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Sione Moala jailed for bar attack that left victim without an eye

By
Kaniva Staff
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Police acknowledge today’s sentencing of Sione Moala in the Auckland High Court, in relation to the wounding of man outside a bar in the central city in April 2016.

Moala was sentenced to two and a half years’ imprisonment after being found guilty of wounding with intent to injure and fighting in a public place.

He will not be eligible for parole.

Senior Sergeant Mark Clayton says the victim was approached by Moala, a man unknown to him, and in a senseless and unprovoked attack, was left with serious injuries.

These injuries were life-changing for the victim.

 “The victim, a father of a young child, has now lost an eye and his life will never been the same again.

He has been through a significant amount of trauma, both physical and emotional, as a result of this random, cowardly attack,” he says.

“This behaviour and such public place violence is unacceptable and can cause such immense harm to people and their families.

Today’s sentencing sends a message to people that this behaviour has serious consequences.”

Senior Sergeant Mark Clayton says he hopes today’s outcome will be able to bring some form of comfort and closure to the victim, after a long court process.

“We acknowledge and appreciate this has been a difficult time for the victim and his family.

We also want to acknowledge the Police investigative team for their hard work and dedication on this case.”

Auckland Anzac Day services to merge for safety

By
Kaniva Staff
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By Radio New Zealand

A number of Auckland’s Anzac Day services will not happen this year and will instead be merged with larger events around the city after consultation with police on security.

Armed police will be patrolling events and are working on security arrangements with RSAs and local councils.

RSA Auckland branch president Graham Gibson says there will be fewer services than the 84 services they had last year.

“We’re still working through it, so I don’t want to pre-empt anything.

“This is the greater area of Auckland and there’s a lot of services so we’re working through those very hard, we have been for the last seven days going through having consultation meetings and all that to work out what is the best and how it can be done.”

Mr Gibson said they would announce where the services are tomorrow.

Similar consolidated services are likely around the country.

Police have been providing an increased security presence since the 15 March attacks on two mosques in Christchurch.

Police assistant commissioner Mike Rusbatch has previously said there was no specific threat at Anzac Day services, but they would be providing a visible presence nationwide to reassure the public.

This story is republished under Kaniva’s content partnership with Radio New Zealand.

Fijian woman alleges Tongan couple trafficked her as slave in Australia

By
Kaniva Staff
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By AUSTRALIAN ASSOCIATED PRESS

A couple who travelled to work in Australia from Tonga ‘imported’ a live-in worker from Fiji because they felt a servant was missing from their lives, a Queensland court has been told.

Isikeli Feleatoua Pulini and Malavine Pulini are on trial for human trafficking and forced labour offences in relation to allegedly bringing a woman to work in their Brisbane home for about $250 per fortnight from 2008.

The couple pleaded not guilty to the trafficking and forced labour charges in Brisbane District Court on Monday but pleaded guilty to harbouring an unlawful non-citizen.

In his opening address, crown prosecutor Ben Power told the court the woman lived hidden from plain sight, with neighbours oblivious of her alleged forced labour in suburban Brisbane.

Mr Power told the court the alleged victim had initially worked as a domestic servant for the pair in Tonga in the early 2000s, earning about $90 to $170 a fortnight.

But in 2006 Mr Pulini and Ms Pulini secured work in Australia as a civil engineer and public servant respectively.

Mr Power said the couple felt like there was something missing from their lives after their arrival, and allegedly arranged for the woman to travel to Australia twice on a tourist visa.

Upon the woman’s second arrival in 2008, the Pulinis allegedly took her passport and said they would use it to get her an Australian visa.

Mr Power said the woman feared asking for her passport back and it was not returned until 2013, after it had expired.

He said the woman felt depressed as the years wore on, allegedly working on call around the clock, before she escaped in 2016.

The trial is expected to continue for most of the week.

Tribunal rules staying in New Zealand would be in best interests of woman and her children

By
Philip Cass
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The New Zealand Immigration and Protection Tribunal has ordered that a Tongan woman be granted a residence visa.

The woman arrived in New Zealand in 2011. She had been granted a limited general visa for one month to enable her to visit one of her brothers here. She was pregnant and  gave birth to her son in June 2011.   He is a   New Zealand citizen by birth.

