CEO Nausori Town Council, Ms Anurashika Bari,
A/CEO Fiji Bureau of Statistics, Ms Maria Musudroka,
A/ Deputy Secretary, iTaukei Affairs, Mr Paula Tuione,
Chief Operating Officer, Water Authority of Fiji, Mr Seru Soderberg,
Provincial Administrator,
Roko Tui,
Invited Guest,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Bula Vinaka and a very good morning.
I’m pleased to have so many of you – our valuable stakeholders – here this morning.
A special welcome to our stakeholders who have travelled from Vunidawa to be part of today’s consultation.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
This is my first as the Permanent Secretary for Commerce, Trade, Tourism and Transport (also responsible for town planning), to meet stakeholders to discuss town and land use planning.
The Department of Town and Country Planning is a new inclusion in the Ministry and by no means am I an expert in town planning. But I can assure you all that as the Permanent Secretary, I will implement the strategies for Vunidawa as set out in the 5-Year and 20-Year National Development Plan and the Ministry’s Operational Plan.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Vunidawa, together with 5 other key centres in Fiji, have been identified as growth areas. This simply means that Vunidawa has the potential to be the economic-centre for Naitasiri.
With more people moving into urban centres, we need to ensure that in the long run, we are able to grow sustainably. Therefore, areas such as Vunidawa need to provide the amenities and opportunities for the people of Naitasiri.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Fijian Government strongly believes and has significantly invested in the rural and maritime regions. This has been in the form of support for businesses to create a resilient and strong foundation for the grassroot communities.
But in order to continually achieve the results, there is more that needs to be done in terms of developing the specific centres, where there are growth spurts – Vunidawa is one such centre. We need to decentralise and spread the resources and economic activities.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
This is a lesson that has been learnt during the pandemic. Hence, decentralisation of urban services and renewed focus to bridge the gap between rural and urban services is critical for future development.
We must work together to create a business environment outside our urban centres. By doing so, we can encourage rural investment and mitigate reliance on our towns and cities.
Therefore, ladies and gentlemen, through this project, we will elevate Vunidawa into a bustling centre that will:
1. Generate economic activities in Vunidawa and Naitasiri;
2. Provide adequate infrastructure to support commercial and industrial uses;
3. Increase housing stock for future population growth; and
4. Ensure development is resilient and sustainable.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
This project commenced last year, with an initial scoping visit to Vunidawa. We have now developed a report of the survey and have put together a draft plan, which will be presented today.
As our stakeholders, we ask that you be actively involved in today’s workshop. We will only be able to deliver this project if we all take ownership and collectively move forward.
Today’s workshop is the first in the series of consultations planned for this project. We look forward to your contribution to make this project a success for you all.
With these words, I once again welcome you to this workshop.
Vinaka vakalevu and thank you.