Home Blog Page 659

Climate change could wash away Tonga’s economic growth warns ADB

By
Philip Cass
-

Inflation will remain steady and the economy will grow in 2018, but Tonga’s economic future could be swept away by climate change, the Asian Development Bank has warned.

According to the ADB’s latest Pacific Economic Monitor, inflation will remain unchanged at 2.5% and the GDP will grow from 2.8% to 3.5% in 2018.

However, the ADB also warned that Tonga ranked second highest country (behind Vanuatu) at risk from natural disasters.

Tonga’s location exposed it to a higher chance of natural disaster.

Its placing was also determined by its ability to cope with a disaster and to adapt in the aftermath.

“Tonga is already experiencing the effects of climate change, as increasing variability in rainfall patterns is causing more severe flooding and droughts,” the Pacific Economic Monitor said.

“The rising ocean temperatures have led to coral bleaching and destroyed natural coastal barriers, and sea level rise is contributing to coastal erosion.

“These changes have increased the country’s exposure to disasters caused by climatic events, such as tropical cyclones and storm surges, which have inflicted significant economic losses.

“Tonga is also highly vulnerable to earthquakes and tsunamis because of its location and geology.”

The Monitor said Cyclone Ian had cost Tonga TP$55.5 million, or the equivalent of 12.5% of GDP.

The ADB said Pacific nations need to do more to adapt to more extreme weather conditions.

Changes were needed to mitigate disaster risks to improve the region’s economic growth and development prospects.

Tonga’s volcanic island could offer clue to how Red Planet formed

By
Philip Cass
-

A volcanic island that rose out of the sea off Tonga in 2014 may help NASA scientists who
want to understand how Mars formed.

It could also help determine whether there might have once been life on the Red Planet.

Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai emerged in December of that year and initially it was thought it would only last a few months.

However, the island has grown and changed shape and scientists think the chemical
composition of the rock has changed to make it more stable.

Now they think it could last for anything from six to 30 years.

NASA has been making 3D maps of the islands so it can understand erosion processes. The
American space agency will also undertake a chemical analysis of rock samples from the
island.

With the permission of the Tongan government, NASA recruited two French sailors who
were in Tongan waters in June this year to take photos and collect rock samples.

Research into Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai could help explain how similar features on other planets formed.

Chief scientist of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre, Jim Garvin, said it was thought there were volcanic eruptions on Mars at a time when large areas were covered in water.

“We may be able to use this new Tongan island and its evolution as a way of testing
whether any of those represented an oceanic environment or ephemeral lake
environment,” Garvin told Ellen Gray of NASA’s Earth Science news team.

Hot, wet, environments such as these, could be good places to look for evidence that there
had once been life on Mars.

Eruption

When Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai was born, it spewed large white plumes of ash high into the sky which could be seen clearly from Tongatapu, 60km away.

As Kaniva News reported at the time, flights from New Zealand and Australia and internal
flights were cancelled or diverted because of the eruption.

The Tongan government said volcanic activity south east of Hunga Ha’apai had been
reported by a fishing boat on the morning of December 20, 2014.

For more information 

NASA Shows New Tongan Island Made of Tuff Stuff, Likely to Persist Years

NASA satellites captured the formation of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai

Tonga’s fierce volcanic eruption disrupts flights across the South Pacific

Supreme Court declares Public Service Commission’s decision on CEO was unlawful

By
Philip Cass
-

The Supreme Court has declared that the Public Service Commission’s decision not to
appoint Mr. Ringo Fa’oliu as CEO of the Ministry of Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism was unlawful.

Lord Chief Justice Paulsen granted Mr. Fa’oliu leave to apply for a review of the
Commission’s decision of July 11, 2016 not to appoint him.

“In my view the interests of the parties and the public can be best advanced if the
Commission is now free to re-advertise the role of CEO for the Ministry,” Mr Justice Paulsen
said.

“Mr. Fa’oliu will of course be entitled to apply for the position on an even footing with all other applicants.”

The Supreme Court heard an appeal from Mr. Fa’oliu for a declaration that the decision of
the Commission not to re-appoint him as CEO was unlawful and directing the Commission
to consult with the Minister and appoint him as the CEO of the Ministry.

Fa’oliu was interviewed for the position in 2015 and was given to understand that his
appointment was imminent.