The son’s father is a Tongan citizen with residence  in New Zealand.   The appellant applied for a further visitor visa in June 2011,  but her application was declined.  She has remained in New Zealand illegally since then.

She married another man in 2014, after giving birth to a child to him. The Tribunal was told her husband was frequently violent to her and her young son.

Subsequently she was granted a temporary protection order against her husband and a Family Court order preventing the daughter’s  removal from New Zealand. 

She later moved to live with her brother and his family.

The Tribunal was told the woman could not return to Tonga because she would have no means of independent financial support there. 

She had no qualifications and little work experience. Her parents were dead and her brother there could not provide her with financial support.

The Tribunal was told the woman and her daughter were an integral part of her brother’s  family unit in New Zealand. There was broad family support for them in New Zealand.

The Tribunal said that deporting the woman would clearly not be in the best interests  of her daughter. Her daughter had only lived in New Zealand and, as a New Zealand citizen, was  entitled to enjoy the benefits of the New Zealand education and health system.

The woman had considered leaving her daughter in New Zealand with family members, but did not want to be separated from her daughter.

The Tribunal ruled that the woman had exceptional circumstances of a humanitarian nature that would make it unjust or unduly harsh for her to be deported from New Zealand.

“The appellant has been living in New Zealand for eight years,” the Tribunal said.

“She has two New Zealand-citizen children and her family members, to whom she is close, are well-established here.

“Weighing the adverse public interest considerations (the length of the appellant’s unlawful status in New Zealand) against the public  interest considerations favouring the appellant remaining in New Zealand (her clear health status and good character, and family nexus to New Zealand, and the best interests of her two New Zealand-citizen children), the Tribunal is satisfied  that it would not be contrary to   the public interest to allow the appellant to remain in New Zealand.”

Former criminals to use life experiences to help young people in proposed boot camp

By
Philip Cass
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Five deportees from the United States will use their life stories to help other people.

The five men are Muli ki Fai’ana Vehikite, Vivili Moala,‘Ila Mo’unga, Kahuni Latu and Latu Liava’a.

The men will work with the Dare to Dream Foundation, which has been registered with the Registrar of Business and Societies in Nuku’alofa.

The Foundation is waiting for a Certificate of Registration.

The following people have been appointed to the board: Linda Tu’ihalangingie, Pelenatita Kara, Dr.  Veleveni Moala and Meleane Fatafehi Tuakalau.

“Tonga has entered a stage whereby, one can seriously doubt the future of its future generation,” a spokeswoman for the foundation said.

“Juvenile crimes as well as some juvenile social related issues have risen so high in the last couple of years, with no clear solution in sight.

“Issues such as drugs and alcohol abuse, teen pregnancy, early high school drop-outs and  teen prostitution are just some of the most pressing issues we face every day that directly affects the lives of our youth.”

The Foundation plans to offer troubled young people a six month boot camp to instill the  core  Tongan values  of  fefaka’apa’apa’aki (mutual respect), feveitokai’aki (sharing, cooperating and fulfilment of mutual obligations), lototō (humility and generosity) and tauhi vaha’a (loyalty and commitment).

“This will be the bedrock of any of the youth that will be undertaking our programmes,” the foundation spokeswoman said.

“No doubt, they will come out more wiser, matured and be more responsible.”

“We want to be sure that their self destructive behaviours are completely broken and they have completely recovered and have healed emotionally.

“We don’t want to fall into the traps of providing short term solutions with no real permanent positive effects.”

Young people who successfully complete the course will become members of the Foundation.

The main points

  • Five deportees from the United States will use their life stories to help other people.
  • The five men are Muli ki Fai’ana Vehikite, Vivili Moala,‘Ila Mo’unga, Kahuni Latu and Latu Liava’a.
  • The men will work with the Dare to Dream Foundation, which has been registered with the Registrar of Business and Societies in Nuku’alofa.

For more information

Help our deported children and fight drugs, Majesty tells Parliament in closing speech

Tonga struggling to accommodate criminal deportees

Norwegian prince will visit climate change affected areas during first visit to Tonga

By
Philip Cass
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The heir to the Norwegian throne will inspect parts of Tonga affected by climate change tomorrow.

