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First flight from Auckland leaving tomorrow; passengers must prove they are Covid-19 free

By
Kaniva Staff
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The first repatriation flight from New Zealand to Tonga is expected to leave Auckland tomorrow morning.

About 140 Tongans will be on the flight.

Passengers will have to prove they have been tested and found to be free of the virus.

Health CEO Dr Siale ‘Akau’ola said passengers would include doctors, nurses, police, soldiers, public servants including one Government CEO, who all remain on the government pay roll.

They were  being given priority because they were  needed in Tonga to support the repatriation work.

Half of those going home will be Recognised Seasonal Employee workers who have been stranded in New Zealand for  months by the Covid-19 lockdown and border closures.

Priority for RSE workers has been given to workers whose parents or spouses have died.

As reported in Kaniva News, the Tongan government has said its priority is to keep the kingdom safe from the Covid-19 virus, which means it will bring home Tongans from countries where there is no community transmission.

The government said last month that eventually everybody who wanted to come home would be flown back, but asked families to be patient.

It has been 93 days since New Zealand last saw a case of COVID-19 with no known source.

However, parts of Australia, where Tongan seasonal workers are also stranded, are in crisis, with the southern state of Victoria facing an emergency.

There were direct flights from Melbourne and Sydney to Nuku’alofa in the past.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Adern said today Australia would need to have 28 continual days with no community transmission before any trans-Tasman bubble could be established which would allow regular travel.

It is understood that about 2000 have registered on the government’s repatriation website to be flown home.

Meanwhile, Tonga’s Health Minister is recovering in Vaiola hospital, but is expected to return to work tomorrow.

The main points

  • The first repatriation flight from New Zealand to Tonga is expected to leave Auckland tomorrow morning.
  • About 140 Tongans will be on the flight.

Judge suspends sentence in drug cultivation case, says prisoner accepted error of his ways

By
Kaniva Staff
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A man has had his prison sentence for cultivating marijuana suspended for two years.

Filomila Kaufusi pleaded guilty on May 4 this year of cultivating 17 cannabis plants, weighing 94.45 grams.

In the Supreme Court, Judge Niu, presiding, sentenced Kaufusi to two and-a-half years in prison, but suspended the sentence for two years on condition that he did not commit any offence punishable by imprisonment within those two years.

The judge said the prisoner’s probation officer had recommended a full suspension of sentence.

The officer said Kaufusi was working for a construction company making cyclone relief houses.

The judge said letters written by Kaufusi’s bishop and his village’s town officer spoke highly and warmly changes he had made to your life.

“I accept that evidence,” Judge Niu said.

“They are evidence that you will make use of the opportunity, if it be given to you, to continue to make a worthwhile life for you and for your wife and for your children.

“If I was to sentence you to prison without suspension, you would   lose your job, you would be separated from your wife and children.

“You would be thrown back to the deep end where you were, to be together with the other convicts whom you are now trying to distance yourself from. I do not consider that justice demands that.

“You have truly shown your remorse by pleading guilty and accepting the error of your ways and you have rehabilitated yourself already. I do not need to be convinced that you will make use of the opportunity of suspension because you have already shown it.”

Judge Niu ordered that the drugs confiscated from the prisoner be destroyed.

It’s vital to vote so your voice is heard in Parliament and on drugs and euthanasia bills that could change New Zealand society

By
Philip Cass
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Kaniva News commentary August 1

New Zealand goes to the polls next month and it is vital that you vote.

New Zealand is a democracy and it is only by voting that you can ensure that Parliament reflects the individuals and parties that you voted for.

It is also vital that the voice of smaller communities like Tongans be heard and that Pasifika as a whole have a voice in Parliament.

This year voters can also have their say on two referenda that could have far reaching effects on New Zealand society.

Voters in New Zealand will be able to cast their ballot from Saturday September 5 to 7pm on election day, Saturday September 19. New Zealanders overseas can vote from Wednesday 2 September.

Referenda

At this year’s general election, voters can vote on two referenda. The first referendum is about the End of Life Choice Act 2019. The Act is intended to give people with a terminal illness the option of requesting assisted dying.

According to the Electoral Commission to be eligible for assisted dying, a person must meet all of the following criteria. They must: be aged 18 years or over,     be a citizen or permanent resident of New Zealand,    suffer from a terminal illness that is likely to end their life within six months, be in an advanced state of irreversible decline in physical capability,     experience unbearable suffering that cannot be relieved in a manner that the person considers tolerable, be able to make an informed decision about assisted dying.

Assisted death means that the person will take, or a doctor or nurse will administer, administer medication that will kill them.

