A former gang leader who spent time in prison before he turned his life around and ended up receiving a Master’s degree from the University of Hawai’i was shot dead in Aiea, Honolulu.
Malakai Maumalanga
The 45-year-old Malakai Maumalanga was killed in his residence on March 29. His funeral and visitation services have yet to be announced.
Witnesses reportedly said one, maybe two suspects were involved in the shooting. No further details were available, the Hawai’ian Star Advertiser reported.
The ex-gang leader, who was also goes by the name of Mo, has been described as heavily involved with gang while “he was 13 years-old … and very angry, very violent.”
He was jailed when he was 18 for a drive-by shooting.
That journey takes him to the stage to receive a master’s degree in social work.
“I didn’t realize how far I came until right after finals then I realized I’m getting my masters”, Hawai’i News Now reported Maumalanga as saying.
Maumalanga was such a success story that he was hired by Adult Friends for Youth in 2002 and earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in social work.
At the time of his death, he directly reported to Deborah Spencer-Chun, his former Adult Friends for Youth counselor.
“We worry about all the kids that we work with. Mo was no different,” Spencer-Chun told the Star-Advertiser on Sunday.
For the last 20 years, Mo has been giving back – working at Adult Friends for Youth, the Hawai’ian Khon2 reported.
“His passion was helping other kids who were just like him get a better future”, the paper said.
Tourism minister, Akosita Lavulavu, has come under fire for the reinstatement of Tonga Tourism Authority board last week with critics saying the decision was unnecessary and irrelevant after it appears that international travel will not resume anytime soon.
(L-R) Sēmisi Sika, Akosita Lavulavu and Saia Moehau
Tonga Tourism Authority Board (TTAB) is the government’s tourism marketing and advising panel. It was terminated in 2017 after the then minister, Semisi Sika, believed the board did not have any positive influence on tourism growth in Tonga.
Critics believe the Ministry’s Chief Executive Officer and their staff not only can do what was needed of the board of directors but it saved the Ministry money.
Sika, who is now the Opposition Leader, and Tonga Tourism Association (TTA) claimed more than 30 percent of the new board’s budget of $1.5 million would go to the board of directors pay and other fees. Sika has described this spending as imprudent (“fakavalevale”).
“How do we justify spending a $1.5m budget to market a locked border destination in the middle of a global pandemic?” Sika told Kaniva News.
Sika, who dismissed the 2016 tourism board before the Supreme Court quashed it the following year, also slammed the appointment of the directors saying they were people who have no experience in tourism industry.
Sika and the president of TTA, Saia Moehau, believed the budget should have been used to boost local tourist businesses which have been crippled by the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic.
New board announcement
On Thursday April 8 the Minster announced in a press release her new board members which included Ms. Mishka Tu’ifua (Chairperson and Tongatapu member), Mr. Simana Kami (Tongatapu member), Ms. Petunia Tupou (Tongatapu member), Mr. Simana Kami (Tongatapu member), ‘Aisea Ta’ofi (Niuafo’ou & Niuatoputapu) Mr. Alwyn Moa (Vava’u member), Mr. Finau Walter (Ha’apai member) and Ms. Temalisi Maile (‘Eua member).
Lavulavu, who was penalised and ordered by a Supreme Court decision last year to pay the plaintiffs’ costs after she wrongly denied their whale watching and swimming licenses, said the new board members replaced the previous board members whose contracts ended in June 2017.
The Minister also said: “The role of the Board is to implement the objectives in the TTA Act 2016. This will be achieved based on their policy advice to the Government, through the Minister, for the marketing, development, administration, promotion and investment in the Tourism sector to ensure sustainable growth”.
TTA concerns
In a letter dated March 24 from Moehau to the Minister, seen by Kaniva News, the president questioned the “relevancy” of the decision “especially at this very time of a very serious pandemic, Covid19, that shuts down our border and borders all over the World”.
“Sad to admit that since the implementation of TTAB, we, the tourism operators, never found any result of positive contributions from TTAB to our tourism growth”.
Moehau told Lavulavu this was why the former Tourism Minister made a decision to end the tourism board.
He said his association was aware that Lavulavu has “rescinded this cabinet decision as the result of your new TTAB today”.
