Tonga Tongotongo to face Sebastian “The Sniper” Singh Singh in Fiji next month. Photo/Facebook
Scam
A woman who falsely claimed to work at the Ministry of Communication (MEIDEC) and received money under false pretence has appeared in court.
Heilala Finau, 24, from Ngele’ia, falsely claimed to be the secretary to the director of MEIDECC.
She allegedly promised several families that the Ministry would build houses for them through aid initiatives for only $12,500, which was a scam.
Faka-Sepitema
This week, the Free Church of Tonga (Siasi ‘o Tonga Tauataina) convened its annual September roll call (Tali ui Sepitema) for female congregants from across the island at Falemasiva Hall in Haveluloto on September 25, 2024.
The Roll Call, a cherished Tongan church custom, takes place every September, during which women attire themselves in elegant white garments and gather in the church.
Tonga Power Ltd
Tonga Power Limited (TPL) will host the 31st Annual Pacific Power Association (PPA) Conference and Trade Exhibition, which will be held at the Falemasiva Hall from September 30 to October 3, 2024.
This event, with the theme “The Cost of the Transition to Renewables,” aims to convene approximately 250 participants from diverse Pacific regions, including electric utility and energy professionals.
The primary objective of this gathering is to collectively address significant challenges and exchange valuable insights on the transition to renewable energy.
Tongan rising star boxer
Tongan rising star in boxing Tonga Tongotongo will face Fijian boxer Sebastian “The Sniper” Singh Singh at Prince Charles Park in Nadi on October 26 as part of the South Pacific Boxing Promotion.
Tongotongo has an impressive record of eight knockout wins with zero losses.
Singh, on the other hand, will step into the ring with 15 wins, seven by knockout, seven losses, and three draws.
House fire
A large fire broke out in a house in Nuku’alofa’s Ngele’ia village yesterday, on Wednesday the 26.
No reports of injuries.
Receiving stolen goods
Tonga Police have charged an Asian man named Zao Zin, also known as Zuzu, with receiving stolen goods and allegedly inciting people to commit theft.
By Anan Zaki of rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission
Major retailer The Warehouse Group has reported a large loss, which the company says reflects one of its toughest years on record.
Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
Key numbers for the 12 months ended July compared with a year ago:
Net loss $54.2m vs $29.8m profit
Sales revenue $3.0b vs $3.24b
Adjusted profit $18.9m vs $57.4m
No final dividend vs 8 cents per share
The group, which owns The Warehouse, Noel Leeming and Warehouse Stationery chains, said its bottom line was significantly affected by its disposal of outdoor goods brand Torpedo7 for just $1 in March.
The company reported a loss of $60 million from the sale of Torpedo7.
Leaving aside one-offs, its adjusted profit was also well down from the previous year.
Chair Dame Joan Withers said the year was one of the most challenging in its 42-year history.
“The poor financial performance we’ve reported this year is not acceptable,” Dame Joan said.
“The board and executive leadership team are acutely aware of the disappointment shareholders will be experiencing and the big job ahead of us to get the company back on track,” she said.
Group sales fell just over 6 percent due to falling consumer demand, however margins held steady at 33.6 percent.
“The economic climate in Aotearoa New Zealand has been difficult for most retailers, with inflation, high interest rates, and a weak economy significantly reducing consumer demand,” Dame Joan said.
“However, our trading performance and operational execution have fallen short and exacerbated these challenges,” she said.
Interim chief executive John Journee, who replaced Nick Grayston earlier in the year, said the company “scored too many own goals”.
“Our ecosystem strategy was too ambitious, and we took our eye off the ball on product. We held onto Torpedo7 and TheMarket.com too long, reacted too slowly to changing customer spending, and fell out of step with what Kiwi families want,” Journee said.
“We’ve made mistakes and we own that. But we know where we went wrong, and we’re already working hard to fix it,” he said.
The Warehouse sales fell 5.3 percent to $1.8 billion, Warehouse Stationery sales fell 6.7 percent to $231.9m and Noel Leeming sales decreased 5.3 percent to $1b.
Looking ahead, Journee said the retail environment remained tough, and the company was cautious about when retail spending could bounce back.
“While we’ve been able to regain market share in our core retail segment in the first six weeks of FY25, our sales have been soft, and our gross profit remains under pressure as we clear the last of our winter stock and continue to reset our product offer,” he said.
The company is scheduled to provide a first quarter trading update in early November.
A floating bar and restaurant service on Vava’u island in Tonga has raised safety measure concerns and what appeared to be a lack of a proper certification process.
The Hideaway floating bar and restaurant was launched in September 2023. Photo/ Vava Lapota
Police recently visited the Hide Away floating business service in Neiafu waters after Neiafu Town Officer Vāvā Lapota inquired about the service’s legal status.
