Tonga’s second repatriation flight arrived this afternoon with 150 passengers coming from New Zealand. One very happy family was waiting beside the road at Fua'amotu village near the airport, to welcome home one of the passengers, a 70-year-old father and grandfather, whom they hoped could see them as the quarantine buses left the airport.
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Results for New Zealand
Tuesday 4 August 2020
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
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Tuesday 4 August 2020
Auckland, New Zealand
The New Zealand Pacific Business Council will hold a free webinar tomorrow, Wednesday 5 August, to hear from a diverse range of speakers who will provide their views on the prioritisation of a Pacific Bubble.
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Friday 31 July 2020
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
A second repatriation flight from New Zealand will bring 150 passengers from New Zealand on Tuesday, August 4. Half of the passengers are expected to be seasonal workers.
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Friday 10 July 2020
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
A new Tongan bilingual drama web series, 'Brutal Lives' will be released online on The Coconet TV on August 5.
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Tuesday 7 July 2020
Auckland, New Zealand
Air New Zealand has put a hold on new bookings on international services into New Zealand following a request from the New Zealand Government.
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Thursday 18 June 2020
Wellington, New Zealand
A massive joint effort between New Zealand Government agencies, employers, and the Vanuatu Government is underway to repatriate over 1000 Vanuatu nationals stranded in New Zealand, NZ Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters and Defence Minister Ron Mark said today.
Thursday 18 June 2020
Auckland, New Zealand
A plan to improve the health and wellbeing of New Zealand’s growing Pacific population was launched by Associate Health Minister Jenny Salesa on 13 June.
Wednesday 17 June 2020
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
The 50 passengers to board the first repatriation flight from Auckland to Tonga will probably be selected next week, confirmed MEIDECC CEO, Paula Ma’u today, 17 June. “If that goes well, it depends on health and their analysis on whether we will increase the number and even the flights.” Otherwise at that rate, with about 7,000 Tongans overseas who want to return to Tonga, it might take years to repatriate everyone and quarantine will be costly. By Eleanor Gee.
Friday 8 May 2020
Suva, Fiji
A Pacific tourism report on the CoViD-19 impact and recovery in the region projected NZD$3.1 billion losses if there were no tourists visiting seven Pacific Island countries, including Tonga, over a 12-month period.
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Friday 17 April 2020
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Additional solar generation and battery storage systems are to be designed and delivered to Vava’u and ‘Eua by mid 2021, assuming there are no long term restrictions due to the CoViD-19 pandemic.
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Tuesday 14 April 2020
Auckland, New Zealand
Samoa, Tonga and Fiji are currently not permitting international flights, but if these restrictions end, Air New Zealand is likely to operate one return service per week from Auckland, the airline stated today.
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Thursday 26 March 2020
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Tonga's Ministry of Health has negated public concerns that Tongans had returned to the Kingdom from New Zealand after attending a Mt Roskill event with a person who later tested positive for COVID-19.
Monday 16 March 2020
Auckland, New Zealand
Air New Zealand halted trading today as it announced capacity cuts across its global network due to the impact of COVID-19 on travel demand.
Saturday 14 March 2020
Wellington, New Zealand
New Zealand's strict new COVID-19 health measures to be put in place at the border for people departing to the Pacific include: • No travel for people who have travelled outside of New Zealand in the past 14 days, • No travel for close or casual contacts of a confirmed case. • No travel for anyone who is symptomatic. • Health assessment including temperature check.
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Thursday 12 March 2020
Christchurch, New Zealand
Tongan-New Zealander Lisa Adams has set a new world record as a shotput para-athlete, with a dominant performance at the New Zealand Track & Field Championships last week in Christchurch.
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Thursday 5 March 2020
Wellington, New Zealand
New Zealand is jointly funding the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Pacific regional coronavirus response plan, in partnership with Australia, in response to requests for assistance from Pacific island countries, and providing $1 million to the WHO in Suva to support their Pacific Action Plan for COVID-19 preparedness and response.
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Monday 2 March 2020
Auckland, New Zealand
Air New Zealand has cut down on its Auckland-Apia weekly services from six to three effective today, 2 March, after receiving a directive for all airlines by the Samoan Government.
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Friday 21 February 2020
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
As strategic and economic competition heats up in the region, Tonga is becoming increasingly important to old and new partners, and it's useful to look at perceptions of Tonga and the region, Canadian author and strategic thinker, Cleo Paskal, told The Royal Oceania Institute in Nuku'alofa this week.
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Wednesday 12 February 2020
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Maori actor and director Taika Waititi (44), won an academy award for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 92nd Academy Awards for his movie “Jojo Rabbit” on Sunday, 9 February. Waititi beat five nominees to win the award, which included screenplays for movies such as Joker and The Irishman.
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Friday 7 February 2020
Wellington, New Zealand
Tonga's former Chief Justice Anthony David (Tony) Ford QSO passed away on January 31, in Wellington, New Zealand, where his funeral will be held on Monday.