Tongans in NZ

One News reported last evening that Tongan community leaders have also asked Tongans to meet in Aotea Square this Sunday at 2pm for a Love Aotearoa Hate Racism hui.

Kaniva News reports Tongan church groups have been holding special prayer sessions for the cessation of terrorism.

On Sunday the brass band from the Pulela’a Methodist Church in New Lynn played outside  an Auckland mosque. Church members prayed and laid flowers.

Religious communities throughout New Zealand have responded with similar support.

Kaniva News reports the election date had been changed and Tongan voters will now go to the polls in two months’ time.

Tonga’s elections laws required all potential candidates who wanted to register to be in Tonga on a certain period of time before the election began.

This is what the law says:  “Provided that a person resident outside of Tonga who is qualified to be an elector will qualify as a candidate only if he is present in Tonga for a period of 3 months before the election.”

Kaniva News reports the quake had a depth of 16km and it struck 20km southeast of Hanmer Springs.

But the New Zealand Civil Defence has revised the first earthquake to a magnitude 7.5, 15km deep, 15 km north-east of Culverden.

It was strongly felt in Christchurch, Wellington, Taranaki, Hamilton and Auckland.

New Zealand Civil Defence is advising all people in coastal areas of the country to move inland to higher ground after a severe magnitude 7.5 earthquake which struck in the South Island.