Parliament passed the End of Life Choice Act, but it has not come into force. The Act will only come into force if more than 50% of voters in the referendum vote ‘Yes’.

The Act has been widely opposed by  politicians, churches and by public figures such as former Prime Minister Sir Bill English who told a Parliamentary enquiry  that in comparison with overseas legislation the Act was weak in protecting patients from abuse.

Speaking in Parliament last November, Tongan-born Labour MP Anahila Kanongata’a-Suisuiki said: “I believe and support the concept of death with dignity and comfort, with the context of effective pain relief and loving care for those who are desperately ill and facing death.”

“I believe the core of the bill—the purpose—is to sanction in the law of the land the premature ending of a human life.”

Kanongata’a-Suisuiki, who attends the Papakura Tongan  Methodist church, said not all Pacific people or Tongans opposed the Act, but said that the choice to end life prematurely was only the  beginning of a process that involved the dignity of other people.

In opposing the Act, she  noted that 1500 doctors had registered their opposition to the bill.

The second referendum is about the legalisation of the recreational use of cannabis. The Legalisation Bill would allow people to possess and consume cannabis in limited circumstances.

Supporters of decriminalisation argue that it would benefit society by eliminating the illegal supply of the drug, controlling how much was for sale and restricting young people’s access to the drug.

The Commission said that under the legislation, a person aged 20 or over would be able to    buy up to 14 grams of dried cannabis (or its equivalent) per day only from licensed outlets,     enter licensed premises where cannabis is sold or consumed,  consume cannabis on private property or at a licensed premise, grow up to two plants, with a maximum of four plants per household, share up to 14 grams of dried cannabis (or its equivalent) with another person aged 20 or over.

If more than 50% of people vote ‘Yes’ in the referendum, recreational cannabis would not become legal straight away. After the election, the incoming Government could introduce a Bill to Parliament that would legalise and control cannabis. This process would include the opportunity for the public to share their thoughts and ideas on how the law might work.

The New Zealand Medical association has opposed the proposed legalisation of cannabis.

NZMA Chair Dr Kate Baddock said cannabis was a harmful drug that caused a range of health and social harms at the individual and community level.  The NZMA did not condone the use of cannabis for recreational purpose and opposed legalisation to legalise it.

“In addition to the physical harm caused by cannabis its use creates social and psychological harm, particularly for younger people,” Dr Braddock saisd.

“We would like to see is the government undertaking targeted initiatives to reduce the social inequalities that increase the risk of harm from drug use and meaningful investment into education and treatment programmes.”

You can download information in Tongan about the election here: https://vote.nz/

Body of deceased Tongan nurse to return home on repatriation flight from New Zealand

By
Kalino Latu
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The body of a nurse at Vaiola Hospital is expected to be returned home to the kingdom next week.

Pafilio ‘Amato was in Auckland for treatment while battling cancer but he died this week Wednesday 29.

His family announced the news in a Facebook post yesterday.

“Pafilio was tormented by cancer illness for few months and today He is desire to depart and be with the Lord, which is better by far. Hundreds of families and friends are heartbreaking by your gone but we do sure you are in a better place of no more pain!” the post read.

He was 30 years old.

Tonga’s Ministry of Health CEO Dr Siale ‘Akau’ola said this morning the deceased’s name was registered online and was on the list of the repatriation flight passengers before he died.

He said the government had been in contact with the deceased’s family and New Zealand authorities to make sure the process for its returning meets Tonga’s legal requirements.

He said once in Tonga a Ministry of Health team will monitor and take care of Amato’s funeral.

As Kaniva News reported yesterday, a second repatriation flight will bring 150 passengers from New Zealand on Tuesday, August 4.

They will be quarantined for two-weeks at  the Tanoa Hotel in Nuku’alofa and Taliai Military Camp in Fua’amotu.

Kaniva mediawatch July 31, 2020

By
Kaniva Staff
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Yachts

An American yacht, the Sailing Zatara, which arrived unannounced at the  Minerva Reef earlier this month, is now in Fiji.

The Zatara, carrying a family of six, had been denied entry in March, but still sailed for Tonga.

Meanwhile, the Tahitian-based yacht Nadine as due to leave Vava’u harbour today after entering the port due to an emergency.

The yacht’s owners said they had encountered problems during a storm while sailing from Tahiti to Fiji.

They were told they could stay until today and earlier reports indicated they could be escorted out of Tongan waters by a navy patrol boat.

Fiji has opened its maritime borders to yachts which qualify for a visa.

