Mount Kasi [Source: Fiji Government/ Facebook]

The landowners of the Mataqali Naveitokaki in Dawara, Wailevu, and Cakaudrove, remain committed to allowing the company to conduct mining at Mount Kasi, emphasizing that the decision will be theirs, not the government’s.

Spokesman Emori Bukadina told FBC News that the Australian company Aquilo Gold was their preferred choice, not Vatukoula Mining.

He says it is not only the mataqali choice but also a preferred agreement from the Vanua, the three provinces in Vanua Levu, and the people of the Wailevu.

Aquilo Gold is a locally registered company that was one of the eight companies that applied for the Mt Kasi mining tender.

“We had already made arrangements with the Australian company way before the government’s involvement in 2016. We have already made the commitment with them, and they have made plans for how they will provide assistance to us. It’s more than mining; it’s about the standard of living, agriculture, and environmental impact.”

Bukadina adds that the decision is for the future of Vanua and its people, as Aquilo Gold has a broader commitment to the standard of living, agriculture, and the environment, all areas in which the people continue to struggle.

“We have seen the environmental impact of the Vatukoula mining company, the working conditions, and even the bauxite in Nawailevu, Bua, and we have made the decision to partner with the Australian company because we have been talking way before government involvement in 2019.”

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has earlier stated that the government remains committed to solving the miner’s issue in Mount Kasi.

“Hopefully we’ll resolve the Mount Kasi impasse with the two competing miners, competing for the license to continue mining in the area. Right now it’s with the Lands Department and the iTaukei Affairs.”

The Kasi mining site is the oldest in Fiji, and ever since the end of the exploring work by New Crest Australia in 2015, the site has been closed while the land has been returned to the landowners since 2019.