An investment analysis shows the government should continue funding the free school lunches programme, a University of Auckland researcher says.
Supporters say free school lunches boost attendance, attention and help feed children who can go hungry when cupboards are bare. (File photo) Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
The Public Health Communication Centre used investment analysis to look at the expected outputs of the Ministry of Education- provided Ka Ora, Ka Ako Healthy School Lunches programme to how well it was completing its goals.
Associate Minister of Education David Seymour recently announced plans to review funding of , saying 10,000 lunches were being wasted each day. The programme is funded to feed more than 230,000 pupils until the end of the year, at a cost of about $325 million, but Seymour said funding could be cut by up to half.
Educators and child advocates have vocally opposed reducing funding, saying the healthy food helps reduce truancy, supports concentration in the classroom, and feeds hungry children when they sometimes miss out at home.
The University of Auckland study looked at 21 outputs measured across the programme, with 16 of those being rated has done “excellent” or “good.”
These included reducing the financial burden of food on disadvantaged households, alleviating hunger at school and promoting healthy eating.
The one element it did poor at was “certainty of continuity of the programme”, due to the funding for it currently not going beyond December this year.
Professor Boyd Swinburn told RNZ that with the economic credentials coming out of the programme the government could not pull out of it without heavily impacting childrens’ education and health.
“What I would like to see is that the government take these economic credentials and look at ways the programme can be expanded to reach more schools.”
Swinburn said schools currently running the programme have “no idea whether its going to continue into the future.”
“If the programme was going to continue then that would give them much more confidence to be able to get better systems in place, become more efficient, find other supply chains for local foods, train up more staff and so on, but the incentive is just not there at the moment because of the uncertainty.”
A senior government official says the Prime Minister has resigned as Minister of Defence in order to appease the king.
King Tupou VI (L), Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku
The Tongan Independentreported today that Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni Hu’akavameiliku and Minister Utoikamanu of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had resigned from the portfolios.
Senior sources within the Tongan government have told Kaniva News they believe reports that the Prime Minister has resigned.
Kaniva News has contacted Prime Minister and Chief Secretary for confirmation of the report and is waiting for a response.
The Independent has adopted a strongly anti-Sovaleni tone, criticising the government’s involvement in Lulutai airlines, claiming he was too ill to serve and that he and Utoikamanu were trying to usurp King Tupou VI’s authority.
It is understood that the Prime Minister had flown to Niuafo’ou to meet His Majesty
Relations between the Prime Minister and the throne have been tense since the king issued a memo saying he no longer supported Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku as the Minister for His Majesty’s Armed Forces and Hon. Fekitamoeloa Katoa ‘Utoikamanu as the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Tourism.
The Prime Minister ignored the king’s memo.
As we reported earlier, the Nobles responded by demanding that the Prime Minister and Hon. Utoikamanu resign immediately in order to assuage King Tupou VI’s disappointment.
The Nobles circulated a letter which described the Prime Minister’s refusal to accept the King’s show of power as very concerning and intimidating the peace of the country.
“We are the king’s cultural preservers (‘aofivala). Therefore, we propose that you and your government respect the king’s desire,” the letter read in Tongan.
“The king has withdrawn his confidence and consent from you as Defence Minister as well as the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Tourism Fekitamoeloa ‘Utoikamanu.
“We urge you to resign immediately from the Ministry of Defence as well as Fekitamoeloa ‘Utoikamanu to resign from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Tourism”.
This is not the first time the king has directly interfered in the workings of a democratically elected government.
The king is said to have been heavily influenced by certain of his Privy Councillors, including Lord Tu’aivakanō, who advised him to dissolve the government of the late ‘Akilisi Pohiva in 2017.
Lord Tu’aivakanō justified his behaviour by claiming that Hon. Pohiva’s government wanted to remove the Privy Council’s role in appointing positions like the Police Commissioner and Attorney General.
As we wrote at the time: “Lord Tu’ivakano said it was clear the government was trying to wear away the powers of the King and Privy Council, which he could not abide.”
Pohiva’s government was re-elected.
Lord Tu’aivakanō is said to have signed the Noble’s letter criticising the Prime Minister.’s
‘Oku ‘i lalo heni ha lingi (link) ke ke kiliki ai ke ke lau ‘a e fakamatala fakaTonga‘
EDITORIAL: Member of Parliament Piveni Piukala’s proposal to revoke Tonga’s current nobility electoral system to allow the king to hand pick them for Parliament would be a fatal blow to Tonga’s fragile democracy.
