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Ardern announces RSE workers allowed one-way quarantine-free travel

By
Kaniva Staff
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By RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission

Seasonal workers from Tonga, Samoa and Vanuatu will be allowed into the country without having to go into managed isolation from September, the government says.

In a post-Cabinet media briefing this afternoon, Ardern announced Cabinet had made the decision to allow Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) workers from those countries to travel one way, without using MIQ.

You can watch the media briefing here:

The countries this would apply to reflected the fact all three nations had experienced very few cases of Covid-19, she said. Tonga had seen zero Covid-91 cases, Samoa just one, and Vanuatu had four – all those cases having been at the border with no community transmission.

“We know our agricultural sector is experiencing challenges,” she said. “We’ve heard the call from Primary sectors and others to bring in additional workers in a safe way and we think that is now possible.

“We’ll be working through some of the detail including repatriation … so that we don’t risk stranded workers.”

The government is also looking at additional health precautions for the workers.

She said 150 workers were being brought in every 16 days but this would open up for significantly more.

The government did not know the exact number of additional RSE workers expected to come in, but Ardern there were about 7000 in New Zealand right now and the norm was about 10,000. One of the constraints is the one-way nature of the restriction-free travel, she added.

“Travellers would still undergo quarantine on return to their home country, as has been their home country’s policy.”

Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi told the media gathering he had been speaking to the industry, and businesses were keen to work with the government on ensuring there are enough workers to meet the demands of the horticulture sector.

The government in May announced an expansion of Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) and other seasonal workers into New Zealand, and in June announced an automatic six-month extension to Working Holiday and Supplementary Seasonal Employment visas, and expanded its categories to all industries.

However, industries have remained concerned at what they said was a continued lack of staff, with the hospitality industry in particular frustrated over visa settings, exacerbated by the resumption of restrictions for travel from Australia.

Unions have claimed the hospitality shortage is due to low wages or lack of a viable careers in the industry rather than lack of labour.

In April, a report found the RSE scheme was not a benefit to the wider economy.

The prime minister said she would reveal further changes to the border over the next six months, starting with a forum to share advice to the government from the advisory group led by Sir David Skegg.

Cabinet may allow medical travel to NZ under some circumstances

Ardern said Cabinet would be willing to consider allowing people in who may have critical medical conditions from one of the countries where quarantine-free RSE workers will be allowed to travel from, but wanted to get the system up-and-running first.

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins said such people would need to be in a dire medical situation to allow for that.

Hipkins says he was also checking on whether the settings were right for people in New Zealand now who need to travel overseas for treatment.

He also said the government did have systems in place to review individual cases and urged people to make use of those.

Ardern said there was however a lot of demand right now for MIQ. “There are peak points where, for instance, in April and May we had capacity. The minister at that time urged New Zealanders to come home…”

She said the minister was looking at settings changes to make the system fairer, including the voucher system.

Hipkins said the increase in demand for MIQ had changed quickly, going from thousands of vouchers available to next to none within the space of a few days. He said the government was considering issues of fairness to make sure everyone was getting a fair opportunity to get back to New Zealand.

There had been opportunity for New Zealanders to come back, but the reality in a global pandemic was travel was going to be difficult and expensive and “people should grab whatever opportunities they can get”, he added.

He said it was challenging to match timings of room availability with flight availability, calling it a “huge logistical undertaking”.

Possible extension for residence applicants

Cabinet is also seeking advice on whether to allow people waiting for residence visas to stay in New Zealand longer.

Ardern said she wanted New Zealanders to come home if they desired to, but she wanted them to come back to a safe New Zealand and the border management had been part of what has kept the country safe.

Vaccine update

Ardern said she would from today provide an update on vaccinations each week.

She said more than a quarter of a million New Zealanders had been vaccinated last week, after the success of the mass vaccination event in Auckland, and rejected claims there was a syringe shortage.

“We will likely see more mass vaccination events like this over the coming months,” she said.

  • 253,163 – The number of people who got vaccines last week
  • 15,881 – Mass vaccination event inoculations over three days
  • 345,734 – Number of vaccination bookings made last week:
  • Less than 1 minute – Average time for people spent waiting on the new 0800 number

Last week some 76 sites were brought on to provide vaccinations, including on Rakiura/Stewart Island, which was open to all the residents there, Ardern said.

The Prime Minister also commented on the Human Rights Commission’s inquiry into housing. The Commission stated successive governments had failed to live up to the promise of creating the conditions to enable everyone to live in a decent home.

