A young Tongan graduate from the University of Auckland is looking at creating a new style of Tongan music.
Helen Pahulu (centre) with her mum Ana and brother Viko. Photo: Billy Wong.
Helen Pahulu’s graduation this week has been historical in the sense that her family’s inspiration was part of her achievement.
“I watched my mum graduate, so it’s exciting to have my mum watching me graduate,” she says.
Helen’s mum Ana arrived from Tonga in 2000 and went on to study at the University of Auckland before becoming a high school English teacher.
“My mum couldn’t afford kindergarten or childcare, so she used to take me to classes with her,” says Helen.
“For me, graduating is like a full circle experience.”
The 22-year-old singer and trombonist from Māngere, Auckland majored in jazz for her Bachelor of Music degree. She says her aim is to fuse jazz with Pacific music to create songs that showcase her Tongan heritage.
“It’s two genres of music that mean a lot to me,” she says. “Having my cultural heritage mixed in with what I was studying brought a lot more meaning to my degree.”
Helen discovered her passion for music from performing in church when she was young.
“In Tongan churches, singing and brass bands are quite big. I was 10 or 11 years old when I started playing a brass instrument, but in Year 9 my school got me to switch over to trombone because it’s quite a versatile instrument. And it was through trombone that I started playing in jazz bands.”
She also credits her high school music teacher Thomas Cho for having a huge influence on encouraging her to take her craft seriously.
“He was actually quite strict, but it was because of his teaching that my music has gotten to the standard it is now.”
“Studying music at University isn’t as intimidating as I thought it was going to be,” says Helen Pahulu. Photo: Billy Wong.
At first, the idea of heading to University to study music seemed daunting, but that changed after a group of music students from the University visited her high school.
“After talking to one of the students, I thought ‘this is something that I could do,’” she says.
“Studying music at University isn’t as intimidating as I thought it was going to be.”
During her studies, Helen co-founded a support group called The Collective to “encourage and empower” other Pacific music students at University.
“To be very honest, I don’t think a lot of Pacific Island kids are encouraged to take up performing arts. Usually, the goal for Island parents is for their kids to do law or engineering, or to become doctors.
“But there is a whole lot of musical talent within our Polynesian communities.”
The government is investigating the case of a Pasifika overstayer who was detained after a dawn raid in South Auckland last week.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is covered during a ceremony in Auckland as she asked for forgiveness from Pasifka people for the 1970s Dawn Raids
The man’s lawyer, Soane Foliaki, said police showed up at 5am, scaring his children and taking him into custody – and though Immigration NZ has disputed the timing, it has admitted the early morning raid was not a one-off.
“That does concern me. Those aren’t the sorts of tactics that I would expect us to be using in New Zealand.”
Hipkins said he had assurances no ministers were aware of what was going to happen, and Associate Immigration Minister Rachel Brooking is reviewing the man’s case.
In a statement, Immigration said it was rare for officers to show up early in the morning, and in this case the decision was approved by the national manager of compliance.
It said of the 623 “customers” it “interacted with” between last July and the end of April, just 3 percent – about 18 or 19 – were contacted “outside of hours”. The “vast majority” of visits were carried out between 7am and 9pm.
Foliaki was there when then-Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern delivered the historic apology, and said Pasifika would be disgusted to find out the tactics were still being used.
He said the family were still asleep, the children – staying downstairs in the two-storey rental – the first to hear people banging on the door, and covering potential “escape routes” their dad might take.
“They were terrified … and crying and very, very upset and scared,” he told Morning Report on Tuesday.
“And the parents heard it from upstairs – it was that loud – and they looked out the window from upstairs and saw that it was police. So they ran downstairs to try and calm the children.”
Their father was taken to the Manukau Police Station.
Immigration NZ told RNZ officers showed up at 6am, not 5am. Early morning visits are paid when Immigration does not believe the person will be home during the day.
“Look, I don’t believe that at all,” Foliaki said. “My instructions from my client was quite clear – it was at 5am. The chap, he works as a construction worker and he said, you know, if it was at 6am he would have left the house by then already…
“Early in the morning is one thing – coming in the cover of darkness is another thing.”
