Auckland, NZ – Footage of a church minister apparently reprimanding two camera operators for not wearing taʻovala during a Tongan wedding ceremony in Auckland has sparked debate on social media, with viewers questioning why the minister and several other men appeared not to be wearing taʻovala themselves.
Two camera operators are seen filming inside the Auckland church as the minister (left) speaks with a male churchgoer, apparently seeking information about the operators (right foreground). The minister and several other men taking part in the wedding ceremony also appear not to be wearing taʻovala. Photo/Screenshot: Mai Niu Productions.
The incident occurred during the Mr & Mrs Fakapalea Wedding Ceremony in Auckland on Saturday, September 12. The wedding ceremony was livestreamed and shared on the Mai Niu Productions Facebook page.
In the footage, the cameraman and camerawoman, who appeared to be of Indian descent, seemed unaware that the minister was addressing them or apparently instructing them to leave or move from where they were filming.
Both were dressed in neat casual attire, including long trousers, but were not wearing taʻovala.
However, viewers quickly focused on what they regarded as an apparent contradiction.
The minister himself appeared not to be wearing a taʻovala at the time, while several men standing around him in a circular formation as part of the ceremony also appeared to be without the traditional Tongan waist mat.
The apparent contradiction became a point of discussion as footage from the livestream circulated on Facebook, dividing commenters over the incident.
Others debated whether different cultural or ceremonial rules may have applied to the minister and the men participating in the wedding ceremony, compared with a cameraman working inside the church.
The incident has prompted wider discussion about the application of Tongan dress and cultural protocols at church ceremonies, particularly whether such expectations should apply consistently to everyone present.
Critics argued that churches should focus on people’s spiritual wellbeing rather than material or cultural requirements such as taʻovala.
Others said that if wearing taʻovala was a requirement inside the church, there should have been a clear policy, with church members informing hired photographers and videographers beforehand about the expected dress code and where they were permitted to stand, walk or film inside the building.
Tongan mother Loleini Tonga and the tragic death of her former fiancé, NFL player Chris Henry, have returned to the spotlight as their son Chris Henry Jr begins his highly anticipated college football career with Ohio State.
Henry Jr arrived at Ohio State this season as a five-star wide receiver and one of the most highly rated young football prospects in the United States.
His emergence has renewed interest in the remarkable and painful family story behind his journey to one of America’s leading college football programmes.
His father, Chris Henry, played five seasons as a wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals before dying aged 26 in December 2009.
Henry suffered fatal head injuries after coming out of the back of a moving pickup truck driven by Tonga during a domestic dispute in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Police investigated the circumstances but filed no charges against Tonga, saying they found no evidence that she had been driving recklessly.
Tonga later said she had been driving slowly because she knew Henry was standing in the back of the vehicle and maintained that he jumped from the truck.
Henry and Tonga had two sons together, Chris Jr and DeMarcus, while Henry also helped raise Tonga’s daughter Seini.
Following Henry’s death, former NFL player and close family friend Adam “Pacman” Jones became an important father figure to the children and later helped Chris Jr pursue his football ambitions.
Those efforts have now culminated in Chris Jr joining Ohio State, following his father’s path as an elite wide receiver.
The family’s sporting connection with Ohio State extends further, with Seini also playing basketball for the university.
A vehicle accident has damaged a high-voltage power pole in Tongatapu, forcing Tonga Power Limited (TPL) to schedule an emergency electricity outage affecting parts of Pea and Haʻateiho today.
The overturned vehicle at the scene of the crash which Tonga Power Limited said damaged a high-voltage power pole, prompting an emergency power outage in parts of Pea and Haʻateiho. Photo / Supplied
TPL said electricity would be temporarily disconnected between 1pm and 3pm on Saturday, September 12, while crews carry out emergency repairs to the damaged high-voltage pole.
Photos shared by the company show the vehicle overturned on its roof, with all four wheels facing upwards and extensive visible damage, particularly to its front section.
Debris also appears to be scattered around the wreckage. Details surrounding the crash remain unclear, including how the vehicle left the road, how many people were inside and whether anyone was injured.
There were no immediate reports of injuries.
