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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 169 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 has appointed the Cabinet. It consists of the Prime Minister, the Governors of Ha’apai and Vava’u, and about ten other Ministers. Ministers were appointed at the King’s pleasure and tended to remain in position for considerable periods of time. Following the 2005 elections, four additional Ministers were appointed from within the legislative assembly – two people’s representatives and two nobles’ representatives. Since 2006, the Prime Minister has had the right to make his own choices to fill ministerial portfolios. A democratisation process is underway in Tonga. (See the Democratic reform section for details).
National legislature - Unicameral Legislative Assembly, comprising of the Cabinet (up to 16 Ministers) 9 nobles' representatives chosen by 33 noble families, and 9 representatives elected by universal suffrage by Tongans aged 21 or over.
Last election - April 2008
Next election due - 2010
Head of State -
His Majesty King George Tupou V
Head of Government - Prime Minister Hon Dr Feleti (Fred) Sevele
Key Ministers
Key Opposition MPs - ‘Akilisi Pohiva, Clive Edwards, ‘Uliti Uata, Isi Pulu
Main political parties -
The Tonga Human Rights and Democracy Movement
(THRDM), formerly the People's Party, was
established in 1994.
The People's Democratic Party
(PDP) was established in April 2005.
A new party, Paati Langafounua Tu'uloa, was established in the lead up to the 2008 elections.
GDP -
US$258 million (2008 est)
GDP per capita -
US$2510 (2008 est)
Real GDP growth -
1.2% (2008 est)
Exports (fob) -
US$18.2 million (2006 est)
Main Exports - Squash, coconuts, fish, handicrafts
Imports (fob) - US$117.9 million
Main Imports
- Food, machinery, fuel
Inflation - 6 percent
Source: Economist Intelligence Unit
NZ Exports (FOB) - NZ$53,895,000 (for year to June 2008)
Main Exports - Meat products, wood products, petrol/oil
NZ Imports (CIF) - NZ$3,102,000 (for year to June 2008)
Main Imports - Cassava, scrap waste, fish, coconut
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Tonga is an ancient Polynesian country of 171 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 Samoans 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 1790’s. 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, inter alia, 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’ahu 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. His formal 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 remained essentially unchanged to the present day.
The 1875 Constitution formulated by King George Tupou I with assistance from the Wesleyan missionary, Reverend Shirley Baker, is a remarkable document, well 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. However it is now due for reform as part of the democratic reform process.
As Head of State, the King presides over a Privy Council of Cabinet Ministers plus the Governors of the Ha’apai and Vava’u island groups. The legislature is a single-chamber assembly, the members of which are the Cabinet Ministers and Governors appointed by the King; 9 Nobles’ Representatives selected by the 33 Nobles of the Kingdom; and 9 Peoples’ Representatives elected by universal suffrage of all Tongans aged 21 and over. The Prime Minister chairs the Cabinet. The King has since 2006 agreed to abide by a convention that the Prime Minister, rather than the monarch, is the Head of Government. This convention is expected to be entrenched in law through the constitutional reform process.
The latest elections were held in April 2008. Pro-democracy candidates dominated the People’s Representative selections.
There is consensus in Tonga on the need for democratic reform, with a continued role for the royal family in a constitutional rather than executive role. There is less consensus on the pace and process for change, although Parliament agreed in July to establish a Constitutional and Electoral Commission, to complete its work in 2009, in preparation for 2010 elections.
Some of the steps in the democratisation process include: The public sector strike settlement of September 2005; the appointment in early 2006 of Prime Minister Sevele, a ‘commoner’ and People’s Representative; the work of the National Committee on Political Reform and the decisions of the Tripartite Committee of the last Parliament.
The National Committee on Political Reform (NCPR), national consultative body aimed at assessing the views of the Tongan community on the question of political reform in the Kingdom, presented its recommendations to the late King,Prime Minister Sevele, and the Legislative Assembly in August 2006. The report advocated a system where all seats in parliament would be subject to election, canvassed different types of electoral systems, proposed ways of ensuring policy continuity and examined how the interests of overseas Tongans might be expressed.
While all sides welcomed the report of the Committee, there were varying views on the extent to which its recommendations should be implemented, and the next steps in the process. Attempts at negotiating a consensus on next steps were dealt a severe blow when the Committee’s champion, Prince Tu’ipelehake, was killed (along with his wife) in a traffic accident in San Francisco during the consultation process, just before the report was finalised and presented to Parliament. No other Tongan political figure was able to draw together a consensus on the responses to the report.
In this environment, some pro-democracy supporters, unhappy about a perceived delay in the implementation of political reforms in Tonga, spearheaded ongoing public protests against the Government. These culminated in riots in November 2006. The civil disturbance included arson attacks on businesses, including those owned by Prime Minister Sevele and expatriate business people, and others owned by the Royal family and their business partners. A group of business people hostile to foreign-owned businesses joined the riots and targeted shops owned by the Chinese community. The riots resulted in eight deaths and the destruction of approximately 75 percent of downtown Nuku’alofa was destroyed by looting and fires. This was the first occurrence of civil violence of this scale in Polynesia.
The day after the riots, the Tongan government announced a state of emergency and requested a deployment of New Zealand and Australia defence and police personnel to help secure the airport, to enable a resumption of commercial flights. New Zealand led the response. The situation remained calm and all Australian and New Zealand defence personnel withdrew from Tonga within two weeks.
