Stronger disaster response and faster emergency support for the Northern Division will be boosted with the construction of a new Commissioner Northern Division Warehouse in Labasa.
The $3.4 million project is jointly funded by the Governments of Fiji and New Zealand under the Grant Funding Arrangements, with the Government of New Zealand contributing $2 million and the Government of Fiji providing the remaining $1.4 million.
Minister for Rural and Maritime Development and Disaster Management, Mosese Bulitavu officiated the groundbreaking ceremony, describing it as a major investment in strengthening disaster preparedness and emergency response across the Northern Division.
Bulitavu highlighted that the Northern Division has experienced some of Fiji's most destructive disasters, including Tropical Cyclones Yasa and Ana, which exposed the challenges of operating from a warehouse located in a flood-prone area.
He says the new facility will address those challenges by providing a safer, more resilient location for disaster operations.
The Ministry says that once completed, the warehouse will enable the Government to pre-position emergency relief supplies, including food rations, non-food items and critical response equipment, allowing faster deployment of assistance before and after disasters.
They say the facility will also provide secure storage to protect relief supplies from flood damage while improving logistics coordination and reducing delays during emergency operations.
In addition to the warehouse, the project includes the construction of a dedicated Divisional Emergency Operations Centre, providing the Commissioner Northern Division and emergency response agencies with a purpose-built command centre capable of remaining operational during severe weather events and flooding.
The development will also include an accommodation block for civil servants supporting logistics and emergency operations, ensuring key personnel can continue to coordinate disaster response activities when access to existing government facilities is disrupted.
Bulitavu acknowledged the continued partnership between the Governments of Fiji and New Zealand, saying the project reflected shared commitment to strengthening resilience and protecting vulnerable communities from the increasing impacts of natural disasters.
Construction of the new Commissioner Northern Division Warehouse is expected to take about 56 weeks to complete, depending on weather conditions and other unforeseen delays.
