Assistant Minister for Education Iliesa Vanawalu told Parliament this week that the Ministry of iTaukei Affairs faces urgent work on financial sustainability, digital transformation and cultural heritage protection if it is to safeguard iTaukei governance and identity. Vanawalu was delivering the Standing Committee on Social Affairs’ consolidated review of the ministry’s 2022–2023 Annual Report, a review grounded in submissions and testimony from a public hearing held on 12 November 2025.
The committee found that income from registrations in the Vola ni Kawa Bula (VKB) and fees charged by various boards remains minimal, leaving the ministry heavily dependent on government appropriations. That limited own-source revenue, the report says, constrains the ministry’s ability to scale new programmes or fund maintenance of critical cultural infrastructure without continued budget support from central government.
Vanawalu acknowledged clear progress on modernisation: the ministry has advanced the digitisation of VKB records and expanded registration services to iTaukei communities living overseas. Those steps are intended to increase accessibility and reduce reliance on fragile paper records, the committee noted. But the review flagged two related problems that persist — encouraging wider public participation in the digital VKB and ensuring secure, reliable digital access for remote communities and diaspora users.
Preservation of the remaining manual records is a separate concern. The committee called for a systematic approach to safeguard physical registries while digital migration continues, warning that loss or deterioration of paper archives would create long‑term gaps in lineage and land records. The review also highlighted the need for ongoing investment in rehabilitating heritage sites, specifically naming Levuka — Fiji’s historic port town and a recognised cultural landmark — as requiring targeted conservation funds.
The report frames those operational challenges against recent policy milestones. Vanawalu pointed to the re-establishment of the Great Council of Chiefs and the introduction of the Fiji National Cultural Policy as significant steps that could strengthen customary governance and cultural protection if implemented effectively. The committee cautioned, however, that policy announcements alone will not translate into durable outcomes without matched budget allocations, technical capacity and meaningful engagement with mataqali, provincial councils and other stakeholders.
As the ministry moves from policy formation to rollout, the committee recommended a mix of measures to improve financial resilience and implementation: exploring fee structures and revenue streams tied to VKB services, accelerating secure digital access and user uptake campaigns, instituting conservation plans for manual archives, and prioritising capital investment for threatened heritage sites. Vanawalu told Parliament the committee’s findings make clear that achieving the ministry’s ambitions will depend on stronger resourcing and coordinated work with traditional leaders and community organisations.
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