Recovery in Tonga has already started, Red Cross says
Cover photo above - Digicel Tonga’s technical team working on satellite link equipment to restore internet connection Photo: Digicel Tonga
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Tonga is already rebuilding amid the devastation of a double whammy of natural disasters, according to the Red Cross.
Tonga Red Cross staff and volunteers have been assisting people from the moment the tsunami alert was triggered, and are ramping up the delivery of drinking water, temporary shelters and other critical relief supplies across the country.
Tonga Red Cross secretary general Sione Taumoefolau said its teams were using boat and trucks to take vital items to communities in need of the basic necessities.
Shelter was a top priority for families whose homes had been wiped out, he said.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian response into Tonga has been described as well a handled process, almost two weeks on from the eruption and tsunami.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has been helping to meet immediate needs, with a response coordinaton based in Fiji.…more
ORDINARY TONGAN LIVES - REAL LIFE AQUAMAN (from 'ATATĀ)
Story collated and written by Haitelenisia Afemui ‘Uhila Angilau for her 'Ordinary Tongan Lives' facebook page. She is currently covering survivors stories from the Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption and subsequent tsunami.
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“Since 2014, I have not been able to walk properly. I can try, but most times I have to lean on someone else to walk. On Saturday, we were doing maintenance work in preparation for my son’s wedding for this last Thursday. When my older brother saw the sea rising higher than normal, he alerted me. He knew I’d take a while so he said I should get going. He packed a few things as I left. I barely made it to the main road when my brother and nephew caught up with me, grabbed each arm, and helped me move faster. By that time, a wave from the West had made its way to the main road.
Now, the volcano is on the North Western side of our island. ʻAtatā’s map is like a tennis racquet. The wider part is where our plantations are.…more
Sports Talk - Netball star Cathrine Tuivaiti: Motherhood, Pro Netball & life overseas
"I think it should be celebrated, I think that to be able to play at the top shouldn't just be for people who have to put their families on hold, it should be supported and encouraged and if you can't come back then at least you tried, but for too long it's been "Don't have babies, because you won't be able to come back"
... ... that's not been said, it's been implied ... in the last few years we've seen so many Mums come back to netball, especially at the top level and it's really cool to see. Not that they should get pregnant early, but they don't have to put off having families if that's what they want to succeed in first"
We catch up with former Silver Fern Cathrine Tuivaiti about being a Mum of two boys, living in Italy with her husband Jimmy during the Covid-19 pandemic, making her comeback to professional sports after having two children and much more.…more
3 Lessons: First Year of Motherhood
Motherhood, Career, Family: We can have it all!
2021 is wrapping up and so is my rookie year of motherhood. As I reflect on 2021, and my first year of motherhood I find myself reminiscing on the big lessons I’ve learned this year.
Off the top of my head I can think of 20 unsolicited pieces of advice but I’ll just give you 3 for now.
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1: Independence costs
It’s a common misconception that us broke islanders all live in the same house because we can’t afford otherwise. And while living together helps lessen the load financially, it’s not the only or even the main reason we do it.
As Pasifka peoples, we are village people. We are built on the strong foundations of aiga & togetherness. We often all live together in one house because that’s just how we’re built. We quite simply aren’t built to live far from our loved ones. From the comfort of mum's kokolaisa or pahs funny jokes. Aunty’s gossiping in the lounge, cousins running around outside.…more
ORDINARY TONGAN LIVES - 'ATATĀ ISLAND TSUNAMI SURVIVOR
Story collated and written by Haitelenisia Afemui ‘Uhila Angilau for her 'Ordinary Tongan Lives' facebook page. She is currently covering survivors stories from the Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai eruption and subsequent tsunami.
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“It happened so quickly and suddenly that we were completely unprepared. We were going about our Saturday chores when I heard one grandchild from the beach, ‘Nana! There’s a wave coming all the way to our wild hibiscus tree! It’s coming Nana! It’s here!’
At first you’re confused but you quickly snap out of it and yell, ‘Run! Come, let’s run!’ We gathered all the grandkids and ran to higher ground with my children. Some of their parents are overseas for fruitpicking while I care for them. My husband was still inside the house when we ran. He later came looking for us. Talaiasi Seni’s house was our first place of refuge as it’s on elevated ground.
Many other mothers and children from the village joined us there.…more
Tonga Update & where you can donate to help relief efforts
Cover image of families on Mango Island in the Ha'apai group waiting for help after the tsunami hit and destroyed every home.
