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PM brings son-in-law into cabinet in reshuffle

By
Philip Cass
-

Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pōhiva, who has faced complaints of nepotism in the past, has brought his son-in-law, Mateni Tapueluelu into the cabinet as Police Minister.

The move is part of a wider cabinet reshuffle following the resignation of Dr. ‘Aisake Eke as Finance Minister.

Dr. Eke had served as Finance Minister in two administrations.

His portfolio has gone to former Revenue Minister Tēvita Laveumaau.

Hon.  Lavemaau‘s portfolio goes to Pōhiva Tuʻiʻonetoa.

As Kaniva News reported earlier today, The Prisons Department has been brought under the control of Justice Minister Vuna Fāʻotusia.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs goes to Deputy Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni.

The reshuffle comes a week after Hon. Pōhiva survived a vote of no confidence by 14 votes to 10.

For more information

Mateni Tapueluelu new minister of Police, Finance Minister ‘Aisake Eke resigns

Tonga Finance Minister resigns

As haʻamo continues, King and congregation remember Queen Mother

By
Kalino Latu
-

King, Queen and congregation joined together this morning to remember the late Queen Mother, Halaevalu Mata’aho at the Kolomotu’a Centenary church.

Their Majesties, King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipau’u Tuku’aho, and some members of the royal family joined hundreds of people at the Free Wesleyan service.

The congregation was visibly moved by the realisation that the Queen Mother was no longer with them.

The  Church’s Secretary General, Dr Tevita Havea, told the king the church today looked shapeless (“fuofuanoa”), a Tongan reference to a situation where someone was showing no interest in what was being doing because something or someone had gone or was lost.

Although the Queen Mother was resting at Mala’ekula her image was in the church members’ thinking and prayers, Dr Havea said.

The king and the queen were visibly miserable, but watched in approval while Dr Havea spoke from the pulpit.

Some of the royals, including Hon. Virginia Rose Aleamotuʻa, Hon. Sālote Maumautaimi Tuku’aho, Prince Tungi and Princess  Latufuipeka took part in hymns and Bible readings.

The Haʻamo

After todayʻs thanksgiving service Prince Ata and Princess Latufuipeka led the Haʻa Ngataʻs haʻamo to the royal palace in Nukuʻalofa.

The haʻamo, or carrying a basket of food tied with long kavei to a stick over the shoulders of two persons will continue on until the 10th night of the funeral taboo is over.

The food includes fruit, root crops and meat to feed people with responsibilities during the funeral taboo.

These responsibilities include the kau nima tapu (people whose hands are regarded as taboo) after they touched the body of the Queen Mother and prepared her after she died and before her burial.

There have also been kava ceremonies at certain places around the palace as a show of respect to the deceased.

Those with these responsibilities are divided into three groups known as polas. Members of the Fale Haʻakili’s pola are staying at Pangai Lahi. Members of the Haʻa Tufunga pola are staying at Mapuʻafuiva  whereas the ʻUlutolu pola are at Talakaepau.

The burial of the Queen Mother on Wednesday was followed by the normal practise of feituʻui, led by Princess Pilolevu and a haʻamo by her daughter Hon. Fanetupou Vavaʻu Kaho and her kainga from Nukunuku.

Another haʻamo was carried by Lord Lavaka’s kainga from Pea. The title Lavaka was also held by the king.

Lord ‘Ahome’e, the Queen Mother’s late brother, also presented a ha’amo from his kainga.

Other ha’amos from Lord Veikune, Lord Vaea, Prince Tungi, Crown Prince ‘Ulukalala Tupouto’a were also presented.

Lord Tu’ilakepa told Kaniva News not all the nobles could carry ha’amo because the funeral taboo ran for only 10 days.

He said the ha’amo had already been taken up by the royals and most nobles had not had an opportunity to present it to the polas or go straight to the palace.