However, the Commission’s chairman, Mr. Liava’a, wrote to the Minister, saying that a
series of reports indicated that during Mr. Fa’oliu’s previous term as CEO, there had been failures to comply with procurement procedures, significant overpayments to
contractors and the inappropriate use of daily paid workers without regard for public
service policy or budget allocations.

The most serious finding was that Mr Fa’oliu had approved overpayments of nearly TP$ 1
million to contractors working on the Cyclone Ian Reconstruction Project in Ha’apai.

In August that year Mr Liava’a wrote to the Minister again, advising him that after
considering the reports the Commission had decided not to re-appoint Mr Fa’oliu.

A lengthy and complicated legal battle ensued, with, among other matters, the Commission
offering to reconvene the recruitment process. During this period the Commission
considered another report on the former CEO and used this as the basis for making a new
decision not to re-appoint him, a report of which Mr Fa’oliu was not immediately made
aware.

The Commission also obtained legal advice, which said that Mr Fa’oliu should be
reappointed, advice which it rejected.

Mr Fa’oliu asserted that since Mr Liava’a had chaired one of the enquiries that found against
him, he had a conflict of interest as chairman of the commission.

Lord Chief Justice Paulsen said this question of bias lay at the heart of his decision on the
case.

When Mr. Liava’a sat on the Committee that prepared one of the reports he agreed with findings that reflected badly on Mr. Fa’oliu’s fitness to be CEO of the Ministry, the judge said.

When he then sat on the Commission to consider Mr. Fa’oliu’s appointment he was likely to have already formed a view that Mr. Fa’oliu was not a suitable person to be reappointed to that role.

The judge said it could not be expected that Mr. Liava’a would impartially assess Mr.
Fa’oliu’s responses when he was directly challenging findings that Mr. Liava’a himself had made.

It was too much to expect that Mr. Liava’a would consider that what Mr. Fa’oliu had to say might be incorrect.

“I think any fair minded observer would conclude that Mr. Liava’a was likely to have had a biased disposition towards Mr. Fa’oliu,” the judge said.
However, despite finding the Commission had acted unlawfully, the judge issued a word of
caution.

“It cannot be denied that the information which the Commission had before it casts a
shadow over the prospect of Mr. Fa’oliu’s appointment,” he said.

“It is an unanswered question whether the Commission would have refused to appoint Mr.
Fa’oliu if Mr. Liava’a had not been involved. In light of the findings made against Mr Fa’oliu in the three reports it is quite possible that it might have done so.”

Kevini Maka’s family not satisfied with progress of investigation

By
Kalino Latu
-

The parents of Kevini Maka whose body was found in a waterway just about 100 metres away from his home in Pātangata said they were not satisfied with Police investigation reports.

As Kaniva News reported in September, Tonga Police have treated the 22-year-old’s death as suspicious after his body was pulled from the newly constructed waterway.

It followed with a Police investigation but no arrest has been made.

Kevini’s father Taupeamuhu and mother ‘Ofa Maka told us in an interview yesterday Police told them the investigation has stalled after investigators were unable to link forensic evidence and information provided to them by witnesses to a suspect.

Taupeamuhu said at one stage Police interviewed them together with 14 other witnesses.

He said what he gathered from some of these witnesses had led him to believe Police should have enough evidence to make an arrest.

“I do not know anything about how Police investigate but I can tell from what those witnesses had talked about Police should now held someone accountable for our son’s death,” Taupeamuhu said in Tongan.

Kaniva News was talking to the Makas yesterday at Tu’atākilangi while they were at a Design Service to pay for a banner to decorate their son’s cemetery in Talafo’ou.

‘Ofa said the decoration was part of a preparation for the Talafo’ou Day.

She said they updated Police from time to time whenever they got new information.

She said they were planning to see a lawyer to advise them on what they could do next as they really wanted justice for their son.

The Makas were originally from Talafo’ou but they are residing in Pātangata.

Police did not respond to our request for comment.

Non Party MPs should support PTOA and refrain from nominating a PM designate, says Pōhiva

By
Kalino Latu
-

Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva said nobles and non Democratic Party Members of Parliament
should support his Party and refrain from nominating any more Prime Minister designates.

Hon. Pōhiva said he understood the nine members of the nobles had been split on the idea.

The Prime Minister talked positively to some of the nobles including two newly elected
members of the nobility, Lord Fakafanua, a former Speaker of Parliament and Lord Vaha’i.

When Kaniva News pushed for Pōhiva to say if he would give these two MPs any ministerial
or governorship posts he said nothing has been decided yet.

