‘Every single aspect of our self-sustainable life took a lot of blood, sweat and tears.’
Nukubati Private Island Resort says it was the first resort in Fiji to run on solar power in the early 90s.
The resort was established through director Jenny Leewai’s traditional links to Macuata, Vanua Levu, where the resort is located.
The journey to incorporate solar power energy supply at the resort was not as easy as turning on a switch. Nukubati Island Resort is a small eco resort located on the North Coast of Vanua Levu in Macuata. It is beside the Great Sea Reef.
The resort is the joint effort of Ms Leewai and her husband Peter Bourke.
“I am from Macuata, so being from the area influenced our vision to create a business that would also benefit the community,” Ms Leewai said. Conscience of Nukubati’s pristine and isolated environment, the couple were compelled to build a resort that was 100 per cent self-sufficient.
All the resort’s water is collected and harvested from the rain, while food is grown on the island or sourced from the Macuata, mainland.
“We are in a remote area of Fiji, so all our equipment and resources had to be carefully transported to Nukubati,” Ms Leewai said.
“For example, the three 250,000 litre water tanks on the island required sourcing of material, before working out logistics such as Customs and transport.
“To transport the items from our jetty with our own barge was not an easy task.”
Several other factors must be mentioned in the development of the resort, which started from scratch, Ms Leewai said.
The remote island resort has a solar farm, the proper sewerage system, a vegetable garden, and nursery. “Every single aspect of our self-sustainable life took a lot of blood, sweat and tears,” said Ms Leewai.
“It is a testament to the way we want to live here, and the influence we can have on our direct community and global community.”
What
are some
challenges
you
endured?
I might be managing a holiday destination, but I certainly am not on holiday.
It’s not easy having to hold a big role in my family and business.
Our biggest challenge, businesswise, is battling climate change. We have just experienced the biggest storm along this coastline through Tropical Cyclone Yasa which destroyed our property and our community.
Are there plans for expansion?
We plan to expand our reach to not just tourists looking for a relaxing holiday, but to the greater community of Fiji.
We specifically want to target children who grow up in urban communities and may have no access to natural experiences and traditional knowledge about our land.
Where do you see years? yourself
in
three
Making a difference in the way we contribute to the evolution of tourism
in Fiji, and passing on essential knowledge that will be shared by generations to come.
How many locals do you employ?
Nukubati employs less than 20 staff members.
They are all from the local communities, and trained on the island. We only hire local people.
Even though most of the people in our area did not finish school, we hire them based on their traditional skills and knowledge to help us operate in a remote environment.
Plans for 2021
Even though last year was terrible for business, we took this time to regroup and rebrand Nukubati.
We are unsure of when borders will reopen for tourists, so we are using this time to explore different ways to utilise this space.
My daughter and I also plan to take part in the Leadership Fiji programme. We hope it will better my skills in managing projects and forming networks.