Tourism operators need more assistance
Moehau told Lavulavu the association was grateful for the financial payouts to tourism operators throughout Tonga, but “these operators need more financial lifelines to keep them afloat and able to stay above water during this pandemic”.
“There would be some operators whom will survive after these tough times, but many will struggle to come back. But in order to maintain our tourism growth and tourism receipts above $100 Million Pa’anga per annum, we need everyone to stay afloat.
“As we all aware that the annual budget for TTAB is $1.5Million. With that, we are estimating there would be around a minimum of $150,000.00 Pa’anga per quarter out of that budget will go directly to TTAB’s directors’ fees, meeting fees, and local only travel expenses considering the structure of the new TTAB.
“That’s a minimum of $450,000.00 of that budget goes and spent on only members of the new TTAB per annum. This does not include salaries for TTAB’s new General Manager and their new Staff plus office expenses”.
The association has also recommended to the Minister to put “survival of all Tourism Operators” as priority and “delay or cancel the activation of TTAB until the border is opened”.
CEO and staff can do the board’s work
“Your CEO and Staff at our Ministry of Tourism is sufficed for now to work with all Tourism Operators to cooperate in all necessary working plans during these hard times,” Moehau wrote.
“We believe TTAB will overlap the Ministry’s current working plans”.
Moehau also suggested that the Minister diverts the TTAB budget of $1.5million Pa’anga to help struggling tourism operators in Tongatapu, Vava’u, Ha’apai, and ‘Eua.
“We need as much financial help as we can get to allow all our tourism products to remain ready and operatable once borders are opened in order to maintain positive and healthy tourism growth”.
TTA members included Vava’u Tourism Association, Tonga Hotels Association, Tonga Tourist Association, Tonga Travels & Tours Association, Whale Watching & Water Activities, Tonga Bars & Restaurant Association, Tonga Airlines Association and Heilala Festival.
FAKAMATALA FAKATONGA
‘Oku lolotonga faingata’a’ia ‘a e takimamata ‘a Tonga’ koe’uhi ko hono loka ‘o e kau’āfonua’ ‘o ‘ikai lava ai ha kau folau tua mei tu’apule’anga ke omi ki he fonua’ ke langa hake ngaahi pisinisi takimamata’. ‘Oku toe fiema’u tokoni fakapa’anga ‘aupito ‘a e ngaahi pisinisi takimamata fakalotofonua’ mei he pule’anga’ he ko ‘enau tō lalo ko ‘eni he ngāue ‘a e Koviti-19 ka ko kinautolu talu mei he kamata’anga ne nau tokonia lahi ‘a e ‘ekonōmika ‘a e fonua’. ‘Oku fiema’u leva ke potongi e pa’anga ‘a e fonua’ ‘o ‘oua ‘e ‘asi mai ‘oku fai’aki ha tolo veka. Kuo fakaanga’i lahi ai ‘e he taki ‘o e Fa’ahi Fakaanga’ Sēmisi Sika fakataha mo e hoha’a lahi mei he ‘asosieisini ‘a e ngaahi kautaha taki mamata ‘a Tonga ‘oku ‘iloa ko e Tonga Tourism Association ‘a e fo’i nga’unu ko ‘eni ‘a e Minisitā Takimamata’ Akosita Lavulavu ke toe fakaake mai ‘a e Poate Takimamata’ pea ‘oange mo ‘enau patiseti $1.5 miliona ke nau tu’uaki mo fakamāketi’i’aki ‘a e taki mamata’. Pehē ‘e Sika mo e palesiteni ‘o e TTA ‘e laka hake he pēseti ia ‘e 30 ‘o e patiseti ko eni ko e fo’i vahe ‘ata’atā pe ia mo hono totongi ‘o e kau talēkita ‘o e poate’ ni. Ka ko e hā ‘enau me’a leva ‘e fai ke langa hake takimamata’ ‘oku ‘ikai lava omi ha kau tua ia mei tu’apule’anga’. Na’e ta’ofi fakataimi ha toe fokotu’u poate he 2017 ko e tui ‘a e minisitā ‘aho ko ia’ ‘oku ‘ikai ha tokoni ia ‘a e poate ki he tupu ‘a e takimamata he fonua’. Ko e fatongia ‘o e poate’ ‘oku ‘osi lava lelei pe ia ‘e he CEO mo ‘ene kau ngāue’ ‘o fakahoko ‘a e ngāue ko ia pea malu ai e patiseti ‘a e Potungāue’. ‘Ikai ko ia pe ka kuo pehē ‘e Sika ko e kau talēkita poate fo’ou ko eni ‘a Lavulavu’ ko e kakai lelei pe ia ka ‘oku hala ha’anau taukei ‘e taha mo e takimamata. ‘Oku totonu ke ‘ave pa’anga $1.5 miliona ko ‘eni’ ‘o tokonia’aki ‘a e ngaahi pisinisi takimamata taautaha’.