Foliaki said at this time of year, 6am would still be “coming in the cover of darkness”.
“This raid was no different from any other raid in the ’70s.”
Hipkins was flying out of the country today to attend King Charles’ coronation in the UK. In his place Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni, herself the daughter of a Samoan migrant, told Morning Report she was “deeply concerned” by the lawyer’s claims.
Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni. Photo: RNZ/ Samuel Rillstone
“Dawn raids were of course a very traumatic experience for our Pasifika communities, and we don’t want our Pasifika communities to have to relive that. So, we do need to ask questions here, and I have confidence in the minister for immigration asking the right questions with regards to what’s going on.”
Immigration’s admission it has carried out about 18 or 19 out-of-hours visits did not render the government’s historic 2021 apology hollow, Sepuloni insisted.
“But what we need to make sure of is that we are not retraumatising the Pacific community by this type of activity, and so we’re asking the right questions and we will be following this closely.”
Foliaki said at the time, he thought Ardern’s apology was “very, very genuine” and “humbling”.
The 1970s dawn raids overwhelmingly targeted Pasifika – while they made up only a third of overstayers, they accounted for 86 percent of all prosecutions. US and UK citizens made up another third of overstayers, but only 5 percent of prosecutions.
Foliaki said it was not clear if the modern-day dawn raids are racially motivated, but would like to get figures via the Official Information Act.
“Of the 18 raids, if they happened in the dark, how many of them were European and how many of them were Pacific? We don’t know… If it comes out that there is more Europeans and [non-Pasifika] who are illegally in this country and we have a high figure and nothing at all of these rates happening with the Europeans, of course, we’re gonna say that it’s racist.”
He said his client was the family’s “breadwinner”, and has been “in a relationship for some years with a New Zealand citizen, and who is looking after children”, so has a pathway to residency.
“Ministers of immigration have [said] in the past, if they have a pathway forward, let them test their eligibility for residency by granting them a temporary visa…
“We have a convention for the rights of the children – we’re supposed to protect the family, protect the children, don’t harm them. You know, removing dads and breaking up family units like this is just absolutely, it’s against a convention for which we are a party.”
New Zealand is in the grip of a fourth wave of covid but it is predicted to be smaller than previous mass outbreaks.
The most recent analysis from the Public Health Communication Centre at Otago University indicates there could be up to 12,000 hospitalisations and more than a 1000 deaths this year from covid.
Professor Michael Baker . . . “The virus is a source of inequalities with Māori and Pasifika markedly more likely to be admitted to hospital and die from this infection.” Image: RNZ
Leading epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker said the fourth wave was potentially driven by a rise in the XBB subvariant, which had become dominant in the last two months — exacerbated by waning immunity and people spending more time indoors with the cooler weather.
“This pattern of small to moderate sized waves may indicate what we can expect to see with covid-19 in coming years. But there are still major uncertainties given the potential for this virus to continue to evolve,” he said.
There was growing evidence that subsequent infections tended to be less severe, which was good news — but there was no room for complacency, Professor Baker said.
“It’s a very different virus to influenza.
“With influenza, you might get it once or twice a decade. But with covid 19, it looks like you might get it once or twice a year.
“And each time you get this infection you’re running all of those risks of getting seriously ill, going to hospital or worse, and potentially developing long-term effects.”
Even those who escaped serious illness could be off work some time, which was having an impact on the workforce.
Covid-19 was still the leading cause of death from infectious disease in New Zealand, with 2419 deaths last year.
“Covid-19 is also a major cause of hospitalisation, with more than 22,000 admissions in 2022… and the virus is a source of inequalities with Māori and Pasifika markedly more likely to be admitted to hospital and die from this infection.”
FAKAMATALA FAKATONGA
‘Oku vavalo’i ‘e toe aake mai hano tu’o fa ‘a e Koviti ki Nu’u Sila ni neongo ‘oku pehe ‘e si’is’i pe ‘ikai lahi hange ko ‘ene fua tō mai.
‘Oku mahino mai ‘i ha ‘analasisi mei he Public Health Communication Centre mei he Otago University ‘e a’u ki he tākotoa fale mahaki ‘e toko 12,000 pea mo e mate ‘e 1000 he ta’u ni he Koviti’.
