MOTUEKA (CU)_In January this year, Tonga recently experienced what has been described as a once-in-a-millennium event, as the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai Volcano erupted, triggering tsunami waves that demolished large parts of the coastlines of the archipelago. Five people were confirmed dead, with extensive damage to critical infrastructure in the nation of just over 100,000 people. In its aftermath, government officials and community organisations in New Zealand and Australia launched a range of measures to support the estimated 5,000 Tongans employed in the Trans-Tasman nations, as they come to terms with the impacts of the recent disaster on their families back home. However, these response efforts were hampered by pandemic-induced restrictions over the recent weeks.
In a recent report titled Support for Tongan workers in Australia & New Zealand’s Labour Mobility Programs, six researchers from the Australian National University calls for increased support to help the islanders working in the two countries. Lead author Gemma Malungahu is from Tonga and she says the project was special owing to her personal links to the island. She pointed to a range of opportunities available to employers and host communities under the Recognised Seasonal Employers Scheme in NZ and the Pacific Labour Program in Australia to assist these Tongans employed in the two countries.
“For Tongans living and working overseas, relationships and social ties with their employers and host communities – including members of Tonga’s large diaspora in New Zealand and Australia – are important elements of their sense of security and belonging while away from home,” she said. “These connections can be especially important during times of crisis, as evidenced in the after-effects of Tonga’s recent eruption.”
Meanwhile, comprehensive relief efforts are currently underway in Tonga, with the National Emergency Management Office (NEMO), together with Tonga’s Red Cross and local NGOs, have been supporting communities tirelessly. This includes a national clean-up and providing shelter for families displaced by the disaster. “NGOs in Australia and New Zealand are also providing support,” Malungahu said. “For instance, CARE Australia is working in partnership with MORDI Tonga Trust to provide immediate recovery efforts, especially in the agriculture and community development.”
