Matangi Tonga - Tonga's leading news website
Breaking news
-
Thursday 17 October 2024 10:18pm
Auckland, New Zealand : South Auckland actor and musician JP Foliaki, winner of New Zealand's Celebrity Treasure Island television show for 2024, said that he called on his Tongan values to come through 18 days of the tough contest. The 30-year-old competed against 17 other New Zealand celebrities on location in the Coromandel, North Island, to claim the $100,000 prize for his chosen charity, Childfund, in Wednesday’s final.
Free to view -
Thursday 17 October 2024 7:05pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Paula Fifita (20) was sentenced to two years imprisonment fully suspended for two counts of theft that included two motor cars, with the second offence committed while on bail for the first car theft. The judge said that the root cause of the offending was the misuse of alcohol. Free to view -
Wednesday 16 October 2024 11:04pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : The Christmas and New Year Vacation period for the Public Service for 2024/2025 will be observed from 8:30am Monday 23 December 2024 and end at 4:30pm Friday 3 January 2025, the Prime Minister's Office announced today. Free to view -
Wednesday 16 October 2024 10:47pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : A new World Bank report "Tonga Poverty and Equity Assessment" was launched today, in Nuku’alofa. The report found that poverty in Tonga has declined between 2015 and 2021, and people's livelihoods improved. Remittances played a significant role in alleviating and reducing poverty but that "relying on, solely, remittances is a risky approach,". Free to view -
Wednesday 16 October 2024 4:54pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : A gale warning for Tongatapu and ‘Eua was issued by Tonga Meteorological Services this afternoon, 16 October 2024, following a heavy rain and flash flood advisory issued earlier today for southern Tonga. Free to view -
Tuesday 15 October 2024 9:32pm
Suva, Fiji : Growth across the Pacific has fallen to 3.6 percent in 2024, down from 5.8 percent in 2023 as the post-pandemic rebound fades, the World Bank reported today, at the launch of its latest ‘Pacific Economic Update’, calling for a major boost in investment to address the region's slowing economic growth. Free to view -
Tuesday 15 October 2024 9:20pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : A Blue Pacific Youth Initiative Week was launched by the US Peace Corps with a welcome Kava Ceremony for Blue Pacific Youth Champions at Niu Lodge in Popua, today, 15 October 2024. Free to view -
Tuesday 15 October 2024 9:00pm
Niuafo'ou, Tonga : The community living on the remote island of Niuafo'ou, in Tonga's far north, can now access a 24-hour power supply, through a new solar mini-grid that was commissioned by Crown Prince Tupouto’a ‘Ulukalala on Friday, 11 October, under the Tonga Renewable Energy Project (TREP).1 comment Free to view -
Tuesday 15 October 2024 1:18pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : A reported case of alleged human trafficking was discovered by Tonga's Technical Working Group (TWG) for Trafficking in Persons (TIP) last Monday, 7 October. The suspected trafficker was arrested and held in Police custody.
Premium content -
Monday 14 October 2024 7:03pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Tonga is expecting one to two cyclones with a moderate to high chance (>50%) of at least one severe tropical cyclone occurring, reports Tonga Met today, in its updated outlook for the 2024-2025 Tropical Cyclone Season. Based on the current modelling, the occurrence of tropical cyclones in Tonga is more likely to be from January to March with most events occurring in February. Free to view
Opinion
-
Thursday 17 October 2024 8:02pm
Lautoka, Fiji : The narrative of the Forum at the apex of Pacific regionalism is becoming more commonly used, particularly with increased geopolitical competition and the flurry of partner engagement with Pacific states. While it is important to reinforce the power of the region as one political bloc, it comes off as self-serving. Pacific islanders generally do not think in these terms. Our communal values are much stronger. Rather, it is Pacific people who are at the apex of Pacific regionalism. It is the Pacific people as a collective who remind us why we are pursuing regionalism in the first place. By Sione Tekiteki. Free to view