Tongans in US census

The National Tongan American Society urged Tongans in the US to take part in this week’s United States census and  make sure their data was recorded.

It said an accurate count could help fund transport, education, child care and housing.

Tevita Kaili, a Tongan academic lecturing in cultural anthropology at Brigham Young University in Hawai’i, said the census was important  because it meant an accurate count of how many Tongans were in the US.

According to the 2010 census there are about 57,000 people of Tongan descent living in the United States and its territories.

They are the fourth largest group of Island descent in the US and live mainly in California, Hawai’i, Utah, Texas, Alaska and Nevada, as well as American Samoa.

Economy shrinks 

Tonga’s economy is expected to shrink by 3% in the current financial year and another 4% in the next financial year, according to the latest report from the Asian Development Bank.

The July edition of the ADB’s Pacific Economic Monitor said the Covid-19 pandemic had disrupted the  beginning of a recovery in tourism numbers following Cyclone Gita.

It said Covid-19 was the biggest economic challenge to Tonga in living memory and there was little the government could do to directly address the effects of the global economic slowdown.

Overall Pacific island economies were expected to contract by 4.3%, mostly due to travel restrictions severely restricting tourism flows.

Youth ‘traumatised’ 

Young Pasifika people are often traumatised by the their parents  clinging to their old culture and rejecting western ideas, according to the leader of a new youth help programme in Sydney.

“The parents hold on to all the old culture at all costs, pushing out the western ideas. And that’s actually, to some extent, traumatizing the young individuals because they’re more alone than ever before,” Uniting Church minister Rev. Mel Pouvalu said.

She said this was contributing to the numbers of  young people from Tonga, Samoa, the Cook Islands and other Pacific nations getting into trouble and not knowing where to get help when they did.

Rev. Pouvalu is supervising a new programme, The Restore Project, aimed at helping young people who are at risk.

Rev. Pouvalu said the problem would only get worse without Pacific people providing support.

Young people of Pacific descent, including Tongans and Samoans are statistically over-represented in crime and other problems and often end up in jail or on the streets.

Climate crisis 

The climate crisis facing Pacific island nations such as Tonga has not stopped because of Covid-19, an environmental leader has warned.

Genevieve Jiva from the Pacific Climate Action Network said the climate crisis remained the single greatest threat to the Pacific.

Tonga has experienced  more severe cyclones, continuing coastal erosion, sea level rises and the contamination of fresh water sources by sea water as a result of global warming.

This year’s Pacific Forum meeting has been  postponed and countries and environmentalists fear that with governments focused on the coronavirus pandemic momentum could be lost.

Climate advocates have called on Pacific leaders to continue action on climate change and keep the pressure on Australia to reduce its carbon emissions.

Ms Jiva said civil society groups would continue to lobby and carry out their climate advocacy work in the background.

 

Warriors players stuck in Australia as NRL officials call on NZ government to let them in

By
Kaniva Staff
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Warriors players Eliesa Katoa and Selestino Ravutaumada remain stranded in Australia.

They have been refused permission to travel back to New Zealand because they are not  New Zealand citizens.

Both have lived in New Zealand on work visas and Ravutaumada played for the Junior Kiwis rugby league team.

Neither will not be allowed back under the revised Covid-19 rules when the rest of the Warriors come home.

NRL head of government relations Jaymes Boland-Rudder has been negotiating with Prime Minister Jacinda Adern’s office for several weeks to get the bans lifted.

NRL officials were able to get exemptions in May for Warriors players, and later some family members, to travel to Australia for the 2020 competition.

Ravutaumada is Fijian, but cannot go to Fiji because he will not be able to receive the necessary treatment for a shoulder operation.

The club will decide to re-sign him depending on how he recovers from surgery.

Warriors CEO Cameron George has already assured the pair they would be put up at his family home if they were not allowed to return to New Zealand.

George said the two players had the appropriate visas to be in New Zealand and could demonstrate they were residents because they had been to school and lived there.

“What are we going to do? Drop them off and leave them on the shores of Australia?

“I call on the New Zealand government to review and reconsider this.”

The main points

  • Warriors players Eliesa Katoa and Selestino Ravutaumada remain stranded in Australia.
  • They have been refused permission to travel back to New Zealand because they are not New Zealand citizens.

Search underway for missing sea cucumber fishing boat in Ha’apai

By
Kalino Latu
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Search and rescue teams have scoured the Ha’apai seas for a missing sea cucumber diver since Tuesday night.

The missing fisherman was one of a group of 14 divers from Pātangata who travelled by three boats from Tongatapu for a sea cucumber fishing in Lulunga, Ha’apai.

