Fiji New Zealand Business Council

Today, the Fiji New Zealand Business Council Executive, led by President James Trusler , paid their respects to our former Patron, His Excellency Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, as he lay in state.

He will be deeply and dearly missed.

Message from the President:

The Fiji New Zealand Business Council was deeply saddened by the passing of our Patron, Ratu Epeli Nailatikau.

Ratu Epeli was a strong and steadfast supporter of our Council and a passionate advocate for promoting trade and enduring friendships between Fiji and New Zealand.

He was always among the first to confirm his attendance at our members’ networking events and never failed to bring warmth and humour with his presence.

The entire Fiji New Zealand Business Council family will miss him greatly.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time.

We will honour our Patron’s legacy by continuing the work of the Council with our members, businesses, and communities.

May he rest in peace.

Ni moce toka mada Ratu.

Ilyaz Koya
Cama Raimuria
Namz N Mandz
Tia Punja
Anare Manulevu
Fiji New Zealand Business Council
New Zealand High Commission, Suva, Fiji

FNZBC Holds Its 35th Annual General Meeting
Thursday, 5 March 2026 | NZ High Commissioner’s Residence

Bula vinaka & Kia ora,

The Fiji New Zealand Business Council successfully held its 35th Annual General Meeting last Thursday at the New Zealand High Commissioner’s Residence in Suva.

We were honoured to be joined by our Patron Ratu Epeli Nailatikau, FNZBC Past Presidents, Life Members, and representatives from the New Zealand High Commission.

A special welcome was extended to New Zealand’s new High Commissioner, H.E. Greg Andrews, who attended his first FNZBC AGM.

The AGM reflected on a strong and productive 2025 year, with trade between Fiji and New Zealand reaching NZD $1.4 billion as of September 2025, and FNZBC membership growing , reaffirming our position as Fiji’s largest Business Council.

We also acknowledged the impactful work of our partners, recognised the continued support of our sponsors, and reflected on the many successful events delivered throughout the year—including networking functions, trade and immigration updates, leadership programmes, and farewell events for outgoing New Zealand officials.

A heartfelt vinaka vakalevu to all members for your continued support and engagement. We look forward to another year of strengthening collaboration, building connections, and progressing toward the $2B bilateral trade goal by 2030.

FNZBC – Connecting People, Strengthening Partnerships, Growing Trade.🇫🇯🤝🇳🇿

"Last Thursday, we bid farewell to High Commissioner HE Charlotte Darlow at our Christmas cocktail event at Holiday Inn!

We celebrated her incredible contributions to Fiji-NZ relations, including championing our 2 billion trade target, strengthening Duavata partnerships, supporting Fiji's health sector, and advocating for the arts & cultural sector. Thanks for her dedication, HE Darlow!

James Trusler
Anare Manulevu
Cama Raimuria
Ilyaz Koya
Tia Punja

"

Last night, Thursday 4 September 2025 the Fiji New Zealand Business Council (FNZBC) hosted a cocktail reception at the Royal Suva Yacht Club’s Bure Bar to warmly welcome our new Trade Commissioner, Cath Cooksley-Little, and bid a fond farewell to Alex Shahryar-Davies- Deputy NZ High Commissioner.

It was a wonderful evening of connection, reflection, and looking ahead to the exciting opportunities that lie ahead in strengthening Fiji–New Zealand business relations.
𝑭𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒔.
New Zealand High Commission, Suva, Fiji

The Fiji New Zealand Business Council looks forward to hosting an evening of significance on September 4th at the Royal Suva Yacht Club’s Bure Bar.

We will officially welcome New Zealand’s new Trade Commissioner, Cath Cooksley-Little, while also extending our gratitude and bidding farewell to Deputy High Commissioner, Alex Shahryar-Davies, for his contribution to strengthening the Fiji–New Zealand relationship.

This occasion will bring together business leaders, partners, and stakeholders to celebrate enduring ties and further dialogue that supports trade and investment between our two nations.

📅 Date: 4 September 2025
⏰ Time: 6:00pm
📍 Venue: Royal Suva Yacht Club – Bure Bar

Ilyaz Koya 𝑭𝒐𝒍𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒔.

🌟 Strengthening Fiji–NZ Business Partnerships!

Our Breakfast Event on Friday, 18 July 2025 at Novotel Lami was a resounding success – with over 100 attendees from across the business community.

We were honoured to host Fiji’s Deputy Prime Minister Hon. Manoa Kamikamica and New Zealand Minister of State Trade and Investment Hon. Nicola Grigg.

A key highlight was the presentation of the $2B investment proposal aimed at boosting Fiji–NZ trade and investment – as featured in the Fiji Times.

Vinaka vakalevu to all who joined us in building stronger commercial ties and unlocking opportunities for growth! 🙌

$2b roadmap – Boost for Fiji-NZ trade MEMBERS of Fiji New Zealand Business Council (FNZBC) formally presented their detailed roadmap of achieving $2billion worth of trade with New Zealand by 2030 to the […]

In 2024, Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon and Fiji’s Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka set a target to reach NZ$2 billion in annual trade between our two nations by 2030.

To support achieving this goal, the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) is asking New Zealand and Fijian businesses directly what non-tariff barriers (NTBs) they face in these markets.

A NTB is any restriction or regulation, other than a tariff, that is used to control the amount of trade across a border. These barriers can make it harder or more expensive to import or export goods, even if there is no tariff in place.

We are seeking this information to determine whether there are practical steps the New Zealand Government can take to help make trade between New Zealand and Fiji easier.

This survey is primarily designed to seek information and views from businesses trading between New Zealand and Fiji, but we are interested in a wide range of views.

Any information disclosed in the following survey (or emailed directly to MFAT at [email protected]) will be used for the purposes of identifying NTBs and making recommendations to MFAT and the New Zealand Government.

Data collected may be shared in anonymised summaries in some public reporting. Should an instance occur where advocating for a specific change within the New Zealand Government may require sharing personal information with other New Zealand agencies, permission to do so will be sought from those businesses in writing before reaching out to NZ agencies.

To submit your feedback, complete this short survey before 25 July ➡️https://lnkd.in/gh-DZHJW

75 attend FNZBC breakfast forum SEVENTY-FIVE members of the Fiji-New Zealand Business Council (FNZBC) attended yesterday's FNZBC breakfast forum in Lami, with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade Manoa Kamikamica […]