Page 37 - Fiji Traveller Issue 2

By Samantha Magick deepen my understanding on the geopolitical landscape. So my
job was to set up the development of the East Asia strategy that
When Lagi Toribau first walked into Greenpeace Pacific’s would cover Mainland China, Korea and Hong Kong.”
Suva office more than 20 years ago, he could not have possibly From Beijing, he spent two and a half years in Korea.
predicted that it was the start of a career that would take him all “We set up our nuclear campaign, oceans campaign, a
over the world with the activist organisation. climate and energy campaign, we built up our fundraising team,
Even now, as he recounts his journey, there’s a faint tone of managed to get 20-plus local Koreans [employed] and I was the
incredulity in his voice. only foreigner.”
Toribau, who hails from Viwa, Tailevu on his father’s side, and Toribau says this is when his leadership journey really began.
Naitasiri on his mother’s, is currently Acting Executive Director “I knew I had it in me. But I think the fact that it was a new
for Greenpeace Canada. The organisation was founded in operation, and I had to set up a team, a new organisational plan,
Vancouver, Canada in 1971, so the sense of history and develop its budget. I was able to groom a lot of the campaigners.
significance of the posting is not lost on him. The fundraising part was the new area for me, but I’m a risk
“I’ve always been curious,” he says. “I'm the youngest of taker. I push the envelope, I push myself.”
seven. I've always been the child that ask questions all the time. Toribau subsequently spent over two years in Australia working
I always used to get into trouble with my parents, because I'm as the global leader of Greenpeace’s tuna political team, before
always outspoken, and my older siblings used to use me for moving to South Africa in 2016 as program director.
things that they wouldn't dare speak to my parents about. And I “Greenpeace has a very big operation in Africa. Our
would do it just out of curiosity. It got me into a lot of trouble. But headquarters is in Johannesburg. We have our fisheries
my parents also appreciated me a lot, because I wouldn't just operation in West Africa, out of Senegal, our forest operation is
take things for granted and for what they seemed.” in the Congo, we've got two bases, one in Kinshasa and one in
Toribau was studying business management at university Cameroon. Our food and agriculture operations are based out of
when he began volunteering at Greenpeace. He says, “all I knew Kenya. So I was the program director, we cover a huge part of
were hippies, whales, you know,” but as he spent time there, the continent.”
grew to understand just how big the organisation was. In Africa, Toribau developed a keen interest in ‘systems
From answering phones and helping guide school students thinking’—understanding connections, relationships and
around the Greenpeace library, Toribau began working on the complexities between issues—"to think beyond boundaries,
organisation’s oceans campaign, documenting fishing boats that to think beyond issue specificity, to think beyond status quo,
were active in the Pacific. and not being too comfortable or being scared of change. So I
“The moment that I will never forget was my 21st birthday. started writing about some of these things as well and blogs and
That was when the Rainbow Warrior [vessel] was here. It was speaking about this in various spaces inside the organisation.”
my first ship tour. We did, I think six Pacific Island countries at At this time, Toribau’s mother passed away suddenly, and he
that time, and on our way out from Suva, first off was Kiribati. decided to come home to care for his father. For seven months
And Fiji being small, it was actually one of my cousins that was at home he did some post-graduate study at the University of the
working on one of the fishing boats out in the high seas. We South Pacific and worked with the Fiji government.
were approaching the boat, and my job on the boat was to verify Then he returned to Asia, this time to run Greenpeace
the details of fishing boats, and whether they were legal or not.” International’s food and agriculture campaign from Taiwan. By
That personal connection—his cousin had been at his birthday then, Toribau had developed a reputation as a troubleshooter,
celebration just weeks before—meant they could board the so his next posting was back to Africa, which had experienced a
fishing vessel and enter Kiribati. ‘governance breakdown’.
Toribau describes the ship tour as a baptism of fire. After “After I left Fiji, when I went to Taiwan, I was a lot calmer. I
completing his day’s work on the boat, he stayed up late, “reading think that's probably maturity,” he says, laughing. “I could see
up on fisheries agreements, trade agreements, research papers, things with a lot more clarity. Something happened to me, I sort
scientific papers while at sea. And I gained my confidence. And I of evolved into being a lot more deep in thinking, sharing a lot
do recall getting off the ship in Papua New Guinea [three months more, being a lot more strategic in directions in the organisation.
later] and thinking, ‘Yes, I think I can do this.’” “A lot of that was I think, me being a lot more purpose driven.
He ended up doing seven ship tours over the course of six Now, I think part of that realisation is knowing that it's service.
years, spending three months at a time at sea ‘chasing pirates.’ It’s being able to find those places where I could be of added
“I think that’s what turned me into a true oceans campaigner. value without feeling like I have to be everywhere. And so I'm a
I’ve seen it all at sea, I did it all at sea,” Toribau says. lot more deliberate now.”
From Fiji, where he was eventually promoted to the head Toribau is not sure what is next after his Canadian contract,
of the oceans campaign, Toribau was posted to Beijing, as although he would like to write about his diverse experiences.
Greenpeace began campaigning on fisheries in Asia for the first “My heart is still here. I now know where my heart is, and it’s
time. coupled with experience that I have learned to be able to give
“Part of me taking up that job was also about me trying to back.”

37