Ardern said the commission was an independent body and had the prerogative to look into whatever they considered necessary, but that it had acknowledged the work the government had carried out to provide for address the country’s housing need.

Ardern gives formal apology on behalf of government for Dawn Raids

By
Kaniva Staff
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By RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern today gave a formal and unreserved apology on behalf of the government for the Dawn Raids which she said left Pacific communities feeling “targeted and terrorised”.

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Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi / Anric Sitanilei

Ardern delivered the speech as part of a three and a half hour ceremony in front of more than 1000 people at the Auckland Town Hall.

She said the raids to find, convict and deport overstayers often took place late at night or early in the morning and were said to involve harsh verbal and physical treatment.

“Today I offer, on behalf of the government, a formal and unreserved apology to Pacific communities for the discriminatory implementation of immigration laws that led to the Dawn Raids,” Ardern said.

“Residents in those homes were woken abruptly, physically removed from their beds and forced into police vans to be taken for questioning.

“Some were hauled to the police station to appear in court the next day barefoot, in pyjamas or in clothes loaned to them in the holding cells; others were wrongfully detained.”

Ardern said the raids went well beyond upholding immigration laws and “whole communities felt targeted and terrorised”.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern makes the government's formal apology for the Dawn Raids
Jacinda Ardern said 50 years after the Dawn Raids the wounds are still deep. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi

Protests from the youth group the Polynesian Panthers, coupled with the increasingly negative public reaction led to the end of the Dawn Raids in 1976, Ardern said.

She said following an inquiry in 1986 it was found that although Pacific people only represented about a third of overstayers, they represented 86 percent of prosecutions.

“The government expresses its sorrow, remorse, and regret that the Dawn Raids and random police checks occurred and that these actions were ever considered appropriate,” Ardern said.

“Our government conveys to the future generations of Aotearoa that the past actions of the Crown were wrong, and that the treatment of your ancestors was wrong. We convey to you our deepest and sincerest apology.”

She said nearly 50 years after the Dawn Raids the wounds are still deep and the government recognises that no gestures can mend this hurt.

Ardern said the government will provide $2.1 million in education scholarships and fellowships to Pacific communities in New Zealand.

She also announced $1m in Manaaki New Zealand Short Term Training Scholarships for young leaders from Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and Fiji.

Ardern acknowledged all those who were directly affected by the Dawn Raids and those who continue to suffer as a result of them.

“It is my sincere hope that this apology will go some way in helping the Pacific youth of today know, with certainty, that they have every right to hold their head up high, and feel confident and proud of their Pacific heritage, and in particular the sacrifices their parents and grandparents have made for Aotearoa New Zealand,” she said.

Pacific community response

Her Royal Highness Princess Mele Siu’ilikutapu Kalaniuvalu Fotofili spoke on behalf of the Tongan community.

She said she vividly recalled the Dawn Raids and the injustice of the treatment applied specifically to her community.

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Her Royal Highness Princess Mele Siu’ilikutapu Kalaniuvalu Fotofili spoke on behalf of the Tongan community. Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi

She expressed gratitude to Jacinda Ardern and her government for making the right decision to apologise and to right “the extreme inhumane and unjust treatment of the Dawn Raids era”.

She said an apology was a move in the right direction.

Princess Mele Siu’ilikutapu Kalaniuvalu Fotofili said she accepted the government’s gifts which she described as “very significant indeed” saying it signalled the government’s desire to mend the rift.

Reverend Alex Toleafoa of the Polynesian Panthers speaking at the the government's official apology for the Dawn Raids.
Reverend Alex Toleafoa of the Polynesian Panthers. Photo: RNZ / Anric Sitanilei

A member of the Polynesian Panthers Reverend Alex Toleafoa said they came today in peace.

He said many of the Polynesian Panthers were only 16 or 17 years old when they were standing against racism.

“Fifty years on we still continue that legacy which has led us to this time and this place.”

Reverend Alex Toleafoa said they have gone into schools to help teachers and educators understand the Dawn Raids.

“A frequent response we have from students is disbelief that anything like the Dawn Raids could actually happen.”

He said there is a need for more knowledge about this part of Pacific people’s history.

He said a new dawn is today spreading across the nation.

A representative for the Samoan community and community leader, Toesulu Brown, said the Dawn Raids are part of New Zealand history but do not define us as a community today.

She said the future of our children can be navigated through the acknowledgement of our past history.

“Today’s event can represent a new dawn, one that is full of promise for reconciliation in a genuine coming together.”

Brown thanked Jacinda Ardern and her government for today’s historic apology.

