The winning organisations of the 2025 Fiji Business Excellence Awards with His Lordship, the Acting President of the Republic of Fiji, Honourable Salesi Temo.
What does it take to build an organisation that performs better, adapts to change, and continues to grow? For the Fiji National University’s (FNU) National Training and Productivity Centre (NTPC), the answer begins with a commitment to business excellence.
As Fiji prepares to celebrate the 27th Fiji Business Excellence Awards (FBEA), NTPC is calling on organisations across the country to embrace the internationally recognised Business Excellence Framework, as a practical tool to strengthen their operations, lift productivity and achieve sustainable growth.
For nearly three decades, the awards have provided a platform to recognise organisations that are raising the bar through strong leadership, effective management, and a commitment to delivering better results. They have also helped build a national culture that values quality, productivity, and organisational improvement.
Manager Quality Awards, Viliame Waqalaivi
The Manager Quality Awards, Viliame Waqalaivi, said the programme had come a long way since its introduction, with participating organisations demonstrating greater confidence and maturity in their approach to business excellence.
“I have witnessed the Fiji Business Excellence Awards grow over many years, including the introduction of the prestigious President’s Award in 2004. Since then, we have seen more organisations progress through the Achievement and Prize Award levels to eventually attain President’s Award status.”
“That progression tells us something important. It shows organisations are becoming more mature in the way they operate and are establishing themselves as role models for others embarking on their own business excellence journey,” Mr Waqalaivi said
He also stressed that the value of the programme goes well beyond receiving an award. At its heart is a framework that helps organisations take a closer look at how they work, where they are performing well and what they can do better.
“The framework is systems-based, meaning it looks at the processes behind everything an organisation does. From leadership and strategic planning to customer focus, workforce, operations, and results, it provides organisations with a comprehensive yardstick to measure their performance and identify opportunities for improvement,” Mr Waqalaivi further stated.
He explained that the framework also helped organisations assess whether productivity initiatives, such as Quality Circles, benchmarking and workplace improvement programmes, were making a real difference to their operations and delivering measurable results.
An encouraging development this year has been the growing participation of civil service organisations, demonstrating that the principles of business excellence are just as relevant to the public sector as they are to private businesses.
“It is encouraging to see more government ministries and public sector organisations embracing the framework. The principles of business excellence apply to every organisation, regardless of industry or sector, because strong leadership, effective systems and a commitment to continuous improvement are universal,” Mr Waqalaivi highlighted.
Looking ahead to the 30th anniversary of the awards, NTPC wants to bring even more organisations into the programme, particularly small businesses, cottage industries, and emerging enterprises that may not have considered participating before.
Mr Waqalaivi expressed that the aim was to make business excellence an achievable goal for organisations of every size, giving smaller enterprises the opportunity to strengthen their foundations and prepare for future growth.
“Our vision is to ensure that business excellence is accessible to organisations of every size. We want to work alongside smaller organisations, helping them understand the framework, identify areas for improvement, and build the confidence needed to eventually participate in the awards,” he said.
He added that NTPC was also keen to encourage organisations to look beyond established quality practices and embrace innovation as they respond to changing markets, customer expectations, and new opportunities.
“Our aspiration is not only to celebrate excellence but to cultivate it. By supporting organisations to innovate, improve and grow, we are helping build a stronger, more productive, and globally competitive Fiji,” Mr Waqalaivi reiterated.
For organisations wondering whether they are ready to take part, Mr Waqalaivi said there was no need to have everything figured out before starting. The journey towards business excellence begins with understanding where an organisation stands and being willing to make improvements.
“We do not expect organisations to be perfect before they begin. Our role is to walk alongside them, to understand their current practices, conduct self-assessments, identify opportunities for improvement, and provide guidance until they are ready,” he shared.
Organisations interested in learning more about the Fiji Business Excellence Framework or taking their first steps towards business excellence are encouraged to contact the NTPC Quality Awards team via fba@fnu.ac.fj.
The 27th Fiji Business Excellence Awards will be held on November 14 at the Sheraton Resort and Spa in Denarau, Nadi.