Customers in the affected areas have been advised to prepare for the two-hour interruption by charging mobile phones, power banks and other essential devices beforehand.
TPL also urged households to keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed during the outage and unplug sensitive electrical appliances.
People who depend on electricity for essential needs have been advised to make alternative arrangements before the shutdown begins.
The company also warned members of the public to stay clear of the repair site, where crews may be operating heavy equipment and working around live power lines.
TPL apologised for the disruption and said the temporary shutdown was necessary to allow the damaged infrastructure to be repaired safely.
The latest incident follows other recent vehicle crashes involving electricity poles in Tongatapu, which have disrupted power supplies and required emergency repair work.
Customers seeking further information can contact Tonga Power Limited on 944.
Commentary — When hijacked passenger aircraft struck New York’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, Tonga was thousands of kilometres away from the devastation.
But the consequences of 9/11 eventually reached the Kingdom’s own statute books.
Within little more than a year, Tonga had made terrorism a specific criminal offence, begun expanding its participation in international counter-terrorism treaties and committed itself to greater international cooperation against terrorism.
It was part of an extraordinary global security transformation triggered by attacks in the United States that killed nearly 3,000 people.
The UN response reached Tonga
Just 17 days after the attacks, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1373 on September 28, 2001.
The resolution imposed wide-ranging counter-terrorism obligations on UN member states, including requirements relating to terrorist financing, criminal law, international cooperation and bringing those involved in terrorism to justice.
Tonga was therefore required, like countries around the world, to examine whether its domestic laws were adequate for this new international security environment.
Its response provides an important example of how an event on the other side of the world could produce concrete legal changes in a small Pacific kingdom.
In a report submitted to the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee in December 2002, Tonga said it was “fully committed” to cooperating with the United Nations and other states in combating international terrorism.
More importantly, Tonga revealed that it had made a policy decision to deal with terrorist offences through its general criminal law.
Terrorism entered Tongan criminal law
The Criminal Offences (Amendment) Bill 2002 was introduced and passed by Tonga’s Legislative Assembly in October that year.
The amendment created terrorism as a specific offence under Tonga’s Criminal Offences Act.
It also defined what constituted an “act of terrorism” and “terrorist property” and provided additional penalties relating to such property.
This represented a significant development.
Before the global security response to 9/11, Tonga already had laws that could deal with various underlying crimes that might be associated with terrorism — including offences involving violence, weapons, money laundering, extradition and international criminal cooperation.
But terrorism itself was now being explicitly recognised within Tongan criminal law.
A terrorist attack in New York and Washington had therefore contributed to changing what constituted a specific criminal offence in Tonga.
Tonga joined the international response
The legal change was only one part of Tonga’s response.
Tonga told the United Nations that at the time it was already party to three of the 12 principal multilateral treaties associated with the international campaign against terrorism.
Then, on November 1, 2002, Tonga’s Privy Council approved the Kingdom becoming party to the remaining nine.
The Government subsequently began the formal process necessary to join them.
Tonga also said it had offered political support and, within the limitations of being a small island developing state, assistance through intelligence cooperation.
The response therefore extended beyond simply passing another law.
Tonga was becoming part of an increasingly interconnected international security system in which terrorism, terrorist financing, intelligence, border security and serious transnational crime could no longer be treated solely as domestic matters.
Existing laws became part of the security architecture
Tonga did not begin from nothing.
Its 2002 report identified a range of existing legislation relevant to meeting its new international obligations, including laws governing money laundering and proceeds of crime, extradition, mutual assistance in criminal matters, immigration, passports, arms and ammunition and shipping.
Government agencies also had roles in the new framework, including Police, Finance, the National Reserve Bank of Tonga and other authorities.
What changed after 9/11 was the context in which these different powers increasingly operated.
An immigration issue could also be a security issue. A suspicious financial transaction could potentially involve terrorist financing. Extradition and international criminal cooperation became parts of a much larger global counter-terrorism network.
For Tonga, as elsewhere, national security was becoming increasingly transnational.
The legal response continued
The 2002 amendment was not the end of Tonga’s development of counter-terrorism law.
