The Fiji National University (FNU) discussed trade, tourism, education and bilateral ties with the New Zealand High Commissioner to Fiji, Her Excellency Charlotte Darlow during a special chat session organised at the Nasinu Campus.

The discussions were part of the inaugural Dean’s Coffee with Leaders series organised by the College of Business, Hospitality and Tourism Studies (CBHTS).

The New Zealand High Commissioner to Fiji, Her Excellency Charlotte Darlow began in her role at the end of last year and shared briefly on the Commission’s work since the beginning of this year.

“I arrived in December and of course, a cyclone happened, flooding happened, volcanic eruptions happened and we ended up having to do quite a bit of the coordination from here because New Zealand happened to be the only one who had communications into Tonga,” she said.

From left CBHTS Dean Prof Arun Elias, NZ High Commisioner to Fiji Her Excellency Mrs Charlotte Darlow and FNU Acting VC Dr William May.

High Commissioner Darlow also highlighted the importance of maintaining the relationship between Fiji and New Zealand.

“If I look at the New Zealand – Fiji relationship, there are some very strong sets of relationships and work we do together that people in Fiji and New Zealand probably never see because it happens in New York or Geneva,” she commented.

“As New Zealand and Fiji rebuild from COVID, we need to keep investing in our trade relationships. Many people may have the perception that it (trade relations) is all tourism or services, and that’s simply not true.”

“The two are key parts of the trade relationship from a bilateral perspective, but it is much broader and diverse than that and much more resilient as a result.”

HE Darlow also highlighted the importance of sustainable tourism in the wake of COVID-19 and encouraged FNU to strengthen its local and regional collaborations in learning, teaching and research.

FNU Acting Vice-Chancellor, Dr William May added that the University was eager to resume events on-campus as students returned for face-to-face learning after two years of pandemic restrictions.

“Today’s event is the culmination of discussions ignited by the CBHTS Dean, Professor Elias, weeks ago, and this morning we have Her Excellency, the New Zealand High Commissioner to Fiji – Mrs Charlotte Darlow, here with us to share more on the bilateral relations between Fiji and New Zealand in areas that include education, trade and tourism,” Dr May said.

“As the national University, FNU also has established working partnerships with our New Zealand counterparts in learning, teaching and research, and we look forward to their longstanding support and enhancement of these in the future.”

“Having said this, today’s event also underpins one of the key Pillars of our Strategic Plan 2021-2026 – and that is, to provide a positive and enriching Student Experience.”

“I am sure our students and staff in attendance and joining via Zoom were able to engage and learn from the chat session.”

CBHTS Dean, Professor Arun Elias added that the College aims to conduct similar sessions over the coming months with other industry stakeholders and partners in the business, hospitality and tourism sectors.

“As mentioned by our Acting Vice-Chancellor, this chat series aligns with the University’s Strategic Plan. In addition, we also have our College priorities, one of which is to strengthen and enrich our industry and stakeholder engagement,” Prof Elias said.