Oku hoko e vailasi ko ha ma’u’anga ‘o e ‘ikai potupotu tatau pea ‘oku hange ‘e hoko ai ‘a e kakai Maori mo Pasifika ke lahi ange hano ‘ave kinautolu ki fale mahaki pe mate mei he mahaki pipihi ko eni, fakatatau kia Palofesa Michael Baker.
Pehe ‘e Baker ko e akenga hono fa ko eni o e Koviti ‘e lava ke mahiki ia tu’u he fotunga fo’ou XBB subvariant, ‘a ia ne fu’u fakaaoao ‘i he mahina ‘e ua kuo hili’ – faka’asili ‘ene kovi ‘aki ‘a e holo ‘a e ‘imiunitii mo e lahi nofo fale ‘a e kakai mo e mokomoko ange a e ‘ea.
Oku talotoloto pe ‘a e peteni ko eni ka hoko mai ‘a ene toe aake ka oku faka’ilonga mai ai ‘e me’a ke tau ‘amanaki ki ai ‘i he ngaahi ta’u ka hoko mai. Ka oku kei lahi pe ‘ikai ha fakapapau’i koeuhi ko e natula ke toe maliuliu ‘a e fotunga ia ‘o e koviti’.
Kuo ‘i ai ‘a e ngaahi fakamooni kuo ‘alu pe taimi mo hono tanaki mai ‘o pehe ko ha toe pihia ki mui mai ‘e ‘ikai fu’u fakatu’umaki ‘a ia ko e ongoongo lelei ia – ka ‘oku ikai ha loki ki he fakata’eta’ekuhaa’, ko e lau ia ‘a Palofesa Baker.
Oku kehe ‘aupito ‘a e vailasi ia ko eni mei he influenza.
Ko e influrnza t eke ala ma’u tu’o taha pe tu’o ua ‘i ha ta’u ‘e 10 ka ko e Koviti 19 ‘oku ngali t eke ma’u tu’o taha pe tu’o ua ‘i he ta’u.
Oku kei hoko pe ‘a e Koviti 19 ko e mahaki lahi taha ia kuo hoko ai ‘a e mate fakatokolahi ‘i Nu’u Sila ‘a ia ko e toko 2419 he ta’u kuo ‘osi.
A long-awaited survey of Covid-19 infections has been abandoned by the Ministry of Health.
In a statement, a spokesperson said it was no longer needed.
“Aotearoa New Zealand has passed the emergency stage of its Covid-19 response, with the virus endemic in our communities. The results of any Covid-19-focused prevalence survey would be unlikely to meaningfully alter any current public health response as there are only two pandemic-related mandates still in place.”
The remaining mandates were for masks to be worn in healthcare facilities and for positive cases to isolate for seven days.
“The ministry accepts it took longer than expected to reach this conclusion, given the challenges of a multi-stakeholder, complex project developed during the health reforms,” the statement said.
The two surveys were announced by former director-general of public health Ashley Bloomfield. In July 2022, he said an infection survey would test 100 people a week over a six-month period. The second survey, a seroprevalence survey, was a blood test to see if people had previously had Covid-19.
“Both are well developed and nearly ready to start rolling out in the next few weeks,” he said at the time.
In November, deputy director of health Andrew Old told RNZ it had taken longer than expected and would be delayed until July this year, citing Covid-19, winter illness and health reforms as the the reason.
Today’s announcement the surveys had been abandoned was disappointing news to Covid-19 modeller Dion O’Neale.
“It’s good to have it confirmed as cancelled, rather than perpetually being told it’s a month away, or six months away.”
He said the infection survey would have provided information which could help with modelling the impact of changing the current isolation rules.
If the survey showed people only a small portion of people with Covid-19 were isolating, then reducing the isolation period, or removing it completely wouldn’t have a large impact. If most people are still following isolation rules, then removing them “could have a huge impact”, he said.
“Trying to model what the consequences are of changing case isolation, and the absence of knowing that gets trickier.”
He was also concerned at how prepared New Zealand was for another serious disease outbreak, where a prevalence survey could provide valuable information.
