NEWSPAGE 02 May
2011

(Photos: The Fred Hollows Foundation NZ)

NEW ZEALAND: A Mother's Day miracle for blind Pacific mums

(Photo: eventpolynesia.com)

SAMOA: Vaitele Soi the Last Man Standing
Source: eventpolynesia.com

Vaitele Soi heads to New Zealand this week to take part in the ‘Last Man Standing’ an all professional 8 man knockout tournament fighting for $10,000 on Saturday 7 May in Auckland.

While the prize money is a huge incentive, the real motivation for Vaitele is getting the opportunity to show that he is a better fighter then his last performance on the Tua verses King card in March.

Vaitele said, “I know I let a lot of people down in my last fight especially my boxing management and my family. I’m just happy that I’m given this chance to fight the top New Zealand boxers in my division to redeem myself.”

The tournament format sees Vaitele fighting in a quarterfinal three rounds by three minutes elimination bout. If successful he will move to a semi final elimination bout also three by three.

Vaitele with an undefeated professional record of fourteen fights, winning ten by KO, is favored to go toe to toe in the final with either Mohamed Azzaoui former WBO African champion, or New Zealand kickboxer champion Shane ‘Choppa’ Chapman, or heavy hitter Jason Barnett from USA.

The upcoming fight in New Zealand will certainly test Vaitele according to Teleiai Edwin Puni, managing director of Event Polynesia (EP), a local promotion company that is leading the development of professional boxing in Samoa.

Teleiai said, “Our top local professional boxers need to participate more in these big fights overseas. The recent Tua fight was the first big promotion our local boxers ever fought on, and it showed they needed a lot of adjusting.”

“The setting up of our High Performance Academy (HPA) last month here in Samoa is our vote of confidence that EP can build champion professional fighters here in Samoa. To develop our local boxers, we need more tournaments both locally and internationally.”

The upcoming Samoa Independence Pro Am fights on Tuesday 31st May will feature the sixteen professional boxers signed up by Event Polynesia last month. The other signings by Event Polynesia includes Samoa’s cruiserweight champion Vaitele Soi, light heavyweight champion Warren Fuiava, middleweight champion Pele Faumui, welterweight champion Oli Filimaua and Samoan sensation Leti Leti.

“Samoa has the unique opportunity to deliver the next big fight names in boxing from down under after David Tua and Shane Cameron of New Zealand, also Anthony Mundine and Danny Green of Australia,” according to Teleiai.

Currently in Samoa to visit his family is Leti Leti who at present is training and fighting out of Las Vegas. Event Polynesia, Leti’s management, has confirmed that there is a possibility of Leti fighting on the upcoming Samoa Independence promotion with an overseas opponent before returning to America.

Photo Caption: (L-R) Pele Faumui, Vaitele Soi, Leti Leti and Warren Fuiava on the Tua vs King Card.
 

AMERICAN SAMOA: Concerns raised over budget cuts impact on Pell Grant program
Source: Office of Congressman Faleomavaega Press Release

Congressman Faleomavaega recently announced that the proposed Republican budget for FY 2012 introduces significant cuts to the Pell Grant program, a need-based grant program for college students from low-income families. Passed by the House on Friday, April 15, H.Con.Res.34 would impose changes to the Pell Grant that would make college far less affordable for America’s students.

Compared to the $23 billion in Pell Grant funding for FY 2011, the Republican budget proposal would decrease overall funding to pre-stimulus levels of around $16 billion. Based on pre-stimulus levels, the Republican budget could also decrease the maximum Pell Grant award of $5,550 down to $3,040, the lowest it has been since 1998. Furthermore, new data from the U.S. Department of Education show that, if passed, the budget would result in almost 1.4 million students losing eligibility for Pell Grants nationwide in the 2012-2013 school year and all students receiving significantly reduced awards.

“There are currently over 15,966 students in American Samoa, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Northern Marianas Islands and this budget proposal would result in 2,498 of these students losing eligibility starting in the 2012-2013 school year. Furthermore, the students in these territories who continue to receive the grant would receive on average $1,935 less than their current average award of $4,059,” Faleomavaega noted.

“The Pell Grant is a vital source of financial aid for college students across the nation. In the past 5 years, over 15,000 Pell Grants have been awarded to students at American Samoa Community College, according to the ASCC Financial Aid Office. For the 2010-2011 school year alone, the Pell Grant program has contributed $6,000,000 in funding to ASCC students. Currently, 1,355 ASCC students, or 73% of the student body receive Pell Grant awards,” Congressman Faleomavaega stated.