In 2013, Tonga enacted the Counter Terrorism and Transnational Organised Crime Act, creating a much more comprehensive statutory framework dealing with terrorism alongside transnational organised crime.
The Act remains part of Tonga’s current legislation.
It would be too simplistic to say that every subsequent counter-terrorism measure Tonga adopted was caused solely by September 11.
International security threats continued to evolve, as did international legal standards and concerns about organised crime and terrorist financing.
But the historical chain immediately following 9/11 is unusually clear.
The attacks occurred on September 11, 2001.
The Security Council responded with Resolution 1373 on September 28.
Tonga subsequently reviewed its obligations, amended its criminal law in October 2002, approved participation in additional international counter-terrorism treaties the following month and reported those measures to the UN in December.
Megan Alatini, the former wife of Tongan-born former All Black Pita Alatini, says she and her wife Natalie McDade were threatened while trying to help a friend who had been knocked unconscious in an alleged unprovoked attack at a Grey Lynn pub.
A man was knocked unconscious by an alleged coward punch assault at a Grey Lynn venue over the weekend, with his friends threatened when they rushed to his aid and tried to intervene. Photo / Supplied
Alatini and McDade were socialising with friends on Saturday night after watching the Warriors defeat the Manly Sea Eagles when a group of three men and a woman entered the venue, a New Zealand Herald report says.
Alatini said one of the men suddenly approached an older male member of their group and struck him with a powerful punch, knocking him unconscious.
She said the attack happened so quickly the punch was difficult to see.
Alatini, McDade and others rushed to help the injured man, who remained unconscious for some time.
However, the confrontation allegedly continued, with McDade saying one of the men attempted to punch her while she was trying to assist the victim.
Alatini, a former member of New Zealand pop group TrueBliss who also appeared in the television series The Tribe, said she confronted the group over their behaviour.
Police confirmed they were investigating an alleged unprovoked assault at a Grey Lynn establishment.
Auckland Central area response manager Senior Sergeant Shaun Richardson said the victim was knocked unconscious and taken to hospital for treatment.
He has since been discharged and is recovering at home.
Police are working to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and identify those involved.
Anyone with information can contact Police through 105, quoting reference 260906/4778, or provide information anonymously through Crime Stoppers on 0800 555 111.
Megan was previously married to Pita Alatini, who was born in Tonga and represented the All Blacks in 17 tests between 1999 and 2001. Megan married Natalie McDade in March 2025.
Tongan and other Pacific overstayers could be given two years to apply to legalise their status in New Zealand under a special Pacific clemency proposed by New Zealand First, while people caught overstaying after the deadline could face deportation and a permanent ban on obtaining another New Zealand visa.
NZ First Leader Winston Peters
The contrasting measures are part of sweeping immigration reforms announced by NZ First on Friday, including automatic deportation for people convicted of certain offences, doubling the qualifying period for citizenship and imposing a 10-year welfare stand-down on visa holders.
Under the proposal, Pacific overstayers would receive a 24-month clemency period allowing them to apply to remain legally in New Zealand on a valid visa.
“In recognition of our commitment to our enduring Pacific relations, we will allow for a 24-month clemency period to facilitate any Pacific overstayer to apply to remain in the country legally on a valid visa,” NZ First said.
“This will apply only to overstayers of Pacific origin.”
The provision could be particularly significant for Tongans living in New Zealand, including families affected by insecure immigration status.
However, NZ First is proposing much harsher consequences once the clemency period expires.
It said any overstayer found after the 24-month period had ended would be deported and permanently ineligible to apply for any New Zealand visa in the future.
For non-Pacific overstayers, the party proposes a 24-month amnesty to leave New Zealand voluntarily without restrictions being placed on future applications to return.
Automatic deportation proposed
NZ First also wants to significantly broaden the grounds on which migrants can become liable for deportation.
The party said deportation liability would be extended to any offence for which imprisonment is an available sentence.
It also proposes automatic deportation for people found guilty of violent or sexual offences, fraud, participation in an organised criminal group, money laundering, aiding and abetting under the Immigration Act, or migrant exploitation.
The announcement does not specify what appeal, review or other legal processes would apply before an automatic deportation was carried out.
