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Kupesi Manulua appears on NZ Police first Pasifika car

By
Kalino Latu
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The Tongan kupesi Manulua was one the designs from various nations in the Pacific which appeared on New Zealand Police’s first Pasifika car.

The vehicle was launched at the 2019 Polyfest at Manukau Sports Bowl this morning.

It was unveiled by the Governor General Dame Patsy Reddy and Acting Minister of Pacific Peoples Carmel Sepuloni, along with the Police District Commander for Counties Manukau, Superintendent Jill Rogers.

The Pasifika Car was created to acknowledge the important relationship between New Zealand Police and the country’s Pasifika community.

Superintendent Jill Rogers says Pasifika peoples make a vibrant contribution to the increasing cultural diversity of Aotearoa, and are an integral part of the Tāmaki Makaurau and Counties Manukau community especially.

Manulua design

“With an estimated 200,000 Pasifika people living in Auckland, it’s important that we reach out to that community and connect with them,” she says.

“This car is a symbol that shows our dedication to do just that, and also New Zealand Police’s commitment to celebrate the communities we serve.”

District responsiveness advisor, Senior Sergeant Tafāfuna’i David Laumatia says it follows the success of the Pirihimana car.

“We are super excited about this car, we see it as a gift, a taonga, a mealofa, to our Pasifika  community to engage them and build relationships,” he says.

Last year, Police launched its Pasifika National Strategy, O Le Taeao Fou, to guide how Police will work with New Zealand’s Pasifika communities to deliver better outcomes for Pasifika peoples.

2018 also saw a record number of Pasifika recruits enter the workforce, with 49 recruits graduating.

“There are a lot of really positive initiatives and developments going on in this space, and this is just the latest.”

The car, dubbed Va’a, meaning Boat, includes key Pasifika symbols in its design, sourced from tapa, fine mats and tatau.

“Police recognise the social importance of tapa within our Pasifika communities, particularly in the form of gifting.

The car is our gift to the Pasifika community in the area.

The tatau design at the front and rear represents protection, guidance and strength.

Police will continue to be protectors of our Pasifika Communities and provide guidance and strength to our communities when needed,” Senior Sergeant Tafāfuna’i David Laumatia says.

The Va’a will be based in Counties Manukau but will be used for various community events, workshops, recruitment drives and career seminars around Tāmaki Makaurau, and throughout the country.

Nobles and Cabinet meeting deadlocked as gov’t blocks decision for another public consultation on new Bills

By
Kalino Latu
-

A meeting this morning to resolve a disagreement between the noble MPs and the Cabinet ministers in Parliament ended in deadlock. 

The nobles continued boycotting Parliament this morning after the government refused to conduct another public consultation on six new Bills and amendments to the constitution.

The government was expected to table the Bills in Parliament this afternoon.

In his opening statement to the House, the Speaker, Lord Fakafanua, said the meeting between the nobles and ministers had not reached any solution.

He said another meeting between the two parties was expected soon.

Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva used the urgency law to block any decision by Parliament to allow another public consultation on the new Bills.

Hon. Pōhiva told the House the government had fulfilled all legal requirements before the new Bills and amendments were to be submitted to the House.

He said Acting Attorney General ‘Aminiasi Kefu had informed the public during the radio talk back public consultation that people who did not have a chance to have their say on the new Bills could submit their concerns to Parliament.

Vava’u 15 MP Samiu Vaipulu pleaded with the government to accept the nobles’ request and allow another public consultation when the Bills were submitted to the House.

The House was told that once the Bills were tabled in Parliament the law automatically allowed Parliament to decide whether or not to conduct another public consultation.  

Government blocks public consultation

However, the Speaker warned that the law also governed whether Members of Parliament could decide on whether or not to hold a public consultation.

He said if the government submitted the Bills with a letter signed by the Prime Minister saying these Bills were “urgent,” this meant the House would not have the power to make that decision.

The Speaker asked the government benches what it would do when the Bills would be submitted.

In response, the Prime Minister said the government would submit the Bills with a report and a letter from him saying the Bills were urgent.  

The Chair then moved on a motion from the Prime Minister to postpone the Parliament’s session until March 27 before it closed on March 28. Today was the last day for the Parliament sessions.

Hon. Pohiva said this would allow the House to fulfill debates and voting on these Bills.

The motion was carried 15-2.

The main points

  • A meeting this morning to resolve a disagreement between the noble MPs and the Cabinet ministers in Parliament ended in deadlock. 
  • The nobles continued boycotting Parliament after the government refused to conduct another public consultation on six new Bills and amendments to the constitution.
  • The government was expected to table the Bills in Parliament this afternoon.