L-R: MP Piveni Piukala, Dr Sūnia Foliaki, Late Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva, Saia Tūlua and Kaniva Tonga News Editor Kalino Lātū. Photo/Kalino Lātū
It flies in the face of the principle that lies at the heart of our unfinished democracy, which is that the government must reflect the will of the people.
The current electoral system allows members of the 33 nobles to elect their own nine MPs to Parliament.
Before Tonga’s incomplete democratic reforms of 2010, a Constitutional and Electoral Commission (CEC) chaired by the former Chief Justice Gordon Ward was tasked with recommending the best public submissions for the political reforms.
Some of those submissions received by CEC portrayed the election of the nine MPs to Parliament as a big problem to the democratic reforms.
Many people proposed removing the Nobles from Parliament or having them elected by all eligible voters, not just other Nobles.
However, the CEC said that although it may seem undemocratic, if elected by the whole electorate, it was likely that the same Nobles would keep being returned to Parliament because voting would be based on ties of kāinga and ha‘a.
The CEC believed that it was better to just keep the Noble MPs being elected by their peers and leave it to see if this practice withstood the test of time.
The CEC said: “We define democracy by more than the right to elect a representative parliament. Much that truly defines democracy is already enshrined in traditional Tongan values. … at this stage, we feel the continued presence of the Nobles in the new and untried representative Parliament will be accepted by most Tongans as a sensible and, possibly, necessary influence.”
Unfortunately, the CEC’s other positive recommendations were not adopted after the then Lord Sevele’s government went its own way and approved its own submission through Parliament.
Four years after Wards’ review, Peter Pursglove, a legal consultant in Constitutional Law from Trinidad and Tobago, reviewed the 2010 consultation on behalf of the Commonwealth Secretariat.
Pursglove’s review largely supported the findings of Ward’s constitutional review.
Pursglove said Tonga’s 2010 constitution, which was produced by Lord Sevele’s government, was poorly written, promoted secrecy, compromised the role of the judiciary and parts of it may have been illegal.
Last week, Piukala, one of the leading democratic MPs from PTOA bloc, maintained that if the king chose the nine MPs, they would be held more accountable.
He argued that under his proposal the king would act as a “fakapalanisi”, or a political authority who balanced the Nobility’s role in Parliament and crossing the line into corruption.
He claimed that in this way good governance could be upheld.
Perils to democracy
Judging the merit of Piukala’s proposal from a democratic check and balance point of view, it is not only fallacious, but it would destroy the energies and efforts of those who pioneered the fight for Tonga’s democracy from 1970s before it came into fruition in 2010. This includes hundreds of thousands of dollars donated by the New Zealand and Australian governments to assist the political reform.
The purpose of checks and balances in a democracy is to make sure no one power emerges from either the government, or the legislature, the judiciary and or even the media to become dominant and control everybody else. Checks and balances helps maintain good governance and can only work effectively if our political system offers a level playing field where power imbalances can be easily levelled out.
Piukala’s proposal would adversely boost the king’s power with more opportunity to take control of a centralised government through his handpicked noble MPs.
Under our current system the king is barred by the Constitution from getting involved in the Cabinet. However, Piukala’s proposal opens the possibility for the king to have the power to influence Cabinet through his nobles.
Centralised government
If those noble MPs were also elected by the Prime Minster to become Cabinet Ministers, this could mean the power of the king would then extend from the Parliament and indirectly infiltrate the executive branch through these nobles, making a centralised government more unbalanced and unchecked because the king is accountable to no one, according to the Constitution. This would be devastating to Tonga’s fragile democracy.
Centralising power in the king is injurious to our struggle for an open, democratic society. Our society needs to operate on the principles of free speech, which benefits both the opposition as well as those in power. Our society is currently being left in the dark after the Hu’akavameiliku government told the king his recent letter expressing his disappointment with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Defence was unconstitutional and the Prime Minister was still confident in the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
This was big news which was also covered by the Pacific region media including Australia and New Zealand. However, the king’s Privy Council and the government have still not released any information to update the media and the public. This is not a good sign of our democracy and if we allow Piukala’s proposal it would only worsen the situation.
Current problems
Under the current system, the king has not always accepted requests from Prime Ministers for a regular audience to update him on the governments’ operations according to the constitution. It has been alleged that this was because the king was disappointed with the Prime Ministers. We talked to some of these prime ministers, including late ‘Akilisi Pōhiva, and he said he was willing to discuss the king’s reaction with him if he was allowed to meet, but this did not happen. The king has yet to appoint ministers nominated by the current Prime Minister a year ago, with no word on why he did not appoint them.
