Ngaahi Peesi Fakalotofonuá
Ko e Ongo Fakamaau ʻe Uá
ʻI he kamataʻanga ʻo e 2020, ʻi ha ongo ʻaho hokohoko ʻe 2, naʻe fakanofo ʻa Kōtoni Matenga mo Palāniti Sotileni ko ha ongo Fakamaau ʻi he Fakamaauʻanga Fakavahe ʻi hona ongo vahefonua takitaha ʻi Nuʻu Silá.
ʻOkú na fakatou tukufakaholo mai mei he kakai tuʻufonuá, ʻa e kau Maulí, pea kuo fakatou hoko foki ʻa e ongo tangatá ni ko ha ongo ʻŌfisa Pule Fakapuleʻanga Leʻoleʻo ki hono sivi ʻa e pekiaʻanga ʻikai mahinó (Acting Chief Coroner), ka ko ha niʻihi pē ʻeni ʻo e ngaahi meʻa lahi ʻi heʻena moʻuí ʻokú na faitatau aí. ʻOku toki ʻilo hake, ko Kōtoni Matenga mo Palāniti Sotilení ko ha ongo kaungāmeʻa fuoloa pea ʻoku toe lahi ange ʻa e ngaahi meʻa ʻokú na faitatau aí.
ʻOkú na fakatou hoko ko ha mēmipa ʻo e Siasi ʻo Sīsū Kalaisi ʻo e Kau Māʻoniʻoni ʻi he Ngaahi ʻAho Kimui Ní pea kuó na maheni talu mei heʻena fakatou ako ʻi he Kolisi ʻa e Siasí ʻi Nuʻu Silá (CCNZ-Church College of New Zealand).
ʻOku fakamanatu ʻe Kōtoni, “Naʻá ku nofo ʻi Tinisiteili, Hamilitoni . . . ʻa ia ne u hoko ai ko ha tokotaha ako ʻaho talu mei he 1977.” Naʻe lēsisita atu ʻa Palāniti ʻi he 1978, ʻa ia naʻá ne lahi hake ʻi ha taʻu ʻe taha “Ko e fuofua taimi ia ne ma feʻilongaki aí.”
Ko Brother Simi Kingí ko ha faiako ʻi he CCNZ [Kolisi ʻa e Siasí ʻi Nuʻu Silá], naʻá ne fuofua tūtuuʻi ʻa e fakakaukau ʻi he ʻatamai ʻo Kōtoní ʻe malava pē ke ne ngāue ʻi he laó ʻi he kahaʻú. Naʻe ʻikai ke ne ʻilo ʻi he taimi ko iá ʻe iku pē mo Palāniti ke ne fili ha hala tatau.
ʻI hono taʻu fakaʻosí, ne fakatou fili kinaua takitaha ko ha Palesiteni ʻo e Akó ʻi he CCNZ, Palāniti ʻi he 1980 pea Kōtoni ʻi he 1981. Naʻá na hoko atu ʻo ngāue fakafaifekau taimi kakato maʻá e Siasí ʻi ʻAositelēlia—Palāniti ʻi Peefi pea Kōtoni ʻi Pilisipeini.
Hili e ngāue fakafaifekau ʻa Palānití, naʻá ne lēsisita ʻi he ʻUnivēsiti ʻo Uaikató ke ne ako ʻi he ngaahi lēsoni Saienisi Fakasōsialé. ʻI he foki ʻa Kōtoni mei he [ngāue fakafaifekaú], naʻá ne lēsisita ʻi he ako lao tokamuʻa ʻi Uaikató, ʻa ia naʻá ne tohi fakataha ai mo Palāniti ha pepa kau ki he Maulí.
Mei ai, naʻe maʻu ʻe Palāniti ha mataʻitohi ʻi he laó mei he ʻUnivēsiti ʻo Vikatōliá, pea fakaʻosi ʻe Kōtoni ʻene ngaahi kalasí ʻi he ʻUnivēsiti ʻo ʻAokalaní. Naʻá na toe fakataha ʻi Hamilitoni ʻi he fuofua taimi ʻo ʻena ngaahi ngāue takitaha ʻi he laó.
Naʻe hoko atu ʻa e ngaahi faitataú.
ʻI he 1996, ne hoko ʻa Kōtoni ko e fuofua ʻōfisa fakapuleʻanga (coroner) Mauli ʻi Nuʻu Silá, pea hili ha taʻu ʻe hongofulu mei ai, naʻe fakanofo ia ko e ʻōfisa fakapuleʻanga taimi kakato ʻi he ngaahi vahefonua ʻo Uaikató mo e Bay of Plenty fakatouʻosi. ʻI he taʻu tatau pē ko iá, 2007, ne mavahe ʻa Palāniti mei ha ngāue fakalao ʻiloa ʻi Hamilitoni ke tali hono fatongia ʻoʻona ko e ʻōfisa fakapuleʻanga taimi kakato ʻi he vahefonua Te Tai Tokelaú (Northland).
