Read the latest news from regional and global sources, presenting different voices and perspectives.
NZTBC launches business mission in Tonga
Talanoa 'O Tonga
·
August 27, 2025
A delegation of 14+ business representatives from the New Zealand Tonga Business Council (NZTBC) arrived in Nuku‘alofa this week, launching today a two-day business mission at the Tanoa Hotel. The mission, held from 27 to 29 August 2025, is...
Tongan language is at the heart of its people's identity - academic
RNZ
·
August 18, 2025
Tongan cultural performers at Polyfest 2018. Photo: PeninaJoy/ Coconet A Tongan law academic credits Tonga's "strong leadership" for its unique history. Tongan Language Week is being celebrated in Aotearoa this week under the theme 'Our language...
Rulers of Sharjah and Umm Al Quwain receive Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of Education
The National News
·
Sheikh Dr Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Ruler of Sharjah, and Sheikh Saud bin Rashid Al Mualla, Ruler of Umm Al Quwain, both received Sarah Al Amiri, Minister of Education, on Wednesday. The minister was praised by Sheikh Dr Sultan for “the hard...
Tonga’s foreign policy: King’s gamble
Talanoa 'O Tonga
·
August 18, 2025
Tonga’s foreign policy has always belonged to the King. Not figuratively, not in the “influence behind the scenes” way, but in the literal constitutional sense. Clause 39 hands him the power to make treaties and appoint diplomatic representatives....
UniFiji and Tonga’s Atenisi Institute partnership to strengthen Pacific higher education
Fijivillage
·
UniFiji and Tonga’s Atenisi Institute partnership to strengthen Pacific higher education The University of Fiji and Tonga’s Atenisi Institute have formed a partnership to work together in strengthening higher education in the Pacific through...
Tongans divided over bill granting monarch control of key ministries
RNZ
·
August 18, 2025
King Tupou VI inspects the guard of honour during his official state visit to Fiji in July 2025. Photo: Facebook / Fiji Government The recent move by Tonga's Legislative Assembly to introduce and pass a bill that transfers oversight of two key...
CLNZ | NZSA Research Grants 2025 Winners: Four Cash Grants Awarded To Support Local Writers
Pacific Scoop
·
September 12, 2025
Press Release – NZSA The $5,000 grants support local writers who wish to undertake research for a fiction or non-fiction writing project. The 2025 Copyright Licensing New Zealand (CLNZ) and New Zealand Society of Authors Te Puni Kaituhi o Aotearoa...
Start the week with a film: ‘Dekh Tamasha Dekh’ skewers self-declared guardians of religion
Scroll.in
·
Alongside a flourishing career on the stage, Feroz Abbas Khan has also pursued filmmaking. Dekh Tamasha Dekh (2014), his second movie after Gandhi, My Father (2007), unleashes playwright Shafaat Khan’s satirical gifts onto an examination of the...
MoS Margherita To Attend Papua New Guinea’s 50th Independence Day Celebrations
Ommcom News
·
September 13, 2025
Port Moresby/New Delhi: Minister of State for External Affairs Pabitra Margherita will be visiting Papua New Guinea (PNG) on September 16 to represent Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the commemorative events marking the country’s 50th anniversary...
This Private Island Paradise in Tonga Lets You Sleep in Treehouses and Swim in Crystal Clear Seas
Go World Travel Magazine - Colorado
·
August 22, 2025
Mandala Resort by Tradewinds is a private island in Tonga that hosts just 10 guests each week. Photo by Benjamin Rader It’s almost 7 am when I awaken to the sounds of the sea. Opening my eyes, I see the first rays of the sun bringing a new day to...
VEITALANOA | Fijian lore and culture
The Fiji Times
·
August 23, 2025
As Pacific Island cultures grapple with the relentless combination of globalisation and digital distraction, a passionate Fijian academic is determined to turn the tide. Dr Tarisi Sorovi Vunidilo, renowned archaeologist, museum curator, and...
New Tongan book aims to restore traditional worldview on art
Pacific Media Network
·
A new book exploring the breadth of Tongan arts launched on Friday at the Māngere Arts Centre - Ngā Tohu o Uenuku, after 13 years of research and collaboration. The art book, Sio FakaTonga ‘ae ‘Aati FakaTonga Faivā, Tufunga & Nimamea‘a FakaTonga -...
Concerns about the incorporation of customs into Tonga’s constitution
Kaniva Tonga
·
August 20, 2025
University of the South Pacific, Laucala Campus, Suva, Fiji. August 21, 2025. The Editor, Kaniva News, New Zealand. Subject: Concerns on the incorporation of customs into Tonga’s Constitution. To Whom It May Concern, I am writing to express my...
Constitution of Tonga is not a tool to enshrine unfair customs
Matangi Tonga Online
·
August 20, 2025
The Editor Concerns on the incorporation of customs into Tonga’s Constitution I write to raise my deep concern regarding the proposed bill by the Parliament, which seeks to incorporate Tongan customs into the Constitution of Tonga. I feel...
Fmr. Foreign Affairs Minister of Tonga to lead Commonwealth Observer Group for Guyana’s elections
News Room
·
August 21, 2025
The Commonwealth Secretary-General Hon. Shirley Botchwey will deploy a Commonwealth Observer Group (COG) to observe the forthcoming general and regional elections in Guyana, scheduled for 1 September 2025. Led by Mrs Fekitamoeloa Katoa...
Island Vibes unleashes Tonga Tū Ketau Tuē: A celebration of Tongan identity and language
Pacific Media Network
·
Vibes are high as a tsunami of red reaches the shores of Aotearoa to celebrate Uike Kātoanga’i ‘o e lea faka-Tonga - Tonga Language Week. Auckland-based nine-piece band, Island Vibes, has welcomed the rush of MMT pride with the release of their...
Children's Commissioner says immigration bill fails to reflect lessons of Dawn Raid era
RNZ
·
August 20, 2025
The Dawn Raids, first introduced by Prime Minister Norman Kirk's Labour government, had overwhelmingly targeted Pacific people in the 1970s. Photo: RNZ / Quin Tauetau The Children's Commission (Mana Mokopuna) in New Zealand says the proposed...
How Tonga’s flawed constitution forces five PMs to choose: Tolerate royal scandals or demand reform
Kaniva Tonga
·
August 19, 2025
Explainer – Significant scrutiny of Tonga’s political system, sparked in the early 1980s, rapidly transformed public daily conversation, replacing talk of plantations and fishing with intense political debate. A new radio program known as Matalafo...
How Pacific Islander women fought for acting roles depicting their culture
Hawaii Public Radio
·
August 19, 2025
The new historical drama “Chief of War” has been breaking down narratives in film and television that have often depicted Pacific Islander women as damsels in distress, by showcasing its characters as warriors who don’t need saving. Pacific...
We got to join the Pomee Fāmili Feast to Kick Off Tongan Language Week!
Flava
·
August 19, 2025
We got kick-off of Tongan Language Week with a feast at the Pomee Fāmili Home 🤤🤩 Uike Kātoanga’i ‘o e lea faka-Tonga 🇹🇴 To mark the start of Tongan Language Week, Charlie invited the Flava fam into the Pomee fāmili home, and let’s just say, the...