Results for 2002

It was the highlight of Prue Jackson’s holiday in Tonga when she met Saia ‘Ahau at Crown Prince Tupouto‘a residence, The Villa, on August 21. From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 17, no. 3, November 2002.

The Ocean of Light International School will move to a newly built complex on the western outskirts of Nuku‘alofa next year. From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 17, no. 3, November 2002.

The current economic reform, in preparation for when Tonga becomes a member of the World Trade Organisation, and the hype that this could pull the economy out from its state of stagnation, is the wishful thinking of many people. But the big question remains: are we ready to exploit our WTO membership, or is it going to be just like the other Free Trade Agreements we have signed with other countries, where it will enable us to import more from our partners but export less? From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 17, no. 3, November 2002.

‘Alatini Fisheries Co. Ltd .is planning to open before Christmas a new speciality food shop on Taufa‘ahau Road, Nuku‘alofa, specialising in fresh, chilled and frozen foods. From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 17, no. 3, November 2002.

The ultimate purpose of the flurry of trade talks in recent years is to prepare Tonga for becoming a member of the World Trade Organisation, when it will introduce free trade and zero tariffs between Tonga and the 136 member states of the WTO. From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 17, no. 3, November 2002.

Students who had better marks than they expected in their final exams this year, may have one visitor to thank, and that is Jim Peters, a New Zealand educator who was in Tonga in September to hold teacher workshops on “enabling students to study more efficiently.” From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 17, no. 3, November 2002.

The Vava‘u no. 2 People’s Representative, ‘Etuate Lavulavu, is another Member of Parliament who feels that the government’s Economic and Public Sector Reform Program will never work, unless the people are included in the decision-making process. From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 17, no. 3, November 2002.

Feeling it, living it and loving it, was the catchline, for Tonga’s second Aerobics Extravaganza, held in September. From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 17, no. 3, November 2002.

Tens of millions of pa‘anga in government expenditure that used to be disregarded in the annual Budget estimates, have this year been incorporated into the figures—beefing it up to $112 million in operational costs. This is a new approach by a new Finance Minister, Siosiua ‘Utoikamanu, to make government operations more “transparent”. From Matangi Tonga Magazine Vol. 17, no. 2, August 2002.