Ba Province
Tavaiqia was a civil servant before he ventured into politics, serving as a Cabinet Minister in the administration of Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara in the 1970s-1980s. He was well known for his efforts to improve the livelihood of the people of the Ba Province. During his tenure as Minister for Forests, Tavaiqia negotiated with landowners to lease marginal land with little use for any agricultural development to the Fiji Pine Commission and later Fiji Pine Limited.