“It has taken us three years to not get one going. We don’t want to be in a situation where we have an emergency again, where we need to have a prevalence survey up and running within weeks – and we’re not prepared for one.”
The seroprevalence survey would be useful to see who has had Covid-19 across the country and where the burden of long Covid may lie, he said.
A Ministry of Health spokesperson said prevalence surveys were expected to be a key tool in future public health surveillance, and said will benefit from the work which has been done on the cancelled project.
FAKAMATALA FAKATONGA
Kuo li’aki ‘e he Potungaue Mo’ui ha ola ‘o ha savea ki he pipihi ‘o e Koviti 19 ne fai ha tatali ki ai.
I ha fakamatala ne pehe ai ‘e he matāpule na’e ‘ikai toe fiema’u ia.
Kuo paasi ‘a Aotearoa Nu’u Sila ia mei he tu’unga fiemau fakavavevave ne ‘i ai ‘ene tali ki he Koviti-19, i he to ‘a e vailasi ‘i he ngaahi komiunitii. ‘Oku ‘ikai ha toe fu’u ‘uinga lelei ia ke liliu ‘a e tu’unga ‘a hono tokangaekina’o e vailasi ‘e ha savea pehe he ko e meniteiti pe ‘e ua oku kei tu’u.
Kuo pehe ‘e he Potungaue na’e fuoloa ange ‘i he faka’amu pea toki iku o tali ‘a e aofangatuku, koeuhi ko e pole ‘o e kau seahoulutaa’ mo kau fa’u poloseki lolotonga ‘a e fakafo’ou.
Ko e ongo savea ko eni ne fanongonongo ia ‘e he talekita seniale ki mu’a ‘o e public health ko Ashley Bloomfield. Na’a ne pehe i Siulai 2022 ‘e fai ‘a e savea ‘o e mahaki pipihi pea e tesi ai ha kakai ‘e toko 100 he uike ‘i ha piliote ko e mahina ‘e ono. Ko e savea hono ua ko ha savea seroprevalence survey, aia ko ha sivi toto ke sio kapau na’e ma’u ‘e he kakai ‘a e Koviti-19 ki mu’a.
Ne ne pehe ne ‘osi kamata pea ne ‘osi mateuteu ke kamata leva ‘i he ngaahi uike hono hoko’.
‘I Novema na’e fakaha ai ‘e he Tokoni Talekita o e Mo’ui ko Andrew Old ki he RNZ ‘e toe ki’i loloa atu ia he me’a ne fai ki ai ‘a e ‘amanaki’ pea ‘e toloi kae ‘oualeva ke a’u ki Siulai ‘o e ta’u ni’, ‘o ne ‘ai hake ‘a e Koviti-19 mo e pule he fa’ahi ta’u Momoko mo hono fakafo’ou ‘o e health ‘a e ngaahi ‘uhinga ki he toloi.
Ka i hono fanongonongo ko ia he ‘aho ni kuo ‘ikai toe fakahoko na’e fakamamahi ia ko e motela o e Koviti-19 ko Dion O’Neale.
Sai ang eke tala mai kuo kaniseli ‘i hono ‘ai ke pehe ‘e toloi ha mahina pe mahina ‘e ono.
Na’a ne pehe ko e ola ‘o e savea ko eni ne mei tokoni lahi ke ma’u ai ha ngaahi fakamatala e ala tokoni ki hono fa’u o ha ngaahi liliu ki he ngaahi tu’utu’uni o e fakamavahe’i ‘oku lolotonga fakahoko’.
The crew of the MV ‘Otuanga’ofa, which spent six months in dry dock in Auckland, claim their employers have kept part of their daily allowance to pay for freight, after they were told it would be free.
Captain Vivili Fifita (L)< Chair of the Shared Board Transport Sector Dr SIone Ngongo Kioa. Photo/Patimiosi Ngungutau
The crew said they ran short of food in Auckland and had to gather water from the roof of the ship in an area infested with birds.
They also said it had come as a shock to discover they had no health insurance.
In a letter to the Shared Board Transport Sector’s Chairman Dr Sione Ngongo Kioa, crew members said they were disappointed after the government’s Friendly Islands Shipping Agency (FISA) used part of their travelling allowance to pay for cargo given to them for free while they were in New Zealand.
