New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Foreign Minister Winston Peters will travel to Tonga next week to meet with Pacific leaders on priority regional issues, including climate change, security and development. The 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Week brings together leaders from 18 Pacific countries, including New Zealand. “This meeting is our region’s opportunity to come together and help chart our collective future,” Luxon said. “As a region, we are working towards a peaceful, secure and prosperous Pacific. New Zealand stands ready to advance this agenda with our partners this week, through dialogue, respect and goodwill. “Since taking office…
Author: Newsdesk
Those who work with drug dealers and addicts in Tonga are fearing for their safety, as the kingdom grapples with a serious methamphetamine crisis. It follows the arrest of 17 people — including Comancheros gang members to a top businessman — for the alleged importation and sale of methamphetamine in the past fortnight. At the Salvation Army’s Drug and Alcohol Awareness Centre, addicts are given a voice through rehabilitation classes — but sometimes it’s fraught with danger. “We are facing these people every day and we never know what is going to happen when we walk out the door,” Salvation Army Tonga’s…
Pacific leaders arriving for the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Tonga were given a grand red carpet welcome at Fua’amotu International Airport. The leaders were greeted with a brass band and a solo dance performance. The Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum, Baron Waqa, arrived on Thursday and was received by Paula Ma’u, Chief Secretary & Secretary to Cabinet. Following his arrival, SG Waqa paid a courtesy visit to Prime Minister Hon. Hu’akavameiliku, expressing his gratitude for the preparations made for the Leaders meeting. The President of the Federated States of Micronesia, William Simina, President of the…
The Prime Minister of Tonga, Hon. Hu’akavameiliku, will continue to serve as Acting Minister for Defence and Foreign Affairs throughout the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Tonga. Despite holding several key portfolios, including Prime Minister, Minister for Education & Training, and Minister for Police, Hu’akavameiliku assured the public during a press conference this week that he has the support of nine other ministers to manage the workload. Addressing concerns about his ability to handle multiple roles, he stated, “The meeting with the leaders is a priority, but if a Foreign Minister wants to have a dialogue that is…
The 2024 Pacific Nations Cup competition kicks off in Suva on Friday, when the hosts Fiji will clash with neighbours Samoa for the 56 time. But for the island rugby unions in the six -team event, they will have more than just the PNC title to chase – they will also mark 100 years of rugby union. Fiji, Samoa and Tonga played first Test rugby games against each other in 1924. Although rugby was first played in Fiji in 1884, internationals between the three countries did not start until 1924. Fiji played against Samoa in two Test matches in Apia,…
Police in Tonga say an alleged Comancheros gang member deported from Australia was behind moves to establish the outlaw motorcycle group in the Pacific Island – an attempt they say was disrupted in a drug bust this month. They arrested 17 people and seized several kilograms of methamphetamine in raids across Tonga’s main island amid warnings of increased illegal activity involving the gang. Tonga Police Commissioner Shane McLennan said police began an operation targeting the Comancheros when a “patched” member was deported from Australia to Tonga in October 2022. The ABC can reveal that person to be 43-year-old Eneasi Taumoefolau,…
The New Zealand International Film Festival (NZIFF) today announced the winners of the prestigious 2024 New Zealand’s Best and Ngā Whanaunga Māori Pasifika Shorts awards. Among the winners, director Vea Mafile’o stood out, receiving the NZIFF Patrons Award for Best Film for her work Lea Tupu’anga/Mother Tongue. Selected by Guest Selector Gerard Johnstone, the five finalists for New Zealand’s Best showcased an impressive array of talent. The six finalists for Ngā Whanaunga Māori Pasifika Shorts, chosen by curators Leo Koziol (Ngāti Kahungunu, Ngāti Rakaipaaka) and Craig Fasi (Niue), were also highlighted for their unique contributions to the film industry. Upon…
From September 18 to mid-October, 2024, the 10th Anniversary of the HWPL World Peace Summit will be celebrated in South Korea, Fiji, Canada and various locations worldwide in about 50 countries. Under the theme ‘Creating World Peace Community Through Regional Collaboration’, this event commemorates, global leaders’ and citizens’ commitment to peace that lasted for a decade, with an eye towards future strategies to promote global harmony. In 2014, the Heavenly Culture, World Peace, Restoration of Light (HWPL), an international peace organization, convened over a thousand global leaders from politics, religion, women’s groups, youth organizations, and the media from about 140…
Today marked the grand opening of the Tonga High School Indoor Stadium, a state-of-the-art facility inaugurated by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Tupouto’a ‘Ulukalala. The event was graced by the presence of Crown Princess Sinaitakala, Prime Minister Hon. Hu’akavameiliku, and H.E. Mr. Liu Weimin, the Chinese Ambassador to Tonga. The new indoor stadium, which spans 4,311 square meters and stands 19 meters high, will serve as the main venue for the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum, scheduled from August 26-30, 2024. The multi-purpose facility is designed to host not only sports events but also large-scale celebrations and conferences, marking a significant…
The Pacific Islands Forum leaders’ summit is just days away from opening in Nuku’alofa in Tonga, and frantic efforts are still needed to ensure visitors are housed. Tonga’s Prime Minister, Hu’akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni, told RNZ Pacific earlier this month that the leaders gathering “is one of the key meetings in the Pacific”. He said Tonga was “fortunate” to host the meeting this year and “trying to actually make it quite an experience”. “We are looking forward to actually show people what our culture is all about, what our food is all about, and what Tonga is all about.” RNZ Pacific…