Pōhiva Tu’i’onetoa (30 June 1951 – 18 March 2023) was a Tongan accountant and politician who served as the 17th

prime minister of Tonga The prime minister of Tonga (historically referred to as the premier) is the head of government of Tonga. Tonga is a monarchy with the List of monarchs of Tonga, king, currently Tupou VI, former prime minister, as head of state. The current p ...

from 2019 to 2021. Tu'i'onetoa succeeded Semisi Sika, who had served as acting prime minister, since the death of ʻAkilisi Pōhiva.

Early life and education

Born in Talafo’ou on 30 June 1951, Tu’i’onetoa graduated from Institute of Chartered Accountants of New Zealand in 1982, and then the

Monash University Monash University () is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Named after World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the ...

in 1993. He had a diploma in financial management and a

master of business A Master of Business (MBus), Master of Business Science (MBSc), or Master of Business Studies (MBS) is a postgraduate academic degree. It refers to a qualification in the degree of master that can be obtained by students of recognized universitie ...

degree. He was also a

certified management accountant Certified Management Accountant (CMA) is a professional certification credential in the management accounting and financial management fields. The certification signifies that the person possesses knowledge in the areas of financial planning, ana ...

Career

Tu’i’onetoa joined the Tonga Civil Service in January 1979. He was the Official Liquidator of the Commercial Division of the Department of Justice in

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: * Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States * ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda ** ''Hamilton'' (al ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. Between 1983 and 2014 he served as Tonga's Auditor. He was a Private Secretary to King

Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV (Siaosi Tāufaʻāhau Tupoulahi; 4 July 1918 – 10 September 2006) was List of monarchs of Tonga, King of Tonga from 1965 until his death in 2006. He was the tallest and heaviest Tongan monarch, weighing and measuring . ...

from 1987–1988, and also clerk to the Privy Council during the same period. He ran unsuccessfully for parliament in the 2010 Tongan general election. In the 2014 general election, he was elected to the

Legislative Assembly of Tonga The Legislative Assembly of Tonga () is the unicameral legislature of Tonga. History A Legislative Assembly providing for representation of nobles and commoners was established in 1862 by King George Tupou I. This body met every four years ...

to represent the constituency of Tongatapu 10. In the government of ʻAkilisi Pōhiva, he was Minister of Labor, Commerce and Industries, and Minister of Police, Prisons and Fire Services. In March 2017 he was appointed Minister of Revenue and Customs, replacing Tevita Lavemaau. He held that position until January 2018, when he was appointed Minister of Finance and National Planning.

Prime Minister of Tonga (2019–2021)

On 27 September 2019, Tu’i’onetoa was elected prime minister by fifteen votes against eight for Semisi Sika, who served as acting prime minister. It was officially announced by King

Tupou VI Tupou VI (ʻAho‘eitu ʻUnuakiʻotonga Tukuʻaho; born 12 July 1959) is King of Tonga. The youngest child of King Tāufaʻāhau Tupou IV, he served as Prime Minister of Tonga from 2000 to 2006. Following his elder brother's accession to the ...

on 9 October 2019. He announced his Cabinet appointments on 10 October. On 12 January 2021, Tu'i'onetoa survived a confidence vote in Parliament, by 13 votes to 9. Tuʻiʻonetoa was re-elected to parliament in the 2021 election, and announced his candidacy for re-election as prime minister, but later withdrew as a contender to back

ʻAisake Eke ʻAisake Valu Eke is a Tongan politician who has served as prime minister of Tonga since 22 January 2025. He also served in the Cabinet as Minister for Finance and National Planning from 2014 to 2017. Education Eke received a degree in economic ...

. He was succeeded as prime minister by

Siaosi Sovaleni Siaosi ‘Ofakivahafolau Sovaleni (born 28 February 1970), styled Hon. Hu‘akavameiliku, is a Tongan politician who served as the prime minister of Tonga from 2021 until his resignation in 2024. He had previously served as a cabinet minister, a ...

. On 29 April 2022, the Supreme Court of Tonga declared his election void after finding he had bribed a women's group by offering them 50,000 Pa'anga. The conviction was stayed pending appeal on 26 May 2022. On 9 June 2022 he was again found to have committed bribery in a second election petition. On 9 August 2022 the Court of Appeal overturned both petitions.

Personal life and death

Tuʻiʻonetoa died on 18 March 2023 in the United States, at the age of 71 while visiting the country for medical reasons.

Honours

;National honours; * The_Most_Illustrious_Order_of_Queen_Salote_Tupou_III_Member

Order of Queen Sālote Tupou III, Commander (31 July 2008).

References

, - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Tu i onetoa, Pohiva 1951 births 2023 deaths Prime ministers of Tonga Ministers of finance of Tonga Interior ministers of Tonga Labour ministers of Tonga Trade ministers of Tonga Tourism ministers of Tonga Members of the Legislative Assembly of Tonga Democratic Party of the Friendly Islands politicians Monash University alumni People from Tongatapu Ministers of foreign affairs of Tonga