solomon islands: auki town profile

7/30/2019 Solomon Islands: Auki Town Profile

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SOLOMON ISLANDS:

AUKI URBAN PROFILE


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Copyright United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), 2012

All rights reserved

United Nations Human Settlements Programme publications can be obtained from

UN-Habitat Regional and Information Offices or directly from:

P.O. Box 30030, GPO 00100 Nairobi, Kenya.

Fax: + (254 20) 762 4266/7

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: http://www.unhabitat.org

Te Auki Urban Prole was prepared by ony Hou and Donald Kudu with information collected through interviews withkey urban stakeholders in Auki. We wish to thank them for their time, efforts and contributions toward this report. Tisproject and report was coordinated by Peter Buka and Stanley Wale, the Under Secretary of the Ministry of Lands, Housingand Survey (MLHS) with constructive inputs provided by Sarah Mecartney, UN-Habitat Pacic Program Manager based inSuva, Fiji.

Tis report was also managed by Kerstin Sommer, Alain Grimard, David Kithakye, Mathias Spaliviero, and Doudou Mbyein Nairobi.

HS Number: HS/069/12E

ISBN Number(Volume): 978-92-1-132484-6

DISCLAIMER

Te designation employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any

opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory,city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries, or regarding its economic systemor degree of development. Te analysis, conclusions and recommendations of this report do not necessarily reect theviews of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), the Governing Council of UN-Habitat or itsMember States. Any weaknesses of this report remain with the authors. Excerpts from this publication may be reproducedwithout authorization, on condition that the source is indicated.

Excerpts from this publication may be reproduced without authorisation, on condition that the source is indicated.

Photo credits: UN-Habitat

ACKNOWLEDGEMENS

Design and Layout: Florence Kuria


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FOREWORDS 5

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 7

BACKGROUND 9

GOVERNANCE 13

INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS AND HOUSING 15

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 18

SECURITY AND RESILIENCE 20

LAND AND PLANNING 22

PROJECT PROPOSALS

GOVERNANCE 26

INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS AND HOUSING 28

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 30

SECURITY AND RESILIENCE 32

LAND AND PLANNING 34

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SOLOMON ISLANDS:AUKI URBAN PROFILE

UNITED NATIONS HUMAN SETTLEMENTS PROGRAMME


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FOREWO

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As part of our drive to address this crisis, UN-Habitat

is working with the European Commission and theBrussels-based Secretariat of the African, Caribbeanand Pacic (ACP) Group to support sustainable urbandevelopment. Given the urgent and diverse needs, wefound it necessary to develop a tool for rapid assessmentand strategic planning to guide immediate, mid andlong-term interventions. And here we have it in theform of this series of publications.

Te Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme is basedon the policy dialogue between UN-Habitat, the ACPSecretariat and the European Commission which datesback to the year 2002. When the three parties met atUN-Habitat headquarters in June 2009, more than 200

delegates from over 50 countries approved a resoundingcall on the international community to pay greaterattention to these urbanization matters, and to extendthe slum upgrading programme to all countries in theACP Group.

It is worth recalling here how grateful we are that theEuropean Commissions 9th European DevelopmentFund for ACP countries provided EUR 4 million (USD5.7 million at June 2011 rates) to enable UN-Habitatto conduct the programme which now serves 59 citiesin 23 African countries, and more than 20 cities in sixPacic, and four Caribbean countries.

Indeed, since its inception in 2008, the slum upgradingprogramme has achieved the condence of partners atcity and country level in Africa, the Caribbean and inthe Pacic. It is making a major contribution aimedat helping in urban poverty reduction efforts, as eachreport in this series shows."

I wish to express my gratitude to the EuropeanCommission and the ACP Secretariat for theircommitment to this slum upgrading programme. Ihave every condence that the results outlined in thisprole, and others, will serve to guide the developmentof responses for capacity building and investments inthe urban sector.

Further, I would like to thank each Country eam fortheir continued support to this process which is essentialfor the successful implementation of the ParticipatorySlum Upgrading Programme.

FOREWORDS

Dr. Joan Clos

Executive Director, UN-Habitat

According to

research publishedin UN-Habitats1agship report, TeState of the WorldsCities 2010-2011,all developingregions, includingthe African,Caribbean andPacic states, willhave more peopleliving in urban thanrural areas by theyear 2030. Withhalf the worlds

population already living in urban areas, the challengeswe face in the battle against urban poverty, our quest forcities without slums, for cities where women feel safer,for inclusive cities with power, water and sanitation,and affordable transport, for better planned cities, andfor cleaner, greener cities is daunting.

But as this series shows, there are many interestingsolutions and best practices to which we can turn. Afterall, the gures tell us that during the decade 2000 to2010, a total of 227 million people in the developingcountries moved out of slum conditions. In otherwords, governments, cities and partner institutions have

collectively exceeded the slum target of the MillenniumDevelopment Goals twice over and ten years ahead ofthe agreed 2020 deadline.

Asia and the Pacic stood at the forefront of successfulefforts to reach the slum target, with all governmentsin the region improving the lives of an estimated 172million slum dwellers between 2000 and 2010.

In sub-Saharan Africa though, the total proportionof the urban population living in slums has decreasedby only 5 per cent (or 17 million people). Ghana,Senegal, Uganda, and Rwanda were the most successfulcountries in the sub-region, reducing the proportions of

slum dwellers by over one-fth in the last decade.Some 13 per cent of the progress made towards theglobal slum target occurred in Latin America and theCaribbean, where an estimated 30 million people havemoved out of slum conditions since the year 2000.

Yet, UN-Habitat estimates conrm that the progressmade on the slum target has not been sufficient tocounter the demographic expansion in informalsettlements in the developing world. In this sense,efforts to reduce the numbers of slum dwellers areneither satisfactory nor adequate.

1 UN-Habitat - United Nations Human Settlements Programme


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Urbanization in the Solomon Islands is a relatively

recent phenomenon, taking place in little over 50 years.However, its share of population has been growingrapidly. Te 2009 census revealed that almost 20percent (102,030) of the countrys total populationlived in urban and peri-urban areas. With an annualurban growth rate of 4.7 percent, it is projected that by2020, about 26 percent of the countrys population willbe living in urban areas if the present trend continues.

Urban growth is often negatively perceived due tochallenges that come with it such as widespreadunemployment, high crime rates, environmentaldegradation, and poorly serviced informal settlementsthat continue to thrive. Tese trends have been

exacerbated by weak planning, management andgovernance and the tendency for national polices toprioritize rural over urban. Forty-ve MPs in the ftymember national parliament are representing ruralareas. It is hoped that this Urban Proling study willassist in educating policy makers and members of thepublic at large of the dual and supporting relationshipbetween urban and rural.

Auki, the provincial headquarter of Malaita province,serves as the main administrative, educational andeconomic centre for the province. It has a populationof just over 5,100 with an average density of 468 peopleper square kilometre. Te last National Census (2009)

registered the towns growth at a rate of 11.6 percent perannum between the two censuses. Tis rate is alarmingwhen considered together with the peri-urban areas ofthe outskirts of Auki and poses a critical concern forthe Malaita Provincial Authority (MPA). Tis is dueto the fact that Malaita Provincial Authority lacks thetechnical and administrative capacity and resources toeffectively manage the increasing rapid urban growthand related issues it presents.

Te Urban Proling executed by UN-Habitat through

the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Survey is timely asthe Malaita Provincial Authority begins to reassess andintroduce policies on improving service delivery in townsand embarks on a regional growth centre policy. TeAuki Prole will no doubt assist the Malaita ProvincialAuthority to identify key urban issues to be includedin the overall provincial plans. Te ultimate aim is tohighlight issues of critical importance to making Auki aliveable town, alleviate urban poverty at the town leveland improve service delivery, particularly through theprovision of better solid waste management, sanitation,public amenities, education, health, and informalsettlement upgrading. Te Urban Prole has identieda number of key institutional and capacity issues,which the Malaita Provincial Authority through its ownresources as well as the Solomon Islands Governmentand donors can support.

Te Malaita Provincial Authority Executive is currentlydesigning a programme to embark on designing itstown development strategies and activities to promoteand improve urban management and planning.

On behalf of the Malaita Provincial Authority, allresidents of Auki and the province as a whole, I herebyfully endorse the Auki own Prole and look forward tofurther intervention from UN-Habitat, donors and theSolomon Islands Government to support the efforts

and improve the image and development of Auki.

