Economic potential

Massey University Professor Regina Scheyvens and a team of researchers have received funding from the Royal Society's Marsden Fund to investigate the relationship between customary land practices and financial gain.

Accroding to RNZ, Ms Scheyvens said land in the Pacific is often talked about as a barrier to economic development.

"There are a lot of people who believe that unless land is freehold it can't be used for economic development, it's not going to be productive, it's not going to be considered as good at attracting foreign investment into the Pacific."

“It just goes to say that there’s definitely an interest in this industry and everyone’s trying to create opportunities.

“Definitely, fashion is a billion dollar industry in the world wide and something that we should be tapping into in PNG.

“It provides so many jobs, whether it’s down to people who are making buttons out of coconut shells, there’s so much opportunity in this industry and that’s in modelling, photography, design, clothing, and providing jobs in shops for people who want to work with fashion also.”

She said with the runway: