Landowners in Tavua are in the planning stages of a proposed Vatia City, an extensive development project expected to be a historic first for the town and an ambitious undertaking for its indigenous communities.
The development is expected to be bigger than Nadi’s Port Denarau as its developers reveal the inclusion of an international airport, hotels, cruise liner wharf and commercial wharf.
In an interview in Tavua this week, manager projects Matai Raisowalu said the project is a first, where a landowner will be entitled to own the lease and the business on it through what is currently proposed to be a 20-year project.
“The lease issued today is an integrated development lease for integrated tourism and covers both tourism leases and residential leases,” he said.
“And approximately there will be 81 tourism leases of about 10 acres per lot, with residential leases over 1000.
“So, the market is capturing the upscale market around the world and trying to capitalise with what is happening in these areas around the world.
“We have these wars going on so we have to provide some safe haven for the people that are interested.”
The five land owning units who are part of this project are: Tilivalevu, Mataqali Naitokotoko, Mataqali Tilavasewa, Mataqali Nadawa and Mataqali Tikinasau.
According to Mr Raisowalu, who is part of a locally owned development company Deluxe Management Services, foreign investors approached their director Manasa Naivau in 2020.
“People had approached Manasa to sell the whole lease and the concept, but the answer was no.
“Because the aim was to promote that idea for the landowners to continue in being the landowners, business owners and lease holders on their own lands, not only for this current generation but their descendants.
“The lease is issued to them (Vatia Enterprise Pte Ltd) so the resources still belong to them.
Mr Raisowalu commended the support from the Minister of iTaukei Affairs, Ifereimi Vasu, the management and staff of the iTaukei Land Trust Board (TLTB) and the people of Bila in Tavua for agreeing to the outcome of the project.
“Through this project, we are promoting that landowners themselves lease their own lands so they remain as landowners and carry out businesses on their own land,” he said.
“This is something that most of the landowners in the past have unfortunately not had in their favour.”
