Tenpenny should land the cash in Race 7

Race 1 (1,000m) (2) WILLIAM’S WOMAN stayed on well for second to Calanque at Durbanville on Sept 27. She has no weight on her back and a good draw this time. Close to winning. (3) DIGBY never runs a bad race. He ran fourth to Gold Giboski last...

Tonga volcano explosion equalled most powerful ever U.S nuclear test

A huge underwater volcanic event in Tonga last year was of a magnitude comparable with the most powerful nuclear detonation by the U.S, researchers have revealed. Scientists have used eye and earwitnesses accounts, along with data from tide...

Hale T-Pole on running workshops in Tonga for retired Pacific rugby players to thrive beyond the sport

Former Ikale Tahi and professional rugby player Hale T-Pole is now the CEO of Pacific Rugby Players - an association dedicated to ensure that Pacific rugby players have a voice at the decision-making tables and that players' needs are being met....

Youth Voices at the Heart of Tourism’s Future

VAVA’U, TONGA — The Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) officially opened the inaugural Pacific Youth Forum on Sustainable Tourism this morning, with a powerful address by Chief Executive Officer Christopher Cocker. Held at Puataukanave Hotel in...

SHIPPING TIMES | Sailing for humanity

China’s largest hospital ship, Ark Silk Road received 1241 outpatient visits and 14 inpatients in during its four-day in Suva. The ship’s medical team performed 187 surgeries and 700 auxiliary examinations such as CT, DR, ultrasound and ECG,...

Matangi Tonga Online publisher Pesi Fonua Dies aged 78

Tonga mourns veteran journalist and Matangi Tonga founder Pesi Siale Fonua. Photo: Koro Vaka’uta Well known Tongan news outlet Matangi Tonga Online is today mourning the loss of their publisher and editor Pesi Fonua who passed away on Sunday. In a...

Pacific Youth Forum Concludes with Unified Commitment to Sustainable Tourism

Youth Leaders Launch Action Plan for 2025–2030 The inaugural Pacific Youth Forum on Sustainable Tourism (PYFST) concluded this week in Vava’u, Tonga, marking a significant milestone in youth engagement across the region’s tourism sector. Convened...

Farmgate Backpackers leads with integrity amid industry challenges

At a time when the agriculture and horticulture industries are again experiencing issues in some southern mainland states, a Bundaberg operation is standing up for workers and farmers. ERLE LEVEY goes to Childers to speak with Bill Darby of...

SHIPPING TIMES | Silk Road Ark visit

THE Chinese naval hospital ship, Silk Road Ark arrives today in Fiji. The ship will be in the country for its humanitarian medical mission. Silk Road Ark, according to the People’s Republic of China’s Ministry of National Defense, set sail on...

Turning Trash into Treasure as Vava’u Communities Lead the Wave against Plastic Pollution

The Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) has successfully concluded a two-day plastics repurposing workshop on the island of Vava’u, Tonga, under the Pacific Tourism Waste Action Initiative (PTWAI). This regional programme transforms plastic waste...

China’s economic slowdown has become its diplomatic weapon in the Pacific

By Bang Xiao CANBERRA (ABC PACIFIC) — China’s rise in the Pacific isn’t just about aid or diplomacy — it’s about survival and power. As domestic demand slows and Western tariffs squeeze exports, Beijing has been forced to turn its industrial...

In the depths of the ocean, a new contest between the US and China emerges

Deep below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, the seafloor is dotted with clusters of brown and black rocks, each containing valuable metals. The rocks, known as polymetallic nodules, hold reserves of critical minerals that could be used to power...

Rugby stars give back to Tonga

Youth In Union Founders Lachlan and Eddie. Photo: Supplied. Australian Rugby stars, Taniela Tupou (Wallabies) and Lachlan McCaffrey (Waratahs coach), will conduct a ‘Youth in Union’ tour in Tonga nest week, from 7-14 October. The tour aims to...

New technical block opens at Tonga College ‘Atele

Tonga College ‘Atele has officially opened its renovated Technical Building in a ceremony last month. The upgraded facility was completed under the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Partnership mission, highlighting enduring Tonga–US ties. The ribbon-cutting...

From sacred comb to family conflict: Tongan play to premiere in South Auckland

An upcoming Tongan theatre production explores family, faith and conflict through a uniquely Tongan lens at the Māngere Arts Centre next week. Written by Seluvaia ‘Iloahefaiva, Fā’onelua ‘o Manako Polohiva is a play centred on a noble family in a...

Telecommunications levy shows stable market with emerging players

In this edition: ComCom releases 2024-25 TDL contributions table Product disclosure guidelines TCF starts multilingual 3G shutdown campaign Infratil buys more of Contact Energy Top four telcos continue to dominate The Commerce Commission has...

A call for justice and survival – ambitious blueprint launches for climate and health action across the Western Pacific

Jason Staines writes: When health ministers from across Asia and the Pacific gathered in Nadi this week, the message from the World Health Organization was that climate change has become the region’s defining health emergency. Launched in Fiji,...

Australian tribunal’s ruling puts Tonga in deportation path for drug dealer, father of six

A tribunal has ruled that a Tongan father must be deported from Australia—a decision that could potentially separate him from his family. Tu’aefe Pālelei, who played 15 provincial games between 2007 and 2009, became involved in serious criminal...

Govt enacts sweeping Consumer Protection law

Parliament has passed its new Consumer Protection Act on 19 September 2025 to strengthen rights and fair trade. The law, backed by the Asian Development Bank’s Pacific Private Sector Development Initiative, modernises consumer safeguards and...

Live: Labor's environment protection bill 'unreasonable': Sussan Ley

17m agoFri 24 Oct 2025 at 2:26am Australia is all in on AUKUS. In Donald Trump's America, it's more complicated By By Emilie Gramenz and Riley Stuart in Washington DC In Washington on Monday, Anthony Albanese made something clear once again:...