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Official Name: Kingdom of Tonga
Land Area: 747 sq km: five main island groups, Tongatapu, 'Eua, Ha'apai, Vava'u, and the Niuas, among 170 dispersed volcanic and coral islands
Population: 101,134 (2006 census)
Capital City: Nuku'alofa
Religions: Christian denominations (Wesleyan, Mormon, Catholic)
Official Languages: Tongan, English
Currency: Pa'anga or Tonga dollar (TOP or T$)
Exchange Rate:
1 Tongan Pa’anga = $0.67 New Zealand Dollar
EEZ: 700,000 sq km.
Political System: Constitutional Monarchy
National government:
Traditionally in Tonga the King appointed the Prime Minister and Cabinet, which could include Ministers who were not elected MPs. Following the constitutional reforms of 2010, the King remains as the Head of State, but executive authority has transferred to a Cabinet nominated by the Prime Minister. The number of elected People’s Representative MPs is 17, while the number of elected Nobles Representative MPs is nine, bringing the total number of elected MPs to 26. Further information on the democratic reforms is contained below.
National legislature: Unicameral Legislative Assembly, comprising the Cabinet (currently up to 13 Ministers), nine Nobles’ Representatives chosen by 33 Noble title holders, and 17 representatives elected by universal suffrage by Tongans aged 21 or over.
Last election:
25 November 2010
Next election due:
November 2014
Head of State:
His Majesty King George Tupou V
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Lord Tu’ivakano
Key Ministers
Lord Tu’ivakano
Prime Minister; Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration; Minister of Defence; Minister of Information and Communication
Hon Samiu Vaipulu
Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Transport and Works
Lord Ma’afu
Minister for Lands, Survey, Natural Resources, Environment and Climate Change
Lord Vaea
Minister for Agriculture, Food, Forests and Fisheries
Hon Sunia Fili
Minister for Finance and Revenue Services
Hon Fe’aomoeata Vakata
Minister for Training, Employment, Youth and Sports
Dr the Hon Viliami Latu
Minister for Tourism
Hon Lisiate ‘Akolo
Minister for Police, Prisons and Fire Service
Hon ‘Isileli Pulu
Minister for Labour, Commerce and Industries
Hon William Clive Edwards
Minister for Public Enterprises and Justice
Dr the Hon ‘Ana Taufe’ulungaki
Minster for Education, Womens Affairs and Culture
Hon ‘Uliti Uata
Minister of Healthtop of page
Key Opposition MPs:
‘Akilisi Pohiva, Dr Sitiveni Halapua, Semisi Sika
Main political parties:
The Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands, The Coalition of National Unity
GDP:
US$310 million (2009, World Bank estimate)
GDP per capita:
US$2,991 (2009, World Bank estimate)
Real GDP growth:
-1.2% (2010, GoT budget figures)
Exports (fob):
US$5.7 million (2010)
Main Exports:
Squash, coconuts, fish, watermelon
Imports (fob):
US$117.9 million
Main Imports: Food, machinery, fuel
Inflation:
2.9% (2010 est)
Source: Economist Intelligence Unit
NZ Exports (fob):
NZ$53.3 million (for the year to July 2010)
Main Exports:
Meat products, wood products, petrol/oil
NZ Imports (cif):
NZ$1.29 million (for the year to July 2010)
Main Imports: Cassava, scrap waste, fish, coconuts.
Tonga is an ancient Polynesian country of 170 islands with a history of human settlement extending back 3000-3500 years. Tonga’s monarchical (Tu’i Tonga) tradition is over 1,000 years old; and at times has extended to include territory in parts of Fiji, Niue, the Samoas and Tokelau. European contact with Tonga dates back to 1616 and early contacts included Abel Tasman and James Cook.
Tonga’s contacts with the international community were extended through Wesleyan and Catholic missionaries who were active in Tonga from the 1790s. Taufa’ahau, the nephew of the ruler of Ha’apai, was baptised in 1831, taking the Christian name Siaosi (George) Tupou. Tupou became ruler of Ha’apai, Vava’u and Tongatapu following the deaths of his relevant relations. Tupou united Tonga under the name King George Tupou I; and established the current royal family line in Tonga. Tupou, with Wesleyan missionary Reverend Shirley Baker, drafted laws which prohibited serfdom and foreign ownership of land, and led to Tonga’s Constitution of 1875.
The 1875 Constitution marked the formal establishment of Tonga as a nation state. Unlike other Pacific countries, Tonga was never colonised by a European power. From 1900 to 1970 Tonga was, however, a signatory to Treaties of Friendship and Protection with Great Britain. In 1970 Tonga’s protectorate status ended and it became a fully independent state within the Commonwealth. The royal line has remained unbroken since 1845. King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV died in September 2006 after a reign of 40 years. His mother Queen Salote Tupou III ruled for 47 years, from 1918 until 1965. The present King is His Majesty King George Tupou V, whose coronation took place on 1 August 2008.
