Zealand First have invoked the ‘agree to disagree clause’, meaning National will need Labour’s support to get the bill past its first reading.
ACT leader David Seymour said protecting children online was serious, but disagreed with National’s approach.
“Unfortunately, the National Party have hitched their wagon to a terrible solution. The ban they propose won’t work, and the side effects will leave us work off.”
A New Zealand First spokesperson confirmed the party also opposed the bill.
But even Labour has indicated it may not support the bill, releasing a letter written by its science and technology spokesperson Reuben Davidson to Stanford.
The letter – which Davidson wrote on Friday – said there were still some matters Labour wanted addressed before it could offer its support.
“I want to be clear that we take this legislation very seriously. The safety of young people in Aotearoa New Zealand is at stake, and the risks they face in increasingly complex online environments are significant. It is critically important that this legislation is in the best possible shape at first reading to ensure it provides a robust safety net for those who need it most,” he wrote.
Among the 79 things Labour was asking were the extent of consultation with children and young people on the bill, how a social media operator could show it has complied, whether the government would publish a full privacy impact assessment, and how the penalties would be enforced.
Davidson also wanted the whole Labour caucus to have access to the bill before deciding whether it could support it.
The bill would require “high risk” platforms, such as Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, YouTube, X, and Facebook, to take “reasonable steps” to check users were over the age of 16.
The reasonable steps included using existing account information, facial age estimation, digital ID services, and formal ID.
Messaging apps such as WhatsApp or Discord, and online games like Roblox, are not included in the bill.
AI chatbots that are primarily for productivity, such as ChatGPT and Gemini, are also out of scope, but social AI companions are covered by the ban.
Platforms would also be required to regularly assess the risks they posed, and report on how those risks were being identified and reduced.
A factsheet released by the government said those risks included included illegal content, harmful content (such as grooming, cyberbullying, harassment, and AI deepfakes), advertising and behavioural profiling, and service design and function.
The regulator, which will be established within the Department of Internal Affairs, will be able to monitor, investigate and enforce compliance.
Its tools would range from simply gathering information or auditing the age assurance technology used by tech companies, all the way up to geo-blocking or criminal penalties.
A ban on VPNs is not in the legislation.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said parents did have a role to play in monitoring what social media platform their children were on, but so did social media companies.
“Social media is exposing them to harmful content, addictive technology and pressures they are not equipped to deal with and it’s affecting their family life, mental health, sleep, and education,” he said.
A whale-watching boat carrying several New Zealand Anglican Church delegates capsized and sank in Tonga on Friday.
A whalesin Vava’u. Photo/Akosita Lavulavu (Facebook)
RNZ Pacific understands several passengers were briefly hospitalised, but there were no serious injuries.
Paramedics from New South Wales, who were in the country for a Rotary International training event, led the rescue.
“Before leaving, the Bishops, Chaplains and leaders of the group led a prayer, thanking and blessing the team for the help and support they had provided,” a Rotary statement read.
“It was a very special and humbling moment for our team, and certainly not something we expected when we started the day.”
The Diocese of Polynesia had recently finished their General Synod in Nuku’Alofa, with delegates present from across New Zealand and the Pacific.
Distressing footage of an apparent serious traffic accident in Tonga shows several people carrying what appears to be a motionless person towards a pickup truck.
Bystanders carry an apparently motionless person towards a pickup truck after a serious crash left a white car lying on its side in Tonga. Photo/Screenshot from livestreamed footage.
Part of the livestreamed footage shows a badly damaged white car lying on its side. The vehicle appears extensively dented and crushed following the crash.
The circumstances surrounding the accident, including its location, when it occurred and the condition of those involved, have yet to be officially confirmed.
Kaniva News has approached the relevant authorities for further information.
The incident has prompted concern on social media, with many questioning why serious crashes appear to occur so frequently in Tonga, despite its small population and closely connected communities.
There appears to have been a pattern of crashes reported almost every month this year.
Earlier this month, two separate incidents reportedly prompted Tonga Power Limited to announce outages affecting parts of Tongatapu after vehicles damaged electricity infrastructure.
Some Facebook commenters have linked the crashes to alcohol and drug use. However, authorities have not confirmed that either was involved in these incidents.
Tongan rugby league star Tolutau Koula could miss the remainder of the NRL season and face a race to recover for the World Cup after suffering a syndesmosis injury in Manly’s 44–24 victory over Newcastle.
The Sea Eagles centre was injured in a hip-drop tackle by Knights winger Dom Young during the first half of Saturday’s match at McDonald Jones Stadium.
Young has since been charged with grade-two dangerous contact and faces a one-match suspension with an early guilty plea. Because Newcastle has a bye in the final round, the suspension would rule him out of the Knights’ last regular-season match.