“As the process of negotiating the budget for FY 2012 continues between the House and Senate, I am hopeful that the Pell Grant program will be restored to its current funding levels. As I have stated in the past, while I do support selectively cutting spending, I also believe that it should be our nation’s priority to invest in areas like education that hold the potential for long-term benefits in economic growth,” Faleomavaega concluded.
 

FIJI: Pacific agriculture experts and weather specialists to meet in Nadi
Source: United Nations Development Programme Press Release

Changing weather patterns can be observed around the world. In the Pacific this has manifested itself as wetter or drier weather in places, hotter or colder weather in others. All these changes have an impact on agricultural production, at times shifting harvesting times, changing yields or destroying crops and livestock, including through pest infestations and disease.

While Pacific agriculture experts and weather specialists are beginning to work together to translate what changing weather patterns would mean for farmers, their Caribbean counterparts have been doing this for some time now. Using special knowledge and techniques to determine the impact of weather pattern changes on crop and livestock production or agro-meteorology, has proved beneficial for the farming community in the Caribbean, a region which has many similarities with the Pacific.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through its “South-South Cooperation between Pacific and Caribbean Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) on Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Management” project is bringing together agro-meteorology trainers from the Caribbean and agriculture officers and weather specialists from around the Pacific and the Indian Ocean to learn how to predict changes in agricultural production from changing weather patterns.

The Workshop on Assessment of Climate Change Impacts in Agriculture will start in Nadi from May 2. It will be attended by 30 representatives from 12 Pacific Island countries - American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu; as well as representatives from East Timor and the Maldives.

The workshop, which is being organised by the UNDP Pacific Centre in coordination with the South Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP) and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, and with support from the Nadi Meteorology Service, will run for three weeks. It will cover areas like climate change scenarios, climate change impact assessments, weather and climate forecasts for agriculture and the models that determine crop production based on climate change.

The training will be delivered by Roger Eduardo Rivero Vega who has 50 years of professional experience and is one of the world’s leading experts in meteorology and Roger Rolando Rivero Jaspe who has more than 15 years of experience in climatology, hydrodynamics, agro-meteorology.

At the end of the training, the agricultural and meteorological officers will be equipped with skills to better apply and disseminate weather and climate information for the benefit of the farming community. When farmers are armed with the knowledge of changing weather patterns, they can better plan their planting, and protect themselves from weather related losses and pests and diseases.

This workshop is an activity of UNDP’s South South project which is funded by UNDP’s Special Unit for South-South Cooperation and the UNDP-Japan Partnership Fund, with in-kind contributions from UNDP Pacific Centre from where it is coordinated.
 

(Photo: Francois Lo Presti / Agence France Presse)

TAHITI: Tahiti, an island of possibilities
Source: FIFA.com

Ligue 1 star Marama Vahirua, one of Tahiti’s most famous sons, often likes to remind French fans - via his paddling-action goal celebrations - that the most popular sport in his homeland is canoeing. The ‘va'a’ (a traditional dugout canoe), an integral part of the culture of this small but idyllic Pacific island, is not the only sporting discipline that rouses local passions. On land, at least, it is football that reigns supreme.

Increasingly, Tahiti’s footballers are also proving that they have what it takes to compete at international level. And while the Tahiti Football Association (FTF), founded in 1989, may still have a lot of work to do, it can certainly reflect with pride on what it has already achieved.

One such example can be found in the latest FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking: a year after having fallen to a lowest-ever position of 195th, Tahiti’s national team has climbed nine places in April, rising from 184th to 175th, the best performance from an Oceania representative this month.

“It proves that the hard work they’ve been putting in has paid off,” Lionel Charbonnier told FIFA.com. The former goalkeeper, who was part of France’s FIFA World Cup™ winning squad in 1998 and who coached in Tahiti between 2007 and 2009, has played a significant role in this improvement.


Tahitian triumphs

A man with a reputation for high standards, Charbonnier had set himself clear goals before taking up the South Pacific-based post. “I wanted to impart what I’d learned in my career, working on players’ confidence, team morale and teamwork, but most importantly, running professional training sessions every day,” he explains. “I think that I also managed to encourage people involved in the game to broaden their horizons, in terms of professional coaching methods, infrastructure and the league set-up,” he adds.

The former Auxerre and Rangers keeper coached the senior team, the U-17s and the U-20s during his two-year stint on the island. His crowning glory came with the latter age category, when a historic 2-1 victory over New Zealand helped the Tahitians qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup Egypt 2009. “When I heard what they’d achieved, I was ecstatic. Charbonnier did a really tremendous job there,” says Pascal Vahirua, the Tahiti-born former French international.

