Tonga’s Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources (Potungāue ki he Fonua mo e Ngaahi Koloa Fakaenatula) is grappling with a massive bottleneck of stalled land cases, exposing potentially more damaging administrative failures within a government authority that has been at the centre of public controversy for years.
A significant backlog of more than 7,000 unprocessed land applications has prompted the Minister Dr Taniela Fusimālohi to issue a public warning this afternoon, urging patience as staff work to address delays caused by outdated filing systems and limited manpower.
It follows years of debate and repeated complaints on social media, which periodically intensified whenever land‑court rulings were released—many of them tied to long, drawn‑out processes that increasingly ended in disputes and allegations of staff corruption.
As Kaniva News reported earlier, former chief executive Rosamond Bing resigned in 2022 after a complaint was lodged with the Public Service Commission.
It is understood that serious concerns — including allegations that the Ministry had failed to act on long‑standing land issues raised by the public — formed part of the complaints against Bing.
Kaniva News contacted her for comment at the time. The then Minister later vowed to reform the Ministry after revelations that the number of land cases ending up in court had exploded from 19 to 173 between roughly 2012 and 2022.
Last year, a leaked internal memo seen by Kaniva News indicated that the King was no longer confident in the former Minister of Lands, Lord Tu‘i‘afitu, and his handling of land matters.
The Minister also faced strong criticism after leading a delegation on an overseas tour to New Zealand, Australia, and the United States, publicly promoted as a mission to meet and address the needs of Tongans in the diaspora.
Critics argued that the real purpose of the tour was to benefit from travel allowances and per diems. The Minister was also sharply criticised in Parliament, where Opposition members insisted that overseas land issues could easily be handled through online communication.
The Minister rejected that claim, saying the matters involved formal agreements requiring physical signatures and could not be handled over the internet.
However, many critics continued to question why the Minister needed to travel overseas to address land issues, arguing that these were technical matters handled by officials, not responsibilities that required ministerial travel.
System Strained by Backlog
Minister Fusimālohi said on Facebook today that the build‑up includes thousands of pending applications across land allotments, surrenders, leases, transfers and mortgages, some of which have been sitting unfiled or not yet entered into the computer system due to staffing shortages and administrative constraints.
He said, efforts are now underway to reorganise case files, digitise records and request additional resources in the upcoming Budget to allow staff to work extended hours to clear the backlog.
The Minister said additional computers have also been provided to staff so that application records can be uploaded into the system more quickly and efficiently.
In the upcoming Budget, Fusimālohi said, a request has been lodged for increased staffing and operational funds to allow staff to work overtime to process these thousands of pending applications.
