Solomone Tuibua

Solomone Tuibua, a Savusavu pastor has shared how a vision he first had more than 40 years ago is now taking shape in his village of Waivunia, the smallest in Savusavu but blessed with rich marine and land resources.

While speaking at the Matanataki Pacific Fund One consultation that is currently underway in Suva, Tuibua said his inspiration came in the 1980s while serving as a minister in Rotuma, where he witnessed how a cooperative movement successfully circulated millions of dollars within the community.

He said the experience convinced him that cooperative models could work for his people. In 1984, he returned to Fiji and discussed the idea with his late father, but it did not take root at the time.

That opportunity came in 2022 when he was contacted in Australia about a conservation project linked to work his late brother had been involved in. An American woman visited his home in Waivunia, which he says affirmed the importance of conservation efforts.

“When I talk about conservation, I don’t understand what it is, but to bring someone from the United States to my home in Savusavu, conservation must be very important. So, I said, look, I’ll be there in two weeks. Meet me in Suva. I came, we met, and my prayer was answered.”

Tuibua also revealed that his village had received a license to operate a marine park, which he believes is one of the first of its kind in Fiji.

He says this is the start of their business, and though it is still shaky, he believes the right time is coming.

The pastor also spoke emotionally about his late son, a university graduate in Australia, who died last month, and shared how his son had written down many of the ideas that he himself had held for years, linking their family’s vision for development, marine conservation and land use.

He ended his address by paying tribute to his son and the community’s shared dream, saying, what he had in his mind, his son put into writing.

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