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New Lynn terror attack update: ‘Every legal avenue was tried’

By
Sisi Latu
-

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

The man behind yesterday’s terror attack in New Lynn was released from jail after three years in July after every legal avenue was pursued to keep him in custody, the Prime Minister has confirmed today.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Police Commissioner Andrew Coster have held a media conference to update the New Zealand public on the response to the attack at the LynnMall in Auckland.

Watch it here:

A Sri Lankan national was shot dead by police after stabbing six people inside Countdown in LynnMall yesterday afternoon.

Seven people were injured and three people are in a critical condition after the attack yesterday.

While the man can still not yet be named, Ardern gave further details of his criminal history today.

The terrorist was 22 when he arrived in NZ in 2011 and it was not known he held extreme views. He came to the police’s attention in 2016 after he made concerning posts on Facebook.

He was arrested in Auckland Airport, where authorities believed he was travelling to Syria. In August 2018 he breached bail and bought a knife, and also assaulted Corrections officers while in custody.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern during her update on yesterday's terror attack in West Auckland, Parliament, Wellington. 04 September, 2021. NZ Herald photograph by Mark Mitchell

Jacinda Ardern at today’s stand-up Photo: Pool / NZME

Ardern was briefed in May 2020 on the case. GPS monitoring was sought by the Crown but not imposed by the courts.

In July he was released into the community and surveillance began.

“In late July, I was given a written update on the case. On the 9th of August I met with officials and discussed further options to try and reduce the risk that this person posed to the community.

“In late August, officials including the commissioner of police raised the possibility of expediting the amendments to the counter-terrorism legislation. Within 48 hours of these discussions, the minister of justice contacted the chair of the select committee with the intention of speeding that law change up. That was yesterday, the same day the attack happened.

“As you can see, agencies used every tool available to protect innocent people from this individual. Every legal avenue was tried.”

She said she wanted to explain why the terrorist was not deported but can not yet because of suppression orders.

She said Parliament will pass the Counter Terror Legislation Bill by the end of the month. The bill makes planning and preparing for a terror attack illegal.

“As soon as Parliament resumes, we will complete that work. That means working to pass the law as soon as possible and no later than the end of this month.”

Ardern thanked National Party leader Judith Collins for reaching out with support for that.

She said it was not fair to make an assumption that the law change would have made a difference in this case.

“This was a highly motivated individual who used a supermarket visit as a shield for an attack. That is an incredibly tough set of circumstances.”

While she was unable to share his name, “this is not something I had any intention of sharing regardless”, she said.

“No terrorist, whether alive or deceased, deserves their name to be shared for the infamy they were seeking.”

She ended her statement with words from the Imam of Al-noor Mosque. “All terrorists are the same, regardless of their ideology. They stand for hate, we stand for peace and love. We have it within our powers to ensure the actions of an individual do not create a knock-on of hate, judgement and vitriol. I know, New Zealand, you will be kind. Please wrap your arms around all of our victims – those of yesterday and those of the past.”

Police surveillance

Commissioner Coster said there was nothing unusual about the terrorist’s actions before the attack yesterday.

He said all indications were the attacker was “planning for the future”.

He said the first stabbing occurred 60 to 90 seconds before the attacker was shot dead.

“Monitoring his actions has been entirely dependant on our surveillance teams being able to maintain their cover.”

The man was highly suspicious of surveillance so they needed to keep their distance.

Coster acknowledged the first aid given by staff and general members of the public at the scene.

He said there are people with extreme views but yesterday’s attacker “caused us the greatest concern”.

Police will maintain a visible presence around supermarkets and the terrorism threat level remains at medium.

Coster said they will be keeping an eye out for actions motivated by hate in light of the attack and that there was a lot of misinformation circulating around the event.

Covid-19 update: 20 new community cases reported in New Zealand, one new death

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission

The number of new community cases of Covid-19 in New Zealand has fallen to 20 today, but there has been one further death, the Health Ministry has revealed.

A testing station has been set up for Assembly of God congregations in Māngere.
Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi

There were 28 new community cases reported yesterday.

There was no media conference today. In a statement, the Health Ministry said a woman in her 90s who was a confirmed case of Covid-19 died in North Shore Hospital last night.

