Results for Tonga

Rugby players of Tongan heritage are filling up the team rosters in America’s inaugural PRO Rugby tournament, which kicked off on Saturday, April 23. There are at least 20 players of Tongan heritage playing in the tournament, most of whom are US-born.

A visiting Tongan couple from New Zealand who wanted to adopt a young girl had their application rejected by the Supreme Court on Friday, April 22. The couple intended to take the 5 year-old to be raised in their home in Christchurch. However, the court concluded that the child was better off living in Tonga.

Tonga's King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipau'u attended the ANZAC Day Dawn Service today, April 25, at the seafront cenotaph in Nuku'alofa. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the service of Australian and New Zealand forces in the First World War, on the Western Front (France and Belgium) in the Battle of the Somme, with the support of Pacific Island nations, including Tonga.

Michaela Mapakaitolo (18) of Tonga High School is Tonga’s nominee for a two-week study tour to Japan this year, after winning the 7th Japanese Speech Contest open-category on Friday, 22 April in Nuku’alofa.

Tropical Cyclone Amos is still intensifying and on its current track is expected to reach Category 3 strength by 1:00pm Saturday April 23 and lie about 300km north of Niuafo’ou or about 385km North Northwest of Niuatoputapu. Strong winds may affect Niuafo’ou land area from early Saturday morning and Niuatoputapu land area from late Saturday to Sunday. Gale force winds are expected over open waters to the north of the two Niuas from tomorrow morning and Sunday, advises Tonga Met.

Former Mate Ma’a Tonga winger Mateaki Mafi (43) was a prize winner at the 2016 Crufts dog show in Birmingham, England, according to local news media. One of his dogs a Neapolitan Mastiff won the best of breed award in the “working dogs” category. His dog is named “Freddo Dei Mastini Della Rupe”.

A combined student body of Tongan Teritiary Students' Associations in New Zealand is holding its first leadership programme this weekend with the sponsorship of the University of Otago, Dunedin. “I think this is a great opportunity to empower the future leaders of our Tongan community,” said student president Mary Jane Kivalu.

In January this year, there were 2,381 Tongan overstayers living in New Zealand according to recently published estimates from the New Zealand Government’s Immigration Department.

The Tonga Development Bank this month offered new soft loan terms for borrowers from the government’s multi millions Business Investment Incentive Fund that has been administered by TDB since 2014.