Tonga is a constitutional monarchy and the King commands considerable status and power. His extensive powers are derived from the 1875 Constitution and, with the exception of some voluntarily relinquished authority, have, until the 2010 reforms, remained essentially unchanged.
The 1875 Constitution was formulated by King George Tupou I with assistance from the Wesleyan missionary, Reverend Shirley Baker, and is a remarkable document - ahead of its time in terms of the freedoms and rights it granted to the Tongan people. As a result of the place it created for a fairly small selection of Tonga’s traditional chiefs, (renamed “Nobles”), with the King choosing those who had the strongest support, it also fulfilled the role of a peace treaty bringing to a close a prolonged civil war. It created an environment in which the Tongan nation state could grow, and avoid colonisation. It has only recently been amended as part of the democratic reform process.
King George Tupou V is the current Head of State presiding over an advisory Privy Council. The Prime Minister, Hon Lord Tu’ivakano, was selected by a majority of Parliament in December 2010 and is the Head of Government. The Prime Minister nominates the Cabinet, although both he and Cabinet are formally appointed by the King. Cabinet holds executive authority. The legislature is a single-chamber assembly, comprising 17 People’s Representatives elected by universal suffrage, nine Nobles’ Representatives elected by the holders of 33 Noble titles of the Kingdom.
Tonga held its first elections under a reformed electoral and constitutional process on 25 November 2010, after reforms were agreed by Tonga’s Parliament that year. There has long been consensus in Tonga on the need for democratic reform, with an ongoing role for the royal family but in a constitutional rather than executive role.
Some of the steps that have contributed to the democratisation process since 2005 include: the public sector strike settlement of September 2005; the appointment in early 2006 of Prime Minister Hon Dr Feleti Sevele, a People’s Representative; the work of the National Committee on Political Reform; the King’s speech from the throne in November 2006, soon after the riots (see below); the decisions of a Tripartite Committee of Parliament and the report of the Constitutional and Electoral Committee in 2009.
The Constitutional and Electoral Commission (CEC) worked throughout 2009 on the reform process, including requesting public submissions, and presented its final report to the Government of Tonga in November. The following month the Government of Tonga presented to Parliament its reform preferences – this combined elements of the CEC’s recommendations with its own proposals. Legislative changes required to implement reform ahead of the 2010 elections were passed by Parliament throughout that year.
From November 2010 the key changes included: acceptance by the King of the person nominated by Parliament to be prime minister; and an increase in the number of People’s Representatives from nine to 17. The number of Nobles’ Representatives remains at nine. The Prime Minister, rather than the King, selects Cabinet from the elected MPs, although up to four of these Ministers can be nominated from outside Parliament. First past the post has been retained as the electoral system, and the electoral term increases from three to four years. Executive authority has transferred from the King in Privy Council to the Cabinet.In November 2006, eight people were killed and 75 per cent of downtown Nuku’alofa was razed in riots and arson attacks, as a result of a spill over of anti-government sentiment due to the perceived slow pace of democratic change. Properties belonging to the Royal Family, Prime Minister Sevele and his family, and, later, the Chinese business community, were targeted.
The day after the riots, the Tongan Government declared a state of emergency, and requested assistance from New Zealand and Australia. New Zealand led a deployment of Australia-New Zealand defence and police personnel, although as the situation remained calm, all defence personnel were able to leave Tonga within two weeks.
A Tongan Police investigation, assisted by New Zealand and Australia, has seen more than 700 people arrested in connection with the riots. Most of the riot-related trials have concluded. Sedition charges against five pro-Democracy MPs were dismissed because of a lack of evidence.
Although the situation in Nuku’alofa has remained calm since the riots, emergency powers, which provided the Tonga Defence Service similar powers of arrest to Police, remained in place until early 2011.
Tonga’s economy is supported by a large flow of remittances from Tongans living abroad and has been severely affected by the global economic downturn. New Zealand has provided $2.2 million in emergency budget support to the Government of Tonga for 2010/2011. Other donors have similarly provided funding.
The Tongan economy is heavily dependant on remittances from Tongans who live and work abroad, mainly in the United States, New Zealand and Australia. Remittances fell by 50 per cent during the period Dec 2010- Dec 2011.
Domestic economic activity is based mainly on the agricultural sector and an estimated 70 per cent of the population derive at least part of their livelihood from farming. The squash-pumpkin crop, which is exported to Japan and Korea, is the dominant export but its promise appears to have been short-lived. Kava, root crops and vanilla are also important. Tourism is the second largest source of foreign currency earnings after remittances. The fishing sector is in difficulties, with a reduction in catch, mirroring that elsewhere in the Pacific. Tonga traditionally operates a trade deficit, offset by large inflows of remittances and development assistance.
