27 Nov 2019

Not a holiday - MPs in the Pacific: Day Three

From The House , 9:00 am on 27 November 2019

This is part three of five on the Speaker-led delegation to Tonga and Fiji. For the other parts, click here. To hear why these trips happen, click here

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Photo: VNP / Daniela Maoate-Cox

“Dazzling sands, perfect palm trees and waters so blue they glow” says the Lonely Planet guide to Fiji. 

“Strengthening engagement”, “capacity building”, and “personal connections” says a media release about New Zealand MPs travelling to Fiji. 

Doesn’t have quite the same ring to it but there’s a chance the media release is concealing a taxpayer funded holiday for MPs to the Pacific, so I'm following the delegation to find out.

Delegation members: National MPs Jo Hayes, Tim MacIndoe, Harete Hipango, Labour MP Adrian Rurawhe, and Speaker Trevor Mallard

Day Three: Wednesday in Fiji

9am - Meet the Speaker

The New Zealand delegation meets with Fiji Speaker Ratu Epeli Nailatikau

The New Zealand delegation meets with Fiji Speaker Ratu Epeli Nailatikau Photo: VNP / Daniela Maoate-Cox

Meeting number one is with Ratu Epeli Nailatikau who was elected as Fiji’s Speaker in February this year. 

It’s not his first time though, Ratu Epeli was Speaker in 2001 to 2006 under the previous, bi-cameral legislative system.

He also served as the Deputy Prime Minister from June 2000 to March 2001, and as Fiji’s President from 2009 to 2015. In the 60s he served in the Fiji Military including some training in New Zealand, and was appointed to the United Kingdom as Fiji’s High Commissioner in 1988. 

Like New Zealand, the Speaker is in charge of keeping order in the House. 

Fiji Parliament's Speaker Ratu Epeli Nailatikau

Fiji Parliament's Speaker Ratu Epeli Nailatikau Photo: VNP / Daniela Maoate-Cox

Unlike New Zealand, Fiji’s Speaker is not a member of Parliament. 

“Since I’m from outside of the House I just play it straight down the line,” he says “But it’s still a lot of hard work, there’s no easy role in the Speaker’s role.”

Ratu Epeli says what he’s seen of New Zealand aid programmes in Fiji is good. 

“The main thing is they do a lot of consultation work and that’s the success of it. They consult with the Government, they consult with the organisations that are here.”

As someone who’s had a lot of experience with Parliaments, politics, and diplomacy I ask what he thinks of how the system works.

“It all depends on the Members, it’s the quality of the Members,” he says. 

“If you can get Members who do their homework, who know what they’re talking about, you have a lively house, and the debate is lively,” he says.

10:30am - Courtesy call on Prime Minister Bainimarama (to be confirmed)

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I'm not skilled enough to take a picture of an event that didn't happen so here's a picture of cloudy Suva Bay. We were told to pack a coat as it often rains here. They were right. Photo: VNP / Daniela Maoate-Cox

Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama has only just arrived back in Fiji and naturally is busy running a country so this meeting isn't taking place.

Parliamentary delegations are not representing the New Zealand Government so they do their best to be neutral when visiting overseas. Visiting one leader without visiting the other (or at least offering to) could cause offence or be interpreted as taking sides so the delegation has offered to meet with both the governing and opposition leaders.

This isn’t just a New Zealand play though, the visit from the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall to New Zealand includes meetings with both Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Opposition Leader Simon Bridges.

Being polite to everyone is good diplomacy.

11:30am - Meeting the Leader of the Government

Fiji Minister of Foreign Affairs Inia Seruiratu shakes hands with National MP Tim MacIndoe

Fiji Minister of Foreign Affairs Inia Seruiratu shakes hands with National MP Tim MacIndoe Photo: VNP / Daniela Maoate-Cox

The second appointment for today is a meeting with the Leader of the Government in Parliament, the Honourable Inia Seruiratu. 

He’s also the Minister of Foreign Affairs and as a member of the media I’m not in the room for this meeting. 

I did get to witness some strong handshakes and a friendly gift exchange. I can also confirm the couches at Fiji’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs are comfortable.

12:30pm - lunch with Ratu Epeli

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My lunch view while the MPs mingle inside Photo: VNP / Daniela Maoate-Cox

Pretty much as the schedule suggests, this is a welcome lunch for the delegation with some of the Fiji MPs. Everyone gets to chat over a meal. 

I’m not at this lunch. I grab a pastry instead and almost spend $6.50 on a can of Sprite. 

2:30pm - Minister for Women, Children, and Poverty Alleviation

Staff at Fiji's Ministry for Women, Children, and Poverty Alleviation meet New Zealand's Speaker Trevor Mallard

Staff at Fiji's Ministry for Women, Children, and Poverty Alleviation meet New Zealand's Speaker Trevor Mallard Photo: VNP / Daniela Maoate-Cox

The shrill ring of a phone cuts through the greetings between the NZ group and Mereseini Vuniwaqa.