Other responses included a spoken word piece from spoken word artist Marina Alefosio, the band Tone6 and the Free Church of Tonga choir and brass band.

Tongan princess in tears as she accepts formal dawn raids apology

By
Kaniva Staff
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By One News / TVNZ and is republished with permission

The princess of Tonga shed tears as she formally accepted Jacinda Ardern’s apology on behalf of the Government that oversaw the dawn raids of the 1970s.

Princess Mele Siu’ilikutapu. Photo/Sreenshot

The practice saw immigration officials target the homes of Pacific Islands people in the early hours of the morning, beginning in the 1970s, in a crackdown on alleged “overstaying” on their visas.

Princess Mele Siu’ilikutapu Kalaniuvalu Fotofili began her acceptance speech by mixing the tears with laughter.

“This is a typical Polynesian, crying, we are so emotional, I tell you, I’m sorry, it goes with the make-up,” she said.

She then went on to thank Jacinda Ardern.

“I am very grateful for your Government for making the right decision to apologise to right the extreme, inhumane, racist and unjust treatment specifically against my community in the dawn raids era,” Princess Mele Siu’ilikutapu told Ardern at the Auckland Town Hall this evening.

“Let me assure you that we have accepted the fact that some of our people at the time were on the wrong side of the law – yes,” she said, looking at giggles from the crowd.

“This should not have warranted the unleashing of police dogs on our people, the raids of our houses in the early hours of the morning and many other extreme measures put in place at the time.”

Ardern was visibly emotional as she listened to the Tongan royal speak while Social Development Minister Carmel Sepuloni, who is of Tongan descent, wiped tears from her eyes.

The princess thanked Ardern for the gifts announced to the community today as a token of the Government’s formal apology. The gifts include: $2.1 million in academic and vocational scholarships to be made available for Pacific communities; $1 million in Manaaki New Zealand Short Term Scholarship Training Courses for delegates from Samoa, Tonga, Fiji and Tuvalu; and resources made available to schools and kura who choose to teach the history of the dawn raids.

The Ministry for Culture and Heritage and Ministry for Pacific Peoples will also provide support to enable Pacific artists and/or historians to work with communities to help develop a comprehensive historical record of the dawn raids period.

“Right Honourable Jacinda Ardern, the apology is a move in the right direction – in the right direction of the healing process. I acknowledge with deep gratitude the gifts that you are presenting to us this evening,” Princess Mele said.

“I am sure my community is also grateful for the gifts as an exchange of good gestures; as a beginning of a caring, closer and better relationships between your Government and future leaders and our Pacific peoples.”

“However – love you, Jacinda – the vā could be better and complete should the Government promptly respond to the immigration-related needs of the community.”

Live updates: Government making apology over Dawn Raids

By
Kaniva Staff
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By RNZ.co.nz

Representatives from many Pacific nations are gathering today to listen to the government’s apology for the Dawn Raids of the 1970s.

Watch the ceremony, due to start at 3pm, live here:

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will deliver the apology for the raids which occurred under both Labour and National governments.

The Dawn Raids resulted in the deportation and prosecution of many Pacific Islanders, even those who remotely looked Pasifika, despite many overstayers at the time being British or American. Both political parties have accepted that the raids were racist.

While hundreds are inside the town hall to hear the remarks, the overflow will be accommodated in nearby Aotea Square.

Week in Politics: Return of Suhayra Aden stirs up debate

By
Kaniva Staff
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By Peter Wilson. This story appeared on RNZ.co.nz. RNZ stories are republished by Kaniva News through partnership agreement.

Analysis – Harsh words from National’s Judith Collins as the government announces Suhayra Aden can return to New Zealand, another big vaccine delivery clears the way for the programme to ramp up but will public response become a problem?

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Judith Collins has described New Zealand’s decision to take in Suhayra Aden as “disappointing”. Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

The government announced on Monday that Suhayra Aden and her two young children would be repatriated to New Zealand, setting off a debate about what would happen after the woman who left Australia to follow Islamic State arrived here.

Aden is 26, she was born in Auckland and left with her family for Australia when she was six.

She was a dual New Zealand/Australian citizen and went to Syria in 2014 on her Australian passport – according to Stuff she was then aged 19 – to follow Islamic State.

In February this year she attempted to enter Turkey illegally with her two children, and was arrested. Turkish authorities described her as a terrorist but did not lay charges.

From that point Aden became New Zealand’s problem. Turkey didn’t want her and Australia had withdrawn her citizenship. The New Zealand government didn’t have a choice, making a person stateless is prohibited under international law.