These two simple incidents beg the questions of who is going to hold the king to account for his failure to act quickly and appoint the ministers so that the government can do its job for the people. Who is going to tell the king he was wrong to snub the Prime Ministers who asked for an audience with him?
The nobility
The nobles have already been seen to be injurious to our half-cooked democracy since 2010. The illegal handover of the Chinese $90 million grant to the king’s sister Princess Pilolevu Tuita and her Friendly Islands Satellite Communications Ltd also known as Tongasat was facilitated by the nobility-back government of Lord Tu’ivakanō. Nobles were also allegedly involved in Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa’s failed $400 million roading project.
The sad thing about this is that no one can challenge the king and his nobles. Giving more power to the king can only inflate his already powerful status. For Piukala to make such a presumptuous proposal to allow the king to appoint his nobles to Parliament would only make our current disastrous political situation worse. Piukala must be reminded that any proposal to improve our currently poor political system must be based on the principles of democracy which is at the core of the people’s will and their rights to elect their leaders.
At its 40th anniversary, Shincheonji pledges to become the light of the world and share love through volunteering.
Shincheonji Church of Jesus, Temple of the Tabernacle of the Testimony (hereinafter referred to as Shincheonji Church of Jesus) held a commemorative ceremony and service at the Cheongpyeong Shincheonji Peace Training Center in South Korea to celebrate its 40th anniversary. Over 300 members from New Zealand participated in the event on-site and via a live stream.
On the morning of March 14th, Chairman Man-hee Lee gave a sermon during a ceremony commemorating the 40th anniversary of the founding of Cheongpyeong Shincheonji Peace Training Center.
The commemoration ceremony on this day was prepared as an opportunity to look back on the growth of Shincheonji Church of Jesus since its founding on March 14, 1984, and its contribution to communities around the world. In addition, plans and visions for the year ahead were shared, and pledges were made to fulfill the role of the church in society, to serve and practice being the light and salt of the world.
Shincheonji Church of Jesus Volunteering efforts have been ongoing for 38 years with such activities as helping disadvantaged communities, environmental cleanups, community revival projects, and supporting sporting events.
Blood donation drives began in 2008 with approximately 5,000 volunteers participating every year. Then in 2022, Shincheonji Church of Jesus achieved a Guiness World Record™ for having the most people sign up as blood donors online within one day.
Last year Shincheonji volunteers launched the “We Are Run” marathon. In New Zealand alone, over 200 runners participated in the event to raise funds for mental health.
Other volunteering activities in New Zealand included beach cleanups, Auckland flood relief support, seniors’ lunches and mental health workshops.
According to volunteer-related data compiled by Shincheonji Volunteer Corps, a total of 750,851 people received support from Shincheonji volunteers, and a cumulative number of 49,768 days was devoted to volunteering.
In the commemorative service of the 40th anniversary of Shincheonji Church of Jesus, Chairman Lee explained the significance and background of the church’s steady growth and devotion to communities, saying, “Shincheonji Church of Jesus had a very humble beginning. However, many people have come to this day because God sent angels from heaven as stated in the Bible.”
On the morning of March 14th, a ceremony commemorating the 40th anniversary of the founding is being held at the Shincheonji Peace Training Center in Cheongpyong, South Korea.
He continued, “Jesus also gave up his whole body to do God’s will. So today, we must not have blind faith, but we must know God”. He added, “We must follow God’s will and reach out to our neighbors.” “We must love one another,” he emphasized.
Lastly, he said, “The number of people learning about the Book of Revelation, which is God’s purpose written in the Bible, is increasing. I am grateful,” and added, “Let’s ensure that more people are saved through the Word. Let’s work together to create a better world.”
Members of Shincheonji learn to love and serve through the teaching of the Bible by realizing God’s will in the book of Revelation. This is the reason why Shincheonji Church of Jesus has achieved continuous expansion without a single year of negative growth since its founding, despite an atmosphere of global Christian stagnation.
Since the establishment of the Zion Christian Mission Center in June 1990, there has been a steady increase in the number of graduates. At the 110th graduation ceremony in 2019, there were 103,764 graduates. Afterward, in 2022 and 2023, 106,186 and 108,084 students completed the course, respectively, enrolling more than 100,000 students for two consecutive years.
The efforts to love and serve were also recognized within Christian communities and memoranda of understanding (MOUs) were signed with 9,905 churches in 78 countries. 1,382 churches in 38 countries changed their church signage to Shincheonji Church of Jesus, recognizing the excellence of its teachings and wanting to participate in the work of serving the communities.
