Results for Outer Islands

Six-days of birthday celebrations for HM King Tupou VI start today Tuesday July 1 in Neiafu, Vava’u. The king will officially mark his 55th birthday on Friday July 4, a public holiday in Tonga.

The inaugural “Tu’i Vava’u” festival will commence tomorrow Friday 13 June with events to 10 July 2014.

Vegetable nurseries are being established for 17 communities in the cyclone-hit islands of Ha‘apai and Vava‘u to help them recover and sustain their food crops.

The Ministry of Infrastructure has stopped the Tonga Red Cross from constructing temporary shelters for families in Ha‘apai after Tropical Cyclone Ian devastated the islands in January. Two houses completed on the island of Mou'unga'one were handed over to affected families this week but the Red Cross had planned to build another 24 to alleviate the suffering.

The MV Niuvakai cargo vessel is to start service this month and transport aid supplies to Ha'apai, after it was launched by Crown Prince Tupouto’a ‘Ulukalala today, March 14.

Donations of food, clothing and building materials continue to flow in for the people of Ha'apai, in Tonga, whose homes were destroyed by Cyclone Ian in January. The Tongan community in Hilo, Hawaii this week shipped a container of goods.

Tongans in Melbourne have donated $7,150 pa’anga to Tonga’s Red Cross to assist with the ongoing relief efforts in Ha'apai following Tropical Cyclone Ian.

The World Bank has announced that it will fund repairs to damaged port, airport and roads in Ha’apai. “Cyclone Ian has caused devastating losses to thousands of people and will require long term efforts to rebuild safer and stronger,” the bank's Director for the Pacific Islands, Franz Dress-gross stated this week.

A $600,000 (USD) cash grant was handed over to the Prime Minister Lord Tu’ivakano from the Government of the People's Republic of China on 12 February, to assist relief efforts in Ha’apai.