Vatukaloko, Ra, native Sele Tagivuni has called for a review of the royalty schedule under the Mining Act 1965 and Quarries Act 1939 to ensure fairer payments for landowning units.
Speaking at a consultation held at the Rakiraki Market Hall yesterday, Mr Tagivuni stressed that all payments must flow appropriately to the iTaukei landowning units, regardless of which mataqali or bose vanua was involved.
“The current calculation needs further review,” he said, highlighting that artesian and silica-based water extraction is excluded from the current royalty schedule, despite existing water resource and tax legislation.
He urged royalties to reflect international commodity pricing rather than being pegged only to rates on the day of extraction, ensuring landowners receive equitable compensation as envisioned under the 2013 Constitution.
“If we are talking about maximisation of benefit sharing for the iTaukei landowning units, we must be critical in our understanding of what is actually happening out there.”
Meanwhile, Mineral Resources technical advisor Dr Apete Soro explained that existing the legislation set royalties at 3 per cent for bauxite and iron, and 5 per cent for other resources for landowning units.
The review committee will consider these recommendations as it evaluates updates to the Mining and Quarries Acts.