Instead, they presented their own ha’amo to the Crown Prince at his Liukava residence because they had no opportunity to

The funeral restrictions for the Queen Mother’s death will be lifted on March 11 with the practice of fakamalele.

The main points

  • The late Queen Mother, Halaevalu Mata’aho, was remembered during this Sunday’s morning service at the Kolomotu’a Centenary church .
  • Their Majesties King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipau’u Tuku’aho and some members of the royal family joined hundreds of people at the Free Wesleyan service.
  • The congregation was visibly moved by the realisation that the Queen Mother was no longer with them.
  • The Church’s Secretary General, Dr Tevita Havea, told the king the church today looked shapeless (“fuofuanoa”), a Tongan reference to a situation where someone was showing no interest in what was being doing because something or someone had gone or was lost.

Muslim man allegedly attacked, kicked out of Pangai Lahi after arriving to offer prayers for Queen Mother

By
Kalino Latu
-

A Muslim man was allegedly attacked and forced to leave Pangai Lahi near the royal palace after arriving to offer prayers for the Queen Mother during her takipō on Wednesday morning at around 4am.

Thousands of Christian mourners gathered in a large marque tent outside the palace to pray for the matriarch’s soul.

An eyewitness Sēmisi Fūnaki uploaded a photo of the incident to Facebook and said it took place while they were about to enter the royal palace for the prayer vigil.

He confirmed the incident to Kaniva News. 

He claimed the Muslim, who was known by the name Peka Tea of Teʻekiu, arrived and began spreading out something on the grass apparently for his prayer ceremony.

Fūnaki, a student at Siaʻatoutai Theological College, claimed the soldier at the gate had allegedly attacked Tea and smashed his stuff forcing him to leave the palace ground.

The photo had received more than thousand likes and hundred shares and comments as of today Sunday 5.

Some commentators felt for the man and said the way he was forced to leave showed mere hatred and hostility towards Islam and Muslims.

But some said the Muslim was insistent to get in and the soldier was doing his job.

Ten Christian and protestant churches including two groups and the royal family offered a series of prayer vigil during the Queen Mother’s takipō which began on Tuesday evening at 6pm until 6am on Wednesday morning.

The prayer vigil was conducted by the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga, Catholic Church, Tonga Tauʻatāina Church, Anglican Church, Church of Tonga, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints,  Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Tōkaikolo Fellowship, Assemblies of God and the Constitution Church.

The two groups were from the Siaʻatoutai Theological College and Ālonga Centre which was founded by the Queen Mother.

Tongan authority could not be reached for comment.

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Tongan Finance Minister Dr Aisake Eke’s political future appears to hang in the balance this weekend.

By
Philip Cass
-

Tongan Finance Minister Dr Aisake Eke’s political future appears to hang in the balance this weekend.

Reports are circulating that Dr Eke has been sacked, but these may be premature.

Cabinet sources told Kaniva Tonga today that Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva is considering giving the Finance portfolio to the Customs and Revenue Minister, Hon. Tevita Lavemaau.

Our source said Hon. Pohiva was finalising his decision and would announce it on Monday.

The source said the Finance Minister was the “heart of the government” and should work closely with the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

The Prime Minister is believed to be considering replacing Dr Eke because he abstained in Monday’s unsuccessful vote of no confidence against Hon. Pohiva.

It was not immediately clear whether the PM intends to sack Dr Eke or give him Hon. Lavemaau’s portfolio.

Last Monday a vote of no  confidence in the Prime Minister, which had been put forward by the Nobles, was defeated 14-10. The Nobles were backed by some independents.

Radio New Zealand reported that Dr Eke’s name had been put forward as a possible replacement Prime Minister if the vote had been successful.

Dr Eke was elected to Parliament in 2010 as Member for Tongatapu 5.

He previously served in the Finance portfolio under the government of Lord Tuʻivakano.

