New Zealand

The two men were injured in the early hours of Sunday morning, 20 June.

They were released from Blenheim’s Wairau Hospital, a Nelson Marlborough Health spokesperson said on Wednesday.

Lynch and the two men were out celebrating a birthday when they were seriously injured in what police believe was an altercation between the Tongan men and a gang from outside the region, according to Stuff.co.

The flights are expected to arrive on 30 June.

According to Chief Executive Officer of MEIDECC Paula Ma’u, another flight scheduled to arrive this week from Vanuatu bringing Tongan students studying in Vanuatu.

The chartered flight is also expected to take Tongan seasonal workers to Australia.

Photo file 

The grant was handed by New Zealand High Commissioner to Tonga Tiffany Babington to the Chief Executive Officer of MEIDECC, Paula Ma’u today.

Besides organic waste, plastic is the second largest waste component in Tonga.

Although the Government of Tonga approved a ban on and the phasing out of single-use plastics in 2019, there is not yet any policy, plan or legislation in place to ensure the phase out commences.

The team will work with their Fijian counterparts from the Ministry of Health & Medical Services to bolster Fiji’s fight against COVID-19.

Australia and New Zealand deployed the highly trained joint multi-disciplinary team following a request from the Fijian Government.

The team’s priority over the next 28 days will be creating additional spaces to offer care to non-COVID patients and to strengthen infection control protocols.

The team are fully vaccinated and, following quarantine, will deploy to Suva to support the Fiji Ministry of Health.

A cousin has identified the victim as Hiko Lynch. He was one of a group of Tongan Recognised Seasonal Employer workers who worked for Hortus in Blenheim.

Police were called to a disorder incident on Market St at about 2:55am, one person died at the scene according to a report on Kaniva News.

Two people were also seriously injured and taken to hospital where they remain in a serious condition, Marlborough Area Commander Inspector Simon Feltham said.

Scolastica Samoa Faaluaseu Filipo (Samalaeulu, Vailele), 17, is the head girl of Marcellin College.

She lives with her parents and three siblings, and two extended family members stay in the granny flat.

But they are on the move.

Although her two older sisters attended a prestigious private girls school elsewhere in Tāmāki Makaurau, she insisted on enrolling into Marcellin so her parents would be less out of pocket.

The vaccines fully-funded by New Zealand arrived at Fua’amotu Airport on the weekly Air New Zealand flight today.

High Commissioner to Tonga Tiffany Babington was at the airport to see the consignment arrive.

According to the High Commission, New Zealand responding to an urgent need for vaccines around the world, the Government of New Zealand earlier this year agreed to transfer its allocation of AstraZeneca doses to countries eligible for support under the Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment (Gavi COVAX AMC).

Between 1974 and 1976, a series of rigorous immigration enforcement policies were carried out that resulted in targeted raids on the homes of Pacific families.

The raids to find, convict and deport overstayers often took place very early in the morning or late at night and were routinely severe with demeaning, verbal and physical treatment.

“The Dawn Raids were a defining moment in New Zealand’s history and the emotional harm caused by them remains etched in the living memory of those who were directly impacted,” Jacinda Ardern said.

In a statement, the Ministry of Health said two people with COVID-19 were being treated at Middlemore Hospital - both were transferred from the Auckland quarantine facility.

One was transferred yesterday afternoon and the other one overnight on Tuesday and was reported the following day.

"Both are in a stable condition and were taken to hospital safely using strict infection prevention and control measures which are in place for all hospital transfers from managed isolation and quarantine facilities," the ministry said.

A new study by Otago University and Pacific-based researchers shows about three quarters of Pacific nations have implemented taxes on sugar-laden products.

More than a third of them have increased these taxes by at least 20 percent in the past two decades.

University of Otago senior research fellow doctor Andrea Teng said Tonga is leading the way.