Tongan paʻanga facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tongan paʻanga
1 paʻanga
ISO 4217 Code	TOP
User(s)	Tonga
Inflation	4.5%
Source	The World Factbook, 2012 est.
Superunit
100	hau
Subunit
1⁄100	seniti
Symbol	T$
seniti	¢
Coins
Freq. used	5¢, 10¢, 20¢, 50¢, T$1
Rarely used	1¢, 2¢, T$2
Banknotes	T$1, T$2, T$5, T$10, T$20, T$50, T$100

The paʻanga is the money used in Tonga, a country in the Pacific Ocean. The National Reserve Bank of Tonga, located in Nukuʻalofa, is in charge of this money.

The paʻanga is special because its value is linked to a group of other currencies. These include the Australian dollar, New Zealand dollar, United States dollar, and the Japanese yen. This means its value changes as those currencies change.

One paʻanga is divided into 100 seniti. The short code for the paʻanga is TOP. People often use T$ as a symbol for paʻanga and ¢ for seniti. In Tonga, people sometimes call the paʻanga a "dollar" and the seniti a "cent." There's also a unit called "hau," which is 100 paʻanga, but it's not used in everyday life. You might only see it on special collector coins.

What Does 'Paʻanga' Mean?

The paʻanga bean, which gave the currency its name.

The word paʻanga is the Tongan name for a special type of bean. This bean comes from a vine that grows large pods with big, reddish-brown seeds. These seeds are round and flat, about 5 cm wide.

Long ago, people in Tonga used these seeds in different ways. They would string them together to make anklets for the kailao dance. The seeds were also used as pieces in an old game called lafo, where players would throw discs.

In 1806, something interesting happened. Tongans attacked a ship called the Port-au-Prince. They wanted to take it over, but the crew sank the ship. The chief, Fīnau ʻUlukālala, searched the ship for valuable items. He found the ship's money, which were coins. He didn't know what money was, so he thought the coins were just like the paʻanga beans used for games.

Since he didn't see anything valuable, he ordered the ship's remains to be burned. Most of the crew were also killed. However, one person, William Mariner, survived. Much later, Mariner explained to the chief that those metal pieces were actually very valuable.

Fīnau ʻUlukālala then said something important about money:

If money were made of iron and could be converted into knives, axes and chisels there would be some sense in placing a value on it; but as it is, I see none.

He meant that money seemed useless if it couldn't be used for practical things like tools. He also thought money made people selfish because they would save it instead of sharing.

When Tonga decided to create its own money system, they chose the name paʻanga. They did not use the word "dollar" because its Tongan translation, tola, meant a pig's snout or the soft end of a coconut. The word paʻanga, on the other hand, already meant "money."

History of the Paʻanga

The paʻanga was first used on April 3, 1967. It took the place of the old Tongan pound. One Tongan pound was equal to two paʻanga.

For many years, until 1991, the paʻanga had the same value as the Australian dollar. After that, its value started to be linked to a group of different currencies, and it has slowly changed over time. The National Reserve Bank of Tonga shares the official exchange rates every day.

Coins of Tonga

A 2 paʻanga coin from 1980, showing King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV.

In 1967, Tonga started using coins in different values: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 50 seniti, and 1 and 2 paʻanga. The smallest coins (1 and 2 seniti) were made of bronze. The others were made of a mix of copper and nickel. The 50 seniti, 1, and 2 paʻanga coins were made in small numbers because paper money was also used for these values.

Over the years, the coins changed. In 1974, a twelve-sided 50 seniti coin was made. In 1975, new coins were released with designs about food and farming. These coins also showed a new picture of the king.

Some coins were quite unique. From 1978, the 1 paʻanga coin was shaped like a rectangle! The 2 paʻanga coin was round and very large, one of the biggest coins in the world at the time. These larger coins were not very popular because they were heavy or oddly shaped, so people preferred the paper notes. Because of this, fewer 1 and 2 paʻanga coins were made after the 1980s. Even though they are still official money, they are rarely used today.

In 2002, the material for some coins changed to nickel-plated steel to save money. The coins also became a little lighter. In 2011, new 20 and 50 seniti coins were made.

Today, the most common coins are 5, 10, 20, and 50 seniti. The 1 and 2 seniti coins are still official, but you don't see them much because they cost a lot to make and are worth very little. Shops usually round prices to the nearest 5 or 10 seniti.

In 2015, Tonga released a brand new set of coins. The Royal Australian Mint helped make them. Tonga's Princess Angelika Tuku'aho even helped strike some of the new coins at a special ceremony.

The first coins showed Queen Salote Tupou III. Later, coins featured King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV. Since 1975, all coins have the word "Tonga" on one side. The other side often has the words "Fakalahi meʻakai," which means "Grow more food" in Tongan.

Coin Designs Over Time

Here's a look at some of the designs on Tongan coins:

Paper Money (Banknotes)

In 1967, the Tongan government started printing paper money. The first notes showed Queen Salote Tupou III. They came in values of 1⁄2, 1, 2, 5, and 10 paʻanga.

From 1974, King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV appeared on the notes. Over time, new values were added, like 20 paʻanga in 1985 and 50 paʻanga in 1988. In 1992, the National Reserve Bank of Tonga took over making the paper money.

On July 30, 2008, a new series of banknotes was released with better security features. These notes featured George Tupou V. For the first time, a 100 paʻanga banknote was introduced.

The front of Tongan banknotes has text in the Tongan language and shows a picture of the king. The back of the notes has text in English language and shows famous places or things from Tonga. You can see images like the Haʻamonga ʻa Maui Trilithon (an ancient stone archway), a humpback whale, burial mounds, school students, rugby players, the royal palace, and people making ngatu (a traditional Tongan fabric).

On June 29, 2015, the National Reserve Bank of Tonga released another new set of banknotes, from 2 to 100 paʻanga. The 50 and 100 paʻanga notes are made from a special mix of paper and plastic, which makes them stronger. These notes show a picture of the current king, Tupou VI.

Most recently, on December 4, 2023, a new family of six banknotes was introduced. These celebrate the birthday of King Tupou I, who helped modernize the Kingdom of Tonga.

See Also

• Economy of Tonga