The main points

  • Tongan Finance Minister Dr Aisake Eke’s political future appears to hang in the balance this weekend.
  • Cabinet sources told Kaniva Tonga today that Prime Minister ‘Akilisi Pohiva is considering giving the Finance portfolio to the Customs and Revenue Minister, Hon. Tevita Lavemaau.
  • Our source said Hon. Pohiva was finalising his decision and would announce his decision on Monday.
  • The Prime Minister is believed to be considering replacing Dr Eke because he abstained in last week’s unsuccessful vote of no confidence against Hon. Pohiva.

For more information

Nobles have put vote behind them, Lord Tu’ilakepa tells Kaniva

Tonga government facing no confidence motion

Ministry rejects claims of hospital delays after man dies following nurse’s assessment

By
Kalino Latu
-

A 58-year-old man in Vavaʻu died on Monday shortly after he was assessed by a nurse.

A Health Ministry spokesman said the man died at 10.30am, half an hour after he was triaged.

The nurse considered the deceased’s condition was not urgent, so she asked him to wait in the waiting room until he could be seen by the doctor.

He was also told that if he felt unwell he could call the nurses.

The man died in his vehicle 30 minutes later.

The Ministry spokesperson did not identify the cause of the man’s death.

However, he said the man had a heart disease and his last visit to the hospital in Vava’u was in 2015.

An inquiry by the Vava’u health authority may include an interview with a church minister who was sitting with the deceased at the waiting room after his triage.

The church minister claimed the dead man told him he wanted to go and rest in his vehicle.

A person who was apparently with the man when he died alerted the authorities.

The Ministry vehemently denied claims by Tongan groups on Facebook which repeated stories from news outlets saying the dead man waited at the hospital for several hours before he died.

The spokesperson said Vava’u hospital denied claims the staff at the hospital called out the names of patients to whom they were related, rather than in order of arrival.

The spokesperson said the reports on Facebook were unbalanced and the hospital had not been contacted to get their side of the story.

“It does not make sense and I can’t believe this could have happened,” he said.

He said it was typical of people to say whatever they wanted on Facebook no matter whether it was true or not.

Some critics of the Facebook posts described the reports as one sided, but some group administrators said they trusted the people they talked to, although they did not name their sources.

The main points

  • A 58-year-old man in Vavaʻu died on Monday shortly after he was assessed by a nurse.
  • A Health Ministry spokesman said the man died at 10.30am, half an hour after he was triaged.
  • The nurse considered the deceased’s condition was not urgent so she asked him to wait in the waiting room until he could be seen by the doctor.
  • For more information.
  • The Ministry vehemently denied claims by Tongan groups on Facebook which repeated stories from news outlets saying the dead man waited at the hospital for several hours before he died.

Tufui dies from brain injuries, Henrich denies killing him, Fiji court told

By
Kalino Latu
-

The man accused of murdering Sione Tufui in a night club in Suva, Fiji two years ago has said he did not kill him.

A post-mortem examination report has confirmed at Fiji High court on Monday Sione died from a “brain haemorrhage which was caused by a blunt force trauma …. and multiple traumatic injuries”.

The pathologist, Dr Kalougivaki said: “this could have been caused by multiple stomping, kicking and punching”, Fiji Times reported.

Sione of Houma, Tongatapu, Tonga Islands was a student at the USP in Suva at the time he was killed.

A Nauruan man Julian Hendrich was in court in relation to his death.

At the time of the fatal incident Police arrested  five Nauruan secondary school students.

The deceased was with his older brother Tupou Tufui who was also a student at the university and they had a night out on the night when Sione was fatally attacked.

Henrich’s defense counsel told the court  his client did not take part in the killing.

Fiji media reports said his lawyer “Sevuloni Valenitabua told the assessors that Henrich was outside Dragon Nightclub in Suva when the other six people were punching and kicking Sione Tufui”.

“Valenitabua told the assessors to consider one of the defense witnesses’ evidence, who he saw Henrich coming out of the nightclub but when he came out, Tufui was already dead”.

