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Part for Twin Otter fails to arrive, but Tei says Lulutai hopes to have it by tomorrow morning

By
Kalino Latu
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A new part for the Lulutai airline’s Twin Otter did not arrive as expected last night, sources have told Kaniva News.

Poasi Tei

Lulutai airlines’ recently purchased TP13 million 18-seater aircraft has been grounded for maintenance for an unspecified issue since last week, a month after it made its debut.

It is understood that the part was supposed to be carried to Tonga by a passenger on a flight from Fiji.

Last month Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku, who is also the chairman of the Lulutai board of directors, asked during a live press conference that if a passenger coming from China to Tonga could carry on a new part for the Harbin Y-12 aircraft, to let him know.

As we reported previously the Harbin-Y12 plane was fixed earlier this month before it  experienced a mechanical failure yesterday morning, causing some passengers from Vava’u to miss their connecting flights to New Zealand.

A source who asked not to be identified claimed Lulutai staff members arrived at the Fua’amotu International Aiport’s arrival check-out last night (January 17) expecting to collect  the part for the Twin Otter from a passenger on Fiji Airways flight FJ213 from Nadi.

However, they discovered that the luggage in which the part was packed had not arrived.

A missing baggage report was submitted, the source claimed.

He said it could be that the part was detected when baggage was screened as it was processed in Brisbane or Nadi.

“If that is the case, it might be that the part was not declared in the traveller’s declaration form or the scanner had flagged it as a dangerous item”, the source said. 

Our source claimed the part was given to a couple who were paid to carry the item.

The airline is currently tracing the baggage and it will take time depending on the condition of the part and how it aligns with IATA requirements, the source said.

Fiji Airways could not be reached for comment.

However, Lulutai CEO Poasi Tei gave us a different explanation for what had happened. 

He said the part was given to a passenger to bring with him to Tonga last night, but he did not come with it.

He said they were now working to send it to Tonga tomorrow morning. He did not say why the passenger did not bring the part with him.

Asked why Lulutai did not pay to send the item as air cargo, he said the airline used to ask passengers at the airport to carry parts for the aircrafts because this was quicker than using the air cargo flights. 

We asked Tei whether Lulutai airline could not afford to use air cargo costs and whether it was facing financial difficulties. However, he dismissed this, saying it had nothing to do with the costs.

“With the work we do, even when importing parts for an aircraft we look for the quickest way because of nation’s needs for flight services,” Tei said.

It is understood Qantas has direct flight from Sydney on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Air New Zealand has daily flights between Tonga and New Zealand as well as Fiji Airways’ daily cargo flights.

The source said there was no reason to claim that sending the part with a passenger was quicker than the air cargo and described the practice as “precarious.”

He claimed there were safety concerns and said if the part was lost the taxpayers would have to pay for it.

Kaniva comment

Lulutai airline’s apparent policy of looking for passengers at the airport to carry its aircraft parts to Tonga could best be described as precarious. It also raises issues of safety and who would pay for the part if it was lost. For the Prime Minister to have asked publicly if somebody might be travelling from China to Tonga so they could bring a part for the Y-12 raises the question of whether the government really has the resources to run the airline.

Body found hanging from tree in eastern Nuku‘alofa

By
Kaniva Staff
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A man’s body was allegedly found hanging from a casuarina tree at Pātangata.

Sione Fehoko. Photo/Supplied

Sione Hoko was found dead in the tree yesterday, a source closes to his family told Kaniva News.

The grim discovery was made by some local children before police were called to the scene.

His body was retrieved before it was taken to the hospital.

Hoko is survived by his wife and their two children.

Police could not be reached for comment.

The news comes after the death of a young surgeon Dr. Colin Howard Manu Latu on November 5 in what has been allegedly described by local media as suspected suicide.

Kaniva News was unable to confirm Latu’s cause of death.

Openness, transparency and new thinking are the only way forward for Tonga’s air services

By
Kalino Latu and Philip Cass
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KANIVA COMMENTARY: Last night we said that the Tongan government needs to be absolutely transparent about the operations of Lulutai airlines.

PM Hu’akavameiliku

This followed yet another round of concerns about the airlines’ operations after its recently acquired Twin Otter was grounded with unspecified problems.

We said in our last story that the Prime Minister and the CEO have a responsibility to be honest with the Tongan travelling public, to tourists and to the Australian government which has bailed out the airline through its generous financial assistance.

