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Family, kāinga say goodbye to Tongan man killed in Auckland motorway crash

By
Kaniva Staff
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The person who died on Auckland’s Southern Motorway after they were struck by a vehicle on Saturday 15 has been identified.

Napole Noa. Photo/Supplied

Napole Noa, 43, was the victim of the crash at the northbound lanes of the motorway from Princes Street, Otāhūhu.

His family have confirmed the news on social media saying he would be laid to rest tomorrow, Wednesday 25 at a Papatoetoe cemetery.

Reports shortly after the fatal incident said the northbound lanes were blocked following the incident, which happened at about 5.20am.

“The initial indication was there were serious injuries but police have since confirmed a pedestrian was struck by a vehicle and died at the scene”, the New Zealand Herald reported at the time.

The Serious Crash Unit is investigating, and the driver is assisting police with enquiries.

It is understood Noa’s family reported him missing shortly after he failed to return on the night of the crash.  

Tonga Rugby bank blaming response after players ‘no pay’ complaints fuel public anger

By
Kaniva Staff
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A statement purported to have come from the Tonga Rugby Union (TRU) in response to complaints about players chasing their pay from authorities has been criticised as adding fuel to the fire.

‘Ikale Tahi number eight Vaea Fifita went public on social media since yesterday and revealed he and others have yet to receive their payments for the World Cup tour. In response, winger Solomone Kata agreed and gave Fifita his full support on social media.

Press release

The Ikale Tahi team was eliminated from the tournament after facing consecutive defeats from Ireland, South Africa, and Scotland – three of the top five nations in the rugby world.

However, they finished their Rugby World Cup 2023 campaign on a high with an entertaining 45-24 Pool B victory over Romania in front of 45,000 fans at Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Lille.

The TRU has released a statement today on what appeared to be its official Facebook account saying it apologised for any inconvenience caused by its handling of the players’ payments.

It claimed all players had been paid while a few had been experiencing issues.

“We have been working closely with our bank to determine the cause of the issue and get payment to where they need to be”, the release said.

“This has taken much longer to resolve than anyone would have liked and we sincerely regret any inconvenience that this may have caused to players and their families”.

The tone of the TRU statement did not sit well with many on social media.

The press release did not include a signature to identify who sent it. And this has been criticised as unprofessional and treating this serious issue as unimportant.

It also failed to clarify claims by Halaleva Fifita that TRU gave him “different versions of unreliable information” about his payment issues.

Commenters on TRU’s Facebook post’s comment section accused the release as out of touch with reality.

“That last paragraph shows the lack of empathy and lack of education of these officials”, a commenter wrote.

“ You would never hear the NZRU or RFU say that to their supporters. What a weird and arrogant flex. They basically blamed the bank and then blamed the fans”, one commenter wrote.

“… there is nothing “political” about players asking for what they deserve and to get it when they are supposed to get it. It is your ethical duty as the union to ensure this doesn’t happen. Just once, I’d love to see an Ikale Tahi campaign take place where there is no word of players not getting their proper dues. Don’t apologise for the “confusion”, apologise for not doing your jobs that you obviously get paid for…. On time I presume. You’ve confirmed yourselves there are players who were not paid. Do better! Kaume’a fakahela tama ko moutolu!!

Some commenters made fun of the bank issue claims being mentioned in the release and said this was and old excuse.

“Same story different year”, another wrote.

“Come on, especially this year big players choose to play for our little nation and this is how they get treated    we are treating our on ppl like this it’s a disgrace.

‘Same story, you feel for the players. TRU will never change their rubbish ways.

“It’s so sad. Not only is it a distraction to their performance, these guys still have bills to pay at home, and likely would have been paid more in wages, if they stayed home. Sad how we only hear this kind of news from our PI Nations. Hope the remaining few get their allowance asap

“We need to do better TRU!! We have a lot of young stars that want to play rugby in the future & if this is going to be an ongoing problem then everything will be chaos in the next coming years or so. Do not be frauds. Our Tongan people are known to be big in this & it’s already an embarrassment to the world! Do better!! We are in 2023, times of disorganisation and poor governance should be over!!! Do better Tonga! Very appalling from a professional perspective.

‘2023 and we still run it like we in 1923.I seen local badminton clubs run better and no one plays that sport.Can IRB just pay the players direct seems like the so called bank/board always get there pay on time  

“The Union does not engage on social media debate”, then why posting this letter up on your FB page?   . “Ko e lahi ange e fute ‘a e kosi ‘a ‘Isope, ko e lahi ange ia ‘ene ‘efihia” – Aesop’s Fables.

