Reconstructed Treasury Building reopens after eight years [1]
Tuesday, November 21, 2023 - 23:05. Updated on Wednesday, November 22, 2023 - 09:52.
The seafront Treasury Building reopened eight years after being vacated for reconstruction. HRH Crown Prince Tupouto’a ‘Ulukalala cut the ribbon to officially open the facility.
He was accompanied by trhe Minister of Finance Hon. Tiofilusi Tiueti at the opening ceremony held on 17 November in Nuku'alofa.
It is expected that the Ministry of Finance staff will occupy the building next month.
The iconic Treasury, on the Nuku'alofa seafront, was first built in the early 1900s, where in the early days, it housed three government offices, including the Treasury, Postal Services and Tonga Customs.
When the building was deemed unsafe in 2015, the Treasury operation was moved to Tungi Colonnade, then in 2017 to the new St George Government Building in the CBD, where it remained for the last six years.
The former Minister for Finance, Tevita Lavemaau, began the technical review and assessment of the building in 2020 for a restoration project. The project was approved and was put into tender. South-Seas Contractors won the bid and signed the contract on 3 September 2021. The project was funded by the Government under the Ministry of Finance with a total cost of TOP 2.4 million.