For more information

Seven noble MPs vow not to return to Parliament unless motion is tabled, but independents return to House

Seven noble MPs vow not to return to Parliament unless motion is tabled, but independents return to House

By
Kalino Latu
-

Seven members of the nobility did not return to Parliament this morning after they walked out of it yesterday.

The Speaker, Lord Fakafanua, one of the nine noble representatives in the House returned this morning and reported his other colleagues’ absence.

The other noble MP who was present at the House was Lord Ma’afu, the Minister of Lands and Survey and His Majesty’s Armed Forces.

The Speaker said the nobles would not return unless Parliament agreed to a request by Lord Nuku to include meetings with the public in a consultation process the government is conducting on six new Bills and amendments to the constitution.

Despite the absence of the seven noble MPs, the House conducted business as normal today.

Three independent MPs who joined the nobles’ walk-out yesterday returned to the House this morning.

The government is conducting the public consultation by using a talk back show on Radio Tonga One and Radio FM 87.5.

Lord Nuku insisted that the people wanted to meet and talk with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Justice about the Bills.

As Kaniva Tonga news reported yesterday, Lord Fakafanua told the House that Parliament had no right to make any decision on how the government should conduct the consultation process.

He said it was up to the government to choose what type of consultation process it wanted to use to consult with people on the Bills.

The Prime Minister echoed the same statement in the House.

As we reported earlier, the walk-out was staged yesterday afternoon after the Chair of the Whole House Committee, Veivosa Taka, refused to bring the work of the committee into Parliament so that Lord Nuku’s motion could be tabled.

The Prime Minister told the House the Acting Attorney General was talking to the public over the phone answering questions about the Bills.

Kefu said on the Radio three of the Bills were special amendments to allow other three new Bills to be processed.

These were the:

Tonga Police Amendment) Bill 2019-03-12

Magistrate’s Court (Amendment) Bill 2019-03-12

National Spatial Planning and Management (Amendment) Bill 2019.

Allegations about king’s powers

Kefu said on the radio there was allegation that the Bills were meant to remove the king’s powers, but that was not true.

He said that under Tongan law, if the government wanted to remove any powers of the king, the process must seek the king’s consent.

He said one of the new Bills was intended only to replace the panel which elected the Supreme Court judges, Magistrates, Attorney General and Director of Prosecutors.

The government wanted to move that authority from the Privy Council’s
 Judicial Appointments and Discipline Panel to the Law Commission.

The king maintained his power to appoint the Supreme Court Judges, Magistrates, Attorney General and the Public Prosecutor, Kefu said.

The new Bills are:

Constitution of Tonga Amendment Bill 2019.

Constitution of Tonga Amendment Bill 2019 No. 2.

Judicial and Legal Service Commission Bill 2019.

The main points

  • Eight members of the nobility did not return to Parliament this morning after they walked out of it yesterday.
  • The Speaker, Lord Fakafonua, one of the nine noble representatives in the House, was the only noble MP who returned this morning.
  • Despite the absence of the eight Noble MPs, the House conducted business as normal today.

For more information

Noble and Independent MPs walk out, but work of  Parliament continues as normal

Noble and Independent MPs walk out, but work of Parliament continues as normal

Funeral service for Adiloa Fifita Lātū to be held tomorrow

By
Kalino Latu
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Former Finland Honorary Consul to Tonga ‘Atiloa Fifita Lātū will be remembered at a āpō  in Tongatapu this evening.

A farewell prayer service will be held tomorrow morning at 7am before she would be laid to rest at Telekava cemetery. .

Fifita Lātū aged 59 died suddenly last week on March 5.

Prayer services conducted by various groups of friends and kāinga had been ongoing at her residence since her death.

The former renowned business woman’s funeral will be held in her daughter’s home village of ‘Ananā.

It was expected to be attended by family, kāinga, friends and government representatives.

On March 6 Tonga Parliament observed a minute’s silence in memory and honour of Fifita Lātū.

The House was told Fifita Lātū was a member of the diplomatic corps and always attended the Legislative Assembly’s opening and closing sessions as part of her capacity as the consul of Finland in Tonga.

Tributes continued to flow in on social media following her death.

“RIP Adiloa. I will miss your beautiful welcoming smile every time I visit your shop. So humbling that you take the time out of your busy day to catch up. I’m glad I bought my gas stove n oven from you last year. Ko’eku tauhi ‘ofa ia kia koe. You’re home now!” a commentator wrote.

“Rest in Peace Adiloa Fifita Latu …really sad but your in a Good place now pray for us and muj love to you Rita Prema in this difficult times..Love and prayers,” another wrote.