“Why isn’t there a person signing off on this letter ? Tuku e toitoi bro you guys are accountable to the people and the people deserve an explanation. Just looks like everyone’s ducking this letter   take responsibility let me tell you something. You have a track record of mishandling funds & not paying players.

“So while you have provided this, if you were transparent enough, we wouldn’t be discussing this non payment issue.

‘The last paragraph.   you’re so out of touch. If it were not for the social media outcry, demanding answers – you wouldn’t have released this letter and you surely wouldn’t have been held accountable- like you have been getting away with it the last couple of years!”

However, some people stood by TRU and accused the Fifitas of lack of patience.

Tongan economy came back after volcano and Covid says IMF, but major reforms are needed

By
Philip Cass
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The Tongan economy is rebounding strongly according to the International Monetary Fund. However, the IMF said the economic outlook was uncertain and urgent improvements needed to be made.

The IMF said Tonga had suffered from a major double shock in early 2022. After an estimated contraction of two percent, real GDP was estimated to have expanded by 2.6 percent in the financial year from July 2022-June 2023.

The support measures deployed in response to the Hunga Tonga‒Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption and tsunami and the local COVID-19 outbreak in January-February 2022, together with aid from the international community, reduced the impact of the socioeconomic fallouts. Recovery after the eruption was driven by strong domestic demand and a pickup in tourist arrivals following once the border was re-opened in August 2022.

However, the kingdom still faced economic pressures. Inflation peaked at 14.1 percent in September 2022, but dropped to 6.6 percent in May 2023. The flow of  remittances was expected to drop from an estimated 44.2 percent of GDP in FY2023 to 39.7 percent in FY2024. Average inflation is projected to be 5.8 percent in FY2024.

The tsunami has also caused soil contamination.

The medium-to-long-term growth prospects are weak. Tonga’s long-term growth is projected at 1.2 percent, reflecting its exposure to increasingly frequent natural disasters, persistent loss of workers to emigration, and limited economies of scale due to geographical barriers.

Tonga’s limited productive capacity and strong foreign demand for Tongan workers have significantly increased inflation risks. A sharp increase in global commodity prices could reduce households’ real purchasing power.

The IMF has warned that Tonga is at high risk of debt distress . Without additional grant commitments to IMF staff’s baseline projection, the present value of public debt-to-GDP ratio is projected to remain above the 70 percent debt-distress benchmark starting in FY2033. This reflects significant development spending needs to achieve its climate resilience and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Debt obligations are largely external, with over half to China Exim Bank. Debt repayments are expected to surge in FY2024, and stay elevated at over three percent of GDP until FY2027.

The IMF has warned that delays in reconstruction and persistently high inflation will incur substantial welfare costs, especially for low-income households and small businesses. The IMF said the Tongan government’s monetary policy should focused on safeguarding price stability and providing ample financial support to the vulnerable, while postponing non-urgent spending.

The government has phased out most pandemic- and volcano-related tax exemptions and plan to gradually normalize current spending, including by limiting the public sector wage bill. The government should also prioritize on the execution of budgets related to reconstruction and social protection.

To achieve the necessary fiscal adjustments, the government needed to reform revenue administration, spending efficiency, and transparency.  Reducing tax exemptions,  setting clear eligibility criteria and allowing the Minister of Finance to have the ultimate authority to grant exemptions would help deliver significant additional revenues and ensure that exemptions are adequately aligned with national strategic objectives.

Enhancing resilience to natural disasters and climate change is a top reform priority . The Disaster Risk Management Act of 2023 marked an important step forward in this regard. It aims to pivot the focus of Tonga’s disaster management frameworks to risk mitigation and preparedness, including by improving coordination across relevant ministries and management of scarce. Expanding the classification of climate change-related spending and strengthening the social protection system were other priorities. Stricter enforcement of the Building Code, especially for residential properties, and facilitating relocation to safer grounds would significantly contribute to enhancing disaster resilience, which should be supported by allocation of adequate fiscal resources.

Developing the private sector was critical to boost Tonga’s growth potential. Other important reform priorities included increasing government spending on education and training, especially to reduce the skill mismatch in the domestic labour market; reducing gender inequality in the labour market, by enacting the Employment Relations Bill which would help better protect women in vulnerable work environments and cutting red tape hindering private sector investment, especially by improving the efficiency of land leasehold administration.