He appeared to imply that if the Democrats became the next government the offices would
be filled with commoners in his Party and no nobles would be appointed, as happened in
2014.

After that election Hon. Pōhiva appointed Lord Ma’afu as Minister of Land and Survey as
well as Minister of His Majesty’s Armed Forces.

He also appointed Lord Fulivai as governor for Vava’u.

“I just wanted to show the nobility at the time we did not forget them when we got the power,” Hon. Pōhiva said.

The Prime Minister said in the past he could see there was a huge difference between a
commoner and a noble when they were elected to a government office. He claimed that in
some instances commoners had done better in government positions than nobles.

Calls for unity

The Prime Minister said he understood that after the snap election there were calls from
Tongan academics and even his critics for his Party to work together with the nobles and the other three people’s MPs, who were not members of his Party, to build the nation.

“Those calls should have been directed to the nobles and those three MPs not me and my
Party,” Hon. Pōhiva told Kaniva News.

He said the people spoke to the nation after the landslide victory that gave them 97 percent of the 17 seats for people’s representatives in Parliament.

“The people wanted us to continue with what we were doing before the dissolution of
Parliament,” Hon. Pōhiva said.

Campaign

He said some of his Party members, including the Niua 17 MP Vātau Hui and
Tongatapu 5 MP Losaline Mā’asi, alleged they had been promised money and high government offices by some members of the nobility if they left the PTOA and joined them under a Prime Minister designate of their own.

Hon. Pōhiva said he strongly trusted his Party’s 14 MPs elected in the last election stood firm for him.

As Kaniva News reported earlier today, MPs will vote on the Prime ministership on
December 18.

For more information

Election date for Tonga’s next Prime Minister confirmed

Election date for Tonga’s next Prime Minister confirmed

By
Kalino Latu
-

Tongan MPs will elect the country’s next Prime Minister on Monday, December 18, Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva has confirmed it to Kaniva News.

Hon. Pōhiva’s confirmation came after a press release from Parliament last week said, the Office of the Interim Speaker will announce the schedule for the election of the Prime Minister designate “after close of nominations.”

The Office has confirmed it has received one nomination for the Prime Minister designate.

“This nomination was received by the Chief Clerk, Gloria Pole’o, on Tuesday, December 5 at the about 3pm from Hon. Pohiva Tu’i’onetoa, Minister of Finance and National Planning and People’s Representative for Tongatapu Constituency 10.

“The nomination remains in a sealed envelope which has been placed into a secure box for
collection of nominations.

The nomination will be opened to reveal the name of the nominee for Prime Minister on the day of the meeting of all the elected Representatives to elect the Prime Minister designate.”

“Just reward” for a team that lit up the 2017 Rugby League World Cup

By
Philip Cass
-

Tonga is now in the top five rugby league nations.

The Mate Ma’a won four games in a row and came within one disputed try of tackling
Australia in the grand final.

The kingdom has already rewarded the Mate Ma’a with royal honours and now the Rugby
League International Federation has moved the team from 11 th place to fourth, a jump of
seven places.

Of the other Pacific nations, Fiji now sits in fifth place, with Samoa sixth and Papua New
Guinea 10th.

Federation chief David Collier described Tonga as one of the major movers in this year’s
competition who had “lit up” the World cup.”

Tonga head coach Kristian Woolf described the Mate Ma’a’s promotion as a “just reward”
for their efforts.

He said the Tongan team wants to challenge the three top teams again before the next
World Cup in 2021.

“It is something we want to continue, with the opportunity to be involved in more
international games in the future and the ability to compete against the top three nations,” Woolf said.

The top 10 Rugby League teams in the world are:
1. Australia
2. New Zealand
3. England
4. Tonga
5. Fiji
6. Samoa
7, Scotland
8. France
9. Lebanon
10. Papua New Guinea.

The main points

  • Tonga is now in the top five rugby league nations.
  • The kingdom has already rewarded the Mate Ma’a with royal honours and now the
    Rugby League International Federation has moved the team from 11th place to
    fourth, a jump of seven places.
  • Of the other Pacific nations, Fiji now sits in fifth place, with Samoa sixth and Papua
    New Guinea 10th.

For more information
Kiwis remain second in rugby league world rankings, Tonga rise to fourth

Tonga now one of the world’s best

New Tongan passports arrive as 200 passports remain unaccounted for

By
Kalino Latu
-

A shipment of new Tongan passports has arrived, a spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s
Office has confirmed to Kaniva News yesterday.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva said 200 Tongan passports from the original stock
of documents were unaccounted for.