ʻI heʻena hoko ko e ongo ʻōfisa fakapuleʻangá, ʻoku pehē ʻe Palāniti kuo pau ke na takitaha “tokangaʻi ʻa e meʻa ʻoku hoko ʻi he fakafeangai mo e maté ʻi he ʻaho kotoa pē.” “Tānaki atu ki aí . . . ko ha ngāue faingataʻa ʻa e fakafeangai mo e whanau (ngaahi fāmili) ʻoku hukitonu ai e mamahí ʻi he ngaahi taimi faingataʻa tahá.” Naʻá ne lavaʻi ia ʻaki ʻene tauhi ia ke ne moʻui lelei fakatuʻasino mo maʻulotu maʻu pē. Naʻá ne tānaki mai, “Kuó u monūʻia ʻi heʻeku maʻu ha fāmili ʻoku nau tokoniʻi au ke u kei maʻu ha fakakaukau lelei.”
ʻOku manatuʻi ʻe Kōtoni ha telefoni fakamamahi fekauʻaki mo ha taʻu 3 naʻe siʻi melemo ʻi ha kiʻi vai kaukau (paddling pool). “Naʻá ku hū ki tuʻa ʻi he vave tahá, huaʻi ke ʻosi ʻa e vai mei he vai kaukau [ʻa ʻeku tama ʻaʻakú] pea tuku ia ki hono tukuʻangá.” Ka ʻoku pehē ʻe Kōtoni ʻoku hoko pē ʻi he taimi ʻoku hoʻata mai ai ʻi ha ngaahi meʻa iiki ʻo ha meʻa ʻoku hoko, ʻa ʻene moʻui pē ʻaʻaná, ʻa ia ʻe malava pē ʻi ha faʻahinga founga ke ne uesia ia ʻi he founga ko ʻení. “He ka naʻe ʻikai, ʻe ʻikai ke fuʻu faingataʻa ia . . . koeʻuhí ko ʻetau ʻilo ki he Palani ʻo e Fakamoʻuí. Ne u ʻiloʻi ko e maté ko ha konga ia ʻo e moʻuí.”
ʻI he ngaahi taʻu ne hoko maí, kuó na ʻosi fakatou fua fatongia foki ʻi he ngaahi fatongia fakatakimuʻa kehekehe ʻi he Siasí. ʻI heʻena hoko ko e ongo Fakamaau ʻi he Fakamaauʻanga Fakavahé, naʻe pau ke tukuange kinaua takitaha mei he tokoni ʻuluaki ʻi hona takitaha palesitenisī fakasiteikí.
ʻOku pehē ʻe Kōtoni, “ʻOku ʻi ai ʻa e totonu ʻa e tokotaha kotoa pē ke faitatau ʻi he laó, . . . ke fafakafofongaʻi.” ʻOku pehē ʻe Palāniti ʻoku ʻuhinga ia ke fakapalanisi ʻa e manavaʻofa fakaetangatá mo e ngaahi fiemaʻu ʻa e laó. “ʻOku ou fakaʻamu ke fakamanatua au ki heʻeku taʻefilifilimānako mo fakaʻapaʻapa lahi ki he tokotaha kotoa pē ʻoku nau hā ʻi muʻa ʻiate aú.”
ʻI he ngaahi ʻaho ní, ʻoku ʻikai ke lava ʻa e ongo kaungāmeʻá ʻo fesiofaki ʻi he lahi taha te na fie maʻú, ka ʻokú na kei hokohoko atu pē ʻi he fefakahoungaʻiʻaki mo e fepoupouʻaki mei he mamaʻó. ʻOku pehē ʻe Kōtoni, “ʻOku maʻu ʻe Palāniti ha tuʻunga malava taʻefakatataua . . . ke ne manatuʻi ʻe ngaahi hingoa ʻo e kakaí pea ʻokú ne lava ʻo talanoa ki ha faʻahinga taha pē . . . ʻoku fakafaingofua e kakaí kiate ia. ʻOku ou manumanumelieʻia ai koeʻuhí he ʻoku ʻikai ko e taha ia hoku ngaahi mālohingá.”
ʻOku pehē ʻe Palāniti, “Kuo faʻa nonga maʻu pē mo ʻikai hohaʻa ʻa [Kōtoni] . . . ʻi he meʻa kotoa pē ʻokú ne fakahokó. Kuó ne hoko maʻu pē ko ha tamaioʻeiki faivelenga. Kuó ne ikunaʻi ʻa e ngaahi ʻahiʻahi ne totonu ke mole ai ʻene moʻuí.” ʻOku tānaki atu ʻe Palāniti, ʻi hono fakatahaʻi ʻo e meʻa kotoa ko iá, “Ko ha tokotaha mūsika lelei ʻaupito ia ʻokú ne manako ke hiva.”