Caritas was prepared for an emergency in Tonga and is already on the ground offering assistance. Confirmation of the Catholic agency’s involvement comes from Caritas Director Julianne Hickey, and follows Saturday’s eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano. “Together (with Caritas Tonga) we have completed the pre-positioning of emergency supplies at three locations in Tonga Read more
At the centre of My Father’s Kingdom, it is Vea Mafile’o’s father, Saia Mafile’o, a South Auckland pensioner with a charismatic personality and deep ties to the church. Vea turns the camera on her family, and around on herself, to focus on struggling relationships, burning resentments, generational divides and cultural clashes that stretch back decades. Read more
Tonga’s Cardinal Mafi wants to rebuild the island’s Catholic primary school system. He says reviving the system would require a lot of money. The church is not financially prepared for the task. August last year marked 150 years since Fr Lamaze established St Stanislaus College and a primary school at ‘Ahopanilolo in 1865. From 1865 Read more
The Pacific Island Forum’s Observer Team to Tonga has congratulated election officials for their professional conduct during last week’s snap election. Wilson Waguk, from the Embassy of the Federated States of Micronesia to Fiji, led the team which observed the opening polling and counting on the islands of ‘Eua and Tongatapu. The team said the Read more
The ordination of Dr ‘Afa Vaka as the first Anglican bishop of Tonga is the fulfilment of a long-held desire among Anglicans there for a greater level of autonomy within the Diocese of Polynesia. Vaka, who was consecrated and installed on Sunday, is actually the third Anglican bishop to serve in Tonga. Its first Anglican missionary Read more
For the first time in the 50-year history of Tongan migration to New Zealand, fifteen religious leaders have collaborated to established a network to promote the well-being and progress of all Tongans, “We have been in operation for over a year now, but we have just got our network established legally,” says Chairperson Rev Tevita Read more
The validity of the of last years’ Tonga National Form Seven Certificate (TNFSC) examination results is being widely challenged. A leaked government report on a rushed reform of Tonga’s education system in 2015 reveals confusion and concern within the Ministry and raises questions about the validity of the examination results. It says because of the Read more
Concerns have been raised over the appointments by Pope Francis of cardinals from very small nations like Tonga. In an article in the National Catholic Register, Rome correspondent Edward Pentin wrote that Francis’s choice of cardinals is among the indicators of his pontificate’s direction. Pentin noted that Francis has chosen not to award “so many Read more
Back in 2009, I ran a very large event in the Ha’apai Islands of Tonga. We managed to motivate over 3,000 people (from a total population of 4,500) to clean up the coastline and shipped 50 tonnes of rubbish to a location with a proper landfill to make an example of how a waste management Read more
The Pacific Games Council Annual General Meeting has been told that there will be no games on Sunday at the 2019 Pacific Games in Tonga. The chief executive officer for the 2019 Tonga Pacific Games Organising committee, and former Prime Minister Lord Savele said, “we have decided we’d go back to the traditional way we’ve Read more