Lapota told Kaniva News that he was concerned about reports of alcohol being sold within the floating service.
He said the process of offering a license for such a business must include him providing a letter of authorisation to the Ministry of Trade and Economic Development.
He said he had just spotted the bar floating in the water last week and was surprised because he had not been approached about whether they had applied for an operating license.
Lapota said he had also contacted the Ministry of Health about the Hide Away floating bar. He was allegedly told that the business operator had made inquiries, but the Ministry has not yet issued a certificate.
“The legal process must include authorisation from the Ministry of Infrastructure, Ministry of Trade and Economic Development, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Police and the town officer”, Lapota said.
The town officer said he talked to the Ministry of Trade and Economic Development and asked about the Hideaway Café’s legal status. He was allegedly told about the process, including the requirement to provide a letter.
“The letter from the town officer must indicate whether they agreed for the business to be operated in the village or not.”
Lapota voiced his concerns regarding the well-being of the bar patrons and the cleanliness of the Neiafu water.
The government Ministries could not be reached for comment.
Operator’s response
Charlett Millen, one of the Hide Away business and services owners, said they are the “only fully licensed floating restaurant” in Tonga.
“We adhere to the same stringent licensing and permit requirements as all other liquor-serving establishments in Tonga, in addition to extra regulations from Infrastructure and Ports & Marine authorities”, she told Kaniva News.
She said they take measures to ensure that their business is actively preserving the environment.
“We diligently follow protocols, including a regularly updated rubbish removal and disposal log, and we welcome surprise inspections. To date, we are proud to say we have never received negative feedback”.
Safety measures
Charlett said that The Hideaway Café’s floating bar is equipped with a comprehensive set of safety measures to ensure the well-being of its patrons.
“When it comes to safety, The Hideaway Cafe is well-prepared”.
She said one of the business owners, Barry Millen, “known locally as Bear,” has been a certified lifeguard “since the age of 17 in Canada.”
“We also have life jackets on board, a requirement introduced by the Neiafu Police last year. Additionally, 95% of our guests live on yachts year-round, arriving at the restaurant by their own emergency boats. All our guests are experienced swimmers, often more skilled than we are!”
She said the floating bar also has “a floating trampoline attached, which provides extra flotation support”.
“Our restroom uses a closed composting system with coconut coir. Waste is securely transferred to our home, where it completes the composting process in a sealed unit. After at least a year, the compost is used in our garden. Similarly, liquid waste is collected and disposed of in our home septic system. Given the size of our establishment, these processes are swift, efficient, and discrete.
“We proudly maintain a strict no-plastic policy. We handcraft our own paper straws and food containers to prevent plastic from ever entering the water. Additionally, we use glassware, which poses no threat to the environment—though not a single glass has ever fallen in.
“The Hideaway Cafe is fully off-grid, powered entirely by a solar energy system that ensures our food is stored at the correct temperature in a solar-powered refrigerator. Even our icemaker is supplied by an onboard rainwater catchment system, which provides filtered water for drinking and washing.
Charlett has invited “anyone who may have questions about The Hideaway Cafe’s safety and compliance” to visit and personally inspect their facility.
“We are confident that your visit will provide reassurance and peace of mind. “
She said the Police had visited the bar on Monday.
The Hideaway floating bar and restaurant was launched in September 2023. It has been open since May 2024, and as with every year, the operators plan to remove it from the water in November 2024 at the end of the season.
Tongan Police Inspector Etuate Siale has been suspended pending what appeared to be an investigation into allegations of unauthorised communication with an individual involved in a financial offence.
Nuku’alofa Central Police Station. Photo/Kalino Lātū
Tongan news media reports said Siale was a leading officer in the Police detective unit.
This morning, the Police said they had suspended a member of the Tonga police “due to serious allegations of involvement in fraud”.
The police statement did not identify the suspended police officer as Siale.
“Tonga Police is committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity and professionalism to ensure that there is no distrust in Tonga Police and its members”, the Police statement said.
“We take these allegations seriously and are dedicated to maintaining public confidence in Tonga Police.
“Pursuant to Section 79(1)(a)(b)(c) and (2)(a)(b) of the Tonga Police Act, a member of Tonga Police has been suspended due to serious allegations of involvement in fraud.
“While on suspension, all police powers and responsibilities vested in them as a member of Tonga Police are also suspended”.
The government is replacing “inefficient and manual” on-the-ground inspections by people with data collection vans.
Potholes blight New Zealand’s local roads, such as this one in Northland. (file photo) Photo: Facebook/Northland Potholes
Minister of Transport Simeon Brown said five vans were being rolled out across the country to better understand the condition of New Zealand’s road network and to prevent potholes from forming in the first place.
