NEWSPAGE 18 June
2010

(Photo: Spasifik Magazine)

(Photo: Australian Defence Force)

SAMOA: Two fire trucks for Samoa fire and emergency services
Source: Australian High Commission Press Release

Two fire trucks from Australia have arrived in Samoa and will soon join the Samoa Fire and Emergency Services fleet.

The fire trucks arrived on the Royal Australian Navy ship, HMAS Kanimbla which docked in Apia today (June 15, 2010).

The trucks, along with spare parts, tyres and mechanical expertise have been donated by the Melbourne Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB). This follows the fire truck donated by the MFB last year to replace the one destroyed responding to last year’s tsunami. The new pumper tankers are each capable of carrying 3800 litres of water.

Commissioner of Samoa’s Fire and Emergency Services Authority (SEFSA), Seve Tony Hill said he very grateful for the new fire trucks, which further boosted the SEFSA’s fire fighting and emergency response capability.

“Thank you again to the MFB for new fire trucks and also to the Australian Navy for bringing the trucks to Samoa. It will be a great help with our local fire-fighting efforts to keep all Samoans safe.”

MFB Chief, Graham Fountain said the new truck symbolises the close working relationship enjoyed by the MFB and SEFSA.

“The fire-fighting community is a worldwide fraternity, but MFB has had an especially close relationship over twenty years with our Samoan colleagues,” Mr Fountain said.

“The arrival of the new fire trucks is an important part of the MFB’s partnership with the SEFSA which also includes help with strategic planning, logistics support and operations training”.

The MFB has worked with SEFSA for nearly 20 years, with MFB officers recently travelling to Samoa to conduct a needs analysis of SEFSA. This resulted in the development of a formal three-year assistance program including providing fire safety assistance, urban search and rescue training and officer development opportunities.

Australian High Commissioner to Samoa, Matt Anderson said the visit to Samoa by HMAS Kanimbla to deliver the new fire trucks are part of Australia’s ongoing assistance to Samoa in the aftermath of the tsunami.

“The fire trucks are just another example of Australia’s ongoing help to Samoa and highlights the close links and friendship between our two countries,” Mr Anderson said.

Photo Caption: Royal Australian Navy ship, HMAS Kanimbla, which transported the two fire trucks and spare parts to Samoa.
 

(Photos: Riamoana Pasifika)

AUSTRALIA: Brisbane celebrates Samoa's 48 years of Independence
Source: Riamoana Pasifika Press Release

All smiles, all day at the Maota Fono, Deception Bay grounds from dignitaries, organisers and community supporters who made use of the Public Holiday to commemorate and celebrate together in Brisbane, Samoa's 48 years of Independence.

The 2 day event organised by Aiga Samoa Association Incorporated started on Sunday 13th with a combined church service held at Deception Bay Police Citizens and Youth Club centre followed by the Samoa and Australian flag raising and entertainment on Monday.

There to join in the celebrations was the High Commissioner of Samoa, H.E.Lemalu Samau Tate Simi who was, " very impressed with the turn out and organisers of the celebrations. Credit goes out to members of the community for turning up and supporting, this is a lovely testimony to our people wanting to keep our Samoan identity." The High Commissioner also commented on the life in Australia, " In a multicultural society there is a chance that some may become culturally lost, these sorts of events ensure that our Australian Samoan youth are well grounded with the support of family and also the community. As long as our youth have this support system they will become and remain self confident and emotionally strong."

According to the President of the Aiga Samoa Association, Taulapapa Lemalu Slade," We will continue to push to work together with all Samoans in our community to do things together and remain a strong unit, today has been a very successful day for everyone."

A last message from the High Commissioner was," I would advocate the message that members of our community need to be proud of themselves, we are all human and we need to stick to the basics of being respectful, useful and honourable in our person and in our society. Stick to the basics of being a good person, respect the laws of the land and you will benefit." 
 

(Photo: Secretariat of the Pacific Community)

PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Papua New Guinea to fund major tuna tagging programme
Source: Secretariat of the Pacific Community Press Release

The Managing Director of PNG’s National Fisheries Authority (NFA), Mr Sylvester Pokajam, today (June 16, 2010) announced that NFA will fund a major tuna tagging programme in PNG waters. Costing USD 3 million (PGK 9 million) over three years, it will be part of an integrated fishery monitoring programme that includes fisheries observers, in-port catch sampling and satellite-based vessel monitoring as well as tuna tagging.

