Nakamal used by the Malfatumauri National Council of Chiefs. Photo: RNZI / Hilaire Bule
Vanuatu's National Council of Chiefs has appealed to the government to make sure it consults with the chiefs' head office before setting its 18 Area Councils.
The chairman of the Council, Chief Mol Torvaka Lima Tirsupe, say the national council has structures already in place.
The chairman says he is concerned that if the government goes ahead with the Area Councils, it may clash with traditional structures, especially with regards to land boundaries.
But a governemnt official, Ben Tabi, has assured Chief Tirsupe that the Decentralisation Act states clearly the chiefs have an important role to play in the new initiative, including choosing the chairs of each Area Council.
