Some parts of the island nation were completely wiped out or left largely uninhabitable when the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha'apai volcano erupted, triggering a tsunami.
It’s estimated the disaster has cost Tonga $175 million or almost a quarter of its GDP.
It means that many of the roughly 2500 Tongan overstayers living in New Zealand have been left stranded and are also supporting family back home who’ve also been caught up in the Omicron outbreak.
