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Tongan noble concerns over number of criminal deportees

By
Kalino Latu
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The Noble MP Lord Tuʻilakepa said the increasing number of Tongan criminal deportees from overseas has become a matter of concern for him.

Tuʻilakepa has disclosed in Parliament on Tuesday that the deportees have caused a lot of problems in Tonga.

He claimed the Tongan criminals overseas were sent to Tonga because the foreign countries got the permission to do so from Tongan consuls in Australia, the United States, Hawaiʻi and in New Zealand.

His claim was instantly rejected by the Minister of Revenues Tēvita Lavemaau who said Tongan consuls overseas have nothing to do with the Tongan criminal deportees.

If they breached those nations’ laws and their crimes entitled them to a deportation it is entirely up to those countries to deport them and there was nothing to do with the Tongan offices overseas, Lavemaau said.

Tuʻikaepa said he got his information from retired and former Tongan consuls.

Analysts argued that the criminal deportees were contributing to an escalation of crime and high levels of violence in Tonga.

This including kidnapping, armed robbery and killing during robbery something the kingdom did not experience before the last two decades.

Last year in November it was reported that Patrick ʻUnga, who had received a life sentence for murdering his fiancé in New Zealand in 2003, killed again in Tonga only a few months after his deportation to Tonga two years ago.

He was sentenced to more than 12 years in jail for manslaughter after the death of Sitanilei Sime in Nuku’alofa in April 2014.

Last month two brothers Motekiai and John Taufahema were deported to Tonga from Australia after a court convicted and sent them to jail for the death of Glenn McEnallay, a Police constable in Sydney.

The Taufahemas served 11 years in prison.

McEnallay was shot three times in the head and the chest and he later died in hospital.

ʻĪkaletahi squad for Georgia

By
Kalino Latu
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The ‘Ikaletahi Head Coach has named the starting lineup to take on Georgia this Saturday.

The two teams will meet for the first time since the World Cup 2015 loss in England in which Georgia defeated Tonga by 17-10.

The bench consists of two debutants Mikaele Mafi older brother of Japan Number 8 Amanaki Mafi and Wayne Ngaluafe.

The game will kick off at 12:45pm Fiji time at ANZ Stadium Suva, Fiji 18th June 2016.

The team:

1. Loosehead prop Eddie ‘Aholelei
2. Hooker Elvis Taione
3. Tightheadprop Sione Faletau
4. Leftlock Uili Kolo’ofai
5.Rightlock Dan Faleafa
6. Left flanker Nili Latu (c)
7. Right flanker Jack Ram
8.Numbereight Sione Tau
9. Scrum half Tane Takulua
10. Flyhalf Kali Hala
11. Leftwing Pila ʻIongi
12. Leftcentre Latiume Fosita
13. Rightcentre Apakuki Ma’afu
14. Rightwing Otulea Katoa
15.Fullback  Tevita Halaifonua
16. Front row Kama Sakalia
17. Front row Sione Anga’aelangi
18. Front row Sila Puafisi
19. Opeti Fonua
20. Mikaele Mafi
21. Wayne Ngaluafe
22. Viliami Hakalo
23. Taniela Kilioni

Health Promotion Forum Wins Bid to Host World Conference in New Zealand

By
Kaniva Staff
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The Health Promotion Forum of New Zealand Runanga Whakapiki Ake I Te Hauora o Aotearoa (HPF) has won the bid to host a world health promotion conference in New Zealand in 2019.

The win was announced on May 27 (NZ time) at the closing ceremony of the 22nd world health promotion conference of the International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE) that was held on May 22-27 in Curitiba, Brazil.

“We won because of the guidance and support of our nation’s leaders. IUHPE also saw that New Zealand is willing and able to contribute in leading ways to the major global challenges that the world community faces such as the health of the planet and its peoples,” says HPF Executive Director Sione Tu‘itahi.

IUHPE is an international organisation that leads the on-going advancement of health promotion in the world. HPF is the umbrella body for health promotion organisations in New Zealand. HPF is a member of IUHPE.

For further information, contact Sione Tu’itahi at sione@hauora.co.nz: mobile 0276659939

MV ʻOtu Angaʻofa services suspended after mechanical fault

By
Kalino Latu
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The Friendly Island Shipping Agency (FISA) has suspended its MV ʻOtu Angaʻofa ferry inter-island services after it found the rudder needed replacement.