Starting this year, Shincheonji plans to create a new and brighter world by devoting to regular volunteer initiatives, keeping in mind specific needs and challenges in local communities.
Shincheonji Church Youth volunteers were listed in the GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ for the challenge of Most people signing up as blood donors online in 24 hours.
An official from the Shincheonji Volunteer Group said, “Heaven gives us light, rain, and air freely. “I want to love and serve freely, just as I received it freely,” he said, and pledged, “I will shine the light in all corners of the world and spread warmth with the spirit of service that I learned from heaven.”
He continued, “For the past 38 years, we have been spreading love to our neighbors and seeking out places in society that need our service first,” adding, “We will continue to faithfully fulfill our role as light and salt without hesitation.”
About Shincheonji, Church of Jesus New Zealand:
Shincheonji was established in 1984 in Seoul, South Korea, and has since grown exponentially with branch churches in more than 100 countries internationally and a congregation of more than 300,000 members. Shincheonji New Zealand was opened in 2015. Already increasing in size with each year, there is an explosive growth forecasted and big plans for the Pacific region as well.
By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific Journalist, and is republished with permission
University of the South Pacific staff unions are giving management “one more chance to come to the table” before they go on strike.
Aggrieved employees of the university showed up dressed in black, holding placards calling for “fair pay” and for Pal Ahluwalia to resign late last month. Photo: Association of The University of The South Pacific Staff
On Wednesday, the staff association received the secret ballot outcome from Fiji’s Labour Ministry, which confirmed that they had a mandate for strike action.
Association of USP Staff (AUSPS) general-secretary Rosalia Fatiaki told RNZ Pacific that staff have agreed to return to management to give them one last opportunity to meet the unions demands.
“We [are giving management] one more chance to come to the table and in good faith, let’s look at this. Hopefully we are able to resolve the issues that led us to take this action. By next week we expect a response,” she said.
Fatiaki said the USP management will be given a week to meet with the unions and 21 days to come to an agreement, adding if the management do not come to the table “the next course of action is strike action”.
“When staff go on strike the students are the people that will be most affected. That’s why we’re giving management another chance.”
Fatiaki said the unions are expecting management to negotiate a new offer.
On 6 March, AUSPS cast a secret ballot where 96 percent of its members voted in favour of strike action above the needed majority threshold.
Fatiaki said management had refused to negotiate salary adjustments and that is why staff might strike.
She said staff missed out on salary adjustments in 2019 and 2022.
The regional university gave staff a two percent pay rise in October 2022, January 2023, and January this year.
Rosalia Fatiaki Photo: Facebook / Association of the University of the South Pacific Staff
However, Fatiaki said it is “way below” the increase needed to match the cost of living in Fiji and unions were not consulted.
She said USP used to contribute an additional two percent above the national minimum for its superannuation contribution to senior staff but this was reduced to the minimum during Covid-19 and has not returned which the union is demanding.
She said USP had not engaged with the union but has cited financial reasons for withholding pay.
Late last month, AUSPS members staged a protest calling for the resignation of the university’s vice-chancellor Pal Ahluwalia for not being responsive to the unions concerns.
In a statement to RNZ Pacific, the USP confirmed that “it has received the outcome of the secret ballot strike action”.
“USP reiterates that it is fully engaged in the process with AUSPS and Union and welcomes further negotiations to reach an amicable solution,” it said.
The Commerce Commission has warned a pair of prominent Validus promoters they could face a fine of up to $200,000.
Davina Maasi and Shamir Khan received a written warning from the Commerce Commission
The warning has been the latest after the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) declared in December it never had issued a license for the highly controversial finance company.
Validus International LLC is registered in the US state of Delaware and Validus-FZCO is based in Dubai.
Validus had been banned permanently in New Zealand after the Financial Markets Authority (FMA) made a permanent stop order (Order) that applies to Validus International LLC (Validus), Validus-FZCO, and associated persons of Validus.
The FMA said what was presented at a Validus seminar in New Zealand was false or misleading, or likely to mislead or confuse, because it related to an offer of financial products which did not exist or was materially different from that described.
“Seminar attendees were induced to purchase, purchased or intend to purchase, educational packages in reliance on false or misleading representations,” the FMA said.
NBR last November reported the Validus courses or packages had to be purchased with cryptocurrencies and ranged in price from US$50 (NZ$80) up to US$10,000 (NZ$16,145)
Document recently released to NBR under Official Information Act revealed that the Commission “strongly suspects” Validus was a pyramid scheme because it rewarded members for recruiting others to join, but it could not “categorically” prove it was.
