NEWSPAGE 03 June
2011

(Photo: Creative New Zealand)

NEW ZEALAND: Nominations called for Arts Pasifika Awards 2011

(Photo: Carisbrook International)

SAMOA: Carisbrook sponsors Samoa netball
Source: Carisbrook International Press Release

Carisbrook International from New Zealand is best known for rugby products but has recently signed up to sponsor the Samoa Netball Association under a long term agreement.  

Carisbrook will supply playing and training apparel, beginning with the national team which departed today for the Pacific Netball Series in Papua New Guinea.  This series is part of their build up to the World Championships which will be held in Singapore in July.  

Samoa is currently ranked 9th in the world and is coached by ex-Silver Ferns and Samoa player Linda Vagana.

Carisbrook sees the relationship as a good fit with their intention to support the development of sport in the wider Pacific region.
 

(Photos: J. Kneubuhll)

AMERICAN SAMOA: GEAR UP student chosen for national conference
Source: American Samoa Community College Press Release

When a group from GEAR UP American Samoa (GUAS), along with its community partners, travels to San Francisco in mid-July to attend this year’s National Council for Community and Educational Partnerships (NCCEP) Annual Conference, they will also chaperone a young woman from the local GEAR UP cohorts who was selected from among hundreds of applicants nationwide to participate in the NCCEP Youth Leadership Summit. Sandra Purcell, 16, a junior at Nu’uuli Vocational Technical High School, will join her peers from across the United States at the Summit, which takes place in San Francisco from July 17th - 20th.

GUAS, a program hosted by the American Samoa Community College (ASCC), has sent representatives to the national conference for the past several years. Beginning in 2010, GUAS also encouraged its students to apply to attend the corresponding Youth Summit, with Anthony Talosaga emerging as the first successful applicant last summer. With Talosaga’s travel and summit participation having worked out positively, GUAS again offered its students the opportunity to apply for this year’s event.

Sandra Purcell, the daughter of Mele Lusinita Purcell and Mino Gaya Purcell, has participated in GUAS since the program’s inception in 2006. She has earned an impressive list of achievement awards in academics and sports from both Tafuna Elementary School and Nu’uuli Vocational Technical High School. “I am excited and prepared to attend, as I know I will make new friends from across the nation,” said Sandra when informed of her selection by the NCCEP. “I am also expecting to learn more on how I can be a better advocate for my peers, school and my community and voice the challenges we encounter within our education system and be heard.” On her application to attend the youth summit, Sandra was asked to address the questions, “What are the toughest educational challenges that you and your peers face?” and “What solutions would you recommend to overcome these challenges?” In response, she produced a three minute video on the subject of school bullying.

GUAS will cover Sandra’s travel costs, while the NCCEP will host her for her stay in San Francisco. GUAS staff members Juliet F.C. Pen and Norah Filivaa will act as her chaperones. While Sandra participates in the Youth Summit, Tupua and the GUAS personnel will collaborate with officials from the Boys & Girls Clubs of American Samoa to give a presentation titled "Unlocking a Potential Bridge to the Future" as part of the main conference. Some of the local GEAR UP partners confirmed to also attend the conference include representatives from Taitaitama, Faasao/Marist High School, and the Department of Health.

In an effort to include student perspectives and the opinions of young people, the NCCEP created national opportunities for youth to participate in the NCCEP/GEAR UP Annual Conference. More than 200 GEAR UP high school students have participated in the Youth Leadership Summit since 2003. The NCCEP has been partnering with GEAR UP for Excellence to present the Summit since 2005. Blending leadership development with the experience of participating in a professional conference, the Summit teaches participants how to be advocates for their schools and communities, empowering them to become the voice for their peers. Youth leaders, known as GEAR UP Scholars, work together to compile a Summit report focused on what educators should consider as they design strategies and programs for increasing student achievement.

For more information about the NCCEP, including the Annual Conference and Youth Leadership Summit, visit www.edpartnerships.org.

Photo Captions:

Photo 1 - Sandra Purcell, a junior at Nu'uuli Vocational Technical School, has been chosen
from among applicants across the nation to attend the National Council for Community and Educational Partnerships (NCCEP) Youth Leadership Summit this July. The summit is part of the NCCEP/GEAR Up National Conference being held this year in San Francisco, and Sandra will travel to the event with local GEAR UP staff.