Koula will undergo scans to determine the severity of the ankle injury and whether surgery will be required.
With Manly having only two regular-season matches remaining, even a moderate syndesmosis injury could end Koula’s NRL campaign. A serious injury requiring surgery could involve a recovery period of six to eight weeks and potentially place his availability for Tonga at the Rugby League World Cup in doubt.
The injury occurred when Koula collected a short pass and attempted to run towards the tryline before Young brought him down from behind.
The weight of the tackle came down across the outside of Koula’s lower leg while his foot appeared trapped beneath him, forcing his ankle outwards and his knee inwards—a mechanism commonly associated with syndesmosis injuries and, in some cases, damage to the medial collateral ligament in the knee.
Koula was slow to rise but managed to play the ball before Caleb Navale crossed for a try. He was later ruled out of the remainder of the match.
Manly subsequently confirmed that Koula had suffered a syndesmosis injury, although scans will establish its full extent.
Fox League commentator Luke Keary immediately raised concerns after watching a replay of the tackle.
“It had all the mechanisms of a hip-drop; he lost his weight,” Keary said.
Referee Wyatt Raymond placed Young on report and sent him to the sin bin for 10 minutes.
Despite losing one of their leading attacking players, the Sea Eagles took control of the match and scored six tries after falling behind early. Josh Feledy, who replaced Koula, scored a hat-trick, while Reuben Garrick, Jason Saab and Lehi Hopoate also crossed.
The victory kept Manly’s slim hopes of qualifying for the top eight alive.
Young’s Newcastle teammate Tyson Frizell also faces a one-match suspension after receiving a grade-two dangerous-contact charge for a tackle on Manly fullback Tom Trbojevic.
Koula’s injury will be closely monitored by Tonga’s national selectors as preparations continue for the World Cup. The 23-year-old’s speed and ability to play at centre or fullback make him one of Tonga’s most important attacking players.
An alleged Comanchero motorcycle gang associate accused of involvement in the 2025 shooting of Tongan siblings Lolo Manaʻia Fakaʻosilea and Carlysha Leona Fakaʻosilea has been denied bail by the Brisbane Supreme Court.
Lloyd Michael Foran is accused of driving an unidentified gunman and another person to the Fakaʻosileas’ home in Rochedale, Brisbane, where the siblings were repeatedly shot on August 2, 2025.
Foran is not alleged to have fired the weapon but has been charged as a party to the attempted murder of former Queensland Reds player Lolo Fakaʻosilea. He is also charged with acts intended to cause grievous bodily harm to Carlysha and several other offences.
Details of the shooting emerged during a bail application by Lloyd Michael Foran, an alleged associate of the Comanchero motorcycle gang, who has been charged over his alleged involvement in the attack.
The Brisbane Supreme Court refused Foran’s application for bail after prosecutors alleged he had driven the unidentified gunman and another person to the Fakaʻosilea residence in a stolen hatchback.
Foran is not accused of firing the weapon but has been charged as a party to the attempted murder of Lolo Fakaʻosilea. He is also charged with acts intended to cause grievous bodily harm to Carlysha and several other offences.
Siblings repeatedly shot
CCTV footage presented in court allegedly showed three people wearing hooded clothing arriving at the property. One of them was reportedly carrying a clearly visible handgun.
Fakaʻosilea was seen running from the house carrying a baseball bat before a disguised gunman emerged and opened fire.
The attacker allegedly followed Fakaʻosilea and Carlysha as they retreated along the driveway, firing repeatedly at them.
Court documents showed that Fakaʻosilea was shot five times—in his right armpit, right bicep, the right side of his chest and twice in his abdomen.
Doctors recorded 10 bullet entry and exit wounds, as well as a fracture to his right arm. He underwent surgery during which three bullets were located and removed.
Prosecutors said that without medical intervention, Fakaʻosilea’s arm could have been at risk because of compartment syndrome, a serious condition caused by increased pressure within the muscles.
Carlysha was shot in her right thigh and suffered another gunshot wound through her wrist. A bullet lodged in her right buttock was removed during surgery.
Both siblings were taken to Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra Hospital for treatment.
Accused allegedly fled
Crown prosecutor Zachary Kaplan argued that Foran must have known his passenger was carrying a firearm because the gun was allegedly visible when the occupants left the vehicle.
Foran’s defence maintained that he was merely the driver and did not know a firearm would be used.
His lawyer told the court that Foran ran away when the shooting began and did not return, arguing that his actions indicated the use of the weapon had not formed part of any plan involving him.
The defence also argued that nobody had positively identified Foran and described the prosecution case as circumstantial.
However, prosecutors reportedly relied on DNA evidence allegedly found on the vehicle’s steering wheel and on a hooded jumper recovered at the scene.