Her office staff are busy at work but pause to greet the NZ MPs before they're directed into a meeting room for a presentation.

 “There’s a lot that New Zealand does for us as a Ministry and also as a Government and we’re always looking forward to such opportunities to discuss mutual areas of interest,” says Minister Vuniwaqa. 

One of the goals for the NZ delegation is to promote Pacific Women Parliamentarians and leaders and as Minister Vuniwaqa is the Minister for Women, Children, and Poverty Alleviation, a visit to her office makes sense.

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Minister for Women, Children, and Poverty Alleviation Mereseini Vuniwaqa Photo: VNP / Daniela Maoate-Cox

This isn’t the first interaction the Minister has had with New Zealand MPs, earlier in the year she visited New Zealand with other Fiji Women MPs. 

“We learnt a lot, we saw a lot and it’s actually been the impetus behind the formation of a caucus group for Women Parliamentarians in Fiji.,” she says.

“It’s a first, and I must say discussions began in New Zealand and I thank you Honourable Speaker.”

Minister Vuniwaqa says her Ministry is carrying out a national gender assessment beginning in January 2020. It’s a collation of data that’s relevant to critical areas of gender equality in Fiji. 

“New Zealand  is very instrumental in this particular assessment because New Zealand is funding it and that’s a great partnership that we have with the New Zealand Government in this respect.”

Fiji has only had two elections since the 2006 coup and many MPs are newbies so visits between the two Parliaments is important says Minister Vuniwaqa.

“A lot of us as Parliamentarians are new to the job, we’ve never been engaged in parliamentary business before, some of us haven’t even seen the inside of a parliament before so that was a great opportunity for capacity building.”

3:30pm - Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre

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Photo: VNP / Daniela Maoate-Cox

Down the stairs the delegation goes as one of the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre staff apologises for the renovation work going on. 

“This year the centre is 35 years old. It’s basically an organisation that works on women’s human rights, focused particularly on eliminating violence towards women, girls, and children,” says the Centre’s coordinator, Shamima Ali. 

Shamima Ali of the Fiji Women's Crisis Centre.

Fiji Women's Crisis Centre coordinator Shamima Ali Photo: VNP / Daniela Maoate-Cox

Its services include 24-hour crisis counselling as well as legal, medical, and other support services for women and children who are victims and survivors of violence. New Zealand supports the Centre with funding.

“New Zealand has been working well with us,” says Shamima Ali.

“Another thing that New Zealand can do is trust the already huge body of work that is being done in the Pacific and not get New Zealand NGOs to do the work but support us and listen to our needs. We’re having too much of that at the moment.”

5:30pm - Function at the Official Residence 

Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama meets New Zealand Speaker Trevor Mallard

Fiji Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama meets New Zealand Speaker Trevor Mallard Photo: VNP / Daniela Maoate-Cox

This is a drinks and nibbles mixer at the official residence of New Zealand’s High Commissioner to Fiji. 

Among the guests are diplomats from China, Cuba, and Japan, New Zealand Defence Force attaches, Fiji MPs from Government and Opposition parties, parliamentary staff, Fiji media, and an unexpected but welcome appearance from Fiji’s Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama. 

“I was looking forward to them coming,” says Bainimarama about the visiting delegation.

“I’ve never come across a visit from the Speaker before, I think this is the first one at least during my term as Prime Minister so it’s good to have him here.”

“It certainly helps because the two Speakers are here, the Members of Parliament are here, and we get to know each other which is a nice way to start things off.”

Bainimarama says he’d like to "see his friend Winston [Peters] again", puts out an invitation to the Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to visit Fiji and says he'd like to visit New Zealand again.

“Last time I was there was during the Bledisloe Cup, so I hope when I go back it will be during a rugby match,” he laughs. 

The New Zealand Speaker Trevor Mallard and the New Zealand MPs get the chance to talk to Prime Minister Bainimarama and other guests over the next couple of hours before the delegation hops into a van back to the hotel. 

Looking back at the day with Jo Hayes

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National MP Jo Hayes is one of five MPs travelling through Tonga and Fiji. Photo: VNP / Daniela Maoate-Cox

There are some issues that transcend political parties and countries to unite MPs. Throughout the Pacific, Women MPs share common ground when it comes to improving outcomes for women.

National MP Jo Hayes is co-chair of Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians New Zealand with Labour MP Louisa Wall.

Jo has a particular interest in methods which can be used to tackle gender inequality and says the highlight of the day was meeting Minister for Women Mereseini Vuniwaqa who is working on gender-based budgeting. 

“She said they would look at all the policies and see what areas would be specifically for the betterment of women.”

“That would be quite interesting, I don’t know if the Minister for Women in our Parliament can do that,” says Jo.

The sharing of these methods and ideas is an important part of these trips she says.

“We can learn from them because they do things very differently to us and so I think it’s that exchange of ideas...what we learn here we can take back to New Zealand and vice versa.”

 That’s all for day three. 

Find Day four here. To hear why these trips happen, go here.