Photo credit: Piokalafi Faka’osi
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As communication with Tonga is slowly restored, the devastation to the small island nation is becoming more apparent.
So far the oficial fatality number remains at three and Digicel has been able to restore limited international voice and text connectivity via a satellite connection. US cable company SubCom has advised that the best case scenario is four weeks for the cable to be repaired, with the repair ship expected to arrive in Tonga 1 February.
The tsunami is estimated to have impacted around 1800+ household's food supply across Tonga - most affected areas have had plantations and crops completely destroyed and basic food items are needed. Flour, tinned fish, milk powder etc ... Due to the seawater seeping into the soil it's expected to take about 3 months before anything can be grown on affected areas.
The governement have also advised against fishing or consuming any fish.…more
Collection for Tonga underway today in Auckland
Three shipping containers are being set up at Auckland's Mt Smart Stadium to be filled with donations for Tonga today.
The Aotearoa Tonga Relief Committee is organising the relief effort and plans to collect and ship food and emergency supplies donated mainly by people with family of those living in Tonga.
People can donate food and emergency supplies at Mt Smart stadium from 9am to 8pm on Friday and Saturday.
Priority will be given to people with family in Tonga, with each family being allocated a 44-gallon drum to send.
Items being asked for are non-perishable foods like rice, canned meat, as well as water, small cooking utensils, batteries and torches.
Comittee Secretary, Pakilau Manase Lua said the Tongan government would prioritise distributing goods to the worst affected islands like Mango, Atata, Nomuka, Fonoifua.
He said the relief effort was giving many Tongan families in New Zealand a chance to turn worry into action while they wait to re-connect with loved ones.…more
Vodafone Foundation/Red Cross Tsunami Appeal
The Vodafone Foundation have set up a 'Give a Little' page for the Tongan tsunami appeal, raising funds to support NZ Red Cross relief efforts in Tonga and the Pacific following the Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano eruption and tsunami
Both Vodafone NZ and the Vodafone Foundation will match donations up to $200,000 - so for every $10 donated, $30 will go to help those affected, up to $600,000.
These funds will be used to support Red Cross to provide families with emergency supplies of food, water and hygiene kits. These are vital given much of the water and food supply has been polluted by volcanic ash. Shelter tool kits, tarpaulins, blankets and other essentials are also being distributed.…more
Halberg Awards - Ruby Tui, Ross Taylor & the Black Ferns Sevens finalists for Best Sporting Moment
The finalists for New Zealand's favourite sporting moment at the Halberg Awards have been announced and 6 of our Pacific Islanders are finalists.
* Black Cap Ross Taylor for hitting the winning runs to secure the inaugural ICC World Test Cricket Championship for New Zealand against India at Southampton.
* The Black Ferns Sevens winning Gold at the Tokyo Olympics - Team mates Ruby Tui, Alena Saili, Risaleaana Pouri-Lane, Theresa Fitzpatrick & Shiray Kaka are of Pacific Islands heritage.
* Black Fern Ruby Tui's post game interview with the BBC after the Black Ferns win over the Russian Olympic Committee went viral at the time (watch above)
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“New Zealand’s Favourite Sporting Moment is a popular part of the awards for both the athletes and fans. We are sure it will create much interest and involvement from the public, who will decide the winner,” Halberg Foundation chief executive Shelley McMeeken said in a statement.
The public can vote once-a-day HERE. Voting closes at 9pm on February 23rd
A call on banks and business to drop fees in support of Tonga response
The umbrella organisation for New Zealand’s aid agencies, Council for International Development is calling on banks and money transfer businesses to drop (or reduce) any bank fees as Tongan New Zealanders mobilise to send funds to support Tonga following the eruption.
Remittances play a critical role following an emergency in the Pacific. “The most urgent need in times of crisis is money, not stuff. No other type of donation can match its impact,” says Aaron Davy, Humanitarian Manager at Council for International Development.
“We urge banks and money-transference businesses to support humanitarian responses, by temporarily wavering transaction costs or keeping them at zero or less than 3% during an emergency response and removing bureaucratic barriers for already stressed families trying to send cash to family overseas.”
Kiwibank NZ have already responded, removing fees to send money to Tonga -
How to send cash safely:
* Donate to a trusted humanitarian organisation in New Zealand.…more