A copy of the letter, which was seen by Kaniva News, criticises the government for failing to look after the crew and making sure they were protected and safe.
“I am writing on behalf of the crew members and to express our disappointment against how the Friendly Island Fishing Agency handled the struggles we encountered while in New Zealand”, the letter of complaint by a member of the crew read in Tongan.
“We left Tonga for New Zealand on September 16. We were told we would be only staying there for 27 days. However, we continued to stay there longer than expected and there was a shortage of food, water and we had to share the only small amount of food and water we had at the time.”
A crew member became ill soon after the inter-island ferry arrived in Auckland and while processing his medical needs it was discovered that the crew did not have any medical insurance.
The shipping agency later said it paid for the crew’s health checks and medical appointment in New Zealand.
Kaniva News has seen a receipt dated April 5, 2023, for a total of TP$12,880. We understand this was for the freight charged by FISA for the complainant’s cargoes.
It is understood part of the travelling allowance payments were paid to crew members while they were in New Zealand. There have been complaints that the allowances were not paid on time.
FISA board member Tu’imoana Takataka visited New Zealand and it is understood he was asked by Captain Vivili Fifita about the crew members’ cargoes they were expecting to take with them to Tonga when the ferry returned.
The letter claimed Takataka confirmed to Fifita that the crew members’ cargoes would be carried free of charge.
“Our heart were full of happiness and so we accepted all the goods and donations we received from our relatives and friends in New Zealand,” the letter to the Transport Sector’s chairman said.
“Unfortunately, when we arrived in Tonga on April 6 after leaving Tonga for about seven months we were given a different version of the story. The freight charges were devastating. Therefore I am appealing to you to remove the freight charges as our family could not afford them. The duty charges are a must and we have to pay that. But the decision for freight charges is a matter for the board of directors to decide.”
Another letter sent to the board of directors said: “I understand that FISA’s board of directors has passed a decision for Captain Vivili Fifita to charge freight fees to all cargo from New Zealand belonging to the MV ‘Otuanga’ofa crew members. The freight cannot be paid by instalment. If the crew members would not pay FISA would use their travelling allowance to pay for their cargoes.
“Many of us crew members had to borrow money after the ferry arrived in Tonga to pay for our cargo out as it was Saturday and we were told if our cargo was not cleared immediately there would be wharfage charges.
“Our travelling allowance for crew officers were $100 per day while crew members were $80 daily and the captain was $500 a day. Our lunch money was $10 a day. We struggled while being in New Zealand. There was shortage of food and I helped by providing food, laundry and medical assistance such as health checks costs.
“We collected rainwaters from the vessel’s rooftop where birds used to live and the location was close to the sewerage outlet. The freight charges for our cargoes as crew members is lacking in common sense. Customs has agreed for us to pay half of the duty charges and will settle them later through an instalment payment arrangement. Meanwhile, FISA, the company which we cherished and where we get paid to buy bread for our family, is making us disappointed.
“I would like to double check with you whether that was the decision which has been just passed on to Captain Vivili Fifita to make us unhappy as I think we are not being treated equally in terms of what types of cargoes we brought from New Zealand. This is only part of the many issues that I have yet to raise.
“I wish that you board members have some kind of a kind heart and return our travelling allowance pay together with giving us some other form of assistance available to help us ease the stress and pain.”
Kaniva News has seen a letter which appears to be from the Transport’s chair of board of directors Dr Sione Ngongo Kioa, saying the crew had to listen to what Captain Fifita told them about the freight charges.
Kaniva News has contacted Dr Kioa and Captain Fifita for a response to the crew’s complaints.
There have been 12,383 new Covid-19 infections reported in New Zealand over the past week.
The numbers cover the week from Monday, April 17 to Sunday, April 23.
As at midnight Sunday there were 292 people in hospital with the virus.
Nine people were in an intensive care or high dependency unit as at midnight Sunday.
Forty-four more people with the virus have died.
Of that number, 11 were from the Auckland region, two were from the Waikato, two were from the Bay of Plenty, two were from Lakes, one was from Tairawhiti, two were from Hawke’s Bay, one was from Taranaki, three were from MidCentral, three were from Wellington region, three were from Nelson Marlborough, nine were from Canterbury, one was from South Canterbury, four were from Southern.