This means the company’s services to the outer islands face difficulties in the next three months before the problem can only be fixed in Fiji in September, FISA said.

The shipping company has arranged for the MV Niuvakai to take over the services but FISA said the vessel has only 12 seats and it does not have a license to carry passengers.

It said the seats in the commercial vessel were only for those who wanted to travel with their cargoes and shipments to the outer islands.

FISA said the MV ‘Otu Anga’ofa can still operate on its current condition but its insurance company did not allow any further operation until the new rudder arrives  from Japan.

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Tupou College Toloa Sesquicentenary – Day 2

By
Kalino Latu
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Tupou College is celebrating its 150th Anniversary beginning yesterday with a singing competition for all alumni chapters.

To night June 16 is the second day of the competition.

An official registration will start tomorrow for the thousands of visitors and ex-students from overseas and in Tonga who are attending the historical event.

Kaniva Pacific News would like to express its sincere thanks and appreciation to Paula Moimoi Latu for allowing us to link his live stream of the 7-day celebration to Kaniva Pacific News Website.

Tongan church battles to save historical building

By
Kaniva Staff
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The future of a deteriorating heritage building remains on shaky ground

ANDREW HALLBERG

A Tongan church in Grey Lynn is hoping to have a decision by July on the future of one of Auckland’s highest priority heritage buildings.

Carlile House on Richmond Rd, owned by the United Church of Tonga, has sat empty for 20 years and is now “falling to the ground” due to a lack of maintenance, according to the chair of the church’s board.

Board chair Malakai Koloamatangi said the church had been consulting with its congregation over what to do with the building.

“There are three options: fix it ourselves, sell up and move away, or sit around and let it fall to the ground,” Mr Koloamatangi said.

A fourth option of collaborating with a development company to refurbish the building had been floated by the church and Auckland Council.

Mr Koloamatangi said the consultation between the church and the council had been positive, but a lot of the church’s members did not want to move away from the current site.

“Ninety per cent want to stay, a minority want to move, but they don’t want to move too far,” he said.

Church members do not want to lose their heritage as the church attached to Carlile House was the first place of worship built by Tongans outside Tonga, according to Mr Koloamatangi.

Built in 1886, Carlile House is one of Auckland’s oldest historic buildings and the council is keen to see it restored.

The former orphanage has been at the centre of failed negotiations between Auckland Council and the church in the past, but Te Waha Nui understands deals between the church and third parties have also fallen over.

Chair of the Tongan Advisory Council Melino Maka said an offer from an American-based property development company was “genuine”.

Managing partner of Third Leaf Partners, Aaron Faust, viewed the property in 2014, and confirmed via email to Te Waha Nui that, at the time, he had a “general willingness to consider refurbishing and leasing the building”.

Mr Faust confirmed that his company had made no formal approaches to the church regarding a deal, but Te Waha Nui understands a broker entered into discussions with the church on the company’s behalf. The early conversation involved the idea of the church leasing the building to the broker’s client on a 60-year lease and in return the client would fully refurbish the building.

Mr Maka spent 18 months brokering the deal before discussions fell through late last year. He estimated that the cost of restoration was $7 million and said it would take two years to return the building to its former glory.

Mr Koloamatangi said he was unaware of this deal, but said there had previously been interest from other companies.

Mr Maka confirmed he did not speak directly with Mr Koloamatangi, but dealt with other church leaders.

Auckland Council heritage manager Noel Reardon was unaware of the discussions with the broker when approached for comment, but described it as a good deal.

“That sounds like it would’ve been an ideal outcome,” he said.

Mr Reardon said the council had been working with the church to look at the possibility of the church restoring the building themselves. The church and the council are aiming to reach a decision by mid-July.

Mr Reardon said the building was a top priority, “second only to the St James Theatre”.

The council has installed a fence around the building after physical damage and graffiti accelerated deterioration.

Mr Koloamatangi said the building had suffered damage from “street kids, squatters and arson”.

–tewahanui

Tupou College 150th anniversary singing competition

By
Kalino Latu
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Tongan MP needs pay rise to align salaries with Fiji and Samoa

By
Kalino Latu
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A motion discussed in Parliament yesterday has proposed linking the Tongan MPs’ salaries to that of those in the other Pacific island Parliaments with strong economies like Fiji and Samoa.