It said she had a number of underlying health conditions, which meant it was not clinically appropriate for her to receive ventilator or ICU care.

The woman was admitted to hospital on 28 August from home. She was a household contact of a case and had been confirmed as a case before admission to hospital.

“Her whānau was regularly updated and had the opportunity to speak with her regularly by phone. The whânau has been offered cultural support by the DHB.”

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has expressed her condolences to the family and loved ones of the person who passed away.

“Every death is a reminder of the damage Covid-19 can cause when it gets into our community.

“Our older New Zealanders and those with underlying health issues are by far the most at risk from the virus and one of the reasons lockdowns are such an important tool to stop its spread.”

A family member told the Ministry this morning that he was urging everyone to take Covid-19 seriously and follow public health advice: “This is real.”

New Zealand’s official Covid-19 death toll now stands at 27.

It is the first death attributed to the coronavirus since mid-February. Prior to this, nobody in New Zealand had died from Covid-19 since September 2020.

There were also two cases detected in managed isolation today.

The total number of cases linked to the current outbreak is now 782 – 765 in Auckland and 17 in Wellington. There are now 43 cases in hospital, with seven in ICU.

Follow all the latest Covid-19 news with RNZ’s live blog.

Terrorism attack: Crown files urgent court action to lift suppression orders

By
Sisi Latu
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By RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission. 

The Crown is seeking the court’s urgent lifting of the suppression orders which prevent the background of the terrorist responsible for the Auckland supermarket knife attack being made public, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says.

No caption

Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone

The urgent application is being filed this evening.

The court action is the sequel to a terrorism incident at a Countdown supermarket at the LynnMall in New Lynn this afternoon.

During the incident a man armed with a knife injured six shoppers. All six have been transferred to hospital with three in a critical condition and one in a serious condition.

The man was shot dead by two police officers soon after the attack began.

At a media briefing this evening, Ardern said she wanted to share as much as she could about the attacker who was a Sri Lankan man who moved to New Zealand in 2011.

He had been under surveillance since 2016 because of his support for a violent ideology inspired by the Islamic State.

Ardern said by law the man could not be kept in prison, so he was being constantly monitored instead.

The man was tracked so closely by a surveillance and tactical team this afternoon that the police shot him within 60 seconds of the attack starting.

The reasons he is known to agencies is subject to suppression orders, but Ardern said it was her view that it was in the public interest to share as much information as possible.

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff told Checkpoint this evening it was frustrating not all the details of the attacker could be revealed because of the court order.

He said he knew nothing about the individual beforehand but added, from his experience in government, the number of people under such level of police surveillance could be counted “on less than the fingers on one hand”.

“What’s frustrating for all of us who have just listened to the Prime Minister and the police commissioner, is that they were constrained from sharing all of the information that they know about this individual, because of a court order, and I understand that the Prime Minister of all people have to live under the law, and cannot go outside the law.

“But what is clear about it is that this person is an ideologically-motivated terrorist… It’s appalling that he could cause so much hurt in the space of a minute, just with a knife. But I guess the police interceded as quickly as they were able and ultimately, he has paid the price of his actions.

“This person, from the information that the Prime Minister has given us, was obviously a hate-filled person whose views were causing huge alarm to the police, but who had not acted in a way that the law enabled him to be kept them custody.

“Now, we’re having this bit of this debate a little bit over hate speech at the moment… people saying ‘people’s views are their views, and they’re allowed to express their views’.

“But people like this who obviously expressed views filled with hatred, based on his ideology, the fact that you can’t act against them, would seem to be a potential gap in our law.”

“I’m sure as well as the Independent Police Complaints Authority Investigation and the Coroner’s investigation, Parliament will want to look pretty closely at whether the law is adequate – albeit in a democratic society such as we have – when a person that constitutes a risk so severe that he’s kept under 24/7 surveillance, there can’t be action against him.

“I think that’s going to exercise the minds at Parliament in the months to come.”

Goff said he would not expect as mayor to be informed by police about particular individuals that constitute a risk.

“We regrettably have individuals like this and the individual that attacked the mosques in Christchurch. It’s not a common activity… and most of us just can’t understand the venom and the hatred that can be held in a person’s mind, that motivates them to act like that,” he said.

