Since 2010, Tonga issued National Infrastructure Investment Plans in 2010, 2013 and 2015 to link the TSDF objectives with infrastructure development projects and conduct a cross-sector prioritization of those investments based on the economic, social, and environmental criteria.  

The Government has a lot of experience in mainstreaming important initiatives, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SAMOA Pathway. The Government of Tonga requested that the Pacific Region Infrastructure Facility support the preparation of the National Infrastructure Investment Plan 2021-2030 (NIIP 3), and to support mainstreaming the NIIP processes into government processes. The Tonga NIIP 3 was approved by the Cabinet of Tonga on 19 August 2021.  

Reliable infrastructure is thus essential to progress on all seven national outcomes, supported by organizational outcomes grouped into five pillars: Pillar 1: Economic institutions, Pillar 2: Social institutions, Pillar 3: Political (governance) institutions, Pillar 4: Infrastructure and technology inputs (for the NIIP analysis, these are split into two subgroups: 4a for transport and 4b for utilities, given the large number of projects); and Pillar 5: Natural resources and environmental inputs.  

A Logistics Cluster has been formed predominated by Government departments and Tonga Red Cross. WFP initiated some training and simulation programs in 2016.  

Air and seaports other than Nuku’alofa can be quickly overwhelmed by surge and further choke points of embarkation and debarkation for inter-island air and sea. Military assets are usually best equipped and organised to ease this, certainly for heavy lifting as there are no cranes or reliable Material Handling Equipment (MHE) at ports other than Nuku’alofa. 

Some of the islands are 12 hours by ship from the capital. Flight options are expensive. Responses to outer islands will likely require interim staging areas where cargo will have to be broken down into smaller packets that can be transported by small boats etc.   

During the wet / cyclonic seasons, days of torrential rain may flood properties and roads, cut power and water supplies, limit access to villages and/or small towns. Authorities may issue safety warnings to limit access to road networks to only 4-wheel drives. And during torrential rain events, there is risk of flash floods throughout low-lying areas of the hilly islands, making movement hazardous. Coastal areas and roads are increasingly dangerous during the cyclonic season (Nov – Apr) 

There are no seasonal affects other than the weather-related ones.