If they were, it might make it easier for everybody concerned. If the problem with the Twin Otter is minor, then people  need to know. If it is major, people  need to know. If there is a problem, no matter how big or small, then  the people need to know.

That way passengers and the public might stop speculating and  circulating rumours that will damage the airline’ reputation.

Now Lulutai has faced yet another crisis. According to reports, its Harbin Y12 plane broke down this morning, Wednesday 17, and two of its five scheduled flights were cancelled. It was finally fixed and was able  to fly at 1.40pm in the afternoon, according to our source. Reports said passengers from Vava’u who had connecting flights were late to get their Air New Zealand flights this morning.  

It is about time for the government to seriously rethink the way it runs the airline.

The Prime Minister is the Chair of the Lulutai board with Cabinet Ministers including Deputy Prime Minister Samiu Vaipulu and Civil Aviation Minister Sevenitiini Toumo’ua. They are the directors in the company. Regardless of the fact that the Prime Minister keeps telling Parliament that the government does not own Lulutai, the buck stops with him.

Poasi Tei

As we have said many times, the government  needs to learn to communicate. It could take the simple step of setting up a professional  communication service on its website by just downloading free plugins and closely engage with its passengers on its social media accounts.

Why is this so hard? Why does the management of the airline appear to lack the most basic problems solving skills and the will power to fix problems which have plagued the airline for the past three years?

The real question that needs to be considered is whether the government should be in the airline business at all. Tonga has a history of airlines that have staggered into the air and crashed in financial distress. Government interference has usually only made this worse.

The Prime Minister has already admitted that without massive Australian financial support, Lulutai would not have the Twin Otter. Is there any realistic chance of  airline services continuing without a continued flow of dollars from Canberra? And how long would the Australian government tolerate such a situation?

Experts have said that Tonga is simply too small a market for any airline to make a profit. If that is the case, then radical re-thinking may be needed. The Tongan Government may have to admit that it cannot and should not run Lulutai and step right away from  the airline business.

It may have to bring back the previous airline operators and ask them to form a consortium that will run the airline properly as a business. However, it may also have to be realistic and find ways to keep the Australian subsidy going.  Australia’s Department of Foreign affairs is not a charity, but it may support a Tongan airline if it had a stake in the business as a shareholder, either directly or through a partnership with an Australian or New Zealand airline.

Tonga needs a viable airline service, not just to keep its internal economy going and to keep people connected, but to support the tourist industry which brings in much  needed revenue.

The Tongan government needs to think seriously about the future of Lulutai airline and to consider all of its options. Firstly, however, it needs to begin communicating clearly, consistently and honestly with the public and passengers.

Expert weighs in as parts problem said to be keeping Lulutai Twin Otter grounded

By
Kalino Latu
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Lulutai airlines’ newly purchased Twin Otter is still sitting in the hangar this evening Tuesday 16 after delays in getting a part from overseas.

n 2022, Tonga experienced the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai natural disaster, where Lulutai cancelled all flights to for safety reasons. Photo: Facebook.com/PM Press

An expert said the problem should be of concern to the aircraft’s long-term service.

Passengers booked to fly on the 18-seater plane from the outer islands to main island Tongatapu last week were told to stay in touch. Others have had to take inter-island ferries instead after the plane was grounded on Wednesday, January 10.

As Kaniva News reported at the time, several complaints about the aircraft’s flight cancellations and lack of public notice and responses from Lulutai have been shared on social media, including Kaniva News. 

The outrage was part of an ongoing backlash against the kingdom’s domestic flight services which kept popping up amidst years of flight delays, unexpected cancellations and poor communication from the Lulutai  airlines.

The Twin Otter is grounded because it needs a part, a reliable source told Kaniva News.

READ MORE:

We contacted the airline’s chief executive Poasi Tei today to confirm whether the Twin Otter was still being grounded awaiting a part.  

We asked him to tell us which part in the aircraft that needed replacement, why it had to be repaired and how much it cost.

We also asked him to tell us when the aircraft was expected to fly again.

Seemed too early

An aircraft expert, who asked not to be identified, said it seemed too early for a mechanical fault to develop since the Twin Otter only started flying last month. He said parts were expensive.

Maintaining its current heavy flight schedule would not help in the long run, the expert said. According to Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku the aircraft has been flying up to 16 hours a day.

The Australian government has provided funds to support the aircraft’s operations and train engineers.

