Reflecting on my time with Talanoa Consulting
We were delighted to welcome Rabeka into the Talanoa Consulting team for an internship. In this article he shares his reflections on his time with us, what he learned, and where he’s heading next.
My name is Ratu Rabeka Drauna. I am a 24-year-old male from Macuata Province, in the district of Labasa, from a small village in the town of Labasa called Nasekula, where my immediate family resides. I was born and raised in Labasa. In our free time, we would usually go to my namesake’s place, he’s from Naduri village, where the Tui Macuata lives. He is the great uncle of the current Tui Macuata. They live close to the ocean, so every time we visited him, it was always a must that we’d go fishing in the ocean.
The first time I fell in love with the ocean was when we came back from swimming and trying to catch some fish with my uncles – we came across a jellyfish washed up on shore. I was around 8 or 9 years old, and when I first looked at the jellyfish, I was so amazed at how such a beautiful creature could also be very deadly with its poisonous nature. From that day onwards, I knew I wanted to do something that involved going to the ocean. I decided what I was going to do – it was either FNU fisheries or USP marine science. So I ended up doing marine science. Everything in my life has always been connected to the ocean.
After leaving my previous full-time job as a marine biologist with Captain Cook Cruises, I really wanted to work with CSOs or in the environment. I was involved with a lot of CSOs that aligned with what I wanted to do in my future – research-based management strategies. I was part of the Climate Navigators with PICAN, where I did a lot more workshops with them prior to becoming a climate navigator. Every time they had a workshop, I was always signing up, and that’s when I started to hear about Talanoa Consulting – through a lot of the conversations and other workshops related to PICAN. I started to look up what Talanoa Consulting was about. I got to meet another former Talanoa consultant, Yashoda. She really gave me a full picture of what Talanoa Consulting is about and whether it was something I would be interested in.
Even though I felt constant imposter syndrome, it really shows how supportive the work environment was. I was surrounded by great minds right from the start – everyone was so supportive, and it made me feel like, ‘Oh, this is a normal feeling.’ On the first day, I started at around eight, and by ten, I was in a lunch meeting with partners. The people at Talanoa made me fit in so well – they included me in everything that was very new to me. I just felt immense gratitude.
Sangeeta is someone I had always heard about. I didn’t even know she was part of Talanoa Consulting. I just knew she was a marine science writer on reefs and fisheries, and anyone would be grateful to intern for her. Then I came and saw not only her, but everyone else in the team – how Mere would be so patient with me in report writing, Marita for her constant advice, Ritesh for his leadership and knowledge of writing. Everyone in the Talanoa team has played an important role in shaping who I am now, upon completing my internship here.
When I joined, I was so fixated on not doing the wrong thing. Then, after that first week, I realised, ‘It’s okay to go through trial and error and learn from it.’ I think that was one of the first things I really learned – and that never stopped.
Understanding consultancy – this is an entirely new space that I’m exploring. I think not a lot of young people know what consultancies are, and if they do, they have a certain perception of them. Usually, they think that consultancy involves someone who is an outsider – at least that was my perception. It’s usually a Western image of an outsider with the expertise and tons of experience. Just seeing how the work here at Talanoa Consulting is – it’s locally centred, community centred, and you realise that your own personal experience makes you an expert if you have lived through a lot of the issues that projects here are trying to address. Seeing how consulting handles that with inclusivity and representation of the people really changed my view.
I also want other people to know that consultancy can be a future job too, if you’re really good at it or really want to do it. I think a lot of youths don’t understand – when some of my friends asked me, ‘Are you working?’ I said, ‘Oh, I’m working at Talanoa Consulting.’ They asked, ‘Is it Talanoa hotels, or a resort or something?’ ‘No, it’s a consulting firm.’ Then I had to explain what consulting is, and that there are different consultants with different specialties. When I came in, my knowledge of consulting was really limited – and now I understand the full scope of what consulting is and what it means here.
Be curious and open-minded. Be open to learning something from someone, regardless of their level of expertise or how many years of experience they have. I’ve seen that everyone is constantly learning. Even when surrounded by great minds, everyone is reading, everyone is doing something that is like capacity building or personal development in their own way. I’ve been exposed to some habits that people may not usually be exposed to.
So just be open-minded to everything. The word that we usually use with my friends is ‘to just be green.’ Be open-minded. When I was in my first year of studies, I would just make friends with anyone just to fit in. I think that behaviour and mentality should stay with us throughout our lives – to continue to get to know people. I know at certain stages in our life we tend to be more isolated or rigid. I think it’s always good to have a more flexible social life – you might meet someone who may lead you to your next job, like I did with PICAN. I was just constantly socialising and networking. Be open to conversations and ready to be corrected. That would be my advice.
I am pursuing a Master’s in Zoology. I will be investigating the reproductive biology of yellowfin tuna, scientifically known as Thunnus albacares, as a whole stock. This research is a first of its kind, and at the same time, I will be studying its reproductive biology – trying to figure out how they reproduce, when they reproduce, how frequently they reproduce, and whether recent environmental changes due to climate change affect them. I will try to compare this with any environmental variability – it could be temperature, salinity, density, or the location where these yellowfin tuna are caught. All of this will help determine if there are any behavioural changes in terms of reproduction. It touches on climate change and how it’s affecting tuna – I know that in the Pacific, tuna is one of the main resources, exported throughout the world. I’ve been awarded a Pacific Island Scholarship at Otago University, funded by a project grant from SPC. Hopefully, if I do well in this research project, there will be opportunities to pursue a PhD, if that’s what I want – or I’ll return to the workforce, hopefully with SPC.
Vinaka vakalevu, Rabeka! We wish you all the best in New Zealand and look forward to welcoming you back to Fiji!