"We have plenty": Re-thinking custom and community economic development within Vanuatu

The past two years have been declared by both the Vanuatu National Council of Chiefs and the National Cultural Centre, the years of the ‘custom (kastom) economy’. Such a declaration is indicative of many ni-Vanuatu citizens’ concerns to do with the (un)sustainable directions of current macro-economic conditions and strategies of the Vanuatu state. The years of the kastom economy reflect both a reaction and resistance against such strategies. This article considers the complexities of sustainable economic strategies unpacking key tensions between: individual vs. collective, cash vs. custom, ‘subsistence plus’ vs. ‘not enough’ , wealth as land-focused vs. educational-focused and urban vs. rural. It is proposed that practitioners of development who hold a commitment to sustainability will require a ‘compass’ enabling them to navigate through the kind of tensions discussed