Photo 2 - GEAR UP Director Tupua Roy Fua (front, left) and his staff congratulate Sandra.
 

(Photos: New Zealand Defence Force)

COOK ISLANDS: Visiting NZ Navy ship brings two sailors home
Source: New Zealand Defence Force Press Release

Offshore Patrol Vessel HMNZS OTAGO is visiting Rarotonga for the first time in its history from Thursday 2 June 2011. While the ships company are looking forward to visiting the island, there are two sailors in particular that are excited; they are coming home.

Leading Stores Assistant (LSA) Noel Hirovaana and Leading Seaman Combat Specialist (LSCS) Beau Milner both have family ties to the region.

LSA Hirovaana was born in Rarotonga before moving to New Zealand with his family. He then returned for a year before joining the Navy. He has been in the Navy for 5 years and the last time he was back in Rarotonga was in 2008. This is the first time he has been to Rarotonga where his transport has been his workplace.

“To be honest, it’s a bit weird returning to Rarotonga with the Navy, because I will be mixing work with a place that is very special to me”, said, LSA Hirovaana.

The port visit to Rarotonga is very important to LSA Beau Milner as his parents live on Aitutaki. Like LSA Hirovaana, it is the first time to the Cook Islands on a naval ship.

“I see this as a pretty good opportunity, to show my family the professional side of my life as a Leading Seaman Combat Specialist, onboard an Off Shore Patrol Vessel.”

LSCS Milner joined the Navy nine years ago and says that his career has been a good opportunity to see the world and be apart of a great team.

While in port, HMNZS OTAGO will be open to the public on Saturday 3 June 2011 from 1230 pm to 3pm. The Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Commander Simon Rooke warmly invites the public to have a look around OTAGO and meet the friendly ships company.


Background

The Royal New Zealand Navy’s first Offshore Patrol Vessel, HMNZS OTAGO, has spent the past 3 weeks in the Pacific undertaking maritime security tasks, fisheries patrols, and supporting diplomatic tasks.

Concurrent to the diplomatic tasks, OTAGO has been conducting warm weather trials to confirm the ships capability to tolerate and operate in Pacific waters and higher temperatures. The ship has visited Raoul Island, Tonga, Samoa twice and the Tokelau Islands before its visit to Rarotonga then continues onto Niue.

Photo Captions:

Photo 1 - Leading Stores Assistant Noel Hirovaana.

Photo 2 - Leading Seaman Combat Specialist Beau Milner.

(Photos: Pacific Islands Applied GeoScience Commission)

FIJI: Experts to participate in Deep Sea Minerals regional workshop
Source: Pacific Islands Applied GeoScience Commission Press Release

Some of the world’s leading specialists on issues relating to deep sea minerals will attend a three-day workshop from June 6 through June 8 in Nadi.

The Deep Sea Minerals Project, administered by SOPAC, a division of SPC, and funded by EU will address legislative, regulatory, capacity requirements and environmental issues pertaining to deep sea minerals and mining for countries in the Pacific region over a four-year period.

Deep Sea Minerals Project Team Leader, Akuila Tawake, said that the project would work towards ensuring that sustainable seabed mineral resources management would bring tangible benefits to Pacific Island countries and their people.

Included in the workshop are:

Michael Lodge the Legal Adviser to the Jamaica-based International Seabed Authority (ISA). He has extensive experience on legal matters pertaining to the Law of the Sea including fisheries, maritime issues and deep seabed minerals exploration and mining.

Prior to working for the Authority, Mr Lodge served as Legal Counsel to the Solomon Islands based Forum Fisheries Agency, where he coordinated and led the regional position at the UN Conference on Straddling and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks.

Dr. James Hein of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is a marine geologist, geochemist, and economic geologist. His expertise is in marine mineral deposits with significant experience studying seabed manganese nodules and cobalt-rich crust though out the world including the Pacific Ocean.

An American environmental economist, Dr Linwood Pendleton, who is the Acting Chief Economist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is noted for his work in the field of marine and coastal economics. Dr. Linwood Pendleton is also the Director of Ocean and Coastal Policy at Duke University in the U.S.

