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Prayer service held in NZ  for Tongan teenager who died in Australia

By
Kalino Latu
-

A prayer service was held in South Auckland last night to remember a Tongan male teenager who was killed in a car accident in Australia on Sunday morning.

Tupou Lātū Taulanga,18, died after a utility and a sedan collided while travelling on the Sturt Highway near the intersection of Tarpaulin Road, 35km west of Euston, about 6.45am, Police said.

His maternal family and relatives from Hāʻano, Pukotala, Haʻapai held a failotu for the deceased in Mangere.

A family spokesperson said some family members are travelling to Australia to attend the funeral services next week.

The driver of the deceased’s car and a second male passenger sustained critical injuries.

It’s believed that one of the vehicles had swerved to miss a kangaroo, according to Mildura Independent online.

Maria Ienco, 67, the driver and sole occupant of the other car died at the scene, Sunraysia Daily reported.

“Taulanga attended Robinvale P-12 College and has been remembered as an avid sportsman and talented member of his school’s brass band”, the paper said.

No illusions about challenge of elections, says candidate Manase Lua

By
Philip Cass
-

Six candidates from New Zealand’s Pacific communities will stand in general seats for the Maori Party in the national elections.

They are standing in areas with strong Labour support and in some cases against sitting Labour MPs with Pacific backgrounds, including Jenny Salesa and Aupito Su’a William Sio.

The candidates include Pakilau o Aotearoa Manase Lua, who is of Tongan descent and is  standing for Maungakiekie.

Maungakiekie has a strong Pacific population, but also has a 24 percent Asian as well as European and Maori.

“We are going to go hammer and tongs to do as best we can with this campaign and we are under no illusion that it’s a huge challenge and it’s a battle because we are fighting in Labour strongholds,” Lua told Radio New Zealand.

“Our people are strongly loyal to Labour and that is all good but we will still put our policies out and if it appeals to people, it appeals to people.”

Lua, who has worked in the public service at the Ministry of Pacific Island Affairs and Ministry of Health Disability Services Directorate, said he encouraged people to vote in this year’s election.

He said he was encouraging people, especially youth, to engage in this year’s election and vote.

The other candidates are:

Tuilagi Saipele Esera (Samoan heritage), Manukau East.

Tofilau Esther Tevaga-Tofilau (Samoan heritage), Mangere.

Karen Williams (Cook Islands heritage), New Lynn.

Maryanne Marsters (Cook Islands heritage), Napier Electorate.

John Kiria (Cook Islands heritage), Mt Roskill.

Dr Joe Williams, Co-Leader of One Pacific, said the election offered a chance to strengthen links with Maori.

Māori Party president Tukoroirangi Morgan said the selection of candidates demonstrated the unity of Maori and Pacific people.

Last month the Maori Party entered an agreement with One Pacific that allowed One Pacific to nominate up  to nine candidates to contest the election.

The main points

  • Six candidates from New Zealand’s Pacific communities will stand in general seats for the Maori Party in the national elections.
  • They are standing in areas with strong Labour support and in some cases against sitting Labour MPs with Pacific backgrounds, including Jenny Salesa and Aupito Su’a William Sio.
  • The candidates include Pakilau o Aotearoa Manase Lua, who is of Tongan descent and is standing for Maungakiekie.

For more information 

One Pacific candidates announced for Maori Party 

Maori Party officially announces six Pasifika candidates

New Tongan bar and catering centre to open in South Auckland

By
Kaniva Staff
-

The Velata Dining and Take Away restaurant will officially open a new catering centre and bar tomorrow Saturday 22 in Ōtāhuhu.

The new facility will ensure the freshest and highest quality meals are served to customers, the owner Va’a Talia’uli said.

It can be hired for social functions and special events such as birthday, wedding and family celebrations.

The centre at the corner of Mason Avenue and Atkinson Avenue could house 150 – 200 people.

It will open for diners at 6pm – 9pm on Wednesday to Sunday.

The Take Away and Dining restaurant opens seven days a week from 10am – 9pm as normal.

Tongan food including lū sipi, pulu māsima and ʻota ika are top of the menu.

The business was expanded one year after the dining and take away hub opened in 2016.

The restaurant had been proved very popular with the Tongan community in South Auckland shortly after it was launched prompting the owner to extend its closing hours until 9pm.

The launch ceremony tomorrow will begin at 5pm.

Sevele’s City Assets refuses to sign contract for Chinese loan, Parliament told

By
Kalino Latu
-

Lord Sevele and his City Assets business have rejected a demand from the Tongan government to sign a contract to make sure he is obliged to pay back the money he borrowed to rebuild his business after the 2006 riot.

Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva told Parliament five companies, including Lord Sevele’s, borrowed a total of $TP42 million from money the government borrowed from China.

A Parliamentary report in 2012, led by Hon. Pohiva and former MP Dr Sitiveni Halapua, revealed Lord Sevele’s business City Assets business, formerly known as Molisi Tonga Ltd, was allowed to borrow money from the Chinese loan without Parliament’s approval.

Other companies which drew on money to repay the Chinese loan, including Tungi Colonnade and Royco, have already signed the contract.

The TP$118 million Chinese loan was made to help reconstructed businesses which were burned down during the riot.

Hon. Pohiva said the interest of the loan had now reached $TP20 million and the Tongan taxpayers were paying it.

He said the government was concerned that these companies had only managed to pay back TP$1.1 million instead of the TP$6 million required according to the contract.

Hon. Pohiva said while they were trying to resolve the problems of late payments, Lord Sevele was “evasive” and did not want to sign the agreement.

According to the Parliament’s minute of June 27, the Prime Minister said, in Tongan: “Anga fēfē ‘etau feinga’i e me’a ko ení ‘ikai ke fie fakamo’oni ia kalo ia mei he me’a ko ení.”

The loan from China is guaranteed by the government and it was the government that had to deal with China in anything regarding the loan, not these businesses, Hon. Pohiva said.

He said these companies could not pay the interest on time and there was a late payment of TP$6 million pa’anga.

Hon. Pohiva said in the current financial year the taxpayers will pay China TP$27 million for the loan.

He told the House Tonga has already paid TP$20 million, while the companies only paid $TP1.1 million.

He said it was Lord Sevele’s government which had secured the loan and it was his government that allocated how the loan should be spent.

The Prime Minister was repeatedly interrupted in the House by Lord Nuku, who told the Prime Minister he should not have named Lord Sevele.

The noble said he should have only referred to Lord Sevele’s business.

Lord Nuku also asked Hon. Pohiva to think about who burnt down Nuku’alofa.

He said if the capital was not burned down Tonga would not have secured such a huge loan from China.

Parliamentary report

The 2012 Parliamentary report was set up to investigate how the Chinese loan was spent.

It revealed Lord Sevele’s business City Assets business, which was formerly known as Molisi Tonga Ltd, was allowed to borrow money from the Chinese loan for its reconstruction without Parliament’s approval.

The report said the allowances made for Lord Sevele over the loan were not publicised in Parliament and money for the City Assets building was simply embedded in the Government Budget of May 2011.

The report said unconstitutional decisions made by the Nuku’alofa Development Corporation (NDC), chaired by Sevele, included alteration of the loan’s terms and conditions without referring it to Parliament for further discussion and adoption.

It said the amount of money that went to Lord Sevele far exceeded the $TP15 million limit and should have been approved by Parliament.

At the time Lord Sevele denied in an interview with Television Tonga conducted by former TBC boss Nanisé Fifita, there had been any misappropriation or wrong doing regarding the loan.

He said he informed Parliament about the variation, although he did not seek resolutions to formally approve those variations.

The main points

  • Lord Sevele and his City Assets business have rejected a demand from the Tongan government to sign a contract to make sure he is obliged to pay back the money he borrowed to rebuild his business after the 2006 riot.
  • Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva told Parliament five companies, including Lord Sevele’s, borrowed a total of $TP42 million from money the government borrowed from China.
  • A Parliamentary report in 2012, led by Hon. Pohiva and former MP Dr Sitiveni Halapua, revealed Lord Sevele’s business City Assets business, formerly known as Molisi Tonga Ltd, was allowed to borrow money from the Chinese loan without Parliament’s approval.
  • The TP$118 million Chinese loan was made to help reconstructed businesses which were burned down during the riot.

For more information 

Tonga Chief Justice rejects Lord Sevele’s judicial review application

State of emergency after Tongan riots (The Guardian, 2006)

Chinese loan for Tongan capital questioned (ABC, 2012)

Despite talk of sustainable energy and transport, Vava’u faces benzene shortage

By
Philip Cass
-

Only a few months after Tonga hosted a regional conference of energy ministers based around the theme of “affordable, reliable and sustainable energy and transport services for all,” Vava’u has almost run out of benzene.

Pacific Energy Tonga manager Paula Taufa said he expected the MV ‘Otuanga’ofa to arrive tomorrow at Neiafu with 10,000 litres of benzene.

There is still plenty of oil and diesel on Vava’u , Pacific Energy Ltd said today.

