'Welcome Home': Tonga government launches first national policy to support returnees

For years, many Tongans returning home after being deported from countries such as New Zealand, Australia and the United States have faced the challenge of starting over with little support.

Now, the Tongan government has launched its first national policy designed to help returnees rebuild their lives while encouraging communities to welcome them home and not judge them.

The National Returnees Reintegration Policy and Strategic Plan of Action 2026-2030 was officially launched by Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala alongside Minister for Internal Affairs Fane Fituafe in Nuku'alofa last month.

The strategy sets out a national approach to helping returnees reconnect with their families, find housing and employment, access healthcare and reduce the risk of reoffending.

The move comes after more than 1400 Tongans returned home following deportation, according to Tonga Police figures. Many have faced challenges rebuilding their lives, including finding work, reconnecting with families and overcoming social stigma.

At the launch, the Crown Prince acknowledged many returnees face significant challenges when they arrive home, including social stigma, language and cultural barriers, unemployment and mental health struggles.

He urged Tongans to look beyond a person's past.

Government representatives, community organisations and service providers gather in Nukuʻalofa for the launch of Tonga’s first national framework supporting returnees. Photo/Facebook/Liku'alofa Beach Resort

"Tonga's limited resources have made reintegration difficult. But I urge our communities to welcome returnees with compassion and recognise the valuable skills and resilience they can contribute to our nation."

He encouraged Tongans to see returnees as people with skills, experience and potential rather than define them by their past.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs said the strategy is built around the vision of "Full Reintegration and Restoration of Returnees to Life," reflecting "a national commitment to helping returnees successfully re-establish themselves within their families, communities, and Tongan society".

Watch the launch of Tonga's National Returnees Reintegration Policy and Strategic Plan of Action 2026-2030 in Nuku'alofa below.

The plan sets out eight priority areas including social and economic reintegration, health and wellbeing, community and church support, housing assistance, human rights, public safety, good governance and stronger regional partnerships.

A key part of the plan is changing how people talk about those coming home, replacing the label "deportee" with "returnee" to help reduce stigma and encourage acceptance.

Community organisations will play a major role in delivering the strategy. Among them is the Dare to Dream Foundation (Amanaki Lelei), which was established in 2019 by former returnees.

The organisation welcomes new arrivals at the airport, offers talanoa and counselling, and helps people settle back into life in Tonga through its Dare to Dream Reintegration Hub.

Dare to Dream secretary Katrina Fatiaki says the organisation has been involved in shaping the policy through the Tonga Returnees Support Programme Steering Committee, alongside government ministries, churches and other service providers.

She told John Pulu on PMN Tonga the strength of the new strategy was that it was created with the people it aims to support.

She said the vision of the policy was about giving people returning home the support they need to rebuild their lives.

"The beauty about this policy is that it was produced by returnees for returnees. The vision for this policy is full reintegration and restoration of returnees in life."

Fatiaki said the policy was developed through the stories and experiences of returnees themselves, including the challenges they faced when coming back to Tonga.

She said many returnees arrive home facing fear, isolation and uncertainty, with some struggling to reconnect with families and communities.

"This policy was also created from the testimonies and stories of the returnees, which has informed the policy. And so it's more than just words. It has come from them. But now it's putting to action this very policy.

"When you're not meaningfully engaging the returnees... there is likely they may reoffend because the support system is not there. They're not valued by the community, their families."

Watch Katrina Fatiaki's full interview on PMN Tonga below.

Fatiaki said the goal was to ensure people returning to Tonga felt they still belonged.

"It's everyone's responsibility. And so it's about working together to be able to help them reintegrate so they feel valued. They feel that they're coming back home and not see Tonga as a foreign country."

Other partners include the Salvation Army Alcohol and Drug Addiction Centre, Ex-Con to Prisoners of Christ and Life Line Tonga, which provide addiction treatment, mental health support and emergency assistance.

The Salvation Army Alcohol & Drug Addiction Centre said the strategy represented "a landmark commitment to ensuring that 'no one is left behind' as we work together to support the full restoration and reintegration of returnees into Tongan society".

The government's National Drugs Taskforce has also committed funding through the Illicit Drugs Response Fund to strengthen reintegration services and help reduce drug-related harm and reoffending.

The policy was developed over almost two years through the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Tonga Returnees Support Programme, working alongside government agencies, churches and civil society organisations.

Advocates agree the new policy was developed with returnees at the centre, with the goal of helping people restore their lives and find support back home in Tonga. Photo/Supplied

Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia have also supported the initiative through funding and technical assistance, helping improve arrival services, community rehabilitation programmes and long-term reintegration planning.

New Zealand says it is backing Tonga’s efforts through the Coordination and Reintegration of Returnees Programme, which has helped strengthen support systems for people returning home.

The New Zealand High Commission in Nuku‘alofa said the new policy provides a framework to help returnees rebuild their lives, reconnect with communities and restore a sense of belonging.

It said New Zealand, alongside Tonga and Australia, remained committed to building “stronger, safer, and more inclusive communities for all”.

The new strategy marks the first time Tonga has adopted a coordinated national approach to supporting returnees, with the aim of giving them a better chance to rebuild their lives and make a positive contribution to their communities.