Tonga

Ahmad Alham Al Daheri, assistant undersecretary for Consular Affairs at the ministry, said that Emirati nationals who hold diplomatic, VIP, special mission and ordinary passports can travel to Tonga without prior visa arrangements, following the signing of a memorandum of understanding in this regard by ...

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, MoFAIC, has announced that UAE nationals can travel to the Kingdom of Tonga without the need for a pre-visa as of 24th May, and can stay for up to 60 days during each visit. Ahmed Alham Al Dhaheri, Assistant Under-Secretary for Consular ...

Tonga settled for 4th place after losing a 3rd place decider against Fiji 21 – 14. A total of six teams participated in the tournament, and were placed: Australia (1), Samoa (2), Fiji (3), Tonga (4), Cook Islands (5) and Solomon Islands (6). New Zealand did not participate in the tournament. U18 Tonga 7s team:.

"We have to have decisions from the Supreme Court and Tonga's Court of Appeal in Tongan for our own people to read the decision." The minister stressed he had no complaints about the current chief justice and the other New Zealander on the Supreme Court bench, but he said having Tongans in the ...

Britain will reestablish its diplomatic mission in Tonga during the coming years, Lopeti Senituli an adviser to Tonga's Prime Minister, Hon. 'Akilisi Pohiva confirmed this morning, 24 April. Lopeti said that the British Minister of State for Asia and Pacific, Rt Hon. Mark Field had formally informed the Tongan ...

Australia 40 -Tonga 0. Girls. Australia 17 - New Zealand 15. Bye – Fiji. Round six. Girls. New Zealand 31 - Fiji 5. Bye - Australia. Finals. Boys. Fifth-place playoff. Cook Islands 5 - Solomon Islands 41. Third-place playoff. Fiji 21 - Tonga 12. Championship match. Samoa 7 -Australia 32. Girls. Championship ...

The housing charity Habitat for Humanity is aiming to rebuild and repair up to 500 homes in Tonga after the widespread detruction from Cyclone Gita in February. CEO Claire Szabo said a pilot project of eight homes in Tonga built by Habitat for Humanity came through the cyclone well with only minor ...

Tonga's government says the country earns close to US$45 million every year from the seasonal workers programme in Australia and New Zealand. The Minister of Internal Affairs 'Akosita Lavulavu made the statement at the recent presentation for a programme for former seasonal workers who were ...

Tropical Cyclone JOSIE formed on 31 March close to Fiji and started moving south-east, strengthening. On 3 April at 0.00 UTC, its centre was located 570 km south-west of Tongatapu island (Tonga) and its maximum sustained winds reached 74 km/h. Over the next 24 hours, it is forecast to continue ...

Tonga's prime minister has denied that Tonga has withdrawn from the regional trade deal known as PACER Plus. The deal was signed in Nuku Alofa last June by 10 countries including Australia, New Zealand and Tonga. Last week, Matangi Tonga reported that 'Akilisi Pohiva admitted that the agreement ...

A stunning dressing-room promise from Tongan World Cup hero Jason Taumalolo has led to Cronulla Sharks enforcer Andrew Fifita turning his back on the Holden State of Origin arena and committing to the island nation. In a huge boost for international rugby league and Tonga's rapid development as a ...

The new high speed telecommunication service for Ha'apai went live on 27 March 2018, said Robert Bolouri, Project Manager for the Tonga Cable Limited. The service was launched by the Prime Minister Hon. 'Akilisi Pohiva in Ha'apai. Robert, a former Chief Executive Officer and now Project Manager for ...

The Red Cross Red Crescent aims to respond to disasters as rapidly and effectively as possible, by mobilising its resources (people, money and other assets) and using its network in a coordinated manner so that the initial effects are countered and the needs of the affected communities are met.

Tropical Cyclone Gita (TC Gita), a Category 4 system crossed Tonga between 12 and 13 February 2018 with average winds of 110 knots (285km/hour) close to the center, making it one of the worst cyclones to have ever hit the island nation in recorded history, has left a trail of damages to infrastructures ...

Former Tonga prime minister, Lord Tu'ivakano, who is facing charges of making a false statement for the purpose of obtaining a passport, perjury, acceptance of bribery and money laundering, is likely to face more charges. Lord Tu'ivakano Photo: Twitter. Kaniva Pacific reported he was also expected to ...

The withdrawal of Tonga has the potential to derail the agreement which had been in negotiations since 2009. It was envisioned as the centerpiece of a new regional trading and strategic framework. Tonga now joins the two largest Pacific economies (aside from Australia and New Zealand), Papua New ...

However, a spokesperson from Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade says Australia has not received any formal advice from Tonga that it is not proceeding towards ratification of the Treaty. They said Australia's Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop, discussed PACER Plus and the joint interest in ...

Supervising Public Health Inspector, Sela Fa'u, said despite the numbers being on the rise, admissions to the health centres and the hospital were falling. The recorded cases were on the main island of Tongatapu and in Vava'u, Ha'apai and on 'Eua. Radio Tonga reported the youngest patient with dengue ...

