Tonga faces severe weather conditions today, with a gale warning remaining in force across all islands.
The government continues to coordinate response efforts, prioritizing public safety as Tonga weathers this storm. Further updates will be issued as conditions evolve. Photo/Tonga Power
The Fua’amotu Weather Forecasting Centre reports that while heavy rain and flash flood advisories have been lifted for Vava’u, Ha’apai, Tongatapu, and ‘Eua, the Niuas region remains under alert due to ongoing heavy rainfall and potential flooding.
The adverse weather has forced the closure of many schools nationwide as a precautionary measure to ensure student and staff safety.
A low-pressure system currently affecting Tonga is expected to move eastward and away from the region by this evening.
The system has brought strong to damaging winds, thunderstorms, and heavy rain, particularly in northern areas.
In the Niuas, moderate to gale-force southwesterly winds and persistent rain may cause flooding in low-lying areas, though conditions are forecast to ease by noon.
Meanwhile, the southern islands, including Tongatapu, will see occasional showers this morning, with weather improving to fine conditions by afternoon.
Looking ahead, Wednesday is expected to bring calmer weather across Tonga, with light to moderate winds and generally fine conditions, though isolated showers may still occur.
In Nuku’alofa, temperatures will reach a high of 28°C today, dropping to 21°C overnight.
Authorities urge residents, especially those in the Niuas, to remain cautious and stay updated on official advisories.
Emergency services are on standby to respond to any weather-related incidents as the nation weathers the storm.
Power Outages Hit Multiple Areas Tonga Power Limited has notified residents of extensive power outages affecting numerous communities across Tongatapu, including Pea, Tokomololo, Lomaiviti, Hauloto, and several others.
The outages, caused by fallen trees damaging high-voltage power lines, may take 6 to 7 hours to repair, it said.
Authorities warn that continued strong winds could further disrupt additional areas.
Crews work tirelessly to restore electricity, and residents are advised to prepare for prolonged outages.
A Tongan commercial pilot faces a potentially career-ending prison sentence after being convicted of engaging in sexual acts with a minor, a case that has shocked the aviation community and raised urgent questions about child protection protocols.
Mikaele Halafihi, 26 of Vailele and New Zealand appeared before the Supreme Court this month for hearing to charges of rape and two counts of sexual conduct, Apia, Samoa media have reported.
The alleged offence occurred on 21 September 2024 at Vailele, with the complainant being a 15-year-old from New Zealand and Tonga.
The court has already imposed a Departure Prohibition Order on the defendant until the conclusion of his case.
At the start of the trial, Halafihi withdrew his initial not guilty plea and pleaded guilty to two counts of sexual conduct with a minor after prosecutors dropped the more serious rape charge.
The defendant, who previously worked at Talofa Airways, was represented by lawyer Alex Sua.
The Samoan Global News reported that Halafihi’s supporters in court included strong family backing, with members traveling from Tonga.
Justice Leiataualesa Daryl Clarke has scheduled June 6 as the date to deliver his sentencing.
Halafihi was remanded on bail and remains out on bail until sentencing.
A Facebook comment by Viliame Takayawa, based on information he reportedly received from a relative in Tonga, has drawn serious concern from Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka.
MED Minister Kapeliele Lanumata and Fiji’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade Hon. Manoa Kamikamica
Takayawa, who serves as General Secretary of the Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA), has publicly apologised but characterised Rabuka’s threat to remove SODELPA from the governing coalition as an overreaction to what he described as merely a personal social media post, Fijilive reported.
The controversy emerged following a Fijian delegation’s visit to Tonga last week, led by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade Hon. Manoa Kamikamica. The delegation aimed to strengthen bilateral trade and investment cooperation between the two nations.
While Fijian media reports did not detail Takayawa’s specific comments, the visit was regarded as successful.
Tonga’s Minister for Trade and Economic Development, Kapelieli Lanumata, said Tonga has much to learn from Fiji’s rapid economic advancement.
He noted that Tonga has remained largely dependent on primary sector production, while there is an urgent need to develop secondary industries and manufacturing capabilities.
This meeting complements regional economic integration efforts, mirroring the recent focus of the PACER Plus trade ministers on boosting cross-border trade, investment, and cooperation.
Discussions focused on enhancing private sector collaboration, revisiting trade frameworks like the Pacific Island Countries Trade Agreement (PICTA), and exploring new bilateral agreements aligned with national interests and emerging economic opportunities.
Key areas identified for collaboration include tourism, aviation connectivity, foreign investment, and labour mobility.
A shocking video has surfaced showing a grey caravan driver making a reckless and illegal pass on the left side of slow-moving traffic, narrowly avoiding a serious accident in Tonga.
