Date: 04 Sep 2025
Twenty senior officials from key government ministries in Tonga have graduated from the Public Service Commission’s (PSC) Adaptive Leadership Training (Cohort 2), marking a significant step in strengthening leadership across Tonga’s public service.
The three-part program, delivered from March to July 2025 through a partnership between the PSC and the Balance of Power (BOP) program, supports senior government officials in developing the skills needed to drive effective governance, inclusive decision-making and improved service delivery.
Participants came from the Tonga Police, Ministry of Health, Public Service Commission, Tonga Fire & Emergency Services, Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Justice and the Statistics Department, reflecting strong whole-of-government engagement. Of the 20 participants who completed the program, 12 were women, underscoring efforts to close gender gaps in leadership.
While women make up around 62% of Tonga’s public service, they hold only about 30% of CEO-level roles. The Adaptive Leadership Training is part of the PSC’s strategy to address this imbalance by building the leadership capabilities of both women and men in fast-changing environments.
The training was facilitated by respected Tongan adaptive leadership practitioners ‘Ofakilevuka Guttenbeil-Likiliki, Reverend Dr. ‘Ungatea Fonua Kata and ‘Emeline Siale Ilolahia.
For many participants, the experience reshaped their understanding of leadership.
Neomai Pohiva, Legal Officer at the Ministry of Justice, reflected that before the training, her idea of leadership was just someone in power who could make decisions that affected a group of people.
“The whole concept of Adaptive Leadership and differentiating between technical problems and adaptive challenges was new to me. I learned that technical problems have solutions, whereas adaptive challenges require more learning and a change of behaviour,” Ms. Pohiva said.
Mesuilame Vea, Chief Economist at the National Planning Department in the Prime Minister’s Office, shared that there were certain leadership qualities that he was already practicing, but did not know they were tools of leadership with names, like ‘climbing on the balcony.
“When these tools have a name, it’s easier to remember and apply them in leadership situations. The learnings are also practical in our families and communities, especially when we face disagreements. For example, in meetings, you need to check the temperature first, step back and assess before giving your input,” Mr. Vea said.
PSC Chief Executive Officer Franz Koenig Tu’uhetoka, congratulated the cohort, noting that good leadership is about the courage to face challenges, the wisdom to learn, and the ability to guide others through uncertainties.
He commended the participants’ dedication as a collective step forward for local government ministries and communities.
Balance of Power Co-Executive Director, Jennifer Kalpokas Doan, acknowledged the partnership, emphasizing that inclusive leadership grounded in multiple perspectives only strengthens Tonga, and that the program further honed capabilities participants already possessed.
Cohort 2 graduates now return to their ministries with a shared language of leadership and practical methods to navigate complexity, supporting a more responsive, inclusive, and high-performing public service for Tonga.
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