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Start date: 2021Subject: search.filters.subject.Fiji

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    The evolution of public administration and conflict in a post-conflict state : history’s role in Fiji’s political trajectory : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Management at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2024-04-16) Loga, Patricia Savukiono-I-Tuikabara
    Violent geo-political conflicts are on the rise across the globe and most of the countries that experience these conflicts are developing nations like Fiji (Fund for Peace, 2022). Countries that are prone to conflict are classified as fragile States. In the aftermath of a conflict, the public sector is under immense pressure to restabilise the nation and normalise service provision to citizens. Understanding the behaviour of conflict and public administration in a post-conflict State is key for nation rebuilding because it gives an insight into the levers and impediments for crisis management. Although studies have explored crisis management in post-conflict States (Kaplan, 2008), little is known about the role that historical institutions play in the evolution and continuity of conflict and public administration. To address this gap, this thesis used the path dependency theory to explain how policy actions and decisions established a continuous cycle of conflict. Using institutionalism and resilience, this research described why public administration remained fragile despite showing signs of evolution in Fiji’s political trajectory. Based on the findings, it is suggested that policy actors in Fiji consider the following embedded ideologies in their policy making process: race-based politics, intertwined traditional and political roles, adversarial approaches to the protection of interests and segmented economic structures. Fiji is locked into a path of conflict and resilience is restrained by institutionalised processes; an understanding of historical structures that hinder progress can help policy actors create effective public policies. The first significant finding argued that conflict is pathdependent because Fiji was subjected to indirect rule when it was under colonial rule and that the short time taken for the nation to transition from a colony to an independent State created a lack of readiness for self-government. Public administration stability in Fiji was hindered by the co-existence of institutionalism and resilience. It was found that resilience thinking was stifled by institutionalised ideologies that had become embedded in the public administration system. This research made two key contributions: developed a theoretical understanding of public administration and conflict using the path-dependency, institutionalism, and resilience theories. The lessons learned to contribute to policy knowledge on crisis management and nation rebuilding in developing countries like Fiji. This research was conducted using archival research, which was collected from Archives New Zealand and the National Archives of Fiji. Archival research and document analysis complemented the path-dependency, institutionalism, and resilience theories, which involve a descriptive analysis of how past policy decisions affect the behaviour of institutions. In total, 3,270 documents from the years 1858 to 1992 were retrieved and analysed via document analysis and theoretical thematic analysis. Using archival research to study Fiji’s political history aided the identification of themes that explained how and when conflict became path dependent, and why public administration institutions were fragile. The findings from this thesis are contextual and Fiji is a small island developing State so it would be difficult to generalise or replicate. To add to the knowledge of conflict analysis, and nation rebuilding, future research could explore other post-conflict States or former colonies to find out if conflict is path-dependent and which factors create fragility in a public administration. The co-existence of institutionalism and resilience also has room for further development. There is an opportunity to explore the behaviour of these two theoretical frameworks in public administration. A deeper understanding of the push and pull effects of institutionalism and resilience has the potential to improve public sector reform and policy transfer processes.
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    “Na mata ni Civa au a vakawaletaka” : an ethnobotanical study on kumala (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam) and its contribution to climate-smart agriculture in Ra, Fiji : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Horticulture, Massey University, School of Agriculture and Environment, Palmerston North, Aotearoa
    (Massey University, 2022) Leweniqila, Ilisoni Lasaqa Vuetinabouono
    Globally, sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam) or kumala is regarded as an essential, versatile, and under-utilised food security crop. In Fiji, kumala has a strong traditional base, and our ancestors valued this crop as a lifesaver to people during and after natural disasters to act as food security since both the tubers and leaves are consumed. This research weaves together two methodologies; the Fijian Vanua Research Framework (FVRF) which involves ethnobotany studies, and a western sciences (field trials) research element to support and reinstruct smallholder farmers on the value of kumala as a significant crop for subsistence and a source of livelihood for rural economic development in Fiji. The three research sites were Nabukadra (<20m asl ) located in the coastal land area, Bucalevu (>150m asl) in the high altitude inland, and Burenitu (80-100m asl) in the district of Nalawa which is situated at a lower altitude. The implementation of FVRF in this research paid specific attention to indigenous Fijian society aligning to future food security issues in an agricultural context. This research sought a solidarity approach for the rural areas in Fiji adopting their systems of knowledge and perception as the basis for inquiry extending the knowledge base of indigenous people and transforming their understanding of the social-cultural world like solesolevaki, which is our current cultural currency. The Dre’e metaphor was generated to discuss the findings from this research. The findings of this research discussed the cultural role of kumala production in the I-Taukei context under four components: values and beliefs, practices, skills, and knowledge. Indigenous Knowledge (IK) exists across all facets of the I-Taukei way of life, which includes health, belief system, and environmental survival. Given that each genotype or variety of kumala may respond differently to production factors, there was a need to evaluate available sweetpotato genotypes across geographic zones where it can be grown in Fiji. The application of agronomic field trials at different altitudes for this research provided a valuable recommendation that will assist farmers in decision-making for growing kumala at different altitudes in Ra. This will enhance food security and create economic opportunities. Furthermore, this extension of traditional and agronomic knowledge will support climate-smart agriculture (CSA) and help achieve food security in the province of Ra, Fiji Islands.