Crown Prince Haakon Magnus will visit the Western District after a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Semisi Sika.

The Prince flew into Fua’amotu International Airport this afternoon on his first official visit to Tonga.

His visit to Tonga is the start of a tour of three Pacific nations, including Fiji and Samoa.

The tour is part of the northern European nation’s efforts to strengthen co-operation in oceans, climate change, peace and security.

The Prince is accompanied by Norway’s Minister of International Development Dag-Inge Ulstein.

Crown Prince Haakon and his delegation were welcomed by His Royal Highness Prince Ata, His Serene Highness Prince Tu’ipelehake, Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Semisi Sika, Secretary for Foreign Affairs Mahe Tupouniua and the Chief Secretary and Secretary to Cabinet Edgar Cocker.

Crown Prince Haakon will attend a reception hosted by King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipau’u this evening.

Crown Prince Haakon was born in July 1973 and is heir to the Norwegian throne.

He is married with two children.

He will leave Tonga tomorrow for Fiji and then visit Samoa.

Fisheries

Norway has a large fishing industry and has used its experience in this area to forge alliance in the Pacific.

Last year Norwegian fisheries minister Harald Nesvik asked Pacific island nations to help fight fishing crime, such as illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

Nesvik said small island countries were highly vulnerable to transnational organised fishing crime.

Last month a team of Norwegian fisheries and aquaculture scientists visited the Pacific to investigate areas of technical co-operation with Pacific Community members.

The main points

  • The heir to the Norwegian throne will inspect parts of Tonga affected by climate change tomorrow.
  • Crown Prince Haakon Magnus will visit the Western District after a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Semisi Sika.
  • The Prince flew into Fua’amotu International Airport this afternoon on his first official visit to Tonga.

For more information

Norway’s Crown Prince arrives in Tonga – first leg of a three-nation tour to the Pacific

http://www.gov.to/press-release/norways-crown-prince-arrives-in-tonga-first-leg-of-a-three-nation-tour-to-the-pacific/?fbclid=IwAR1mM218cmrbGQ5OYVGlIamFZGc-QCwlXaYIJLQE9P8FKXVSlbHtwMqjIEw

Norway calls on Pacific nations for support in fight against IUU

Norway calls on Pacific nations for support in fight against IUU

Insane haircutting technique involves lighting hair on fire

By
Kaniva Staff
-

This is the bizarre moment a barber set a customer’s hair on fire — on purpose — while giving him a haircut.

Footage shows the hairdresser ditching the scissors to use gel before using a lighter to set his hair on fire. The barber then used two combs to cut and style the flaming hair as the customer smiles nervously in the hot seat.

The strange styling technique, which was filmed at a salon in Chennai, south India, sees the hairdresser continue to brush the customer’s burning hair until the flame burned out after 12 seconds.

Apparently, the unusual technique has been growing in popularity across India over the past couple of years.

Customers are said to pay between $26 and $52 for the maverick haircut, with many salons offering the style without a license to keep up with growing demand, sources claim.

Pōhiva “in hospital but he is fine,” PM Office says

By
Kalino Latu
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Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva is “in hospital but he is fine,” his media spokesperson Lōpeti Senituli told Kaniva news last night.

It is understood the 77-year-old was diagnosed with pneumonia and is recovering.

In a previous interview Hon Pōhiva said his routine check-ups with his doctors showed he was healthy but he sometime felt the burden of his duties for the country.

Hon Pōhiva, who will turn 78 this Sunday, said he was often attacked by the Opposition in Parliament accusing him of his health conditions and claimed he was not fit medically to continue on his job.

“Kou longo pe au. Kou tala ange mou taki taha o tokanga’i ho’omou mo’ui. Kou sai pe au,” he said in Tongan.

This translates into English as: “I just kept silent. I told them look after yourself. I am fine.”

He said he was happy that he was not diabetic or suffered one of the diseases which links to diabetes-related conditions.

In January last year he was admitted into Vaiola hospital in a “stable condition.”

At the time, a spokesperson said Hon Pōhiva has been moved to the hospital’s intensive care unit to avoid being disturbed by visitors who arrived  to see him.

