Cabinet Ministers;
Head of the Landowning Units in the provinces of Tailevu, 
Naitasiri and Rewa;
Leaseholders and clients of TLTB; 
Ladies and Gentlemen.

Bula Vinaka and a very good morning to you all. 

Today we mark another milestone in the expansion of the services offered by the iTaukei Land Trust Board, as we re-open the doors to this sub-regional office and bring a new slate of services to the doorstep of our landowners and our lease-holders in the Nausori area. 

It was 1999 when this office last served the Fijian public, before it was shut down by the Government at that time. I know that was a big disappointment for many who have had to make the inconvenient journey to Suva to access TLTB services for nearly two decades now. But today – these doors are open again. And we’ve been able to fund the opening of this new office, because my Government has put Fiji – and our economy – in the strong financial position to do so. 

This opening is only the latest in my Government’s concerted campaign to expand the reach of TLTB services. 

We expanded our land management services in Korovou to cover the Tailevu North Area and Rakiraki back in 2016. We opened new TLTB offices in Sigatoka and Savusavu in 2017. And only a few months ago I was in Ba, opening another new sub-regional TLTB office. 

Friends, two days ago I was with Fijians from Vuci Village to celebrate the launch of their Village Strategic Plan. It was an intimate gathering, and I had the chance to spend time with those Fijians and hear their dreams for what they wanted for their community, and they told me exactly how they planned to make those dreams their reality. They saw opportunity in Fiji today that inspired them to map out their development for years to come, because they held such confidence in where our nation was headed and in my Government’s ability to help them realise their goals. It was another sign, to me, that Fiji today is finally on the right track. And for landowners, like those in Vuci Village, there has never been a better time than now to maximise your success in our growing economy. 

So, if you are living in Bau, Buretu, Nausori, Nuku, Tokatoka, Dravo, Namata, Nakelo in Tailevu; or in Vutia, Rewa, Burebasaga, Noco and Dreketi in Rewa or the east bank of Wainibuku Creek, or in Baulevu, Navuso up to Sawani Village in Naitasiri; I urge you to realise greater opportunity for yourselves as well by accessing the services offered by this new sub-regional TLTB Office. 

Here, our landowners will find all the services they need, including landowner consulting services and information on new programmes and developments, and lease distribution. This Office is even equipped to assist with land marketing. The staff here will also help strengthen the enforcement of lease terms and conditions and provide assistance with all the ins and outs of land dealings. 

Landowners will be able to apply for survey instructions, access lease documentation, be able to receive lease rental payments and handle registrations for the equal distribution of land monies. 
And when they are ready to lease their land, this Office will advise them on the business side of making that happen and answer any questions they may have. 

And for those who want to lease land or who are already leasing land, this Office is here to serve you as well. The staff are here to help resolve any and all issues you may face. You can access applications for iTaukei land lease, rent reassessments and lease renewals, because you – our lease holders – are very much clients of the TLTB as well. You deserve the same high level of service, because without good relationships with our leaseholders, there is no revenue for the TLTB, and there is no financial return for our landowners. 

It only takes a snapshot look of the land development opportunities we’ve realised in Nausori already to know why the re-opening of this Office is so important. 

We’ve worked with landowners in Nausori to extend the Nausori Airport, develop the Millennium subdivision, and build new housing developments, and renewed leases and, like I said, that’s only a glimpse into our work so far. 

In total, this Office will serve landowners occupying 42,000 acres of land – and only 36% of that land is currently being leased out. When I see stats like that, I see opportunity. Opportunity to put land to use, opportunity for landowners to see more financial return and opportunities to bring infrastructure, to extend services and transform the well-being of more of the Fijian people. This new Office is going to help make all of that possible. 

Friends, this morning I also have the privilege of launching the new TLTB website, which you can visit at www dot TLTB dot com dot F J. It has a cleaner, simpler and more user-friendly design that will give Fijians a far more effective online resource to obtain information and communicate directly with the TLTB. 
This is also the first time we’ve fully translated our official website into the iTaukei language to make ourselves fully accessible to all of those who are seeking our services or who need to get in touch with our staff. The site is available on desktop and formatted for your mobile phones as well, so if you have a smart phone, feel free to check it out. Actually, my Government just launched a new free wi-fi hotspot here in Nausori at Syria Park in case you’re low on data. 

The good news doesn’t end there – because today, as part of this opening, I am also distributing grants to the recipients of our Seed Fund Grant initiative. Last year, we granted 131 leases to landowners and landowning units to begin agricultural-based projects, and we’re now disbursing another round of funding to support those projects and help grow those businesses. 

This initiative gives us the best of both worlds, because we’re not only financially empowering landowners by directly supporting the productive use of their land, we’re also giving a boost to the food security of our communities, we’re creating jobs and laying a foundation for more income- generating projects down the track. And I’m confident the small business models we’re creating here will continue to grow and become an example to Fijians across the country who are interested in developing their land, in similar ways, down the track. 

Vinaka vakalevu. Thank you.