Outrage over Tonga players ‘no pay’ allegations  

By
Kaniva Staff
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Supporters of ‘Ikale Tahi national rugby team have been outraged after reports that players had yet to be paid for recent rugby union World Cup tours.

‘Ikale Tahi

Tonga was eliminated from the tournament after facing consecutive defeats from Ireland, South Africa, and Scotland – three of the top five nations in the rugby world.

However, it exited the competition on a high note by scoring seven tries in total in the game against Romania.

A post on Facebook this afternoon which tagged ‘Ikale Tahi number eight Vaea Fifita and others alleged the players were chasing their payment from  Tonga Rugby Union (TRU) authorities.

TRU could not be reached for comment.

“When could this be stopped,” a commenter asked in Tongan referring to several similar incidents of broken promises in the past following ‘Ikale Tahi previous tours.

The post by the person who went by the name Halaleva Fifita claimed the players had received “various unreliable versions of information” about when will they be paid from TRU.

It also alleged some players were furious about the incident.

Commenters blasted TRU officials about the allegations with some calling on ‘Ikale Tahi players to come forward and share their disappointment on social media.

As Kaniva News reported recently, Rugby World Cup star Charles Piutau opened up on how he and his Tonga team-mates had been forced to wash their own kits and practice with replica rugby balls ahead of the tournament in France, dramatically highlighting the stark contrast in resources between teams.

Tonga’s ‘Sabbath laws’ questioned after vessel allegedly departed Vava‘u this morning

By
Kaniva Staff
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A vessel has been reportedly departing Tonga’s Vava’u island group this morning Sunday 15.

MV Papa Mau. Photo/Vava Lapota

Neiafu Town Officer Vava Lapota has questioned whether the departure had breached Tonga’s Sabbath laws.

“Ko e mavahe atu eni a e vaka uta koniteina mei he uafu vahefonua Vavau ni pongipongi sapate fefe ae ngeia moe molumalu oe lao Sapate”, Lapota posted on Facebook in Tongan.

He also posted photos of the vessel, MV Papa Mau to Facebook.

Authorities could not be reached for comment.

According to the website vessel finder, the current position of Papa Mau is at South Pacific Ocean in the last two weeks.

The vessel is en route to Tonga’s main island Tongatapu, and expected to arrive there on Oct 15, 7am, it said.

“The vessel is a General Cargo Ship built in 1999 and currently sailing under the flag of Antigua & Barbuda”.

The kingdom’s Sabbath laws stipulate that transport services are not allowed to operate on Sunday.

In 2004 the Legislative Assembly rejected a submission that it drop a planned measure to allow some transport services to operate on Sunday, RNZ reported.

The bill was intended to allow aircraft flights, work in the Marine Department, and other related activities, on Sundays.

Seven church leaders presented a petition opposing the bill.

Court of Appeal throws out latest appeal by Lavulavu in long running school funding saga

By
Philip Cass
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The Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal by Etuate Lavulavu to have charges against him dismissed because they constituted an abuse of process.

(L-R) ‘Etuate Lavulavu and ‘Akosita Lavulavu

The appeal was heard by Judges Randerson, Harison and Dalton .

In summarising the background to the case, the court was told that in 2003 Lavulavu and others founded a private education institute in Tonga. He was its president and, at all material times, his wife, ‘Akosita, was its director. From 2013-2015 the Institute obtained grants from the Ministry of Education and Training. The grants were later audited by the Office of the Auditor-General and irregularities were found. It was recommended that $553,800 be reimbursed to the Ministry and that the case be referred to the police for possible further investigation.

In March 2018 the Lavulavus were charged with three counts of obtaining money by false pretences contrary to Section 164 of the Criminal Offences Act. They were convicted after a trial before Judge Cooper. In July 2021 they were each sentenced to six years imprisonment with the final year of Mrs Lavulavu’s sentence suspended for two years on conditions. They remained in custody until bail was granted in September 2022.

Mr and Mrs Lavulavu successfully appealed against their convictions. On  October 10, 2022 the Court of Appeal quashed their convictions and ordered a retrial. The Court of Appeal said there was ample evidence to support findings of apparent bias on the part of the Judge, that the trial was unfair and that the verdicts could not stand.