Pacific Islands
-
Wednesday 9 October 2024 9:37pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : The benefits and challenges of the temporary labour mobility programs to Australia and New Zealand was the topic of the Speaker’s second public debate held at Parliament House in Nuku’alofa on Friday, 4 October. While Tonga welcomes the income and social benefits brought by having over 5,000 workers overseas sending money home, the exodus of its prime workforce has led to a critical shortage of labour on farms, in businesses and in government in Tonga, while at home family breakups have increased. Free to view -
Tuesday 24 September 2024 9:12pm
New York, USA : Tonga's Prime Minister Hon. Hu’akavameiliku attended a meeting of the Leaders of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) at the margins of the High-Level Week of the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly, on 23 September, in New York. Free to view -
Tuesday 27 August 2024 11:12pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : A global SOS on sea level rise was issued by the UN Secretary General António Guterres today in Tonga, at the Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting, calling all world leaders to lead a fast and fair phase-out of fossil fuels. “A worldwide catastrophe is putting this Pacific paradise in peril,” said Guterres.“Global average sea levels are rising at an unprecedented rate. The ocean is overflowing.” Free to view
Promoted Content
-
Tuesday 8 October 2024 6:02pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : Ko e taha e tuʻutuʻuni ngāue tefito ʻa e Pangikē Pule΄ ko e fakapapauʻi ‘oku malu ma’u pē tu’unga fakapa’anga ‘a e ngaahi pangikē ‘i Tonga΄ ‘i he taimi kotoa ‘o kau ki heni hono fakapapau’i ‘oku ‘i he tu’unga lelei ma’u pē ‘a e sino’i pa’anga tefitoˊ (capital) pea fe’unga mo e pa'anga ngāue (liquidity) 'i he kotoa ‘o e ngaahi pangikē ‘e fā kuo laiseni ‘e he Pangikē Pule΄. ‘I hono fakakātoaˊ, na’e ‘i he tu’unga fe’unga pē ‘a e pa'anga ngāue 'o e ngaahi pangikē ʻi he taʻu ʻe hongofulu kuo maliu atuˊ ‘o au mai ki he ‘aho ni. Free to view -
Tuesday 8 October 2024 5:55pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : The principal statutory role of the Reserve Bank is to ensure and maintain at all times the financial stability of the overall banking sector in Tonga. This calls for strong capitalisation and ample liquidity in all of the four banks under its licensing regime. Overall, there has been sufficient and ample liquidity in the banking sector in the past decade, to date. “The Reserve Bank reaffirms to the public its commitment to upholding its statutory mandate of maintaining the stability of the financial and banking system of the Kingdom,” stated Governor Moeaki. Free to view -
Friday 13 September 2024 9:37pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : ‘Oku faka’ilonga’i ‘e he Pangikē Pule Fakafonua ‘a Tonga hono ta’u 35 ‘i he ‘aho Monite 16 Sepitema 2024 ‘aki ha toe makamaile māhanga ko e tupu fakapa’anga (net profit) kuo ‘osi hono ‘aotita’i ‘a ia na’e fe’unga mo e $35 miliona. ‘Oku lahi hake ‘a e tupu ko eni ‘i he 2024 ‘aki ‘a e peseti ‘e 75 mei he tupu fakahisitolia ko ia ‘i he 2023 ‘a ia na’e $20 miliona. Hili hono tali ʻe he Poate ‘o e Pangikē Pule ʻa e Fakamatala Pa’anga Fakata’u ‘a e Pangikē Pule kuo ‘aotita’i ‘e he KPMG Fiji ma’ae ta’u fakapa’anga ‘oku ‘osi ki he ʻaho 30 ʻo Sune 2024, naʻe foaki ai ʻe he Sea ʻo e Poate ‘a e Pangikē Pule, Lord Sevele ‘o Vailahi, ‘i he Fakataha Lahi Fakataʻu ‘o e 2024 ‘a e Pangikē Pule he ʻaho ni ha sieke ʻoku fe’unga mo e $25.1 miliona ki he Palēmia, Hon. Hu’akavameilku ko e ‘inasi fakata’u mei he tupu ‘a e Pangikē. Free to view -
Friday 13 September 2024 9:24pm
Nuku'alofa, Tonga : The National Reserve Bank of Tonga (NRBT) marks its 35th anniversary on Monday 16 September 2024 with an audited net profit of $35 million as its twin milestones. The $35.8 million profit in 2024 is 75 percent higher than last year’s 2023 record profit of $20 million. Following the NRBT Board approval of the KPMG Fiji external audited NRBT Annual Financial Statements for the financial year ended 30 June 2024, Lord Sevele ‘o Vailahi chairman of the Board at the NRBT 2024 Annual General Meeting today presented a cheque of $25.1 million to the Prime Minister, Hon. Hu’akavameiliku as its annual distribution of the Bank’s profits. Free to view