Court rules evidence did not prove driving causing death case beyond reasonable doubt

By
Philip Cass
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Acting Chief Justice Cato has acquitted a man charged with reckless driving causing death.

Ngana Tatafu  Folau ‘Alovili wa charged following an incident in late 2017.

The Supreme Court was told that on September 23 that year ‘Alovili was driving a car which hit and killed ‘Onesi Lino.

Police said ‘Alovili was speeding on Taufa’ahau road at Ha’ateiho and not paying proper care and attention.

Witnesses said ‘Alovili was speeding and there was no other car on the road at the time.

One witness said he saw the deceased get out of a vehicle in which he was a passenger and cross the road. He said it was about five seconds between getting out of the car and when he was hit.

Another witness said the area was brightly lit. He said he saw car approaching and because of the way it was moving he felt cared and ran out of it way. The witness admitted to drinking kava but denied being affected by it.

Another witness said he had been drinking vodka with Lino earlier in the evening and had dropped him off so he could continue drinking with some other friends who were going to pick him up.

After assessing the evidence, Acting Chief Justice Cato said he thought it probable that Lino had crossed the road and walked into the path of ‘Alovili’s vehicle.

He said he accepted that it was possible that ‘Alovili’s vision of Lino crossing the road had been blocked by a vehicle passing in an easterly direction shortly before the impact.

“The fact that there was no evidence of skid marks suggests to me also that the accused had no opportunity to take any evasive action and this suggests  to me that the deceased probably walked out into the  path  of the accused’s car without pausing to look,” the judge said.

He said the witnesses who suggested there was no passing car were being asked to reconstruct events that arose suddenly and it was highly unlikely they would be able to give a reliable account on whether a vehicle had passed by, when their attention would not have been focused on this.

“Because  I  am left in  a state of doubt on this point, the Crown has failed to convince me that the impact was anything more than a tragic accident as the deceased crossed the road,” the judge said.

“I cannot find beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused in these circumstances materially caused the impact. As such, the accused is not responsible for the deceased’s  tragic death and he is acquitted of the charge of  reckless driving  causing death.”

Breach upheld over Kiwi talkback host Heather du Plessis-Allan’s Pacific leeches comments

By
Kaniva Staff
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By Radio New Zealand

The Broadcasting Standards Authority has upheld a complaint against a presenter who described the Pacific Islands as leeches.

It found Newstalk ZB’s Heather du Plessis-Allan’s comments were inflammatory, devalued the reputation of Pasifika people within New Zealand and had the potential to cause widespread harm.

The Authority (BSA) ruled she breached the good taste and decency and discrimination and denigration standards.

NZME Radio was ordered to pay $NZ3,000 in costs and to broadcast a statement during Wellington Mornings with Heather du Plessis-Allan, summarising the BSA’s decision.

Her comments came during a discussion about the prime minister attending the Pacific Islands forum in Nauru, when she questioned the use of the visit.

“I mean, it’s the Pacific Islands,” she said. “What are we going to get out of them? They are nothing but leeches on us. I mean, the Pacific Islands want money from us. We don’t need money from them.”

In a follow-up broadcast, Ms du Plessis-Allan attempted to clarify her comments saying: “[some] chap … from the Green Party said I ‘casually dehumanised our Pacific peoples’. Oh my gosh. Did I? Or did I say the Pacific Islands? I don’t know, confusing people with islands?”

In acknowledging the important role talkback radio plays in cultivating discussion and debate about controversial ideas and opinions, the BSA noted this “does not mean anything goes or that the host is able to offend without censure.

“[On] this occasion we found the severity of the comments and their significant potential to cause harm, through distress and denigration, justified the upholding of these complaints and the restriction of the broadcaster’s right to freedom of expression. We consider that even in the talkback context these statements went too far.”

The BSA said Ms du Plessis-Allan was disingenuous in subsequently arguing that she had been referring to the Pacific Islands as leeches, rather than the people themselves.

“Countries are not just plots of land. They are the land and their people,” the Authority stated.

It noted the public condemnation of Ms du Plessis-Allan and acknowledged the Authority’s responsibility to reflect the values and attitudes of New Zealand.

This article is republished under Kaniva’s content partnership with Radio New Zealand.

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