One was in their 20s, two were in their 40s, three were in their 60s, six were in their 70s, 22 were in their 80s and ten were aged over 90. Of these people, 23 were women and 21 were men.
The number of deaths confirmed as attributable to Covid-19, either as the underlying cause of death or as a contributing factor, is 2736.
FAKAMATALA FAKATONGA
Ko e keisi fakakatoa ‘e 12,383 ‘o e Koviti 19 ne mafola ‘i N’u Sila ‘i he uike kuo ‘osi.
Ko e fika ‘eni mei he Monite ‘Epeleli ‘aho 17 ki he Tokonaki ‘Epeleli ‘aho 23.
I he tu’uapo Sapate ne a’u ki he kakai ‘e toko 292 ne ‘i falemahaki tu’unga he vailasi.
Ne toe mate mo ha kakai ‘e toko 44 he vailasi’.
I he fika ko ia ko e 11 Auckland region, ua ‘i Waikato, ua mei he Bay of Plenty, ua mei he Lakes, taha mei Tairawhiti, ua mei Hawke’s Bay, taha mei Taranaki, tolu mei he MidCentral, tolu mei Wellington region, tolu mei Nelson Marlborough, hiva mei Canterbury, taha mei South Canterbury, fa mei he Southern.
Ko e tokotaha i hono ta’u 20 tupu, ua ‘i he ta’u 40, tolu mei he 6t, ono ‘i honau 70t, 22 ‘i honau 80t pea 10 ‘i honau 90t. Ko e toko 23 kakai fefine pea 21 kakai tangata.
Kuo fakapapau’i ko e mate ‘eni mei he Koviti 19, ‘o ka ‘ikai pe ko ha mahaki tauhi pe ko e tokoni ‘a e Koviti ki he’ene mate. Ko e mate fakakatoa ‘eni ‘e toko 2736 ‘i Nu’u Sila.
Tongans were pleased to welcome home a daughter of the kingdom, Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku said this morning.
Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku (L) and NZ Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni. Photo/Supplied
The Prime Minister made the statement during a joint press conference with New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister, Hon. Carmel Sepuloni in Nuku’alofa.
Hon. Sepuloni is the first Pacific Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand and the third woman to hold the position.
“Tonga and New Zealand are inextricably linked. We have a shared history, bound by our cultural and ancestral links through our Polynesian heritage and we share common values of mutual respect, friendship, collective ambition and sustainability,” the Prime Minister said.
Tongan connections
During her visit to Tonga, Hon. Sepuloni was honoured by her Tongan relatives and said she was proud of her Tongan roots.
Lepolo Taunisila, a former Tongan MP for the Niuas, talked to Kaniva News about their connections and the hā’unga presentation they performed to welcome Hon. Sepuloni.
She said their great grandparents Mr Punivai and Toakase had five children – Suli, Sēmisi Punivai, daughters ‘Ila and Nenase and the youngest, Mr Paula (male name in Tongan).
Lepolo said that of these five children, Sēmisi Punivai had a son called Sepuloni. He had a son named Kamisi, who was Hon. Carmel Sepuloni’s father. Nenase was Lepolo’s maternal grandmother. Paula had a grandson called Sika Manu, who was the first captain of the Mate Ma’a Tonga rugby league team. This meant that Lepolo, Sika Manu and Carmel’s father were second cousins.
(L-R) Ponapate Taunisila, Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni and Lepolo Taunisila. Photo/Supplied
Lepolo said all the five siblings’ grandchildren came together on Wednesday and welcomed Hon. Sepuloni in a special family ceremony in which they presented a Tongan hā’unga. It is the highest Tongan cultural presentation of food and kava to welcome a visitor.
They also provided and performed the practice of Tongan ha’i ta’ovala in which women decorate the person of the day with a special ta’ovala or piece of matting worn around the waist over one’s loin cloth. Lepolo said they did this because they were delighted to meet her while she was in Tonga in her capacity as New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister.
During the hā’unga presentation one of the Punivai’s grandsons, former government senior officer Sione Polota, delivered a welcoming speech.