Pasifika performers are ready to get back on stage at the Pasifika Festival this weekend after it was cancelled for two years in a row.
Photo: RNZ / Koroi Hawkins
Thousands are expected to attend the two-day festival that celebrates the Pacific cultures of Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland with music, dance, arts, crafts, demonstrations, storytelling and food.
The annual festival, usually held at Western Springs, will be taking place at Auckland’s Mt Smart Stadium this weekend on Saturday from 10am to 8pm and Sunday from 10am to 4pm.
Pasifika Festival has been cancelled two years in a row, in 2019 after the Christchurch terrorist attack and last year due to the first Covid-19 lockdown.
Hip-hop artist and tutor Shirl’e Fruean Photo: Supplied
Hip-hop artist and tutor Shirl’e Fruean, also known as Queen Shirl’e, has been performing at Pasifika since 2000 and said this year’s festival has been a long time coming.
“We’ve been waiting for the last two years to get on this stage.”
She said Covid-19 restrictions and lockdowns had been hard on performers and this weekend was significant.
“A lot of our gigs have been cancelled and you know as artists this is what we rely on and for some of us, it’s our bread and butter.”
She runs pathways to performing arts which is an after-school development programme based in Māngere. She said the Pasifika festival gave them an opportunity to perform live on stage to an audience, some for the very first time.
“It’s massive, Pasifika is massive, especially for this programme. We rely on Pasifika Festival to give our next generation of Pasifikas a platform.”
“It’s really hard for young people to be on those big stages so to get given an opportunity on Pasifika is a key step forward for our kids and I think this is what I’m really focused on is giving our young people a platform.”
Fruean is performing on the Samoan Stage at 11am tomorrow morning alongside some of her students.
Auckland Unlimited head of major and business events Richard Clarke says there is great anticipation for Pasifika Festival this year.
“After being cancelled for the last two years, it is fantastic to be able to proceed with Pasifika Festival this year,” Clarke said.
“It’s an iconic event that celebrates our wonderful Pacific communities and brings together family, friends and communities.”
Eight villages will be set up with nine Pacific Island nations represented this year, Aotearoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, Niue, Samoa, Tonga and Tuvalu.
The eighth village, new to the festival this year, is the Fale Pasifika Village that will host the islands of Hawai’i and Kiribati.
Each village has a performance stage where cultural groups will perform traditional and contemporary dances. Market stalls are also set up selling food and merchandise unique to each culture.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will attend along with Arts, Culture and Heritage Minister Carmel Sepuloni and Minister of Pacific Peoples Aupito William Sio.
Progress is the name of the game for the Tonga Invitational Sevens team competing at the Takiwhitu Tūturu invitational sevens, which kicks off in Wellington this morning.
The Tonga sevens team played games against two All Blacks Sevens teams in February. Photo: Facebook/Tonga Sevens Rugby
New Zealand-based squads representing Samoa and Tonga will take part in the men’s tournament alongside two All Blacks Sevens teams, while a Moana Pasifika squad will feature in the women’s competition with two Black Ferns Sevens teams and a Black Ferns 15-a-side selection.
Tonga played three games against the All Blacks Sevens back in February, losing by 26, 54 and just five points respectively.
With 10 weeks to go until Final Olympic Games Qualifying Tournament in Monaco, co-captain John Tapueluelu said the next two days were a chance to make a statement.
