Masasso Pāunga

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Masasso Pāunga
Minister of Labor, Commerce & Industries
In office
1996 – 26 August 2004
Prime MinisterBaron Vaea
ʻUlukālala Lavaka Ata
Preceded byTutoatasi Fakafanua
Minister of Tourism
In office
1996 – 26 August 2004
Preceded byTutoatasi Fakafanua

Giulio Masasso Tu’ikolongahau Pāunga is a Tongan civil servant, academic, and former Cabinet Minister, who served as Tonga's minister for labour and tourism from 1996 to 2004. In February 2025 he was appointed vice-chancellor of Tonga National University.

Pāunga was educated at Wesleyan University in the United States, before completing a PhD in economics at Daito Bunka University in Japan.[1] He worked as an assistant teacher at Tonga College before moving to Tonga's Central Planning Department. In 1996 he was appointed Minister of Labor, Commerce & Industries and Tourism in the cabinet of Baron Vaea.[1] He retained his cabinet position under ʻUlukālala Lavaka Ata, but was sacked in 2004.[2][3]

Pāunga moved to the University of the South Pacific, where he worked as Deputy Vice Chancellor and Vice President for Regional Campuses and Global Engagement.[1] In February 2021, following the deportation of vice-chancellor Pal Ahluwalia by the behest of the Fijian government, Pāunga was appointed acting vice-chancellor.[4]

In February 2025 he was appointed vice-chancellor of Tonga National University.[1]

References

[edit | edit source]
  1. ^ a b c d Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  2. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  3. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  4. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).