The regulator “singled out” local woman Davina Maasi and Auckland man Shaziz “Sharmir” Khan as the main promoters of Validus in New Zealand. Adding that they held more than 20 in-person events i 2022.
The Commerce Commission however considered that the risk presented to New Zealand consumers through the promotions of Validus and the promoters “is currently low”.
It also sent out “compliance advice letters” to both Ma’asi and Khan, which it said it would be “educative”.
The letter waned them that breaches of the Act could result in fines up to $200,000.
As Kaniva News has reported previously, Validus has made inroads into the Tongan community in New Zealand and has established a foothold in Tonga.
Five workers on Accredited Employer Work Visas from Punjab, India, have found themselves in limbo upon arriving in New Zealand to work at a restaurant in Auckland.
The workers claim the restaurant owner has demanded extortion payments, imposed extended work hours and withheld wages since the end of December.
The owner of the restaurant denies the accusations.
The workers stopped turning up for work on 20 February and have since been taking refuge at a Sikh temple in Auckland.
This latest case of alleged exploitation comes shortly after the release of an independent review into the Accredited Employer Work Visa (AEWV) scheme by the Public Service Commission, led by Jenn Bestwick.
The AEWV process has attracted intense media scrutiny since reports emerged in early 2023 that migrant workers on such visas were finding themselves destitute and jobless after paying large sums of money to relocate to New Zealand.
The Public Service Commission review found that Immigration New Zealand (INZ) did not adequately assess the risk and impact of changes to speed up processing times would have on visa abuse.
Photo: 123RF
Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) chief executive Carolyn Tremain acknowledged the seriousness of the issues raised in the review.
“Since 30 June last year, Immigration New Zealand has made a number of changes to tighten the settings, introducing more checks and, as a consequence, processing times have increased,” Tremain said.
However, the workers that RNZ spoke to started arriving in September 2023, with the latest landing in Auckland in January.
The case reflects the enormous challenges immigration authorities face in tightening the settings to prevent persistent exploitation in the hospitality and construction sectors, among others.
Exploitation allegations
RNZ has chosen not to disclose the name of the restaurant and its owner because the matter is currently under a potential investigation by INZ.
Jagmeet Singh, 19, arrived in September and began working at the restaurant
“The owner stopped paying us since December and, when we enquired, he threatened us with visa cancellation,” he said.
“A friend gave me a reference. I got in touch with the owner, and he gave me an AEWV visa.”
The workers claimed to have paid the restaurant owner significant sums to bank accounts registered in his name in India and New Zealand for visas and job placements.
Bank statements seen by RNZ showed sums totalling $30,000 deposited into these accounts, with a further $20,000 to $25,000 allegedly paid in cash.
Jasjeevan Singh, 22, arrived in October, alleging that he was only paid for the first few weeks.
“The last pay that I got was in January,” he said. “After that he [has] only paid me $300.”
Photo: RNZ / Blessen Tom
The workers claim the owner made them work about 40 to 50 hours on average each week.
Tejbir Singh, 25, said he encountered a similar experience.
“Most of us have definitely worked more than 40-plus hours a week and never got paid even for the 30 hours,” he said.
“We were working from 11am to 12am with a three-hour break,” Tejbir said.
Tejbir arrived in December and began working at the restaurant in January, reportedly receiving $600 for five weeks of work.
Manjot Singh, 23, reportedly paid approximately $50,000 to the restaurant owner’s brother’s account in India before coming to New Zealand.
“I have statements of those transactions just like the others,” he said.
Harkirat Singh Sekhon, 32, a former chef in India, arrived in New Zealand in January but was told he couldn’t work because he hadn’t paid the processing fee in full.
“In India, he demanded 2.5 million rupees (about $50,000), of which I transferred 238,000 rupees ($4700) in the owner’s account in India and 500,000 rupees (about $9,800) in his associate’s account in India,” Sekhon said.
After this initial payment, Sekhon received his visa and arrived in New Zealand.
However, the owner allegedly asked Sekhon to pay the remainder of the money, about $30,000, if he wanted to work at the restaurant.
“It was hard for me to gather that much money, and my friends in NZ said it was too much and not a normal processing fee,” he said.
Sekhon claimed the owner kept threatening him for the remaining payment, even going so far as to threaten his family in India.
“He told me that he would send goons to my family back in India if I didn’t pay him soon.”
In mid-February, the workers contacted the police.
Police confirmed a complaint had been made, saying that they had made “initial enquiries into the incident and the matter has since been referred to MBIE.”
Photo: RNZ / Blessen Tom
The group now survives with the help of the Sikh gurdwara in South Auckland.