Edwin Suibaea

Province Premier

Malaita Province


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EXECUTIVESUMMARY

INTRODUCTION

Urbanization has improved the standard of living formany people in the country as it often brings in greaterwealth and economic opportunities for the nationalpopulation. But, unless these opportunities are wellmanaged through balanced growth policies, it can leadsto an increase in urban poverty, a rise in socio-economicinequality and informal settlements poorly served withbasic services. In recognition of the need to betteraddress these issues, the Ministry of Lands and Survey(MLHS), has requested UN-Habitat for support toundertake the urban proling in the Solomon Islands.

Urban Proling embraces a sequence of actions taken to

assess development needs and capacity issues at nationaland local levels. It employs a participatory approachwhere priorities are agreed on through city consultationprocesses and has been implemented in over 30countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacic, underthe Participatory Slum Upgrading Programme (PSUP).

Te urban proling consists of three parts: (1) the useof localised questionnaires to collect information andto seek opinions from senior representatives of public,private and popular institutions at national and citylevels, examining structures and processes in selectedthematic areas in order to suggest priority interventionsand to develop brief proposals through broad-

based city consultations, (2) undertake prefeasibilitystudies on selected priority projects, and (3) projectimplementation, linking them to potential capitalinvestment opportunities.

PSUP in Solomon Islands encompasses a national proleas well as proles for Honiara and Gizo, each publishedas a separate report. Tis is the Auki Urban Prole,which following provincial level discussions, it wasagreed to focus on ve key areas; governance, informalsettlements and housing, urban-rural economy, urbansafety and resilience, and land and planning.

BACKGROUNDAuki was set up in 1909 by the British administrationand is located approximately 100 kilometres fromHoniara, the capital of Solomon Islands. Auki servesas the main economic link between Honiara and therural villages in the highlands of Malaita. It has beengrowing rapidly over the recent decades to become thethird largest town after Honiara and Gizo. Auki is theprovincial headquarters for Malaita province and had apopulation of 5,105 in 2009. Te town is always busyduring the day as people from the rural areas comeand access services provided in Auki. Auki town isthe home of four traditional villages and a number of

scattered pockets of informal settlements poorly servedwith water, garbage collection, sanitation, and power.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Basic urban service provision is a major challenge in the

town. Public transport infrastructure also needs to beimproved in the town.

Te key challenges for Auki authorities are; goodgovernance, effective urban planning, management ofthe informal settlements, land mobilization to matchthe demands of the growing town population, and theprovision of basic urban services to all residents of thetown.

GOVERNANCE

Te Provincial Government based in Auki comprises

of 33 elected members who make up the MalaitaProvincial Authority1 acting as the national governmentagent responsible for the Province and its towns. It ismandated to provide a range of basic services, includingeducation and health. Te Malaita Provincial Authorityis responsible to the national government throughthe Ministry of Provincial Government (MPG). TeMalaita Provincial Authority has historically had weaktechnical and administrative capacity and weak publicsector planning and nancial management to dealwith the challenges of rapid urban growth. Politicalinterference in planning, diversion of funds to non-budgetary expenditures and lack of participatoryprocesses also contributed to poor service delivery.

However, recently the Malaita Provincial Authorityhas beneted from the Provincial GovernmentStrengthening Project (PGSP) under the Ministry ofProvincial Government and Institutional Strengtheningaimed at strengthening and improving its nancialmanagement and institutional capacity. Internal revenuecollection has gradually improved, management systemsenhanced and a bi-monthly city wide garbage collectionhas been set in place. Nevertheless there is still a needfor the Malaita Provincial Authority to ensure effectiveand equitable distribution of basic urban services toall suburbs, especially to the informal settlements andimprove its technical and management capacity.

INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS AND

HOUSING

Auki has a number of scattered pockets of informalsettlements within the town and four peri-urban villageslocated on the edge on the town boundary. Tey arecharacterized by lack of planning, overcrowding, pooraccess to basic urban services such as water, electricityand garbage collection, and poor sanitation. Informalsettlement residents rely heavily on informal economicactivities for their livelihood Te Malaita Provincial

Authority does not have a policy to manage the growthof informal settlements and is unable to meet the

1 Malaita provincial authority and Auki authority are used interchangeably hereand refers to the elected government, which is headed by the Premier.


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EXECUTIV

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increasing demand for basic urban services because it ispoorly equipped and under resourced.

THE URBAN-RURAL ECONOMY

Te Malaita Provincial Authority depends on small,

weak and limited economic activities for its internalrevenue. Te internal revenue collection is poor andmade worse by non-payment of fees and inadequatestaffing. Te Malaita Provincial Authority relies heavilyon the national government grant for its budgetarysupport, which is insufficient to meet the basic operationof the town. Te challenge for the Malaita ProvincialAuthority is to improve internal revenue collection andbuild a wider sustainable economic base and a politicalenvironment that allows the private sector to ourish.

SECURITY AND RESILIENCE

Te law and order situation in Auki, once describedas being peaceful and quiet, is under threat becauseof the rapid population growth rate and increase incrime relating to consumption of beer and homemadealcohol (kwaso). Te Royal Solomon Islands PoliceForce (RSIPF) in Auki works under poor conditionssuch as insufficient logistical support from the centralgovernment, inadequate staff, poor housing for staff, andlack of community cooperation to ght against crime.However, the issue of staff housing is currently beingaddressed by the New Zealand Agency for InternationalDevelopment and the Regional Assistance Mission toSolomon Islands (RAMSI) through the Ministry ofPolice and National Security Strengthening Projects.

Climate change and natural disasters are increasinglya concern in Auki due to the increased frequency and

intensity of bad weather and natural disasters (stormsurges, earthquakes and ooding). In spite of thisthreat, people continue to construct houses on steepgradients, along river banks, and in swampy and low-lying areas. Te Malaita Provincial Authority lacks dataon the number of households living in such vulnerableareas. It is vital that the Authority and the national

government conduct a vulnerability assessment inthese areas and develop mitigation plans. It is alsovital that the Malaita Provincial Authority relocate themost vulnerable settlements and enforces developmentcontrol guidelines more effectively (which preventsbuilding houses on steep slopes and near river banksand swampy areas).

LAND AND PLANNING

Auki is located on 109 hectres of land, and there is anapparent shortage of land as most developable state landhas been allocated, (although much of this remains to

be developed). Te public perception of current landadministrative processes as corrupt and poorly managedprevails. Land speculation and illegal occupation ofstate land and properties are on the rise as people takeadvantage of a weak land administration.

Auki town suffers from lack of effective planning asevidenced in poor roadside parking, drainage andthe rising growth of scattered pockets of informalhouses. Lack of resources and skilled manpower havecontinued to hamper effective planning. Te keychallenge for physical planners and policy makers isto improve planning for the town and systematicallyaddress urban development that is acceptable to the

provincial authority, and avoid conicting land usesand unregulated housing development.


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AUKIURBANPROFILE-BACKGROUN

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BACKGROUND

INTRODUCTION

Urban Proling

Te Urban Proling consists of an accelerated, actionoriented assessment of urban conditions, focusing onpriority needs, capacity gaps, and existing institutionalresponses at local and national levels. Te purpose ofthe study is to develop urban poverty reduction policiesat local, national, and regional levels, through anassessment of needs and response mechanisms, and asa contribution to the wider ranging implementation ofthe Millennium Development Goals.

Te study is based on the analysis of existing data and aseries of interviews with all relevant urban stakeholders,including local communities and institutions, civilsociety, the private sector, development partners,academics, and others. Te consultation typicallyresults in a collective agreement on priorities and theirdevelopment into proposed capacity building and otherprojects that are all aimed at urban poverty reduction.

Te urban proling is being implemented in 30 ACP2countries, offering an opportunity for comparativeregional analysis. Once completed, this series ofstudies will provided a framework for central and localauthorities and urban actors, as well as donors andexternal support agencies.

METHODOLOGY

Te Participatory Slum Upgrading Programmeconsists of three phases:

Phase one consists of the rapid proling of urbanconditions at national and local levels. Te capital city,a medium-sized city, and a small town are selectedand studied to provide a representative sample ineach country. Te analysis focuses on eight themes;governance, local economic development, land, gender,environment, slums and shelter, basic urban services,and waste management. Information is collected

through standard interviews and discussions withinstitutions and key informants, in order to assessthe strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats(SWO) of the national and local urban set-ups. Tendings are presented and rened during city andnational consultation workshops and consensus isreached regarding priority interventions. National andcity reports synthesise the information collected andoutline ways forward to reduce urban poverty throughholistic approaches.

Phase two builds on the priorities identied throughpre-feasibility studies and develops detailed capacity-building and capital investment projects.

Phase three implements the projects developedduring the two earlier phases, with an emphasis on2 ACP African, Caribbean and Pacic Countries

skills development, institutional strengthening, and

replication.

Tis report presents the outcomes of Phase Oneat thelocal level in Auki.