The 2006 riots damaged the economy with businesses in Nuku’alofa looted and/or burnt to the ground, impacting on government revenue (estimated losses to government revenue of TOP$5.7 million or 4% of total revenue) and business confidence. Receipts from tourism were not significantly affected by the civil disturbance.
Some businesses have been re-established, and reconstruction in the central business district is underway, albeit at a slow pace. New Zealand and Australia have both contributed funding to assist private sector reconstruction, which is being administered through commercial banks.
Tonga’s foreign policy, based on guidelines set by King George Tupou I, seeks to maintain friendly relations with all countries and in particular with the major powers. Tonga has foreign missions in London, Beijing, San Francisco, New York, Canberra and Wellington. Tonga’s first High Commissioner to New Zealand, is H.E. Siaosi ‘Aho. The present King, when he was known as Crown Prince Tupouto’a, was Foreign Minister for many years until he retired in October 1998.
Tonga is a member of the Pacific Islands Forum, and hosted the Leaders’ Meeting in October 2007. Tongan membership of other regional bodies includes the Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), South Pacific Applied GeoscienceCommission (SOPAC), University of the South Pacific (USP), and the Pacific Community (SPC). Tonga is a signatory to the Agreement establishing the South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (though not of the SPREP convention itself).
Tonga was admitted as a member of the United Nations at the UN General Assembly on 14 September 1999. Tonga is a member of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and World Trade Organisation (WTO). In 1996 Tonga signed the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty (SPNFZ), also known as the Treaty of Rarotonga. It has ratified the Law of the Sea Treaty (UNCLOS). In June 2000 Tonga signed the EU/ACP successor agreement to Lome IV Convention in Cotonou, Benin.
New Zealand is a key regional partner for Tonga. Relations are underpinned by a shared Polynesian heritage and extensive people-to-people links. Many Tongan leaders are New Zealand-educated. Longstanding migration links with New Zealand have resulted in a significant Tongan population in New Zealand.; In the 2006 New Zealand Census, 51,481 people in New Zealand identified themselves as Tongans - the third largest Pacific Island group. In early 2002 a 250-person quota was created under the Pacific Access immigration category for Tongans wishing to migrate to New Zealand. Tonga has also been a lead participant in the Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme, with an estimated 1300 workers having gained seasonal work in New Zealand in the last year.
Total two-way trade for the year ending July 2010 came to NZ$54.4 million. New Zealand exports for the year ending July 2010 (primarily meat, timber and petrol) totalled NZ$53.3 million. In the same year imports from Tonga, mainly root vegetables, scrap iron, fish and coconuts, totalled about NZ$1.29 million. With favourable shipping links, New Zealand is the main source of Tonga’s imports supplying about 40 percent of total imports. Fiji, Australia, the United States and China are the other significant sources of imports.
A Tonga-New Zealand Business Association was set up in Nuku’alofa in 1993 to assist in promoting bilateral trade and economic linkages. More recently (2011) the Auckland-based New Zealand Tonga Business Council was established to promote bilateral trade from New Zealand. Regional and international developments such as the negotiation of regional trade agreements (PICTA and PACER) and Tonga’s WTO membership have created a forward-looking framework for the further development of trade relations.
In the immediate aftermath of the Christchurch earthquake the Tongann Government offered the services of its police and defence force personnel to assist in the recovery effort. Due to the very large numbers of recovery personnel already present in Christchurch, New Zealand was unable to accept the Tongan offer. The Tongan community also provided a significant (in relative terms) financial contribution to New Zealand following both earthquakes. In total nearly $1 million has been received.
Tonga is one of New Zealand's core bilateral development cooperation partners. The bilateral aid allocation for 2010/2011 is NZD$17 million, increasing to NZD $18 million by 2011/12.
The current priority areas are in energy, education and training. Over half of the activities in 2010/2011 are focused specifically on economic development in the areas of energy, tourism and SME development.
New Zealand’s defence links with Tonga date back to World War II. Under the Mutual Assistance Programme (MAP), NZDF provides a wide range of training assistance to the Tongan Defence Service and a NZ Army warrant officer is located in Tonga as a technical adviser. NZDF has also provided support to Tonga in policing its exclusive economic zone, and with search and rescue operations in the wake of recent events such as the sinking of the MV Princess Ashika and the Pacific tsunami, both in 2009. Joint participation in the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) has also helped cement our defence ties.
The Safe Travel website provides a travel advisory for travellers to Tonga [external link].