When the announcement was made that she would be allowed to come to New Zealand, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern gave an assurance there was a “safety plan” in place to help her and her children integrate.

Police and other government agencies had been preparing for months, Ardern said.

When Aden arrives, and she may have already done so, the 2019 Terrorism Suppression (Control Orders) Act can be invoked. It allows close monitoring and restrictions on movement, associations, and access to the internet.

For the details, read RNZ’s Terrorism suppression control orders: What you need to know.

For legal and privacy reasons, little will be revealed about Aden when she is in New Zealand. The privacy of the children will be protected.

Opposition leader Judith Collins described the decision to take Aden in as “disappointing”, saying on Newshub’s AM Show that she was a bad mother and part of a “death cult”.

“We got done over by the Australians and it’s not like she had anything to do with us other than she happened to be born here,” Collins said.

“This woman chose to marry three times to IS fighters… I just think we are going to rue the day that we have taken her in. I’m saying it very clearly – this person is not someone we want in New Zealand.”

National’s foreign affairs spokesman, Gerry Brownlee, would not say on Morning Report whether he supported the government’s decision, although deputy leader Shane Reti had previously told First Up it had been the right one.

“The question is should we have had legislation similar to Australia that says if you leave the country to join a terrorist organisation, you effectively abandon your citizenship? I think the fact we don’t has got us into this situation,” he said.

Senior minister Andrew Little said Australia passed their law in 2016. “It’s not something that the (New Zealand) government then thought they should also do, and this government doesn’t think it should either,” he said.

Little said he thought it would potentially set up “a very ugly, brutal race between countries to strip citizenship of people they just don’t want”.

Brownlee also questioned why the government was not revealing details of the arrangements put around Aden.

Intelligence analyst Paul Buchanan said that was unreasonable and Brownlee was ignoring the risk to Aden’s safety.

“We have to be very clear here: No Muslim has ever committed an act of politically-motivated violence in this country, before 9/11 or after 9/11,” he said.

Right-wing extremists had not only committed the Christchurch atrocity but had a history of low-level attacks against people for racist and xenophobic reasons.

“So if there is a threat in this equation, it is the threat to her and her family.”

The announcement caused the controversy over the stripping of Aden’s Australian citizenship to resurface. The New Zealand government was blindsided and when it became known Ardern was angry.

RNZ’s political editor Jane Patterson said in her Power Play the government’s hands were tied. “Australia dumped its responsibility squarely in New Zealand’s lap, bullishly and unapologetically,” she said.

“The angry response and pleas for co-operation from Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern went unheeded. The promise from her Australian counterpart Scott Morrison that it won’t happen again is a hollow offering.”

The Herald’s political editor Claire Trevett said Morrison ambushed Ardern.

“In short, he played her for a sucker.”

Trevett said Morrison would be unrepentant about the decision to leave Aden to New Zealand “despite his show of cushioning it with almost meaningless reassurances about the future”.

Aden isn’t the only young Muslim woman to leave home and follow Islamic State, entranced by prospects of joining brave fighters in Syria. Others from Western countries have done so and their experiences have been reported. What they discovered was very far from what they expected, and Aden isn’t likely to have been any different.

It’s very unlikely any charges will be laid against her. Buchanan pointed out that she had committed no crime in New Zealand. “She left… to go to the battlefields of the Middle East as a concubine, a camp follower, not as a fighter so she has committed no crimes as far as anyone knows, in Syria or in Turkey.”

The government had some positive news to announce on Wednesday when it said the first segment of the 2 million people in group 4 were now able to book for their vaccinations.

It is beginning with those aged 60-64, about 160,000 people.

The announcement also said another 350,000 doses arrived on Tuesday.

To date, 1.7m first doses had been administered and 699,479 people had received their second dose.

About 1.5m doses are expected in August, and so far the arrival schedules have been reliable.

What that means is that supply is no longer a constraint. The government can’t say delays are outside its control. Now it’s local organisation and the ability to get the vaccine into people’s arms that’s going to be tested.

Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield has previously said other countries have found that vaccinating about 60 percent of their populations went fairly smoothly but then hit a plateau. He thought New Zealand could do better than that, but recent events have shown it’s not a sure thing.

The first attempt at mass vaccinations starts in Manukau today and will continue over the weekend. The aim is to vaccinate more than 15,000 people over three days, and getting them there wasn’t easy. It could be a sign of things to come.

The first 15,000 booking offers received only 3000 responses and health officials had to scramble to get the rest. Invitations were widened to 82,000 and they still didn’t get enough bookings. They eventually sent out 140,000 invitations before they reached the number they needed.