Last year the island almost ran out of fuel completely  in September and as Kaniva News reported at the time, the shortage threatened to shut down the local tourist industry.

The government hired a ship in Singapore to bring fuel to the island.

It eventually arrived in October, 230,000 litres of petrol and 340,000 litres of diesel.

Last year President of the Vava’u Tourism Association, Calvin Schumaker told Radio New Zealand the island usually experienced “one fuel shortage per year (for) a couple of days.”

Matangi Tonga quoted one tour operator today as saying he had managed to find benzene left over from last year.

Pacific Energy owns the only fuel depot on the island and is the sole supplier of fuel.

The newspaper quoted a spokesperson from the Ministry of Tourism saying the depot was too small for the needs of the island.

Taufa said the disruption to supplies had been caused by the delay of tanker sailing from Fiji.

In recent years the Tongan government has promoted the development of tourism on Vava’u, but Dolphin Pacific Diving Alistair Coldrick manager told Matangi Tonga the government and energy companies had failed the island and its businesses.

The main points

  • Only a few months after Tonga hosted a regional conference of energy ministers based around the theme of “affordable, reliable and sustainable energy and transport services for all,” Vava’u has almost run out of benzene.
  • Pacific Energy Tonga manager Paula Taufa said he expected the MV ‘Otuanga’ofa to arrive tomorrow at Neiafu with 10,000 litres of benzene.
  • Last year the island almost ran out of fuel completely in September.

For more information

Crisis in Vava’u as fuel runs out (Kaniva News)

Tonga’s Vava’u running on empty (RNZ)

Brawl erupts in Taiwan Parliament

By
Kaniva Staff
-

A debate over how billions of dollars for an infrastructure development plan will be allocated descended into a brawl in Taiwan’s parliament on Tuesday.

Members of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party and the opposition Nationalist party threw water and shoved each other to the floor.

Proudly democratic Taiwan’s legislators are notoriously rambunctious and known for brawls that occasionally involve throwing objects such as microphones and water balloons.

Fights in parliament are seen as one way for the opposition to show voters that it stands tough on issues.

Parliamentary debate descending to physical violence is hardly an issue unique to Taiwan, with legislators in many countries including Turkey, Ukraine and South Korea also having come to blows in the past.

The DPP-backed Infrastructure Development Programme was approved this month and is aimed at bolstering domestic demand and rebalancing the island’s economy away from its reliance on exports.

The $12.6 billion plan was only half the size of the original stimulus plan announced by the cabinet in March, part of the DPP’s political compromise to get it through parliament.

Opposition lawmakers had criticized the original plan as going beyond the four-year term limit of Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen and her party.

The fracas was fuelled by a disagreement over how the funds should be allocated.

-Euronews

Man in critical condition after street race on Hihifo Road

By
Kalino Latu
-

A man was in critical condition at Vaiola hospital after an accident which occurred on Sunday morning July 16 on Hihifo Road.

Police believed speeding and alcohol were factors in the incident.

The victim’s car collided with an oncoming vehicle.

The driver of the other vehicle involving in the race fled the scene.

The victim was from Houma and he sustained head injuries following the accident, according to Police.

Police investigation continues.

Life sentence possible for Mangere man in court over daughter’s death

By
Philip Cass
-

A man charged with manslaughter over the shooting death of his daughter could face life imprisonment.

Life is the maximum sentence for the crime.

In June last year Tania Shailer and David Haerewa were jailed for 17 years for the manslaughter of three years-old Moko Rangitoheriri.

Gustav Otto Sanft, who is of Tongan descent, appeared in the High Court yesterday  following the death of his two years-old daughter in a shooting incident.

He appeared before Mr Justice Geoffrey Venning.

The trial is expected to last three weeks.

Sanft, 26, has pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a pistol, as the sawn-off shotgun was technically classified.

It was reported last year that he also faced charges of possessing cannabis for supply.

The High Court was told that Amokoura Daniels-Sanft died after she was shot in the head at close range with a sawn-off shotgun on June 2, 2016.

She was in the drive way of the family home at the time of the incident.

The court was told Sanft aimed the gun at his daughter’s head because he was frustrated that she was jumping on some couches.

The family was moving house at the time.

The house in Favona Rd, Mangere, was occupied by Gustva Otto Sanft, Amokoura Daniels-Sanft, her three siblings and their mother Julia Daniels.

The Crown alleges that Sanft was responsible for his daughter’s death, but did not mean to harm her.

Sanft’s defence argued the gun had fired accidentally.

The day before the incident Sanft’s older children found a weapon wrapped in a sheet in a cupboard.

