Iki Mafi Uele has joined the Otago Business School (OBS) as their first Pacific lecturer in the Accountancy and Finance department. He graduated on Saturday with a Doctorate of Accounting, and is believed to be OBS’ first Pacific PhD in Accounting. He describes his doctoral thesis topic as “a new call for accounting” which deals with the importance of public values in his field. “This looks at things that are valued by a society. Public values like honesty, accountability, transparency. “At the end of the day, what we’re dealing with is numbers. How can we use those numbers to deal…
Author: Newsdesk
The sardines and mackerel were found floating on the surface of the sea near the fishing port of Hakodate in Hokkaido Officials in Japan have admitted they are struggling to determine why hundreds of tonnes of fish have washed ashore in recent days. Earlier this month, an estimated 1,200 tonnes of sardines and mackerel were found floating on the surface of the sea off the fishing port of Hakodate in Hokkaido, forming a silver blanket stretching for more than a kilometre. On Wednesday, officials in Nakiri, a town on the Pacific coast hundreds of miles south of Hokkaido, were confronted…
Making history at Teufaiva Stadium next year, Moana Pasifika and the Highlanders will clash in the first Super Rugby game ever to be played in the kingdom on 4 May 2024.
Making history at Teufaiva Stadium next year, Moana Pasifika and the Highlanders will clash in the first Super Rugby game ever to be played in the kingdom on 4 May 2024. Tonga’s hosting was confirmed on 15 December by Tonga Rugby Union (TRU) and the TRU President, the Prime Minister Hon. Hu’akavameiliku. 19 Tongans have been selected in the 38 squad of Moana Pasifika. “I am very happy as I am sure all Tongans are, to have Moana Pasifika right here in the Kingdom. We look forward to continuing to demonstrate that we can host these international games,” the Prime…
Tonga Red Cross Society (TRCS) donated cash assistance of $500,000 for 632 families who were affected by the 2022 HTHH tsunami, in Tongatapu, ‘Eua and Ha’apai, in partnership with the Tonga Development Bank (TDB) who will distribute the cash assistance. TRCS handed over the cheque to TDB on 15 December, in Nuku’alofa. They acknowledged the support from the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC), which enables TRCS to continue its assistance to the recovery efforts of families that were affected by the 2022 HTHH tsunami. TRCS Treasurer Aloma Johansson, thanked the TDB Acting Chief Finance Officer,…
Nuku’alofa CBD was flooded with red and white today, with students, ex-students and families of Tonga College ‘Atele, marching along Taufa’ahau Road to celebrate the schools 141st anniversary. The school did not celebrate its 140th anniversary last year due to the recovery efforts after the 2022 HTHH volcanic eruption and the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s celebration was a combination of the 140th and 141st anniversaries. Ex-student, Prince Tungi Tuku’aho, the guest of honor and President of his class, joined the parade. The school pupils, together with ex-students gathered at the GPS Nuku’alofa for a flag raising ceremony to commence their…
The governments of the world have agreed on a declaration at the Dubai Cop28 climate summit that has been both hailed as historic and dismissed as weak. The United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) closed with an agreement that signals the “beginning of the end” of the fossil fuel era by laying the ground for a swift, just and equitable transition, underpinned by deep emissions cuts and scaled-up finance.The negotiators from nearly 200 parties agreed to climate action before the end of the decade – with the overarching aim to keep the global temperature limit of 1.5°C within reach.“Whilst we didn’t…
The Lulutai Saab 340 aircraft slid off the taxiway at the Fua’amotu Domestic Airport with a full load of passengers, early Friday afternoon, hitting a low concrete wall, after it aborted landing at the Lupepau’u Airport in Vava’u. No one was injured in what was less than a normal landing even though it is reported the passengers were traumatised. The 34-seater aircraft, A3-PUA departed Fua’amotu Airport for Vava’u, but due to what was called a “technical problem with hydraulics”, the plane could not land, and it turned back to Tongatapu. A passenger on the flight said that after they boarded…
Tonga’s Prime Minister Honorable Hu’akavameiliku at a High level segment at COP28 introduced the groundbreaking “BRACE” project, earmarking USD 70 million to fortify the education sector against climate change impacts. In a compelling address, the Prime Minister underscored the Global Education Crisis, emphasizing the imminent risk of disrupted education for nearly one billion children due to climate change. Highlighting the vulnerability of the education sector to climate risks, a critical aspect often overlooked in climate discussions, the Prime Minister detailed the key elements of the USD 70 million BRACE project. The initiative aims to construct climate-resilient schools, with an initial…
After 55 years of teaching, a big question facing the University of the South Pacific (USP) is whether it might be time for more than just simple reforms, but for closing it down. When it was founded at an old New Zealand air force base in Fiji in 1968, the concept of regional universities was greatly favoured by aid donors. They were not necessarily useful for the recipient countries who made up the membership of each regional group. Pointedly the leadership of countries like Fiji, Samoa and Tonga went to universities in Australia and New Zealand. USP’s current problems were sparked by…