Fiji is moving towards climate-resilient and affordable housing models as Government looks to tackle growing urban housing pressures and informal settlement issues.
Minister for Housing and Local Government Maciu Nalumisa made the comments while speaking at a housing forum hosted by Habitat for Humanity Fiji at Holiday Inn Suva yesterday.
Mr Nalumisa said affordability remained one of the biggest challenges facing ordinary Fijians, particularly low-income earners, and families with irregular incomes.
“I recognise that affordability is a moving target,” he said.
“We are exploring rent-to-home schemes, as well as mortgage-guaranteed facilities for those institutions that have not been able to access the formal market.”
He said Government was also reviewing its first-home ownership assistance to better target families earning below $30,000 annually.
“These are people who have financial difficulties in accessing financing from other institutions.”
Mr Nalumisa said Fiji’s housing plans were now being guided by sustainability and climate resilience standards.
“We are moving to 100 per cent compliance with the National Building Code and climate resilience standards for all new projects.”
He added Government had also set a target for at least 20 per cent of new housing developments to be certified as green housing by 2030.
“So, what we are trying to do now, we have encouraged institutions to come forward with more resilient housing models.”
Mr Nalumisa said Fiji was gradually moving away from conventional construction methods and adopting prefabricated and precast building materials to improve resilience and reduce long-term costs.
“We are moving towards a model that is sustainable and also resilient.”
