Local Tongan fastens lei on New Zealand Aid Minister, Marian Hobbs (November 2002).
Click for enlargement of map.
Tonga
Snapshot
The Kingdom of Tonga lies north of New Zealand near Fiji and Samoa. There are more than 160 islands mainly based on coral and distributed across a large sea area. The 36 inhabited islands support a population of about 110,000.
Tonga is one of the more developed countries in the Pacific, and life expectancy and literacy rates are among the best in the region. The country has a long-standing tradition of providing universal access to six years of compulsory, free primary education. However, because of limited opportunities and resources, and vulnerability to natural disasters, hardship still exists in Tonga.
NZAID priorities
NZAID aligns its strategy with the development priorities of the Government of Tonga. Priority areas for Tonga include:
- Education
- Public sector reform and governance
- Health
- Outer island development
- Community development and private sector development.
NZAID on the ground
Education
Despite Tonga's relatively strong development indicators and commendable strides in achieving universal primary education, inequities exist in the quality of and access to education.
The Tonga Education Sector Support Programme (TESP) is a partnership between the Government of Tonga, NZAID and the World Bank. The key goals of TESP are to help Tonga ensure that all children have access to quality education and that other quality education opportunities are available for Tongan young people depending on their skills and interests. The first phase of TESP focuses on improving the quality of primary and secondary education, the equitable delivery of services and resources, and a strengthening of management, policy-making, and monitoring and evaluation within the education sector.
Outer island development
From 2001-2004, NZAID supported a Nature Tourism Project in Tonga which aimed to develop sustainable tourism in the islands of Vava'u and 'Eua. The focus of this project was capacity building, community and product development and resource protection/conservation. A major success of the programme was the protection of Maninita Island, which has now been rat-free for over two and a half years, providing a more stable ecosystem for native flora and fauna, and is close to being officially protected as a reserve. The tourism operators are now more aware of conservation issues and capable of management, and there is an increasingly strong sense of ownership of this area by locals.
Health
Some parts of Tonga have poor access to clean water, placing the Tonga community at increased risk of water borne diseases such as typhoid. To ensure access to clean water, NZAID supports a Village Water Supply project in three villages on Tongatapu (the main island). This project has involved the renewal of pipe networks, pumping systems and reservoirs. It has also involved upskilling and training of rural water inspection staff in the Ministry of Health and members of village water committees, and the provision of training materials and guidelines. NZAID will continue to support this project as it contributes to the improved health and well-being of Tongan communities. A similar approach to the provision of clean water supplies has been developed on the island of 'Eua (population 5,000). Construction commenced in December 2006.
Public sector reform
NZAID is also providing over NZ$1.2 million assistance for the economic reform process in Tonga, particularly in the area of revenue reform, with the goal of assisting the Tongan government to more effectively collect revenues (mainly taxes and customs) due under Tongan law. Funding includes secondments from the New Zealand Customs Service and IRD to provide senior management and specialist technical assistance, assistance in the establishment of information management systems and customs-specific software.
In light of the events of 16 November 2006, NZAID has provided NZ$500,000 interim, short-term special programming by reallocating from within the current level of bilateral support, targeted towards revenue impact forecasting and loss adjustment technical assistance; and support for prosecution, defence, and administrative and public law.
Private sector development
Following 16 November 2006 NZAID is also providing up to NZ$2m to support business recovery in Tonga by way of loan subsidies for up to two years, a credit guarantee scheme and business advice. AusAID is providing a similar level of funding. This business recovery facility is designed to target small and medium sized business directly affected by the civil unrest, thus giving a boost to economic recovery and assisting those most in need.
Page Last Reviewed: 23 June, 2008