The move – part of the Road Efficiency Group – would increase productivity to help rebuild the nation’s economy, he said.
The vans would provide “consistent, high quality surface condition data at a scale never seen in New Zealand before”.
“Manual inspections often lead to poorer data collection, variations as a result of human error, and increased risk to inspectors’ safety while working in traffic.”
All sealed roads would be inspected at least every second year and high-class roads would be surveyed annually.
“Rolling out CCDC survey vans means we will have more on-demand data about our road network to early identify parts of the network that are in need of pothole prevention work.
“These vans will also enable consistent collection methods for all Road Controlling Authorities as they are rolled out and more widely used.”
The vans were currently surveying local roads in Auckland, Christchurch, Tauranga, Western Bay of Plenty, Marlborough, Nelson and Tasman.
Over the next 10 months, around 80,000km of local roads would be surveyed as part of plans to increase resealing, rehabilitation and drainage maintenance work.
A manhunt is underway for an alleged killer after a suspected targeted attack at Marrickville left a “well-liked” rugby league player dead and his family desperate for answers.
Filihiahekava played for the Mascot Juniors. (Nine)
Emergency services were called to Marrickville Road in Sydney’s Inner West at about 7.40pm last night after reports that a man in his 30s had been attacked.
He has since been identified as 32-year-old rugby league player Sitaleki Filihiahekava.
Paramedics performed CPR but Filihiahekava died at the scene outside a Guzman y Gomez fast food restaurant.
Police said a man who they believe could be involved was last seen running down Silver Street in Marrickville shortly after the attack.
Filihiahekava played for the Mascot Juniors.
Club stalwart Frank Cookson said he would be “greatly missed,” in a post to Facebook.
“It is with sincere regret we advise the passing of one of our Clubs players Sitaleki Filihiahekava last evening in terrible circumstances,” the post read.
“Leki was a well-liked and respected integral member of our A Reserve grade Premiership team two weeks ago where he performed admirably.
“To the extensive Filihiahekava family and Leki’s multitude of friends we express our deepest sympathy.”
Inner West Command Acting Superintendent Ben Kennis reassured the public that it was not a random attack.
“We believe at this point that the two people met, and the attack was somewhat targeted,” Kennis said.
“It was not a random attack on Marrickville Road … It’s clear that they did know each other.”
Kennis said CCTV showed the pair having a brief encounter before Filihiahekava was allegedly stabbed.
He could not confirm that a knife had been used in the incident.
“I don’t know if it’s a knife, I know it was a sharp instrument, I can’t say with any certainty what the weapon was.”
A weapon had not yet been recovered, he also said.
The attack sparked a frenzy of activity around Filihiahekava’s body, with the surrounding streets placed into lockdown for several hours to preserve the crime scene.
Kennis confirmed that Filihiahekava ‘s family was eating at a restaurant nearby when the attack happened.
Several people, understood to be family members of the Filihiahekava, tried to see his body but were pushed back by police.
“It was highly emotive … a male did breach the crime scene, and had to be restrained by police,” he said.
He also said that a Taser was drawn in an attempt to keep them away from the scene, but it was not deployed.
Witnesses told 9News that emergency responders tried to desperately to keep Filihiahekava alive.
“We just saw one guy on the floor and the police was helping him,” a woman said.
“And then after we came back from Woolies the guy had passed away.
“It makes me so sad because I’m from overseas and I know that this country is so safe. And to be honest, I didn’t expect this kind of thing to happen.”
The knifeman is still on the run and police are appealing for help to track him down.
NSW Police said there was no clear motive for the attack and no information on the potential suspect has been released.
Several children in Tonga are expected to have the opportunity to join their parents in Australia through the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme.
Vanuatu’s Deputy Prime Minister says regional labour mobility schemes mean “a significant number of children in the Pacific do not live with their biological parents”. Photo: UNICEF/Naftalin
The Australian government has introduced the visa through a pilot program for only five selected countries in the Pacific islands including Fiji, Kiribati, Timor-Leste, Tonga, and Vanuatu.
Although the application had been closed, it allowed up to 200 long-term Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme workers to bring their children and spouses to Australia.
The number of Tongan families approved under the visa scheme is currently unclear.
Fiji’s Permanent Secretary for Employment Ministry Maretino Nemani announced today that 82 Fijian families will participate in this pilot initiative.
“The family accompaniment visa enables approved workers to bring their spouses or partners and children to Australia,” Mr Nemani was quoted as saying by the Fiji Times.
He said the pilot program will soon include a debriefing session for the participating families, preparing them for the transition.
Eligibility
Workers participating in the family accompaniment pilot had to meet the eligibility criteria and have the support of their employer.
The worker must be a long-term PALM scheme worker who had been in Australia for at least 10 months on their current contract when they applied or who is returning to the same employer.
