Faced with stiff competition for places in the Highlanders front row, Halanukonuka acquitted himself well, playing 14 times in his debut season including 8 starts.
Unfortunately, his efforts weren't enough to help his franchise retain their Super Rugby crown and they were eliminated at the semi-final stage by the Lions.
[2] Tony Brown replaced the Japan-bound Jamie Joseph as Highlanders head coach ahead of the 2017 season and he opted to retain Halanukonuka in the squad for his first campaign in charge.
[12] Halanukonuka made his test debut for Tonga on 8 November 2014 in a match against Georgia in Tbilisi, coming on as a second-half replacement in a 23–9 victory for his side.
He started in the number 3 jersey in all 3 games which all resulted in victories, including a famous 19–17 win over Italy in Padua on 26 November 2016.