“MBIE Immigration Investigation can confirm that a complaint has been received regarding the situation you have referred to,” MBIE Immigration Investigation national manager Jason Perry said.
“If appropriate, it will be allocated to a team for review and potential investigation,” he said.
INZ deputy chief operating officer Jeannie Melville said AEWV holders must be given a minimum of 30 hours work per week.
“A worker compelled to work excessive hours without a break is an example of migrant exploitation,” Melville said.
She said INZ conducted post-accreditation checks on accredited employers, aiming to check about 16 percent of them each year.
“It is a combination of random selection, as well as targeted checks on a sample of all accredited employer types in addition to checks on all franchisee and controlling third-party business models and any businesses that have been referred to us through a complaint or issue raised,” she said.
As of 16 February, INZ had approved 108,938 AEWV applications through 32,797 accredited employers. It conducted 2712 post-accreditation checks, with 596 more ongoing.
Meanwhile, MBIE has received 2107 complaints against accredited employers, leading to 174 active investigations. One hundred and forty-five employers have had their accreditation revoked, while 53 have been suspended.
Presently, 48 employers are being assessed for accreditation revocation, with none under consideration for suspension.
Restaurant owner denies allegations
The 43-year-old restaurant owner rejected the migrant workers’ allegations.
“I have not received any money from workers other than the $15,000 from each, which I received from the agent,” he said.
RNZ contacted the agent in New Zealand, who denied the owner’s assertions.
The workers have also denied an agent was involved, claiming they dealt directly with the owner of the restaurant.
The owner told RNZ the payment was for providing the workers with the opportunity to come and work in New Zealand.
He acknowledged that he had not been able to pay the workers in the past few months due to a significant decline in business.
“I’m trying to arrange the money and as soon as I have it, I will give them the backpay,” the owner said.
He also denied threatening his workers with visa cancellations and deportation.
“I was, like, if you’re not on the right attitude in the shop, it’s better to go to for you to leave and go home,” he said.
“(I) can find something better under the same company. I can set up something that you like and then we can just go to the lawyer and change the contract,” he said. “I say that to everyone, (the workers) are twisting my words.”
The owner told RNZ that INZ had yet to contact him.
Work visa reform fast-tracked
On 28 February, Immigration Minister Erica Stanford told reporters she planned to bring proposals for immediate changes to the Accredited Employer Work Visa to Cabinet in the next couple of weeks.
She said the reform would aim to balance getting more highly skilled workers into New Zealand against the need to support them with adequate infrastructure.
“With immigration settings there are some things you can do immediately, there are some things you have to wait a little while to do because they require policy changes and they require IT changes, and then some very long-term things you can do like a government policy statement,” she said.
“What we will be doing urgently are the things we can put in place immediately, and then we will be doing a longer-term review of the AEWV settings to look at, actually, is the visa fit for purpose,” Stanford said.
* This article has been amended to correct the amount of money Harkirat Singh Sekhon paid into a bank account of an associate of the restaurant owner in India.
A man who viciously struck and attacked a youth in Tonga’s ‘Eua island has caused public outrage.
Rev Viliami Vea
Reports claimed a video showing the incident was taken in a plantation where the minister, who is also a tutor at the Free Wesleyan Church’s Hango College, the victims and others were harvesting crops.
The tutor, who has since been identified on Facebook as Rev Viliami Vea, was seen sitting before whipping the youth with an object presumably a piece of wood before it became broken into pieces.
The youth attempted to flee but the minister was seen standing up and chasing after him.
It appeared that at one stage the victim was struck on the back of his head.
He was overheard cryingly pleading for mercy.
The online community have taken to Facebook to decry the tutor’s brutality.
“That is too much and unacceptable”, a commenter said of the beating.
“He should be sued and taken to court”, another commenter wrote.
Many said they are really shocked to see the video especially the tutor was also a church minister.
The revelation of unfinished houses and abandoned construction materials on Ha’apai islands have fuelled concerns that the costly materials have been wasted and will never be used for their intended purpose.
Abandoned building materials at Nomuka. Photos/Samuela ‘Akilsi Jr Pōhiva
The unfinished houses were intended for people who were made homeless by the 2022 Hungas eruption and tsunami in the islands of Nomuka and Fonoifua.
Allegations that various builders had arrived at the building site and left a short time later because they had not been paid were included in a petition submitted to Parliament.
Photos taken at the scene, seen by Kaniva News, appear to show a huge amount of building materials left scattered in bushes on the island of Nomuka.
