How the Church of Jesus Christ Helps Ensure Safety for a Tongan Community

Seawall Construction

The hum of construction echoes in the air on the island of Lifuka, in the Kingdom of Tonga’s Ha’apai island group, in contrast to its laid-back island vibe.

Sione Fukofuka grew up on Lifuka. He has returned from the United States with knowledge, experience and a successful company, Pearl Construction, to give back to his community. Fukofuka brought his construction crew with him to build a much-needed seawall, applying the American building standards he learned while working in Oregon, Washington and Hawaii.  

The seawall will accomplish three things: first, withstand up to 1,000 tons of impact, or up to 4,800 pounds per square inch from a tsunami; second, eradicate erosion; and third, beautify and restore the beach by replanting native plants and coconut trees and adding picnic gazebos.

“Part of my thinking was to beautify the island home of our king, because this is history,” said Mo’ale Finau, minister of justice and tourism. “Ha’apai … is the core of the history of the Kingdom of Tonga.”

Petitioning for the Seawall

As with Fukofuka, others born and raised on Lifuka have earnestly petitioned for a seawall. They include the current governor of Ha’apai, the Honorable Pita Taufatofua, whose governor’s quarters and offices reside in Pangai, Lifuka. “This is a much-needed improvement project. The erosion is quite a lot, not just around this area, but all the way through from here to the next village,” said Governor Taufatofua.

The advancing effects of erosion threatened the island’s Royal Palace, caused the relocation of the island’s hospital, and led to the abandonment of a church and the shutdown of a radio tower.

“I have requested … work to be done on the foreshore,” added the governor, “and fortunately the representative for this constituency took up the challenge.”

Minister Finau is that representative. “When we build a wall, no more erosion, at least at the part where the wall is,” said the minister. “I call this … [the] life of my people.”

Minister Finau is another native son whose concern for the cherished community of his childhood keeps him up at night. “I grew up walking on the beach,” he said. “I never forget what is happening to the shoreline of my island. I was praying almost on a daily basis.”  

He’s not alone in his concern. Minister Finau contacted Fukofuka, his childhood friend, who was eager to help. “He only comes here because he’s my good friend,” said the minister. “We both believe in our responsibility for the people of this island.”

“I’m looking forward to [saving] the lives of this island,” added Fukofuka.  

Funding the Seawall

The project became a reality with the help of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose leaders recognized the vital need.

“The Church is all about the people. We want to help protect those people in the islands of Ha’apai,” said Sione Tuione, Area Seventy in the Church’s Pacific Area. “It’s always our desire to work with governments or other organizations to help our people here in Tonga.”

Minister Finau worked with leaders of the Church and the Kingdom of Tonga to fund the first two phases of the seawall project. The minister’s vision is a two-kilometer seawall made up of eight 1,000-foot sections that span the island’s southwest coast, the area most vulnerable to tsunamis and erosion.

“I have divided the shoreline of my island into eight phases to make it easier for me to raise the funds for its construction,” said the minister.

Phase 1: Protecting Tonga’s Heritage

The first phase began in front of the royal ancestral home to protect it from the encroaching sea, which was nearly lapping at the historic building’s steps. “The very first king of Tonga was born and raised here,” said Minister Finau. “I decided to start right here because this is the center of the history of the Kingdom of Tonga.”

Standing under a special tree on the Royal Palace property, Minister Finau recounted the historic meeting of the first king of Tonga with his warriors.

“The king said to the warriors, ‘Beginning today, no more war in Tonga. Tonga will become a Christian country.’ They called this tree after that statement given by the king, ‘Matuku ’a e Tau,’ which means: “You all go home. No more war beginning this day.’”

Before the seawall construction, the area from the water’s edge to about two meters in front of the ancestral home — about 30 feet — was underwater. Crews filled in the eroded void with soil and added plants and trees to restore the historic Matuku ’a e Tau tree and reclaim the once-lost Royal Palace property.

Phase 2 Challenges

In late June, Sione Fukofuka’s crew was deep into phase 2 of the project, which picked up just north of the Royal Palace and continued past the municipal police headquarters and the governor’s home and offices in the village of Pangai.

Fukofuka’s crew worked double shifts into the night to hit the deadline for the scheduled ceremony to celebrate the completion of the second thousand-foot section. But the high tide that hits the island twice a day made it challenging to set forms and pour concrete for the buttress-like columns called key pillars, constructed every 20 feet in the seawall.

“[We’ve] got to rush, rush to finish what we’re doing, and once the water comes up, we have to get away,” said Fukofuka.

Adding to the difficulty is the issue of breaking up and removing huge chunks of rebar-fortified concrete, which are biohazards because of the rust. The concrete debris was originally (and unsuccessfully) dumped on the beaches to curb erosion.

Something that caught Fukofuka’s attention was standing water on the road parallel to the beach in Pangai, a problem not considered in the original project plan.

“This water has been here for decades, because of the slope coming from the street. The street is a little bit higher than the seawall, so the water comes and stays there,” said Minister Finau.

The solution: a five-inch hole created for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe in the seawall near the standing water and a one-way valve that the construction boss brought from the U.S. “It’s going to flow out from the street, but if the sea rises, it won’t come in to push back,” explained Fukofuka.

To complete the setup, a drainpipe buried a few feet below the street runs through the hole in the seawall where it’s attached to the one-way valve.

Phase 2: Completed and Celebrated

In mid-July 2025, a special ceremony in Pangai recognized the accomplishments so far, with leaders and dignitaries witnessing firsthand the completion of the first two phases of the much-anticipated seawall. Addressing the group in the Pangai courthouse, Minister Finau thanked the construction crew and reiterated the importance of the seawall project.

“The project that has been completed is the project to save lives in the harbor,” he said. “We are protecting the waterfront and harbor for the next 50 to 100 years. This seawall will surely help to protect the history of our nation.”

Minister Finau continued, “I’m thankful to the Church for helping out in this project. If the help didn’t come, I don’t think it would be here this moment.”

Viliami Moale, senior police magistrate of Ha’apai, said, “The seawall is all about protection, the security of the community and the people of Ha’apai.”

Phase 3

Funding for the remaining six phases of construction looks promising. Minister Finau announced that phase 3 will commence after Fukofuka and his crew take a couple of weeks of well-deserved R & R. 

“If the government need[s] our help, I’m sure we can offer help,” said Elder Tuione of the Church of Jesus Christ. “We want to make sure that we stay until the end of what we started. We don’t want to start anything to leave it halfway.”