“But does that mean that all of us are unsafe in our community? No, New Zealand remains one of the safer communities around the world.”

LynnMall stabbings a ‘terrorist attack’ by a ‘known threat to NZ’ – PM

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says the attack at the New Lynn Countdown supermarket today was a terrorist attack carried out by a violent extremist.

The prime minister and the police commissioner are addressing media after the man was fatally shot at a west Auckland mall this afternoon.

Watch the media conference here:

It is understood six people – all shoppers at the mall – have been injured in the incident at LynnMall in New Lynn.

St John said three patients in a critical condition and one patient in a serious condition have been taken to Auckland City Hospital; one patient in a moderate condition has been taken to Waitakere hospital; and one patient in a moderate condition has been taken to Middlemore Hospital.

Ardern revealed the terrorist is a Sri Lankan national who arrived in New Zealand in October 2011 and he became a person of national security interest from 2016.

The reasons he is known to agencies is subject to suppression orders, but Ardern said it was her view that it was in the public interest to share as much information as possible.

The prime minister did say the terrorist held a violent ideology inspired by the Islamic State, but it would be wrong to direct any frustration at anyone other than this individual. She said she was personally aware of the terrorist before today’s attack.

Ardern said it was a senseless attack and she was sorry it happened.

“What happened today was despicable. It was carried out by an individual.”

Ardern said the individual was under constant monitoring, and he was shot and killed with in 60 seconds of the attack starting.

The police team who was monitoring shot and killed him.

Coster said the man was under heavy surveillance because of concerns about his ideology.

He entered the store and obtained a knife from within the store before starting the attack.

When the man approached police with the knife he was shot and killed.

Coster said the surveillance teams were “as close as they possibly could be without compromising the surveillance”.

“I acknowledge that this situation raises questions about whether police could have done more, whether police could have intervened more quickly. I’m satisfied based on the information available to me that the staff involved did not only what we expect they would do in this situation, but did it with great courage.

“The reality is, that when you are surveilling someone on a 24/7 basis, it is not possible to be immediately next to them at all times. The staff intervened as quickly as they could and they prevented further injury in what was a terrifying situation,” Coster said.

Ardern said all legal and surveillance power has been used to try to keep people safe from this individual.

“What I can say is that we have utilized every legal and surveillance power available to us to try and keep people safe from this individual. Many agencies and people were involved and all were motivated by the same thing – trying to keep people safe.”

No caption

Photo: RNZ / Marika Khabazi

Coster said there had been nothing that would tell police the extent of his intentions, or that he intended to do this today.

He said the individual was very surveillance-conscious, and surveillance teams needed to maintain a distance to be effective.

“There was nothing to prevent him being in the community and we were doing absolutely everything possible to monitor him and indeed the fact that we were able to intervene so quickly – in roughly 60 seconds – shows just how closely we were watching him.”

Ardern said the local Muslim community has been “nothing but helpful and supportive. It would be wrong to direct any frustration to anyone beyond this individual. That is who is culpable, that is who is responsible – no one else”.

She said his past behaviour and action did not reach the threshold to have him in in prison, whic hwas why he was being constantly monitored.

An eyewitness has told RNZ she saw a man running around armed with a knife and heard many people screaming.

Another shopper who was in the supermarket at the time heard someone scream before shoppers started running towards the door.

Heavily armed police and ambulances remain at the scene.

PM denies knowledge of Popua Park royal investigation report following claim it goes ‘missing’

By
Kalino Latu
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Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa has denied claims the Royal Commission report on Popua Park probe was submitted to him and it disappeared from his desk.

Lawyer Nalesoni Tupou (L), PM Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa

The highly anticipated report was intended to inform the king after an investigating into how the late ‘Akilisi Pōhiva government’s funding of the recreational park project was spent.

The Prime Minister was responding after New Zealand-Tongan based barrister Nalesoni Tupou claimed the report went missing from Tu’i’noetoa’s desk (“ka’iloa ai e lipooti mei he tepile ‘a e Palēmia”)

Tupou claimed the report has yet to be presented to the king.