URBAN PROFILING IN SCARBOROUGH

Urban proling of Auki is one of three similar exercisesconducted in the country besides Honiara, the nationalcapital, and Gizo, the provincial capital of Westernprovince. A national urban prole is also beingdeveloped. Each prole is published as a separate report.

Auki township is governed by the Malaita ProvincialAssembly, which participated in the national and cityconsultation processes coordinated by the Ministry ofLands, Housing and Survey (MLHS). Te intention isto develop a partnership framework with other urbanstakeholders in a single response strategy so that itenables the Ministry of Housing, Lands and Survey andthe Malaita Provincial Authority to improve efforts tobetter plan and manage Auki town.

REPORT STRUCTURE

Tis report consists of:

1. a general backgroundof the issues of urbanizationbased on the ndings of the Auki City AssessmentReport, a desk study, interviews, and consultationswith relevant stakeholders held by the MalaitaProvincial Authorities in March 2012. Tebackground includes data on city administrationand basic urban services;

2. a systematic assessment of six thematic areas;governance, informal settlements, gender, urban-rural linkages, law and order, and land, in terms ofperformance, governance, regulatory framework,resource mobilization, and accountability. Tissection also highlights the agreed priorities and

includes a list of identied projects;

3. a SWO3 analysis and an outline of priority projectproposals for each theme. Te proposals includebeneciaries, partners, estimated costs, objectives,activities, and outputs. Te project briefs are foundat the back of the report. Te proposals includebeneciaries, partners, estimated costs, objectivesand activities.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF AUKI

Auki, the provincial headquarter of Malaita province,

is located on Malaita Island. Te town developed froma colonial trade centre in 1909, and has grown rapidlyover the years to become the third largest urban centre3 SWOT - Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats


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in the country. Auki serves as the main administration,

education and economic centre for the province.

Auki has beneted from a number of majordevelopment projects in the recent years, makingthe town an attractive place for rural-urban migrantsseeking economic opportunities. Te rapid growth ofAukis population is linked to rural-urban migration.Tis rapid population growht has placed a huge strainon the countries social facilities.

POPULATION

Auki currently has a population of just over 5,100 with a

population density of 468 people per square kilometre.However, the town is growing at a high growth rateof 11.6 percent per annum with a doubling time of 4years, making the town a formidable management andplanning challenge for Malaita Provincial Authorityand planners in the years ahead. Te town consists ofmulti-ethnic grouping of different races.

THE TOWN ADMINISTRATION

Te Malaita Provincial Authority is mandated to delivera range of basic municipal services such as garbagecollection, drainage clearance and maintenance, provision

of public sanitation, planning and development controlas well as education and primary health care to theresidents of the town. Te Malaita Provincial Authorityis known for weak administration and poor technicalcapacity, political interference in nancial and landadministration, and staff appointments and promotionsbased on nepotism/favourism rather than merit whichaffect service delivery. Te situation is exacerbated bypoor work ethics among the officials of the ProvincialAuthority and non-compliance to provincial nancialregulations.

However, following the operations of the ProvincialGovernment Strengthening Project (which is

coordinated by the Ministry of Provincial Government,funded by various donors and implemented by UNDP)nancial management, internal revenue collectionand work ethics and outputs have improved. In spiteof efforts of the Provincial Government StrengtheningProject for better administration and governance inAuki, diversion of service grants still remain a criticalissue (Solomon Star, 23/5/11).

Employing more than 180 staff, the Malaita ProvincialAuthority still lacks capable and qualied staff in someof its departments partly due to non-transparent andnon-accountable recruitment processes and constrainedoperational budget. Some employees also lack thetechnical and management capacity to carry out theirfunctions effectively. Priority therefore should begiven to long and short term training in technical and

managerial areas such as nancial management, human

resource, town planning, environmental, and strategicmanagement.

Te Malaita Provincial Authoritys capacity for forwardplanning is hampered by non-adherence to the provincialcorporate and strategic plan as funding priorities areoften inuenced by political interests. Emphasis hasbeen on piece meal projects that lack connection toa wider urban development strategy and plan, whileat ward level, needs have been largely ignored. MalaitaProvincial Authority has a Corporate Plan (2010-2014)but it does not link to any coherent provincial wideplanning and policy. Programme integration thereforeshould be given top priority.

Te Malaita Provincial Authority is faced with criticalissues that need capacity building through the corporateplanning framework. Tis framework should enhancethe cooperative effort and participation of civil society,donor agencies, the private sector, and government.Te process will aim to improve planning, managementand control in areas of settlement planning and illegaldevelopment and enforce Malaita Provincial Authorityspolicies on building and design in the interest of thelong term planning and management of the town.

BASIC URBAN SERVICES

Te high population growth in Auki has exceededthe capacity of the existing urban infrastructure andservices which were designed in the 1970s. Populationgrowth in the peri-urban areas beyond the present townboundaries together with unregulated developments inthe town have put a huge strain on the towns socialamenities and infrastructure.

wo of the most recent physical developments thatchanged the landscape of Auki are the Main Marketand the Wharf. Both were built with the assistance ofthe Government of Japan. Te Multi-million dollarsprojects were completed in 2011.Te direct benets

of the new market facility to the residents of Auki andMalaita include:

the total selling oor space per vendor and enablesvendors to sell their produce even on rainy days;

products in the market.

the stabilization of the local economy in Malaitaprovince (Implementation Review Study Report JICA March 2010).

Te direct benets of the new jetty facilities include lesstime spent by passengers disembarking from the planeand less time spent on cargo handling and unloading


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from inter-island ships. Indirectly, the wharf will secure

marine transportation of 99,700 passengers and 14,000tonnes of cargo per year (JICA March 2010).

WATER SUPPLY

Te Solomon Islands Water Authority provides water for560 (64 percent) of 873 households in Auki includingthe Aligege School and Kilu provincial hospital. Teperi-urban settlements located on the towns peripheryare served by the Solomon Islands Water Authoritythrough shared stand pipes. Te primary water sourceis located on customary land and has the capacity toprovide sufficient water for the township. However, with

the increasing number of uncontrolled developmentsnear the water source, threats from landowners overrental payment and the rapid population growth,Solomon Islands Water Authority is likely to face morechallenges in the years ahead. Te Water Authoritybuilt a new water reservoir in 2008 with an increasedwater capacity but it is yet to be commissioned due toshortage of funds. Once in operation, the reservoir willenough water to meet the future demands of the townand peri-urban villages.

EDUCATION

Auki and the surrounding villages are served by sixprimary and two secondary schools with more than3,000 students and 91 teachers. Te primary schoolsoffer classes from standard one to six, while secondaryschools offer classes from form one to ve. Te pre-schools enroll more than 200 students and haveemployed more than 16 teachers. Te student toteacher ratio in these schools is within the governmentsrecommended zone of 30-40:1. Te existing schoolsprovide adequate room for students and are adequatelystaffed but lack satisfactory teaching materials andresources and decent housing for teachers. Lack oflogistic and nancial support from the government andthe Malaita Provincial Authority for education affects

quality of education. Tere is a need to upgrade theexisting school facilities and build decent houses forteachers close to the schools so as to reduce travellingtime for teachers during working days.

HEALTH

Residents of Auki and nearby communities are served byone clinic and one hospital. Te Auki clinic is temporarilyoccupying a rundown building and is manned by ninenurses while Kilu hospital is staffed with 6 doctors,30 registered nurses and 32 beds (Malaita DevelopmentPlan, 2008). Tere are no private medical practitioners

and aid posts in Auki. Te existing health facilities inAuki were built in the 1970s for a small populationand cannot cope with the increased demand. Lack of

adequate facilities and drugs has affected the delivery

of health services to a great extent. Malaria, diarrhoeaand pneumonia are the most common disease. Tere isurgent need to relocate Auki clinic to a better locationand to upgrade the health facilities at the Kilu hospitalto ensure that accessibility to health services is improved.

GARBAGE COLLECTION

Open dumping and burning of solid waste, lack ofregular garbage collection and littering are commonoccurrences in the town. Te Auki own Committee(AC)4 is responsible for garbage collection anddrainage work in the town, but lack of funds and

refuse facilities continue to hinder their work. Solidwaste generated from households, offices and shops aredumped on the roadside and left uncollected for weeks,creating public health and road safety risks.

Te existing environmental regulations and by-lawsneed to be re-enforced and reviewed to better reectthe changing socio-economic climate (for example,regulation governing littering in public places). rainingin environmental planning and assessment for workers isrequired as well as environmental awareness programmesfor Aukis residents. Te need to work together withurban stakeholders in environmental planning andmanagement is critical, if the environmental image of

Auki is to be improved for a better aesthetic in the faceof tourism promotion. Te environment workshop heldin Auki recently may provide the entry door for widercommunity and stakeholders participation, but it needsformal set up and coordination by Malaita ProvincialAuthority (Solomon Star, 19/3/11). Te key challenges

4 The Auki Town Committee was set up by the Malaita Provincial Authority andconsists of representatives from the Health, Works, NGOs and Business Groupin Auki to undertake general clean-up and garbage collection in the town. ATCis now death due to lack of funds.


