JUSTICEfor the RESEARCH REPORT POOR MAY 2012 Promoting equity and managing conflict in development Significant land loss was a unifying factor and mobilizing force behind Vanuatu’s independence Public Disclosure Authorized movement, a key demand of which was the return of alienated land to custom landholders. The ongoing KAPTEN PLANTE SIP, WAN alienation of customary land through leasing in contemporary Vanuatu remains an important source of complaint. J4P explores these issues through in- depth locality studies which provide evidence of the continuing inequities in the current land leasing practices and their implications for group decision LEASING ON TANNA ISLAND, VANUATU ISLAND, TANNA ON LEASING making and benefit-sharing. Public Disclosure Authorized This report investigates lease practices on the island of Tanna, and findings address lease creation and administration, benefit sharing and conflict resolution patterns. The study aims to provide a better understanding of how leased land is actually used, and is intended to contribute to the development of an empirical basis to inform policy discussions about Public Disclosure Authorized land leasing in Vanuatu. Justice for the Poor is a World Bank research and development program aimed at informing, designing WAN SIP, PLANTE KAPTEN* and supporting pro-poor approaches to justice reform. LEASING ON TANNA ISLAND, VANUATU Public Disclosure Authorized ROD NIXON, LEISANDE OTTO AND RAEWYN PORTER www.worldbank.org/justiceforthepoor Tanna Reasearch Report - Revised 2012.indd 1 6/20/2012 12:02:31 PM About Justice for the Poor Justice for the Poor (J4P) is a World Bank program that engages with justice reform as a cross-cutting issue in the practice of development. Grounded in evidence-based approaches focused on the perspective of the poor and marginalized, the program aims to improve the delivery of justice services and to support sustainable and equitable development processes which manage grievance and conflict stresses effectively. Justice for the Poor research reports are aimed at development practitioners, partner governments, researchers, and others interested in justice reform. Research reports are refereed by at least two external referees who are independent of the program. Disclaimer The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of The World Bank, its Board of Executive Directors, or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. Rights and permissions The material in this work is subject to copyright. Because The World Bank encourages dissemination of its knowledge, this work may be reproduced, in whole or in part, for noncommercial purposes as long as full attribution to the work is given. For permission to photocopy or reprint any part of this work, please send a request with complete information to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA, telephone 978-750- 8400, fax 978-750-4470, Internet: www.copyright.com. All other queries on rights and licenses, including subsidiary rights, should be addressed to the Office of the Publisher, The World Bank, 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA, fax 202-522-2422, Email: [email protected]. Contact details Justice for the Poor Justice Reform Practice Group Legal Vice Presidency World Bank 1818 H Street, NW Washington, DC 20433 USA Email: [email protected] All Justice for the Poor publications are available at http://www.worldbank.org/justiceforthepoor Photos Courtesy of Raewyn Porter * Wan Sip, Plante Kapten: The oral history of Tanna likens the population of the island to the crew of a ship, all led by the captain (the Iani) and ultimately the ship‘s owner (the Iaramara). Reflecting the findings of this research report, the title ―One ship, many captains‖ conveys the reality that when it comes to contemporary land practices, custom governance is less harmonious, with substantial competition over power and access to lease benefits. Wan Sip, Plante Kapten: Land Leasing on Tanna Island, Vanuatu Rod Nixon, Leisande Otto, and Raewyn Porter May 2012 Justice for the Poor Research Report Legal Vice Presidency The World Bank This report is a product of the collaboration between the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and the World Bank on the East Asia and Pacific-Justice for the Poor (EAP-J4P) Initiative. Acknowledgements The authors are very appreciative of the participation of the respondents on Tanna Island, the support of the Nikoletan Island Council of Chiefs in logistics and dissemination of information, the assistance of the Department of Lands in accessing land lease data, the JBE Reference Group for discussion of the research design and findings, and our fantastic drivers Sam and Jack. The research team consisted of, in addition to the authors, Brigitte Olul, Douglas Kalotiti, and Ben Kaurua. Ben Kaurua‘s knowledge of Tanna and its people was especially valuable in sorting out the logistics of field work and identifying and locating lessors and lessees. The research team worked throughout August 2010 to collect lease stories to enable the analysis and interpretation of the data used in this report. Other Justice for the Poor team members who have assisted in the production of this report include Daniel Adler, Sema Joel, Sue Scott, Milena Stefanova, and Shaun Williams. Peer reviewers were Susan Farran (Senior Lecturer, Department of Law, University of Dundee), Anna Naupa (Senior Program Officer, AusAID Vanuatu), Don Paterson (Emeritus Professor of Law, University of South Pacific), and Arthur Faerua (Lawyer, Port Vila). The authors thank them all for their efforts and commitment to the publication of this report. This work is dedicated to the late Douglas Kalotiti, who enriched the Jastis Blong Evriwan's program with his extensive cultural knowledge, expansive networks, sense of humor, and generosity of spirit. Table of Contents Acronyms ........................................................................................................................................... ii Executive Summary ....................................................................................................................... iii Key Summary Findings .......................................................................................................................... iv Key Thematic Findings ........................................................................................................................... vi 1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Overview of Land Alienation in Vanuatu .................................................................................. 1 1.2 JBE Support for the Land Sector Framework .......................................................................... 3 1.3 JBE Reference Group ......................................................................................................................... 3 2. Tanna Context .............................................................................................................................. 4 2.1 History .................................................................................................................................................... 4 2.2 Economics and Demographics ...................................................................................................... 7 2.3 Social Principles of Custom Land Rights on Tanna ............................................................. 10 2.4 Traditional and Local Governance Structures ...................................................................... 11 3. Summary of Leasing on Tanna ............................................................................................. 16 3.1 Lease Registration Activity and Area of Land under Lease ............................................. 16 3.2 Land Leasing Process ..................................................................................................................... 18 3.3 Understanding of Leasing and Lease Conditions ................................................................. 21 3.4 Benefits of Leases ............................................................................................................................. 24 3.5 Lease Disputes .................................................................................................................................. 29 4. Analysis of Leasing on Tanna by Thematic Categories ................................................ 31 4.1 Commercial Tourism Leases ....................................................................................................... 32 4.2 School Leases ..................................................................................................................................... 42 4.3 Infrastructure Leases ..................................................................................................................... 48 4.4 Securing Custom Land Leases ....................................................................................................