Up to 3000 Pacific Island and Timor-Leste nationals will be able to register for Australia’s new Pacific Engagement Visa program from 3 June, the Australian government has announced.
It will use an online ballot to select participants, who can then apply for the visa to migrate to Australia as permanent residents.
Applicants must secure a formal ongoing job offer in Australia and meet health and character requirements before being granted a visa.
Countries participating in the first year of the programme include Federated States of Micronesia (50), Fiji (300), Nauru (100), Palau (50), Papua New Guinea (1350), Solomon Islands (150), Timor-Leste (300), Tonga (150), Tuvalu (100), Vanuatu (150), with discussions ongoing with other partners in the region.
“The Albanese government is delivering on our commitment to deepen our connections with the Pacific and Timor-Leste with the Pacific Engagement Visa,” Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong said.
Minister for International Development and the Pacific Pat Conroy said the programme “demonstrates the high value Australia places on its relationship with the Pacific and Timor-Leste”.
He said it would grow Pacific and Timor-Leste diasporas in Australia, “strengthening linkages between our people and encouraging greater cultural, business, economic and educational exchange with Pacific countries”.
Conroy added the program had “transformative potential”, making Australia’s world-class education and training system more accessible for new residents under the Pacific Engagement Visa.
“Through these impacts, and by boosting remittance flows to Pacific countries, the program will also support economic development and welfare in the Pacific.”
Minister for Immigration, Citizenship and Multicultural Affairs Andrew Giles said the new visa programme was an opportunity to address the under-representation of Pacific Island and Timorese nationals in Australia’s permanent migration programme.
Less than one percent of permanent migrants currently come from the region.
“The programme is in keeping with the Government’s Migration Strategy which identifies deepening Australia’s people-to-people links with the Indo-Pacific as one of eight key actions to reform the migration system,” he said.
The man died at Hawke’s Bay Hospital after 15 days on ventilation. Photo: RNZ / Tom Kitchin
Te Whatu Ora has been ordered to apologise and better train its staff after a man died from a severe brain injury due to incorrect intubation at Hawke’s Bay Hospital.
The hospital failed to provide an appropriate standard of service, Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner Dr Vanessa Caldwell found in her report released on Monday.
The man was in hospital after suffering two wounds to his back. Staff decided to run CT scans to check for internal injuries.
Because he was agitated, he was anaesthetised so emergency department staff could insert a breathing tube into his trachea – but it was incorrectly placed in his oesophagus instead.
The error was not picked up for 15 minutes, and during that time the man sustained a fatal brain injury.
After he was properly intubated, the man was placed in the intensive care unit for 15 days until his ventilation was removed and he died.
Several factors contributed to the man’s death, including included a lack of standardised equipment, better equipment not being made available, and staff members believing that certain equipment was not functioning properly, Caldwell said.
Staff could see there was an issue with the man’s blood oxygen level, but assumed the equipment they were using – a capnograph – was not working properly, because it had been broken in the past.
That was despite a trauma nurse testing the machine and demonstrating that it appeared to be working.
That information was not handed over, or not recognised by the senior staff, the report said.
Staff called for another capnograph to be brought in from another department, unaware that another piece of equipment they could have used was on the airway trolley they were using.
“I am critical that Te Whatu Ora did not ensure that there was suitable equipment for difficult airway management available in the ED [emergency department], and that there was a lack of standardised equipment across the hospital,” Caldwell said.
“I am also critical that the staff were not made aware of the equipment that was available, and that the staff were not reassured that the equipment was functional and being maintained adequately.”
Staff also did not follow the standard practice in emergency airway management, which was to remove a tube if there is any doubt intubation has been carried out properly, she said.
Te Whatu Ora should provide a written apology to the man’s whānau and regularly train emergency department and intensive care staff on “the standard practice in emergency airway management”, Caldwell wrote.
Te Whatu Ora accepted the recommendations.
