Armed police called after man makes threat in Mangere in South Auckland
Police have surrounded a south Auckland home after threats were received from a man holed up inside a house.
The street has been cordoned off and residents within 200m are being evacuated as a precautionary measure.
A person inside a residential property on Henwood St has made threats, via his healthcare providers, which has prompted Police to respond, a statement said.
Nearby Kingsford Primary School is in lockdown.
Any further information will be provided as it becomes available.
Tropic Twilight touches down in Tonga
Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee and Foreign Minister Murray McCully today announced that this year’s Tropic Twilight Exercise will be conducted in Tonga’s Ha’apai group of islands.
“Tropic Twilight is an annual exercise in the Pacific which tests the readiness of the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) to work with the military and governments from around the region on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief,” Mr Brownlee says.
“The benefits of this training were seen earlier this year when a number of countries co-operated to support Fiji’s response to Cyclone Winston.”
The exercise will take place from 7 to 28 July and includes military representatives from China, United States and France, along with members of Tonga’s His Majesty’s Armed Forces and officials from the New Zealand and Tongan governments.
“Tropic Twilight allows NZDF to practice deploying in the Pacific, while also supporting a range of development activities funded through our aid programme,” Mr McCully says.
“It is an opportunity to support the development of infrastructure in some isolated parts of the Pacific and this year the focus is on improving water collection and storage in the Ha’apai group.”
The Ha’apai group is made up of 62 islands that are vulnerable to natural disasters and have limited drinking water supplies. This year Pangai town, Lotofoa village and Faleloa village will benefit from water storage improvements and a public toilet block will also be built. An environmental health team will also carry out a mosquito eradication programme aimed at reducing diseases such as dengue and zika.
Supreme Court orders return of NZ-bought tractor at centre of ownership dispute
The Supreme Court has ordered the return of a tractor that has been at the centre of a dispute involving a Catholic priest.
Lord Chief Justice Paulsen made the order after a trial in which he heard evidence concerning the purchase of a Massey Ferguson tractor in New Zealand to help out the family of a Catholic priest in Tonga.
In his judgement, Lord Chief Justice Paulsen said the Massey Ferguson 265 tractor was bought in New Zealand in August 2013. It was paid for by Vilisoni Paul Hemaloto and sent to Tonga for Ma’asi Tauelangi to cultivate his land.
In February 2015 Vilisoni asked to use the tractor. Ma’asi gave him permission to do so but since then Vilisoni has refused to return the tractor and has registered it in his own name.
The decision about who owned the tractor turned on whether it was given as a gift with no strings attached, or whether it had been given conditionally.
Ma’asi claimed that the tractor was a gift and sought the return of the tractor and a direction that it be registered in his name and court costs awarded to him.
Vilisoni denied that the tractor was a gift. While it was bought for Ma’asi, he claimed they had agreed that Ma’asi would send him containers of food to reimburse him for the purchase price.
He said he had kept the tractor because the containers of food were never sent. Vilisoni filed a counterclaim seeking a declaration that he owned the tractor.
At the time the tractor was bought, Vilisoni and his wife, Malia Hemaloto were living in New Zealand. They returned to Tonga in in 2015 and were members of Fr ‘Ofa Tauelangi Tauelangi’s congregation.
At some stage, Vilisoni and Malia became aware that Fr Tauelangi’s family in Tonga needed financial assistance and expressed their general willingness to help the priest and his family, Lord Chief Justice Paulsen said.
On or about July 24, 2013, Ma’asi travelled from Tonga to New Zealand to buy a tractor and take it back to Tonga. He told the court he had previously discussed this with his brother as a way to generate food and an income for his family in Tonga. He had no money for a tractor and was entirely dependent on Fr Tauelangi to buy the machine.
Fr Tauelangi told Vilisoni his brother was a hard worker and needed a tractor to grow crops to feed his family and sell the surplus in Tonga.
An initial plan to buy a Leyland tractor from Trademe came to nothing.
Vilisoni told the court that he, Fr Tauelangi and Ma’asi agreed that he would buy a tractor for Ma’asi in return for the shipment of containers of crops back to Vilisoni in New Zealand in late 2014.
“It is not clear how many containers were to be sent to Vilisoni, who seemed to believe that there would be one or two containers which he would sell, keeping enough of the proceeds to reimburse himself for the purchase price of the tractor and send the remaining funds back to Fr Tauelangi’s family,” the judge said.
Both Ma’asi and Tauelangi denied there had been any discussion or agreement regarding containers of crops.
On August 30, 2013, Vilisoni , Ma’asi and Fr Tauelangi went to the Tractor Centre at Pukekohe where they found the Massey Ferguson tractor. Vilisoni paid NZ$15,000 for the machine and new tyres for NZ$1,350.
