Nuku'alofa business woman, Malia Tu'inukuafe Tonga became the new President of Women in Sustainable Enterprises Tonga Inc. (WISE Tonga) at its Annual General Meeting on August 1 held at the House of Tonga in Nuku'alofa.

Maria said she was overwhelmed by how women from different sectors of the economy were able to come together at the WISE meeting last night to network. "And to see how excited they were to share stories of their personal journeys in business."

"It's nice to combine the formal and informal sectors in these meetings because we are all learning from each other," she said.

Small business start-ups

Guest speaker, Taiatu 'Ata'ata, spoke about how she started a small home-based cake baking business to help her mother and family a few years ago, and then went on to open a schools uniform supply shop at the Langa Fonua centre in central Nuku'alofa this year– all while being a solo mother and working as an authorising officer with the Ministry of Finance.

"You have to be organised. Get up, bake a few cakes - and then you can start work!" she said.

Taiatu said that developing a small start-up business in Tonga is a formidable task. Trying to manage costs while facing constant price rises and coping with irregular supply of some ingredients are common problems.

Access to affordable finance was a big challenge for new businesses because of all the upfront costs, "such as fitting out a shop, paying rent, buying stock, paying consumption tax and port taxes on imports, before the business even gets going."

She echoed a common sentiment among many small business startups: "You wonder how many more weeks you should keep going before you shut down!"

Information sharing

Taiatu said that while government had set up funds with low interest loans for certain sectors, including women, she believed that the information had not been shared in a way that would encourage women stakeholders to access low interest loans, and much more work needed to be done to reach out to small businesses.

"WISE Tonga is an opportunity to share information and network with women in business," she said.

"By being active in business the private sector can influence the powers that be. But we can't do it alone – we need to work together as women who want to develop this country. We all have children and want a good life and future for them. We have the same goals as government and WISE can play an active and productive role in developing the economy and overcoming the obstacles that are holding Tonga back," she said.

New president

The new WISE President  Malia Tu'inukuafe Tonga replaces 'Ofa Tu'ikolovatu. Malia runs a family business, Tu'i International, a meat processing and packing company. She has been a member of the executive board of WISE since 2012 and was previously Vice President.

WISE Tonga Inc. was formed in 2010 and launched in 2011, with a vision of Tonga where women may prosper in sustainable enterprises, with equal opportunity for improving the lives of their families and communities.

The organisation advocates for a better business environment in Tonga and promotes awareness of women's enterprises, while encouraging women to take a leading role in improving the lives of their families.

The executive board members for 2017-18 are: President, Malia Tu'inukuafe Tonga; Vice President, Vikanaa Fusimalohi; Secretary, Taiatu 'Ata'ata; Asst. Secretary Lusia Latu-Jones; Treasurer, Lata Poulsen; Asst. Treasurer Salome Po'oi; Formal Sector representative, Seketi Fuko; Non-formal Sector Representative 'Amelia Hufanga; Media Advisor, Katalina Tohi.