It said since the man’s death, Te Whatu Ora Te Matau a Maui (Hawke’s Bay) had made several changes, including:
Purchasing new equipment
Forming an airway committee including anaesthetics, intensive care, emergency, and ear, nose and throat departments
Reviewing and standardising airway equipment between ED, ICU and the operating theatre
Establishing an equipment testing and checking regime
Developing difficult intubation and airways checklists
A Tongan man has been named as the senior baggage handler at Auckland Airport who had arranged for his criminal colleagues to import methamphetamine into Aotearoa during the Covid-19 lockdown.
A New Zealand Herald report this week has identified Sese Vimahi as the man who arranged to import 20kg of methamphetamine in a suitcase, with an estimated street value of $8 million.
“Syndicates members called Sese Vimahi the “Tongan Pablo” – in reference to infamous Columbian drug lord Pablo Escobar for his role in smuggling drugs into his country”, the Herald said.
Describing his role in the drug importation attempt, the Herald said: “A US supplier would pack meth inside luggage and have it in the bulk hold of the plane from Los Angeles. At this end, Vimahi would arrange for Air New Zealand bag handlers to find the bag and remove it without going through security.
“The rip on rip off tactics is common around the world and relies on organised crime syndicates having trusted in working at the boarder.
“Through this corrupt network, Vimahi was still able to facilitate the importation of methamphetamine on flights from Los Angeles to Auckland despite being on bail. He was arrested, for the second time, in November 2021 following a joint investigation between the National Organised Crime Group and Customs”.
The revelation comes after Stuff reported earlier this year that a baggage handler who was a key figure in trying to import methamphetamine into Aotearoa during the Covid-19 lockdown, has been jailed for 14 years.
The 47-year-old, who Stuff cannot name at the time, was arrested alongside Tongan musician Romney Fuki Fukofuka, also known as Konecs.
At trial, the evidence showed he was a key organiser, texting instructions to Fukofuka to put the drug-ladened suitcase on the baggage carousel.
He had also arranged for his criminal colleagues, also formerly baggage handlers, to get the suitcase off the baggage carousel and deliver it to him outside the airport where he was waiting. Some were promised $20,000 for a successful drop-off.
The other co-accused were George Aloha Taukolo, Daniel Ah Hong and Mark Castillo all previously pleaded guilty to conspiring to import methamphetamine and were each sentenced to 12 months of home detention at Manukau District Court.
Judge Richard McIlraith said the trio showed “genuine remorse” for the parts they played in the attempted importation.
An Auckland man deported from Australia as a 501 after serving prison time as a teenager for a murder-for-hire plot involving a victim with cerebral palsy is again wanted by police.
At one point during the hour-long April 2023 pursuit, Sifa Tevita, now 37, had 20 police vehicles following him.
He drove in the wrong direction down the Waikato Expressway when it was busy with school holiday traffic, nearly hit an ambulance, swerved at members of the public and kept going even after two flat tyres fell off the Porsche.
When police finally caught Tevita, he “refused to provide an explanation, choosing instead to urinate in front of them”, according to court documents recently released to the Herald.
Tevita pleaded guilty to burglary, reckless driving and failure to stop for police and had been set for sentencing this week in Auckland District Court, where he faced a sentence of up to 10 years’ imprisonment.
He was also scheduled to be sentenced for breaching the Returning Offenders Act, which allows Corrections to supervise the reintegration of those returning to NZ after criminal convictions overseas – placing on them parole-like restrictions.
Judge June Jelas instead ordered a warrant for his arrest after he failed to appear for the hearing, with defence lawyer Harvena Cherrington indicating to the judge she had not been able to reach her client.
He remains at-large.
‘Risk to the public’
According to court documents, the crime spree began in affluent Auckland suburb Parnell about 2am on April 16 last year when Tevita and co-defendant Ronald Neilson cased out a gated residence where the 2021 model Porsche 911 C4S and a $50,000 Land Rover Discovery were parked.
They returned at 4am and removed the keys for both vehicles from within the residence.
“The defendant Neilson has driven the Land Rover directly at the security gate, smashing it from its hinges before driving from the property,” states the agreed summary of facts for Tevita’s case.
“The defendant Tevita has followed in the Porsche.”
Neilson has also pleaded guilty but remains at-large after failing to show up for a sentencing last month.
