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Consulate denies Maori Party claims of royal endorsement of Tongan candidate

By
Philip Cass
-

Tongan Consul has denied claims by Tongan Maori Party candidate Manase Lua that he was endorsed by His Majesty King Tupou VI.

Lua made the claims in comments posted underneath photographs of him and his supporters meeting the consul on Monday.

His comments under the photos on Facebook said this was proof he was endorsed by the king and the Tongan consulate to be the only Tongan candidate in New Zealand for Tongans to vote for.

“Here are photos of our meeting with His Excellency Sitaafoti Aho the Tongan Consulate General for NZ on 20th July, 2017, confirming me as the number 1 Tongan candidate for the Maori Party. In humble response to the Maori King’s request to the King of Tonga”, Lua wrote on Facebook.

Tongan Consul Stafford ‘Aho told Kaniva News today Lua was wrong.

He said neither the king nor him has endorsed Lua.

On Sunday a Maori Party press release said: “He (Maori King Tuheitia Potatau Te Wherowhero VII) made a request for His Majesty King Tupou VI to ask his subjects living in Aotearoa to join and provide a Tongan candidate to stand for the Māori Party. The King of Tonga answered the call.”

“Manase Nehemaia Lua is the chosen Tongan candidate blessed by the Royal Houses.”

It claimed similar requests had been made to the Head of State in Samoa and the Ariki of Rarotonga.

“All have answered the call, hence why we now have eight candidates from these Pacific Nations running,” the press release said.

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.

Lua has been contacted for comment.

The  main points

  • Tongan Consul has denied claims by Tongan Maori Party candidate Manae Lua that he was endorsed by His Majesty King Tupou VI.
  • Lua made the claims in comments posted underneath a photograph of him and his supporters meeting the consul on Monday.
  • A Maori Party press release on Sunday claimed Lua had been “blessed by the royal houses.”

For more information

Māori King reaches out to the King of Tonga King 

No illusions about challenge of elections, says candidate Manase Lua

Anglican church of Tonga consecrates first bishop

By
Kalino Latu
-

The Anglican church has consecrated its first bishop to serve the country during a ceremony in Nuku’alofa on Sunday.

Fr  ‘Afa Vaka’s election as Tonga’s first constitutionally-mandated bishop is the fulfilment of long-held desires among Anglicans in Tonga for a greater level of autonomy within the Diocese of Polynesia, a church statement said.

His election follows the decision taken by the Diocese of Polynesia synod in May to establish the Archdeaconry of Tonga as an episcopal unit.

Fr. Vaka was made Bishop of Tonga in front of more than 300 people at the St Paul’s Church.

During the service, Archbishop Winston Halapua outlined the episcopal history of Tonga, and said that for the past 50 years, this distinct entity in the Pacific, with its own language, its own culture, its own traditions, and its own fervent love for monarchy, had been without its own bishop.

“The significance of today is that the mission of God for the people of Tonga – the leadership of that work – is now being taken up by a Tongan, living in Tonga,” he said.

“The mission here was started by a bishop. And in the middle was a bishop. Then then a 50-year gap. Now there is this bishop. And there won’t be any more gaps.”

The appointment of Fr. Vaka as the new Bishop of Tonga puts the Anglican church in the country on the same footing as other major churches in the nation, which are all led by Tongans, he said.

“And Bishop ‘Afa is such a worthy embodiment of those efforts, hopes and dreams because he’s humble. He has a servant heart, and he loves the people. He’s the right kind of leader.”

Archbishop Winston’s fellow primate, Archbishop Philip Richardson, described the creation of the new episcopal unit as a significant event in the history of the province.

“You couldn’t really say about this ordination, as you might in some, that this was ‘Afa’s day,” he said.

Fr. Vaka is actually the third bishop to serve Tonga.

“The first Anglican missionary to Tonga was Bishop Alfred Willis, who arrived in 1902. And in the mid-1960s, Bishop Fine Halapua, the father of Archbishop Winston Halapua, lived in Tonga as he served as a suffragan bishop in the Diocese of Polynesia. But now, after a gap of 50 years, Tonga has its third bishop – this time the first bishop of the newly constituted episcopal unit of Tonga.”

Cannabis and shotgun seized after raids on two ʻEua tax allotments

By
Kalino Latu
-

Three people have been arrested and charged after drugs raids on two tax allotments in Angahā and Futu in ʻEua yesterday Monday 18 September at about 1pm, Police said.

106 cannabis and a 12 gauge shotgun were seized during the searches.

Inspector Loluhama Fine said police were acting on information received from the public.

“A 35-year-old man from Angahā was arrested and charged with cultivation of illicit drugs and possession of unlicensed firearm.

“A couple from Futu both 39-years-old was also arrested and charged with cultivation of illicit drugs”, Fine said.

