NEWSPAGE 24 November
2010

(Photos: Pacific Business Trust)

(Photo: London Irish)

SAMOA: Seilala Mapusua challenges top rugby nations to come to Samoa
Source: The Telegraph

June 23, 2007 was a significant day in the life of Seilala Mapusua. It was the first - and, to date, only - occasion that he was able to represent his native Samoa on home soil.

So distorted have the values of rugby become, so driven by the avaricious financial demands of the sport's so-called major nations, that Mapusua and his fellow islanders have consistently been denied the chance to play worthwhile games in front of their own people.

New Zealand, disgracefully, have never played in Samoa. Nor have Australia. The Antipodean superpowers have exploited the rich playing resources of the tiny Pacific island group there, but they have never returned the favour by actually pitching up and playing a Test match there.

The Celtic nations have a better - though not much better - record, but the last tier one Test side to play in Samoa was Ireland in 2003.

Seilala Mapusua tries hard to hide his feelings on the matter, but his frustration is obvious.

Born in Samoa, raised in New Zealand, and now playing for London Irish in the Aviva Premiership, Mapusua is steeped in the rugby culture of the country of his birth and he knows how much it would mean to his compatriots to see the game's global stars turn up to take on their heroes in Apia, the country's capital.

"It is a great concern," Mapusua says. "I know it is for Samoa and I assume it is the same for Fiji and Tonga too.

"Financially, I know it's not the greatest thing that those teams could do, but in terms of making rugby a truly global sport it's important for rugby to keep developing in these smaller nations.

"To have teams like Scotland rolling into town would really lift what is already a high-profile sport like rugby in these countries.

"New Zealand still haven't played in Samoa. I'm not going to put my foot in it here, but it would be nice to see some boys come home."

Mapusua made that journey himself in 2004. Like so many Samoans before him - Michael Jones, Pat Lam and Inga Tuigamala spring to mind - he had thoughts of playing for the All Blacks as well, but blood was thicker than water when he was put in the position of having to pledge allegiance to one country rather than the other.

"Samoa is very important to me," he explains. "The best decision of my rugby career was deciding to play for Samoa. I grew up playing age-grade rugby in New Zealand and everything there is about playing for the All Blacks, but when I decided to play for Samoa it was the best thing I could have done. It was like coming home.

"Through schools, under-19 and under-21 teams, I played with Mils Muliaina, Jerry Collins, Richie McCaw, Aaron Mauger, Carl Hayman, Keven Mealamu.

"I played for the Highlanders for a while and got an All Blacks trial, and was told I was knocking on the door, though there was a certain Tana Umaga standing in the way and Ma'a Nonu coming through.

"But I still felt more relieved when I made the decision to play for Samoa. It also gave me the opportunity to represent my country at a World Cup which is the dream of most rugby players."

Like every other Test team, next year's World Cup looms large for the Samoans already. Yet while the big boys of the Six Nations and the Tri Nations have the resources to leave no stone unturned in their preparations, Mapusua and his mates are obliged to make-do-and-mend as best they can.

Their current tour of Europe - they take on Scotland in Aberdeen on Saturday - is a triumph over the adversity of having a squad that is scattered across the world and which rarely gets the chance to train together properly.

"Logistically it's a nightmare," says Mapusua, whose side have lost narrowly to both England and Ireland over the past fortnight.

"It's a tough ask for our coaches, management and captain to pull a team together.

"But what makes it easier is our culture and the kind of people we are. Rugby-wise it's a nightmare trying to get players together for a training camp and get proper preparation for a Test match, but we don't really know any different so we just get on with it and make the best of what we do."

Mapusua was voted Player of the Year by his Premiership peers two seasons ago. He speaks without bitterness in a voice that is persuasive and straight from the heart. It is about time the game's rulers started listening to what he has to say.

Photo Caption: London Irish centre Seilala Mapusua.
 

(Photo: J. Kneubuhl)

AMERICAN SAMOA: ASCC hosts Pacific Postsecondary Education Council meeting
Source: American Samoa Community College Press Release

A group of executive officers representing universities and colleges from across the American Pacific gathered at the American Samoa Community College (ASCC) this past weekend to attend a meeting of the Pacific Postsecondary Education Council (PPEC), an organization formed in 1981 to address the concerns and needs of postsecondary institutions in the American-affiliated Pacific islands. “The PPEC meeting this past week was very fruitful, both in terms of content and experience,” said Project Director Larry Gamoba, who traveled with the visiting group.

