New Zealand has committed $4.8 million funding to develop Tonga’s health workforce, the New Zealand Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Nanaia Murata announced last week.

In a meeting with the Minister of Health, Dr. Saia Piukala and frontline healthcare workers, on 19 August at Vaiola Hospital, the Minister said New Zealand had assisted the Pacific whānau to prepare and navigate through various COVID-19 outbreaks.

“While this has been challenging at times, particularly through our ongoing domestic response, we remain committed to our Pacific partners. To further strengthen resilience and develop Tonga’s health workforce, Aotearoa New Zealand is funding a $4.8 million partnership programme over the next four years," she said.

Under the new partnership, Massey University will help Tonga plan for service needs, train staff, and allocate healthcare workers where they are most needed.

The Foreign Affairs Minister made her first official visit to Tonga on 18-19 August.

In response to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, Aotearoa New Zealand has provided COVID-19 vaccines [2], testing kits, testing facilities and genomic sequencing, and technical support to Tonga.