Police spotted Tevita heading towards Hamilton that same day after he attempted to purchase fuel for the sports car at a Waihi petrol station about 7.30am.
He realised police were onto him when they attempted to spike the Porsche’s tyres. When that attempt to stop him didn’t work, police pulled directly behind him with red and blue lights flashing. Tevita sped away.
“The defendant has entered the Waikato Expressway the wrong way before driving south in the northbound lane,” court documents state.
“He proceeded to travel 7km down the wrong side of the Expressway during which time he swerved toward police units travelling northbound and narrowly avoided colliding with an ambulance.”
He then exited the motorway onto Te Rapa Road in Horotiu, driving at an estimated speed of 80km/h despite the two right tyres of the Porsche having completely deflated at that point.
“As the defendant drove south along Te Rapa Rd, he against swerved towards a police unit and regularly travelled on the incorrect side of the road, forcing members of the public to the side of the road,” the police narrative continued.
“At one stage the defendant accessed The Base shopping mall car park, forcing shoppers to take refuge inside the shops, such was the manner of driving.”
Auckland resdient Sifa Tevita is arrested in April 2023 after a police chase involving a stolen $249,000 Porsche that was driven on the wrong side of the Waikato Expressway. Photo / Ashlee Garrett
He then returned to Te Rapa Rd, continuing to drive on the wrong side in an effort to shake police, the summary of facts states.
He travelled an estimated 80km/h in a 50km/h zone while again swerving towards members of the public, police noted.
“At about this time the two deflated tyres fell off the vehicle, causing the defendant to drive on the rims,” authorities have noted, explaining that he continued to avoid arrest by swerving at police or driving around them on the grass verges before again entering the wrong side of the Waikato Expressway.
“Due to the defendant’s manner of driving and unpredictable behaviour police were required to stop both north and southbound lanes of traffic to reduce the risk to the public,” authorities said.
Tevita continued to drive another 12km, including “extended periods” where he remained on the grass verge, until encountering “a considerable police roadblock” at the Taupiri interchange.
Seeing the trap that lay ahead, Tevita reversed down the motorway then exited between a wire barrier and a roadside fence in an effort to get around the roadblock.
“The defendant managed to drive a further 500m before eventually sliding into a fence, becoming stuck and fleeing from police [on foot],” court documents state.
“When arrested in a nearby paddock the defendant refused to provide an explanation, choosing instead to urinate in front of them.”
‘Not even a panadol’
During a hearing in Hamilton District Court later the same week, Tevita was seen hobbling into the courtroom dock.
He was “not in a good physical state” as a result of the incident, his lawyer at the time, Roger Laybourn, told community magistrate Brenda Midson.
“He has a serious back problem and has advised me that he has not even been provided with a panadol and wants me to raise that [with you],” Tevita’s lawyer said.
“I would like it noted on the file that it does impact on my ability to get coherent instructions from him.
“If a person has a back injury you would think an X-ray would be the minimum until any rational medical decision can be made.”
The magistrate agreed to put a note on the file before remanding Tevita without plea.
The case was later transferred to Auckland District Court.
‘Cruel and merciless’
The Waikato Expressway chase wasn’t the first – or even, arguably, the most bizarre – crime that Tevita has been in the public eye for.
In 2005, at just age 18, he was handed a precedent-setting 18-year prison sentence in a Brisbane courtroom after pleading guilty to slashing the throat of a young man in a wheelchair and stabbing him three times in the back.
The judge stipulated he serve at least 80 per cent of the attempting to kill sentence before eligibility would set in for him to apply for parole.
Tevita was 17 years old at the time of the May 2004 attack, which he said he participated in because victim Michael Birch’s roommate – Benjamin Luke Janz, who also suffered from cerebral palsy – had promised him $500,000 to carry it out.
Birch was left for dead but survived the attack, according to court documents from Australia.
“Mr Birch heard someone running into his bedroom,” the Queensland Court of Appeal recounted while considering if Tevita’s sentence was manifestly excessive.
“A hand came across his face pulling his head back, and he felt his throat being cut. After that, the applicant came back and stabbed him.”