Mr Pokajam, in discussing the new initiative at the annual PNG Fishing Industry Consultation last week, said, ‘PNG is committed to full scientific monitoring of its tuna stocks, as tuna fisheries provide important revenue to PNG as well as providing more than 10,000 jobs. NFA in collaboration with our tuna industry is developing PNG into the tuna capital of the Pacific, and as such it is essential that we safeguard the health of our fish stocks using the best scientific and fishery monitoring methods.’

The tagging programme is to be implemented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) in collaboration with NFA. The Noumea-based SPC Oceanic Fisheries Programme is the Pacific region’s premier tuna fisheries science centre and has extensive experience in mounting large tuna tagging exercises. Programme Manager, Dr John Hampton commented, ‘This tagging programme will provide PNG with a world-class fishery monitoring system that will greatly enhance our understanding of these important resources. The investment in science is commendable and marks PNG as a world leader in tuna fisheries management.’

The Director-General of SPC, Dr Jimmie Rodgers, commended the NFA on its ground-breaking initiative, noting it is the first time an island member of SPC has invested such substantial resources in analysing and quantifying the value of its tuna resources, which are already a significant contributor to the country’s economic development. Dr Rodgers said that PNG’s visionary leadership in this area is an excellent example of strategic positioning by a country and could inspire similar investments in other sectors and other island countries in the region.

An important aspect of the programme will be the training of PNG nationals in all aspects of the work, including use of the data in stock assessment and management.

The research is expected to begin in early 2011 and continue for three years.

Photo Caption: SPC tuna tagging by pole-and-line fishing.
 

(Photo: Vanuatu Daily Post)

VANUATU: Government, Long Wah plan training in value added products
Source: Vanuatu Daily Post

The necessary equipment will be set up and training in value added process to add value to local products such as nangae will follow in September in Tanna, Efate, Malekula and Santo with local trainer and pioneer investor in value added products, Charles Long Wah.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Trade Sato Kilman made the confirmation in the presence of Long Wah in his Kava Store filled with bottles and packets of value added products yesterday (June 11, 2010) morning.

The Government must be able to provide the environment to help investors to set up and provide employment opportunities for workers while making money and promoting the economy of the country, he said.

Kilman became the first Minister of State in thirty years to show a genuine interest in what Long Wah has been doing and offered to pay a special visit to his business. “Many of what we looking at on Mr Long Wah’s shelves can be produced and sold locally but as times go, we will need to comply with international standard of packaging that international boards require from individual countries in terms of export, and we must be able to meet those standards before we can export our products”, the Minister said.

He knows it is an expensive exercise and unless a business man has the money, he or she is going to find it difficult to comply with these international requirements. “This is where the Government can come to help by providing the environment to allow our investors to operate in the country”, he said.

Long Wah thanked the Minister for reading his mind saying when he started dealing in kava in 1961, it had always been his philosophy that money was paid to the farmer in the islands in order for it to stay in the country.

He said kava sales since independence on July 30 in 1980 has raked in 6 billion vatu to the farmers. “We have since moved on to other local products like nangae, mango, pawpaw, tamarin and they have to be 100 % local products”, the Kava Store Owner said.

Asked if he had sought any financial assistance from the Government for his achievements, he replied that it is not his habit to ask the Government for any money. “But I believe that training is very important and if we train 1,200 men and women in every island for two weeks, I can guarantee you there will be a big change in productivity especially in Malekula and Tanna”, he said.

Over 19,000 tourists visit Tanna alone in one year. For example if they can produce pawpaw jam and package it professionally, they can sell locally to tourists at value added price.

To give a clear picture of his vision, Long Wah said buying a kilo of kumala for 250 vatu for one kilo is not profitable. “But if you process a kilo of kumala and sell it for 1,200 vatu per kilo, you make an attractive profit”, he said.

In another example he said, a farmer can sell his vanilla to a middle man for 3,000 vatu per kilo of vanilla. But if he knows how to cure his vanilla and package it then he can sell it for 16,000 vatu.