“He also told the assessors that if Henrich was involved in a fight inside the nightclub on the dance floor and if he threw two to three punches at Tufui, this could not cause Tufui’s death”.

Valenitabua told the court the six people Police arrested were responsible for the killing of Sione.

Dr Kalougivaki also said: “… during the post-mortem examination, he noticed the deceased’s face was swollen, black and bloodshot eyes and his nose was also swollen with bruises.

“The fluid that was extracted from the eyes had blood in it,” Dr Kalougivaki said”, it has been reported.

Dr Kalougivaki said Sione’s lips were swollen and “there was a large cut on the lower lip, extensive bruising in the mouth and bruises on the chest”.

“There was an extensive bruising of the entire skull through the layers of the scalp”, he said.

“He concluded the cause of death was a result of brain haemorrhage which was caused by a blunt force trauma from the alleged assault and the presence of multiple traumatic injuries”.

Prosecution Counsel Juleen Fatiaki told the court Henrich “admitted that he joined the fight outside the nightclub”.

A Tongan witness, Finau Leone saw Henrich at the CWM Hospital and at the Central Police Station and he identified him and maintained that Henrich was the person who punched and kicked Tufui, the court was told.

Fetaiaki asked the assessors to consider Leone’s evidence that he was only ten steps far from the place where Tufui was being punched and kicked by some boys and he saw Henrich was one of them.

Justice Salesi Temo will sum up the case this afternoon.

Finance Ministry sets financial targets to underpin future budgets

By
Philip Cass
-

The Tongan government is aiming to spend one fifth of domestic revenue on government services, half of its domestic revenue on wages and a debt to GDP ratio of less than 50 percent.

Tonga’s Ministry of Finance and National Planning said the three financial targets would be the basis for future budget planning.

The Ministry said the targets would not always be met, but when this happened budgets would be adjusted to keep the targets as a medium term aim.

While the three-year ahead forecasts of budgetary outcomes would vary from year to year, these medium-term targets were expected to remain constant over time.

The three targets are:

A target of 22 percent of domestic revenue relative to GDP, which represents the amount needed to sustain government services, after accounting for other sources of funding such as external grants.

The second is a financial target reflecting the amount the government can spend on wages while preserving sufficient space for other essential spending on goods and services, etc.

This a wage to domestic revenue ratio of less than 53 percent, moving towards 50 percent.

The third is a government debt target which represents how much debt the government can accumulate while maintaining the fiscal space necessary to respond to national emergencies. This is expressed as a ratio of external debt to gross domestic product of less than 50 percent.

The Ministry said the fiscal targets had been set to insure it against fiscal risks while maintaining public services.

“The Government of Tonga is committed to providing the highest quality of public services and the most competitive public sector wages possible, while maintaining fiscal sustainability so that we can also ensure quality services for future generations,” the  Ministry said.

“Over the past five years, the government has made major steps in improving the health of the public finances, and this has put the country in a strong position to face the future and support a high quality of life for all Tongans.

“These targets have been developed based on robust economic modelling within the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, which has taken into account the possibility of shocks such as natural disasters happening in the future, and the destabilizing impact they can have on the public finances.”

The  main points

  • The Tongan government is aiming to spend one fifth of domestic revenue on government services, half its domestic revenue on wages and a debt to GDP ratio of less than 50 percent.
  • Tonga’s Ministry of Finance and National Planning said the three financial targets would be the basis for future budget planning.
  • The Ministry said the targets would not always be met, but when this happened budgets would be adjusted to keep the targets as a medium term aim.
  • While the three-year ahead forecasts of budgetary outcomes would vary from year to year, these medium-term targets were expected to remain constant over time.

Nobles carry out pongipongi tapu as 10 days funeral taboo begins

By
Kalino Latu
-

The official mourning period for the late Queen Mother began this morning with the “Pongipongi Tapu” ceremony at Pangai Lahi.

Members of the nobility and estate holder chiefs in the country presented their gifts as a show of sympathy at Pangai Lahi  during the ceremony.