“Are you right to use this?” the victim’s roommate had asked Tevita a short time earlier after handing him a folding knife with a 10cm blade.
“Do it now,” he added.
Janz, who would later receive a 10-year sentence, was described as the more intelligent of the two co-defendants.
“It may be that because of his own disability Janz was unable to carry out the killing himself and so engaged the applicant to do it for him,” the Court of Appeal noted.
Because of his disability, the victim had been in a wheelchair his whole life and was unable to defend himself, the court also noted.
He called police but was unable to speak due to the neck wound. He then wheeled himself outside his flat – the bloody sight prompting neighbours to call for an ambulance.
“The result for Mr Birch has been tragic,” the Court of Appeal justices wrote.
“Despite his disability, he had previously been able to live an independent life. He was a disc jockey for … a broadcasting system that serves the Children’s Hospital. Remarkably, he was also learning to fly an aeroplane.
“Now he can do neither of these things. Because of injuries to his larynx, he is unable to speak above a whisper. He is at constant risk of choking and has to have his food cut up for him to eat.
“It is painful to cough; he is vulnerable to colds, flu and throat infections; and he suffers continuous back pain from the stabbing inflicted on him. He now requires a full-time carer and his mother has had to resume living with him to look after him.”
In determining if the sentence was manifestly excessive, the court noted that “there is obviously not much to be said in mitigation of the applicant’s terrible deed”, adding that it was “cruel and merciless and carried out for money”.
Youth was a factor to consider, but “it does not require much maturity to know not to commit such an awful offence, even though it is clear from the psychologist’s report that the applicant is lacking in ordinary intelligence and insight”, the Court of Appeal found. It dismissed the appeal.
Tevita and his co-defendant were also ordered in 2008 to pay $75,000 in compensation – the maximum allowable under Queensland law – to the victim, according to the Brisbane Times.
The court was told Tevita moved to Australia in 1999, around age 12.
He left school at age 17 and turned to theft to fuel his drug and alcohol addictions.
By the time of his Waikato arrest, he had been released on parole, deported to NZ and was living in Auckland suburb Wesley, where he worked as a scaffolder, according to the more recent arrest records.
Craig Kapitan is an Auckland-based journalist covering courts and justice. He joined the Herald in 2021 and has reported on courts since 2002 in three newsrooms in the US and New Zealand.
A fake tradie who fleeced customers off by more than $280k will be deported to Tonga after inflicting shoddy and incomplete work on vulnerable homeowners’ properties in Sydney and Wollongong.
Tevita Ungounga
Tevita Ungounga launched a charitable website where people who were interested can buy tickets, and the first prize is cash or a house built by him.
The unlicensed tradie did this online business marketing while spending time behind bars.
His sentence comes after he had faced 50 charges from fraud to illegal work, and was put behind bars for breaching his bail by doing more unlicensed and uninsured jobs.
Ungounga destroyed a man’s house and drained his life savings in one of the worst cases seen on A Current Affair has been exposed as a father who regularly attends church with his family.
Ungounga is well known to Fair Trading and New South Wales Police, but despite multiple public warnings and convictions, the 55-year-old from Moorebank has continued to work and left some homeowners in financial ruin.
One of his victims, Ian O’Connor from Illawong, gave Ungounga $235,000 to build a seawall and renovate his quaint home, Australia’s 9Now reported.
The 68-year-old was left with holes in his walls, unfinished rooms, and two years on still has no running water.
“He’s a pig, a disgusting pig,” Mr O’Connor said.
“He seemed quite nice, very friendly, but I guess you could say most conmen are.”
A dengue fever outbreak will be officially declared on Friday in Samoa.
More than 250 cases have been reported, with the majority on the mainland, northwest of Upolu, where most of the population lives.
The World Health Organisation describes denge fever as a viral infection that spreads from mosquitoes to people. Most people don’t get symptoms but for those who the most common were high fever, headache, body aches, nausea and rash.
Samoa’s Director General of Health Alec Ekeroma says a news conference will be held in Samoa at 4pm local time (3pm NZT).
