My intention in this chapter is to explore the extent to which international parliamentary democratic norms—including gender sensitive parliamentary norms—have found their own roots in the political context of Fiji. I begin with a brief description of parliamentary norms articulated at the international level and then present an overview of the gendered institution of parliament in this Pacific nation. From this discussion, I identify three tensions in the translation of democratic norms in Fiji: first, that a concern with ethnic diversity has taken precedence over gender diversity in Fiji; second, that collective deliberation has been thwarted by a political tendency towards decision taking rather than decision making; and third, that parliamentary staff are bound by cultural hierarchies over bureaucratic hierarchies, making it difficult to present frank and fearless advice to political elites. I suggest that much of this tension is driven by a disconnect between Fijian social and cultural norms and Western-defined parliamentary democratic norms. While similar disconnects are characteristic of many post‐colonial parliaments, there are also uniquely Fijian elements at play.