The tractor was sent to Tonga in a container provided by Maika Haupeakui, an uncle of Ma’asi and Father Tauelangi, which arrived in Nuku’alofa on November 4, 2013.
Vilisoni said he returned to Tonga several times between November 2013 and his relocation to Tonga in 2015. He told the court that each time he visited Ma’asi and saw the tractor had been used only to transport material to Ma’asi’s property,but had not been used to cultivate any land or grow crops.
When he asked Ma’asi about this, Ma’asi responded that he did not have the necessary ploughing equipment to use the tractor to cultivate land. Vilisoni claimed that on one of these occasions he asked Ma’asi about the containers of crops and when he would receive them. In response, Ma’asi asked for more money so he could clear trees on his property.
In early 2015, Vilisoni and Malia relocated to Ma’ufanga. On or about February 16, 2015, Vilisoni went to Ma’asi’s house to ask if he could borrow the tractor to mow lawns on the property of the Noble Fakafanua. Vilisoni did not return the tractor and registered it in his name. Ma’asi said Vilisoni ignored his repeated requests for the return the machine.
During the trial, Vilisoni told the court that after he took hold of the tractor he bought ploughing equipment. He had been able to cultivate 40 acres and grow enough cassava to send a container to Australia and sell food at a market in Tonga each day. He employed three workers and paid them with the income generated by the use of the tractor.
In his summing up, Lord Chief Justice Paulsen said:
“Of particular importance is Vilisoni’s evidence that if he had not received the containers of food, but had seen that the tractor was being used as he had imagined, he would not have taken the action he did.
“This statement accords with my overall impression of Vilisoni and assessment of his motivation for purchasing the tractor.
“Vilisoni sought to assist Fr Tauelangi and understood that purchasing a tractor for his brother would relieve many of the pressures placed on him by his family in Tonga. The receipt of containers of food grown using the tractor was not a condition of that.”
As a result, he found that the tractor had been gifted by Vilisoni to Ma’asi.
He ordered Vilisoni to return the tractor to Ma’asi within 14 days and to provide for a transfer or registration of ownership of the tractor in Ma’asi’s name.
The main points
- The Supreme Court has ordered the return of a tractor that has been at the centre of a dispute involving a Catholic priest.
- Lord Chief Justice Paulsen made the order after a trial in which he heard evidence concerning the purchase of a Massey Ferguson tractor in New Zealand to help out the family of a Catholic priest in Tonga.
- The decision about who owned the tractor turned on whether it was given as a gift with no strings attached, or whether it had been given conditionally.
- The judge ordered the tractor be returned within 14 days.
ʻĀhau victims named, speed, alcohol blamed for crash that killed three
The three people killed in a weekend horror smash at Āhau have been named by police today.
Scott ‘Ungoʻunga, 29, of Kanokupolu, who was the driver, Kalolaine Quick, 43, of Kanokupolu and Lower Leaving Ma’u, 23, of Haveluloto were killed when the van they were travelling in swerved and hit a large ‘toa’ tree on the left side of the Hihifo road on July 3.
The fourth passenger Vai ‘Ungoʻunga from Kanokupolu received critical injuries and is currently at Vaiola Hospital, Nukunuku Police District Commander Chief Inspector Sofilisi said.
Scott was an off duty Police officer at the time of the tragedy.
“The group was travelling home from Nukuʻalofa”, Sofilisi said.
“Police have confirmed that alcohol and speeding were contributing factors to the crash”.
“We extend our sympathy to the families of those involved and our thoughts are with their loved ones at this tragic time,” says Commissioner of Police Stephen Caldwell.
“Crashes like this are preventable and we all need to do our part to reduce deaths and injuries on our roads.”
TCC pays government $1.2 million dividend
Tonga Telecommunication Commission has paid the government its dividend for the last financial year 2014-15.
“This is the second consecutive year that they are paying a dividend in excess of TOP 1.0 million, and growing rapidly year on year over the last 05 years”, a statement from TCC says.
The amount declared was TOP$1.5 Million and there were setoffs for pensioners salaries paid to Tonga Telecommunications Commission resulting in the net payment of TOP$ 1.2 M.
The profit of TOP 2.2 M achieved in the last Financial Year, this was after write-off of TOP 1.6 M worth of redundant legacy network equipment.
TCC also contribute substantially towards the government revenue as one of the largest taxpayers, paying over TOP 4 M direct and indirect taxes and levies per annum.
TCC will be investing TOP 4.0 million this year towards the network expansion as they have already invested over $30 million in their network infrastructure in the last few years.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Public Enterprises thanked the TCC Board, Management, and all staff for the dividend payment, and he elaborated the government is pleased to receive the dividend and are able to contribute towards the development of the Kingdom.
