Hon. Paul Tiensten

Minister for National Planning & District Development,
Papua New Guinea

Paul Tiensten was born in 1966. He has a Bachelor Degree from the University of Papua New Guinea and a Master Degree in Resources Law at the Center for Energy, Petroleum, Mineral Law and Policy, University of Dundee, Scotland, UK. He served as a Director of Petroleum and was also responsible as Project Manager for the World Bank funded Gas Development and Utilization Technical Assistance Project.

In 2002, Mr Tiensten was elected to the 7th National Parliament. He was appointed Chairman of the Special Parliamentary Committee on Gas and Energy Development.

He was later appointed the Trade and Industry Minister on the 12th November, 2003 in a minor reshuffle.

In 2005, he was again appointed to head the merged Foreign Affairs and Trade Ministry as a result of a minor reshuffle, a position he held until the end of Parliament.

Mr Tiensten was re-elected for a second term of Parliament in 2007 General Election, and was appointed Minister for National Planning and District Development.

Mr Tiensten is also the Minister responsible for Government Business in Parliament and he is one of the four Deputy Parliamentary Leaders for New Guinea Islands Region of the ruling National Alliances.