“Every time we come up against New Zealand you know it’s going to be hard, physical and fast. For us as a group we just want to keep progressing from that and things that we did pick up on in sessions we try to work on that so hopefully come this weekend we’ll be able to show it out there,” he said.
Tonga co-captains John Tapueluelu and Aisea Halo. Photo: RNZ Pacific/Vinnie Wylie
With borders still closed because of Covid-19, only New Zealand-based players were considered for selection.
“Right here I feel like we can really make a statement and do our best for it as well. There will be learnings and everything here but I think we’re at a good position.We’re really blessed to be in NZ to be honest and to get this quality tournament is really a blessing.”
Auckland-based halfback, Aisea Halo, said the Tongan team was hungry to play and couldn’t wait to get back out on the field.
“It’s always good to come against New Zealand and Samoa, just with the quality players they have and just to be able to measure ourselves up against them is a good opportunity for us as a team and progress to that Olympic qualifier, so the boys are excited and hissing and ready to get out there and play some footy.”
The Tonga men’s sevens programme was already run out of New Zealand, under the watchful eye of former international Tevita Tu’ifua.
Most of the players were based in Auckland, with others travelling from as far afield as Oamaru and Dunedin.
The group developed into a tight-knit bunch in the last few years, Tapueluelu said.
“We may be like in different parts of New Zealand but when we come together I feel like everyone enjoys that bond that we have…it feels like when we come together we have that chemistry.
“It’s just a blessing to feed in new boys to this programme as well and everyone enjoying the weekend and learning with this new experience, and those players that have been here before as well feeding down to the younger players as well.”
Despite a real grass-roots feel to the Tongan squad, Tapueluelu insisted the door was open for former All Blacks and Wallabies stars like Charles Piutau and Israel Folau if they wanted to represent the kingdom in Monaco.
“It’s unreal to be honest to have those guys be even in the same breath (as us) with the opportunity that could come into fruition,” he said.
“It’s really exciting for our nation as well and where we’re at, trying to get good players for our fifteens as well – obviously they’re looking towards the World Cup and stuff like that. Honestly it’s great for rugby as a whole to be honest.”
The provisional results from Samoa’s general election has the HRPP and FAST political parties head to head, holding 25 seats each in the 51 seat Parliament.
The Faatuatua ile Atua Samoa ua Tasi party leader, Fiame Naomi Mataafa, told reporters the number of seats her party has won in a media conference last night while the office of the Electoral Commission was still counting the preliminary results.
Fiame Naomi Mataafa thanked party supporters Photo: RNZ Pacific/Tipi Autagavaia
An independent candidate, Tuala Tevaga Iosefo Ponifasio, who won the seat for Gaga’emauga number one is now the king maker for both parties to form a new government.
But FAST party leader said the process of negotiating with the independent candidate would be carried out soon.
Voters outside a polling station in the Samoa 2021 general election Photo: RNZ Pacific/Tipi Autagavaia
Meanwhile the HRPP party leader and caretaker Prime Minister was the first to call a media conference held at his party’s headquarters last night where he thanked everyone involved in carrying out a peaceful election.
But he was not able to reveal the number of seats his party has won.
The FAST party has won 15 seats on the island of Savai’i, and 10 in Upolu including the unopposed seat of Lotofaga electoral constituency held by the party’s leader.
Four women have made it to the new Parliament as a result of yesterday’s election including two for FAST party.
Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi spoke to media last night Photo: RNZ Pacific/Tipi Autagavaia
They are Matamua Vasati Pulufana, who defeated the caretaker Minister of Finance, Sili Epa Tuioti, and Mulipola Anarosa Fonoti, who has won the seat for Palauli number one from a former HRPP MP.
A female candidate who competed under the HRPP party banner for Falealupo constituency, Leota Tima Le’avai, has also won.
The caretaker Minister of Health, Faimalomatumua Kika Stowers, Ah Kau, has been re-elected.
The fifth woman in the new Parliament is the leader of FAST party which means the threshold under the constitution for five seats for women will not apply.
Lilieta Tu’itupou, 30, was found guilty after willfully and without justification hit with the flat side of a machete the left back side of her own mother Mahetani Tu’itupou, 54.
