The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Tonga is starting to rebuild 116 houses that were destroyed by Cyclone Ian earlier this year. The church’s Tonga Service Centre Manager Howard Niu says they have signed with local contractor Oregon Pacific International to carry out the construction. Mr Niu says the houses will be Read more
The United Nations Climate Change Summit began on Monday in New York. The Climate Change Summit is trying to find agreement on ways to limit further environmental damage. “The people most affected – at grass roots level and on the coastal edge – must be part of those discussions,” says Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand director Julianne Hickey. Read more
A lawyer representing overstayers from Tonga claims New Zealand is deporting people to some of the most cyclone-damaged areas of the island nation. The immigration lawyer, Richard Small, says the New Zealand authorities are wanting to send Tongan overstayers back to the area, and he has 30 such cases on his books. He described deporting Read more
Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is continuing to support Caritas Tonga to assist communities to recover and rebuild after Tropical Cyclone Ian devastated the Ha’apai islands of Tonga three weeks ago. It is estimated that 75 per cent of buildings in Ha’apai have been destroyed or have major damage. Crops, infrastructure and water supplies also having Read more
A four-month drought in the central Tongan island group of Ha’apai is putting stress on drinking water supplies already diminished by saltwater intrusion. Some people – especially women and children mostly affected by the water shortage – from the more remote communities are needing to travel long distances to get water from churches and schools Read more