The court was told the shotgun’s barrel and stock had been sawn off and the serial number ground off.

Police said nobody at the house had a firearms license.

The name of the accused and the daughter were originally suppressed.

The main points

  • A man charged with manslaughter over the shooting death of his daughter could face life imprisonment.
  • A life sentence is the maximum sentence for manslaughter.
  • Gustav Otto Sanft, who is of Tongan descent, appeared in the High Court yesterday following the death of his two years-old daughter in a shooting incident.
  • The High Court was told that Amokoura Daniels-Sanft died after she was shot in the head at close range with a sawn-off shotgun on June 2, 2016.

For more information 

Court told ‘angry’ father aimed loaded gun at daughter’s head

Mangere toddler shooting: Name suppression bid fails 

Royal surprise for Haʻapai as king walks to church to support healthy lives campaign

By
Kalino Latu
-

Their Majesties King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipauʻu Tukuʻaho walked from Tauʻakipulu royal palace to Siaosi Tupou I church in Pangai, Haʻapai on Sunday July 16 at around 10am.

The king wanted to send a health message to the Haʻapai residents and all the people of Tonga, the Ha’apai Free Wesleyan Church superintend Rev. Dr Mohenoa Puloka told Kaniva News.

“Ko e poupou ia ‘a ‘Ena ‘Afifió ki he taukave ‘a e Potungāue Mo’uí ki he mo’ui lelei ‘a e kakai ‘o Tongá”, Dr Puloka said in Tongan.

The statement could be translated into English as: “Their Majesties wanted to support the Ministry of Health’s initiative for the people of Tonga to live healthy lives”.

Kaniva News had been reliably informed this afternoon that after His Majesty opened the Haʻapai show he returned by walking to the palace.

Photos and videos uploaded to Facebook on Sunday showed Their Majesties were accompanied by the royal guards, Crown Prince Tupouto’a with his two children Prince Taufaʻāhau Manumataongo and Princess Halaevalu Mata’aho and others when they arrived at the church’s front yard.

They shook hands with the church members who were lining up outside the church.

Commentators on Facebook described the walk as “surprising”.

Some said when Dr Puloka became aware Their Majesties were walking from the Palace he asked his church members to line up outside.

Their Majesties were in Ha’apai to open the island groups’ royal agricultural show today at 11am.

Tonga has been ranked as the fattest and the most obese country in the world.

King Tupou VI was instrumental in campaigning to support his country’s fight against non-communicable diseases which caused by obesity.

In His speech to open the Parliament last month King Tupou VI has called for concerted efforts to deal with health, education and economic problems.

He said Tongans needed to eat local food and live healthy lives.

He advised the government to develop the agricultural and fishery sectors and consider focussing spending on health

He said learning how to deal with an epidemic would be good example of individuals, communities and the national government working together to overcome a health issue.

Last year the king visited Singapore to seek help on training opportunity for the kingdom’s health services.

Singapore has an efficient and widespread system of healthcare and was ranked 6th in the World Health Organisation’s ranking of the world’s health systems in the year 2000.

Sports projects still on the books even without the Games

By
Philip Cass
-

Despite dropping the 2019 Pacific Games, large sporting projects still feature in the new budget, which indicates that tens of millions of pa’anga are to be spent on facilities, with most of the money coming from overseas donors.

The construction of the Games facilities has been factored into predictions about the kingdom’s economy and even though references to the Games have gone, the projects are still there.

It seems the government will still get its regional standard sporting facilities without actually having to hold the Games.

The facilities are being at least partly funded by overseas donors, including China, which is building the Tonga High School sports facilities at a cost of $55 million and the Teufaiva playground funded by New Zealand and Australia.

A golf course is planned to be funded by government of Tonga. The  Government allocated approximately $TP12 million for sports development.

Various contracts were approved from this allocation and signed between government and private sector organizations to undertake designing works in relation to construction activities.

The budget records the introduction of the government’s Pacific Games 2019 Taxation Incentives Act 2017 to encourage businesses and private sector development, but it is unclear whether it will remain operational.

The Foreign exchange levy introduced in June 2016 is now being described as being help finance sports development rather than  being specifically for the Games.

Nor is it immediately clear from the budget where revenues raised so far have gone and what will happen to them now the Games will not be held in Tonga.

The main points

  • Despite dropping the 2019 Pacific Games, large sporting projects still feature in the new budget.
  • The construction of the Games facilities has been factored into predictions about the kingdom’s economy even though references to the Games have gone.
  • The facilities are being partly funded by overseas donors, including China, which is building the Tonga High School sports facilities at a cost of $55 million.
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