The Government has introduced new regulations requiring that 80 percent of royalties collected from the extraction of sand, gravel, clay, soil, rock and other materials on State land be paid to the owners of customary fishing rights.
The changes are contained in the State Lands (Leases and Licences) (Amendment) Regulations 2026, published in the latest Government Gazette and effective immediately.
Under the new Regulation 37A, licence holders extracting sand and gravel, clay and soil, rock, top soil, river spalls, and sand from drainage and irrigation dump sites on State land must distribute royalties as follows:
-20 percent to the State.
-80 percent to the owners of customary fishing rights.
The regulations also require that royalty rates be reviewed every five years, subject to prevailing market rates.
The amended regulations expand the range of materials covered under State land extraction licences to include gravel, clay, soil, rock, top soil, river spalls and sand recovered from drainage and irrigation dump sites.
The new royalty rates are:
-Sand and gravel: $10.40 per cubic metre
-Clay and soil: $6.50 per cubic metre
-Rock: $5.21 per cubic metre
-Top soil: $38.99 per cubic metre
-River spalls: $7.80 per cubic metre
-Sand from drainage and irrigation dump sites: $8.00 per cubic metre
The regulations were made by Minister for Lands and Mineral Resources Filimoni Vosarogo on 18 June 2026 and came into force upon publication in the Gazette.
