The Bose Levu Vakaturaga (BLV) would be given constitutional status and wide-ranging oversight responsibilities under proposals contained in Fiji’s Constitution Review Commission Report and accompanying Draft Constitution 2026.
Chapter 8 of the draft establishes the BLV and proposes a membership that includes the President, Prime Minister, minister responsible for iTaukei affairs, six members nominated by the minister, 42 chiefs representing Fiji’s 14 provinces, and three members nominated by the Rotuma Island Council.
Each province would have three representatives nominated through the Bose Vanua, with one of the three to be a woman “if possible”.
The draft states provincial representatives must be traditionally installed chiefs and possess “exemplary leadership qualities” as well as a record of service to their province.
Under the proposal, the BLV would have responsibility for monitoring the wellbeing of iTaukei communities, nurturing iTaukei culture, traditions, values and heritage, and overseeing the development of customs and customary law.
It would also be tasked with “maintaining and enhancing the indigenous sovereignty of the iTaukei communities”, including oversight of their separate governance system.
The proposed powers extend to representation on key iTaukei institutions, including the iTaukei Affairs Board, iTaukei Land Trust Board, iTaukei Lands and Fisheries Commission and iTaukei Trust Fund Board.
The BLV would also be able to make recommendations to Government on policies and proposed legislation affecting the “rights, interests, health, welfare, peace, order and good government of the iTaukei”.
It would assess the needs of iTaukei communities, advocate policy and legislative responses, propose village by-laws and nominate three members to a proposed Presidential Appointments Commission.
Beyond iTaukei affairs, the proposed BLV would be responsible for monitoring potential sources of division and conflict in Fiji, encouraging dispute resolution and reconciliation, and fostering dialogue, social cohesion and unity among the country’s communities.
The draft also proposes that the BLV be supported by a management board and secretariat, with funding through the iTaukei Trust Fund and other sources provided by law.
The return of the BLV is one of several major institutional changes proposed by the Commission, alongside the restoration of a Senate and Public Service Commission.
The Commission received 1,220 submissions during its review, while 3,873 people participated in face-to-face consultations at 105 venues around Fiji.
The proposals remain recommendations of the Constitution Review Commission rather than changes currently in force. When receiving the report, President Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu stressed that his receipt of it did not amount to endorsement of every recommendation.