The policies therefore represent potentially major changes for migrant communities, including Tongans who are not New Zealand citizens.
Citizenship wait doubled
NZ First also proposes doubling the qualifying period for New Zealand citizenship from the current five years to a minimum of 10 years.
The qualifying period for permanent residence would increase from two years to five years, while application fees for both permanent residence and citizenship would rise.
The party said New Zealand needed to place greater value on citizenship and treat it as a privilege carrying distinctive rights and identity.
NZ First has already announced policies to restrict voting and NZ Superannuation to citizens.
It now also wants to change citizenship at birth so that only children of New Zealand citizens would automatically be entitled to citizenship when born in New Zealand.
10-year welfare stand-down
Another major proposal is a 10-year welfare stand-down for all visa holders.
Under the policy, non-citizens would be ineligible for Jobseeker Support, Accommodation Supplement and other benefits during their first 10 years in New Zealand.
NZ First also proposes giving New Zealand citizens priority for social housing.
These measures could have significant consequences for migrant families who have been granted visas or residence but have not yet obtained citizenship.
Resident visas could be capped at 20,000
NZ First also wants a referendum on whether New Zealand should introduce a legislated annual cap of 20,000 resident visas.
Immigration levels would be linked to the country’s infrastructure capacity, with major population growth permitted only where necessary infrastructure already existed or was fully funded and scheduled.
A proposed 30-year Population Plan would coordinate immigration, housing and infrastructure planning.
NZ First said New Zealand had relied for too long on immigration to generate headline economic growth and provide cheap labour, resulting in greater pressure on housing, infrastructure and public services and increased competition for entry-level jobs.
“New Zealand’s immigration system must serve New Zealand and New Zealanders,” the party said.
International students targeted
International students would also face tougher restrictions.
NZ First proposes removing automatic work rights for student visa holders. International students wanting to work while studying would instead have to apply separately and meet stricter conditions designed to ensure jobs were not being taken from New Zealanders seeking employment.
Students intending to move from a student visa to another visa category would also have to leave New Zealand and apply from overseas.
The party says that if it becomes part of the next coalition government, it wants an NZ First MP to hold the Immigration portfolio to oversee the proposed reforms.
The proposals announced on September 11 are NZ First campaign policies, not current New Zealand immigration law. Their implementation would depend on the election outcome, subsequent government arrangements and the legislative changes required to put them into effect.
For New Zealand’s Tongan and wider Pacific communities, one of the most consequential elements is the two-year Pacific clemency: it could provide some overstayers with an opportunity to legalise their status, but those who remain unlawfully after the deadline could ultimately face deportation and permanent exclusion from New Zealand.
Auckland’s entire train network is being redrawn on Sunday when the $5.5 billion City Rail Link, or CRL, opens to passengers for the first time. Here’s what to know about opening day and beyond.
A train at Karanga-a-Hape station. (Source: 1News)
There will be a special timetable running on September 13 with extra trains on top of the normal Sunday service, including additional runs early in the morning.
The very first train to arrive at a new CRL station will be a South-City line service at Karanga-A-Hape station at 5.22am, departing Ōtāhuhu at 4.57am. Other early services are also running on the South-City and East-West lines around 5am.
Until 3pm, there’ll be extra trains running across all lines, but there are also usual services running at least every 15 minutes from all suburban stations as per a normal weekend.
Auckland’s new Karanga-a-Hape Station has been brought to life by performers from the community above it, ahead of the City Rail Link opening next month.
Demand for trains throughout the day is expected to be high.
“We know many people will be keen to be on one of the first services, and we encourage people to start their first journey from their local station,” said Auckland Transport (AT) chief executive Stacey van der Putten.
“Trains from right across the network will be travelling through the CRL from early that morning, so there will be plenty of opportunities to be part of this historic day.”
Until now, every train into central Auckland has terminated at Britomart, an end-of-the-line downtown station that capped how many services the network could run.
From Sunday, Britomart becomes a through-station, renamed Waitematā, and trains carry on beneath the city and out the other side.
It’s worth noting that the CRL is not a separate new railway.
The underground link is a 3.5km tunnel under the CBD that joins the suburban train lines already running through Auckland’s existing stations.