Now a youth coach at Auxerre, the club at which he spent most of his career, Vahirua has not hidden his desire to one day follow in the footsteps of his former team-mate. “One day, I’d love to - as a kind of second career - pass on my experience to young players on the island, thereby giving something back to my homeland,” he said. The iconic left winger pulled on the red and white jersey of Tahiti just once, before departing for France, the nation he would go on to represent on 22 occasions, scoring one goal.

Balancing the demands of a career at the highest level of club football in Europe and a national side based on the other side of the planet is not an easy task, to which Marama Vahirua, cousin of Pascal and currently playing for Nancy, can attest: “The present national coach, Eddy Etaeta, called me a few weeks back to ask if I would take part in the upcoming Pacific Games football tournament in September. I agreed in principle, but I’ll have to see if my club are willing to let me leave for three whole weeks!”


New Zealand in their sights

The forward has also been delighted with Tahiti’s gradual rise up the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking. “It’s really great for such a tiny place to exert its identity via football,” Marama Vahirua said.

Charbonnier, meanwhile, is optimistic about the future of football on the island: “The objective now is to get closer to, and maybe even overtake, New Caledonia and New Zealand.” Moreover, the once-capped keeper believes that this momentum stems from the development of what he calls ‘diversified football’, a reference to Tahiti’s increasingly successful women’s XI, futsal team and beach soccer side.

The latter, in particular, have been on impressive form lately, obtaining a maiden qualification for the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, due to be held later this year in Ravenna, Italy. “They’re perfectly suited for the sport, physically speaking,” says Charbonnier.

Secured by a surprise win over pre-match favourites Solomon Islands in the final of the qualifying tournament, this achievement also represents the ideal preparation for the Tahitians, who, in a first for the Oceania Football Confederation, are set to host the competition themselves in 2013.

“We’ll probably never be one the world’s great football nations, but just because we’re small doesn’t mean we can’t aim high,” said FTF Administrative Director Pure Nena recently. To attempt to scale these unforeseen heights, Tahiti will look to the young stars that helped announce the island’s arrival on the international stage in Egypt two years ago, such as the Tehau brothers, Lorenzo and Alvin, as well as Heimano Bourebare.

“It’s a fantastic generation of players that I’d love to see go all the way to the top of the game,” concludes Charbonnier, who, despite having moved onto new pastures, continues to keep a careful eye on the progress and performances of his former protégés.

Photo Caption: Lorient's forward Marama Vahirua jubilant after scoring a goal during the French L1 football match Lille vs. Lorient at the Lille Metropole Stadium in Villeneuve d'Asoq, on August 9, 2009.
 

(Photos: Pacific Islands Applied GeoScience Commission)

WORLDWIDE: Safe navigation gets boost in region
Source: Pacific Islands Applied GeoScience Commission Press Release

The safety of navigation and the protection of the marine environment in the region took a positive step forward recently with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) and Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC).
Hydrography is the study, surveying, and mapping of the oceans, seas and rivers, especially related to navigation and the environment.

IHO is comprised of 80 member governments represented by their respective national hydrographic offices. Its objectives include the standardization of nautical charts as well as the adoption of reliable and efficient methods to conduct hydrographic surveys.

The purpose of the MOU is to provide a framework for cooperation between the IHO and SPC to support the efficient and effective development and coordination of hydrographic and nautical charting programmes for Pacific island countries and territories.

This is in accordance with the requirements of international treaty obligations.

Dr. Russell Howorth, Director of SOPAC, a Division of SPC, said that the agreement would be of substantial value to the region.

“SOPAC has been developing bathymetry charts, by measuring the depth of oceans and seas, for many years, but IHO is the only organization that can officially stamp charts as suitable for navigation,” said Dr. Howorth.

Additionally the MOU is to promote the widespread use of hydrographic data collected by the two organisations or their members for the benefit of safety of navigation and life at sea, protection of the marine environment, national infrastructure development, coastal zone management, marine exploration and resource exploitation, maritime boundary delimitation and policing, maritime defense and security, and natural disaster management.
 

Photo Captions:

Photo 1 - (L-R) SPC/SOPAC’S Peni Musanamasi and Donato Rquica place echo sounder equipment into Aitutaki Lagoon as part of a hydrographic survey.

Photo 2 - SPC/SOPAC Jens Kruger setting oceanographic instruments in Aitutaki Lagoon in the Cook Islands.