Tonga’s Prime Minister Hon. Hu’akavameiliku visited the Moana Pasifika rugby players in Auckland yesterday to thank them and their supporters for “for helping Tonga in our time of need”, in the aftermath of the volcanic eruption and tsunamis on January 15.

He met the players at their headquarters at Mt Smart Stadium, ahead of their flight out of New Zealand to play in Australia. 

The team held the fundraising efforts of ‘Ofa Atu Tonga. 

“You have done an outstanding job, and I wanted to congratulate you on what you have done,” he said.

“Malo, because that contribution has gone a long way in helping us and I wanted to thank you in person."

Recovery process

“Right now, Tonga is going through a recovery process trying to rebuild some of the damaged houses. We are very thankful that Moana Pasifika and EarthX are coming together with a new initiative to help our recovery, called #TongaStrong."

Moana Pasifika Trust chair Laauli Savae Sir Michael Jones said, it meant a lot to them, their wonderful family and coaches and their players to have the PM visit.

“We have a huge amount of belief, and the community is everything to us. How we serve our people, here and in the islands. It is an important pathway for our Pasifika players, and we look forward to a time when we can have more Tongan players come through as Covid allows.” 

Of the 38 contracted Moana Pasifika players, 14 are Tongans and seven are ‘Ikale Tahi players eligible to play for Tonga. 

Sir Bryan Williams presented the PM with Moana Pasifika’s Heritage Jersey signed by the team. 

“We represent the whole of Pasifika and share the goodwill. Our Heritage Jersey has even more meaningful because we won our first game wearing this jersey,” he said. 

#TongaStrong

Meanwhile, funds raised through #TongaStrong will go to support Habitat for Humanity New Zealand’s ongoing work in Tonga.

Moana Pasifika is dedicating its 2022 Super Rugby Pacific Game in Melbourne on Friday April 22 to #TongaStrong, and EarthX is hosting an Island Resilience Summit as part of Earthx2022, the world’s largest green gathering held in Dallas, Texas, in the United States.

The summit convenes high-level island nation ambassadors, ministers, and heads of state to promote new collaborations around island and ocean sustainability, small island developing states (SIDS) partnerships, and solutions for long-term community resilience. The Summit continues EarthX’s commitment to building partnerships and mobilizing support around island communities on the front lines of climate change.

Donations can be made at Moana Pasifika’s website, www.moanapasifika.co.nz/ [2]. For those in New Zealand, donations by text can be made by texting ‘Tonga’ to 2446 to donate $3. EarthX’s dedicated fund raising site, www.tongastrong.org [3] also accepts donations in US dollars.