If an Aucklander lives near a suburban train station, the same trains that stop there now will travel through the new tunnel — except for the Onehunga line.
No booking or online ticket is required, and there is no assigned service to reserve.
Passengers go to their nearest train station, “tag on” at a ticket reader, check the platform screen for the next train heading their way, and board. Timetables for exact departure times are available on the AT Mobile or Google Maps apps.
Most train stations do not have a parking lot, and AT advises people to take connecting bus services to get to a station.
Leaked announcement, flubbed lines, as officials finally schedule the long-awaited rail network’s first services.
These connecting buses are usually included in your ride cost depending on where a person starts a trip.
How do I pay for my trip?
To pay, most people tap an AT HOP prepaid card on the reader at the platform when they board and tap it again when they get off.
Paywave cards and phone payments using Apple or Google Pay are also accepted on the same readers.
Children under 13 travel free and SuperGold card holders ride free outside peak hours. However, both groups need to use pre-registered HOP cards.
Cash tickets can be bought from machines on train station platforms, but these can cost significantly more than using Paywave or a HOP card.
What else do I need to know about trains?
Trains are accessible for prams, and the new city centre stations have both escalators and elevators. Bikes and scooters are also allowed on board services.
Trains run every 15 minutes on suburban lines until 8pm on Sundays and every half-hour after that. Full timetables are available on the AT website.
Stations across Auckland are expected to be staffed on opening day, and there are customer facilities available at the new underground stations.
Will the trains actually run on time?
The network opens on a reduced “transitional” timetable, after congestion at rail junctions during testing in January forced officials to rework their original day-one plans.
Most suburban stations will keep six trains an hour at peak, rather than the eight tested earlier in the year, with gaps between services stretching to as long as 15 minutes.
Beneath the city centre, where the lines combine, a train will run through the tunnel around every four minutes at peak.
AT has committed to building up to a full timetable “within six months” of opening.
Train commuters are being forced onto replacement buses during the testing.
KiwiRail has said the new tunnel is in strong enough shape that no major maintenance closures are expected for at least three years, a welcome promise after several years of weekend shutdowns and bus replacements for Auckland commuters.
What to know about the CRL project
The CRL is the largest infrastructure project in New Zealand’s history, and its two new stations – Te Waihorotiu in midtown near the Sky Tower and Karanga-a-Hape off Karangahape Rd – are the country’s first major underground railway stations.
Construction on the project began with early preparatory works in 2016, with major works on the tunnels and new stations beginning in 2019.
CRL Ltd chairperson John Bridgman defended the project’s record at Parliament’s transport select committee in May, describing it as “the biggest transport transformation in Auckland since the Harbour Bridge.”
“Everyone says this project is late. Yes, we’re not up to the projected timelines, but we’re only six months late in a nine-year project,” Bridgman said.
The build had been due to finish in 2024 before delays attributed to Covid-19 pushed it back two years, and the budget grew from about $2.9 billion when early works began to $4.4 billion in 2019 and then $5.5 billion.
Officials said earlier this year they did not expect further cost increases.
Thousands of Tongan Americans could potentially benefit from an extraordinary election pledge by President Donald Trump to pay US$5,000 to every American adult if Republicans retain control of both chambers of Congress in November.
Trump announced the proposed payment, which he called the “Trump Dividend”, during the opening night of the Republican midterm convention in Dallas on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.
The proposal would potentially apply to adult U.S. citizens of Tongan heritage alongside millions of other Americans if it were approved and implemented.
The United States has a substantial Tongan population, particularly in California, Utah and Hawaiʻi. Pew Research Center estimates that about 84,600 people identifying as Tongan lived in the United States in 2024.
Salt Lake County, Utah, has one of the country’s largest concentrations of Tongans, with U.S. Census data previously identifying more than 12,800 people of Tongan identity there.
Trump told supporters that if Republicans won, Americans would receive US$5,000 under the proposed dividend.
However, there are major questions over whether the pledge can actually be implemented.
AP reported that paying US$5,000 to every American adult would likely cost more than US$1 trillion and require approval from Congress.
Trump did not provide detailed information during his announcement about exactly how the programme would be funded.