Haʻapai 12 constituency MP Vili Hingano claimed the Samoan MPs gets $90,000 Tala (TP$80,000) and the Tongan MPs’ salaries should be aligned with them to reflect their work performance and match their huge workload.

The MP said the two countries considered the hard works and commitments the position required and awarded high salaries the Tongan parliamentary pay could not compare.

He said the high salaries could help reduce possible corruption.

Hingano also claimed the MPs’ constitutents benefit from the MPs’ salaries.

He said the MPs used part of their salaries to help their constituents when they asked for helps.

Lord Tuʻihaʻangana advised Hingano to submit his motion to the Finance and Public Account Committee for further review but MP Samiu Vaipulu reminded the House the constitution stipulates the Legislative Assembly has the right to decide the MPs salaries.

Some of the MPs raised their concerns about the motion saying the issue was sensitive and it should be handled with care to avoid criticism from the public.

More people affected by flooding, emergency fund in question

By
Kalino Latu
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Heavy rain in Tonga continued last night causing more flooding and evacuations in Tongatapu.

Concerns now mounted after the Prime Minister ʻAkilisi Pohiva said the government has no money to help people who were affected.

The opposition asked the government to explain what happened to the emergency fund allocated in the last national bugdet to assist the people in times of natural disaster.

The Minister of Finance said the money should come from the Ministry of Disaster Management’s budget.

The most affected areas were in Nukuʻalofa including Halaano, Halaʻovave and part of  Ngeleʻia and Kolofoʻou, the Prime Minister ʻAkilisi Pōhiva told Parliament.

Pōhiva said it has been for four years now these areas were affected when there was flooding.

The Prime Minister said about 60 percent of those living in these areas had been evacuated.

He apologised to the public while he was announcing in the House that there was no money to help the people who were affected.

He said the government is working on a new project to fix drainages in these areas so that the water could be drained into the seas.

The project according to Pōhiva was initiated after it found out the recent road construction was not professionally conducted and planned to make sure the drainages could allow the water to flow freely in times of flooding.

Health issues

There was fear of raw sewage oozing up in backyards that could wash into flooded homes adding a potential health crisis to the public in general.

Lord Nuku raised his concern about this in the House and said this could hugely affect residences and schools.

He said he was concerned about the claim by the government that there was no money as this issue was national and there was direct impact on the lives of the people.

He said every year the government announced its allocation on its budget for national emergencies but now they said they have no money.

We have asked the Secretary of Finance to tell us about the said emergency fund but we have yet to receive his response at the time this story was written.

The Deputy Prime Minister told the House the government has already announced Police and his Ministry were standing-by and prepared to assist anyone who need helps.

Analysts believed this was one of the most severe rains fell in Tonga during the last four decades

New book claims yam “quickest root crop” to be planted and harvested

By
Kalino Latu
-

Regarded as chiefly food and a delicacy by natives of the Island Kingdom of Tonga, growing yams or ‘ufi is a complex process requiring special skills and effort for its planting and upkeep.

It took up to eight to nine month before they could be harvested.

However, a new book written by Sione Tuʻitahi, the Executive Director, Health Promotion Forum of New Zealand claimed yam is one of the quickest root crops to be planted and harvested.

Tuʻitahi would not give the details of the claim to Kaniva News but anyone who is interested could have everything they need to learn in the new book in Tongan with its title “Tōkanga ko e Moʻuiʻanga”.

The book was written after Tuʻitahi interviewed Late Kiteau Tatafu of Ma’ufanga, one of Tonga’s great yam growers.

Tatafu’s yams when harvested were exceptional in size and quality. He scooped many awards on numerous occasions especially when it came to Tonga’s Annual Royal Agricultural Show.

Tuʻitahi said Tatafu’s prowess as a yam planter could have gone unrecorded if he did not have the opportunity to interview him.

Tatafu died in May 2015.

Tuʻitahi was a Tongan journalist working as a broadcaster at the Tonga Broadcasting Commission and also a reporter at the government sponsored newspaper Kalonikali Tonga. He moved with his family to New Zealand and continued his studies and teachings at some of the universities.

He has written many books for children and adults as well as in education.

Tuitahi
The cover of the book. Photo/Supplied
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