Tā e Lango' kei Mama'o: A Framework for Resilience Development in Tonga

Background: Tonga is known as the second to the most affected country in the world by climate change and disasters caused by natural hazards with a risk index value of 29.42%. With nine in ten of those with the highest risk to climate change impacts whose livelihoods, health and well-being were negatively affected, we aim to develop a framework for resilience (CCA & DRR) development in Tonga using the traditional proverb: Tā e Lango' kei Mama'o (cutting a lever [e.g. pieces of wood used to pull the canoe/small boat to a drier place in-land] in advance). Methods: A mixed method approach: Concurrent Convergence Parallel Triangulation Design (CCPTD) uses on 460 participants aged 15 to 75 from five coastal communities - Kanokupolu, 'Ahau, Tukutonga, Popua and Manuka, in Tongatapu Islands. Findings: Using the Tā e Lango' kei Mama'o process as a guide, we developed a framework for resilience development in Tonga. Interpretation: The Tā e Lango' kei Mama'o process was designed to model a framework for resilience development in Tonga that is community-led adaptation-based using the insight of prevention in advance for any future climate events is better, wiser and cheaper than just curing it. Using this perspicacity as a guide, we recommended contemporary Tonga to use this universal model framework to help them achieve resilient Tonga by 2035 and beyond. Funding Statement: PhD Regional Scholarship Fund (grant number 6F004-3107-70766- 00), of the University of the South Pacific. Declaration of Interests: I, Peni Hausia Havea, declared that we do not have any competing interest. Ethics Approval Statement: The University of the South Pacific (USP) Human Ethics Committee had approved the research to be conducted in Tonga.