The incident, captured on camera, has drawn sharp criticism from road safety advocates.
Kaniva News was unable to verify the authenticity of the footage.
It reveals the driver growing visibly frustrated behind a line of vehicles slowed by a slow-moving car ahead.
Instead of waiting, the driver abruptly swerved into the left lane, speeding past multiple cars. In doing so, the caravan came dangerously close to sideswiping a power pole and colliding with another vehicle.
“This kind of behavior puts lives at risk,” a commenter wrote.
“There is no excuse for such reckless driving, especially when a moment of impatience could result in tragedy.”
The video has since gone viral, with many calling for stricter enforcement against aggressive driving.
No injuries were reported, but the close call serves as a stark warning about the dangers of impatience on the road.
Editorial – The revelations this week by the Acting Prime Minister about the lack of funding and support for Tonga’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) are deeply troubling.
Anti-Corruption Commissioner James Christopher LaHatte
The public has demanded action against corruption for years, with high hopes pinned on establishing this Commission.
Yet, the government’s failure to allocate a proper budget, leaving the Commissioner understaffed and reliant on police assistance, raises serious questions about its commitment to fighting graft.
The Acting Prime Minister Taniela Fusimālohi said yesterday that the previous government had only allocated enough funds for the salaries of the Anti-Corruption Commission’s (ACC) Commissioner.
He also stated that the Eke government plans to allocate a budget for the Commission in the upcoming fiscal year.
Even more baffling is Parliament’s sudden announcement of its Anti-Corruption Committee, which remains inactive, supposedly awaiting the complete setup of the ACC office.
If the Commissioner was appointed nearly a year ago, why is the government still dragging its feet?
The delays suggest gross incompetence or a deliberate attempt to weaken the Commission before it begins its crucial work.
With 16 corruption complaints already lodged, according to the Acting Prime Minister, Tongans deserve answers.
We have seen controversial investments accused of wasting millions, such as the disputed Lulutai Airlines and the former government’s travel allowances, yet the Commission’s budget was disregarded.
Is the government truly dedicated to accountability, or is this another hollow gesture meant to placate public anger?
If leaders are serious about combating corruption, they must urgently fund the ACC, empower its operations, and stop the excuses.
The people are watching and will not tolerate further delays in the fight for transparency and justice.
A grandmother has been charged with the alleged double murders of two schoolboys in NSW’s west.
Max Johnson, 7, and his brother Sam, 6, were found dead in Coonabarabran. (Source: Nine)
The brothers, aged seven and six, were found dead at a semi-rural property on the outskirts of Coonabarabran in northwest NSW on Monday afternoon.
Police charged the boys’ 66-year-old maternal grandmother with two counts of murder.
She was refused bail and will appear at Parramatta Bail Court on Saturday, police said.
On Monday afternoon, two officers went to the home after a message sent to the communities and justice department triggered an emergency response.
The officers broke into the house to find the boys’ bodies in separate bedrooms, while their grandmother was nearby.
She was arrested and taken to hospital.
The woman was taken to Orange Police Station after she was released from hospital on Friday.
A crime scene was established, and officers from the Orana mid-western police district and detectives from the state’s homicide squad have commenced an investigation.
Grieving members of a small rural community gathered to honour the lives of two boys on Friday.
A tree was to be planted for each boy, along with a ceremonial presentation of the karate students’ yellow belts.
Warrumbungle Shire councillor Kodi Brady told AAP he hoped the vigil would help the community cope with the tragedy.
“It’s a really important part, to take the community on the stepping stone of healing from the shock of the incident to another step forward in the grief and loss process,” he said.
“We’re a small rural town, there is such a ripple effect … it has impacted the whole community.”
The Catholic Church in Tonga has not yet announced the Tongan name of the new Pope, Leo XIV.
Tu’i Tapu Leone XIV
However, a prominent church scholar and author of the history of the church in the kingdom, Dr Felise Tāvō, has suggested the Catholic name Leone for Leo, during a Letiō ‘Apifo’ou live stream show yesterday.
Since the beginning, it has been common practice for the Church in Tonga to use Tongan names for foreign names.
The last Pope, Francis, was known by most non-Catholic Tongans as Felenisisi, derived from his English name Francis, while Catholics referred to him as Falakiko, from the Latin Franciscus.
The new Pope Leo XIV was Robert Francis Prevost, 69, who is now the 267th occupant of the throne of St Peter.
He is the first American to fill the role of pope, although he is considered as much a cardinal from Latin America because of the many years he spent as a missionary in Peru, the BBC says.
Born in Chicago in 1955 to parents of Spanish and Franco-Italian descent, Prevost served as an altar boy and was ordained in 1982.