All accused remain in Police custody until Friday 22 September 2017.

“We would like to acknowledge the assistance of members of the public which led to the drug seizures yesterday. It only takes one call to disrupt the supply of drugs in your community and we encourage anyone who can provide information of drug dealing to contact Police,” Inspector Fine said.

Anyone with information can contact Police on 922, 23 417 or 25 147.

Tonga flight repeatedly delayed as Auckland jet fuel crisis deepens

By
Kalino Latu
-

The Virgin Australia flight from Tonga to Auckland tonight Tuesday 19 has been repeatedly delayed this evening as thousands of people are expected to have their travel plans disrupted over the coming days.

The Flight VA60, Virgin had been rescheduled to arrive at 11.32pm after it was planned to arrive at 11.20pm. The latest updates on flight arrival and departure schedules on the Airport website this evening showed the Virgin flight arrival time was delayed again until 11.45pm.

Meanwhile, an Air New Zealand flight from Tonga NZ977 to Auckland tonight at 11.59pm and an Air New Zealand flight NZ270 from Auckland to Tonga tomorrow Wednesday 20 at 9.15am were going ahead as planned.

27 flights were cancelled yesterday after the oil pipeline from Marsden Point burst on Thursday after it had been previously damaged by a digger trying to extract kauri logs near Ruakaka.

A total of four trans-Tasman and 26 domestic flights have been cancelled between Sunday and Wednesday.

Up to 3000 customers are expected to be impacted by cancelled flights on Wednesday, and a further 6000 inconvenienced by unexpected schedule changes, an Air New Zealand spokesman told Fairfax Media.

“Air New Zealand has taken the extraordinary step of restricting ticket sales, including halting sales of some international services”, NZ Herald report said.

“The airline has been taking increasingly disruptive steps to hit the target of cutting its fuel uptake from Auckland Airport to 30 per cent of normal.”

New Zealand’s air traffic control provider said it was implementing fuel conservation measures to help alleviate the impact of the Auckland aviation fuel shortage.

It expects up to 10 days of disruption to passengers while Airways enforces stricter air traffic sequencing and normal fuel supplies are restored.

Using advanced aircraft sequencing technology, Airways is able to queue aircraft arrivals and departures at New Zealand’s major airports in the most efficient way to avoid air traffic congestion across the national network and reduce fuel burn.

“This is an important tool for us which, under normal operating conditions, is responsible for around 11,500 tonnes of fuel savings for airlines annually,” Airways acting General Manager of System Operations Tim Boyle says.

“Due to the current fuel shortage, we’re enhancing this capability to reduce consumption as much as possible.”

“Passengers may notice that they are held on the ground for longer than usual. This is because it is better to have aircraft holding on the ground with the engines off, rather than slowing down en-route and burning more fuel in the air.”

Workshop in Tonga to help media organisations’ roles and language skills

By
Kaniva Staff
-

A workshop was being conducted in Tonga today on media organisations’ roles and the use of Tonga language skills.

The workshop was led by Sione Tuʻitahi, a former Tongan editor and broadcaster.

“To help media organisations with their role on nation building and preserving the Tongan Language”, Tu’itahi said.

It was organised by the National Media Committee of the Baha’i Faith.

Tuʻitahi is now an educator and author in New Zealand.

“The public is enlightened and informed when the media tell the news as they see it without fear or favour.

And people are more knowledgeable while the Tongan Language is preserved and remain elegant when it is used with high professional standards, including translating from English,” he said.

Tuʻitahi facilitated a workshop on translation for the Baha’i community over the weekend, one of the activities to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Baha’u’llah, the Prophet-Founder of the Baha’i Faith. Tongan Baha’is join millions of Baha’is across the world who are celebrating the birthday.

“It is an honour to have been invited to do the training,” Sione said, “and it is a double blessing to conduct the media workshop for editors and publishers who are my colleagues and friends over the years.

Police arrest fourth suspect in heart surgery equipment theft

By
Kaniva Staff
-

Tonga Police said a fourth person had been arrested in connection with theft of equipment which belonged to an Australian team of heart surgeons.

Police have arrested the 33-year-old man on Thursday.

As Kaniva News reported, Police had charged three suspects with housebreaking and theft after the equipment were stolen from the Tanoa Hotel in Nuku’alofa.

Police have arrested  a 42-year-old  man from Tofoa and his 25-year-old  girlfriend from Lomaiviti on September 1,  in relation to the  housebreaking  and theft  of a laptop and 4 flash drives which belonged to the surgeons.

A 48-year-old man from Kolomotu’a was also arrested from a house at a bush allotment in Lomaiviti on September 1 at 5.24am, where Police found the  stolen laptop and flash drives  as well  as 4 cannabis plants.