It is a trial, and it was aimed at Māori and Pacific people. DHBs are trying to figure out why the initial response was so poor.

South Auckland GP Dr Api Talemaitoga said it was a great initiative but lacked Māori and Pasifika input. He thought the event was seen as boring.

Community leader Efeso Collins said the communication plan had been “an absolute disaster”.

Whether the struggle to get group 4 people into clinics will extend to the general population remains to be seen. The government will be hoping it doesn’t.

Other countries striving to get people vaccinated have resorted to offering prizes, rewarding people who turn up.

US President Joe Biden has launched a campaign, telling the country “this is a pandemic of the unvaccinated”.

It seems bizarre that a significant section of the population needs to be encouraged to be vaccinated against a deadly virus, but it is happening elsewhere. Some people refuse to be vaccinated, others are hesitant, and some simply can’t be bothered.

New Zealand might not turn out to be all that different.

*Peter Wilson is a life member of Parliament’s press gallery, 22 years as NZPA’s political editor and seven as parliamentary bureau chief for NZ Newswire

FAKAMATALA FAKATONGA

Ko e fefine ne kau ‘i he kulupu tautoitoi Islamic State ‘oku ‘amanaki ke tū’uta ‘i Nu’u Sila ni’ ko Suhayra Aden ta’u 26. Na’e fanau’i ia ‘i ‘Aokalani ki mu’a pea nau hiki ki ‘Aositelēlia mo hono fāmili’ ‘i hono ta’u ono’. Na’a’ ne ma’u ai ‘a e paasipooti ‘e ua ‘a ia ko e ‘Aositelēlia mo Nu’u Sila. ‘I he 2014 ne folau ia ki Sīlia ‘aki ‘ene paasipooti ‘Aositelēlia’ ‘i hono ta’u 19 ke kau ki he kau tautoitoi ‘o e  pule’anga faka’Isilami ko ‘eni’. ‘I Fepueli ‘o e ta’u ni’ ne feinga ai ke ne hū hake ta’efakalao ki Toake mo ‘ene fānau ‘e ua ka ne puke ia ai ‘e he kau ma’umafai Toake’ ‘o taku ko e tokotaha telolisi ia ka ne ‘ikai ke nau faka’ilo ia. Kuo ‘ikai tali ia ‘e Toake, pea kuo ‘osi fakata’e’aonga’i ‘e ‘Aositelēlia ia ‘ene paasipooti ‘ia kinautolu’. ‘Oku ‘ikai leva ha toe fili ‘a Nu’u Sila’ ka ko e pau ke tali ke ne foki mai, he ko e hia fakavaha’apule’anga ia hano ‘ikai tali ha taha ki ha fonua ke nofo ai. Pehē ‘e he palēmia Nu’u Sila’ kuo ‘osi maau e pule’anga’ ke tokanga’i ‘a Aden ‘o siofi lelei ‘e ‘ikai ke ne hoko ko ha palopalema kau ai ‘a e feitu’u ke nofo ki ai pea ko ‘ene ‘initaneti ‘e siofi mo ia. Ka ‘oku fakaanga’i lahi ‘eni ‘e he Taki ‘o e Fa’ahi Fakaanga’ mo pehē ko e fa’ē kovi ‘eni ne ‘alu ia ‘o kau ki ha kau lotu tautoitoi mo tāmate pea foki mai ke kavenga’ia ai ‘a Nu’u Sila’ ni.

Travellers from Queensland warned after snap lockdown

By
Kaniva Staff
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By RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission

In response to a three-day snap lockdown declared for Southeast Queensland, The Ministry of Health says anyone who has travelled back to New Zealand since Monday 26 July should carefully check locations of interest on the Queensland Health website.

In a statement, the Ministry said returnees should also remain vigilant for any possible Covid-19 symptoms.

The quarantine travel bubble from all of Australia was halted on 23 July for eight weeks, in response to the spread of the Delta variant. However, managed return flights have been arriving, for those able to provide a negative Covid-19.

“If you’ve returned on one of those managed return flights since Monday and have been at a location of interest at the relevant time, you should immediately isolate at home or appropriate accommodation, and call Healthline on 0800 358 5453 for advice on testing,” said Director-General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield in a statement.

However, he warned everyone who was on those returning flights should be cautious and report symptoms, regardless of whether they had been at any of the listed locations or not.

“Our contact tracing teams are working to identify travellers on flights who have returned from Queensland since Monday and all will be contacted by emails this weekend.”