The Prime Minister previously said without Australia’s “financial and technical support”, the Lulutai airline would not have been able to purchase the Twin Otter.

The expert previously said before the Twin Otter was purchased late last year it was grounded in China since 2018.

He said the five-year period of the aircraft’s inactivity from 2018 to 2023 should have been a concern for Tonga because aircraft parts had certain timeframes which required replacements when they were expired. The Twin Otter was flown to Wagga Wagga in Australia to prepare it for service before being flown to Tonga.

Lulutai airline has three aircraft. The Saab 340 crashed into a cement block last month after it was forced to return from Vava’u due to a hydraulic failure issue.

Its Harbin Y-12 is the only aircraft currently serviceable. It was grounded after it veered off the runway during its take-off run on ‘Eua island in July last year. It was later hit by a tow tractor at the Fua’amotu domestic airport.

It has been reported that part of the purchase of the Twin Otter included a loan of about TP$14 million from Tonga’s National Retirement Fund. The Prime Minister had been accused of failing to confirm the loan in Parliament. We previously contacted Hon. Hu’akavameiliku, who is also the chairman of the Lulutai board of directors, for comment.

Subject of controversy

The aircraft has been a point of controversy since Kaniva News broke the news about its purchase last year. The news caused an uproar in Parliament, with MPs from the people’s bench calling on the Prime Minister to cancel the purchase while the Nobles urged the Prime Minister to confirm whether the purchase was true.

The opposition argued that the government should have released the air service to a private company, one of the things the king mentioned when he blasted the former government for its lack of accountability.

Kaniva News has been reliably told the airlines is operated at huge loss. One source, who asked not to be identified, claimed to us last year that the government had spent more that TP$18 million so far on the airlines after it replaced the Real Tonga Airlines in 2020.

The Tongan government had put TP$10.1 million in its budget 2022/2023  and $3.3 million in its 2023/2024 government budget towards loan guarantees for Lulutai airlines’ maintenance services despite the Prime Minister repeatedly telling the House the government did not own the airline.

Patrick Tuipulotu hungry for All Blacks recall

By
Kaniva Staff
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By Jonty Dine, Sports Reporter of rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission

Patrick Tuipulotu wants his All Blacks jersey back.

The door to a recall for the 43-test lock is wide open following the departures of stalwarts Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retalick.

Tuipulotu said he was determined to highlight his worth to new coach Scott Robertson after an injury plagued 2023.

“You look at the calibre of guys who have left, there are two pretty senior locks who have left vacant spots so I definitely want to put my hand up for one of those.

“During that Super Rugby season I was just starting to hit some form, and then to have that broken arm at a crucial time pretty much hindered my year so ready to hit this pre-season running.”

Tuipulotu will lead the Blues in 2024 with coach Vern Cotter naming the former All Black as his captain, replacing Dalton Papali’i.

He said captaincy was not a role he took lightly.

“I guess it’s not new for me, but pretty proud. I’m a Blues man through and through so to be given the captain’s armband, it’s a privilege, an honour and I look forward to leading the team out.

With his partner Phoenix Karaka recently named captain of the Silver Ferns, Tuipolotu is able to talk leadership strategies at home.

Phoenix Karaka of the Mystics

Tuipulotu partner Phoenix Karaka. Photo: PHOTOSPORT

“A lot of it is around off field behaviour and how to people manage really. I think we have both found getting everyone to work towards a common goal is quite hard, you have different personalities, ages and backgrounds so that’s one of the challenges we speak about the most, we definitely lean on each other, probably me more onto her.”

Tuipulotu regains the leadership from All Blacks flanker Dalton Papali’i, who has led the side for the last two campaigns.

He said there was no ill-will between he and Papali’i, who remained a leader in the squad.

“We are good mates, I trust him and have his backing. The calibre of leaders in terms of having Dalts there as well, nothing changes except for a few subtleties off the field.”

Cotter, known for his no nonsense approach to rugby, said Tuipulotu’s leadership style was appealing.

“He’s fairly clearly the leader of this group, and just felt it was the right move. Patty’s notion of leading is sharing, so for me it ticked all the boxes, it was a pretty easy choice really.”

Cotter said Papali’i was accepting of the change.

“He felt he was only in a caretaker role, he knows he can help and his experience will make him better for the team.”

Cotter said Tuipulotu was a leader both on and off the field.

“He understands the game, what the community is and what the Blues are about.”