“The goals of the PPEC are to collaborate on common issues, and leverage, share, and maximize limited resources to ensure the people of the Pacific continue to have access to high quality academic programs through colleges and universities in their home locations,” Gamoba explained. “Many of these institutions are the only access Pacific people have to quality higher education that meets their individual needs. Institutional leaders, faculty, and staff learn not only from counterparts in the mainland, but also from amongst each other. The PPEC serves as a conduit by which the institutions can speak to one another, utilize expertise within each institution, and share lessons learned and insights gained from their individual experiences. As a collective body, the PPEC strengthens each institution’s voice by ensuring their concerns are heard and a collective response is made.”

While ASCC has participated in the Council since its inception, last week’s gathering marked the first occasion of a PPEC meeting being held in American Samoa. “For many of the presidents and chancellors, this was their first trip here, and they enjoyed themselves,” said Gamboa. Participants included Spensin James, President, College of Micronesia and PPEC Chair; Dr. Leon Richards, Chancellor, Kapi'olani Community College; Dr. Mary Okada, President, Guam Community College; Dr. Helen Whippy, Senior Vice President, University of Guam (representing President Dr. Robert A. Underwood); Lorraine Cabrera, Interim President, Northern Marianas College; Doug Dykstra, Chancellor, Windward Community College (Hawaii); and ASCC President Dr. Seth Galea’i.

Following a Friday morning ava ceremony to welcome the PPEC guests to the ASCC campus, the Council officially convened. “A major concern of the Council is the quality of academic programs in the colleges,” said Gamboa of the meeting agenda. “We regularly share updates on the status or progress of an institution’s accreditation. Additionally, the PPEC has received its next two years of grant funding from the US Department of Interior Office of Insular Affairs, which essentially funds the Council’s activities to address the quality of academic programs in the colleges. An important aspect at this meeting was a proposal by the chief academic officers of each institution to fund a large conference on regional accreditation involving not only chief academic officers, but also accreditation liaison officers, chief financial officers, and institutional researchers.”

“We also reached another milestone this week,” Gamboa continued. “At an earlier meeting of the chief academic officers, a ‘General Statement of Intent’ was developed to smooth the pathway for students transferring between institutions, especially between two-year and four-year, and particularly with the University of Hawaii at Manoa. At the table to develop this ‘General Statement of Intent’ were the chief academic officers of a majority of PPEC institutions, along with chief academic officers and a few colleagues of the University of Hawaii at Manoa and the University of Hawaii, West Oahu.”

After concluding their official business by mid-day Saturday, the visitors enjoyed more College festivities. “We thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful territory of American Samoa, its hospitality, and the talent of everyone at ASCC,” said Gamboa. “From the welcoming ava ceremony to the CNR/Land Grant site visit, the Ms. ASCC Pageant, and the closing ceremony, we were very impressed with the maintenance of cultural traditions and the love and pride the people of American Samoa have for their heritage and country. Personally, having traveled to many Pacific islands, I often see indigenous cultures losing the battle to remain alive and well in their own lands. That is not necessarily the case in American Samoa.”

Expressing his appreciation for the effort the students, staff and administrators made in welcoming the PPEC visitors, ASCC President Dr. Galea’i also considered it significant that many of his contemporaries have now experienced American Samoa firsthand. “Our circumstances differ somewhat from the other American Pacific territories in that they are all in close proximity to one another in the north Pacific, while we are basically the US only territory truly in the south Pacific. Therefore, I’m glad that our visitors had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with American Samoa in its own cultural and economic context.”

Photo Caption: Educators from across the American Pacific traveled to American Samoa this past weekend for a meeting of the Pacific Postsecondary Education Council. Here, the PPEC visitors are seen with members of the ASCC administration and staff following the welcoming ava ceremony.
 

(Photo: Business Mentors New Zealand)

COOK ISLANDS: Business mentoring making a difference in the Cook Islands
Source: Business Mentors New Zealand Press Release via Pacific Scoop

The first New Zealand volunteers to take part in the Pacific Islands Business Mentoring Programme have returned from the second of six trips to the Cook Islands. Five mentors from Business Mentors New Zealand (BMNZ) travelled to Rarotonga in May and recently went back to assess the progress of their clients and to meet with new ones.

The Cook Islands were the first of 11 Pacific island countries to be included in the BMNZ managed project over the next three years with funding provided by New Zealand’s Aid Programme.

Mike Ogle, a New Zealand mentor participating in the programme, says that many of his Cook Island clients have reported positive changes since their initial meeting.

‘I’ve noticed that they are a lot more focused and most of them are now moving in a very clear, new direction,’ explains Mike. ‘Of course, progress varies according to the company and the individual but some of the results are just incredible. One business owner has seen a 150% increase in sales over a six month period, another saw a 60% rise in turnover and a 30% lift in his profits.

