The Prime Minister Hon. Hu'akavameiliku officially launched the Tapanekale Housing Project, a government project to build safe houses for families in Tongatapu. A fund of $1 million pa'anga has been allocated by the government to initiate the project, starting with nine families, out of a total of 270 households identified in the extremely poor category.

Government Ministers and CEOs, town officers, and stakeholders attended the launching today, 25 January, at the Fa’onelua Convention Centre.

"This project is an outcome of the government priority agenda to minimize poverty in Tonga, and help families that are at most risk of natural disasters," said the Prime Minister.

Hon. Hu’akavameiliku said they would look for potential partners who would be of assistance for future progress in this project.

The CEO of the Ministry of Infrastructure Mr Lopeti Heimuli said the Prime Minister and the Cabinet’s Ministers found from the Tonga National Census 2021 and a Verification Survey 2023 from Tonga Statistics, that there are many Tongan people who are living in dire conditions.

From the Statistics findings, 3.1% of Tonga’s population, equivalent to a total of 578 families are living in poverty.

There are a total of 18,847 individual families in Tonga.

The Cabinet on 21 April 2023, discussed the need to provide safe housing for those families.

Tapanekale Housing Project

Mr. Heimuli said this project will use the housing containers that were donated by China as part of their HTHH relief.

"These houses will have electricity, complete with plumbing, a toilet and bathroom."

There are two designs, first is a 49.5 square foot house for families under fourmembers, and a 67 square foot (combined two containers) for a two bedrooms house, that is for families of five or more.

This project will benefit small construction businesses, and the Cabinet will decided who to give the opportunity to.

The Prime Minister acknowledged the partnership from the government ministries, including the Statistic Department, Ministry of Finance, Mininstry of Infrastructure, MEIDECC, Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, and the Prime Minister’s Office, who coordinated the project, and also the New Zealand government who also funded this project.