The Chairman of the TLTB Board of Trustees and Minister for iTaukei Affairs Hon. Josaia V. Bainimarama officially opened the new TLTB Sub-Regfional Office in Nausori on Wednesday, 17th October 2018.
"I’m glad to stand before you today to celebrate with you the success of TLTB’s expansion in trying to reach out to the Fijian people; to meet their land needs and improve their standard of living.
"Our last and most serious effort to fully develop Nausori Town and the major areas along the eastern side of Viti Levu was shelved way back in 1999 when our leaders at that time chose to close down the Office. So today, what you have been deprived of for the last 18 years is going to be established right at your door step and I must thank the current TLTB Management for making it a reality.
"TLTB has progressed a long way since its inception in 1940. It has continued to modernize and enhance its services with modern changes and developments that will assist to meet and realize its vision – which is to provide excellent land management services to all its stakeholders.
This is in line with Government’s major goal to ensure that basic services like health care, education and the economic well-being of our people are improved and enhanced.
"I am also glad that TLTB is able to improve by expanding the provision of its land management services in Korovou to cover the Tailevu North Area and Rakiraki for the people of Ra in 2016. In 2017, we have opened new offices in Sigatoka to cater for the province of Nadroga and Navosa; the Savusavu Sub-Region to look after the people of Cakaudrove; and early this year we opened the Ba Sub-Regional Office to cater for the people of Ba.
"Today, we have expanded further by opening one more office; to specifically provide land management services to the people in the tikina of Bau, Buretu, Nausori, Nuku, Tokatoka, Dravo, Namata, Nakelo in Tailevu; as well as for the tikina of Vutia, Rewa, Burebasaga, Noco and Dreketi in Rewa and the east bank of Wainibuku Creek, Baulevu, Navuso up to Sawani Village in Naitasiri.
The TLTB Board of Trustees has taken the decision to set up a TLTB Office here in Nausori in recognition of the great opportunities that are available here covering a total itaukei land area of around 42,000 acres and with only about 36 percent being leased out.
Nausori Town is the salad bowl of the three farming provinces of Naitasiri, Tailevu and Rewa with a population of more than 47,000 people. Today – that door of opportunities is being open for you and for all Fijians.
These opportunities include the extension of Nausori Airport, land development at the Millennium Subdivision, housing development at Naqeledamu and the commercial development of the Old Nausori Bus Stand by the landowners with an investor under a joint venture partnership and the renewal of the Nausori Hospital lease, to name a few.
TLTB’s plan is aligned to the vision of Government and that is to create accessibility to iTaukei Land in line with Pillar 6 of the National Charter for Change, Peace & Progress and also provide as much opportunities as possible not only for tenants but also for landowners to lease their own land. This is also part of the TLTB Board’s visibility to see that its services that are normally provided only in the main cities are decentralized and made available in other town centers as part of Government plans to provide accessibility and improvement of its services to all Fijians.
"To those of you here in Nausori; gone are the days where you will have to travel an extra 38 kilometers all the way down to Suva to access TLTB services and return. The Nausori Sub-Regional Office will make life much easier for you and for landowners we now have the best of opportunities to utilize our land given the full support provided by the eight senior staff that will be manning this new office.
"The new TLTB office is a fully fledged one and will provide land management services to include services as Landowner consultations and awareness; iTaukei Land Lease and licence applications, rent reassessments, lease expiries and renewals, land developments and subdivisions, land marketing and enforcement of the terms and condition of various leases or licences as well as compliance; all Land Dealings (including Consent, Mortgage, Assign, Subletting, Building Plan, electricity, water meter, etc.), Application & Issue of Survey Instructions and lease documentation; receive Lease rental payments (Cashier Services); Registration of iTaukei landowner’s for equal rent distribution; Assist iTaukei landowners leasing their own land, support as well as to advise you on business initiatives and will also respond to General lease and iTaukei land enquiries;