Left, Lord Tupou and Kahungunu Barron-Afeaki

An urgent need for Tonga's Ministry of Land to confirm estate boundaries, identify all registered allotments and update its land registry, is called for by Tonga's Royal Land Commission in its final report released today after a four year inquiry. 

A three volumes report of the Royal Land Commission was released by Lord Tupou and Kahungunu Barron-Afeaki this afternoon.

It is the first time in history for a report from a Royal Land Commission for Tonga to be released widely to the public.

The Chairman of the Royal Land Commission, Baron Fielakepa, was not in Tonga, but in presenting the report, a commissioner, Lord Tupou highlighted some of their recommendations, which they would like government to address as soon as possible.

They urgently recommended:

• For a working group to be formed as soon as  possible, to develop the formation of an independent Land Commission and a Land Tribunal.
• For the Ministry of Land to confirm estate boundaries and all information required to facilitate the Minister of Lands so that he can issue estate deeds for each estate.
• For the Ministry to identify all registered allotments in the registry that have no total area and do all that is necessary to confirm those areas and update the registry.
• For the Ministry to re-build its registers and collate required data in order to provide, for each hereditary estate, Royal estates and all Crown estate lands accurate information on the total area of each estate and accurately determine what percentages of each estate has been allocated through registration (as tax and town allotments), leases (individual and religious/charitable) and permits, and what land is left unallocated and available for distribution.
• For the Ministry of Land to have a strong room where land deeds, maps and other important documents are securely kept.
• For claims by the heir and the widow who reside overseas to be made through the Consular Office and Embassies of Tonga in a foreign country.

Kahungunu Barron-Afeaki said that before they wrote the report, they conducted consultation meetings with Tongan communities throughout Tonga, and in overseas countries, the most intensive ever by a Royal Commission, and the final report "is a reflector of the views of the people."

It took the Commission four years to March this year to complete a task that was given to them by the late King George Tupou V, when he established the Royal Land Commission on March 2008 with a mandate – "to inquire (without changing the basic land tenure of our Kingdom) into all matters whatsoever concerning the land laws and practices of our Kingdom with a view to providing more effective and efficient practices."

The Commission was made up of the Chairman, Baron Fielakepa, Lord Tupou and Kahungunu Barron-Afeaki; and their secretary was Gloria L. Guttenbeil-Pole'o.

The report was presented to His Majesty, Tupou VI on 2 April, and with his permission it was released to a selected few  Privy Councillors, the Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers, and the Speaker of the House.

As of today, June 1 copies of the report may be downloaded from the website of the tongaroyallandcommission.