Tongan Police, with assistance from New Zealand and Australia, undertook investigations to bring the perpetrators to justice and a New Zealand police presence remains in response to Tonga’s needs for forensic and other support. Police have arrested over 700 people in connection with the riots to date. New Zealand’s Agency for International Development, (NZAID) provided funding of $137,000 and $70,000 respectively for prosecution and defence counsel.
Most of the riot-related trials have now concluded, although the major trials involving several pro-democracy MPs on charges of sedation are due to be held in early 2010, depending on the outcome of appeals being heard in July 2009. In a trial in 2008, MP ‘Isi Pulu was one of a group of people acquitted on all charges relating to the riots-related deaths in the fire at the Shoreline building.
Despite pressure from the pro-democracy movement to lift the state of emergency announced during the riots, it remains in force. The powers prohibit the holding of a meeting, procession of assembly of five or more people within central Nuku’alofa, and provide the Tonga Defence Service with similar powers of arrest to Police.
Despite the riots, the King remained committed to pushing for political reform. His speech from the throne at the closing of Parliament in November 2006, just a week after the riots, invited Parliament to develop and submit reform proposals and a timetable for reform. A Parliamentary Tripartite Committee agreed on a proposed composition of Parliament and Cabinet. The current Parliament established the Constitutional and Electoral Commission.
The Commission will report on the role of the Monarchy, the composition of Parliament and the type of electoral system to be used. It met for the first time in January 2009 and has issued an interim report. A final report will be released in November. New Zealand has pledged $1.5 million in support for the work of the Commission, and the broader democratisation process.
Tonga’s economy, supported by a large flow of remittances from Tongans living abroad, will be affected by the global economic downturn, although to what extent is not yet clear.
The Tongan economy is heavily dependant on remittances from Tongans who live and work abroad, mainly in the United States, New Zealand and Australia. Domestic economic activity is based mainly on the agricultural sector and an estimated 70 percent 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 hard currency earnings after remittances. The fishing sector is in difficulties, with reductions in catches mirroring those elsewhere in the Pacific. Tonga traditionally operates a trade deficit, offset by large inflows of remittances and development assistance.
As a small island economy, Tonga is subject to seasonal and external factors over which it has little control. The economy remains vulnerable to external shocks. The trade deficit continues to grow and there has been a steady depreciation in the value of Tonga’s currency - the Pa’anga - over several years.
Under the economic component of the public service strike settlement in 2005, the Tongan government agreed to implement salary increases of between 60 percent and 80 percent, over two years. This had serious implications for the Tongan economy, which were mitigated by the introduction of a public sector voluntary redundancy programme. This enabled the Government to reduce the size of the public service by almost 20 percent (from around 5000 to 4000). The government funded pay rises and redundancy packages from its cash reserves.
The 2006 riots also 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 have not been significantly affected by the civil disturbance.
The economy is showing some resilience. Some businesses have been re-established, and limited reconstruction in the central business district is underway. However progress on Nuku’alofa’s reconstruction has been slow. Few businesses have so far taken advantage of a loan facility offered by China. New Zealand and Australia have both contributed funding to assist private sector reconstruction, which is being administered through commercial banks.
In a departure from previous policy, the Sevele Government has put in place a policy of seeking to stimulate private sector-led growth and has taken steps to stimulate the economy through easing the tax burden of compliance costs on the business sector. The Government also announced the Reserve Bank of Tonga would ensure sufficient liquidity in the banking system to allow businesses to rebuild and expand. Further reforms are also needed to improve the business environment and the performance of public enterprises. The global economic crisis might well lead to a slowing down of some of these measures.
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 soon in New Zealand. 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’s first High Commissioner to New Zealand, Mr Siaosi ‘Aho, presented credentials in May 2009.
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 Geoscience Commission (SOPAC), University of the South Pacific (USP), and the Pacific Community (SPC). It is also 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 14September 1999. Tonga is a member of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). Tonga has also become a member of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), with its ratification taking effect in July 2007. 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 linkages. 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 1200 workers having gained seasonal work in New Zealand in the last year.
Tonga is New Zealand’s sixth largest export market in the Pacific. Total two-way trade for the year ending December 2008 came to NZ$53 million. New Zealand exports for the year ending December 2008 (primarily meat, timber and petrol) totalled NZ$49.7 million. In the same year imports from Tonga, mainly root vegetables, scrap iron, fish and coconuts, totalled NZ$3.2 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. 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.
Tonga is one of New Zealand's core bilateral ODA partners, with the bilateral programme for 2008/09 worth $12 million. New ODA allocations will be announced shortly.
In September 2008 NZAID launched a new ten-year joint strategy with the Government of Tonga. The strategy is aligned with the development priorities of the Government of Tonga and priority areas include: governance, sustainable economic development and improving education.
Under the governance part of the programme, New Zealand has committed $5 million to the Tonga Police Development Programme, and a further $1.5 million to support Tonga’s current process of political reform (matched by funding from Australia and Tonga). Tonga’s tourism sector has been selected as a key focus area for New Zealand along with technical and vocational training. New Zealand supports education both within Tonga and through opportunities for study in New Zealand and the Pacific region.
New Zealand’s 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. Joint participation in the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) has also helped cement our defence ties. The RNZN survey ship HMNZS Resolution visited Nuku’alofa and other parts of Tonga in 2008. The Resolution had previously visited in July 1998 to mark the King’s 80th birthday, and in 2002 and 2005. The ANZAC class frigate HMNZS Te Kaha’s first overseas port call was a visit to Nuku’alofa in March 1999.
New Zealand visits to the Kingdom of Tonga have helped to reinforce the bilateral relationship.
The Safe Travel website provides a travel advisory for travellers to Tonga [external link].
