InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa has become a founding partner of Hanua, a Fiji-founded initiative that uses surfing, ocean education and cultural storytelling to strengthen young people’s connection to Fiji’s communities and marine environment. The resort is joined in the partnership by sister properties Grand Pacific Hotel Suva and Holiday Inn Suva, all part of the FNPF-owned IHG Fiji portfolio.
The founding partnership includes an investment of FJ$12,000 towards the development and delivery of Hanua’s ocean-centred programmes.
Its first major activation will be the Hanua Ocean Surf Fest, hosted at InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa in Natadola on Saturday 10 October 2026, Fiji Day. The community-led event is expected to bring together around 80 invited participants and guests for a programme combining youth surfing, ocean education, culture and storytelling. Thirty young participants will take part in a daytime ocean education and plastic art workshop, alongside cultural performance, Pacific storytelling and an evening surf and ocean film programme.
Lachlan Walker, Regional General Manager, Fiji and Pacific, IHG Hotels & Resorts, said Natadola’s standing as one of Fiji’s most special coastal destinations made the resort a natural home for a programme centred on surfing, young people and the ocean.
“With such an incredible environment on our doorstep comes a responsibility to help care for it and support the communities connected to it,” he said. “Hanua creates a meaningful way for young people to experience the ocean, learn from it and understand their role in protecting it for the future.”
Walker added that the partnership reflects IHG’s Journey to Tomorrow responsible business plan and its commitment to making a positive difference in the communities where it operates, and that hosting the inaugural Ocean Surf Fest at Natadola on Fiji Day brings those priorities together in a way that feels genuinely local.
Hannah Bennett, Founder and Executive Director of Hanua, said the initiative was built on the belief that surfing can be more than a sport.
“It can build confidence, strengthen connection and give young people a meaningful way to engage with the ocean, culture and community,” she said. “Having InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa join us as a founding partner gives us an important platform to grow that work.”
Bennett said the Ocean Surf Fest brings surfing together with education, storytelling and cultural connection, creating an experience that reflects who Pacific people are and their relationship with the sea. She said she hoped the event becomes something young people and communities can continue to be part of in the years ahead.