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for the Provincial Authority are; to build and maintain

an environmental partnership framework, to identify anew site for waste disposal, to provide rubbish bins instrategic locations in the town, and to resume garbagecollection on a regular basis5.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

axis and buses provide public transportation withinAuki and surrounding villages while pick-up

trucks serve villages further north, east and south,linking the rural and urban areas. Public transportis well coordinated by transport providers, making

transportation easier for the general public. Te mainroad in Auki is tar-sealed, but roads leading to residentialareas in Auki and beyond the town boundary are notproperly maintained. A number of shipping companiesoperate daily between Honiara and Auki on a daily basisas well as the Solomon Airlines. However, the linksbetween Auki and rural villages in the eastern, northernand southern parts of Malaita are unreliable due to poorroad conditions. People in the lagoons often use out-boat motors to travel to Auki to access government andbanking services.

ELECTRICITY SUPPLY

Te Solomon Islands Electricity Authority (SIEA)provides electricity to 57 percent of households in Auki.Informal settlements situated on the town boundary arenot served by the Solomon Islands Electricity Authorityand rely on kerosene lamps and candles as their mainsource of power. Firewood, charcoal and kerosene are

5 Landowners closed the existing disposal site because it was situated close totheir settlements and produced a bad smell. The existing disposal site is smalland it is in conict with the proposed site for tourism development.

a popular source of energy in these settlements. Power

supply in Auki is sufficient to meet the current demandbut will require review given the increased rate ofdevelopment activities in and around the town whichhave driven the demand for electricity upwards. Tereis need for the Solomon Islands Electricity Authority toimprove its capacity to supply enough power to meetfuture development needs.

SANITATION

Auki abandoned its sewerage system due to pressurefrom environmental groups as a result of the increasedrate of pollution of the coastal and marine environment

caused by the sewerage system. Septic tanks are nowenforced by the environmental authority in Auki. Tetraditional villages located near the town boundaryuse pit-latrines while the poorest households disposetheir waste in the bushes and near the sea. Lack ofpublic amenities (sanitation in particular) is a criticalenvironmental issue in Auki. Solid and liquid wastetreatment sites are expected to be provided at the newmarket facility, which is currently under construction.

COMMUNICATION AND BANKING SERVICES

elecommunication is provided by elekom and

B-mobile and has improved drastically with urban andrural people having access to mobile phones. Postalservices are available in Auki but are not frequently usedsince the arrival of mobile phones. Banking services areprovided by Australia and New Zealand Banking Group(ANZ) and the Bank of the South Pacic (BSP) butneither provide special credit facilities for the urbanpoor who lack the nancial means and capital to accessloans. Poor people in Auki continue to struggle to meettheir everyday basic needs.

Te Australia and New Zealand Bank provides credit,savings and micro-loans for rural people under its rural-banking scheme. Te scheme allows for a weekly deposit

of SBD20 or SBD200 per month over a six monthperiod without any withdrawal before a depositor isqualies for a loan ranging from SBD500 to SBD10,000. Te scheme has assisted a number of rural villagersto access loans to support their small businesses. Techallenge for the Malaita Provincial Authority is toprovide special credit facilities that can be easily accessedby low-income informal settlement residents and whichwill enable them to buy the land they are currentlyresiding on in Auki.


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GOVERNANCE

RESOURCE MOBILISATION

Malaita Provincial Authority over the years hasstruggled to address technical and administrativecapacity and poor public sector planning and nancialmanagement (Solomon Star, 6/12/10:6). Politicalinterference in planning and lack of participatoryprocesses have contributed to poor service delivery andthe misappropriation of public funds on projects thathave not been budgeted for. Tis is further affected bya weak local revenue collection and limited nancialsupport from the national government (Solomon Star,15/01/11:2), putting enormous pressure on the abilityof the Malaita Provincial Authority to provide andmaintain quality services.

While the Malaita Provincial Authority lacks therequired technical and managerial staff within mostdepartments, it is yet to develop a human resourcepolicy that promotes best practice and a meritocraticrecruitment of employees and determination of workperformance.

Public participation in urban governance, planning andmanagement of Auki township is lacking (SolomonStar, 11/01/11:1). A number of local and internationalNGOs are active in Auki but appear to be workingin isolation, with no formal partnership establishedwith the Malaita Provincial Authority. Partnershiparrangements and coordination will improve sharing ofresources, work relationship and will reduce duplicationand maximise the potential of the local and internationalNGOs (Storey, 2005:6).

Te recent environmental partnership workshoporganised by the Malaita Provincial Authority, theWorld Wildlife Fund (WWF), World Fish, and theIsrael Local Consular in Auki (Solomon Star, 19/3/11),may provide the stepping stone for better governance.However, it needs coordination by the MalaitaProvincial Authority to improve communication linksand meaningful participation from various stakeholdersin Auki.

Malaita Provincial Authority Institutional StrengtheningProject coordinated by the Ministry of ProvincialGovernment (MPG) and implemented jointly byUNDP, which is aimed at strengthening and improvingthe institutional and nancial management capacityhas shown few results. Internal revenue collection hasimproved, management systems enhanced and a bi-monthly town wide garbage collection has been setin place. Te challenge which remains for the MalaitaProvincial Authority is to ensure effective and equitabledistribution of basic urban services to all suburbs,especially to scattered informal settlements, improveon its technical and management capacity and establishbetter development partnerships with communities and

stakeholders.

THE INSTITUTIONAL SET-UP

Malaita Provincial Authority is the governingauthority mandated under the Ministry ofProvincial Government Act (MPGA) and the ownand Country Planning Act (CPA) to provideeffective urban management and planning of thedeclared township boundary. It links to the nationalgovernment through the Ministry of ProvincialGovernment.

Malaita Provincial Authority comprises of 33 electedmembers for a four year term.

Provincial Members then elect the Premier whoappoints ministers for Malaita Provincial Authoritys17 portfolios.

op down decision making, insufficient fundsand weak administrative and technical capacitycontinues to impede the effective delivery of betterservices.

Tere is no system (including civil society network)to collectively engage urban stakeholders in activitiessuch as a public forum.

REGULATORY FRAMEWORK

Te Public Health Act (PHA) empowers MalaitaProvincial Authority to enforce health andenvironmental standards in the town.

Te Malaita Provincial Authority is empoweredunder the Provincial Government Act to makeby-laws, ordinances and regulations to controlgovernance at the provincial level.

Te Minister for Provincial Government hasthe power under the Provincial GovernmentAct to dissolve the Malaita Provincial Authoritygovernment for malpractices and to appoint a morecompetent team.

Te own and Country Planning Act empowersthe Malaita Provincial Authority and the Ministryof Lands, Housing and Survey through the ownand Country Planning Board to carry out physicalplanning in Auki. However, the two planningdepartments, the Malaita Provincial Authority andthe Ministry of Lands, Housing and Survey, areunder-resourced and lack the technical capacity toeffectively plan and manage Auki.

A building ordinance to guide building standardsand design in Auki exists, but it has never beenenforced effectively due to lack of resources andtechnical expertise.


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GOVERNANCEN1

Project proposal Page26

Design a mechanism for publicparticipation

GOVERNANCEN2

Project proposal Page 26

Design a framework to improve

links between the Malaita ProvincialAuthority departments, the Ministryof Lands, Housing and Survey andNGOs

AGREED PRIORITIES

Undertake a training needs assessment anddevelop a training policy for Malaita ProvincialAuthority staff and review the role andresponsibilities of staff,

Improve current mechanisms to allow for widerparticipation from stakeholders in Auki in orderto improve accountability and transparencywithin the Malaita Provincial Authority,

Improve coordination between the MalaitaProvincial Authority departments as well asbetween the Ministry of Lands, Housing andSurvey (both in Auki and Honiara) and NGOs.

Decentralizing more government functions andpower to the local government will revitalize

other sub-stations with more socio-economicopportunities for the rural communities.

PERFORMANCE AND ACCOUNTABILITY

performance and appraisal system and suffers fromwantok bisnis (nepotism and political affiliationbased promotions) rather than on merits.

creating an environment in which the premieris more accountable to them, rather than to thecitizens and public interests.

national government impedes the Malaita ProvincialAuthoritys efforts to execute its mandatory functionseffectively as expected by the citizens.

an issue within the Malaita Provincial Authority.

effective coordination to provide for any signicantimpact on information sharing and service delivery.