Meanwhile tamarin has become lucrative on the market and sells for 300,000 vatu per ton at Kava Store. “But if we train the farmer to process his product, he can sell it for 2 million vatu per ton. The same goes for mango and pawpaw but our dilemma is that farmers have yet to understand that these fruits have enormous value to them when processed.

While Vanuatu Agricultural College can train farmers to process local produce, Long Wah said there is no equipment with which to train farmers.

Sending fresh fruits to Long Wah he said “is a waste of time”. Some of it goes back along the way.

But he said gradually when you process 20 kilos of nangae through a dryer; you can make 20,000 vatu profit in one day! He is confident that Malekula can produce 200 tons of nangae and this market will increase through training and farmers get to comply with quarantine standards. “In six months time nangae will secure lucrative markets in China, Japan, America and Europe”, Long Wah said.
Kilman emphasised the importance of establishing an export market before a farmer can package his value added products for export. “In a developing country like Vanuatu, the Government must also play an active role in the process to establish its overseas markets”, he said.

Certainly the processing equipment will be brought in with assistance from Vanuatu’s development partners.

Acting Director of the Department of Trade Timothy Sisi also confirmed the difficulty of overseas markets to which to export raw products.

He said the best alternative is to do what Long Wah has been doing and learn to export value added products. But like the Minister, he also emphasised the importance to comply with health and quarantine standards. “Once we value add, it becomes an advantage over historical limitations with our raw products”, Sisi said.

Photo Caption: Long Wah talking to Kilman about his products.
 

WORLDWIDE: Pacific Islands Forum Trade Ministers meeting advances PACER Plus
Source: Australian High Commission

Joint Press Release by Misa Telefoni Retzlaff, Samoan Deputy Prime Minister; Simon Crean, Australian Minister for Trade; and Murray McCully, New Zealand Minister for Foreign Affairs

We are greatly encouraged by the decisions adopted at the Pacific Islands Forum Trade Ministers’ Meeting held in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia, on 29 April, which we had the honour to participate in. These decisions will help ensure that the negotiations for a new regional trade and economic agreement, known as PACER Plus, will lead to lasting benefits for Forum Island countries.

Trade Ministers gathered in Pohnpei were pleased to hear that the Chief Trade Adviser, Dr Christopher Noonan, had started work, and they encouraged him to move swiftly to finalise the establishment of his office. The Office of the Chief Trade Adviser will provide valuable, independent advice and support to Forum Island countries during the PACER Plus negotiations.

Trade Ministers accepted Australia’s offer to support a technical workshop on customs issues in late August/early September and Solomon Islands’ offer to host the next PACER Plus Officials’ Meeting later this year. We are convinced these meetings will be important occasions for further discussions on how PACER Plus can create opportunities for the region.

At the meeting in Pohnpei, Trade Ministers also discussed the fundamental importance of shipping, aviation, telecommunications and water infrastructure to increased trade in goods and services in the region. Ministers agreed that these matters should be added to the existing priority PACER Plus negotiating issues relating to goods trade, development assistance, and regional labour mobility.

On the issue of regional labour mobility, there is a strong desire to promote the skills development of Forum Island country workers to enable them to work on major projects in the region where foreign workers are required, such as Guam’s military build-up and PNG’s LNG project.

We see building the capacity of Pacific nations as an essential element of PACER Plus - putting substance into the “Plus”. This is because trade liberalisation is not an end in itself. We also need to make sure that the economies of the Forum Island countries are made stronger and more competitive to enable them to take advantage of opportunities that will arise from the outcomes of the PACER Plus negotiations.

Forum Trade Ministers also endorsed plans to hold annual discussions on PACER Plus with non-state actors. We believe these discussions will be important opportunities to engage business groups, community groups and other organisations interested in PACER Plus. These discussions will usefully complement national consultations currently underway.

Forum Island countries are currently recovering from the global economic crisis and moving towards increased involvement in regional and global trade. It is our conviction that a PACER Plus agreement which takes account of the individual circumstances of Forum Island countries will make a substantial contribution to facilitating greater access to markets for goods and services, thereby creating jobs, enhancing the private sector and raising standards of living. We were encouraged to see at Pohnpei that this goal is shared by our ministerial colleagues around the region and we are optimistic that good progress can be made on PACER Plus between now and the next meeting of Forum Trade Ministers scheduled for April next year.