Tupou alleged on Facebook the report was completed and submitted to the Prime Minister on June 2020. He also claimed the report was hidden. He “swears” that his allegations were true. He said he would release a copy of the report. Kaniva News contacted him regarding his allegations.

Tu’i’onetoa, who had been previously accused of not telling the truth to the media told VPON media today he did not know anything about the report.

He said any questions about it should be directed “to the right place,” apparently, to the Royal Commission.

The Popua Park project

The project allowed the late ‘Akilisi Pōhiva government to redevelop the 10-acre swampy site initiated by ‘Akilisi in 2015.

It included a plan for a golf course which was initiated by late King Tupou IV but was not implemented before he died.

The project was intended to provide a sustainable, clean environment in the area after closing down the Popua landfill, provide a new national recreational park  and save and upgrade the traditional pigeon mounts which had significant historical values.

Auditor report

An independent report by the Pacific Engineering Consultant Group (PECG) showed the former government has spent only TOP$648,000 on the project.

“It is evident there is savings,” the report said.

The ‘Akilisi government said it saved $2 million in the project.

The PECG report was conducted on June 2018 by three experts including Civil Engineer Sevenitini Toumoua, Suliasi Havea and Semisi Fifita.

Royal Commission

What had been seen as a good initiative for the community and the country as a whole turned into a battlefield for politicians especially ‘Akilisi’s supporters and their critics.

In March 2019 King Tupou VI ordered three petitions attacking the ‘Akilisi’s government to be referred to the Ombudsman. Some of these petitions, submitted by ‘Akilisi’s long standing opponents, raised concerns about the project.

The Tui’onetoa government said in 2019 a royal commission led by former Justice Charles Cato was investigating how the late ‘Akilisi government’s funding of the recreational park project was spent.

It has been two years now the report continues to go unheard.

‘Akilisi’s supporters believed the PECG report was enough to clear any doubt about the Popua park project spending.

They said the decision by the king to spend a lot of money in setting up the royal commission could outweigh the spending on the park project.

FAKAMATALA FAKATONGA

Kuo ‘i ai ‘eni ha tukuaki’i kuo puli e lipooti ia ki hono fakatotolo’i e fakamole ki hono langa ‘o e  Paaka Popua’ mei he tesi ‘o e Palēmia’. Kuo pehē ne ‘osi maau atu ki he tesi ‘o  Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa’ ‘a e lipooti’ ni ‘i Sune 2020. Pehē ‘e he tukuaki’i’  ‘oku te’eki a’u e lipooti ia ki he tu’i. Kuo faka’ikai’i ‘e he palēmia’ ha’ane ‘ilo pe kaunga ki he lipooti’ ni.  Ko e fakatotolo ‘eni ne kamata he 2019 ‘e ha komisioni fakatu’i ne tataki ‘e he fakamaau lahi ko Charles Cato mo ha ni’ihi loea. Ko e fakamole lahi ki he Komisoni ni ‘oku ‘i ai e tui ne totongi mei he  pa’anga tukuhau ‘a e kakai’. Ko e lipooti ‘eni ‘oku ‘i ai e nofo ‘amanaki ki ai ‘a e kakai’ ka kuo te’eki ongonga mai.  Ko e tukuaki’i ‘eni mei he loea Tonga ‘i Nu’u Sila ko Loea Nalesoni Tupou. Ka kuo faka’ikai’i ‘eni ia ‘e he PM ki he mitia Tonga’ ‘o pehe hala ha’ane ‘ilo pe kaunga ‘e taha ki he lipooti’ ni. Na’a’ ne pehē ke ‘eke ha fehu’i kau ki ai ki he feitu’u totonu ‘a ia mahino ko ‘ene ‘uhinga ki he komisoni’. Ko e Palēmia’ ni  foki kuo lahi hono tukuaki’i  ki he’ene ngaahi fakamatala ‘ikai mo’oni kuo ‘omi ki he mitia’ mo ‘ene feinga ke takihala’i ‘a e papiliki’ ‘aki a e ngaahi fakamatala hala, tautefito ki he keisi ko ia ‘a e ongo Lavulavu mo e ngaahi ‘isiu kehe pe.

