Results for People

Hundreds of Tongatapu secondary and tertiary school students led by lively brass bands marched through Nuku'alofa on Thursday, May 30 to mark the opening of the Legislative Assembly of Tonga's 2019-20 session.

The head of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Russell M. Nelson will visit Tonga this week, on 23 May.

Brisbane's Tongan Community have more than ten kava clubs who meet regularly. President of the Brisbane Tongan Community steering committee, Rev. Maile Molitika says that kava clubs are important in holding the community spirit together. They support the Australian Prime Minister's Pilot Program to ease restrictions on the importation of kava for personal use into Australia.

Tonga's Onion Squad have qualified in Pacific Islands hip-hop competition to to compete in the world hip-hop dance competition in August in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

Plus-size model, Veronica Pome’e, of Tongan descent from California, USA, is making her name as the first Polynesian model to appear in the famous Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, to be published next month.

HRH Crown Prince Haakon of Norway said Tonga and Norway could tackle common global issues such as climate change through multilateral cooperation. “These are some of the major issues of our time and it's obvious we need to tackle them in a better way than we have,” he told Matangi Tonga. By Linny Folau

King Tupou VI and Queen Nanasipau‘u were welcomed by New Zealand's Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy at Government House in Wellington yesterday, during a short visit to New Zealand.

King Tupou VI, acting on three public petitions, has opened urgent investigations into alleged mal-administration by government, and called for urgent adequate funding of the Anti Corruption Commission. The King has referred three petitions to the Ombudsman, and one also to the Commissioner of Police for investigation and possible prosecution of any breaches of Criminal law.

In a moving gesture of solidarity, a congregation from the Pulela’a Tongan Methodist church, gathered in prayer outside the Imam Reza Mosque in Auckland on Sunday to offer its condolences to the victims of the Christchurch mosques shootings. The congregation paid tribute with flowers, hymns and tears.