NEWSPAGE 14 February
2011

(Photo: NZ Government)

NEW ZEALAND: McCully names new High Commissioner to the Cook Islands

(Photo: Margaret Low / GNS Science)

SAMOA: NZ scientists start year-long tsunami project in Samoa
Source: GNS Science Press Release

Scientists from New Zealand have started a year-long project to develop tsunami evacuation maps for Samoa.

The project is funded by the New Zealand Aid Programme and is being undertaken by tsunami and social science specialists at GNS Science. Four of the team set off for Samoa on Monday in the first of several visits during the project.

Group leader, Nora Gale, said the project was in partnership with the Samoan Disaster Management Office which has been working with coastal communities for several years to increase tsunami preparedness.

The project team will use ‘best practise’ methods currently being used in New Zealand to develop tsunami evacuation maps. They will consult local communities during the project to ensure the information they produce is appropriately targeted.

One of the first tasks will be to model potential local, regional and distant tsunami sources that pose a risk to Samoa. In addition, scientists will develop inundation models identifying coastal areas most vulnerable to moderate to large tsunamis.

From this they will produce a tsunami evacuation zone map for the whole of Samoa.

In consultation with local authorities, they will select four at-risk villages where they will produce more detailed maps showing safe places and evacuation routes.

New Zealand and Samoan government agencies have been working together to increase the effort spent in tsunami research and preparedness following the devastating tsunami of September 2009.

“The long term intention is to develop a Pacific-wide approach to tsunami inundation mapping and evacuation planning based on the experience gained from this first project in Samoa,” Ms Gale said.

By the end of the project, the group will have worked with locals to erect signage and prepared simulation exercises for communities to practise evacuation drills.

GNS Science is one of the few organisations in the world with the in-house capacity to undertake comprehensive tsunami work. This covers source modelling, wave generation and travel, inundation modelling, evacuation planning and maps, signage, and community education.

The scientists are maintaining a blog about the project which can be seen here:
http://socialsciencematters.blogspot.com/.

Photo Caption: GNS Science tsunami and social science specialists involved in the year-long tsunami project in Samoa. From left Graham Leonard, Nora Gale, William Power, Xiaoming Wang, Michele Daly, and Kim Wright.
 

(Photo: Agence France-Presse)

AUSTRALIA: Fiji sugar producers consider entry into Australian market
Source: Australia Network News

Fiji's peak sugar producer has not ruled out trying to enter the Australian market to fill the huge production-short fall caused by recent flooding in the state of Queensland.

Early estimates say the floods have wiped at least $US500 million dollars off the state's cane crop and now cyclone Yasi is expected to do more damage to the industry.

Now the Fiji Sugar Corporation is assessing if it will have any excess sugar to on sell after it meets its other buyer quotas.

The Queensland Canegrowers chief executive Steve Greenwood says Fiji may be a good option.

"We have some pretty high benchmarks in terms of the quality of our product. Australian sugar is seen as some of the worlds best sugar and provided Fiji could meet those very high benchmarks there's no reason why not."

Photo Caption: Fiji sugar producers may enter to Australian market to fill a huge short fall caused by recent flooding.
 

(Photo: Hawaii News Now)

HAWAII: Hawaii baby enters world, long-term national health study
Source: Hawaii News Now

Miwa Pualani Takashima Martin was born on Thursday. But even before then, she became a subject in a federally-funded study that will record part of her life until she turns 21.

"We'll be looking at the environmental exposure and life experiences that this child has, and how that affects her health and development over those 21 years," said Dr. Elizabeth McFarlane, a research investigator for the National Children's Study.

Miwa's parents, Chris Martin and Kazue Takashima of Kahala, said they decided to take part just last week.

"Someone came to our door and had a chance to explain it to us," Martin said, "and it sounded like it would be helpful to future generations of children, so we decided together that we wanted to help out with that."

Researchers said Miwa is the very first of what they hope will be a thousand children in Hawaii, who will be tracked periodically through a study center at the John A. Burns School of Medicine.

Nationally, the study's ultimate goal is to follow 100,000 children, to study the air they breathe, the foods they eat, the water they drink, and many other factors that could affect their health as they grow into adults.

"We know from prior research that there are exposures that children have in their early childhood that affect their later health outcomes, and we want to study those as carefully as we can to determine if there are links to those exposures," Dr. McFarlane said.

For example, will Miwa develop diabetes? Or suffer from childhood obesity?

