Samoa

The ‘Get Safe Online Pacific’ guidance provides essential tips and information for people across the Pacific to help make sure their experience of sending or receiving money overseas is successful, safe and economical.

Sending and receiving remittances to and from Pacific Island countries has become hugely important to the very survival of island nations throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the World Bank, in 2017 alone nearly 20% of Tonga’s GDP came from remittances.

"Alfie (Hurricanes coach Jason Holland) approached me and Colesy (Dane Coles) talked to me and at first I was like, 'Oh nah', you know, playing it down. But, I knew deep down in my heart that this season, at this time of my career, I think it's time for me to step up and step out of my comfort zone and try something that I'm not used to. I usually just go out there and play, but it's time to lead."

The loose forward succeeds All Blacks teammates Dane Coles and TJ Perenara, who shared the leadership duties in 2020.

Savea said he's been inspired by the hooker and halfback.

Oliver is the creator of Pacific Island Food Revolution, a televised contest in which people compete to create the best dish with ingredients from countries such as Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu.

He said the show aimed to encourage Pacific Island people to eat healthier, more traditional foods and to spice up the tourism industry by getting island restaurants offering tasty local dishes.

Many imported foods that have become popular among Pacific Island people are highly processed and contain large amounts of fat, sugar and salt.

Twenty-four Tongans stranded in Samoa arrived on a government-chartered flight operated by Lulutai Airlines around midday yesterday (Thursday).

A second flight carrying 230 passengers arrived from Auckland, New Zealand.

 According to the CEO for MEIDECC, Paula Ma’u, the flight from New Zealand landed at 2:30pm with 214 nationals.

The other passengers were Samoan nationals who later left for Apia on another flight.

The first repatriation flight for 2021 will arrive in Tonga from Apia, Samoa at around 12:30pm (local time) with 29 passengers.

The travelers are Tongan citizens, who were stranded in Samoa due to the closure of borders during the Covid-19 global pandemic.

The Lulutai Airlines aircraft will repatriate 21 Samoans who will arrive on another flight from New Zealand on the same day.  

The flight from Auckland will arrive around 1:45pm (local time) with 219 passengers onboard.

A flight with about 280 passengers from Auckland, New Zealand is expected to arrive on 14 January.

That flight is expected to include 21 people from Samoa who will be repatriated separately on the same day on a Lulutai Airlines flight.

According to a government statement, a charter flight will arrive from Sydney Australia on 22 January  to fly out 152 seasonal workers back to Australia.

The trip is expected to be one of the happiest for the islanders who set sail from Samoa on Wednesday and are relieved they will be home for Christmas.

The group had arrived in Apia on a repatriation flight from New Zealand on 13 November.

But they had to spend an extra week in isolation in Samoa on top of the required 14 days after a passenger on the same flight tested positive for Covid-19.

Some of the 33 people who are undergoing yet another 14 days quarantine on their home atolls of Fakaofo and Nukunonu have been stuck in New Zealand since March.

The Fiji, Samoa and Tonga combined team will play the Māori All Blacks in Hamilton next month.

Moana Pasifika is one of the preferred partners to join Super Rugby in 2022.

The inaugural squad includes nine players with Test experience and another three who have played international sevens.

One-test All Black Josh Ioane will lead the backline that also includes Super Rugby players Leicester Fainga'anuku from Tasman and the Hurricanes winger Salesi Rayasi, who has been one oif the star players for Auckland this season.

At the conclusion of the OCO Heads Annual Conference on October 20, themed “Working together to build a safer Blue Pacific”, leaders of Customs administrations in the region stated the loss in revenue collection for their governments due to the closure of borders as their biggest cost of COVID-19.

However, in addition to generating revenue for their governments, Customs administrations are increasingly being presented with other challenges such as the rise of illicit drugs, contraband goods and having to crew quarantine centers.

The Samoan and Tongan New Zealanders are all square at two wins a piece from their previous four meetings as amateurs, and they have plenty to fight for.

Junior Fa is all set for what's been billed as the 'Fight of the Century', but there's one person who will be missing from his corner - his dad and secondary trainer, Uaine Fa - who passed away due to cancer last year.

A Tongan-born amateur boxer in his youth and the biggest influence in Junior's career, Uaine Fa was the man resposible for his son's boxing career.