OPMC and Lands Ministry Advance Legislative Reform on Land and Customary Land
Honiara, 24 September 2026 – The Ministry of Lands and Housing and the Legislative and Policy Reform Subcommittee of the Office of the Prime Minister have completed their second round of consultations on the Ministry’s legislative reform programme.
Chair of the OPM Legislative and Policy Reform Subcommittee, Francis Waleanisia, said the consultations had made significant progress, particularly on the proposed amendments to the Land and Titles Act and the reform of customary land. The Ministry was represented by Stanley Waleanisia (PS) and Mary Tegavota (Acting Commissioner of Lands).
“I am very happy with the outcome so far. Since our last meeting a month ago, the Ministry has clearly put in the time and effort to move these reforms forward.”
“The high number of amendments being proposed is indicative of how much legislative oversight has accumulated over the years. But it is never too late. We now have an opportunity to update the Land and Titles Act so that it properly responds to the changes and challenges of the last decade,” said Mr Waleanisia.
Mr Waleanisia said the development of proposals for customary land reform was particularly significant given the long-standing challenges of reconciling customary land tenure, traditional rights and the introduced system of land law.
The relationship between custom, customary land, traditional rights and the introduced system of land law has always been a difficult issue. One only needs to look at the high number of litigations over customary land to see the extent of the concerns, let alone, the inertia in government successfully driving development into the customary domain.
“What is encouraging now is that we have something in writing that we can examine, debate and improve which seeks to strike a balance. That gives us a real basis for moving the reform process forward for the betterment of our country and traditional owners.”
Mr Waleanisia said, bringing together two fundamentally different systems of land tenure would not be easy, but Solomon Islands already had an important foundation in the Customary Land Recording Act. “This is a sui generis system that is already workable and provides signposts for how we build on it to capture registration, tenure and land use.”
He said a fundamental principle of the reform should be the legal recognition of inalienable tribal, clan and family ownership, with registration and appropriate land-use arrangements flowing on from that recognition. This sequence has been captured in what we are looking at now so that is already comforting.
“However, it is still too early to speak to the details of the final model. But at this stage, we are encouraged by the progress being made.”
Mr Waleanisia emphasised that customary land reform would ultimately require broad and careful consultation before any legislation is considered for enactment.
“This is a reform that is important to all of us. Because of its significance, the Ministry will need to undertake a comprehensive consultation process as the proposals are developed.
“The objective at this stage is not to rush to enactment. It is to develop a sound legal framework that respects customary ownership, protects traditional rights and provides greater certainty for future land use.”
The second round of consultations forms part of the Government’s broader legislative and policy reform programme being coordinated through the Office of the Prime Minister.
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