Results for Paula Ma'u

A delegation from Tonga travelled to Canberra last week and took part in a 2023 Tonga Australia High Level Consultations, on a range of issues, including climate change, regional and global security, infrastructure, and connectivity.

Tonga’s last repatriation flight arrived today with over 300 passengers, before Tonga's international border opens on 1 August with zero MIQ.

Tonga is looking for an incremental border re-opening in August, said MEIDECC CEO Paula Ma’u today, and the good news is that the government may hand back incoming bookings to the airlines from mid-July.

The storage and disposal of refrigerants at the Customs area is a concern for Tonga's National Ozone Unit, while more research is needed on the control of methyl bromide by the Quarantine Division. These concerns were raised at a meeting, held to oversee Tonga's obligations to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer, on 15 June in Nuku'alofa.

More than 100 seasonal workers left Tonga on a chartered flight for Australia this afternoon, February 25. Tonga has since last year been sending seasonal workers to Australia, despite the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions and border closures.

Ninety-eight passengers were repatriated on an Air New Zealand flight from Auckland this afternoon, confirmed MEIDECC CEO Paula Ma'u today.

The 129 repatriates from Auckland have tested negative for CoViD-19 and were released from quarantine this afternoon.

Two flights arriving in Tonga today repatriated around 56 passengers from Nadi, Fiji. Seven more passengers arrived from Tarawa, Kiribati, with the repatriation of a deceased person. A third flight arrived today from Tahiti for a fuel stop.

The 50 passengers to board the first repatriation flight from Auckland to Tonga will probably be selected next week, confirmed MEIDECC CEO, Paula Ma’u today, 17 June. “If that goes well, it depends on health and their analysis on whether we will increase the number and even the flights.” Otherwise at that rate, with about 7,000 Tongans overseas who want to return to Tonga, it might take years to repatriate everyone and quarantine will be costly. By Eleanor Gee.