Costs hit home ownership

Fiji needs a 10-year national housing plan as the rise in construction costs, limited professional capacity and material supply shortages have been pushing home ownership further out of reach for the majority.

Nadi Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Lawrence Kumar made the call during the 2026–2027 national budget public consultation at Namaka Public School in Nadi on Wednesday evening.

Mr Kumar said the combination of high consultancy fees, escalating building costs and weak professional development pathways was inflating the price of housing and restricting access for ordinary Fijians.

“If you pay a consultant $20,000 for the design of a three-bedroom house, how would you expect the cost of construction to be?” Mr Kumar said.

He said the biggest opportunity was in the $200,000 to $300,000 housing segment, which he described as underserved but a significant market.

“There’s a huge amount of market. It’s a huge number of people in that area looking at this,” he said.

Mr Kumar is urging Government and the private sector to jointly implement a 10-year master plan to deliver affordable housing.

“If each year we are able to push 1000 homes out, then in 10 years we will have 10,000 homes, affordable to the people, to each citizen of this country,” he said.

He also called for stronger investment in engineering and technical upskilling, saying long-term cost control depends on professional standards and continuous development.

“Government needs to step in now and ensure our younger generations are going through continuous professional development so after 15 or 20 years they are professional engineers in Fiji,” he said.

Minister for Finance, Commerce and Business Development Esrom Immanuel acknowledged the widening supply gap in the housing sector.

“In terms of affordable homes, our supply is not meeting the demand,” Mr Immanuel said.

The minister said data also showed a shift in buyer behaviour, with many people prioritising buying cars over homes or purchasing land, reinforcing the need for a coordinated national response to house ownership.

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