RESOURCE MOBILISATION

limited grants from the national governmentthrough the Ministry of Provincial Government

and tied-funds for specic projects. Tese grantsare divided into eight purpose specic categories: 1)Revenue Sharing Grants; 2) Productive ResourcesGrant; 3) Library Service Grant; 4) Fixed Service

Grant; 5) Road Maintenance Grant; 6) Special

Supplementary Grant; 7) own and CountryPlanning Committee Allowances; and 8) ProvincialShipping Grant. However, these grants are neitherpredicable in size nor transparently distributed. Tenational governments annual grant to the MalaitaProvincial Authority is inadequate to improveservice delivery in Auki.

(businesses, market fees and property rates) isinadequate and cannot meet the citys servicedelivery and development needs.

going efforts must be maintained in order to achieve100 percent efficiency in the collection rate.

to link social and urban management and planningof the town.


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INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS AND HOUSING

Auki is experiencing the growth of small scatteredpockets of unregulated temporary settlements within anumber of Fixed erm Estate (FE) and there are fourperi-urban villages on the edge of the town boundary.Observation from Auki physical planners noted thatthese temporary settlements are growing and puttingadditional pressure on the existing basic urban servicesinfrastructure in Auki. Informal settlements aregiven low priority by the government and as a resultremain unplanned and continue to lack access to basicurban services such as clean water, electricity, garbagecollection, health services, and education.

Unemployment and poverty6 are rising among theinformal settlements as evidenced from the rising

number of informal settlements engaged in informaleconomic activities and the physical conditions of theirhouses (SIG/UNDP, 2008). As a result, the Premier ofMalaita province made a public appeal for the responsibleauthorities to work together with his government to ndways to systematically address poverty and inequalityin Auki (Solomon Star, 15/01/11:4). However, it isvital that the Auki authority takes the leading role tocollaborate with national leaders, donors and NGOs tobetter address the needs of the urban poor in Auki town.

Te Malaita Provincial Authority and physical plannersneed to accept peri-urban villages and scattered informalsettlements as part and parcel of the physical planning

of the town. Te major challenge for Aukis physicalplanners and policy makers is to reverse the growingnumber of uncontrolled settlements (Jones (2010:8).

HOUSING

Te quality of housing in the temporary settlementsin Auki is poor. Te houses are normally built from acombination of temporary materials such as plywoodand are poorly constructed. Tey are not strong enoughto withstand strong winds and cyclone. Most houses inthe temporary settlements occupy an area of land thatis approximately sixteen square metres, accommodating

an average number of eight people.

Government houses in Auki were built during thecolonial era and have not been maintained for manyyears making them uninhabitable. Tere is urgent needfor the Malaita Provincial Authority to repair staff housesand enable access to decent housing for its workers. Teworking environment in Auki is not conducive as mostoffice buildings are old, deteriorated, poorly designed,and lack space and furniture. Tis situation needs to beaddressed urgently in order to increase productivity ofworkers and the towns development.

6 While it is difcult to gure out the exact level of poverty in Auki due to lack ofdata, the SIG/UNDP (2008:9) however, estimates that poverty in all provincialtowns (including Auki) represents 13.6% of the total urban population(100,000) in Solomon Islands.


Te own and Country Planning Board has the powerto undertake physical planning and developmentcontrol in Auki and delegate such powers to theMalaita Provincial Authority and the Ministry ofLands, Housing and Survey planners. Tey requireadditional resources and skilled personnel to executetheir responsibilities effectively.

Tere is a lack of forward physical planning in Auki,as the town is yet to have a Local Planning Scheme.

Te power to allocate land rests with the provincialexecutive but the approval and granting of titles stillrests with the Commissioner of Lands.


Regulatory frameworks such as the own andCountry Planning Act, the Lands and itle Act(LA), the Malaita Provincial Authority buildingordinance, and the Public Health Act provide forsettlement upgrading in Auki.

Te Malaita Provincial Authority building ordinanceguides building and design standards in Auki, but isnot been enforced effectively due to lack of technicalexpertise.

Tere are no policies and plans to respond to thechallenge of informal settlements and to implementlow cost housing developments.

Te link between the own and Country PlanningAct and the Land and itles Act is tenuous, resultingin the Commissioner of Lands granting areas of landto developers that are yet to be properly planned and

surveyed, as well as areas reserved for public use suchas future road construction.


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AGREED PRIORITIES

Develop a base-line settlement survey todetermine the conditions in the informalsettlements in Auki.

Develop a comprehensive policy and strategicplan for informal settlement upgrading.

Regularize informal settlements throughsubdivision plans to create the opportunity toacquire a Fixed erm Estate.

Establish community groups to coordinatesettlement activities such as garbage collection.

Conduct awareness programmes on rights andcivic obligations for settlement residents.

Establish partnership frameworks withstakeholders (including NGOs and donors) tobetter administer and coordinate assistance toinformal settlements.

Develop plans to upgrade government staff housesto create a livable environment for MalaitaProvincial Authority staff.

RESOURCE MOBILIZATION

Te Malaita Provincial Authority and the Ministryof Lands, Housing and Survey have no currentbudgetary support for informal settlement upgradingand the development of new residential sites,although the allocated site development provisionin the 2012 development budget is expected tohave some impact but spread thinly throughout thecountry and Honiara,

Te Ward Development Grant is limited and oftendisbursed to projects that have not been givenpriority by the Malaita Provincial Authority, asthere is no proper ward development programme

provision under Malaita Provincial Authority. Te government has access to a range of development

funds (Constituency Fund, Livelihood Fund andMicro-Funds), but these are not used to supportservice delivery in the informal settlements and thetown but are misused and misappropriated.

Development of a partnership framework mayencourage community participation in servicedelivery particularly in the scattered informalsettlements.

INFORMALSETTLEMENTSAND HOUSINGN1


Prepare sub-division plans for theinformal settlements

INFORMALSETTLEMENTSAND HOUSINGN2


Undertake a baseline survey to assessthe living conditions in the informal

settlements


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OMICDEVELOPMENT

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Aukis economic base is small and dominated by theservice sector demonstrating the towns role as themain commercial and administrative centre for Malaitaprovince. Retailing, banking, restaurants, and motelsare the main formal economic activities operatingin Auki. Auki serves as the main economic andadministrative link for rural villages and sub-stations inMalaita. A signicant portion of provincial wealth hasbeen produced in Auki with a range of urban economicactivities enhancing the viability of rural economicactivities by providing markets and trans-shippingpoints for rural produce. Auki has beneted from majorinfrastructure investments in recent years, which hasled to increased rates of rural-urban migration. Suchprojects have contributed signicantly to the localeconomy. Auki also hosts a number of internationalNGOs, local companies, and other semi-governmentagencies that enhance their service delivery to both theurban and rural population in the province.

Malaita Provincial Authoritys internal revenuecollection from the economic activities operating inAuki was about SBD 1.2 million, representing 15percent of Malaita Provincial Authoritys total revenueof SBD 8,173,464 in 2009 ((Malaita Province 2009/10budget). Tis is not sufficient to provide quality servicesto Aukis residents. Te Malaita Provincial Authorityrelies mostly on the national government (and donors)for its infrastructure budgetary support. It also receives

limited annual grants from the national government.Te economic base of Auki is small and weak and needsto be diversied in order to increase its resilience. Techallenge for the Malaita Provincial Authority and thenational government is to create a better socio-economicand political climate that will allow the private sector togrow in Auki.

THE INFORMAL SECTOR

Un-organized and unregulated informal economicactivities in Auki provide job opportunities for residentsof the town and rural areas, especially those without aformal education. Informal economic activities includeselling of betel nuts, cigarette, green coconut, shand chips, and plastic bags along the streets of Auki.Auki market is lthy and lacks adequate space formarket vendors to display their products as it is oftenovercrowded with vendors and customers. However,the recent completion of a new market house in Auki(funded by the Japanese Government) will eradicatethese hardships for the market vendors as well as increaselocal economic development. Te key challenge for the

Malaita Provincial Authority and the local populationis to properly utilize the new market facilities andmaintain its standards.

LINKING THE RURAL-URBAN ECONOMIES

Te Provincial Government Act provides the need todecentralize certain services and functions from thenational government to the provincial level to improveservice delivery in all parts of the country. As part ofthe implementation strategy, the national governmenthas established, besides Auki, three substations (Maluu,Ao, Atori) at the rural level. At the national level, the

national government has established an overall ruraldevelopment framework and expects the MalaitaProvincial Authority to devise their own strategies thatare appropriate to local conditions. National politicianscontinue to promote constituency developmentstrategies to further improve service delivery to therural people. Tese approaches are in fact similar toan urbanization strategy. However, urbanization isstill paid little attention to in all national developmentpolicies in the Solomon Islands. It is therefore vital thaturban planning and management is integrated with allforms of socio-economic planning.

ransportation and communication links: Te

provision of effective transport and communicationnetworks plays a signicant role in enticing majorinvestment to the rural areas and increases businessproductivity. Improved access enhances populationmobility and enables the rural folk to transport andsell their produces in markets for an income and accessgovernment and banking services. Building better roadnetworks is seen as a key to accelerating rural-urbaneconomic growth and service delivery.