However, the Court was satisfied that there was sufficient evidence to support convictions on a correct application of relevant legal principles. In November 2022 former Lord Chief Justice Whitten KC set a trial date, for May 8, 2023 if the Department of Public Prosecutions wanted  to proceed with the retrial. Shortly before the trial date the DPP filed an amended indictment which, among other things, invoked Section 8 of the Criminal Offences Act against Mr Lavulavu, alleging that he was guilty as a party rather than as a principal offender.

Mr Lavulavu then applied to have the charges against him dismissed on the grounds of abuse of process. In consequence, the proposed trial date was cancelled. On May 19, 2023, Lord Chief Justice Whitten dismissed Mr Lavulavu’s application. Etuate Lavulavu was given leave to appeal. His wife did not appeal.

If a new trial is to be held it is scheduled to proceed before a Judge sitting alone commencing next Monday, October 16, 2023.

In their summary of Etuate Lavulavu’s latest appeal, the judges said the appeal centred round two main questions, which were whether amending the indictment amounted to an abuse of process and whether there were any other grounds amounting to an abuse of process.

Mr Lavulavu submitted that the amended form of indictment constituted an abuse of process on several grounds, including that it amounted to a completely different charge.

However, the judges said that Lord Chief Justice Whitten had made it clear that the amendments did nothing more than give effect to the Court of Appeal’s decision, not changing the nature of the offence to be considered. The requisite element of section 164, for both Defendants in each count, of false pretences, remained unchanged.

Mr Lavulavu also raised numerous other grounds in support of his contention that there had been an abuse of process such that a fair trial could not be held. These included complaints that there had been an unjustified delay since he was first arrested; there had been improper manipulation or misuse of evidence; that evidence had been lost or destroyed and that there had been adverse publicity in the media.

However, the judges ruled that while the delay since the arrest of Mr and Mrs Lavulavu had been significant, none of the matters raised was so significant as to preclude a fair trial or to justify the allegation of abuse of process.

“Finally, we also reject the allegation that the Lord Chief Justice’s ruling was unfair and constituted apparent bias,” the judges said in their report.

“There is nothing in the extensive materials before us to suggest that the Lord Chief Justice was unfair in any way to Mr Lavulavu or exhibited any favouritism to the prosecutors. We have found his careful and thorough ruling to be correct in law in all respects.”

The appeal was dismissed.

Growing concerns for NZ Tongan church group trying to flee Israel amidst war

By
Kaniva Staff
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By Eleisha Foon of RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission

A New Zealand-based church group is attempting to flee Israel by bus with the help of the Tongan Consulate hours before the area they are sheltering in within Tel Aviv goes into lockdown.

The Tongan church group is made up of 45 people – mostly New Zealand citizens over the age of 40 and a 26-year-old woman.

RNZ Pacific spoke to a friend of the group who said this was “a crisis” and called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to provide a safe evacuation.

The friend who wished to stay anonymous to protect the group’s safety said: “If the NZ consul can’t get them out within the next 12 hours, a lockdown will imprison them in Israel for an indeterminate period.”

The concerned friend said a member of the group is battling cancer and is in need of medication.

The group was evacuated and are sheltering at a hotel 20 minutes away from where rockets are being launched.

RNZ Pacific was told by the friend: “The fear, uncertainty, and danger they face is beyond imagination.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade were made aware of the group’s situation three days ago, and the group was told to register to their website online and “wait on an update and response”. They are still waiting to hear from MFAT.

Meanwhile, the group were able to contact the Tongan government which has stepped up to help.

A member of the Tonga Consulate would be guiding the team out of Israel but there are concerns about a lack of funds to fly the entire church group back to New Zealand.

The friend of the church group discussed setting a Givealittle online crowdfunding page if NZ cannot come to the group’s aid.

“They have had to confide in the Tongan Consul, and had plans to fly out today but all commercial flights have been canceled until the 23rd of October.”

MFAT responded in a statement with advice to people attempting to flee the conflict by telling people to “use commercial opportunities to depart” Israel and “to register on SafeTravel for the most up to date information”.

Up to 54 members of the Connection City Church Assemblies of God travelled to Israel for a Holy Land tour, visiting historical Christian sites last week.

Meanwhile, members who were part of the same church cohort as the NZ Tongan church group arrived back in Fiji early this morning from Tel Aviv, Israel after the island nation sent a repatriation flight for hundreds of its citizens including Fijian government officials.