Parts of Queensland went into the sudden lockdown at 4pm their time, after six new cases of the Delta strain were reported, all locally acquired.

All of the cases have been traced back to a high school student from Brisbane’s inner- west.

Anyone who may have been at any locations of interest listed by the state’s health authority, or who may have been in contact with anyone who has tested positive, is urged to isolate.

Auckland Transport orders roadside berm plantings to be removed

By
Kaniva Staff
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By RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission

A North Shore gardener wants to see berm planting rules relaxed after having to rip her plantings out.

Louise Burnie's berm was planted with wildflowers and fruit trees, but has had to be pulled up after a warning from Auckland Transport.
Louise Burnie’s berm was planted with wildflowers and fruit trees, but has had to be pulled up after a warning from Auckland Transport. Photo: Supplied/ Louise Burnie

Louise Burnie mulched the grassy space in front of her home in Torbay and planted wildflowers and fruit trees.

She had been tending to the berm for three months and hoped to share the fruit with her neighbourhood.

Burnie did not realise it was against the rules until Auckland Transport issued her a warning this week.

She was alarmed to read she could be fined more than $340 per day if she did not clear the garden.

“It seems really excessive for mulch that’s not falling into the road. If it was I could understand it. I’ve put things in place to make sure it’s not going to land in the road. It seems really high.”

Burnie said residents should be allowed to have more than just grass.

“There’s no area that’s going to be blocking visibility or anything like that, so just trying to come up with some solutions as to what else I can plant. We’ve ripped out all the plants now, and we’re just piling up the mulch to give away to anybody that wants it at this stage.”

In a statement, Auckland Transport said berms needed to be easily accessible corridors for utility services.

“If you want to plant in the berm you need a permit,” it said.

“While Auckland Transport does not go searching for breaches of the berm planting guidelines, when a complaint is made, we are required to act.”

The agency said landowners needed to maintain private plantings but that was at risk of not happening if the land was sold or the person lost interest.

Then Auckland Transport would have to remove the plantings and resow the grass at their own cost.

Tongan survivor speaks out about dawn raids to the Royal Commission

By
Kaniva Staff
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By Sela Jane Hopgood, RNZ Pacific Journalist

A 66-year-old Tongan man has told the Abuse in Care Royal Commission about the psychological impacts the dawn raids had on him and his family.

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Photo: Screenshot

Tesimoni Fuavao and his father moved to New Zealand in May 1975 through a medical visa, as Fuavao needed to undergo medical treatment. He was 19-years-old. His mother and the youngest of six siblings came soon after on the same medical grounds, while Fuavao’s other siblings stayed back in Tonga with their grandparents.

They lived in a five-bedroom house in Grey Lynn, Auckland with three families from the Tongan community who were New Zealand residents.

Fuavao had his operation and was in hospital for two weeks. “I continued to received outpatient care,” he said.

“Because of the ongoing treatment, my understanding is that our medical visas kept getting extended by the lawyer on the advice of a doctor.”

Fuavao recalls that during this time, the police were carrying out targeted checks on Pacific Islanders.

In mid-October of 1976, Fuavao and his friend went for a walk to a hotel in Newton to play pool.

“While we were playing pool, two Palagi officers came into the hotel and asked me how old I was.

“I told them I was 20-years-old, and the officers didn’t believe me,” he said.

“They then asked for my passport and I told them that I didn’t have it.”

Fuavao said the officers continued to ask questions such as why he was not at school and where he lived, and when he explained that he is on a medical visa, he got the impression from the officers that they did not care.

“All they wanted to know was if I was an overstayer,” Fuavao said.

‘I never invited them in’

Fuavao said that it was two weeks after the police stopped him in Newton, that there was banging on their front door at 4:30am.

Royal Commission into Abuse in Care sitting at Fale o Samoa in Māngere.
Photo: RNZ / Andrew McRae

“It was still dark outside, and I quickly got up and looked through the window.

“I saw heaps of police officers standing around the house.

“I was scared,” he said.

Fuavao remembers opening the door to find four officers there, asking for his passport. “I said I would go find it, but two officers then pushed me aside and barged into the house.

“I never invited them in,” Fuavao sadly recalls.

“I grabbed some medical paperwork and showed it to the officers. I went to my parents’ bedroom and told my dad what the officers wanted. The officers followed me to their bedroom.

“Dad’s English wasn’t good and he struggled to explain our story in English, so he raised his voice louder and louder to try and get the officers to understand.”