Mailangi Vea’s body laid to rest
Hundreds of kāinga and family gathered at the Kalevalio cemetery in Fungamisi, Neiafu as the fata of Mailangi Vea who died while on a business mission to the island of Late, was carried to his final resting place yesterday July 4.
His body was recovered by the Search and Recovery team at approximately 3:00 pm Sunday 3, a Police statement said.
“An inquest held on Monday 4th July determined that Mr. Vea died from drowning”, it said.
The burial ceremony proceeded immediately after the Digicel helicopter landed with the body in Neiafu, Vavaʻu, Vavaʻu Police Superindentend, Netane Falakiseni said.
The ceremony, which was led by Fr Lolesia Lākai and the Catholic congregation, was conducted after several attempts to return Vea’s body on Sunday were unsuccessful due to bad weather.
“Mr. Vea was hired by Digicel Tonga to bring back 8 of their people to Neiafu who were working at Late Island for approximately 3 weeks”, a statement said.
The Fungamisi man was swept away by waves when the dinghy he was in capsized at approximately 2:30 pm July 2, 2016, it said.
A Police patrol boat and another boat belonging to the Beluga, a local company assisted in the recovery operation.
Democratic Party has yet to name candidate for Vavaʻu by-election
With just 10 more days before the Vavaʻu 16 by-election on July 14, Tonga’s Democratic Party has yet to announce a candidate.
Only four candidates stand for the by-election vying for the same seat in Parliament.
They were Akosita Lavulavu, Dr Viliami Lātū, ‘Ipeni Siale and ‘Atalasa Pouvalu.
Two potential candidates for the Democratic Party were Akosita Lavulavu and ‘Ipeni ‘Alamoni Siale. Dr Lātū and Pouvalu stood as independent candidates in the last national election.
Siale was nominated by the Party in the last election but was unsuccessful. The election was won by the outgoing MP ‘Etuate Lavulavu.
However Siale told Kaniva News recently he has yet to talk to Democratic Leader ʻAkilisi Pōhiva and the Party about their candidacy.
Akosita and his campaign team did not return requests for comment.
However, she wrote on Facebook and declared her full support to Pōhiva and his government.
In the past Pōhiva has told his supporters to choose particular candidates because he thought would help him in his fight to bring democracy to Tonga.
Since the democratic reform came into effect in 2010 and majority of the MPs were chosen by the people the Democratic Party was set up under the leadership of Pōhiva.
In the last two general elections the Party continued to name candidates they thought would support them in Parliament.
If Pōhiva would not name a candidate for the upcoming by-election it would mark the first time since he entered Parliament in 1987, that his supporters were left to vote without his political campaign influence.
Tonga’s political system
The political party system does not exist in Tonga. Political analysts say Tonga’s current political system was designed to have all members of parliament represent the whole country with no formal opposition party.
Critics say the system was intended to give greater power to the king and the nobles and that claims it was a democracy were misleading as the current government represents a minority because of the disproportionate power of the nobles.
The Friendly Island Democratic Party, led by Leader ‘Akilisi Pohiva, was established in September 2010 to unite candidates who later became MPs and who were supporters of Pohiva in his attempt to have the government democratically run by the people.
Tonga’s new political system, which was implemented in 2010, introduced an electoral system comprised of two electorates: the hereditary land-holding nobles, plus nine Life Peers (honorary Nobles), who elect nine hereditary Nobles;
The rest of the population of Tonga – about 100,000 people – elect 17 representatives, 10 of them on the main island, Tongatapu.
According to Tonga’s constitution a general election is held every four years, after which the elected parliamentarians elect the Prime Minister.
Mailangi’s body still in Late, bad weather hinders efforts to return it to Neiafu
A helicopter was sent this morning to the island of Late in an attempt to bring the body of missing Mailangi Vea to Neiafu.
The dead body of the 42-year-old was retrieved from the water yesterday but attempts to transport it to Neiafu were unsuccessful because of the bad weather, Vavaʻu Police Superintended Netane Falakiseni told Kaniva News this morning.
The rescue operation encountered great difficulties and at one stage they were forced to call off to avoid any further tragedy, Falakiseni said.
Four lifebuoys attached to a 150-metre rope were thrown into the sea to help recover the body but they were all sucked into the blowholes at where the victim was swept away, Falakiseni said, adding that this showed how rough the sea was.
“Mr. Vea was hired by Digicel Tonga to bring back 8 of their people to Neiafu who were working at Late Island for approximately 3 weeks”, a statement said.
The Fungamisi man hasn’t been seen since he was swept away by waves when the dinghy he was in capsized at approximately 2:30 pm July 2, 2016, it said.
A Police patrol boat and another boat belong to the Beluga, a local company assisted in the recovery operation.
Falakiseni said they expected the Digicel’s helicopter can land in the island so that the body could be transported to Neiafu today.