-RNZ

Golriz Ghahraman resigns from Parliament after shoplifting allegations

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission

Green MP Golriz Ghahraman is stepping down from Parliament after being accused of shoplifting on three separate occasions.

Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillston

In a statement, Ghahraman said stress relating to her work had led her to “act in ways that are completely out of character. I am not trying to excuse my actions, but I do want to explain them”.

“The mental health professional I see says my recent behaviour is consistent with recent events giving rise to extreme stress response, and relating to previously unrecognised trauma,” she said.

She said she had fallen short of the high standards expected of elected representatives, and apologised.

“I have let down a lot of people and I am very sorry,” the statement said. “It’s not a behaviour I can explain because it’s not rational in any way, and after medical evaluation, I understand I’m not well.

“The best thing for my mental health is to resign as a Member of Parliament and to focus on my recovery and to find other ways to work for positive change in the world.”

Green Party co-leaders Marama Davidson and James Shaw, in a separate statement, said Ghahraman had been the leading voice in Parliament for human rights, truly independent foreign policy, and electoral reform for six years, but “it is clear to us that Ms Ghahraman is in a state of extreme distress”.

“She has taken responsibility and apologised. We support the decision she has made to resign.

“We are deeply sorry to see Ms Ghahraman leave under these circumstances and we wish her all the best for the future.”

They said she had worked tirelessly on behalf of her communities.

“Nothing detracts from that work and we know she will continue to support those communities in future. We cannot comment on the details of allegations while police investigations are continuing.”

Ghahraman also thanked Scotties Boutique “for the kindness and empathy they have shown me”, and asked for space and privacy so she could get better.

The allegations involved Auckland clothing retailer Scotties Boutique and Wellington clothing store Cre8iveworx.

Police confirmed they were investigating reports of an incident on 23 December. Police repeatedly refused to comment on any second alleged incident.

The Green Party confirmed on 10 January Ghahraman had temporarily stood down from her portfolio roles.

The leaders later confirmed they had been informed of an allegation on 27 December, as well as a second incident at the same store.

They had not said anything at the time, they said, because the store involved did not want it to be made public and was happy to wait for Ghahraman to return from a long-planned overseas trip.

The third alleged incident to be made public – at Cre8iveworx on Wellington’s Cuba Street – was claimed to have occurred on 26 October last year, about a week and a half after the election.

An email was sent from Cre8iveworx to the police-run “Eyes on” crime prevention network on Monday afternoon, naming Ghahraman and including images of her in the store in October.

The email claimed she targeted a “substantial value of goods”, and said it was “beyond disappointing that someone in this position should be targeting a small independent boutique”.

Ghahraman was elected on the Green Party list, ranked 7th. She held 10 spokesperson portfolios, including Justice, Defence, and Foreign Affairs.

Her resignation allows the next person on the list to enter Parliament – former Wellington mayor Celia Wade-Brown.

Davidson and Shaw are expected to speak to the media shortly.

Ghahraman has not been charged.

Parker lines up fight with in-form Chinese heavyweight Zhang

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission

New Zealand heavyweight Joseph Parker has got his wish and will return to the ring quickly in a showdown with Chinese powerhouse Zhilei Zhang.

Off the back of his dominant pre-Christmas win over American Deontay Wilder, Parker has agreed to another rich contest in Saudi Arabia, against Zhang in Riyadh on March 8.

It will be the “co-feature” on a card also headlined by the fight between Briton Anthony Joshua and UFC specialist Francis Ngannou, whose only professional boxing fight was a loss to Tyson Fury in October.

Parker, 32, and 40-year-old Zhang are coming off emphatic wins over notable opponents.

The New Zealander revived his career with a unanimous points win over Wilder, showing a renewed dynamism in notching the 34th victory of his career and his fourth in a row since losing to Briton Joe Joyce in 2022.

After the Wilder fight, Parker expressed a desire to fight Joshua.

However, he said if that couldn’t happen, he just wanted to get back into the ring quickly.

“I’d like to get out as soon as I can. March, I’d love to fight in March,” he said.

“So listen, I’m training every day, I’m working hard, I’m eating clean. I’m just enjoying rest time but I know there’s a fight coming or looming very soon.”

Southpaw Zhang exploded into prominence with two knockout wins over the previously-unbeaten Joyce last year, the second coming in the third round in October to improve his career record to 26 wins, 21 by knockout.

