Each morning along the Queen’s Highway at the bus stop by Warwick Fiji, the smell of freshly baked pastries announces a small but determined effort to beat rising household costs. The vendor behind those treats is Maopa Rokonai, a mother of seven originally from Nauria Village in Ra who now lives in Talenaua with her husband from Serua Island. Rokonai says her pastries are about more than selling snacks — they are a deliberate step toward financial security for her large family.
Rokonai sets up on the bus stop bench and prepares each batch with care, greeting commuters and passersby with a welcoming smile that draws repeat customers as well as one-off buyers. She runs the roadside pastry stall in the mornings and operates a small canteen from home, deliberately maintaining multiple income streams because, in her view, relying on a single source of revenue is too risky for a household with many obligations.
“You have ten fingers,” Rokonai said, explaining her approach. “They represent your possible sources of income and the possible money you can make. Don’t depend on only one revenue source, explore ways of earning more money.” Her message is practical as well as aspirational: use the talents given and invest time to build earnings that can cover essentials and create a “secure future” for children.
Rokonai pointed to the heavy and ongoing financial responsibilities experienced by many indigenous Fijian families — school fees, church contributions, and obligations to extended family and village — as the impetus behind her efforts. “If you work hard, you will earn more. Use the talents God gave you to be a source of blessings to your family and village,” she said, urging rural women to look beyond the home and find ways to monetise skills they already possess.
Her story adds a local, everyday example to recent coverage highlighting women expanding economic roles across Fiji. It echoes other profiles of Fijian women who have stepped into public-facing work or combined family responsibilities with paid roles, reinforcing a broader trend toward financial independence and community leadership among women.
Rokonai’s presence at the Warwick bus stand each morning is a reminder that small-scale enterprises can be lifelines in communities where formal employment is limited. For now, her pastries and the canteen are practical answers to immediate needs and a model she hopes other rural women will consider — not as a short-term fix, but as a pathway to resilience and self-reliance.
Her final message to other women was straightforward: “Don’t depend entirely on your husbands. If you have raw talents, make use of them.” In trusting her skills and diversifying how she earns, Rokonai is trying to turn those talents into steady support for her family and an example for others in Nauria, Talenaua and beyond.
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