Deputy Commissioner ‘Atunaisa Taumoepeau told TBC’s Television news the missing diver left the group in one of the boats heading to another island and he has not been heard from since.

That boat’s engine broke down after they left Tongatapu but it was fixed before they arrived in Ha’apai, he said.

Taumoepeau described the situation as “dangerous” because of the current severe weather warning for Tonga.

The news comes after about a fortnight ago when Police said they were concerned after a 60-year-old man died while diving for sea cucumbers at Koloa, Vava’u.

The deceased was the third within a week after two sea cucumber divers died in Tongatapu on July 6.

How these divers died was still unknown.

But critics have argued on social media that authorities haven’t done enough after it was clear death while diving for sea cucumbers has been reported from time to time since sea cucumber fishing began in 1980s.

In 2012 a diver died after using a method known as hookah diving while diving for sea cucumbers in Ha’apai.

That deceased was the third fisherman to die in a week.

Hookah diving uses an engine on a boat pumping compressed air to a diver below the surface.

Police said at the time the method was dangerous and illegal.

Man in hospital after early morning Lomaiviti two-vehicle crash

By
Kalino Latu
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A man was rushed to hospital this morning after a two-car crash on Hala Loto road near Lomaiviti.

An eyewitness said he was on his way to drop off his nephew at Tonga College when he was flagged down by onlookers and asking to take the man to hospital.

He claimed the victim was seriously injured.

He said the two vehicles suffered extensive damages.

Asked of the other vehicle’s passengers and driver the eyewitness said he did not have time to check on them.

Doctors, civil servants, RSE workers and patients priority on first flight from Auckland

By
Kaniva Staff
-

Medical staff, civil servants, RSE workers and Tongans who have been in New Zealand for medical treatment will be given priority on the first repatriation flight from Auckland on August 4.

Health CEO Dr Siale ‘Akau’ola said passengers would include doctors, nurses, police, soldiers, public servants including one Government CEO, who all remain on the government pay roll.

They were  being given priority because they were  needed in Tonga to support the repatriation work.

Seasonal workers who are experiencing social issues and stranded travelers would also be included.

Tongans with health problems who had been treated in New Zealand were also considered.

The names of the passengers chosen for next Tuesday’s flight was expected to be released today.

The Taliai military camp will house passengers from the New Zealand flight.

Dr ‘Akau’ola said the government’s priority was to keep Tonga free of Covid-19.

No transmission

This meant bringing people back from countries where there was no community transmission.

“We need our people to understand this,” he said.

He said there were Tongans being treated in India who needed to be returned, but this would  need to be looked at carefully.

“People who were brought back from India to Fiji were the ones with the virus, so it is an important area to look at,” he said.

Meanwhile, passengers from the first repatriation flight from Fiji are expected to end their quarantine on August 2.

About 2000 Tongans have registered online to be flown home.

The main points

  • Medical staff, civil servants, RSE workers and Tongans who have been in New Zealand for medical treatment will be given priority on the first repatriation flight from Auckland on August 4.
  • Health CEO Dr Siale ‘Akau’ola said passengers would include doctors, nurses, police, soldiers, public servants including one Government CEO, who all remain on the government pay roll.

Yacht ordered to leave Tonga by Friday after calling into Vava’u after electrical emergency

By
Kalino Latu
-

A yacht from Tahiti has been ordered to leave Vava’u by Friday and it may leave under navy escort.

The yacht, the Nadine,  was on its way to Fiji and entered Tongan waters without permission.

It is now anchored at sea at Vava’u’s Puatalefusi wharf.

Neiafu Town Officer Vāvā Lapota told Kaniva News this afternoon the yacht’s arrival on Sunday came as a surprise.

A family of five, a couple with three children, is on the boat. They told Vava’u authorities the yacht experienced electrical problems after bad weather and decided to put into Vava’u.

Lapota said the governor decided to allow them to stay in Vava’u until the electrical problem was resolved.

They were told they have to leave by this Friday. There was a plan to bring the Army’s patrol boats to escort the Nadine out of Tongan waters.

Lapota said the yacht has been strictly monitored by the Vava’u authorities and the passengers had been ordered to stay onboard. The Vava’u community had also been alerted about the yacht’s presence.

Yachts are allowed to apply for entry into Fiji  under the Blue Lane programme.

Port Denarau Marina has received more than 100 applications from yachts and superyacht owners wanting to travel to Fiji.

The Fijian Government said the borders would continue to be heavily scrutinised.

Yachts would be allowed in under strict conditions and approval was not automatic.

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