

ʻATENISI INSTITUTE
An institute for critical education in the South Pacific
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Inducted fellows with Dr Helu and Hon PM Sevele (2009)
Oct. 2024 – Local Apple Technicians Relocate Cutting-Edge Shop to Campus’ Northwest Ridge
Artist conception of rising TC/SNS facility
In 2021 the workshop of Tongatapu’s 1st legislative district relocated to the campus’ southwest corner. Soon after, ACTS Community School moved its advanced studies centre to ‘Atenisi’s storied Rock House. Now the leading Apple retailer in the Western Pacific – Tonga’s Tau’olunga Computer [TC] – is quitting its familiar location in Fasi moe ‘Afi to transfer its fabled hardware and software capability to our campus’ Northwest ridge.
Operations will necessarily continue at Fasi for the next six weeks. “But we expect to begin serving customers in Tufuenga in time for Christmas,” managing director Sione Langi assured investors last week. “For us, the new location offers several advantages: 1) expanded parking facilities for our driving customers; 2) proximity to the faculty/student market at both ‘Atenisi and ACTS; and 3) further integration with ‘Atenisi’s School of Natural Science [SNS] with whom we will proudly share the state-of-the-art facility rising as we speak.”
‘Atenisi dean, Dr Michael Horowitz, is particularly excited about accelerated cooperation between TC and SNS. “Over the past two years, ‘Atenisi and Tau’olunga have jointly developed the most innovative Philosophy of Physics curriculum in the region,” he recently told the media. “The programme has remotely dialogued with some of the most celebrated names in quantum and astrophysics – e.g., Prof Basil Hiley – emeritus protégé of the legendary David Bohm – at the University of London, and Prof Philip Lubin, the celebrated director of the Experimental Cosmology Group at the University of California at Santa Barbara.
“As TC’s President,” Horowitz continued, “Firitia Velt brings to SNS the chops of postgraduate training in physics at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands. This, combined with his dogged tracking of emerging research, grounds the Programme academically."