The incident comes after recent allegations that the government’s tsunami re-construction projects had slowed down after local construction contractors had became disappointed with the Minister of Infrastructure, Hon. Sevenitiini Toumo’ua.
MP for Tongatapu 5 Dr ‘Aisake Eke said in a previous interview the contractors were unhappy after Hon. Toumo’ua allegedly fixed the contract for each new house at what they claimed to be an undervalued price.
It is understood those contractors submitted a petition to the Parliament.
Dr Eke accused Hon Toumo’ua of underperforming (“ta’efakafiemālie”) in his role in handling the tsunami construction project.
Kaniva News has contacted the Minister to comment on Dr Eke’s claims.
Dr Eke, who was a member of a select committee investigating the contractors’ complaints, told us the construction should have been conducted without delays. He said there was enough money to fund the project.
The government planned to build 48 new houses in Nomuka and 18 houses in Fonoifua.
A new petition by the residents of the islands, asking the Speaker to investigate the funding donated and allocated for the reconstruction projects, was submitted to Parliament this week.
The kāinga said they were looking forward to their new building, but were surprised when the constructors left without informing them of the situation.
The photos seen by Kaniva News appear to show building materials and prefabricated walls and roofing panels lying abandoned in open areas.
“We wanted to be given a certain timeline for the completion of the buildings”, the petitioners told the parliament in Tongan.
A few days after the devastating volcanic eruption and tsunami the World Bank provided an initial US$8 million emergency funding to support the Kingdom of Tonga’s response and recovery.
Another $10 million from the Asian Development Bank, as well as aid assistance from many countries including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the European Union, the United States and China was also donated.
The World Bank estimated the cost of the damage was about $90 million.
We have contacted the Ministry of Infrastructure for comment.
Refugees
According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, the overseas donations were meant to build 268 new homes, but so far only 120 have been built.
Minister for Infrastructure Sevenitini Toumoʻua told the ABC a combination of a skills shortage and land issues had contributed to the delays.
“We’ve had some challenges along the way,” he said. “But we’re expecting works to be completed by June.”
Refugees from some of the other affected islands have been facing hardships since they were moved to the main island.
Some of the refuges were moved into new houses, while others are still in tents. In January Kaniva News reported on the plight of families living in tents which were flooded by heavy rain at the ‘Atatā Jnr settlement.
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The Supreme Court has sentenced Filimone To’aho to seven years for eight counts of receiving money by false pretences.
Filimone Tō’aho
The court was told he had acted with “blatant dishonesty.”
To’aho’s offending consisted of taking deposits and instalment payments for imported vehicles and engines which never arrived
In total, he obtained a sum of TP$243,486 and re-imbursed $11,300 to his customers a total of TP$232,186 remain outstanding.
The court was told that he had been engaged in the same kind of fraud in 2017.
To’aho, who was described during the trial as a “very high risk to the community”, was found guilty on October 27 last year after a two week trial.
Acting Lord Chief Justice Tupou, KC, released a summary of his sentencing decision earlier this month.
In the first case Siale Filimone, a building inspector with the Ministry of Infrastructure, saw an ad for a three-tonne Isuzu truck for TP$25,000 on Facebook in March 2020.
The ad was placed by To’aho, who asked for a TP$6000 deposit, with the rest to be paid by installment. The accused said the vehicle was being shipped to Tonga. When it did not arrive To’aho blamed it on Covid-19.
In all Filimone paid TP$18,700. The vehicle never arrived and she did not receive her money back.
In the second case ‘Ana Noelangi Tautua’a of Faama Vava’u, saw an ad for a black 2015 Toyota Harrier for TP$16,900 on Fobby’s Print Tonga’s Facebook page, which was managed by To’aho.
Tautua’a wanted to buy the vehicle as a gift for her mother on Mother’s Day. She was told she would get her vehicle 28 days from the date of the ad. She paid a total sum of $13,903. To’ahu blamed delays on Covid-19. Later he claimed the vehicle was stuck at a wharf, but if she paid a further deposit, she would get the upgraded version of that same vehicle. The deposit was paid but no upgraded vehicle arrived. She did not receive any vehicle or get her money back.
In July 2020 Lavili Maka of Ma’ufanga, manager of the Fiji Airways office in Tonga, ordered a Toyota Prado and a Toyota Hiace from To’ahu. The cost was TP$30,000 and eventually paid TP$12,400, without receiving the vehicles.
Then she saw another ad for a Toyota Hilux for TP$29,000. She paid To’ahu TP$20,000 and told him take the remaining TP$9,000 from the TP$12,400 she had deposited for the first two vehicles.