Although he moved to Peru three years later, he returned regularly to the US to serve as a pastor and a priest in his home city.
He has Peruvian nationality and is fondly remembered as a figure who worked with marginalised communities and helped build bridges.
Leone is a Catholic Tongan name
The name Leo, which means lion in Latin and leon in Greek, has a Tongan Catholic variant, Leone.
For Tongan Catholics, the translation of biblical and papal names follows Latin roots, while Protestant churches derive their translations from English.
This linguistic difference has historically led to name variations between Tonga denominations. One example is the Apostle Peter, referred to as Pita in Protestant churches such as the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga but Petelō in the Catholic tradition, stemming from the Latin Petrus.
The history of the papal name Leo
The last Pope Leo was Leo XIII, born in French-occupied Rome in 1810. He served as pope from 1878 until his death in 1903, making his 25-year papacy the fourth longest in the church’s history, according to a CNN report.
Leo XIII is remembered as a pope of Catholic social teaching. He wrote a famous open letter to all Catholics in 1891, called “Rerum Novarum” (“Of Revolutionary Change”). The pamphlet reflected on the destruction wrought by the Industrial Revolution on the lives of workers.
In a press briefing Thursday after the conclave, Vatican spokesperson Matteo Bruni said the choice of name “is a clear reference to the modern social doctrine of the Church, which began with Rerum Novarum.”
Bruni said the name Leo was a deliberate reference to “men, women, their work, and workers in an age of artificial intelligence,” seeming to link the pace of technological change of the current era to that of the nineteenth century.
The first Pope Leo, who served in the fifth century, is known as “Leo the Great,” and is remembered for persuading Attila the Hun to halt his invasion and spare the Roman Empire from destruction.
Their meeting was rendered in a 1514 painting by Raphael. The Renaissance work is now displayed in the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace, which the 133 voting cardinals, including Cardinal Robert Prevost, now Leo XIV, passed through as they proceeded into the Sistine Chapel on Wednesday for the start of the conclave.
In the painting, an unarmed Pope Leo – watched over by St. Peter and St. Paul – calmly confronts Attila and his army. Their meeting is celebrated by Catholics for showing that peaceful agreements can be reached without violence.
A violent brawl in Tonga, captured on video and widely shared on Facebook this evening, has drawn widespread condemnation after an elderly mother’s desperate cries to protect her son were disregarded by a group of youths.
The incident has horrified viewers, especially as the Tongan community in New Zealand celebrates Mother’s Day this Sunday.
Many have criticised the attackers for their blatant disrespect toward the distraught woman.
The video shows the woman screaming for help as she tries to intervene while her son is being assaulted.
Witnesses reported the fight erupted in Touliki, though the exact cause remains unclear.
Social media reactions have been overwhelmingly critical, with many describing the youths’ actions as shameful, particularly given the timing on a day meant to honour mothers.
Local leaders and online commentators have emphasised the cultural principle of faka’apa’apa (respect), especially toward elders.
“How can we celebrate mothers if we ignore their pain?” wrote one Facebook user.
Others have called for police action, demanding accountability for those involved.
Democrats from the PTOA Party are engaging in heated debates online after a list of 10 candidates was shared this afternoon.
Siale Fihaki, Chair of PTOA Party
The list, which was shared today on Facebook, comes from Party Chairman Siale Napa’a Fihaki, who stated that it was his own independent selection of potential candidates.
Fihaki’s list has caused divisions among PTOA supporters, with many accusing him of releasing it in a manner that could jeopardise his position as chairman, as bound by the Party’s constitution.
The list is as follows:
Siaosi Vailahi Pohiva for Tongatapu 1
Pingi Fasi for Tongatapu 2 (Current Minister of Lands)
Tevita Palu for Tongatapu 3
Mateni Tapueluelu for Tongatapu 4 (Current Minister of Customs and Revenue)
Aisake Valu Eke for Tongatapu 5 (current Prime Minister)
No one (for Tongatapu 6?)
Piveni Piukala for Tongatapu 7 (current Minister of Police and Public Enterprises)
Filia Uipi for Tongatapu 8
Tevita Tukunga for Tongatapu 9
Kapeli Lanumata for Tongatapu 10 (current Minister of Economic Development)
Tonga will go to the polls in November, five months from now, but the race has begun poorly for the Democrats for several reasons.
The PTOA has recently split, with a breakaway group initiated by Piukala known as Paati Pule Lelei (PPL) or the Good Governance Party.
This faction advocates for reinstating the King’s democratic powers, which had been relinquished to the people during the 2010 democratic reforms.