He said an investigation was underway to find out what had happened to the missing
passports.

He said the investigation had been delayed by the recent snap election and preparations to
form the next government.

It is understood the passports disappeared before the passport stock ran out in August.

As Kaniva News reported in August, the Tongan government ran out of passports.

A spokesperson for Tonga’s Department of Foreign Affairs said the shortage was due to high local demand and from Tongans living overseas.

The replacement passports were originally due in October.

Task force

Hon. Pōhiva revealed that a task force had been set up to investigate the disappearance of the passports.

He said he had been told the investigation was almost complete.

This task force was different from the task force established by the government and operated by Tongan Police, to investigate Tongan passport scandals.

“The problem now is that we have to focus on the election of the Prime Minister and
forming of the new government,” Hon. Pōhiva said.

Māvaetangi’s award presented in Tonga after being graduated from AIS Auckland

By
Kalino Latu
-

Sēmisi Palaki Māvaetangi has successfully completed his Bachelor in Information Technology at AIS St Helens in Auckland, New Zealand.

But an award for his graduation was presented in Tonga on Wednesday during the Tongan Institute of Higher Education (TIHE) and Tongan Institute of Education graduation in Nuku’alofa at Queen Salote Memorial Hall.

Māvaetangi was among 400 graduates who had been awarded during the ceremony.

It is understood he requested his graduation ceremony to be made in Tonga.

Dr. Julia Hennessy, the president of AIS institutes was at the ceremony and she commended Māvaetangi’s award and the Tongan graduation ceremony.

“Auckland Institute of Studies shares a special partnership with TIHE so it was rewarding to be in Tonga when Mr Semisi Mavaetangi had his Bachelor of Information Technology degree confirmed at the ceremony.

Semisi completed his bachelor’s qualification at Auckland Institute of Studies before returning home to Tonga,” Dr. Hennessy said.

“Congratulations Tonga for continuing to raise the knowledge economy of your Kingdom.”

Mavaetangi went to Tonga College where he completed his Form 7 before completing a Diploma in Information Technology (DIT) at Tonga Institute of Higher Education (TIHE).

He just got a new job  as an IT Administrator at Digicel telecommunication.

“My job is to monitor users and internet usage of our customers, database, server admin and information security are the most useful modules that are applicable to the job in my field.”

The graduation’s Guest of Honour was Her Majesty Queen Nanasipau’u Tuku’aho.

Waste collection service for Vava’u and Ha’apai in new year thanks to Japanese aid

By
Philip Cass
-

Residents of Vava’u and Ha’apai will benefit from a waste collection service in the new year following the donation of five waste collection vehicles by the Japanese government.

Vava’u will have four of these vehicles which includes two collection waste vehicles, one dump truck, and one septic truck.

Ha’apai will receive one waste collection truck.

The Minister of Health, Hon. Saia Piukala, said the vehicles would help the government
establish a reliable waste management system.

“Waste Authority Ltd has successfully introduced effective waste management in
Tongatapu, but the outer islands have yet to experience the same advantage,” the Minister
said.

“These waste collection vehicles will be of great assistance to support the service in Vava’u and Ha’apai and to address waste management issues in the outer islands.

“We see the development of the outer islands as of great importance.”

Hon. Piukala said establishing a successful waste management system helped conserve the
environment, fight climate change and improved the wellbeing of Tongans.

The vehicles were funded by Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grass-roots Human Security
Projects and were handed over in the presence of the Japanese ambassador, Hi9s Excellency Tetsuya Ishii.

Waste management is a major concern in Tonga.

Last year a clean up in the Fangauta Lagoon area on Tongatapu collected more than 40
tonnes of metal, plastics and other non-biodegradable waste.

Several donor nations have been involved in waste management projects in Tonga.

Between 2004-2009 Australia spent $Aus9 million establishing a waste collection service in
the capital, setting up a landfill site and encouraging recycling.

The main points

  • Residents of Vava’u will benefit from a waste collection service in the new year
    following the donation of waste collection vehicles by the Japanese government.
  • The Minister of Health, Hon. Saia Piukala, said the vehicles would help the
    government establish a reliable waste management system.
  • The vehicles were funded by Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grass-roots Human
    Security Projects

For more information 
Waste management a priority concern for Tonga

1...658659660...968Page 659 of 968