An academic says Fiji will be hoping to get ideas for a leaner, more efficient public service from New Zealand following the visit of a top regime official to Wellington this week.
Fiji's newly appointed Ambassador-at-Large, Brigadier-General Iowane Naivalurua, has spent five days meeting officials from New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the State Services Commission.
Dr Steven Ratuva says the Bainimarama government has identified Brigadier-General Naivalurua as the right person to lead reforms as he has been successful bringing in change while head of Fiji's prison service and police.
But he says the Fiji-New Zealand government link-up has another purpose.
"Behind the reform agenda is really the bigger political notion of trying to re-engage and there's a chance for them to engage deeper not only in relation to public service reform but more so in the political and diplomatic relationship."
A Pacific regional studies expert at Auckland University, Dr Steven Ratuva
