MINISTER FOR LANDS & MINERAL RESOURCES HON. FILIMONI VOSAROGO'S ADDRESS AT THE OPENING OF THE TECHNICAL TRAINING PROGRAMME ON GROUNDWATER ENGINEERING

Your Excellency Greg Andrews, New Zealand High Commissioner to Fiji
Mr. Nalin Patel, Chair of the Rotary Pacific Water for Life Foundation Board
Our esteemed facilitators, Dr Channa Rajanayaka and Mr Lawrence Kees, Earth Science New Zealand
Senior officials from Rotary Pacific Water and Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources
Invited participants, ladies and gentlemen
 
Bula vinaka and a very good morning to you all.
 
It is my distinct honour, on behalf of the Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources and the Rotary Pacific Water for Life Foundation (RPW), to welcome you to the Technical Training Programme on Groundwater Engineering. I am privileged to deliver this Opening Address as we embark on four days of rigorous, hands-on, and nationally significant capacity building.

Allow me, at the outset, to acknowledge with deep appreciation:
His Excellency Greg Andrews, whose presence speaks to the enduring partnership between Fiji and New Zealand. Your Excellency, vinaka vakalevu for your support towards Fiji’s water security and climate resilience agenda.

Mr. Nalin Patel, Chair of the Rotary Pacific Water Board, thank you for your stewardship and vision in advancing safe, sustainable water access for our communities.

Our two technical facilitators, Dr Channa Rajanayaka and Mr Lawrence Kees, from Earth Science New Zealand, renowned for their scientific excellence and leadership in groundwater research and training across the Pacific. We are grateful for the expertise you bring to Fiji this week.

Our organising teams from the Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources and RPW, for your diligence in bringing this national programme to fruition.

And to our funding and delivery partners; MFAT, Rotary New Zealand World Community Service (RNZWCS), VAIWAI Natural Artesian Waters, the Vodafone ATH Fiji Foundation, and the Fiji Water Foundation, your collective commitment makes this work possible and impactful. Vinaka vakalevu.
 
Ladies and gentlemen, groundwater is a lifeline for many communities in Fiji, particularly rural and maritime communities where surface water is scarce or seasonal. As we experience the realities of climate change, including altered rainfall patterns, prolonged dry spells, and the risks of saltwater intrusion, the strategic importance of groundwater increases.
 
At the same time, growth in population, tourism, agriculture, and industry intensifies the demands placed on our aquifers. Against this backdrop, technical excellence in borehole design, siting, construction, testing, protection, monitoring, and governance is not optional. It is essential.

This programme is therefore more than a training workshop; it is a national investment in capability, the capability to plan, develop, and safeguard a resource that underpins public health, economic stability, and climate resilience, most importantly the future of this country.

This national training is jointly implemented by the Ministry of Lands and Mineral Resources and Rotary Pacific Water for Life Foundation, under the Manaaki 6 (MF6-06) Fiji Rural WASH Programme of New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT). It is jointly funded by MFAT, RNZWCS, VAIWAI Natural Artesian Waters, the Vodafone ATH Fiji Foundation, and the Fiji Water Foundation.

Delivery is led by Earth Science New Zealand, formerly known as NIWA, a leading scientific institution with deep experience in groundwater science and technical capacity building across the Pacific. We welcome their contribution to ensuring the content is internationally benchmarked yet practically tailored to Fiji’s geology, hydrology, and institutional context.
  
The primary objective of this programme is to strengthen national and institutional capacity in groundwater engineering in Fiji by enhancing the technical knowledge and practical skills of WASH designers, regulators, engineers, and contractors involved in groundwater development and management.
In particular, we aim to:
-Improve the quality and sustainability of groundwater source development, from exploration to long-term operation;
-Strengthen national standards and practices in bore design, construction, testing, and protection, including sanitary completion and source protection; and
-Advance evidence-based, resilient water supply solutions for rural and vulnerable communities, ensuring systems are safe, reliable, and sustainable over their design life.

These objectives respond directly to priority capacity gaps jointly identified by RPW and the Mineral Resources Department. They align with the practical needs of those who plan, drill, test, approve, maintain, and govern groundwater sources across Fiji.

This training is fully aligned with the National Groundwater Resources Development and Management Policy 2024, which places a strong emphasis on capacity building for all actors in the groundwater sector; public, private, and community. It advances our national development outcomes in:
Water Security: Ensuring    safe, reliable   supplies amidst climatic variability;
Public Health: Reducing contamination risk and improving compliance with drinking water standards;
Climate Resilience: Building robust systems that can withstand shocks and stresses;
Rural Service Delivery: Improving equity and access, particularly for communities historically underserved.
 
By strengthening the skill base and professional standards in the sector, we also support improved procurement, contracting, supervision, and regulatory compliance, the building blocks of governance and sustainability.

A defining feature of this initiative is co-creation. While Earth Science New Zealand brings global expertise, the programme is grounded in Fiji’s realities, our lithology, our data gaps, our operational contexts, our institutional mandates. The intent is not just to train individuals, but to embed improved practices within the organisations that plan, regulate, and implement groundwater systems.

In doing so, we build a local knowledge base for designers, drillers, supervisors, and regulators that will endure and expand over time, enabling Fiji to respond more effectively to local needs and to manage groundwater with confidence.
 
Let me underscore three commitments that will guide our work going forward:
Standards: We will champion consistent application of national standards for bore design, construction, testing, and protection, because consistency is the bedrock of quality and comparability.

Safety: We will protect public health by strengthening wellhead protection, sanitary completion, and water quality monitoring, because safety must never be compromised.

Stewardship: We will treat groundwater as a strategic resource, managed prudently, monitored responsibly, and developed sustainably, in trust for future generations.

To the Participants, you are here because you play a critical role in Fiji’s water future. I encourage you to:
-Engage fully, ask questions, share experiences, and test assumptions;
-Translate learning into standard operating procedures, checklists, and tools you can take back to your teams;
-Build professional networks that strengthen collaboration across government, the private sector, and communities;
-Commit to continuous improvement, documenting lessons learned and contributing to better guidance and practice.
 
The impact of this training will be measured not only in certificates earned, but in better-designed bores, safer water points, more reliable supply systems, and stronger institutions.
 
My sincere thanks once again to MFAT, RNZWCS, VAIWAI Natural Artesian Waters, the Vodafone ATH Fiji Foundation, the Fiji Water Foundation, Earth Science New Zealand, Rotary Pacific Water, and our Ministry teams. Your collaboration demonstrates the power of partnership in delivering public value.
 
With these words, it is my honour to declare the Technical Training Programme on Groundwater Engineering officially open.

Vinaka vakalevu. Thank you, and I wish you all a productive and inspiring programme.