Police investigation continues after seven cows stolen from Nualei

By
Kaniva Staff
-

A Police investigation continued this week to find out who stole seven cows from a farm in Vaini last month.

A Police spokesperson said the owner became aware of the incident on Friday night, August 25.

The owner of the farm lived in Kolofoʻou.

Police were appealing to the public for any information that might help them in their investigation.

Maka’s body laid to rest, no arrests yet

By
Kaniva Staff
-

Family and kāinga came together in a ceremony honouring the life of the 22-year-old man from Pātangata who was found dead in a waterway in Popua early this month.

There have been no arrests made after the burial service in Talafoʻou on Friday.

The post-mortem examination on Kevini Maka’s body was completed before it had been released back to his family on Thursday, a Police spokesperson said.

As Kaniva News reported Acting Police Supt Tevita Vailea reportedly said they had enough information to launch the investigation while Police were still awaiting an autopsy report.

No further details were provided about the investigation.

No missile threat to central Pacific yet, but other threats remain

By
Philip Cass
-

North Korea has not yet threatened to aim any missiles at the central Pacific islands, but other threats remain, a US delegation has warned.

The delegation from the United States told the Pacific Leaders Forum meeting in Samoa earlier this month it was working to defuse tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

However, the delegation said there were multiple threats to the region, including drug smuggling and terrorist groups.

The Pacific Islands Forum described North Korea’s threat to fire missiles at Guam as a  threat to the wider Pacific Islands region.

Guam is close to Pacific island nations such as Palau and the Micronesian nations such as the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

The Forum said it was important to fully implement implement UN Security Council Resolutions against North Korea.

The Communist dictatorship fired another missile last week.

According to the prestigious defence publication Janes, the missile flew over northern Japan before falling into the Pacific.

The UK Ministry of Defence said the missile, which flew over Cape Erimo and the Oshima Peninsula, reached an altitude of approximately 800 km and travelled a linear distance of 3700 km.

This was far enough to potentially reach the US island territory of Guam,  which Pyongyang has described as “an advanced base of invasion.”

American military bases occupy nearly 30 per cent of Guam’s land, including the Andersen Air Force Base and the Naval Base Guam.

The US island territory is also home to a host of nuclear bombers.

There are about 6000 US military personnel on the island.

After an earlier launch, experts estimated that if the missile had been launched at a “normal” angle, instead of the steep trajectory used in the test, it could have flown more than 6000 kilometres, a distance that would have allowed it to hit the US mainland and Hawai’i.

The missile could also have reached Darwin in Australia’s Northern Territory, which is home to a US Marine Corps base.

The New Zealand government said in May that it had concluded that North Korea did not have the capability of striking New Zealand.

The  main points

  • North Korea has not threatened to aim any missiles at the central Pacific islands, but they face other threats, a US delegation has warned.
  • The delegation told the Pacific Leaders Forum meeting in Samoa earlier this month there were multiple threats to the region, including drug smuggling and terrorist groups.
  • The Pacific Islands Forum described North Korea’s threat to fire missiles at Guam as a threat to the wider Pacific Islands region.
  • The Communist dictatorship fired another missile last week.

For more information  

North Korea claims ICBM launch, bringing US and Darwin within range

North Korea test-fires another ballistic missile that overflies Japan

Electrician convicted of rape in ‘Ananā

By
Kalino Latu
-

A Tongatapu electrician was found guilty of raping a woman in ʻAnanā

Saimone Vaka was convicted of one count of rape contrary to section 118(1)(a) Criminal Offences Act (Cap 18).

Justice Owen Paulsen had remanded him in custody until 29 September 2017 for sentencing.

The court was told Mr. Vaka persuaded the victim to drive with him to a bush area in ‘Ananā where he had non-consensual sexual intercourse with her in the front passenger seat of his car.

When they arrived at the scene, Mr. Vaka parked the car near a lagoon and began assaulting the victim.

He told her they have to do it because her husband was cheating on her.

The victim who was given name suppression, said she shouted at him and threatened  to launch a complaint with Police.

But Mr. Vaka held her hands above her head with one hand whilst he used his other hand to unzip and pull down her trousers, the court judgement said.

She was wearing loose trousers with a zip.

She struggled against him until she had no energy left, the court was told.

She pleaded with Mr. Vaka to stop but he ignored her.

Mr. Vaka maintained  that  he did not have sexual intercourse with the victim.

He said the victim and a witness falsely accused him of rape to avoid paying a debt of about T$200 for electrical work.

However, Justice Paulsen said after considering all of the circumstances of this case he can see no reason whatsoever why the woman would “have made up such a wicked lie against Mr. Vaka for any of the reasons he advanced and no other reasons suggest themselves to me.”

“I am satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Vaka did have sexual intercourse with the victim as she had alleged”, Mr. Paulsen said.

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