Rotorua Vai Ko Latai Support has paid for its first container but is still fundraising to send another two to Tonga after Cyclone Gita wreaked havoc there. Vai Ko Latai Support is a subgroup of a wider organisation, Rotorua Tongan Community, which is also fundraising and sending a container. The container ...

The tropical cyclone hit Tonga in mid-February, damaging almost 4,000 houses and leaving 60,000 people without power. The assistance funding was jointly announced by Australia's Minister for Foreign Affairs, Julie Bishop, and Minister for International Development, Concetta Fierravanti-Wells. The two ...

The minister of international development and the Pacific, Concetta Fierravanti-Wells said she and the Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, who have travelled to Tonga, want to help the country to bolster its resilience to major climatic events. "At the moment we are still in the emergency response phase, but ...

Tropical Cyclone Gita, a Category 4 system reached 110 knots or 220 kilometers per hour passed directly over the Tongatapu and 'Eua Island group of islands between 12 to 13 February 2018. The cyclone caused extensive damage to personal property, and public infrastructure. The Government of Tonga ...

The Australian Defence Force has delivered 135 tonnes of relief items to Tonga including emergency shelters, hygiene and dignity kits, and water purification tablets. Earlier this week, Ms Bishop visited Port Moresby and announced Australia is chipping in an extra $3.4 million to help Papua New Guinean ...

An Australian ministerial visit to Tonga is aiming to see where else Canberra can help the country in the recovery from Cyclone Gita. Australia has already made a substantial contribution in aid following last month's devastating cyclone which caused widespread destruction across the main island of ...

Outrage in Tonga after an official letter banning girls from playing rugby and boxing at school. It's Ministry Of Education wrote to the state school saying girls shouldn't play those sport because "it goes against young women's dignity". Former Black Fern now Labour MP Louisa Wall told Mike Hosking she is ...

The Junior Wallabies will face New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga in April and May, with Bond University set to host the Oceania Rugby U20s Championship. The tournament will mimic the structure of the World Rugby U20s Championship to be held in France in May and June, with a five day gap between each ...

There's anger in rugby-mad Tonga over a government letter that apparently bans women from playing the sport in public schools. Tonga's Ministry of Education and Training confirmed to Matangi Tonga news website that it had issued the edict, in order to "preserve the dignity of Tongan women and hold on ...

Tonga's women's sevens coach Hoko Tuivai told Radio New Zealand “It's just closing doors, closing all opportunities for women especially leading up to the Pacific Games and Olympics, as we have set our path to work towards the 2020 Olympics and here in Tonga, women's rugby has a bigger chance to ...

Six local Tongan barristers received mediation training last week from Tonga's Lord Chief Justice Owen Paulsen and from one of New Zealand's leading mediators John Hardie. The barristers were trained to assist people in resolving disputes quickly and inexpensively, rather than having cases go ...

There's anger in rugby-mad Tonga over a government letter that apparently bans women from playing the sport in public schools. Tonga's Ministry of Education and Training confirmed to Matangi Tonga news website that it had issued the edict, in order to "preserve the dignity of Tongan women and hold on ...

Tonga's acting Attorney General has taken the Police Minister to task for claims he has made about the recent arrests of politicians. Minister of Police Hon Mateni Tapueluelu presenting Minister of Foreign Affairs Hon Gerry Brownlee with a. Mateni Tapueluelu Photo: NZ High Commission, Nuku'alofa Tonga.

Others feared it would be used to pay the debts Tonga owed to China. Mr Peters, who visited Tonga yesterday with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, said it was impossible for the money to be spent inappropriately because there were checks and balances in place. He said the $10m could be broken down ...

New Zealand is to give Tonga $US7.9 million dollars so it can complete an upgrade of Nukualofa's electricity network. The big challenge is to restore power to Tonga again. Photo: RNZ / Richard Tindiller. Foreign Minister Winston Peters said this funding was for the first stage of a five-year project to improve ...

Today is International Women's Day and the director of Tonga's Women and Children Crisis Centre said it is a good time to take stock of the fact that less than seven percent of MP's are women. 'Ofa Guttenbeil-Likiliki said Tonga has agreed to the UN target of a minimum 30 percent. She said the theme of ...

More than half of the schools in Tonga were damaged by the cyclone and Ms Ardern has now pledged $7 million to help rebuild as well as provide items such as books. At Fasi school, Ms Ardern was visibly taken aback to see firsthand just how bad the damage was. "You can still see the pictures on the ...

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern arrived to a troubled Tonga on Tuesday night, still picking up the pieces after Cyclone Gita. Tonga is the third country on Ardern's itinerary after Samoa and Niue, where she spent Tuesday with her family, describing the tiny atoll as her "second home". This is her first time in ...

This comes as Tonga's prime minister Akilisi Pohiva yesterday described the UK's re-engagenment with the Pacific as "music to Tongan ears". However, Mr Pohiva's offer to return a property to the British Government in anticipation that it would open a new post in Tonga has caused a stir as a Tongan royal ...

The director of the Pasifika Centre at New Zealand's Massey University, Malakai Koloamatangi, said what is happening is symptomatic of a lack of leadership. "So there is no clear sign of authority, if you like, in the government in Tonga," he said. "And you have the politicking going on behind the scenes and ...