Police also raised concerns about Foran’s alleged association with the Comanchero outlaw motorcycle gang.
Bail refused
Foran offered a $100,000 surety secured through equity in his mother’s home and said he would comply with a condition prohibiting contact with members of the Comanchero gang.
However, Justice Rebecca Treston found that the proposed conditions would not sufficiently reduce the risks associated with his release and refused bail.
Foran, who has reportedly remained in custody for about a year, also faces charges of attempted arson, dangerous conduct with a weapon and unlawful use of a motor vehicle.
No formal pleas have been entered, and the case remains before the courts.
The United States and Chinese embassies in Tonga have publicly clashed over whether an alleged arranged-marriage syndicate that recruited young Tongan women to China constitutes human trafficking.
Lisa, which is not her real name, returned home to Tonga last week after nine months in China. (ABC News: Marian Kupu)
The disagreement follows recent reports by Kaniva News and other Pacific media that several women had been enticed to China with promises of marriage, financial security and the opportunity to support their families—only to allegedly encounter circumstances substantially different from those presented to them in Tonga.
One of the women, identified by the ABC under the pseudonym Lisa, said she travelled to China in October 2025 after being offered an opportunity to marry a Chinese man and build a better life.
The 23-year-old said she had been told that her living expenses would be covered and she would be able to send money home to her family in Tonga.
However, she alleged that the circumstances she encountered after arriving in China were substantially different from what she had been promised.
“I felt as though I [was] something that had been bought and sold,” she told the ABC.
Lisa said she was introduced to several men who were different from those shown to her before she left Tonga.
Tongan student in China, Tapenisa Mahe, who assisted with translation and supported Lisa, said different families came to see the young woman and decide whether they wanted her.
Ms Mahe described the process as resembling an auction.
The ABC reported that it had seen WeChat conversations discussing payments of about $20,000 connected to the marriage arrangements. However, it said it remained unclear who received the money or what it was intended to cover.
Lisa alleged that her passport was later confiscated and that her husband’s family pressured her to have a baby and to work, despite her not holding a work visa.
After she sought a divorce, Lisa said she was confined to a separate room and neglected.
“There were times when I became so hungry that I drank water from the bathroom just to stay alive,” she told the ABC.
Ms Mahe later provided Lisa with a safe place to stay, helped her leave the household and assisted in arranging her return to Tonga after nine months in China.
Organisers reject allegations
The ABC identified Tongan woman Maata Aso and Chinese national Shulan Fang, also known as “Auntie Julie”, as people involved in arranging the women’s travel and prospective marriages.
US human-trafficking specialist Dr Sandra Morgan has warned that the alleged trafficking of Tongan women to China bears classic signs of human trafficking and urged Tonga’s journalists and communities to investigate other forms of exploitation. Photo/US Embassy, Nuku’alofa
Ms Aso rejected allegations that the women had been mistreated or that she had received payments from the arrangements.
She said the women had chosen to travel to China and that many Tongan women were happily married there.
“The reasons Tongan women come to China are different,” she told the ABC.
“Some come to get married, some come because they’re poor, and some come looking for a better life.”
Ms Aso said Ms Fang initially covered the women’s expenses, which were later expected to be repaid by the prospective husbands’ families.
The Chinese Embassy previously characterised the cases as “transnational marriage disputes”, saying differences in language, culture and lifestyle could create difficulties in cross-border marriages.
It also said Chinese police, the Tongan Embassy and Tongan students in China had helped two women return to Tonga.
US expert identifies ‘classic signs’
Last week, the US Embassy in Nukuʻalofa publicised an assessment by Reverend Dr Sandra Morgan, executive director of the Global Center for Women and Justice, who said the reported circumstances constituted human trafficking.
“Yes. It’s classic signs … grooming and recruiting, luring the girls with a promise of a wedding, a bride price that would help their families,” Dr Morgan said during her recent visit to Tonga.
“Then when they get there, it’s not what they thought it would be.”
The US Embassy said it stood with survivors and vulnerable communities and, alongside Tonga, would continue fighting for “dignity, accountability, and justice across the Pacific”.
Chinese Embassy warns against premature conclusions
However, the Chinese Embassy in Nukuʻalofa yesterday reiterated the position it took in July, when the allegations were first reported, saying Chinese police had found no evidence of human trafficking.
Without naming the US Embassy directly, it accused “a certain diplomatic mission in Tonga” of risking the spread of misinformation and disinformation through its public statements.
The embassy said China firmly opposed all forms of human trafficking and was actively involved in combating what it described as a global challenge.
“Public assertions made before investigations reach definitive findings are irresponsible,” the Chinese Embassy said.