This is the beginning of a 10-day mourning period from March 1 to March 11 which was initially announced by Crown Prince ‘Ulukalala Tupouto’a.

Chinese community presents gifts to Pilolevu as Tonga laments death of Queen Mother

By
Kalino Latu
-

The Chinese community in Tonga had presented gifts to Her Royal Highness Princess Pilolevu Tuita as a show of respect after her mother’s death.

Late Queen Mother Halaevalu Mata’aho was laid to rest today at Mala’ekula, 10 days after she died peacefully in Auckland.

The members of the Tonga China Friendship Association (TCFA) met Her Royal Highness early this week, former government minister and MP Sangstar Saulala has reported on Facebook

He said the Chinese community remembered the Queen Mother and her husband the late King Tupou IV for facilitating the process of connecting the relationship between Tonga and China.

According to a statement made by the princess last year in Nuku’alofa while she opened the inauguration of the Pacific-China Friendship Association (PCFA) conference, she said her father was instrumental in negotiating Tonga’s  diplomatic relationship with China.

“It was my father who looked beyond the money from Taiwan. And I think he was right. In fact, he sent me to Beijing and after that visit, my father himself travelled to Beijing and told the Chinese government Tonga was ready to normalise relations with China,” she said.

Princess Pilolevu, the only daughter of the late Queen Mother and late King Tupou IV,  is the current president of TCFA.

The matriarch’s body was carried on a catafalque by hundreds of men to the royal tombs this morning.

The Free Wesleyan Church president Dr ‘Ahio led the burial service and he told mourners the Queen Mother was a true Christian.

“Her Majesty Queen Halaevalu Mata’aho will be remembered for her work in the church,” he said.

More than 1,000 Chinese now living in Tonga.

New medical centre brings Tongan values to west Auckland

By
Kaniva Staff
-

Fiona Thomas fthomas@nzdoctor.co.nz

A planned west Auckland medical centre seeks to bring Tongan values to a new part of the city.

Kelston Mall Medical Centre is due to open in April, owned and run by the Tongan Health Society.

The society already has two clinics across Auckland, one in Panmure and one in Onehunga, and chief executive, medical di­rector and GP Glenn Doherty says the new clinic increases the society’s footprint in Auckland.

Dr Doherty says the space in Kelston Mall became avail­able last year, and the location is close to several organisations the Tongan Health Society al­ready works with, including lo­cal schools, a Tongan early child­hood centre and two Tongan churches.

A number of clients are cur­rently travelling from west Auckland to the society’s other health centres across town.

An integrated family health centre, the new site will house allied health professionals, in­cluding physiotherapy, midwife­ry, chiropractors and laboratory services as well as establishing a working relationship with Kelston Pharmacy.

The medical centre will pro­vide a sublease to its dental part­ner, MaliMali Dental, which will be co-located, and Dr Doherty says radiology services are also on the cards.

While Tongan values will un­derpin the practice’s model of care, he says all of the society’s services are available to anyone.

Dr Doherty says the Tongan Health Society’s model of care looks at the socioeconomic de­terminants of wellbeing and fo­cuses on more than just health, helping clients with issues such as housing, employment, educa­tion and migration.

A big part of the work the soci­ety does involves assisting fami­lies to set goals and objectives, which aren’t always just health related.

Dr Doherty says the soci­ety would next like to extend its reach into south Auckland and has recently entered into a new contract with the National Hauora Coalition called Mana Kidz, a school-based health ser­vice for primary and intermedi­ate students.

The society is a member of Alliance Health Plus and the Kelston Mall clinic will fall under the Waitemata PHO and Alliance Health Plus collective.

There will be two doctors to start with at the clinic, which will also be a teaching practice for GP registrars and nursing students.

At this stage, it is difficult to tell how many people the clin­ic will serve, Dr Doherty says, but he would like to develop a register of around 2000 to 3000 patients.

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