Lo‘au University has refunded a student’s tuition fees following complaints and growing scepticism about the quality and credibility of its academic offerings.
This development followed action taken by former Australian student Toki’ukamea Liutai, also known as Marshall Cameron, who engaged Auckland-based Tongan lawyer Nalesoni Tupou in an effort to reclaim his payment from the Australian-based Lo’au University Founder Dr Siosiua Lafitani.
Liutai said he requested a copy of the university handbook from Lafitani to choose a course but was told that access to the syllabus and course details would only be granted after paying the full tuition fee of $3,500 for the BA programme.
Liutai claimed that after paying $2,200, teaching began without any clarification about which course he was enrolled in.
Following his withdrawal and communication with Lafitani, Liutai took to Facebook to express his concerns, referring to the university as a “fraudulent academic organisation.”
He maintained that his short time as a student revealed a disconnect between the course delivery and what he had expected from Lo‘au University.
He questioned the upfront payment policy, citing the absence of detailed course information and the apparent use of Lafitani’s personal bank account for tuition transactions.
Speaking to Kaniva News, Liutai said he became suspicious after Lafitani cancelled their first scheduled face-to-face meeting.
His concerns deepened when he was assigned a five-page essay on a topic he found unusual and difficult to justify.
Liutai said he enrolled at Lo‘au University under the illusion that it was “a leading Tongan college” and a school that was grounded in “Moanan thought.”
Course Content Sparks Doubts
However, he claimed the course he was provided focused on “Rational Thinking”, which he felt did not reflect Moanan or Tongan Indigenous perspectives.
He said that his first assignment was a five-page essay on how modern Tongan professors associated with Lo‘au University differed from Greco-Western scholars.
“I was stumped as to how these Tongan men, educated at Western universities in the 1980s, could be edifying themselves alongside Socrates, Plato, Zoroaster, Thoth-Hermes, and Rumi,” Liutai told Kaniva News.
He said their first video call session lasted approximately 90 minutes, during which Lafitani allegedly read from his notes and dictated content that appeared to come from one of his own books, “which he requested that I purchase, and I did, for a cost of $80AUD.”
He claimed that the notes provided by Lafitani were neither “particularly special nor helpful” and appeared to have been “copied and pasted from Google or random websites.”
“In particular – although I am a firm believer that there are great philosophical and spiritual truths in Moana/Tonga, I am sceptical of his claims and assertions that modern philosophers are the equivalent or even greater than those Grecian scholars three thousand years ago.”
Liutai also shared with us course notes and message screenshots that appeared to show the university delivered its materials to students by uploading them via Facebook Messenger.
University Claims Under Scrutiny
Amid growing doubts, and following the conclusion of the first session, Liutai went online and began investigating the university’s credentials — including who approved them, the origin of the course outlines, and the authority responsible for issuing the Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctorate degrees it claimed to offer.
“The investigation found no active company, no valid credentials, and no governing body to approve the certification. Even the website, email, and phone number had been disconnected,” Liutai said of Lo’au University.
“I Facebook messaged him and proceeded to request my money returned whilst delivering the reasons why.”
In a letter to Lafitani, which he shared with us, Liutai says:
“I wanted to thank you for the time you have spent so far and your kind invitation to do some study with Lo’au University. I was excited to be able to engage with Tongan Higher Learning both to further my families knowledge but also to support the Tongan education system in my own way”, the letter read.
Liutai told Lafitani that his extensive experience in business administration and leadership in Australia’s RTO sector, regulated by ASQA, gives him a solid understanding of how universities should operate.
He said that, given his expertise, he checked with TEQSA in Canberra and TNQAB in Tonga—both responsible for regulating and assuring the quality of higher education.
“Lo’au University is not registered as a ABN, registered as a University/RTO or approved to offer the course range of Bachelor’s/Master’s or PHD courses in the Australian Capital Territory”, Liutai claimed.
“Lo’au University is not registered as a Tongan Company, registered as a University or approved to offer the course range of Bachelor’s/Masters or PHD courses in the Kingdom of Tonga by TNQAB.
“Lo’au University does not provide any official email, website, policies or procedures or code of conduct.
“My financial transactions, thus far have not yet received a formal written receipt from Lo’au; and where transferred directly to your personal bank not a company/organisation account which is contrary to the Tongan Code of Conduct for Academia.
With this being the case, I demand a full refund of the $$$ by no later then COB 12/09/2025. I will place the bank account to transfer to below this post so you can comply.”
School Fees Refunded
In an effort to recover his money, Liutai contacted Auckland-based lawyer Nalesoni Tupou for legal advice.
Tupou previously confirmed this communication with Liutai to Kaniva News and stated that he had reached out to the University’s Chancellor, Inoke Hu’akau, who acknowledged that the money had been refunded.
Tupou also took to Facebook to thank the Lo’au for repaying Liutai’s money.
In another post by Tupou on his Facebook, Hu’akau responded and confirmed their earlier conversation about Liutai’s school fees and said it has been paid.
He accused Liutai, writing in Tongan, of having what he described as personal issues.
Responding to Liutai’s Facebook post about the matter, Lafitani claimed that Liutai had defamed him and made false accusations.
In a Facebook post dated September 14, Lafitani stated that he and Liutai had agreed to a tuition payment plan in instalments.
He said Liutai had enrolled in the university’s Bachelor of Arts programme, and that Lo‘au University had supported him in fulfilling the course requirements.
“In the end, he withdrew and allegedly made threats and behaved inappropriately towards us,” Dr Lafitani claimed.
Institution Description Under Scrutiny
A Google search for the term “Lo‘au University” produced an AI-generated overview stating that the institution is a non-profit organisation dedicated to Oceanic and Tongan knowledge and scholarship, with a focus on cultural preservation and blending Tongan wisdom with global learning.
“The university offers degrees from bridging courses to PhDs across various schools, including Social Philosophy, Technology, and Health. It operates on an alternative framework to national accreditation, emphasizing transparency, academic integrity, and a commitment to student well-being.”
As Kaniva News previously reported, Lo‘au University no longer appears to be operating its two websites, known previously as Nuama and Lo‘au ‘University. It appears the University is now being operated through Facebook and has some videos on Youtube.
The university was launched by Minister for Education Dr. ‘Ana Maui Taufe’ulungaki on January 7, 2014. It was described by the media at the time as “Tonga’s first online virtual university.”