There are 245 New Zealanders registered on SafeTravel as being in Israel and 13 New Zealanders registered as being in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, according to MFAT.

An MFAT spokesperson said anyone that wants to leave Israel or the Occupied Palestinian Territories but can’t, should contact the New Zealand 24/7 Consular Emergency Line on +64 99 20 20 20.

Supreme Court grants leave to seek review of lack of debate over no confidence motion

By
Philip Cass
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The Supreme Court has granted leave for a group of opposition MPs to seek a judicial review of the decision of the Speaker of Parliament, Lord Fakafanua, to hold the vote of no confidence in the Prime Minister without debate.

Speaker Lord Fakafanua. Photo/Screenshot

However, Judge N.J.Cooper, presiding, refused  leave for the applicants to seek judicial review of Lord Fakafanua’s decision to allow unelected members to vote on the motion to proceed to the vote of no confidence in the Prime Minister without debate.

The application was supported by seven affidavits, each sworn on September 11, by MPs Dr. ‘Uhila-Moe-Langi-Fasi, Mateni Tapueluelu, Dr. Aisake Eke, Paula Piukala, Kapeli Lanumata, Dr Taniela Likuohihifo Fusimalohi and Mo’ale Finau.

The applicants were all signatories to a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni, submitted to Parliament on  August 22 this year by Dr. Aisake Eke.

According to Hon. Tapueluelu’s affidavit the setting down of the vote of no confidence was in the prescribed form and was acknowledged to be so by the Chief Clerk to the Legislative Assembly.

The Chief Clerk to the Legislative Assembly issued a press release stating: “Notification will be issued of the date when the motion will be tabled with the Legislative Assembly; where it will be read out and debated before it is put to a vote.”

The vote of no confidence took place on September 6, 2023 without a debate. There had first been a vote held by the Speaker to proceed with the vote of no confidence without debate.

The applicants submitted that a debate was mandatory under the Rules governing the operation of Parliament and that the members had been promised 10 minutes each to debate the motion by the Speaker.

Not following the Rules in regard to the need for a debate was a breach of the Rules and clause 62 (2) of the Constitution.

Some of the Opposition MPs who submitted the vote of no confidence motion. Photo/Supplied

The applicants argued that the vote to not debate the vote of no confidence breached the Constitution because two unelected members of the government,  the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Finance, were allowed to vote.

Judge Cooper said that where there had been a breach of the Constitution the Court was empowered to review and make such orders as was required pursuant to Order 39, Rule 1 of the Supreme Court Rules.

The applicants were therefore granted leave to apply for judicial review of the lawfulness of the Defendant’s actions in not debating the vote of no confidence in the Prime Minister.

Government has learned nothing from the past in its handling of Lulutai Twin Otter purchase

By
Kalino Latu and Philip Cass
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KANIVA COMMENT: The government’s purchase of a De Havilland Twin Otter has stirred up concerns among Parliamentarians about the level of transparency surrounding the deal.

Unfortunately, Tongans do not have to look very far to find  examples of previous governments not being completely open about major purchases. Sometimes, as in the case of the MV Niuvakai, the purchase has led to a major financial disaster.

Unfortunately, the government of Prime Minister Hu’akvameiliku does not seem to have learned any lessons from the past.

As we have said repeatedly, governments must not just do the right thing, they must be seen to do it. If they do not,  people may lose faith in the government if it cannot reassure them that it is acting properly.

If they do not, then people may fear that financial disasters like the one surrounding the purchase of the MV Niuvakai may be in danger of occurring again.

In the end the story of the government’s dealings over the MV Niuvakai came to light, but by then it was too late.

Readers will remember that the Tongan government bought the Niuvākai, then called the St Therese, in February 2014.

In 2019 the Ombudsman reported that a New Zealand-based marine surveyor had identified 17 deficiencies in the MV Niuvākai before Tonga’s national shipping line paid three times what the 34 year- old vessel was worth.

Former Ombudsman ‘Aisea H. Taumoepeau said that in February 2014, Pacific Royale Shipping sold the vessel  to the Friendly Island Shipping Agency for TP$1.5 million/NZ$936,500. 

The Ombudsman said FISA’s board had failed to conduct a proper evaluation of the vessel.

The vessel was bought because it was thought it could carry Tongan produce for sale in Fiji and Samoa.

However, there were not enough goods to export and the MV Niuvakai became a financial liability.