Tere are three main roads that connect Auki to thenorthern, eastern and southern parts of Malaita (seegure 1). Te Auki-north road runs along the westerndirection for a distance of 117.2 kilometres. Te Auki-

eastern road runs for 43.9 kilometres serving villages inthe bush, while the southern road runs along the coastfor 79 kilometres (Malaita Development Plan, 2007-


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11). Te state of these roads7however, is poor as they

have not been maintained for several years due to lackof funds. As a result, the roads have deteriorated overthe years to a poor state, especially during bad weather(Solomon Star, 24/01/11:1). Despite these major roadslinks, Auki still lacks proper roads that connect to therural highlands of Malaita, denying people from theseareas access to services provided in Auki and makingthem unable to take part in building the rural economy.Building better roads and ensuring that these roadsare properly maintained are the main developmentchallenges for the Malaita Provincial Authority.

Te Malaita Provincial Authority has a rural developmentpolicy that intends to upgrade the existing sub-stations

to regional economic centres8 (gure 1) so that theycan provide services such as banking facilities, improvedhealth and education services, market and storagefacilities, and residential, commercial and industrialdevelopments (Solomon Star, 11/01/11:1). Te majorchallenges for the Malaita Provincial Authority are;affordability and sustainability given its limited nance,weak institutions, poor work ethics, non-complianceto nancial regulations, and lack of skilled humanresources.

In its efforts to establish regional economic centres,the Malaita Provincial Authority has established a bi-lateral relationship with the Israeli Government and

is currently working through the Israel local agency inAuki, soliciting technical and nancial support. TeProvincial Authority also needs to obtain nancial andtechnical support from the national government andother donors to better implement this proposed plan.

INSTITUTIONAL SET-UP

Te national government is responsible for theprovision of rural and urban infrastructure. TeMalaita Provincial Authority is dependent onthese resources to meet its major infrastructuredevelopment needs.

Te Malaita Provincial Authority is under resourcedand poorly equipped and is therefore unable toimprove on service delivery to Auki residents.

Te Malaita Provincial Authority needs to provide aconducive business environment such as incentivesfor the private sector to enable them to fully getinvolved in economic activities in Auki.

A number of local and international NGOs andchurch based groups are actively involved ineducation and health service delivery in Auki andthe rural areas, but no formal mechanism exists to

7 Poor roads increase operation costs for transport providers, making travellingmore expensive, which affects the consistent supply of goods, leading toincreased costs of basic goods (Solomon Star, 13/01/11:4).

8 The economic centres are: Auki, Maluu, Ao, Atori, and the Malaita Outer-islands which are located more than 1,400 kilometres north-east of MalaitaIsland.

harness these potential partnerships with MalaitaProvincial Authority.


Te Provincial Government Act empowers theMalaita Provincial Authority to pass ordinanceand regulations that are seen as appropriate toenhance economic growth and promote the healthydevelopment of the town.

Auki residents elect members to the NationalParliament and the Malaita Provincial Authority torepresent their interests.


Te provision of quality services remains a keychallenge for the Malaita Provincial Authority.

Limited internal revenue collection and limitednancial support from the central governmentconstrains delivery of quality services.

Lack of skilled human resources and weakadministrative capacity contributes to poor servicedelivery in Auki.

Civil society organizations and churches are activedevelopment partners in health and educationin Auki, but lack national and local governmentsupport.

Provincial members are expected to ensure a fairdistribution of economic benets in their wards.Tis is yet to be seen as Provincial members arekeen to support their relatives and supporters at theexpense of others.


Te national governments resource allocation toMalaita Provincial Authority is not enough to meetthe requirements of the town.

Malaita Provincial Authoritys internal revenuescollection needs to improve further to meet andmaintain better services in Auki.

Te Malaita Provincial Authority and the nationalgovernment needs to provide an investment friendly(socio-economic and political) climate in Auki.

Tere is donor support for a number of basic urbanservices projects, such as improving sanitation andwater supply.


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LOCALECONOMICDEVELOPMENTN1


Devise mechanisms to improveMalaita Provincial Authoritysrevenue collection and diversifyrevenue base.

LOCALECONOMICDEVELOPMENTN2


Improve solid waste managementin Auki and secure a new dumpingsite.

AGREED PRIORITIES

Malaita Provincial Authority to work closelywith the national government through theMinistry of Infrastructure Development toupgrade the existing road infrastructure andbuild new roads to enhance effective delivery ofservices to residential areas, especially for garbagecollection, education, health, and policing.

Malaita Province to enforce its market ordinancesto maintain the facilities and high standards ofhygiene in the new market.

Design new or strengthen current strategiesto improve internal revenue collection withinthe Malaita Provincial Authority and diversifyrevenue base.

Build storage facilities in Auki for farmers to storetheir goods before shipping them to Honiara.

Improve solid waste management to create alivable environment for the residents and visitorsof Auki.

Te Malaita Provincial Authority to liaise with

the Chamber of Commerce in Honiara orprivate institutions to provide business trainingfor small business operators in Auki.


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SECURITY AND RESILIENCE

Auki, once described as being peaceful and quiet,

is changing due to rapid urban growth, high rate ofrural-urban migration, increase in unemploymentrates among the youth, and high rates of alcoholconsumption. Tese factors have led to an increase incrime. Tere has been a rise in cases of assault, juveniledelinquency, domestic violence, and burglaries. Mostof these crimes are committed by unemployed youthin and around Auki town. Poor street lighting in thetowns commercial and residential areas also contributesto rising crime and decline in public safety.

Te Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) isin charge of providing security in Auki. However, thepublic perception of the police force is that they are

undisciplined, corrupt and inefficient. Lack of publiccondence in the police has resulted in many businesses,companies, organizations, and private residences hiringprivate security rms to protect their premises andhomes. Te judicial system is also ineffective as cases arenot dealt with in a reasonable time frame. Te situationis made worse by the absence of a Principal MagistrateOfficer in Auki to hear court cases that are beyond thepower of the current Magistrate Officer.

Te Royal Solomon Islands Police Force is poorlyresourced and equipped. Further there is littlecommunity participation in the ght against crime aswell as weak links (public private partnership) between

the private security rms and the Royal SolomonIslands Police Force. Tese factors have greatly reducedthe efficiency of the Police Force and its ability to dealwith crime effectively.

However, with help from the Regional AssistanceMission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI), law and orderhas improved. Public condence and trust in the RoyalSolomon Island Police Force is beginning to return.Te challenge for the Malaita Provincial Authority andthe national government is to ensure law and order ismaintained after the Regional Assistance Mission toSolomon Island leaves the country.

With the recent completion of a new CorrectionalService Centre (CSC) in Auki with assistance from theAustralian Government, prisoners are now enjoyingthe comfort of a decent building. Overcrowding andfrequent break-outs of prisoners are no longer an issueof concern for the police and the public. However, thechallenge for the Malaita Provincial Authority and thenational government is to maintain the standards of theCentre after the Australian assistance comes to the end.

URBAN RESILIENCE

Auki is susceptible to climate change and naturaldisasters due to the increased frequency and intensity ofbad weather (storm surges, earthquakes and ooding).In spite of this, people continue to construct theirhouses on steep gradients, along river banks and in

swampy and low-lying areas. Tese people prefer to live

in such areas because the risk of eviction is low. Temain concern for the Malaita Provincial Authority andthe national government is to develop plans to relocatethe most vulnerable settlements and to prevent furtherinformal settlement growth, especially in vulnerablelocations


Law and order is maintained by the Royal Solomon

Islands Police Force in Solomon Islands.

A number of private security rms provide protectionfor properties in Auki.

Te Correctional Service Centre was built withassistance from the Australian Government andprovides rehabilitation programmes for the prisoners.


Tere is a lack of coordination between lawenforcement agencies.

Family disintegration and erosion of cultural valueshave resulted in increased crime rates.

Tere is a lack of police professionalism in thehandling of criminal cases and high incidences ofcorruption.

Tere is need for the police to partners with localcommunities in the ght against crime.

Te Correctional Service Centre (CSC) alsoprovides rehabilitation programmes for prisoners aswell as engaging churches to visit prisoners. Teseprogrammes however, need to be strengthened to


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Vulnerability and climate changeassessment in Auki.

SECURITYAND

RESILIENCEN2


Installing more street lights in Aukiscommercial and residential areas.

AGREED PRIORITIES

Improve resources and training for communitypolicing and re-enforce links between the RoyalSolomon Islands Police Force, the MalaitaProvincial Authority and NGOs in ghting crimein Auki.

Improve links between the National DisasterManagement Office (NDMO); the Ministry ofEnvironment and Metrology; the Ministry ofLands, Housing and Survey; and the MalaitaProvincial Authority Planners to ensure that areas

that are prone to natural disasters are free fromsettlements and buildings.

Undertake climate and disaster vulnerabilityassessment to identify the needs for developingplans for relocation of settlements and houses thatare most vulnerable to sea storms and landslides.

Malaita Provincial Authority to develop aframework to enhance the work of NGOs onpublic awareness programmes about the effects ofclimate change and disaster prone areas.

Installing more street lights in the residential and

commercial areas.

involve participation of community leaders and the

civil society as well.


Te Royal Solomon Islands Police Force is poorlyresourced and ill-equipped to provide effectivepolicing throughout Auki.

Public private partnership between Solomon IslandsPolice Force and private security mrs exist. Tereis also need for partnership between the police forceand the Malaita Provincial Authority.

Local courts are under-resourced and poorlyequipped and as a result court cases can go for severalyears before being heard. Te Justice and LegalInstitutional Strengthening Project (JLISP), whichis supported by the Regional Assistance Mission toSolomon Islands, is trying to improve the situationby strengthening and providing sufficient resourcesto local courts so that cases are dealt with quickly andefficiently. Tis will also have the effect of regainingpublic trust and condence in the judicial system.


Family disintegration and erosion of cultural valuesis on the rise; leading to lawlessness and increase incriminal activities..

Police professionalism is still inuenced by nepotismand favourism.

Community policy in Auki needs to be strengthenedthrough the provision of training and resources inorder to improve safety and security in the town.


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LAND AND PLANNING

Auki is located on 109 hectares of land, which wasacquired by the colonial administration to set up agovernment station. About 10 percent of this land isunsuitable for future growth due to topographicaland environmental constraints. However, a signicantamount of suitable land in Auki is still undeveloped

in Auki, in spite of claims that Auki faces a shortageof developable state land. Tere is need for this landto be developed in order to meet current housing andindustrial needs as well as future demands. Tis couldmean raising the density by further subdivisions andadopting smaller plot sizes.

Te allocation process of state land is often lengthy andopen to abuse or corruption as the power to allocateland is vested only with the Commissioner of Landsin the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Survey. Telengthy process of acquiring land often paves the wayfor increased illegal occupation of state land in Auki.Tis information helps the Malaita Provincial Authority

to calculate and charge property rates. Te MalaitaProvincial Authoritys system for collecting propertyrates is ineffective due to non-compliance from Fixederm Estate holders, capitalizing on poor and weak landadministration in Auki. Te problem is exacerbatedby a poor work ethic and corrupt practices amonggovernment officers. Te Lands Centre in Auki is poorlyresourced and ill-equipped in spite of past efforts bythe Solomon Islands Institutional Strengthening Landsand Administration Project (SIISLAP) to improve andmaintain effective land administration and planning.

PLANNING

Auki town suffers from poor planning due to lack ofpolitical will, political interference in the planningprocess and lack of skilled physical planners although

a Provincial own and Country Planning Board(PCPB)9 exists. Te poor planning is evidenced bythe lack of public parks, a poor public transportationnetwork, poor street lighting, poor drainage andsanitation systems, and a rising number of illegal andsub-standard houses. Te challenge for the Malaita

Provincial Authority and the Ministry of Lands,Housing and Survey Planners is to assist and empowerphysical planners so that they are able to factor urbanissues in the overall corporate plan for Auki. Tis maycall for further reinforcement from the Honiara officein terms of human resources.

THE INSITUTIONAL SET-UP

Te Malaita own and Country Planning Boardand the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Surveyphysical planners are responsible for planning andadministrative functions, but lack the power to

approve the allocated state land for developments(this power is vested with the Commissioner ofLands). Planning and land decision-making are notcoordinated resulting in a high number of conictingland allocations.

Te Physical Planning Office in Auki and theMinistry of Lands, Housing and Survey are under-resourced and lack skilled staff, hindering their abilityto adequately carry out their duties as expected.

Te Malaita own and Country Planning Boardsphysical planners are responsible for planningand development control in Auki. However, linksbetween these two responsible agencies are poor andweak, leading to a total lack of effective planning.

9 The Malaita Provincial Authority recommends candidates to the Minister ofLands, Housing and Survey to be members of the Provincial Town and CountryPlanning Board. A Physical Planner is normally the Secretary to the Board.


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LANNING

AGREED PRIORITIES

Improve the technical and administrative capacityof the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Surveythrough specialized short and long term trainingin town and transport planning.

Develop a Local Planning Scheme for Auki townthat will regulate developments in the town.

Improve coordination between developers, theown and Country Planning Board and thephysical planning unit in Auki to discourage

squatting and illegal developments on state land. Improve land administration in Auki with a view

to reduce/eliminate corruption and malpractices.

Enforce planning regulations (own and CountryPlanning Board) and Malaita Province buildingordinances.

Negotiate with customary landowners in orderto acquire more land for the development andexpansion of the town.

Review the Land and itles Act and the own

and Country Planning Act to identify processesthat enable easier and more effective landadministration and planning.

LAND ANDPLANNINGN1


Education and awarenessprogramme

LAND ANDPLANNINGN2


Security cameras in Scarborough

Te own and Country Planning Act enables

stakeholders to take part in the development of aLocal Planning Scheme that will enhance publicparticipation in planning.


Te own and Country Planning Act determinesthe way state land is to be used and sets developmentcontrols. Tis power is delegated to the provincialown and Country Planning Board in each provincialtown including the Honiara City Council.

Planning appeals are referred to the Minister for

Lands, Housing and Survey, who has the powerunder the own and Country Planning Act to reject/over-rule decisions and can give a nal decision.

Te Land and itles Act determines the allocationand registration of all state land.

Tere is no land policy which addresses the plight ofthe urban poor and squatters.

Malaita Provincial Authority has no staff responsiblefor enforcing the own and Country Planning Act(serving notices on illegal developers and ensuringcompliance with the Malaita Planning Authoritysbuilding ordinances).


Despite the enormous efforts of the SolomonIslands Institutional Strengthening Lands andAdministration Project to strengthen the capacityof the Lands Centre in Auki to better manage stateland, poor state land administration, weak revenuecollection, widespread corruption, and poor workethics remains within the Ministry of Lands,Housing and Survey and the Malaita ProvincialAuthority.

State land is no longer sold through public tendersand this deprives the public of the opportunityto apply. State land is directly allocated by theCommissioner of Lands, disabling (past) efforts tocreate a transparent, accountable and fair process.

Tere are weak links between the Commissionerof Lands, the Malaita Provincial Authority and theMinistry of Lands, Housing and Survey in Aukiresulting in land use conicts.

Te Commissioner of Lands is unable to evict illegaldevelopers or those who have occupied state landillegally.

Malaita Provincial Authoritys current system toretrieve unpaid property rates have not been effectiveover the years, resulting in high property rate arrears.


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CONCLUSION

Auki is a small town facing a high urban growth

rate, which comes with challenges that out-weigh theinstitutional and nancial capacity of the Auki authorityto effectively tackle. Problems in Auki relate to risingurban poverty, socio-economic disparities, failinginfrastructure, lack of public amenities, and increasingscattered pockets of temporary houses inadequatelyserved with basic urban services. In an attempt tosystematically document these issues and to identifyappropriate policy interventions, the Ministry of Lands,Housing and Survey has requested UN-Habitat fornancial support to undertake the urban proling inAuki town.

Te Auki Urban Prole has examined ve key thematic

areas: governance, informal settlements and housing,the urban-rural economy, safety and resilience, andland and planning. Te ineffective town administration

and poor urban planning and management of the townhave been attributed to inadequate and lack of skilledhuman resources, limited nancial support from thecentral government, poor collection of internal revenue,and bad governance. However, avenues exist to betterrespond to these issues such as the current work of theProvincial Government Strengthening Programme,the establishment of Auki own Committee andAuki Business Group in Auki and the ongoing activeparticipation of local and international NGOs, donorsand government in service delivery in both urban andrural areas in Malaita. Tere is need for Auki

authority to establish and maintain an activedevelopment partnership framework with these

stakeholders in an effort to improve good governanceand an integrated strategic development plan toimprove service delivery in the province.