“We welcome you to Tonga on your first official visit as New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister and head of New Zealand Mission to the Pacific Islands,” Polota said.
“Since you acknowledged your Tongan connection, our heart overflowed with joy and pride. You are one of the Punivai clans from Tonga’s Niuatoputa island.
“We are the grandchildren of Mr Punivai and Mrs Toakase including Sika Manu the first Mate Ma’a Tonga rugby league team captain.”
Proud
During her speech during the hā’unga presentation, Hon. Sepuloni said: “My grandfather married a Samoan woman and raised his family in Samoa. We grew up knowing very little of our Tongan side. I became more curious as time went on as to where we came from. But like many people when you don’t know where you come from, you are shy to talk about it because it is embarrassing that you don’t have that knowledge of your roots.
“I was relieved years later to meet Lepolo and for Lepolo to approach me and to tell me the history of our family and where we came from.
“How special it felt to be from an island which is beautiful and far away – Niuatoputapu. I want to go there where my great-grandfather was from.”
Hon. Sepuloni said that she could see her great-grandfather’s face when she looked at her relatives in the room.
“After a long break away from each other we are now reconnected,” she said.
“I can say very honestly that I am proud to be connected to you and to be related to you and I look forward to the next generation, having that knowledge and being strong in that connection now that we have found it again.”
Government relations
New Zealand and Tonga have explored ways to enhance the kingdom’s climate change advocacy, Tongan Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku said this morning.
This would amplify the leadership on the issue Pacific islands have taken.
“I thanked the Hon Deputy Prime Minister for the ongoing bilateral assistance from New Zealand that continue to be a boon to our development, with funding flowing into priority areas of strengthening economic development, law and justice and education.
Deputy Prime Minister Carmel Sepuloni with her Niuatoputapu kāinga. Photo/Supplied
“Our defence cooperation remains strong. Our bilateral relations are important and I asked the Deputy Prime Minister for her continued assistance towards Tonga’s development priority areas. “
Hon. Sepuloni said the Pacific region remained New Zealand’s foreign policy priority.
On the same day the police watchdog’s report into the force’s handling of last year’s protest and three-week occupation of parliament is being released, a think tank’s report into the government’s Covid-19 response has found it overly political, lacking adaptability and agility, and needing more transparency.
The study called Lifting the Lid: A Critical Analysis of the Covid-19 Pandemic Management in New Zealand and it has been published by The New Zealand Initiative, a pro-free-market think tank.
It found Aotearoa was woefully underprepared for a contagious outbreak of this size and failed to capitalise on its geographical location to stem the spread.
It goes as far as saying the initial outbreak could have been avoided entirely, but also offers recommendations on how to improve future responses.
Auckland University emeritus professor of medicine Des Gorman is one of the lead authors, and he spoke to Ingrid Hipkiss.
Professor Des Gorman says it makes no sense to resort to social lockdowns to control an outbreak of COVID-19. Photo: supplied
FAKAMATALA FAKATONGA
‘I he ‘aho tatau pe ne tuku mai ai ‘a e lipooti kulile’o ki he kau polisi ne nau tokanga’i ‘a e fakafepaki uike ‘e tolu ne fai ‘i tu’a Fale Alea ne pehe ‘e ha lipooti ‘a ha tangike fakakaukau ;o pehe ko e ngāue ‘a e pule’anga ki he Koviti 19 na’e fu’u fakapolitikale, si’i ha’ane malava ke ala liliu pe vave ‘ene nga’unu, pea fiema’u ke lahi ange ‘ene ‘ata ki tu’a.
Ko e sitati ‘eni ne ui ko e Lifting the Lid: A Critical Analysis of the Covid-19 Pandemic Management ‘i Nu’u Sila pea na’e pulusi ia ‘i ha tangike fakakaukau oku ne poupou’i ‘a e maketi tau’ataina ko e The New Zealand Initiative.
Ne ne ‘ilo na’e ‘ a e tu’unga fakamamahi e ta’e mateuteu ‘a Aotearoa ki he to mai ‘a e to’umahaki pipihi lahi peheni pea ‘ikai lava to’o e faingamalie ‘i hono tu’unga fakasiokalafi ke ta’ofi ‘ene pipihi.