Vice President JD Vance later suggested wealthy Americans might not receive the payment, potentially narrowing the number of people eligible.
The announcement came as Republicans face a difficult battle to retain their congressional majorities in November’s midterm elections.
Trump used his lengthy convention speech to urge Republican supporters to vote as though he himself were on the ballot, while attacking Democrats and defending his administration’s continuing war against Iran.
The proposed payment would be considerably larger than the direct stimulus payments many Americans received during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For Tongan-American families, however, the announcement remains only a campaign pledge at this stage. No US$5,000 payment has been approved by Congress, and eligibility requirements have not been established.
It also remains unclear whether lawful permanent residents and other non-citizen residents would qualify, meaning Tongans living in the United States should not assume they would be eligible simply because they are U.S. residents.
Tonga rugby league pioneers and former internationals are preparing to celebrate 40 years of Mate Ma‘a Tonga with a special All-Star match in Auckland, but the current national team is not expected to take part amid the continuing dispute over the famous team name.
ABC Pacific reported that the celebration is being organised ahead of the Rugby League World Cup in October and will reunite a number of players involved in the early years of Tonga’s national rugby league team.
The former players are also expected to receive heritage numbers formally recognising their place in the history of the national side.
However, the current Tonga team is not involved in the planned celebration.
According to ABC Pacific, Tonga rugby league pioneer and main event organiser Willie Wolfgramm said Prime Minister Lord Fakafānua, who is in charge of the national side, had not responded to an invitation concerning the event.
The apparent lack of response also comes as the long-running dispute over the rights to the Mate Ma‘a Tonga name remains unresolved.
As a result, Tonga’s current international rugby league team remains unable to display the Mate Ma‘a Tonga name on its badge.
The dispute dates back several years and involves control of the name following major divisions within Tonga rugby league administration.
ABC previously reported that Tonga National Rugby League (TNRL) retained the rights to the Mate Ma‘a Tonga name despite being expelled by the International Rugby League.
In November 2024, TNRL chairman George Koloamatangi told ABC Pacific his organisation was willing to negotiate with the group managing Tonga’s international teams over restoring the name to the national jerseys. He said he was even prepared to seek the intervention of King Tupou VI if the dispute could not be resolved.
Wolfgramm was also involved in that campaign, arguing for the restoration of the name bestowed on the national team by the King in 1986.
The latest impasse means that, four decades after Mate Ma‘a Tonga first took to the field, many of its pioneering players are preparing to celebrate that history while the present national side remains separated from the name under which its predecessors became internationally recognised.
The 40th anniversary celebration and All-Star match are planned for Auckland ahead of Tonga’s Rugby League World Cup campaign in October.
A man who fatally stabbed Tongan man Ivan Jordan Fifita during a confrontation at an Ōtāhuhu boarding house has been sentenced to four years and 10 months in prison.
Fifita, 33, died after he was stabbed once during a confrontation with Uepa Tumaialu, 32, at Beatty Lodge on 29 June 2025.
The High Court at Auckland heard CCTV footage initially showed the two men sitting together on the lodge deck, talking, smoking and eating before the situation suddenly turned violent.
Fifita threw the first punch shortly after 8.20pm, according to the summary of facts, but Tumaialu blocked it and threw him to the ground.
The confrontation then moved outside the CCTV camera’s view, where Fifita was stabbed.
Footage later showed Fifita bleeding as the confrontation continued, which lasted just over a minute.
A post-mortem examination found the single stab wound penetrated his liver and continued through muscle tissue to his heart.
Another lodge resident called emergency services after seeing Fifita clutching his stomach with blood on his hands and coming from his mouth.
Tumaialu left shortly after the 111 call and discarded the bloodied knife in a nearby driveway. He was arrested the following day after attending the Ōtāhuhu Probation Office.
Fifita’s family told the court his killing had caused profound and continuing grief, including sleepless nights, tears and emotional breakdowns.
Justice Pheroze Jagose sentenced Tumaialu to four years and 10 months’ imprisonment and imposed no minimum period, leaving his eventual release to the Parole Board.
Tumaialu was also given his first strike under the Three Strikes law.