She also without lawful justification hit with a wooden board the back and thigh of her daughter Sisi ‘Upolu Houa.
The prisoner was sentenced in a Magistrate Court to four months’ imprisonment.
The sentencing Magistrate said that Tu’itupou had a previous criminal record and this was part of the reason for not suspending any part of her sentence.
The charge against attacking her mother under section 112 (a) of the Criminal Offences Act is for a minor assault where no major injury is caused liable to a fine of $5000.00 or 12 months’ imprisonment. The attack by a daughter of her mother is much more serious, a court document said.
In allowing the appeal, Supreme Court Justice Tevita Tupou said the Police record shows that Tu’itupou did not have a criminal record.
For this reason, the prosecutor at the Supreme Court did not oppose the appeal and submits that there should be a partial suspension of the sentences as this was her first criminal offence.
The prosecutor also did not support a full suspension because of the use of a weapon for the assault.
Justice Tupou replaced Tu’itupou’s original jail term with three months’ imprisonment with a 12 month’s suspension of her final month in jail. Justice Tupou also reduced the three month’s imprisonment by seven days for the days Tu’itupou was in prison until released on bail on 2 March 2021.
The attacks
The appeal court heard that on 15 February 2021 in Fātumu, the prisoner was with her mother and her four-year-old daughter Sisi ‘Upolu Houa.
Tu’itupou told her mother that there was a funeral in the family of her father. Her mother did not want to take any part in the funeral as she did not like the family of her father.
Tu’itupou was very angry by the attitude of her mother so she went and got a machete to hit her.
Her mother ran outside calling for help from the neighbours and Tu’itupou hit her bottom with the flat side of the machete before help came from the neighbour and stopped the assault.
Her mother went to the Police Station and lodged her complaint about the attack.
At the same time, she lodged a complaint on behalf of Tu’itupou’s four-year-old daughter Sisi ‘Upolu Houa who showed bruise marks on her body and leg.
Medical evidence showed that these bruises were caused by a wooden board which was in the Court room with the machete.
A Qantas plane which arrived in Tonga this morning has experienced what appears to be a mechanical failure.
Qantas plane breakdown in Tonga. [Inset: the passengers can be seen leaving the plane} Photos/SuppliedPalu Aviation CEO Tevita Palu told Kaniva News his company was assisting the aircraft.
“I don’t have any details on the defect now. Palu Aviation engineers are providing the support for Qantas now,” Palu said.
The flight QF6034 TBUADL was scheduled to depart the Fua’amotu International Airport at 10am with more than 200 Tongan workers to work on farms in Australia under the federal government’s Seasonal Worker Program.
The passengers already boarded the plane before they were informed about the problem, a source said.
The aircraft arrived in Tonga at about 7.50am without passengers.
Some private and church high schools in Tonga still dealt with major blow to their financial position because they have yet to receive any of their frozen funds of more than a million from the government.
‘Apifo’ou College Think Tank panelists. (L-R) Falakiko Kolo, Tonga Finau, Rodney Halapio
Ex-students hold concerns about the impacts of the hold and how it can affect students’ learning outcomes.
As Kaniva News reported previously, the money was intended to top up the teachers’ pay but a government audit discovered that some of the grants had not been used according to the purpose of the funding programme.
Veteran Journalist Kalafi Moala reported in February that the Ministry of Education and Training (MET) demanded “the Catholic Schools Education Authority a reimbursement of about $500,000 before any further funds would be released to them”.
Moala claimed MET still withheld about TOP$1 million for Catholic Schools.
The Director of Catholic Education declined to talk to Moala regarding the matter.
But a Catholic school alumni think tank which is based in San Francisco, USA has recently suggested a possible solution that might help resolve the issue.
It said the government should deposit the teachers’ pay directly into their bank accounts and avoid further paying the money through the schools.
The think tank livestream programme which was weekly hosted by former teachers and top scholars of ‘Apifo’ou College said the government wanted to make sure the money was used accordingly.
Former teacher and ex-student Tonga Finau told the programme the Catholic schools have used the money for a “good cause” but unfortunately that fell outside the scope of the contract with the government.