Man shot dead at Countdown supermarket in Auckland

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission

A man has been shot dead by police after entering a West Auckland supermarket and injuring multiple people, police have confirmed.

No caption
Photo: RNZ / Veronica Schmidt

RNZ understands that four people have been injured – but this has not yet been confirmed by authorities.

Heavily armed police and ambulances are at the scene at LynnMall in New Lynn.

Police said the incident is still unfolding, but can confirm that a man has entered a supermarket and injured multiple people.

He was located by police and shot, and has died at the scene.

No caption
Police at the scene of today’s incident Photo: RNZ / Veronica Schmidt

George Francisco was outside the mall when he got a panicked call from his wife, who works at a pharmacy inside. She told him she saw a woman running through the mall, saying she had been stabbed.

His wife then heard five gunshots. She told him that a “number of people” were wounded.

No caption
Photo: RNZ / Richard Sutherland

A pharmacy worker at LynnMall says they are barricaded in the pharmacy.

The pharmacy is located at the other end of the mall to Countdown, so staff did not witness the incident but a customer reported cars rushing out of the mall’s car park.

Images shared on social media show people fleeing the supermarket.

Roads in the area have been cordoned off and the police Eagle helicopter is in the area.

More than 100 nurses, doctors ready to help Auckland hospitals

By
Sisi Latu
-

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

One hundred nurses and doctors from around the country are on stand by to help out in Auckland as the Delta outbreak continues to pile the pressure on the region’s hospitals.

A security guard worked at Middlemore Hospital's emergency department on Thursday last week while symptomatic with Covid-19.

Middlemore Hospital Photo: LDR / Stephen Forbes

However, clinicians warn this may mean patients in other regions get bumped off surgical lists, unless nation-wide workforce shortages are fixed.

Cancer specialist Kate Gregory is in regular contact with colleagues overseas whose patients are missing out on treatment as hospitals overflow with Delta patients.

“For those patients who are affected, it’s a frightening thing anyway to have a cancer diagnosis and be waiting for treatment, but then to have that treatment postponed and to not know when it’s going to happen, that’s really, really hard for people.”

Dr Gregory, who is also co-medical director for the Cancer Society, said sending critical care nurses and other staff to Auckland would inevitably have a flow on effect for other centres.

“It’s really difficult and people will absolutely try as much as possible so those essential services, like those cancer surgeries can get done. But pressure is coming that’s going to make that a bit more difficult.”

Today there were 42 Covid patients in hospital, all in Auckland.

Speaking at a media conference this afternoon, Director General of Health Dr Ashley Bloomfield said six patients were in intensive care, including three on ventilators.

“I do know that the youngest person in ICU is 18 and all are stable, but anyone who is ventilated may be stable but is quite unwell. So that’s another indication that it is not a trivial illness.”

Middlemore Hospital specialist Rob Bevan said while urgent surgery for cancer and heart patients was continuing, the hospital has had to “scale back” on some of the work it would normally do to create capacity.

If intensive care units became too full, health boards could divert nurses from other areas, he said.

“But as we spread those teams thinner, it’s possible that the outcomes, the percentage of patients that we’re able to get through this, would inevitably deteriorate. So that’s why we’re so focused on providing absolutely the best care under the best model.”

Nurses Organisation spokesperson Kate Weston said there were nearly 100 vacancies for ICU nurses outside Auckland and it was a problem before the pandemic hit.

“There’s still unfortunately other things that get people into intensive care units whether it’s trauma or surgery or other medical events. So that’s always going to be a real pressure, particularly when you’ve got gaps and understaffing anyway.”

Delaying elective surgery had big flow on effects for patients, she said.

“It is a real concern because no-one wants anyone to suffer unnecessarily and what we did see last time was that people once they did present for healthcare and felt confident and safe enough to present, they were much more sick than if they had presented earlier.”

Dr Gregory said cancer patients who were worried about new symptoms or others who found lumps or experienced unexpected bleeding should not hold back from getting a medical opinion, whatever the alert level.

“It’s really important that people seek help, it’s still there – because one of the things we’re really concerned about is delays in diagnosis or people getting help when they need it.”

