New Ireland Governor and Namatanai MP Walter David Schnaubelt has wrapped up a weeklong visit to all 15 wards of the Nimamar Local Level Government (LLG) on Lihir Island, where he officially launched the Ward Development Support (WDS) program.
The WDS is a key initiative under the governor’s leadership to drive grassroots development New Ireland. All142 wards in the 10 LLGs across the province will benefit from the WDS grants.
Arriving to a warm welcome at Londolovit beach on July 6, Mr Schnaubelt began his tour on Malie Island where he kicked off the WDS program.
Under the program, all wards in New Ireland re allocated K50,000 each, with specific funding set aside for youth (K10,000), women (K15,000), and broader community needs (K25,000).
Lihir’s 15 wards received their 2025 grants during the visit, with the governor pledging continued support in 2026 and beyond.
The WDS program is about giving each ward the power to develop on its own terms, with a focus on long-term impact, Governor Schnaubelt said.
“I strongly encourage communities to use the funds wisely, especially in areas like agriculture that can create jobs, improve food security, and bring in steady income for families.”
In addition to the grants, Mr Schnaubelt delivered practical support items, including red colour bond roofing iron16 sheets each for 50 recipients plus K300 each, and 18 sheets for three local Hausboi clans plus K1000 each and 200 solar lights distributed across all 15 wards.
The rollout of the WDS program will continue in other LLGs throughout the province in the coming months.
Wrapping up his visit on July 14 in Kunaye village (Ward 1 and 11), Governor Schnaubelt revealed that Nimamar LLG alone had received K10.7 million under the WDS program to date, K4.3 million in his previous term and K6.4 million so far in the current term.
“This is what putting power and resources back into the hands of the people looks like, he said.
“It’s about real, visible change, community by community, ward by ward and open and transparent distributions of government funds.
“This no different to late Sir Julius Chan’s policy, previously named Ward Ceiling, which was K30,000 per year but now under the Schnaubelt/Seth government, we increased to K50,000 per year and changed Ward Ceiling to Ward Development Support Grant, which conforms with the Financial Management Act, which recognises Community Based Organisations, Village Planning Committee and Ward Development Committee who are instruments of implementation of government services in our rural areas.”
During his visit to Lihir Island, Governor Schnaubelt raised serious concerns about the long delay in completing the Lihir Ring Road Project.
Although the project was launched in 2023 with full funding and signed agreements, the Governor and his team were disappointed to find little to no progress on the remaining 27 kilometers of road.
He said it was unfair to the people of Lihir, who have lived without proper roads for years while contributing billions of kina in gold revenue to the government and the mining company.
Governor Schnaubelt met with Newmont, the current mine operator, but said their answers were unclear and did not explain when the road would be finished.
He also questioned their plan to split the project into three separate parts, saying it could waste time and money.
To move things forward, the governor has called for a meeting of all major stakeholders in August to sort out the delays and agree on a clear plan going forward.