The vessel was unable to lift the 20 foot (six metre) containers typically used for shipping with its deck crane and was deemed to be unprofitable on voyages lasting more than three days.

The purchase of the 35 year old ship was surrounded by controversy, not least because it was surrounded by financial complications.

In March 2014 Kaniva News published details of an e-mail by former Finance Minister Lisiate ‘Akolo which revealed that the Tongan government had urged a potential buyer of the former St Theresa to help pay the owners’ loan with their bank in New Zealand.

The vessel was owned by the Ramanlal brothers, who were close friends of the late King George V.

‘Akolo asked Mosese Uele, director of EZI World Cargo in Auckland, to pay  10-15 percent in advance for the Ramanlals, as part of a settlement payment to their bank.

However, ‘Akolo later admitted the ship could only make a profit if it was restricted to voyages of three days.

Calculations based on the cost of fuel, operational costs and cargo carrying capacity meant it could only profitably sail to neighbouring countries like Fiji, Samoa and American Samoa, Niue and Wallis and Futuna.

The Friendly Islands Shipping agency created a new company called Tonga Exports Shipping Agency Limited (TESAL) to operate the MV Niuvakai.

FISA’s former CEO, Vaka Utapola Vi, told Kaniva News in 2014 that FISA only bought the former St Theresa because the price of  other ships they looked at, including one in the Caribbean, were  either too high or because it would have cost too much to bring them to Tonga.

When he was told a company in Auckland had turned down an offer to purchase the ship because it would lose money on voyages lasting longer than three days, Vi said FISA had tested the ship and he had recommended it.

The MV Niuvakai had had a troubled history since being bought by FISA.

In 2015 it was anchored in Vava’u for a month because of a mechanical failure.

It later became stranded on a reef.

All of this might have been avoided if the purchase of the MV Niuvakai had been open to public scrutiny and Parliamentary debate.

The current government would be wise to be fully open with every aspect of the purchase of Lulutai’s new aircraft. That way it will avoid what it doubtless regards as unwanted – but in our view completely understandable – speculation about the purchase of the aircraft and the government’s financial dealings.

Tongan woman who dies after becoming trapped in burning ute in Sydney laid to rest

By
Kaniva Staff
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The woman who died after becoming trapped in the back of a burning ute following a horrific collision was laid to rest at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Sydney.

Heart-wrenching tributes are flooding onto social for the ‘humble and loving’ victim of the fatal head-on crash between two utes in south-west Sydney on September 11

Her relatives and friends remembered her for her “Countless Deeds Of Kindness  and “Always Giving Never Expecting any Favors In Return”.

Sela Maumalanga was a passenger in the ute when it collided with a dual cab vehicle on Menangle Road at Douglas Park, in Sydney‘s south-west, at 4.20am a week ago.

Her uncle Peni Tu Itupou struggled out of the ute with help from witnesses and was taken to hospital with ‘significant injuries’, the Daily Mail reported.

But the damage to the ute prevented those on the scene from pulling Ms Maumalanga free.

The ute burst into flames and Ms Maumalanga, 37, died in the vehicle. 

The other driver, the only occupant of his vehicle, suffered only arm injuries.

Ms Maumalanga was an admired and beloved member of Sydney’s Tongan community, which was rocked by her sudden passing.

‘Sissy, I’m so sorry no one [could] get you out. I’m sorry I was not there with you,’ a loved one wrote on Facebook. 

‘Wake up sis, I don’t want to let you go,’ she wrote.

‘You never changed,’ another added.

‘So humble and loving with a pure heart of gold. Your smile and laughter was so infectious, you made everyone feel loved.’ 

‘The beautiful moments you shared with us will never be forgotten,’ a third wrote.

‘Your countless deeds of kindness, always giving never expecting any favours in return.’

Friends also added to the tributes as they came to terms with the shock death. 

‘Fly high beautiful,’ one wrote.

Ms Maumalanga’s family-oriented nature was clear from the many tributes.

‘No matter how busy we were with our own little family you were always checking up on us,’ one wrote.

‘She always checked up on me and the kids. A beautiful soul taken too soon,’ another friend said.

‘Thank you for being the only one who continued to always check up on my kids,  a third wrote.

A GoFundMe has since been started with $7,565 raised in four days. 

‘She was a ray of positivity and she will be missed by everyone,’ it read.

NSW Police confirmed to Daily Mail Australia the cause of the crash is under investigation.

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