NEWSPAGE 10 February
2010

(Photos: Counties Manukau District Health Board)

NEW ZEALAND: LotuMoui Summit brings DHB and Pacific churches together

(Photo: Pacific Asia Travel Association)

SAMOA: Recovering Samoa opens door to TIDES delegates
Source: eTravel Blackboard

Samoa started welcoming more than 150 delegates over the weekend for the inaugural Tourism Investment for the Development of Enterprise and Sustainability (TIDES) conference.

TIDES, organised by The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), was originally scheduled to take place on 25-28 November 2009. However, the recent earthquake and subsequent tsunami suffered by the Pacific island postponed the conference to 17-19 February 2009.

The conference will feature a host of expert presenters who specialise in a variety of tourism and related industries, with its keynote speaker confirmed to be DestiCorp CEO Anna Pollock.

Presenters will focus on the importance of tourism as an economic and social enabler and stress the need to find solutions to the many obstacles which currently stifle tourism growth in the region.

Delegates will use the conference as a platform to network with international and regional business and financial organisations and explore business and partnership opportunities

"We expect this conference will help raise awareness of the Pacific region's tourism potential," said Chris Flynn, Regional Director Pacific of PATA.

"It will also allow attendees to develop or strengthen international partnerships and help them define the industry's direction, as it emerges from the Global Financial Crisis."

TIDES is sponsored by Pro€Invest of the European Commission as part of the EU's African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP).

For more information on the TIDES conference, visit: http://www.tidessamoa.com/index.html
 

AMERICAN SAMOA: Faleomavaega thanks Secretary Salazar for his help with ASPIRE
Source: Office of Congressman Faleomavaega Press Release

Congressman Faleomavaega has announced that he met with U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar regarding ASPIRE during a meeting held by the Congressional Caucus on Asian Pacific Americans (CAPAC) on Wednesday, January 27, 2010.

“At my request, the Chairman of CAPAC, Congressman Mike Honda, agreed to include the ASPIRE bill as part of our Caucus agenda,” Faleomavaega said. “In the course of our discussion, I informed Secretary Salazar that a Congressional hearing had already been held on ASPIRE and that OIA Director Nik Pula testified on behalf of the Obama Administration in support of the principles of ASPIRE, although there is agreement that modifications need to be made.”

“Secretary Salazar understands that American Samoa is a single-industry economy entirely dependent on the tuna industry and that our last remaining tuna cannery can no longer compete against low-wage countries like Thailand that pay their workers $0.75 cents and less per hour to clean fish. Secretary Salazar said he would look into how the Department of the Interior can be supportive of our tuna issue, and I thanked him for his commitment.”

“Assistant Secretary Tony Babauta accompanied Secretary Salazar to our CAPAC meeting and nine other Members of Congress were also present, including Congressman Honda, Congresswoman Bordallo, Congressman Bobby Scott, Congressman Joseph Cao, Congresswoman Judy Chu, Congresswoman Mazie Hirono, Congressman Sablan, Congresswoman Roybal-Allard, and Congressman Al Green.”

“As a follow-up to our CAPAC meeting, I also held a meeting in my office with OIA Director Nik Pula and Chairman Rahall’s Committee staff, and we are aggressively working to find a solution that helps save the jobs of our cannery workers and that helps us rebuild after Chicken of the Sea/Samoa Packing closed down its operations in American Samoa without the courtesy of any discussion with our elected leaders.”

“Again, I thank Secretary Salazar for his personal commitment and I also deeply appreciate the support of Chairman Nick Rahall of the Committee on Natural Resources. I look forward to our continued work together as we seek to do all that we can do for and on behalf of the people of American Samoa,” Faleomavaega concluded.
 

(Photo: Tourism Fiji)

FIJI: Fiji's caps off 'toughest year in history' with strong 2009 NZ finish
Source: Tourism Fiji Press Release

Capping off what Tourism Fiji regional director New Zealand Sala Toganivalu describes as the "toughest year in Fiji's tourism history", figures released by the national tourist office show more than 90,000 Kiwis visited the destination in 2009.

The actual 91,350 figure achieved for the 12 month period fell just 9595 short of the 100,945 achieved in the record breaking 2008.

While the deficit represents a 9.5 per cent shortfall, Ms Toganivalu said the more remarkable factor was that Fiji has regained a significant 22.5 per cent of the market share lost when Fiji's NZ visitor arrivals dropped by an unprecedented 32 per cent in the first three months of 2009.

That regrowth factor she said provided a tangible positive in what has represented one of Fiji's toughest years in the NZ market ever and was indicative of continuing growth.

"One of the main reasons for the destination's ultimate success in rebuilding its New Zealand business had been ongoing support received from the local industry and the general public.

"Both the local industry and the people of New Zealand in general know our destination very well.