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    Nursing care for people living with diabetes and associated conditions in Fiji : an iTaukei community context : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2021) Ravono, Akisi Nailaba
    This research examined the experiences of iTaukei (indigenous people of Fiji) patients and nurses in the context of the diabetes epidemic in Fiji. Vanua theory, which has some influence on iTaukei health beliefs and practices through its physical, social and cultural elements informed the design and conduct of the research. Despite the voluminous global literature on diabetes and non-communicable diseases (NCD), there was little written about the topic for Fiji and the Pacific. Fiji was among the first few countries to adopt public health initiatives that were developed to curb the incidence of NCD. However, such initiatives have faced a perpetual challenge in terms of implementation, monitoring and evaluation. The research used the Fijian Vanua Research Framework and veitalanoa, a data collection method, to gather information from twelve patients and eleven nurses from four medical areas in Fiji. The veitalanoa groups were complemented by four veitalanoa individual sessions and field observations. Findings revealed that patients struggled to cope with diabetes and associated complications while nurses were challenged to deliver best practice in inadequate nursing practice environments. Specifically, patients had difficulties both living with diabetes and accessing planned care and were culturally unlikely to question or challenge medical decisions, simply expecting safe and trustful care. Nurses were not able to nurse in the way they know is needed; they provided rudimentary and sometimes inappropriate care, and experienced extreme frustration while attempting to provide holistic care in a highly medicalised model of care. The nurses were aware of vanua etiquette and their connections with iTaukei patients, however, they could not apply such protocol. Despite study findings revealing significant challenges for patients and nurses, the participants suggested a way forward for the improvement of nursing care and primary health care in Fiji. Such changes may represent considerable challenge to the accepted hierarchies of power and decision making and will need to be strongly supported by a focus on patient centered care. 
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    Development of sustainable nutrient management strategies for taro growers on Taveuni Island, Fiji : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Soil Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2021) Lal, Rohit
    Taro (Colocasia esculenta) is a major component of the socio-cultural, dietary and economic livelihood of Pacific Island countries, including Fiji. However, Fiji’s total taro exports have substantially declined over the last decade, mainly due to a reduction in production from Taveuni Island. A trend of decreasing taro yields has been further exasperated by recent extreme climate events, which have reduced the availability and affordability of planting material. The combination of lower yields and increased costs, have reduced farmers’ returns on existing farm land, which has contributed to further deforestation of forest reserves. The overall aim of this study was to develop improved nutrient management practices on existing farm land, to help growers to achieve sustainable taro yields and financial returns. This study included a survey of 73 taro farmers, which involved a quantitative analysis of taro yields and soil fertility. Fresh taro corm yields were very low, being an average of 6.9 t/ha. About 75% of the farms surveyed had low soil Olsen phosphorus (P) levels of < 10 mg/kg and 65% had low soil exchangeable potassium (K) levels of < 0.4 me/100g. Fertiliser nutrient inputs were also low, with semi-commercial farmers using an average of 31 kg nitrogen (N), 17 kg P and 27 kg K/ha, and commercial growers using an average of 41 kg N, 26 kg P and 40 kg K/ha per crop. The survey also identified that fertiliser placement and application timing practices may also reduce nutrient use efficiency by the crop. Two successive field experiments were repeated over three sites, on Taveuni Island, to evaluate a range of nutrient management strategies to improve soil fertility and taro productivity. When no N and P fertiliser was applied, average fresh taro corm yields were very low (6.2 t/ha), irrespective of K and sulphur (S) fertiliser inputs. The addition of up to 200 kg N/ha and 120 kg P/ha, resulted in a substantial average yield increase to 14.9 t/ha. Taro yields were also responsive to K fertiliser use, with significant increases in yield up to 200 kg K/ha, the highest rate of K assessed. There was a strong linear relationship between N fertiliser use and taro sucker population up to 300 kg N/ha. In the second experiment, sucker numbers increased with increasing N fertiliser rate up to 280 kg N/ha. Further increasing N rates up to 360 kg N/ha did no further increase sucker production. When no fertiliser was applied, average taro sucker population across the three sites was about 20,500 suckers/ha, which increased to about 122,500/ha at 280 kg N/ha. The response of sucker numbers to N was not influenced by P fertiliser use, but there was a small effect with increasing K fertiliser rate, from 100 to 200 kg K/ha. Following natural disasters, when sucker numbers are limited, the use of N fertiliser may be an effective short-term strategy to help re-establish the taro industry and minimise inflated sucker prices. The use of the legume mucuna, as a green manure crop intercropped with taro, reduced N fertiliser requirements. Mucuna provided a benefit, for both corm yield and sucker numbers, equivalent to N fertiliser applied at a rate of approximately 80-100 kg N/ha. Some of the benefit may also be due to improved weed suppression and a mulching effect from mucuna. Mixing P fertiliser in the planting hole increased corm yields by 38%, compared to the when P fertiliser was placed at the bottom of the hole. Despite the high rates of P fertiliser used in the first experiment there were no significant P carry-over effects on taro yields in the second experiment. This was due to the higher soil P status from P fertiliser application being confined in close proximity to the planting holes. The Soil Plant Analysis Development (SPAD) chlorophyll meter was evaluated as being effective at predicting N status of taro crops and yield potential, when other major nutrients were non-limiting. When SPAD readings were greater than 65, at 8 and 12 weeks after planting (WAP), then the taro yields were mostly high (i.e. > 12 t/ha). SPAD readings less than 40, at 8 and 12 WAP, would indicate that plant N status is likely to limit taro yield and that a review of N fertiliser use is required. The recommended nutrient management strategy for taro farmers with farms with degraded soil fertility, involves the use of inter-cropping taro with a mucuna green manure crop in combination with fertiliser at the following nutrient rates; 120 kg N, 120 kg, 200 kg K/ha and 80 kg S/ha. At current taro corm and sucker prices, this recommended strategy is expected to provide a net income of NZ$35,835, which is 247% higher than for the average grower practice. The recommended practice also produces 74% more taro suckers than the current grower practice. Increasing sucker production is an important strategy to enable taro growers to increase production quickly following a natural disaster, helping farmers be more resilient to the effects of Climate Change.