Pacific-grown Canvas Model goes online to support communities

November 20, 2025 10:08 pm | Posted in Business News | Share now TwitterFacebook

A decade of collaboration across Vanuatu and the Pacific reached a major milestone on Thursday evening as The Canvas Model officially launched its new digital platform at Regenerative Vanua in Nambatri.

The website was launched by Minister of Climate Change Adaptation Ralph Regenvanu, Australian High Commissioner Max Willis, Mr. Clement Chipokolo, Country Director of World Vision Vanuatu (WVV), and Ms Wilmaraia Sinumila, General Manager of the Vanuatu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI). The event marks a step forward for Pacific-led innovation in community resilience.

Developed by Dr Adam Trau and strengthened through long-term partnerships with WVV and VCCI, The Canvas Model offers 15 specialised planning tools covering business development, youth entrepreneurship, climate change adaptation, seasonal work, disability inclusion, and more.

Each “Canvas” provides a simple visual plan on a page, supported by practical training and coaching activities.

Speaking at the launch, Minister Regenvanu remarked on the importance of inclusive and culturally grounded planning tools for community resilience. He described the Canvas Model as “something that Vanuatu can offer to the region and to the world,” reflecting more than 10 years of collaboration and understanding of Pacific communities’ needs.

The event drew attendance from government departments, development partners, and regional stakeholders, including representatives from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), the Ministry of Climate Change, Ministry of Agriculture, the Department of Labour (DOL), and the Vanuatu Community-based Climate Resilience Project (VCCRP) team — demonstrating broad institutional support for this locally grown initiative.

Dr Trau said: “This platform marks a milestone in our long Pacific journey. The Canvas Model was created here in Vanuatu, shaped by communities, trainers, and partners over many years. Taking it online means anyone — from a rural mama’s group to a government department — can now use these tools instantly.”

The Canvas Model is already being applied across Vanuatu through key national programs, including World Vision’s Famili i Redi, UCRP, and NOURISH initiatives; seasonal work preparation and reintegration with VCCI and the DOL, supporting more than 4,000 workers through pre-departure briefings; Canvas-based training for VCCRP across six provinces; The Asia Foundation’s Go Digital Pacific program; and CARE in Vanuatu’s women’s entrepreneurship incubator.

As development and climate pressures grow, the Canvas Model provides a proven, locally designed solution.

Its new digital platform enables this Vanuatu innovation to reach and support even more communities across Vanuatu and the Pacific.