Dr Yannick Beaudoin, is the Head of the Marine Programme at the UNEP/GRID-Arendal, (the United Nations Environment Programme information office). He has been actively involved in developing marine mining community and in promoting sustainable development and good governance. Much of his current efforts are related to incorporating the principles of resource efficiency, ecosystems based valuation methods and sustainable economics into the design of project cycles in the extractive sector.

A biologist at Pennsylvania State University in the United States, Prof. Chuck Fisher has focused his work on life found around deep sea hydrothermal vents and hydrocarbon (oil and gas) seeps. Prof Fisher currently works as a Professor of Biology at the Pennsylvania State University.
A mineralogist at the Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences (IFM-GEOMAR) in Germany, Dr. Sven Peterson studies the formation and evolution of seafloor hydrothermal systems and their associated mineral deposits.

Dr. Samantha Smith is the Environmental and Community Manager for Nautilus Minerals the company that holds the first commercial mining lease being granted in Papua New Guinea (PNG) territorial waters to mine ‘high grade’ Seafloor Massive Sulphide (SMS) deposits.

Her current responsibilities include managing the impact assessments of Nautilus operations in PNG, as well as coordinating associated seafloor mineral studies. Dr Smith has over 14 years experience conducting inter-disciplinary studies that combine geochemistry, biology, hydrology and modelling techniques to assess environmental conditions.

Head of the Commonwealth Secretariat’ Economic and Legal Section, Daniel Dumas is an expert in energy and natural resources. His group has been providing assistance in trade law, capital markets, competition policy, maritime boundaries and in natural resources to Commonwealth Countries for over 25 years.

The workshop will be followed by a two-day steering committee meeting on June 9 and 10 where selected experts will make an assessment of Pacific marine minerals based on past scientific studies and exploration.

“This meeting is part of the SPC and the Norway based UNEP/GRID-Arendal, (the United Nations Environment Programme information office) partnership,” said Mr Tawake. “It is expected that the outcomes from this assessment will take one year to complete.”

Countries that are participating in the Project are the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

Photo Caption: Attending the Deep Sea Minerals regional workshop in Nadi; (L-R) Dr. Sven Peterson, Dr. James Hein and Dr. Lynwood Pendelton.

NIUE: Niue wants peer review to be open and frank
Source: Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat Press Release

The Government of Niue wants the Peer Review being undertaken this week in the country under the Forum Compact for Strengthening Development Coordination to be open, frank and aimed at finding solutions.

Niue is the fifth country in the region to have volunteered to undertake a peer review under the Compact since it was endorsed by Pacific Islands Forum Leaders at their meeting in Cairns in 2009.

Niue has invited representatives of the Samoan and Nauruan governments to represent the Forum island countries (FICs) on the team and a representative of AusAid to represent the development partners.

The peer reviews consider the ways that FICs, with support of development partners, use their own money and the aid they receive to ensure better life for their people and make progress towards achieving their national priorities and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The Secretary of Government for Niue, Richard Hipa told the peer review team that the Government has volunteered to undertake the peer review as it needs to do a stock take of its planning and budget processes and the coordination of development assistance over the years.

“This is the first time such as review is being undertaken on our processes to see whether there are any gaps and to recommend ways to fill such gaps,” said Mr Hipa.

He added: “We expect the peer review to give us a snap shot of our situation and recommendations on what we need to work on but we would like the review to also propose options, action points and timelines which will be useful for implementation of the recommendations.”

Mr Hipa emphasised: “The discussions should be frank and we want the peer review to be blunt and give it straight to us with options should we have gaps that we need to fill in the planning, budget and aid coordination processes. We expect some blunt messages on what needs to be done” as the Premier Hon. Toke Talagi always expressed, “Do not only present problems, but provide some solutions” so the anticipation of the review is also to have options and solutions to mitigating identified gaps.”

During the one-week of consultations, the Niue peer review team will meet with representatives of the various government departments, the Acting Premier and Cabinet, the private sector, non-government organization representatives and the New Zealand High Commissioner in Niue. New Zealand is Niue’s main and only development partner with a resident representative in the country.

The Niue peer review team is expected to present preliminary recommendations to the Government of Niue before it leaves at the end of the week. A peer review report with recommended actions to strengthening development coordination in Niue will be agreed with the government within six weeks of completing the in country visit.