A proposed $1.4 billion waste-to-energy project spearheaded by The Next Generation Fiji Pte Ltd has exposed a sharp split among Vanua o Vuda landowners as public consultations continue this week. Senior members of the Tokatoka o Nakelo praised the proposal during a meeting in Viseisei Village over the weekend, but long-time opponents from the Tokatoka o Wadigi of Lauwaki Village pushed back, underscoring deep disagreement over the scheme and how consultation has been handled.
Taukei Nakelo Josaia Ratakele told media he did not support actions taken by some members of the Wadigi clan who obtained the signature of the Tui Vuda, Ratu Eparama Tavaiqia, on a petition opposing the project. “I don’t support it. So many voices are coming up but we in the Bose Vanua (o Vuda) do not support what they did,” Ratakele said, adding that those who sought the signature “came and passed us and went straight to the Tui Vuda to get a petition signed.”
Ratakele also sought to clarify the legal status of the proposed site, saying the land earmarked for the facility is State land rather than native land. That contention is likely to be central to debates that follow: if the land is Crown property, the dynamics of consent and compensation differ from those applying to iTaukei land. Ratakele urged landowning leaders to weigh long-term benefits for their people and the nation, citing previous decisions by elders that brought national advantages.
Tourism operators and some community members had raised concerns at earlier consultations about potential impacts on local business and the environment. Ratakele dismissed comparisons with tourism risk, noting the presence of other industrial facilities in and around Lautoka and pointing to the longstanding sugar mill as an example of heavy industry operating near communities. “There are many factories located around Lautoka, and it does not affect their business,” he said.
Ratakele invoked precedent to argue for a pragmatic approach: he recalled elders granting consent for an oil storage facility in Vuda that has supplied fuel nationally for many years. “For every development our elders gave their consent not only thinking about the people of Vuda but they also thought about the rest of Fiji,” he said, framing potential approval as a contribution to national development rather than a purely local transaction.
The Next Generation Fiji-led proposal held its Viseisei consultation over the weekend; a third public meeting has been scheduled for Lauwaki Village tonight at 7pm. With Tokatoka o Wadigi opposing and sections of Tokatoka o Nakelo in favour, the consultations are likely to determine whether the project proceeds to formal approvals and environmental assessment stages. The company and government agencies involved have not publicly released full project details beyond the proposed valuation.
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