[2] She specializes in contemporary Pacific art and visual culture, with a particular focus on gender, representation, and the connections and intercultural relationships between Pacific Island nations and diaspora communities within a local and global context.
[5] Tonga is the first Pasifika person to hold the Curator of Contemporary Art role at Te Papa.
This was the first exhibition to focus exclusively on the work of artists of Tongan heritage living in New Zealand.
Artists included Dagmar Dyck, Sopolemalama Filipe Tohi, Glen Wolfgramm, Julian Hooper, Kulimoe‘anga Stone Maka, ‘Ilo Me‘a Fo‘ou (a Wellington-based women's barkcloth-making collective with 18 members), Ahota‘e‘iloa Toetu‘u, John Vea, Lucy Aukafolau, Emily Mafile‘o, Vea Mafile‘o, Ane Tonga and Terje Koloamatangi Klavenes.
[7] In 2022, Tonga completed her at the University of Auckland where her research focuses on 'the ways that Internet platforms have shaped and influenced contemporary art practices'.