Earlier he said: “No one has died from it, but the country needs to continue its protection measures, and we are planning a national campaign to clean up and destroy breeding sites for mosquitos.”
Samoa’s last dengue situation report dated March 18 – 24 showed 22 new lab-confirmed dengue cases recorded at the time, adding up to 40 cases in March.
The report noted the most affected age groups were those between 5-9 years old and those over 60.
Northwest of Upolu and Apia urban area regions are reported to be the most affected, but some cases have been reported from all regions including Savai’i.
Aiono said there were 20 different definitions of outbreak and they would decide which definition applied now.
If someone has symptoms of dengue-like illness, Aiono said they have to go to hospital so they can undergo blood tests to confirm if they do have dengue.
A public health alert on dengue fever has already been issued advising and encouraging clinicians to collect samples for testing for all patients presenting with dengue-like illnesses.
A Kawerau man is facing numerous charges after allegedly pointing a gun at police, evading arrest and holding people hostage in their own homes.
A 31-year-old Kawerau man has been arrested. Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller
The “dangerous and unpredictable incident” began when two police approached a “suspicious” vehicle on State Highway 30 in the eastern Bay of Plenty about 10pm on Wednesday.
The occupant fired a gun, then pointed it at the officers before driving off.
“An immediate police response allowed officers to set up cordons and locate the vehicle, preventing the suspect from leaving the area,” detective senior sergeant Paul Wilson said on Thursday.
The suspect stopped at a property on Hydro Road, just south of Edgecumbe, and held two people living there hostage, Wilson said.
He then entered another building where he allegedly assaulted and held a third person, in their 70s, hostage.
Police managed to rescue the first two hostages safely at about midnight.
Shortly after at 12.30am, the suspect gave himself up without incident.
One person was taken to hospital with minor injuries.
A sawn-off .22 rifle was recovered, Wilson said. Police will continue to examine the scenes.
A 31-year-old man has been charged with using a firearm against law enforcement, kidnapping, wounding with intent to injure, aggravated burglary, failing to stop, threatening to kill, unlawfully taking a motor vehicle and wilful damage.
He is expected to appear in the Whakatāne District Court on Thursday.
Hydro Road in eastern Bay of Plenty. Photo: Google Maps
“This was a dangerous and unpredictable incident,” Wilson said.
“Three victims have been through a distressing ordeal in their own home, a place where they should feel safe, and two police officers have faced a totally unacceptable threat while going about their duty.
“Police are ensuring the victims and the officers have the support they need.
“I’m proud of the actions of our police, who brought this volatile incident to a peaceful conclusion. Events like this are distressing for our communities; there will be an increased presence in the area and officers will be carrying reassurance patrols.”
Last night, the visiting delegation, made up of members of the United States Congress and the United Nations Foundation (UNF), departed Nuku’alofa, Tonga, following in-depth discussions with representatives from Government and civil society, as well as visits to schools, UN-supported projects, and the Vaiola Hospital.
While in Tonga, delegation met with Hon. Samiu Vaipulu, Acting Prime Minister of Tonga, as well as other Ministers and members of Government – Hon. Tiofilusi Tiueti, Minister for Finance, Hon. Siale Ákauóla, Minister for Health, Mr. ‘Isikeli Oko – CEO for Education and Training Mrs. Kilisitina Tuaimei’api – CEO for Finance, Dr. ‘Ana ‘Akau’ola – Acting CEO, Ministry of Health, Mr. Vatulele Tuputupu – A/CEO, MEIDECC, Miss ‘Olita Tupou – Acting Chief Secretary & Acting Secretary to Cabinet, PMO, Miss Ilaisipa ‘Alipate- Chief of Protocol, Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“We are grateful to the Acting Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers for receiving us so warmly today. This meeting provides an important opportunity for the Congressional delegation to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges facing Small Island Developing States like Tonga, and to explore collaborative solutions that the US – through partners such as UN – can bring to help address these pressing issues,” said UN Resident Coordinator to Tonga, Mr Dirk Wagener, who was also part of the delegation.
Tonga faces many developmental challenges, all of which are exacerbated by the climate change emergency, COVID-19 and increasingly frequent and intense disasters.
