Mr. Tevita 'Ova

Mr. Tevita 'Ova was the Clerk of the House from 1990-1996 before taking up employment with the executive government.  During this time, he was appointed by the Cabinet to be the Sub-Treasurer to the Niua Islands from 1997-1999.  In 2000, he was appointed the Acting Sub-Treasurer for the Ha'apai islands.  In 2002, he was assigned to the Ministry of Finance where he was the Senior Accounting Officer.  In 2005, he was re-appointed the Clerk of the House.   

Mr. Sione Tekiteki - Legal Advisor & Researcher

Mr. Tekiteki commenced his duties with the Legislative Assembly in June 2004, after having previously worked in the private sector, mainly on the financial and management side.  His move to the Legislative Assembly was motivated by his desire to handle more legal work and his keen interest in public law issues.  He holds a B.Com/LL.B from the University of Auckland and is a member of the New Zealand BAR Association.

Mr. Pauli Kienga - Chief Accountant

Mr. Pauli Kienga was an accountant at the Ministry of Finance for many years, which has was promoted to the post of Chief Internal Auditor.  His promotion to parliament office comes after excellent work recommendations from his former employers.  He brings to the office a wealth of experience and work ethic not easily substituted.  His main responsibilities include the preparation of the House's annual budget, controlling and monitoring all expenses and administering member's entitlements.

Malekamu Palu - Chief Technician 

Mr. Palu was been with the Legislative Assembly for some 18 years, making him one of the longest serving officers.  He heads the Broadcasting Division whose responsibility is to record all the debates of the House, for broadcasting and for publishing in the Hansards.  He also records and compiles audio transcripts of committee meetings and works closely with the Chief Hansard Officer in the compilation both Hansards and minutes.  Before moving to the House, he worked as a Broadcast Controller for the Tonga Broadcasting Corporation.

Ms. Fifta Tu'iha'angana - Assistant Secretary

Ms. Tu'iha'angana has been a with the Office of the Legislative Assembly for 12 consecutive years.  This experience is essential as her role can be very demanding.  This is because she not only acts as the secretary to the Speaker but also provides secretarial support to both the members of the House and it's committees.  She is also responsible for the preparation of the Order Paper.  Hence, her role requires a good appreciation of time-management and multi-tasking.  Furthermore, she is usually the first-point of contact between the public and the House.

Mrs. Fataimoemanu Leki - Parliamentary Librarian

Mrs. Leki is charged with the overall management and supervision of the Parliamentary Library, although her many skills allows her to cope with a number of other tasks that members may require.  Her outstanding work is seen from the fact that Library resources have grown since it was first opened in 2002.  She has recently completed an attachment with the Parliamentary Library Services division of the Parliament of New Zealand, where she learned about the research, educational and inter-parliamentary services that the NZ parliament offers.  It is her desire that the Tonga Parliament in the very new future can offer the same services to its members.

Mr. Mapafisi Veikune - Sergeant at Arms

Mapa has been the Sergeant at Arms for the Legislative Assembly for some 11 years and is the son of a Noble.  The Sergeant at Arms is the custodian of the Mace, which is the symbol of authority in the Legislative Assembly.  He carries the mace on his shoulder and always leads in the Speaker to the House.  The Sergeant at Arms has many ceremonial, security and house-keeping roles.  Traditionally it has been the formal role of the Sergeant at Arms to keep order in the House and forcibly remove any member as ordered by the Speaker but this rarely occurs.  The role has expanded to include meeting the needs of the members while the House is sitting. 

Mrs. Salote Langi - Chief Hansard Officer

Mrs. Langi's main responsibility is supervising the transcribing and editing of parliamentary debates (Hansards).  She is the head of a tight and multi-skilled team that more often than not works under tight dead-lines.  As a rule, Hansards have to be published a day and a half (12 noon the following day after a meeting of the House).  As part of her role, Mrs. Langi is also responsible for the checking and editing of the text before it is printed.  She is also responsible for compiling the minutes from committee meetings.

Mr. Fatanitavake Latu - Broadcasting Officer

Mr. Latu is responsible for the video and audio recording of the debates of the House.  He is responsible for the all the camera shots, and the editing and sound effects.  Since, television broadcasting requires such production by the evening in which debates take place, Mr. Latu is a skilled and efficient worker.  He was formerly with the Tonga Broadcasting Corporation for many years.