“You are missed by many! Rest in love Adiloa Fifita Mad love to Rita Prema ❤ its not gonna be the same seeing you in the store or where we always bump in to each other !!! Toka ihe nonga moe fiemalie ae EIKI ?? till we meet again on the other side ? you was an beautiful loving Soul inside & out,” another Facebook user wrote.  

As Kaniva reported last week, Fifita Lātū owned two One-Stop-shops at One Way road in Nuku’alofa which sold clothing, shoes, fabric, giftware, homeware, hardware and jewellery for more than two decades.

Fifita Lātū was the first person to hold Finland’s honorary consul position in Tonga since 2014.

She is survived by her husband ‘Atonino Lātū and two children from a previous marriage.

She previously married to businessman Naran Prema.

Noble and Independent MPs walk out, but work of Parliament continues as normal

By
Kalino Latu
-

The nobles and three Independent MPs walked out of Parliament  this afternoon after the Chair of the Whole House Committee, Veivosa Taka, refused to bring the work of the committee into Parliament so that a motion by Lord Nuku could be tabled.

The walk-out failed to stop the work of the House as it still had a quorum and the session continued with 13 MPs including the Chair.

It is understood Lord Nuku insisted that the House should discuss how a public consultation on six new government Bills should be conducted.

However, Chairman Taka reiterated what Speaker Lord Fakafanua told the House on March 6, that the Parliament had no right to make any decision on how the government should conduct the consultation process.

“These laws belong to the government. The Minister of Justice said they would work on a public consultation process. That is not work to be done by the Parliament. And it is not part of the Law Committee’s guidelines,” Lord Fakafanua told the House in Tongan.

However, Lord Nuku warned Chairman Taka after the House returned from a break at 3pm that if he did not agree with his request, he and his noble colleagues would walk out.

The nine noble MPs were joined by Independent MPs Samiu Vaipulu of Vava’u 15, MP Tevita Lavemaau of ‘Eua 11 and MP Siaosi Sovaleni of Tongatapu 3.

As Kaniva news reported earlier today, a heated debate erupted in the House before the MPs left.

The government submitted six Bills to Parliament which were labelled urgent by Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva. Hon. Pohiva withdrew the Bills last week, apparently so the public could be consultd on them.

The government conducted a radio talk back show this week as part of the public consultation process.

Lord Fusitu’a asked the Prime Minister in the House whether these Bills had anything to do with the power of the king and Hon. Pohiva agreed that they did.

The Prime Minister told Lord Fusitu’a the constitution allowed them to submit these Bills.

It is understood that the Acting Attorney General ‘Aminisiasi Kefu told a talk back show yesterday there was nothing in the Bills which suggest removing any powers of the king.

The Acting Attorney General was responding to questions from the public during the show about whether the new Bills and amendments to the constitution were meant to remove the kings’ power.

The main points

  • The nobles and three Independent MPs walk out of Parliament  this afternoon after the Chair of the Whole House Committee, Veivosa Taka, refused to bring the work of the committee into Parliament so that a motion by Lord Nuku could be tabled.
  • The walk-out failed to stop the work of the House as it still had a quorum and the session continued with 13 MPs including the Chair.

For more information

Noble and Independent MPs walk out of Parliament, reports say

Noble and Independent MPs walk out, but work of Parliament continues as normal

Tonga joins Australia’s Pacific Labour Scheme

By
Kaniva Staff
-

By Radio New Zealand

Australia has announced Tonga has officially joined its Pacific Labour Scheme.

The government said Tonga’s entry into the scheme will provide more Tongans access to skills development opportunities, while also helping fill labour shortages in rural and regional Australia.

Tonga has participated in the Seasonal Worker Programme for a number of years, providing almost half of the 31,000 workers since 2012.

Tonga will now join Kiribati, Nauru, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu in the revamped Pacific Labour Scheme.

Workers can undertake non-seasonal work in rural and regional Australia for up to three years.

The Pacific Labour Scheme started last July.

The government said the scheme is now uncapped and will be expanded to include more Pacific countries and Timor-Leste in the future.

Flight forced to turn around after mother forgets baby in Saudi Arabia

By
Kaniva Staff
-

A forgetful mother has caused a flight emergency in Saudi Arabia.

The mum was on board Saudia Flight SV832 from Jeddah to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia when she realised she was missing something – her baby.

The infant had been left at the boarding gate as the plane took off.

The pilot radioed back to air traffic control in Jeddah to tell them he was heading back.

Audio of the exchange has been posted on YouTube, reports Gulf News.

At one stage the pilot says: “We told you, a passenger left her baby in the terminal and refuses to continue the flight.”

“Ok, head back to the gate”, said the controller. “This is totally a new one for us!”