According to Bowel Cancer New Zealand, it took almost a year to clear the backlog of investigations – such as colonoscopies – and treatments that were not done due to the last nation-wide lockdown.

Watch live: Covid-19 update for 2 September Forty-nine new Covid-19 community cases in NZ

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission

The prime minister has confirmed that Northland will move to alert level 3 at midnight tonight as planned.

Jacinda Ardern and the director-general of health are now giving a Covid-19 update.

Watch the update here:

There were 75 new cases of Covid-19 announced in the community yesterday.

Checkpoints will be set up between Auckland and Northland, and the decision will be reviewed on Monday.

The checkpoints will be at SH1 and Mangawhai Road, Mangawhai Road and north of Cole Hill road, Black Swamp west of Rakau Road, and Mangawhai Road and Kings Road, and Mangawhai Road and Ryan Road.

The prime minister said 27 extra wastewater samples were taken across Northland on Monday and Tuesday and none have detected Covid-19.

While the case numbers were moving around a little, Ardern said the important thing was that “we are starting to see some positive trends in the numbers”.

She said the rolling daily case number average is 61, down from about 77 five days ago. Fewer people are infectious in the community than there had been.

Cases of in-household transmission would continue to be found, she said, but lockdown was necessary for extinguishing those last chains of transmission.

“If you are a contact, if you have been at a location of interest and advised to stay home as a result you absolutely must do so. It is such an important message.”

There were 49 new cases of Covid-19 announced in the community today.

– more to come

TOP$22,000 raised in two hours for anti-drugs campaigner sued by Princess Pilolevu after alleged defamation

By
Kaniva Staff
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Supporters of Anti-Drugs campaigner Afimeimo’unga Hola have donated TOP$22,000 to hire lawyers to represent him in his fight against several civil lawsuits brought against him.

Afemeimo’unga hola leading a protest march against illicit drugs in Tonga. Photo/Facebook

The fundraising which was livestreamed from Tonga at 7pm last night was organised by the PTOA Kolope Foundation.

The organisation which is based in the US and has chapters in Australia, New Zealand and Tonga said the money will pay for Hola’s lawyers and other legal fees.

It said this was part of its supports for Tonga’s war on drugs.

Her Royal Highness Princess Pilolevu Tuita sought TOP$10,000 of damages from Hola after he alleged she was Tonga’s drug lord “’Ulu’ifeke or Head Of The Octopus”). The princess said Hola has defamed her.

It is understood, more civil lawsuits had been filed in the Magistrate Court against Hola including one by Lawyer Clive Edwards Senior.

Edwards sought TOP$10,000 of damages from Hola after he alleged the lawyer has been involved in drug dealings. Edwards has denied this.

Hola appeared in court recently to face charges brought against him by an Indian business owner in Tonga for alleging his company was involved in drug related activities. The company denied Hola’s claims.

Princess Salote Pilolevu Mafile’o Tuita

Hola said on a Facebook livestream watched by Kaniva News he was a former drug dealer and had been working closely with former business people involved with drug dealings.

The anti-drugs campaigner said he decided to quit his life of drug dealing to join Tonga’s war on illicit drugs.

His allegation against the princess came after he made several Facebook live shows promoting his slogan – Say No To Drugs!

Early this year he led a protest march against drugs in Nuku’alofa which attracted nationwide supports from churches and schools.

Pacific Super Rugby teams to finalise squads

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By RNZ.co.nz. Republished with permission.

With ‘Super Rugby Pacific’ confirmed to kick off in February, the race is on for Moana Pasifika and the Fijian Drua to sign up their inaugural playing squads.

The Drua also have to decide where they will be based next season, with Fiji’s ongoing Covid-19 problems ruling out plans to play on home soil.

Flying Fijians prop Haereiti Hetet said the Drua was a hot topic of conversation when national squad during their recent test series against the All Blacks.

“It’s just like another platform really for Fijian players to showcase their skills for the world stage, in terms of it’s a step up from just playing their club and comps and stuff in Fiji and playing against the best,” he said.

“Obviously Super Rugby you’ve got Wallabies and All Blacks playing so it will be good for the Fijian players to test themselves against the best.”