A silver-medallist at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Zhang boasts an enormous 1.97m frame and won of the most powerful left-hands in the heavyweight ranks.\

His lone loss was to Croat Filip Hrgovic in a contentious points decision in 2022.

Great Britain’s Anthony Joshua previously described a potential bout with Cameroon-born Ngannou, 37, as a “gimmick fight”.

Ngannou sent the undefeated Fury to the canvas with a left hook before losing in a split decision.

Joshua is keen to put himself in the mix to face the winner of a fight in Februay between WBC champion Fury multiple belt-holder Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine.

Boxing commentators have said the fight against Ngannou represents less risk for Joshua than might be anticipated against Parker – who many had considered an obvious next opponent after his victory over Wilder.

Fiji drug bust: Police chief confirms ‘one of biggest seizures ever’ of meth in Nadi

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By rnz.co.nz and is republished with permission

Fiji police have seized over three tonnes of methamphetamine, with the country’s acting top cop confirming it is “one of the biggest seizures ever” in the country.

Fiji meth bust. Photo: Fiji Police

The drugs was stored in 797 medium-sized containers wrapped in brown tapes that were seized from a vacant house currently under construction in Namaka in Nadi, police said via a statement on Monday.

Local police have not put a street value on the haul but, based on the NZ drug trend survey, it could be priced in the hundreds of millions of dollars if it landed here.

Police say the drugs seized are in police custody and investigation into the matter continues.

No further details on the people involved have been released.

RNZ Pacific has contacted the Fiji police for more information.

Acting Police Commisioner Juki Fong Chew said via the press statement their “fight against drugs” continues in the form of “consistent raids” with “more drugs being seized”.

“This is one of the biggest seizures ever and this shows that we are on top of things,” he said.

“The white powder seized was over three tonnes and it was stored in 797 medium size containers.

“Our fight against drugs continue and we are out there trying to make our country free from drugs.”

He said engagements with the organisation’s external partners continues as part of its fight against illicit drugs.

Fiji meth bust. 14 January 2024

Fiji meth bust. Photo: Fiji Police

Govt losing drug war

Last year, the Fijian government made the admission it was losing the fight against the sale and consumption of illegal drugs in the country.

Attorney-General Siromi Turaga was pleading with traditional leaders to work with police to address the drug problem, local media had reported.

Turaga said the use of methamphetamine, which is known by the street name “ice”, had become widespread and affecting people’s lives.

Concern for children

He warned the illegal substance has flooded the community “and even schoolchildren are selling” it.

He said children needed to be protected, as concerns were being raised about children being used to peddle and distribute drugs.

According to Drug Free World Fiji founder Kalesi Volatabu, one in three children on the streets were “highly likely” users of meth and other hard drugs.

Fiji meth bust. 14 January 2024

Fiji meth bust. Photo: Fiji Police

SH1 reopen at Papakura after serious crash

By
Kaniva Staff
-


State Highway 1 has reopened from the Beach Road off-ramp to the Great South Road on-ramp after a serious crash.

Earlier, police said they were notified of the crash at 11.13am, which involved multiple vehicles.

“Two people have been seriously injured,” a police spokesperson said at the time.

Waka Kotahi NZTA earlier told motorists to expect significant delays.

Police warn parents after Tongatapu missing 12-year-old girl located

By
Kaniva Staff
-

The police are urging parents and children to be vigilant, following what appeared to be an abduction of a girl in eastern Nuku’alofa yesterday.

Nuku’alofa Central Police Station. Photo/Kalino Lātū

According to report by a family member on Facebook last night, two men appeared to have coerced the 12-year-old into a car, as she was at a swimming spot nearby.

Police said this evening the girl was located and returned to her parents safely.

It did not say whether there was any physical contact between the apparent abductors  and the girl, but it said “the Police are looking to establish the reason for the minor’s action”.

“Tonga Police responded to a report of a missing 12-year-old girl from Fangaloto last night, 10 January 2024, after going for a swim”, the police said in a statement.

It said the young girl was found in the early hours of today, 11 January 2024, and has been returned safely to her parents.

Meanwhile, Tonga Police is reminding parents and guardians to be more alert for the safety of their children.

“It is also wise to always remind children to never talk to strangers and not to accept anything offered by anyone other than their parents and to alert the police should you or your child feel unsafe in any situation.

To report a crime or for assistance from police, call us on 922 or 740-1630 or 740-1632”.

Since she has been found, Kaniva News has removed her name and photo from this article. 

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