Miwa's parents have already had their first interview for the study. "They asked us lots of questions about our plans for the baby in the future, and our plans about where we're going to live, the environment that we're going to be bringing Miwa into," Martin said.

What researchers won't do is tell the parents how to raise the child.

"We will be collecting that data, following the children, and when we find connections, sharing those connections so that we can make policy and health decisions for our families, based on that information," said Dr. McFarlane.

McFarlane said there are seven pregnant women who are candidates to enter the research, but they are looking for more. The study is looking for children from 12 randomly picked neighborhoods on Oahu, including Kaimuki, Makiki, Salt Lake, Kalihi, Ewa, Waipahu, Mililani, Schofield Barracks, Waianae, Hauula, Kailua, and an area near the Honolulu International Airport.

People who are interested are asked to call 692-1920, or e-mail at [email protected]

Photo Caption: Kazue Takashima with her newborn daughter, Miwa.
 

NAURU: PNA making purse-seine caught tuna sustainable
Source: Scoop Independent News

As consumer pressure for sustainable tuna grows, the Parties of Nauru Agreement (PNA) are working with scientists, governments, non-government organisations and industry to provide consumers with a sustainable choice for purse-seine caught tuna. The PNA are global leaders in conservation and fisheries management responsible for a marine area of 14.3 million square kilometers - an area 40% larger than the region of Europe.

This Pacific paradise is owned by eight large ocean states that are the members of the PNA. Collectively, the PNA controls 25% of the world’s supply of tuna and cooperates to sustainably manage and develop tuna.

PNA Director Dr Transform Aqorau said: “Recent media and campaigns in the UK have helped raise awareness of the environmental costs of fishing. PNA is determined is to show the world that through close cooperation between scientists, industry and governments, it is possible to develop and manage sustainable purse seine tuna fishing. We minimise environmental risks for PNA’s purse seine fisheries by taking steps to reduce bycatch and catch of juvenile tuna to ensure the future of our oceans and our people.”

Many PNA conservation measures are world firsts - such as closure of 4.5 million square kilometers of high seas to fishing and the 100% coverage of purse seine fishing vessels with observers The PNA was the first group of countries to ban setting of nets on whale sharks and has pushed for a broader regional ban at the regional level.

Tuna is caught from purse seine vessels which use a large net, drawn together like a purse, to capture tuna. The majority of fish will land on board alive and PNA tuna fishing vessels have strict requirements to retain all catch, and to release alive any sharks or turtles brought on board. PNA regulates and aims to reduce setting on so-called FADS (Fish Aggregating Devices, which attract fish to man-made floating shelters in the water, and can often result in juvenile fish being caught). Instead, the PNA encourages purse seiners to set their nets on free schools of mature tuna, which reduces by-catch to sustainable levels.

PNA Director Dr Transform Aqorau said: “The PNA has been the first group of countries in the world to close high seas areas, ban setting on whale sharks, introduce 100% coverage of fishing boats with
independent observers and cut the number of days vessels spend fishing tuna. We are proud of our responsible ownership and management of our tuna and hope others will also support our efforts here in the Pacific Islands.”

PNA Members are Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Tuvalu.
 

(Photo: Australia-Pacific Technical College)

WORLDWIDE: Student orientation at Vanuatu Institute of Technology Campus
Source: Australia-Pacific Technical College

It's the start of another year at APTC in Vanuatu. Eighty-nine students have arrived in Port Vila from PNG, Solomon, Tonga and remote outer islands of Vanuatu, "very keen to begin studies in Certificate III in Children Service and Commercial Cookery," said APTC Welfare Officer, Mr Ronic Joe.

Mr Joe developed and delivered a two-day program to orientate the new students to APTC and Port Vila. This included a tour around the Vanuatu Institute of Technology Campus and Vila North School to familiarise themselves with the campus and to know where to access information.

"The 'Navigate Your Way to Success' activity in Port Vila town was enjoyed by the students," said Mr Joe. "It's a great way for students to explore their new town and familiarise themselves with the important local services, which they may access during their five months in Port Vila."

Mr Joe said that the program also included a workshop on budgeting, and was a great opportunity for students to meet each other and share their experiences and something about their country.

Country Manager Jan Matheson gave a welcome address to the new students, while Finance Officer Roline Guila and Student Administration Officer Alison Kalsuak kept them busy, completing all of the necessary paper work.

Mr Joe said that forty students, twenty in Santo and twenty in Tanna, would also begin studies this semester, through the APTC program to deliver training in more remote areas.

Photo Caption: Ready to start the new semester, APTC students at the Vanuatu campus.