The supporters of the PTOA who commented on the list were divided with many approved it, while others rejected it mainly because of the inclusion of Piukala and some PPL candidates.
The split is disheartening for democratic supporters, as the division between the two groups risks splitting the same voter base.
This could lead to a repeat of the 2019 election disaster, where the PTOA suffered a severe defeat.
Severe thunderstorm watches are in place for the upper North Island with downpours and flash flooding possible throughout the day.
1News weather presenter Dan Corbett warned conditions in the mid-afternoon were likely to provide a “sucker’s gap” where a lull in the rain might deceive people into believing the worst of the weather had passed.
He said there would be more heavy rain to come around the afternoon commute time and Auckland workers making their way home should be prepared.
Within the hour to 5.30pm, 23mm of rain had fallen on the North Shore suburb of Birkdale and 22mm of rain had dropped at Kumeū, in the west of Auckland.
Added to the frustration for commuters, a vehicle broke down on the westbound Upper Harbour Bridge, with NZTA warning there would be added delays for motorists.
Dozens of domestic flights were also delayed as a result of the weather. According to the Auckland Airport website, dozens of arrival and departure flights were pushed back.
Heavy rain warnings and strong wind watches were also issued for other regions.
This morning, MetService issued a severe thunderstorm watch for Auckland, Great Barrier Island, the Coromandel Peninsula the Bay of Plenty, and Rotorua alongside existing alerts for Northland and Taranaki.
“There is a moderate risk of localised downpours of 25 to 40 mm/h,” the forecaster said.
“Rainfall of this intensity can cause surface and flash flooding, especially about low-lying areas such as streams, rivers or narrow valleys, and may also lead to slips.”
Yesterday, MetService warned of an active front, preceded by gale north-easterlies, that was expected to move over the upper North Island today.
Orange heavy rain warnings were issued for Northland, the Bay of Plenty, Tongariro National Park, and Mount Taranaki.
MetService meteorologist Heather Keats told Breakfast that for many parts of the country overnight it was “very windy and quite wet”.
“There’s an active front that is moving up and over the South Island, that’s been responsible for all the warnings and watches for rain and strong winds as well.”
She said the strongest wind gust recorded was 150km/h in Methven high country.
MetService’s rain radar forecast pictured shortly before 7am. (Source: MetService)
“As for the rain, Tasman District has received the most in the last sort of 6 to 12 hours, but actually Hokitika in the last hour had 23mm of rain,” she said.
Keats said as that front moves north, the South Island would get “a much brighter and calmer afternoon and evening”.
However, in the North Island, Keats said another area of low pressure was going to hit Northland and Auckland today.
“There’s a whole lot of rain, a whole lot of wind still to come.”
Watch 1News weather presenter Daniel Corbett’s full breakdown of the storm on TVNZ+
She said the rain in Northland was just starting to arrive as of 7am, and heavy falls for Auckland were expected today into the afternoon and evening.
“We’re going to have some downpours and its likely to be thunderstorms as well today.”
Localised downpours could spark up during the middle of the day in Auckland.
Full list of weather watches and warning
MetService weather watches and warnings in place on Friday. (Source: Supplied)
Severe thunderstorm watch
Northland – 8 hours from 9am to 5pm
Taranaki – 7 hours and 30 minutes from 8.30am to 4pm
Auckland, Great Barrier Island – 5 hours from 2pm to 7pm
Coromandel Peninsula – 6 hours from 4pm to 10pm
Bay of Plenty, Rotorua – 6 hours from 5pm to 11pm
Orange heavy rain warning
Northland – 9 hours from 9am to 6pm
Bay of Plenty east of Maketu, and Gisborne/Tairawhiti north of Ruatoria – 21 hours from 9am Friday to 6am Saturday
Mount Taranaki – 6 hours from 9am to 3pm
Tongariro National Park – 11 hours from 9am to 8pm
Heavy rain watch
Auckland including Great Barrier Island – 11 hours from 9am to 8pm
Coromandel Peninsula, and Bay of Plenty west of Maketu, except Rotorua, including the Kaimai Range – 13 hours from 9am to 10pm
Waikato excluding the Kaimai Range, also Waitomo, Taumarunui and Taupō – 11 hours from 9am to 8pm
North Taranaki excluding Mount Taranaki – 9 hours from 9am to 6pm
Nelson northwest of Motueka – 3 hours from 9am to 12pm
Wellington and Kapiti Coast – 5 hours from 12pm to 5pm
The Richmond and Bryant Ranges, Rai Valley – 6 hours from 9am to 3pm
Auckland including Great Barrier Island – 8 hours from 9am to 4pm
South Taranaki, inland Whanganui and Taihape – 6 hours from 9am to 3pm
