Press Releases
Looking for more press releases? Explore our full press release archive by date to access past announcements, news updates, and media releases published on Tonga Industry Times.
U.S. Senators Push for UNCLOS Ratification as Members of Congress Call for ISA to Adopt Seafloor Mining Regulations
Led by Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), a bipartisan coalition re-introduced a resolution calling on the U.S. Senate to ratify the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which details the rights and responsibilities of countries regarding the...
Mana College students embrace Tongan culture in a sports and cultural exchange
A group of 38 consisting of netball players and staff from Mana College visited Tonga on a sports and cultural exchange with Tonga Tourism and the Tonga Netball Association 27th September – 3rd October, 2023. The exchange was part of the vision of...
Press Release: Samoa Competition and Consumer Commission (SCCC) Joins the Pacific Island Network of Competition, Consumer and Economic Regulators (PINCCER)
Apia, 8 November 2023 – The Samoa Competition and Consumer Commission (SCCC) is delighted to announce its participation as a founding member of the Pacific Island Network of Competition, Consumer and Economic Regulators (PINCCER). This newly...
Owner: Samoan Government
NZ Māori Tourism Shares Māori Culture With Tongan Delegation In A Cultural Exchange
A Tongan delegation led by the CEO of the Ministry of Tourism, Mr. Viliami Takau traveled to New Zealand on the 23rd – 30th August, 2023 organized by the NZ Māori Tourism. The ‘Māori-Tonga Cultural Exchange’ included visiting different Māori...
Keynote Address by the Hon. Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Hon Laauli Leuatea Polataivao Fosi at the Pilot Launch of Parametric Microinsurance Product Samoa
SAMOA, October 17 - Tuesday 17th October 2023, 10.30am Taumesina Resort Acknowledgements The New Zealand High Commissioner to Samoa, H.E. Trevor Matheson The Australian High Commissioner to Samoa, H.E Emily Luck The British High Commissioner to...
Owner: Samoan Government
Top legislator hosts Tongan parliament speaker
VIETNAM, September 15 - HÀ NỘI — Chairman of the National Assembly (NA) Vương Đình Huệ received the Speaker of the Tongan Parliament, Lord Fakafanua, in Hà Nội on Friday. The top legislator stated that Việt Nam wants to strengthen relations with...
Owner: Vietnamese Government
Celebrating Tonga High School’s 75th Diamond Jubilee with a Commitment to Climate Action
To mark the school’s 75th Diamond Jubilee celebrations, the former students association, School Management, Staff, and students, of Tonga High School initiated a tree planting program. The program was held on July 6th at the Funga Faa’imata school...
DFPI Moves to Halt $11.8 Million Stockton-Based Securities Fraud Targeting Tongan Community
Download this press release (PDF) SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) announced today that it has ordered Tilila Siola’a Walker-Sumchai of Stockton, California, and four entities under her control...
Owner: American Government
DFPI Moves to Halt $11.8 Million Stockton-Based Securities Fraud Targeting Tongan Community
Download this press release (PDF) SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) announced today that it has ordered Tilila Siola’a Walker-Sumchai of Stockton, California, and four entities under her control...
Owner: American Government
Helping children in Tonga COPE with natural hazards and disasters
Gov't Institution
Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)
·
August 15, 2023
15 August 2023, Nadi, Fiji - The Kingdom of Tonga makes up the 35 countries and over three million children that have access to the COPE disaster book series targeted at increasing their disaster resilience. The World Meteorological Organization...
TMC Announces Corporate Update on Expected Timeline, Application Costs and Production Capacity Following Part II of the 28th Session of the International Seabed Authority
NEW YORK, Aug. 01, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TMC the metals company Inc. (Nasdaq: TMC) (“TMC” or “the Company”), an explorer of lower-impact battery metals from seafloor polymetallic nodules, today provided a corporate update on expected...
Heilala Festival 2023 – Tonga’s Royal Cultural Extravaganza Returns
The Ministry of Tourism (Kingdom of Tonga) in close collaboration with the Heilala Committee will be hosting the 43rd Annual Heilala Festival 2023 with the theme “Tonga My Kingdom” commencing on Monday 26th June – Friday 7th July at the Heilala...
Planning underway for Tonga’s participation at the World Expo 2025 in Osaka
On the 6th of June 2023, Mr. Viliami Takau CEO of the Ministry of Tourism (Commissioner for Tonga’s booth) attended the International Planning Meetings (IPM) 2023 which was held at the Hyatt Regency in Osaka, Kansai, Japan together with Ms. Simata...
Community engagement highlighted as rat removal operation on Late Island in Tonga moves forward
07 July 2023, Nukualofa Tonga - The Kingdom of Tonga is a step closer to implementing an operation to remove rats from the uninhabited Late Island following successful community and stakeholder consultations in Vavau last month. The first of the...
The Metals Company Announces Second Quarter 2025 Corporate Update
NEW YORK, Aug. 14, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TMC the metals company Inc. (Nasdaq: TMC) (“TMC”, the “Company” or “we”), a leading developer of the world’s largest estimated undeveloped resource of critical metals essential to energy, defense,...
Building the Kingdom of Tonga’s resilience to adapt to climate change impacts
01 May 2022, Nukualofa Tonga - The Kingdom of Tonga, located along the Pacific tectonic plate called the Ring of Fire, is particularly vulnerable to the devastating impact of climate change. Ranked the third most at-risk country for natural...
Pacific Tourism Organisation welcomes the resumption of Tonga and New Caledonia’s Cruise ship market
Home Pacific Tourism Organisation welcomes the resumption of Tonga and New Caledonia’s Cruise ship market The arrival of the cruise ship, Paul Gauguin, into Tonga on 3rd October and the Pacific Explorer of the Australian company P&O Cruises, into...
TMC and Allseas Achieve Historic Milestone: Nodules Collected from the Seafloor and Lifted to the Production Vessel Using 4 km Riser During Pilot Trials in the Clarion Clipperton Zone for First Time Since the 1970s
During a 60-minute pilot collection run across ~150 meters of the seafloor, ~14 tonnes of nodules were collected by the pilot collector vehicle, transported to the surface using a 4.3-km riser system and placed into the hold of the surface...
Global Times: How China-PICs climate cooperation implements GGI to bridge North-South development gap
Beijing, China, Sept. 15, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A refreshing early autumn breeze arrives as expected in September. Inside a classroom in Liaocheng, East China's Shandong Province, a miniature "United Nations" has taken shape. From Samoa in the...