Fuavao’s dad had to call out to Latai who was in the next bedroom to come and explain to the police officers that the Fuavao family were in New Zealand legally.

“Everything happened so quickly. One police officer walked towards my mum to try and handcuff her,” he said.

“The officer pulled my younger brother Masiu away from her arms when he did handcuff her, and they were both crying.

“I asked the officer, why are you doing that? And the officer said that they deserved it because they had overstayed.

“They took my parents to their car and left. We didn’t get to say goodbye to my parents.”

Fuavao and his brother ended up being cared for by the families living at the house during the time and had neighbours feed them.

Their parents were held by the police for a week and sought a lawyer and a Tongan translator to help them with their case.

Psychological impacts from the dawn raids

Fuavao’s parents returned to Tonga about eight months after the raid. However, 10 years since the horrific raid, Fuavao applied for his parents to get permanent residency under New Zealand’s family reunification scheme.

The Dawn Raids petition garnered 7366 signatures.
The Dawn Raids petition garnered 7366 signatures. Photo: RNZ / Daniela Maoate-Cox

“My mum cried about the incident all the time and constantly lived in fear.

“It affected her mentally because in Tonga we respect the police there, so it was a big deal for my mum to get into trouble with the New Zealand police, to be physically touched by them and then arrested,” he said.

Fuavao said he felt ashamed by the raid and about how many people knew especially in the Tongan community because “being arrested was considered very bad”.

“I carried the shame of what happened and people knowing throughout my life.

“I also blamed myself for what happened to my parents.

“My parents felt that shame and they never wanted to talk about the dawn raid much,” he explained.

Fuavao shared that before his dad passed away in 2009, he would constantly talk about the Palagi police officer that arrested him.

“My dad still remembered the badge number and he kept saying, one day maybe the police will come and say sorry or just talk to me.”

For Fuavao personally, he said he became angry throughout his life especially when people were racist towards him.

He said that the raid also affected decisions involving his children.

“My son was invited to join the police force because he met the criteria and they were looking for more Pacific Island police officers.

“I told him about the dawn raid and why I don’t like the police and after that my son changed his career pathway to health science.”

Fuavao said he wished the government’s dawn raid apology was done before his parents passed away.

“I would have liked my mum to hear the apology because she was deeply affected by the dawn raid,” he said.

50-year-old secret

Tesimoni Fuavao’s niece Sonya Pope spoke at the Pacific Investigation public hearing this week about what their family calls the 50-year-old secret.

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Photo: Screenshot

“When Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that they will be doing a public apology, my uncle called the family over and said, I’ve got some important news.

“My grandparents have never talked about this before and my grandparents lived with me in my home until they passed away and they’ve never said one word.

“We were like, wow! My grandparents were so strong to keep this a secret for 50 years and took this to their grave.”

Pope shared that growing up they were given specific rules to follow that at the time they thought were due to their culture, but learned this year that it was because of the trauma their grandparents had endured.

“We were always told to shut the curtains when the sun set and to always lock the doors every single day.

“Even to the point where the girls in the family weren’t allowed to answer the door.

“We had a sleeping roster with my grandparents because they weren’t able to sleep alone.

“My grandma always had to have somebody sleep in the room next to her or with her in the same room,” Pope shared.

Jailed Lavulavu couple’s three-hour temporary release to go home sparks outrage

By
Kaniva Staff
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The temporary release of the jailed Lavulavu couple to go home on Tuesday has been heavily criticised.

‘Etuate Lavulavu (L) and Akosita Lavulavu. Photo/Facebook

A member of the public spotted a marked prison vehicle parking at the couple’s residence  and took a photo before it was widely shared on social media earlier this week.

The Prison Commissioner Sēmisi Tapueluelu has confirmed a prison vehicle had dropped off the fraudsters Akosita and her husband ‘Etuate Lavulavu at their residence.

He said the Lavulavus were accompanied by two prison officers during the visit.

Tapueluelu said ‘Etuate and Akosita had requested to allow them to go home because of what the Commissioner has described in Tongan as the couple wanting to sort out various commitments which had been left unfinished.

He said they were allowed to go for only three hours after they left and before they returned to the prison.

“It’s true they were released to go out yesterday evening,” Tapueluelu told Kele’a Voice in Tongan.

Tapueluelu said the release was made according to the Prison regulations.

He said prisoners can be allowed to take leave and go home after six months of their jail term but that was a matter for him to consider.

Tapueluelu also revealed the Lavulavu couple had been previously released to go and have their Covid-19 vaccination done.

