I went to Fiji in August this year and did some research for a story I was writing about marine-based community projects over there assisted by NGOs such as CORAL, WCS and CI.

A friend of mine, Heidi Williams, (who I have known since I was 9!) is the Fiji field rep for CORAL and while I was there we visited the Kabulau District on Vanua Levu. About 10 years ago, 11 villages in this district decided to work together to ensure their local reef survives as a sustainable resource for future generations. They nominated one person per village for a resource committee and they meet around six times per year. A couple of years later, WCS arrived and provided vital biological data for the community and CORAL soon after began educating the diving (tourist) operations about the reef. It was fantastic to see such a successful project in action and I believe others (including Kiwis) would benefit from knowing about it.

So, I am very keen to work with diving communities in New Zealand and the South Pacific, to enhance knowledge and awareness of our marine life and the importance of this.

Rachel.