The rules of the game: Legal and political influences over land access in Honiara

Foukona, Joseph D. (2017) The rules of the game: Legal and political influences over land access in Honiara. Development Bulletin, 78 . pp. 21-24. ISSN 1035-1132

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Abstract

This paper explores contemporary land tenure complexities, the challenges associated
with them and how they have been addressed in Honiara. Particularly relevant to
land allocations in Honiara has been the Commissioner of Lands and the Land
Board. Prior to the establishment of a Land Board in 2014, the Commissioner of
Lands had discretionary administrative powers to determine people’s access to
urban land in Honiara, including when to exercise force as a process of exclusion
(Hall et al 2011; Fraenkel 2004). I argue that the way the Commissioner of Lands
exercised administrative power allowed some people control over access to urban
land while others had to pursue access through different strategies, for example
through leveraging claims of indigeneity (Allen 2012). I then examine the changes to
the land laws which allowed for the establishment of a Land Board and how this has
contributed to addressing access to urban land in Honiara.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > G Geography (General) J Political Science > JF Political institutions (General) K Law > K Law (General)
Divisions:	Faculty of Arts, Law and Education (FALE) > School of Law
Depositing User:	Joseph Foukona
Date Deposited:	16 Nov 2017 07:07
Last Modified:	16 Nov 2017 07:07
URI:	https://repository.usp.ac.fj/id/eprint/10274

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