“Statements issued by a certain diplomatic mission in Tonga under such circumstances risk circulating misinformation, even disinformation, which does no good to protecting the interests of parties involved and advancing investigations.”
It said all public comments should be based on solid facts and evidence.
How the United Nations defines human trafficking
Under Article 3 of the United Nations’ Palermo Protocol, to which both China and the United States are parties, trafficking in persons involves recruiting, transporting, transferring, harbouring or receiving people through force, coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or vulnerability, or the use of payments or benefits to obtain the consent of someone controlling another person—for the purpose of exploitation.
Exploitation includes sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude and the removal of organs.
For cases involving adults, the UN definition generally requires three elements:
An act, such as recruiting, transporting, transferring, harbouring or receiving a person.
A means, such as deception, fraud, coercion, force or abuse of vulnerability.
A purpose, involving the exploitation of that person.
Human trafficking does not require abduction, illegal travel or an unlawful border crossing. A person may initially agree to travel or marry but still become a trafficking victim if deception, coercion or another prohibited means is used for the purpose of exploitation.
The protocol also provides that a victim’s consent to the intended exploitation is irrelevant when any of the prohibited means has been used.
In the reported Tonga–China cases, recruiting and transporting the women could potentially satisfy the act element. Allegedly misleading promises concerning the prospective husbands, marriage arrangements and financial benefits could constitute the means of deception, while forced labour or servitude, if established, could satisfy the exploitation element.
Months after Tonga and New Zealand strengthened their cooperation against transnational drug trafficking, Tonga Police have yet to disclose the contents of suspicious packages recovered in two separate discoveries in Vavaʻu in June.
A package found on a beach at Koloa, Vava‘u. The Neiafu town officer alleges it may contain illicit drugs, although the nature and contents of the object have not been independently verified. Photo/Supplied
The agreement was accompanied by New Zealand’s announcement that it would fund Tonga’s access to maritime-surveillance technology capable of monitoring suspicious vessels in real time.
It was intended to strengthen Tonga’s ability to intercept illicit drugs, undeclared cash and firearms at its borders, particularly in Vavaʻu, which authorities have identified as a transit route for transnational organised crime.
However, approximately two months after the agreement was signed, Kaniva News reported that packages suspected of containing illicit drugs had washed ashore at Hōleva and Koloa in separate incidents before being taken into police custody.
Kaniva News subsequently asked Tonga Police in June to confirm whether the packages had been tested and whether they contained illicit substances, but no response has been received.
As we reported at the time, photos provided to Kaniva News show what appears to be a package partially embedded in the sand on a beach in Koloa.
About two weeks before the Koloa discovery, similar packages were reportedly found washed ashore on Hōleva Island, approximately one kilometre from Koloa.
The Neiafu Town Officer Vava Lapota confirmed that Police had taken possession of the packages, but no further information has been released.
Authorities have not publicly confirmed the contents of those packages or whether they were connected to the items later recovered at Koloa.
The incidents have revived memories of a significant drug find in the area in 2021, when approximately 14 kilograms of cocaine washed ashore at Holeva Beach.
New Zealand–Tonga Security Agreement
Under the March arrangement, New Zealand committed to supplying detector dogs, specialist training, equipment, operational advice and handler development to Tonga Police and Customs.
A secure, purpose-built detector-dog facility is also planned for Vavaʻu, with construction expected to begin in 2026.
The facility will accommodate up to two detector-dog teams.
Once it is completed, New Zealand is expected to provide two additional teams—one for Tonga Police and another for Tonga Customs.
Why Vavaʻu Was Prioritised
Vavaʻu was singled out because it receives many visiting international yachts and is regarded as a known route used by transnational organised-crime networks.
The renewed arrangement followed New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s warning that the Pacific had become a drug “super highway” used to move cocaine and methamphetamine from overseas sources towards lucrative markets in New Zealand and Australia.
The discovery in Vavaʻu also came amid similar incidents elsewhere in the Pacific. Fiji authorities confirmed in July that packages recovered from several coastal locations had tested positive for cocaine, while suspected cocaine was later found washed ashore on Mitiaro in the Cook Islands.
There is no confirmed evidence connecting those discoveries to the Vavaʻu packages.
Vavaʻu has previously experienced major cocaine wash-ups. In 2021, packages containing cocaine were recovered from beaches at Hōleva and Haʻalaufuli, leading to an extensive police investigation and the prosecution of several people who possessed or attempted to distribute the drugs.
The latest case remains unresolved publicly.
Despite Tonga’s strengthened border-security partnership with New Zealand and the regional concern over drug trafficking, the public has not been told whether the packages collected by Police contained dangerous illicit substances or posed a continuing risk to communities in Vavaʻu.