When the vehicles did not arrive she asked for money back. She received $1500, but never received the vehicle.
In September 2020 Melasisi Ta’ufo’ou ‘Isama’u of Ha’ateiho saw a Toyota Dyna truck for sale on Fobby’s Print Tonga’s Facebook page for TP$17,500. The advertisement claimed that while customers waited for the arrival of their vehicle, they would be provided with another for their use as they await their vehicle. Mr. ‘Isama’u was given a truck to use which the Defendant claimed he bought. ‘Isama’u ended up buying that vehicle for TP$4000 from the owners of the truck. He did not receive the vehicle for which he paid money to the defendant for. He did not want to sue To’ahu.
Heleni Toli, manager of Sunshine Rentals, a car rental company, was looking for a Toyota Hilux to buy as they were popular with Tongan visitors to the Kingdom. She saw an ad on Fobby’s Print Tonga’s Facebook page and contacted the page.
She was told the person responsible was in Japan, but that there was an agent at Fiji Airways and was provided with a phone number of the agent. Mrs. Toli contacted the number given and it was Mrs. Maka. She confirmed to Mrs. Toli that the company was not a scam.
Satisfied, Toli contacted the Facebook page and asked why the Toyota Hilux was so cheap. She was told the company was clearing out old stock. She was then sent an offer of another vehicle due for payment on the same date. That afternoon, a post on the page thanked companies and well-known persons for their business. She decided to pay for two more trucks and understood it would arrive in December, 2020. She paid a total of TP$116,000.
Further contact with the defendant was not possible and Fobby’s Print Tonga’s Facebook page shifted the blame to Japan. When Mrs. Toli contacted Japan, a Mr. Wahad spoke with her. From that communication, she realised the transfer slips of funds she was given by the defendant or his agents were fraudulent.
The sixth complainant, Lesieli Tu’ivai of Fua’amotu, contacted Fobby’s Print Tonga’s Facebook page in November 2020 about a Toyota Hilux they were advertising for TP$35,000.
To’ahu told her and her brother Sitiveni that the vehicle would arrive on the last week of December. Tu’ivai and her brother paid a total of TP$15,000. When the vehicle failed to arrive, she was told that the vehicle was in Britain and they were trying to engage another company to ship it to Japan.
Further calls went unanswered. She went to find the defendant at Niutoua, to be informed that he had been taken into custody.
The seventh complainant was Lu’isa Kolo of Pahu. In December 2020, she saw on the Fobby’s Print Tonga’s Facebook page a Nissan Murano for sale at TP$17,500 and contacted them immediately. She spoke with the defendant and was told to make the relevant payment at their agent, lawyer Siosifa Tu’utafaiva’s office to one, Siosi’ana Vakasiuola.
On January6, 2021, she went to Mr. Tu’utafaiva’s office where she was handed a contract from Fobby’s Print Tonga. She signed the contract with Siosi’ana Vakasiuola and paid TP$17,500 in cash to Ms. Vakasiuola. She was told the vehicle would arrive March 9, 2021.
When it failed to arrive, she was told the money had been sent and to be patient. Then the defendant told her that she was not to contact him until this proceeding was finalised. She did not get her vehicle or a refund of her money.
In April 2021 Prince Tu’ipelehake agreed to buy four boat engines from the defendant for TP$41,600. To’au asked him to deposit 30% of the price.
Prince Tu’ipelehake paid TP$12,480 to a Ramona ‘Otutoa who paid the defendant TP$9680 and put the rest towards the deposit for the engines. The engines failed to arrive and the complainant demanded his money back. The defendant paid $9800 back to Prince Tu’ipelehake.
In total, the defendant obtained a sum of $243,486 from which he re-imbursed $11,300. The balance of $232,186 remains outstanding.
Previous case
To’aho, 43, was a teacher from 2004 to 2007, before marrying and joining Digicel where he worked as a corporate case manager at Digicel for five years. In 2013, he started Super Cheap Tonga, a business that imported vehicles from Japan to sell locally. Like the present case, he required customers to pay the full price before the vehicle would arrive. Like the present case, customers never received their vehicles. That business went under. To pay off the debt, his wife moved to the US to find work. She never returned.
His family helped pay off his debts.
High risk
To’aho’s probation officer described him as a “very high risk” to the community. He was not a first-time offender and had pleaded not guilty.
He was found guilty on all charges and sentenced to seven years, with the last 12 months suspended for two years subject to the condition that he not commit any act punishable by imprisonment.
Rosalia Fatiaki Photo: Facebook / Association of the University of the South Pacific Staff