"Through the years they have come to accept that while there have been political issues and natural calamity, there have never been instances where tourists have been harmed or were in any danger.

"One of the keys to our success has been our ability to instigate appropriate crisis management plans during times of natural and man-made calamities.

"These have proven effective in minimising concerns for travellers as evidenced by the strong regrowth we have experienced in the last six to nine months.

"The devaluation of the Fiji dollar in April has also played its part in helping to revitalise the numbers."

Ms Toganivalu said she was confident the impact the new 'Lucky Me - Fiji Me' national advertising campaign would provide Fiji with an excellent opportunity to further regrow the New Zealand market.

"We had an excellent finish to 2009 and preliminary advice received from our New Zealand airline, wholesale and retail partners indicates Fiji is very much back in vogue and selling well," she said.
 

(Photo: FIFO)

TAHITI: New Zealand film wins top FIFO honours in Tahiti
Source: STAR Public Relations Ltd Press Release

"Te Henua e Noho" (there once was an Island) has won Le Grand Prix du Jury at the 7th Annual Pacific International Documentary Film Festival in Tahiti.

This documentary tells the story of 400 people living on a small island in Papua New Guinea who,
because of global warming and rising sea levels, must decide whether to stay on the island or leave.

Leanne Pooley was also awarded a special jury prize for New Zealand film "The Topp Twins, Untouchable girls".

Jean-Michel Corillon’s Terre Natale, Retour à Rurutu (Homeland, Back to Rurutu), a documentary about French Polynesia, won the Public's Prize.

Special jury prizes also went to Amiel Courtin-Wilson, for "Bastardy", a film about an Aboriginal man living on the streets and Keala Kelly for "Noho Hewa", a film about Hawaiians facing the US Army and struggling to retain land.

Besides the overall 42 films shown during this year's festival, FIFO also included conferences, roundtable discussions and workshops.

The festival also brought together audiovisual professionals from other regions interested in knowing about Oceania's culture in general and French Polynesia's culture in particular.

Photo Caption: Winner of Le Grand Prix du Jury at the 7th Annual Pacific International Documentary Film Festival in Tahiti, "Te Henua e Noho" (there once was an Island).
 

(Photo: Engineers Without Borders NZ)

WORLDWIDE: Budding young Kiwi engineers bring a brighter future to Tonga College
Source: Engineers Without Borders NZ Press Release

Hundreds of students and staff at Tonga College now have the opportunity to access the latest computers, books and technical equipment thanks to the efforts of a group of young Kiwi engineers.

Seven volunteers from Engineers Without Borders New Zealand (EWBNZ) travelled to Tonga late 2009 to install a solar-powered ground water pumping system at Tonga College, which will significantly reduce the financial burden of providing clean water to 1600 students and staff.

With the new system designed by EWBNZ installed, the school will save more than $800 NZD a month - the cost of filling its 25,000 litre water tank daily using a diesel-powered pump system.

The principal of Tonga College, Isikeli Oko, says the savings will now be invested in much needed resources like computers, books and technical equipment.

Project Leader, 20 year-old Jonathan Cheng, a PhD student at the University of Auckland’s Engineering School, says the project was “a proud success for EWBNZ and Tonga College and an invaluable learning experience for everyone involved”.

“We faced a number of significant challenges with this project, including having to modify several aspects of the design for the solar pumping system on-site. These surprises are all part of the learning experience that allows us to apply and extend beyond what we learn at university” Cheng says.

In addition to the direct economic benefits, the team says the scheme will serve as a tangible example of renewable energy and sustainable technologies to the students at Tonga College and the wider community.

“EWBNZ is committed to effecting change first and foremost through empowerment of the community so part of the project involved our team engaging students and staff at the college in implementing basic measures to improve water and energy conservation - simple measures like identifying leaking pipes and changing settings in computer labs to save energy,” says Cheng.

The solar-powered ground water pumping system was entirely designed by the EWBNZ team, which spent a year and a half researching and planning the system and raising funds for the project.

The EWBNZ team was made up of graduate students Jonathan Cheng, Anita Walbran and Bridget Rule; along with four other engineering students from the University of Auckland Daniel Scott, Graham dos Santos, Fatima Leung-Wai and Peter Luk; Dr Peter Richards, Deputy Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering; and Derek Smith, a Senior Project Manager at Sinclair Knight Merz. The project was executed in partnership with EcoCARE Pacific Trust.

EWBNZ would like to thank project supporters NZAid, Pacific Blue, ABB, Rotary Club of Auckland East, Revue for Engineering Faculty Students, Air New Zealand Freight, Sinclair Knight Merz and South Pacific Indigenous Engineering Students Association for their generous financial support.

Photo Caption: Team photo in front of solar scheme.