A series of discussions with realtors and sales staff will soon be underway by the Real Estate Agents Licensing Board (REALB) in the coming weeks.
“Talanoa sessions will commence again in the next two weeks. REALB requests that agents- with their salespersons if they could- attend these sessions,” Board acting CEO, Virisila Tuimanu emphasized.
“Talanoas are usually up to 3 hours and are fully funded. It allows you the opportunity to get educated on something totally new and also educate a colleague by sharing your experiences and thoughts.”
She noted that these would also be mandatory for all real estate agents.
“In light of a recent directive from the Hon. Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism (Faiyaz Koya), all 2018 sessions from now onwards are mandatory for agents [and salespersons] to attend. The Board may consider notifications from persons that may not be able to attend because of other urgent commitment that clashes with the given dates.”
Tuimanu said a compliance team from the Fiji National Provident Fund would also be present at these upcoming sessions in Suva, Nadi and Lautoka.
Public meetings have also been underway by other statutory bodies such as the I Taukei Land Trust Board, which held consultations in various parts of the country alongside teams from the Ministry of I Taukei Affairs and the I Taukei Land & Fisheries Commission in parts of Fiji’s Western division.
The TLTB Board has recently laid out efforts to boost internal governance through three sub-committees to look into key areas: Human Resource, IT and Audit & Risk, with a statement noting that its internal governance structure seeks to expound how the structures, policies and practises of the Board integrate.
“The Corporate Governance Framework of the TLTB is aimed at ensuring that the objectives of the Board are always met with economy and efficiency, and that in the process of meeting those objectives, the broader aspects of corporate responsibility are at all times, maintained.”
Members of the Board Human Resource Committee are (chairman) Lawrence Tikaram, Isikeli Tikoduadua and Wainikiti Bogidrau. Tikoduadua also sits on the Board IT Committee (as chairman), which includes Ro Epeli Mataitini and Ratu Tevita Momoedonu. The latter chairs the Board Governance, Audit & Risk Committee, whose other members are Ratu Savenaca Ritova, Alipate Radrodro and a fourth affiliate yet to be confirmed.
“The purposes of these sub-committees are for Board members to assist in the governance, administration and control aspects of the Board, to strengthen and uphold good governance practises, for effective administration and management, to create accountability for Management towards the Board Sub-committees and to receive constructive advice and critiques from the Board Committees.”
The TLTB has also recently confirmed that beginning this year, all their regional offices will have their own Land Availability Teams to package all available land into ready-to-lease blocks.