Criticisms

Critics said it was too early for the Prison Commissioner to make such decision after the couple’s bail bid has been denied by the Chief Justice earlier this month.

“The law is a laughing stock,” a commenter wrote.

“It is unfair,” one wrote.

“Sending to jail means stay there and do the time,” another wrote.

Some supporters of the couple have welcomed the decision on social media.

Former Cabinet Minister Akosita and her disgraced husband former MP and Cabinet Minister ‘Etuate Lavulavu have each been jailed for six years.

They were sentenced in the Supreme Court after being found guilty on charges of obtaining more than half a million pa’anga from the government school grant scheme by false pretences.

The couple owned and ran the educational institution ‘Unuaki ‘o Tonga Royal Institute.

The Lord Chief Justice Michael Whitten said their offences were of a very serious nature, involving some of the largest monetary amounts for offences of this kind in Tonga.

The couple had sought bail ahead of an appeal next March.

But this was denied by the Lord Chief Justice, who said in his ruling he doubted their prospects for success on appeal.

FAKAMTALA FAKATONGA

Kuo fakaanga’i lahi e fu’u vave ‘a hono tuku ange ongo Lavulavu’ ke na ‘a’ahi ki hona ‘api’ hili pe ‘eni ha uike nai ‘e ua ‘ena kamata ngāue pōpula’. Kuo fakapapau’i ‘e he pule pilīsone’ Sēmisi Tapueluelu ko e mo’oni hono faka’atā kinaua’ ‘i ha houa pe  ‘e tolu pea ne ‘i ai pe ongo sela ne nau ō he me’alele pe ‘a e pilīsone’. Na’e ‘ikai ha ‘uhinga vivili ‘e fakahā ‘e Tapueluelu ke makatu’unga ai ‘a e faka’atā ko ‘eni’ ka ko e pehē pe ko ‘ena ō tu’unga he “ngaahi me’a kehekehe pe ‘oku te’eki ai ke tukunga lelei.” Ko e faka’atā makehe ‘eni ‘oku fakalao pe fakatatau kia Tapueluelu neongo ne mātu’aki faka’ehi’ehi ‘a e ‘Eiki Fakamaau Lahi’  ke ‘oua te ne tali ‘ena kole ki hana faingamalie pehē ‘i he uike atu’. Neongo ‘a ‘ene fakalao ‘a e fakangofua ko ‘eni’ ka ‘oku fakaanga’i lahi he ‘oku hangē ia ha ta’efakapa’apa’apa  ki he tu’utu’uni ‘a e Fakamaau Lahi ke ‘oua tali ‘ena kole peila’ mo e mamafa ‘o e hia ne fakahoko ‘e he ongo Lavulavu’ ‘a ia ko ‘ena  ‘ave ta’efakalao ha pa’anga ‘e vaeua miliona mei he pa’anga tokoni ako ‘a e fonua’.

Husband and wife among five arrested after cocaine worth $4 million wash-up on Vava‘u beaches

By
Kaniva Staff
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Police have updated their investigation on cocaine discovered in Vava’u after they washed up on beaches in Hōleva and Ha’alaufuli.

An unlicensed .22 rifle and ammunition seized during raids. Photo/Supplied

It said they have now seized 11 packages of cocaine altogether with a street value of TOP$4 million.  Yesterday they said the street value of the number of packages seized was $2.3 million.

Last night Police raided two residences in Vava’u and one in Tongatapu.

A 28-year-old man was arrested together with his 30-year-old wife and a 61-year-old male from a home in Ha’alaufuli along with five packages of cocaine. They have been charged with possession and engaging with others in the supply of illicit drugs.

The second home raided, located at ‘Utulangivaka, Police arrested a 27-year-old male and seized approximately 1 gram of cocaine and unlicensed .22 rifle and ammunition. Related criminal charges have been laid against him.

Police also arrested a 38-year-old male from a home at Nukunuku for having engaged with others in the supply of illicit drugs. He is from ‘Utulangivaka and has recently arrived in Tongatapu from Vava’u.

“We suspect that some of the washed-up drugs are still in the community. I urge yet again any member of the public who has in their possession any of the washed-up cocaine to do the right thing and surrender the drugs to Police,” said Detective Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police Halatoa Taufa.

“Appropriate police resources have been deployed to hunt down anyone who dares to hide or distribute any of the washed-up cocaine. We will continue to make arrests if you choose not to cooperate.” said Taufa.

“We can work together as one people to protect our children, families and communities from the harmful effects of drugs. Contact Police if you know any information that would help.”

Contact Police on phone 740-1660 or 922.

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