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PROJECT

PROPOSALS-GOVERNANCE

GOVERNANCE

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES OPPORTUNITIES THREATS PRIORITIES

Political support fromthe current MalaitaProvincial Authority.

By-law andordinances exist toguide governanceand decision making.

The current workof the ProvincialGovernmentStrengtheningProject in capacitybuilding and trainingin budget planningand nancialmanagement.

Malaita ProvincialAuthority is under-resourced and poorlyequipped.

Existing by-lawsare not enforcedeffectively.

Continued diversionand misappropriationof funds.

Weak links between

civil society groups,senior managers andMalaita ProvincialAuthority and poorparticipation inthe planning andmanagement of thetown.

Lack of formaltrainings for provincialemployees.

Corruption, poor

work ethics,favourism, andnepotism exist.

Poor internal revenuecollection andinadequate nancialsupport from thenational government.

Poor accountabilityand transparency.

Poor public sectorplanning and nancial

management inspite of effortsof the ProvincialGovernmentStrengthening Projectin Auki.

Donors can beencouraged tosupport identiedpriority areas forcapacity building andtraining.

Existing governmentpolicies support urbandevelopment as wellas the Ministry ofHousing, Lands andSurvey.

Fighting corruptionleads to improvedaccountability andtransparency.

Improved internalrelationships in theMalaita ProvincialAuthority and withstakeholders.

Existence of theConstituencyDevelopment Fund

(CDF) and WardGrants.

Existing activities ofNGOs, churches anddonors in educationand health servicedelivery in Auki.

Availability ofthe ProvincialGovernmentStrengtheningProgramme under theMinistry of Provincial

Governmentand InstitutionalStrengthening tosupport MalaitaProvincial Authority incapacity building.

Political uncertaintyand politicalinterference inplanning anddecision-making.

Weak governanceand technical andadministrativecapacity.

Corruption and lackof forward planning.

Use of force or abuseand misuse of powerto get ones favour.

Establish a citizensdevelopment forumto allow for widerparticipation fromstakeholders in Aukiin order to improveaccountability anddecision makingprocesses within theMalaita ProvincialAuthority.

Improve work

coordination indepartments withinthe Malaita ProvincialAuthority as well asbetween the Ministryof Lands, Housingand Survey (both inAuki and Honiara)and other NGOs.

Undertake a trainingneeds assessmentand develop atraining policy forMalaita ProvincialAuthority staff andreview the role andresponsibilities ofstaff.


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PROJECT

PROPOSALS-GOVERNANCE

26

LOCAION:Auki own

DURAION:6 months

BENEFICIARIES: Malaita Provincial Authority,NGOs, business sectors, community members, and theyouth.

IMPLEMENING PARNERS: Malaita Provincial

Authority, business sectors, NGOs, and UN-HabitatESIMAED COS:USD100, 000

BACKGROUND:Participatory planning improves theability of local authorities to respond to challenges andbuilds effective local governance. It enhances sharingof resources and information, builds and maintainswork relationships and avoids duplication to maximizepotential outputs. Te Malaita Provincial Authority ispoorly resourced and lacks technical and administrativecapacity.

Te Authority has been working in isolation withoutformal avenues created for partnership. Te Malaita

Provincial Authority needs to establish an avenue forstakeholders, communities and NGOs in Auki toparticipate in the planning and governance of the town.

OBJECIVE: o promote city ownership throughpublic participation in Aukis governance and planning.

ACIVIIES: (1) Devise a development frameworkto allow for public participation. (2) Conductconsultations with the Malaita Provincial Authorityand other stakeholders regarding the framework. (3)Review any by-laws that may object to this proposal.(4) Conduct public discussions with stakeholders formembership. (5) Devise regulations and rules to guide

the operation of the forum.OUPU INDICAORS:(1) A framework for publicparticipation is completed. (2) Key stakeholders andcommunity membership are identied. (3) Regulationsand rules guiding the operation of the forum isdeveloped.

SAFF REQUIRED:An experienced consultant (witha development planning background) is required.

LOCAION:Auki own

DURAION:6 Months

BENEFICIARIES: Malaita Provincial Authority staff,community members, the Ministry of Lands, Housingand Survey, and the civil society.

IMPLEMENING PARNERS: Malaita Provincial

Authority, the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Surveyand UN-Habitat.

ESIMAED COS:USD 30, 000

BACKGROUND:Te ability of the Malaita ProvincialAuthority to improve service delivery to Auki residentsdepends on coordination with the Ministry of Lands,Housing and Survey and other stakeholders. Mostdepartments in Malaita Provincial Authority do notlink their work plans and outputs to other departmentswhich leads tolead to poor coordination and servicedelivery. Te capacity of the Malaita ProvincialAuthority and how it links to other institutions needs

to be strengthened so that it is able to carry out urbandevelopment and planning processes effectively and ina transparent fashion.

OBJECIVE: o improve coordination of workplans and outputs of the Malaita Provincial Authority,stakeholders and the Ministry of Lands, Housing andSurvey.

ACIVIIES: (1) Conduct a workshop with theMalaita Provincial Authority, service providers and theMinistry of Lands, Housing and Survey to identify howtheir work plans link to each other. (2) Set up a processto allow for regular interactions between the MalaitaProvincial Authority, service providers and the Ministry

of Lands, Housing and Survey.

OUPU INDICAORS: (1) A framework is inplace to guide work coordination between the MalaitaProvincial Authority (internally) and with the Ministryof Lands, Housing and Survey and other serviceproviders in Auki. (2) Coordination of work plansand programmes, staff performance and work outputsimproved.

SAFF REQUIRED: An experienced consultant(with public sector management reform background)is needed.

GOVERNANCEN1

Project proposal

Design a mechanism for publicparticipation

GOVERNANCEN2

Project proposal

Design a system to improve workcoordination


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PROJECT

PROPOSALS-INFORMALSETTLEMENTSANDHOUSING

INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS AND HOUSING

STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES OPPORTUNITIES THREATS PRIORITIESMalaita has abuilding ordinanceand a Town andCountry PlanningAct to regulateurban planningand developmentcontrol in the town.

Auki has a PhysicalPlanning Unit whichis responsible forinformal settlement

planning.

Existing activitiesof NGOs, churchesand donors ineducation, healthand disastermanagementin the informalsettlements.

The Ministry ofLands Housingand Surveys

work programmesupports theupgradingof informalsettlements.

A readily availablelabour pool.

Malaita Town andCountry Planning Board(MTCPB) is frequentlyunable to enforcedecisions to control andfacilitate developments.

Weak enforcement ofthe Land Titles Act (LTA)and Malaita ProvincialAuthoritys buildingordinance to avoidsquatting and illegal

developments on stateland.

Lack of an enforcementunit and a legal advisor.

The Physical PlanningUnit in Auki is under-resourced and poorlyequipped.

In spite of the existenceof the Ministry of Lands,Housing and Surveyswork programme thatsupports the upgradingof informal settlements,practical action is yetto be seen as this alsodepends on greatercommitment from alllevels of governmentand stakeholdersand the securing ofresources.

Weak links betweenthe civil society, MalaitaProvincial Authority

and the Ministry ofLands, Housing andSurvey with regards toaddressing informalsettlements issues.

Poor service delivery inthe informal settlementsand awarding of FixedTerm Estates.

Donors, churchesand NGOs assistin responding toissues like garbagecollection and waterprovision in theinformal settlements.

Wider communityparticipation inurban planning andthe management ofinformal settlements.

Internal revenue islikely to rise throughincreased collectionof land rents for theMinistry of Lands,Housing and Surveyand property rates forthe Malaita ProvincialAuthority.

More land is likely tobe available due toimproved subdivision

of land.

A change ofgovernment maynot support theseprogrammes.

Lack of socialcohesion amongcommunity leadersmay impedecommunity effortsto address issues ofcommon interest.

Corruption andlack of forwardplanning may leadto uncontrollablegrowth of informalsettlements.

Non-compliance ofexisting laws andregulations.

Political interferencein land allocation andplanning may result inconict of land use.

Increasingly poorservice delivery to theinformal settlementsmay result in illegalconnection to thebasic urban servicessuch as water andelectricity.

Informal settlersmay lose the landthey are living on ifthe Commissioner

of Lands decides toallocate it to anotherparty.

Regularize informalsettlements throughsubdivision plansto create theopportunity toacquire a Fixed TermEstate.

Undertake a baselineassessment todetermine the livingconditions in theinformal settlements

in Auki.

Establish communitygroups to coordinatesettlement activitiessuch as garbagecollection.

Develop a policyand implementationplan for informalsettlement upgrading.

Undertake awarenessprogrammes in thesettlements so thatthey know andbetter understandtheir rights andobligations.

Prepare a localPlanning scheme forAuki.

solomon islands: auki town profile

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