The Drua story: how Rugby is growing Fiji’s economy

When I first took the role as ANZ’s Fiji Country Head I was told that to understand Fiji you needed to understand its love of rugby.

“These games demonstrate Fiji’s potential as a premiere location for major events and as a centre for business activity.”

The passion is understandable - and there is evidence of it everywhere you go.

It is hard to drive across the country without spotting billboards featuring the faces of stars like the fleet footed Frank Lomani.

Fijians – with a current population of approximately 928,000 adopted Rugby in the 1880s.

Since then, they have used it to make their presence known on a global stage.

The men’s team has won Olympic gold twice (first in Brazil in 2016 and then Tokyo in 2020), and are the only rugby sevens team to take out the Sevens Treble of the Olympics, Sevens Series and the World Cup.

The symbol of Fiji’s team that competes in the Super Rugby competition is the legendary swift Drua double hulled sailing canoe.

Fijians used it to navigate the Pacific for centuries for everything from commerce to exploration.

It is a suitable symbol for a team which is proudly focused on taking Fiji to the world.

I was lucky enough to meet with the Fiji Drua organisation this month. I’m proud that ANZ has supported Fiji Drua since its inception in 2022 – both as a foundation sponsor and the official banker to the club, helping fund the team’s high-performance centre.

Watching the club become a powerful force in Fiji has been amazing, not just uplifting the professionalism of rugby union, but, also taking the popularity of the women’s game to new heights.

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The ability of this great organisation to bring Fiji to the world has been strengthened each time the Fijian Drua men’s and women’s team play home games in Suva and Lautoka.The crowds and atmosphere have quickly become the best in the Super Rugby competition.

The events are likely the largest held in Fiji outside the Pacific Games and generated substantial positive economic spinoffs.

I was happy to share with Fiji Drua ANZ research showing how this team is not just a source of cultural and sporting pride – but also a serious part of Fiji’s ability to diversify its economy and sell itself to the world.

Fiji: economic contribution of home Super Rugby games

Having entered the competition only recently (2022), Drua teams are making a significant contribution to Fiji’s economy and employment. ANZ research estimates that the 2025 season, which concluded in May, contributed a total of FJD108m to Fiji’s Gross Domestic Product (AU $73 million).

A large chunk of that economic activity was generated indirectly, mostly through a boost to tourism but also through increased merchandise sales and higher transport, retail, advertising and media demand.

Each game draws on other industries within the broader economy – this includes everything from transport, accommodation and food services, retail, telecommunications and financial services.

This in turn requires input from suppliers, creating spillover benefits in terms of additional sales.

ANZ calculated the value of these links and found for every FJD $1 of Drua final spending on the game day boosts sales across the economy by a factor of 2.31 (“Gross output multiplier” Figure below).

Impacting the broader economy - Gross Output Multiplier

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Importantly, the estimates suggest that hosting Super Rugby Pacific games contributed FJD $82m indirectly to GDP in 2025, yielding a total contribution to GDP of FJD $108m.

The Drua home games have also lifted Fiji’s international profile, particularly for sports tourism, as they are broadcast live internationally.

The mantra of the Fijian Drua teams is to make each event the ‘best ever’ game-day experience for spectators.

These games demonstrate Fiji’s potential as a premiere location for major events and as a centre for business activity.

Think of the appeal of an experience combining the best hotels and accommodation Fiji has to offer with a world class sporting event – the potential is huge.  

Through the exposure it gives to the country, the economic contribution of Drua’s home games has, in our view, room for continued and exciting growth.

Rabih Yazbek is Country Head of ANZ Fiji