A workshop is being held in Tonga to look at ways of dealing with people who have been deported to Tonga.
The event has been opened by the prime minister, Dr Feleti Sevele, and is being attended by church leaders and members of civil society.
Official figures show 443 Tongans were deported to the kingdom between 2002 and 2007, with nearly have of them being sent from New Zealand.
116 were sent back from the United States.
Dr Sevele says it is impossible for the government alone to meet the deportees' basic needs or resolve their problems.
He paid tribute to the so-called Ironman Ministry which is an initiative by the deportees.