The Bay of Plenty loosehead is in his fourth season of provincial rugby in New Zealand but has to juggle his playing commitments with work at the local timber mill in Otorohanga.

The 24 year-old has represented the Māori All Blacks and Fiji and could be among the players to benefit from Super Rugby teams that are dedicated to Pacific Island players.

“Yeah I’ve had conversations about this, it’s an option definitely. I don’t know where they’re based or anything like that but yeah it is a good opportunity.”

Pacific Rugby Players Interim CEO Hale T-Pole said Moana Pasifika and the Drua missed out on some high profile signings because of ongoing delays.

“It would have been a lot easier for both organisations that these were sorted a lot earlier,” he admitted.

“They had a lot of big players in their books when they started the conversations about playing for them – the Moana and the Drua – but then in the last month they had to make decisions and then sign overseas.”

But with Super Rugby Pacific finally confirmed, the former ‘Ikale Tahi flanker was confident both teams would still assemble competitive squads.

“They’ve still got good players around that they’re working with, with their coaches and squad, and I think it will work out pretty quick because of the turnaround to get players sorted out and management…they’re ahead with those discussions and just waiting for the licence agreement to be ticked off and then away they sign off.”

Tonga Rugby Union CEO Peter Harding said at least 80 percent of the Moana Pasifika squad will be eligible to represent Manu Samoa or the ‘Ikale Tahi.

“It’s a 38 man squad…and 31 of them will be Samoan and Tongan qualified, so that’s the way it’s put together,” he said.

“The others are floaters at this stage – I think all new franchises that put teams together, no matter what sport they’re in etc, go through that, so we’re looking to share 31 players.”

Peter Harding, new CEO of Tonga Rugby Union
Peter Harding, new CEO of Tonga Rugby Union Photo: World Rugby

T-Pole said it was important that Manu Samoa coach Seilala Mapusua and Tonga’s Toutai Kefu were heavily involved in the recruitment process.

“Where they tick off some players or maybe some players they put up and they get to ask the questions themself,” he said.

“I stay in touch with Seilala and Toutai about that and there’s good discussions where they say ‘why is this player there’, ‘why aren’t my 10 in my national teams or my locks’ or whatever, because this is set-up is to help and benefit the home unions.”

Pacific Rugby Players Chair, Hale T-Pole (R) is the Head of Rugby for Carinat Sport and the Asia Pacific Dragons.
Pacific Rugby Players Interim CEO Hale T-Pole (R) with Josh Blackie and Sir Bryan Williams. Photo: Pacific Rugby Players

Peter Harding said a high performance plan for Moana Pasifika was already in development, which will ensure the team delivers on its promise to strengthen and develop the Samoa and Tongan national teams.

“What we want to do is make sure the pathway is correct and, in effect, that both the Samoan Rugby Union and Tongan Rugby Union, if they don’t own the project, then they’re right up to their neck in it and we will be the ones that will be the beneficiaries out of the project eventually.

“I think that was the way it was conceived by all people who put applications in and I think both Samoa and I are pretty happy with the way that is going.”

The Drua won’t be able to play games in Fiji next year because of the country’s ongoing Covid-19 situation.

The Fijian Drua are the defending NRC champions.
The Fijian Drua won the Australian provincial competition in 2018. Photo: Supplied/Fiji Rugby

T-Pole said Fiji Rugby is exploring a range of options and a final decision on where they will be based is expected shortly.

“They’ve been working hard on it. We’ve been working across the discussions the whole time, whether it’s going to be in NZ in Whangarei or in Australia on the Sunshine Coast.

“They’re well ahead of their discussions and we’re just trying to work out every detail and what benefits all parties and then we will roll with it.”

Moana Pasifika chair Sir Michael Jones said while the pandemic means their home games will be primarily in New Zealand next season, they were keen to play games in Samoa and Tonga if Covid restrictions allow.

“If that can’t happen in year one, it will definitely be an aspiration for year two,” he told RNZ.

“It is something that’s very much determined by the Covid restrictions. We’re looking forward to playing in front of a really vibrant, colourful and vocal fan base, whether that’s here in New Zealand or back in the Islands.”

Super Rugby Pacific will start next February with 12 teams playing a 15-week regular season with one points table.

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