Latest fromTonga

Tongan King drops sale of $9m 'palace' after protests
Opponent says islanders would never have seen money if Epsom mansion sold.

Audrey Young: Pacific party sets tone for better relations
As John Key prepares for a White House visit next week, New Zealand's Pacific role is growing in value.

Asylum status considered for Fiji fugitive
Government officials are looking into whether ex-Fiji army chief Lieutenant Colonel Tevita Mara could be given political asylum, Prime Minister John Key says.

Army chief travel ban lift considered
Prime Minister John Key is open to the possibility of offering Fiji's former army chief political asylum in New Zealand. Mr Key told Radio New Zealand this morning the Ministry...

NZ man questioned in Fiji army chief's escape
Fiji police are believed to be interviewing a New Zealand surfing instructor accused of helping with the escape of Fiji's former army chief of staff Lieutenant Colonel Tevita Mara.

Former Fiji army chief hits out at 'hateful dictatorship'
A former Fiji army chief hits out at Frabk Bainimarama - from the safety of refuge in Tonga.

Air Force sent to rescue Tongan boat
A Royal New Zealand Air Force Orion found a fishing boat with engine failure before it drifted onto reefs near Tonga overnight.

Claims licensed immigration advisers may be tied into scam
Overstayers are said to be paying hundreds of dollars for fraudulent citizenship certificates.

Chinese bidding for Tongan royal estate in Auckland
A group of Chinese investors are understood to be the main contenders hoping to buy the Tongan royal residence in Auckland.

Jim Eagles: A culinary tour of the Pacific
I've always felt that food was one of the great reasons to travel. But you'd have to say that until relatively recently it wasn't top of the list of reasons for visiting the South Pacific.

Princess Ashika sentences 'a joke', says friend of victims
A New Zealand-based Tongan man who lost friends in the Princess Ashika ferry tragedy in Tonga says the sentences handed to three of the men found guilty over the incident are a joke.

Princess Ashika sentencing today
Four men and a shipping company found guilty of 30 charges relating to the 2009 sinking of the Tongan ferry Princess Ashika, in which 74 people died, will be sentenced today.

Ferry victims' families satisfied with guilty verdict
Families of the passengers whose lives were lost in Tonga's Princess Ashika ferry tragedy feel they have got some justice.

Guilty verdicts in Tonga ferry trial
Four men and a shipping company charged in connection with the August 2009 sinking of the Tongan ferry Princess Ashika, in which 74 people drowned, have been found guilty on all charges.