‘Much of that is purely down to having someone to talk to and mull things over with. It’s also about us sharing knowledge and skills that they may be missing. It’s quite common for small business owners in the Cook Islands to be fantastic at whatever it is they do, whatever it is that their company is based around, but not so adept at accounting, marketing and developing the company. Once they have mastered those additional tools, it enables them to really move forwards.’

Another New Zealand Business Mentor, Terry Gillespie notes that while feedback so far has been encouraging, there is still a long way to go.

‘This is only the first year of the programme, and only the second meeting with the clients we started out with,’ says Terry. ‘I’m looking forward to seeing what kind of an impact this initiative will have on the Cook Islands in the longer term. I think it will do an awful lot of good, both for the economy, local communities and families, and the owner operators running these businesses.’

‘It’s fantastic to see that more Cook Island businesses are taking notice of the Pacific Mentoring programme and recognising that it can help them achieve their goals.,’ adds Terry. ‘So far this year, around 60 have applied and we’re planning on making extra mentoring slots available next year so even more businesses can take advantage of the free service.’

The Pacific Business Mentoring Programme, which was launched earlier this year, aims to assist small and medium sized businesses in the Pacific to manage and grow their businesses in a way that supports sustained increases in production and employment over time. It is hoped the programme will be a catalyst for identifying other business needs such as training, and create opportunities for partnerships and joint ventures, and increased Pacific exports, including to New Zealand.

Countries benefiting from the BMNZ Pacific Islands Mentoring Programme include the Cook Islands, Tonga, Samoa, Niue, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, Kiribati and Tuvalu, Papua New Guinea, Fiji and Tokelau.

For more information on the BMNZ Pacific Islands Mentoring Programme visit www.businessmentorspacific.org.nz
 

(Photo: Serafina Silaitoga / Fiji Times)

FIJI: Youths craft cards of local flavour to help out 
Source: Fiji Times

With the Christmas season around the corner, a group of youths in the town of the Friendly North is using the occasion to raise funds for next year's school fees.

The four Labasa girls are also helping a newly established group fund youths' needs. The secondary school students of Gurunanak Khalsa College, create their own cards.

The cards, with mostly local designs of a Fijian warrior wearing a Christmas hat or with Santa Clause holding a yaqona bowl showcases the local language such as 'Bula vinaka, taki mada'.

Laisani Gain said they thought of helping their parents pay their school fees next year and decided to sell the cards for $1.

"The idea of making and selling Christmas cards was given to us by our aunty who is a businesswoman," Laisani said. "And she helped start the business."

"This money will be used for our school fees and part of it will also go towards the Rescue Mission which is to help meet youth needs."

The businesswoman, Helen Chang, said the girls needed help, so she thought of a self-help project that would benefit them.

"That 's how the idea of selling Christmas cards came up and I helped them start it off because the money earned will benefit them and a group of youths who are members of the Rescue Mission," Ms Chang said.

"We have also received orders from some business houses and the support from the community has been awesome."

Photo Caption: The Labasa trio show off their hand-crafted cards.
 

WORLDWIDE: Release of 2010 Pacific Plan Annual Progress Report
Source: Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat Press Release

The Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Tuiloma Neroni Slade welcomed the release today of the 2010 Pacific Plan Annual Progress Report.

The report provides an overview of work undertaken from May 2009 to mid 2010 by Forum Island Member Countries and Council of Regional Organisations in the Pacific (CROP) agencies to implement the Pacific Plan priorities endorsed by Leaders’ at the Forum meeting in 2009.

“The Pacific Plan remains the pre-eminent strategic document for regional cooperation and integration,” said Mr Slade

“This annual progress report is an important part of reporting to the Pacific and the global community on all the work that has been undertaken over the last 12 months to deliver on the Leader’s vision for the Pacific Plan.

“As the report highlights, there have been gains in areas such as fisheries, transport, development cooperation, energy and climate change. But much work remains to be done if we are to support a region of peace, prosperity and opportunity for all,” said Secretary General Slade.

He stated: “I would like to publically acknowledge the efforts of Member countries and CROP agencies in reporting against the Pacific Plan, and their preparedness to work in partnership to deliver strong regional outcomes for the Pacific. This annual progress report is another example of how we can work and report collectively on our efforts.”

An accompanying annex to this year’s Pacific Plan Annual Progress Report has also been produced detailing the work of Member countries and CROP agencies against the Leader’s priorities agreed in 2009. The 2010 Annual Progress Report (in English and French) and the annex are available electronically at the Pacific Islands Forum website;
http://www.forumsec.org/pages.cfm/about-us/the-pacific-plan/pacific-plan-progress-reports.html
or in hardcopy from the Pacific Plan Office by emailing [email protected] or [email protected].