Japan calls up Mafi despite assault charges in New Zealand

By
Kaniva Staff
-

(AP) Amanaki Mafi, who is facing assault charges in New Zealand, has been called up to Japan’s extended Rugby World Cup training camp.

The Japan Rugby Football Union announced the selection on Monday, and said it would reconsider the 29-year-old backrower’s involvement depending on how the legal proceedings progress.

Mafi was charged with intent to injure former Melbourne Rebels teammate Lopeti Timani after a Super Rugby game against the Highlanders in Dunedin last July.

He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

He was fined by the Rebels for breaching team protocol and later moved from Australia to Japan, where he resumed playing for Shining Arcs in November after a brief suspension imposed by the Top League club.

Mafi, who was born in Tonga, made four appearances for Japan in the 2015 Rugby World Cup in England, including the upset victory over two-time champion South Africa. Japan is hosting the World Cup, which kicks off in September.

Supreme Court finds former public servant guilty “beyond reasonable doubt” of fraud

By
Philip Cass
-

The Supreme Court has convicted former public servant Viliami Latu of one charge of fraud.

On the first count, Latu was charged that on June 20, 2017, while employed as a Government servant at the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, he made false entries in the Main Cash Book with intent to defraud.

On the second count, he was charged that between September 2016 and June 2017, at Neiafu, he fraudulently converted to his own use $1200 entrusted to him by virtue of his employment  as a Government servant.

Lord Chief Justice Paulsen said Latu began working at the Vava’u branch of the Ministry of Finance and National Planning in 2015. The office handles the public revenue  and disbursements of Government Ministries operating at Vava’u.

Latu was the second in command in the office. He was the Senior Accounting Officer and had duties which included checking vouchers for payment of Government debts, maintaining leave and attendance records and maintaining and balancing the Main Cash Book which recorded the total of all revenue and expenses each month. 

“Latu was a senior Government servant who was familiar with the rules and procedures which applied to the receipt and expenditure  of Government  money and the maintenance of the office’s records relating to it,” the judge said.

“He understood that  he  was required  to maintain  accurate  records and of  the importance of doing  so.”

Another  employee  in  the  office,  Lesieli  Halafihi, has already been convicted of taking government money that was under her control. On occasions Latu asked Halafihi to give him money from her drawer. Miss. Halafihi gave him the money when he requested it and he spent it for his personal needs.

Lord Chief Justice Paulsen said Latu  was  a  poor  witness  and gave different explanations in his record of interview and his evidence of the reasons he made the entries as he did.

“However, he generally maintained that the entries were, to his mind at least, not false and had been completed correctly in accordance with his understanding of what was required,” the judge said.

“He also said that it was usual that the Main Cash Book was given to the Sub-Treasurer to confirm that it was correct after he had prepared it.

“Despite his senior position and  experience, in  the unusual circumstances  of  this case it has not been proven beyond reasonable doubt that Latu wilfully made false  entries intending  to defraud  any person  by them.”

Lord Chief Justice Paulsen found Latu not guilty on the first charge.

On the second charge, the judge said he was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that as a Government servant Latu had fraudulently converted to his own use TP$1,200 of Government money.

He was therefore found guilty on the second charge.

The main points

  • The Supreme Court has convicted former public servant Viliami Latu of one charge of fraud.
  • On the first count, Latu was charged that on June 20, 2017, while employed as a Government servant he made false entries in the Main Cash Book with intent to defraud.
  • On the second count, he was charged that between September 2016 and June 2017, he fraudulently converted to his own use $1200 entrusted to him as a Government servant.

Parramatta stand down Peni Terepo over alleged drunken behaviour on flight from Tonga

By
Kalino Latu
-

Tongan rugby league player Peni Terepo has been stood down by the Paramatta Eels for allegedly abusing Air New Zealand staff in an alcohol-fuelled incident on a flight from Tonga to Auckland on Saturday night.

Police had been called to escort him off the plane.

The Parramatta Eels has released a statement today saying they have been made aware of an alcohol related incident involving Terepo from the weekend in New Zealand.

It said the Club has stood Terepo down immediately, including this week’s Round 1 game against Penrith.

The Club will now work with the relevant authorities in New Zealand, the NRL Integrity Unit and the RLPA to investigate the incident thoroughly.

This process will then guide our next steps.

The Club will make no further comment until the investigation is completed.

At the end of 2011, Terepo won the Eels NYC Player’s Player award.

The news came two years after the  Eels had stood down Terepo in 2017 after he pleaded guilty at Auckland District Court to careless driving and refusing to give a blood alcohol test.

Terepo was later fined $500 and $130 in court costs as well being disqualified from driving for seven months. He was almost sacked from the club for not reporting the incident but instead was fined $15,000 for the club.

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