The worker must have at least 18 months remaining on their visa.
The visa was created to help ease the challenges related to family separation.
Children abuse concerns
The Pacific Islands children are being left behind by their parents, who are taking up opportunities presented by regional labour mobility schemes, increasing concerns about child abuse.
This issue was brought up at a recent regional forum in Port Vila. Stakeholders said that many children are raised by their grandparents while their parents leave their home country for seasonal employment in Australia and New Zealand.
During the recent Protecting Children in the Context of Labour Mobility conference, Vanuatu’s Deputy Prime Minister Matai Seremaiah said many children in the Pacific no longer live with their parents due to the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme in New Zealand or the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) schemes, as reported by RNZ Pacific.
“A significant number of children in the Pacific do not live with their biological parents, or primary caregivers, which in some cases may heighten the risk of neglect, abuse and exploitation,” Seremaiah reportedly said.
Vanuatu is the largest supplier of labour to Australia and New Zealand, accounting for over 35 per cent (over 16,500) of seasonal workers.
PALM Scheme
The PALM scheme is Australia’s primary temporary migration program for unskilled, low-skilled and semi-skilled positions.
It allows eligible Australian businesses to hire workers from nine Pacific island countries and Timor-Leste when there are not enough local workers available.
Through the PALM scheme, eligible businesses can recruit workers for seasonal jobs lasting up to 9 months or for longer-term roles lasting between one and four years.
The scheme also allows Pacific and Timor-Leste workers to take up jobs in Australia, develop their skills and send income home to support their families and communities.
The popular global money transfer service MoneyGram International has been down for days due to a cybersecurity issue, reported the financial technology company.
Kaniva News understands that MoneyGram payment systems in Tonga are currently not working.
The Tongan diaspora widely uses the money transfer service to send remittances to the kingdom.
When MoneyGram detected the issue it immediately launched an investigation, the company said in a post on X, and proactively went offline to protect its systems. It’s working with experts and law enforcement to get back online and resume business.
“We recognize the importance and urgency of this matter to our customers and partners,” the company stated.
A spokesperson for MoneyGram did not immediately respond to questions from The Dallas Morning News about when service is expected to be restored nor how the issue was detected.
Social media users have been posting online about not being able to send or receive money due to the outage.
MoneyGram International Inc (MGI) partnered with the Bank of South Pacific to provide money transfer services in Tonga and Samoa, two island states in the Pacific, in 2015.
The World Bank estimates more than $200 million being remitted to Samoa and Tonga annually, most of which comes from Australia, New Zealand and the United States.
MoneyGram specifically chose Bank of South Pacific since it is a leading financial services provider in its market.
Moreover, the purchase of Australia’s Westpac group in Samoa, Cook Islands, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Tonga has widened the bank business network, which will provide a ready customer base to MoneyGram.
Some government officers awaiting court hearings or appearing for their scheduled hearings are currently facing illicit drug-related charges, which carry a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
(L-R) Tevita Nonu Kolokihakaufisi, Uinikoni Kivalu and Tonga Sili’asa
Uinikoni Kivalu from Puke and Sili’asa Tonga from Sopu were recently brought before a Nuku’alofa court following their separate arrests by law enforcement authorities in different locations.
Tonga had been arrested while working as a prison officer at Hu’atolitoli prison following the seizure of illicit drugs and drug paraphernalia from a vehicle at the prison compound.
Kivalu was employed by the Ministry of Customs, and he had been arrested following allegations that a drum with illicit drugs was released without following proper procedures.
It has been reported that Tonga and Kivalu had been allegedly involved in drug dealing involving the 2.5kg meth police had recently seized.
Tevita Nonu Kolokihakaufisi, another individual implicated in the seizure of 15 kg of meth earlier this year, is scheduled to appear in court next month.
Kolokihakaufisi was a senior official who worked for the National Reserve Bank of Tonga (NRBT).
The Police arrested him with 5.73kg of the illicit drug at their family residence at Kolofo’ou, while a further 9.927kg was seized from Tēvita’s office at the NRBT.
The police also arrested his sister, but a Supreme Court judge had discharged her on grounds of alleged mental health issues.
Life sentence
Tonga’s Illicit Drugs Control Amendment 2020 states that in respect of a Class A drug in the quantity of 28 grams or more, a convict can be sentenced “to life imprisonment.”
Methamphetamine is classified as a Class A drug.
The first Tongan to be sentenced to life imprisonment under the drugs life imprisonment law was 45-year-old Norman Kama Manulevu.
He was caught trying to smuggle 29.7kg of methamphetamine from Tonga into New Zealand.
The parcel was concealed in a food container transported from Tonga before it arrived in New Zealand in July of that year.
Manulevu recently appealed against his sentence. However, the Court of Appeal dismissed the application.