Two other hosts of the programme, Rodney Halapio and Falakiko Kolo, agreed with Finau that it was the government’s constitutional responsibility to assist the schools.
They said the government and the churches should fix the issue as soon as possible.
As Kaniva News previously reported, the latest hold in question was revealed in February by a former Prime Minister and director of the Catholic schools Lord Sevele ‘O Vailahi in a speech he delivered during a live streamed ceremony in Tongatapu attended by the Prime Minister Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa.
“Today only part of that money has been paid to the teachers,” Lord Sevele said.
Sevele pleaded with the Prime Minister to intervene.
The Tongan funding was supplemented by a shared grant equally donated by the New Zealand and Australian government.
In 2016 the Free Wesleyan Church Schools’ Director of Education, Dr Mele’ana Puloka, said it had been two years since New Zealand and Australian funding was held back from the church’s schools.
She said she knew there were good reasons why the funding had been withheld, but the church could not only pay its teachers and disregard other staff working outside the classrooms.
A former Adiloa Store employee in Nuku’alofa, has been locked up.
Kisione Tauvaka, 20, was jailed for three years, six months when he appeared in the Nuku’alofa Supreme Court last week for multiple counts of theft.
Tauvaka pleaded guilty to three counts of serious housebreaking and three counts of theft.
He would only serve six months after Justice Laki Niu suspended three years of his sentence.
The total value of the stolen goods was $22,934.
The stolen goods included burner oven stoves, washing machines, standing fridge, chest freezer, Chinese mats, mountain bikes, Panasonic microwave oven, tent, sewing machine, lights, and burner stoves.
In May 2020 Tauvaka took the key of the Adiloa Store’s Havelu warehouse without permission and used it to break into the building. He stole from it two stoves, three freezers and several floor mats before re-locked the warehouse and took the stolen goods to his home at ‘Utulau.
He returned the key to the Kolomotu’a warehouse without anyone at work knowing what he had done.
In June 2020, he did the same thing twice at the Havelu warehouse. The first one was on 16 June 2020, when he stole washing machines, stoves, freezers and lights. The second stealing was on 18 June 2020 when he took washing machines, stoves, bicycles, freezers and lights
While he was loading up the items on to a white truck he was using on the third occasion of these offences, a passer-by happened to notice what he was doing and reported the matter to the store manager in Kolofo’ou.
He was later identified by the passer-by as the one inside the Havelu warehouse at the time, the court was told.
He admitted what he had done and he went with the police and collected the items which he had taken. Only part of the stolen goods were recovered.
The prisoner appears to have a problem with alcohol and the court was told he stole these properties so that he would sell them “to afford alcohol”.
He was remorseful and cooperated with the police. At one stage he was beaten up by some persons, who were not the police, after he refused to tell the manager of the store where he had hidden the stolen items. He received medical attention after that beating.
Locals of Foa, Ha’apai have butchered what appears to be a sperm whale found stranded on the island’s beach.
Locals in Foa, Ha’apai have butchered a whale found stranded on a beach. Photos/Supplied
Reports said a member of the public found the whale on a beach near the Foa causeway.
Photos shared on Facebook appear to show some men begin to hack at the animal and slicing its belly.
The event attracted comments from the online community with whale meat lovers reminiscing about the traditional delicacy.
“The best ocean meat ever,” a commenter said.
“About time for Tonga to lift the ban,” another wrote.
A Royal Decree in 1978 banned hunting and killing of whales in the kingdom to help preserve and protect the endangered species.
There were recent calls for the government to lift the ban with advocates suggesting the whale meat could help support Tonga’s fight against cheap, fatty meat and its contribution to the country’s high obesity rate.
It was proposed to kill 10 humpbacks a year to help the local meat stocks.
In 2017 the then Deputy Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni told the Changing Oceania conference in Nuku’alofa that “Since the Royal decree, which banned the hunting of whales in Tongan waters, the Tongan breeding populations have recovered from less than 50 to more than 2000 whales”.
Three countries in the world including Norway, Iceland and Japan allow commercial whaling.
Kisione Tauvaka, 20, was jailed for three years, six months when he appeared in the Nuku’alofa Supreme Court last week for multiple counts of theft.
