Pacific Meteorological Services Begin Ten-Week Course in Tonga

Running from 5 October to 11 December, the course follows the World Meteorological Organization (WMO)’s recommended guidelines for General Meteorological Technician competencies and includes components of Aeronautical Meteorological Observer training, and a total of 16 participants are part of this latest cohort of Pacific technicians to receive Basic Instruction Package for Meteorological Technicians (BIP-MT) Training.

The 2026 BIP-MT Training will be co-delivered by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), with Tonga Meteorological Services and Fiji Meteorological Services. 

“Every forecast and warning our communities rely on begins with an accurate observation,” said Mr. Laitia Fifita, Director of Tonga Meteorological Services and President of WMO RA-V. 

“Training to WMO standards here in the region gives our technicians a clear qualification pathway and strengthens services across the Pacific.”

Under a joint funding arrangement, the Weather Ready Pacific (WRP) Programme and the European Union-funded Climate Services and Related Applications (ClimSA) Pacific Programme implemented by SPREP have supported 16 participants from Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, the Republic of Naoero, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu. Of the sixteen trainees, eleven are male and five female.

“ClimSA Pacific is very supportive of peer-to-peer support and twinning arrangements between Pacific meteorological services because we see this avenue as a more sustainable approach to delivering projects,” said Mr. Naheed Hussein, Project Manager for ClimSA Pacific.

This is the second BIP-MT training that Weather Ready Pacific and ClimSA have jointly delivered. The first being the Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre in Nadi, in 2025 in Fiji where 12 students were trained. 

“Holding the course in the Pacific marks a shift away from offshore delivery towards training that is Pacific-owned and more accessible. Shorter travel also reduces some of the barriers that have kept staff, including women with family and caregiving responsibilities, from taking up these opportunities,” he explained. 

The training team is led by Mr. Gavin Heatherington-Tait of BoM, alongside Mr. Selusalema Vite of Tonga Meteorological Services and Mr. Sajiva Nand and Mr. Alifereti Naunga of the Fiji Meteorological Services. The co-delivery arrangement forms part of a train-the-trainer and twinning approach between the three services, which includes reviewing and strengthening the BIP-MT training programmes run by Tonga and Fiji so that more of this training can be delivered within the region.

Alongside the course, BoM is reviewing BIP-MT syllabus and delivery modalities across Tonga, Fiji, PAGASA and the University of Hawaii to inform future training models for the Pacific.

Mr. ‘Ofa Fa’anunu, WRP Programme Manager at SPREP said following the opening of the 10-week training, “Weather Ready Pacific is committed to investing in Pacific people as much as Pacific systems. A training such as the BIP-MT, delivered by Pacific services, for Pacific services, builds a workforce that will sustain meteorological services and early warnings long after the programme ends.”

Fa’anunu added, “This year’s training is special. Not only do we have bigger class of 16 participants, but this is the first time this training is being held in Tonga outside the traditional regional training centres of Australia and Fiji allowing for more diversity and building the training capability of smaller Meteorological Services.”

The training is being delivered at the new Tonga Meteorological Service Office Facility Commissioned by His Majesty King Tupou VI, the King of Tonga last week.

About ClimSA Pacific:

The Climate Services and Related Applications (ClimSA) Programme in the Pacific is a transformative initiative funded by the European Union and implemented by SPREP in partnership with the ACP Secretariat. ClimSA Pacific aims to strengthen climate information services, enhance early warning systems, and empower decision-making across key sectors through tailored, actionable climate products. By supporting National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) and regional coordination, ClimSA Pacific is building a more resilient and climate-informed Pacific community.

About the Weather Ready Pacific (WRP) Programme:

WRP is a regional initiative supporting Pacific Island communities. Financial support for the programme is provided by the Governments of Australia, New Zealand, and United Kingdom. Implemented by SPREP, the programme works closely with Pacific National Meteorological and Hydrological Services, regional organisations and technical partners to strengthen Multi-Hazard Early Warning Systems and improve the delivery of weather and climate services across the Pacific.

For more information about the BIP-MT Training in Tonga, please visit the SPREP website or contact WRP Programme Manager Mr ‘Ofa Fa’anunu, ofaf@sprep.org, or Project Manager for ClimSA Pacific Mr. Naheed Hussein, naheedh@sprep.org.