The interconnectivity of economic, health, development, nutrition, and climate challenges in Tonga, combined with its remoteness, all contribute to its classification as the world’s second most at-risk country in the world in terms of its exposure and susceptibility to natural hazards and the unfolding effects of climate change.
The UN-Tonga Country Implementation Plan (CIP) 2023 – 2025, endorsed by the Government of Tonga in May 2023, defines UN assistance to Tonga to achieve its Strategic Development Framework and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
With an annual budget for 2023 of USD$17m, the CIP focuses on four pillars – Planet, People, Prosperity and Peace – to contribute to a Pacific region where all people are equal and free to exercise their fundamental rights, enjoying gender equality and peace, resilient to the existential threats and living in harmony with the blue continent.
In total, there are 23 UN agencies working in Tonga, including non-resident agencies.
Melissa Lee has been booted from Cabinet and stripped of the Media portfolio, and Penny Simmonds has lost the Disability Issues portfolio in a Cabinet reshuffle.
Melissa Lee. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Climate Change Minister Simon Watts will take Lee’s spot in Cabinet.
Simmonds was a minister outside of Cabinet.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon announced the changes in a statement on Wednesday afternoon.
He said Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith – currently overseas – would take over the Media and Broadcasting role, while Social Development Minister Louise Upston would pick up Disability Issues.
Luxon said it had “become clear in recent months that there are significant challenges in the media sector. Similarly, we have discovered major financial issues with programmes run by the Ministry of Disabled People”.
“I have come to the view it is important to have senior Cabinet Ministers considering these issues.”
Viliami Tonga, who up until now had name suppression, pleaded guilty this morning to common assault – one week after co-defendant Paula Lavemai was sentenced in the same courtroom to one month’s home detention for the same August 2023 incident.
Although common assault is usually dealt with in the district court, both men appeared in the High Court at Auckland as four other co-defendants have been charged with a murder alleged to have happened shortly after the road rage attack.
Authorities say Tonga and Lavemai were heading to a Pt England reserve in East Auckland to aid Rebels members in a planned confrontation with members of rival motorcycle gang the Head Hunters.
Tonga and Lavemai are both members of the FITUS street gang which aligns with the Crips and the Rebels.
Patched Head Hunter Charles Pongi was shot during the melee inside the reserve and died later that day after driving himself to hospital.
All co-defendants charged with murder have pleaded not guilty and await trial next year.
The road rage incident was at an Ōtāhuhu intersection shortly after Tonga, Lavemai and others left the Rebels gang pad, according to court documents.
“The group accosted [the driver], demanding he get out of his vehicle, kicking door panels and [another co-defendant] smashed the front passenger window with an elbow strike,” according to the police summary of the incident agreed to by Lavemai.
As that was occurring, another vehicle in the convoy pulled up and joined in, occupants kicking the vehicle.
“Get out of the car or I will shoot you”, one person is alleged to have said while brandishing a pistol.
The gang members jumped back into their vehicles as the light changed and drove off, authorities allege.
The attacked driver followed the convoy, trying to memorise number plates, until a passenger of another vehicle in the convoy produced a long, single-barrelled firearm, court documents state.
“F*** off,” the person is alleged to have said as he showed the weapon. The motorist decided to follow the advice, driving home before calling police.
Police arrested Lavemai after finding his fingerprint on the victim’s car. CCTV in the area also filmed the attack, and Tonga was identified by his “distinctive clothing”, authorities alleged.
Although the motorist did not suffer any physical injuries, the psychological effect of the incident has been long-lasting, Justice Graham Lang noted during Lavemai’s sentencing hearing, suggesting his actions were at “the upper end” of what could be considered common assault.
Justice Lang set a sentencing date for next month.
The judge did not immediately enter a conviction, at the defendant’s request, after Tonga’s lawyer indicated they will be seeking a discharge without conviction.
Common assault carries a maximum sentence on one year in prison.
Craig Kapitan is an Auckland-based journalist covering courts and justice. He joined the Herald in 2021 and has reported on courts since 2002 in three newsrooms in the US and New Zealand.
