New Zealand's High Commissioner to Tonga HE Dr Jonathan Austin presents a grant for an FWC Education project, to 'Amelia Tu'i'onetoa,  FWC education officer.

New Zealand's High Commissioner to Tonga, HE Dr Jonathan Austin, will return to Wellington on Monday, September 24 at the end of a two-years term, to head the Middle East and Africa Division at their Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

He said today, the relationship between Tonga and New Zealand had always been a close and warm one.

"One of the most important things for New Zealand is our aid program to Tonga, which has been refocussed in recent years with some significant achievements. The Maama Mai Solar Power Plant is our largest ever single project in Tonga and one of our largest anywhere in the world," he said.

The Maama Mai "Let there be Light" Solar Farm, funded by New Zealand with NZ$7.9 million,  began operation at the Popua Power station in 'Anana, Tongatapu on August 20.

Community

In his final public engagement this afternoon, Jonathan presented a cheque of $8,300 pa'anga to the Free Wesleyan Church Education, received by 'Amelia Tu'i'onetoa, an education officer. The assistance will build a fence for the FWC kindergarten at Kolonga and pay for the shipment of a container of school supplies from Auckland. He said New Zealand was pleased to help the church in its efforts to improve its early childhood education program.

The High Commissioner said another important project was their in-country scholarships which were awared to 300 students in Tonga last year.

"These are not big projects but it benefits a lot of people. For me the reward lies in helping ordinary Tongan people improve their lives and I am very pleased that we have been able to do that during my time here."

New Ambassador

A New High Commissioner had not been announced, and in the meantime Deputy High Commissioner Peter Shackleton would become the Acting High Commissioner.

Dr Austin took up his current and second posting to Tonga in September 2010. Prior to that he was Foreign Affairs Advisor to the New Zealand Foreign Minister with previous assignments as the Deputy Special Coordinator of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands RAMSI in Honiara as well as postings in Pretoria, Dili and Nuku'alofa.

Dr Austin, whose wife Salote, is a Tongan said that Tonga was their second home. "I look forward to returning to Tonga as a visitor and hopefully one day to live here," he said.