Ne toe hoko atu ‘o pehe ko e ‘uluaki too ne lava ke mai fakangata kakato, ka ne toe tuku mai ai ‘a e fale’i ke fakalelei ki ha ngaue ki ai he kaha’u.
Ne kau ‘a e palofesa malolo he metikolo mei he ‘Univesiti ‘Aokalani ko Des Gorman i he kau fa’u ‘o e lipooti ko eni
National MP Erica Stanford said the party’s resigned Taieri candidate Stephen Jack sharing a poem that compared Jacinda Ardern to Adolf Hitler was unacceptable.
Stephen Jack. (Source: National Party)
Jack resigned last night after Stuff reported he had re-posted a poem on Facebook in 2021, comparing the former prime minister to Hitler.
Stanford told Morning Report the then-prime minister deserved some respect.
“Making disparaging comments about the prime minister like that is not acceptable,” she said.
“It’s disrespectful. No matter what you think of Jacinda Ardern, she was our prime minister and she deserved some respect.”
On Sunday it was reported by Stuff that Jack had also re-posted a sexist joke in 2020.
National’s deputy leader Nicola Willis labelled that joke “disgusting” – and warned a repeat incident may trigger the party’s disciplinary code.
Stanford said she had not met Jack and could not comment on whether the party’s candidate selection panel had seen his comments.
“I don’t know very much about this candidate, I’ve never met him, I only heard the news, as you probably did, break last night.”
She said the party had acknowledged after the last few years that its processes for selecting candidates “weren’t as robust as they could be” and it had been addressing that.
“I know the board have been going through every candidate … even the existing MPs they went through, and made sure that the process was robust.”
A National Party spokesperson told RNZ on Wednesday night via email that the party would open selection for another candidate for the seat in due course.
PALO ALTO, Calif, – Palo Alto police have arrested three men and a teen who allegedly committed two armed robberies Monday night, within 25 minutes of each other and a third in Milpitas.
According to police, the first incident happened around 6:35 p.m. on the 1100 block of Trinity Lane. Authorities said a neighbor may have interrupted an auto burglary and one suspect pointed a handgun before fleeing. The thieves took cell phones, and a female victim’s purse.
“My family still lives here and I never seen any crime. It’s always been a good area,” said long-time resident Max Topete. “Yeah very surprised. I had no idea.”
Palo Alto police detectives said less than 25 minutes later, the same suspects pointed a gun at woman as she arrived home in the 800 block of Marshall Drive. The four, wearing ski masks, took her cell phone, then drove off toward Moreno Avenue.
Shortly after the second Palo Alto robbery, Milpitas investigators reported an armed robbery in that city, which they believed was linked to the Palo Alto case.
“We did have some partial, possible plate information that was very helpful, that was given to us by one of the victims. We were able to share that information very broadly with all of our partners in the Bay Area,” said Palo Alto Police Lieutenant Brian Philip.
Palo Alto police dispatched officers as far south as Morgan Hill, in an attempt to locate the suspects. They received help from San Jose police, which used its helicopter in the search for the suspect’s vehicle: a stolen, white 2020 Kia Sportage.
No one was injured during the suspects’ alleged crime spree, police said.
The suspects, all Oakland residents, were arrested and the stolen property was recovered. Eighteen-year-old Siahola J’lan Tupouata, 19-year-old Curtis Eddie Charles Freeman, and 21-year-old Tavita Lauti Fifita are now in the main Santa Clara County jail. The 16-year-old is in the county’s juvenile detention center. All four face charges related to the rash of crimes.
Police believe Freeman was the driver of the Kia and that the 16-year-old had an outstanding probation violation in Alameda County.
Philip said he hadn’t worked a case similar to this in years.
“This was unique last night,” Philip said, “[it] initially came out as an auto burglary.”
Palo Alto detectives said they found other items, possibly related to other crimes, inside the stolen Kia. Police officials want residents, and police departments, to come forward if they think there’s a connection to this case.
ByJesse Gary, Fox KTVU. Gary is a reporter based in the station’s South Bay bureau. Follow him on Twitter, @JesseKTVU and Instagram, @jessegontv
