NEWSPAGE 06 July
2011

(Photos: New Zealand Rugby League / Cook Islands Rugby League)

NEW ZEALAND: Kiwis to play Cook Islands in Rarotonga

(Photo: Australian High Commission)

SAMOA: Australia provides Samoa with additional police vehicles
Source: Australian High Commission Press Release

The police were recently handed three new cars by the Australian Federal Police as part of Australia’s continuing support to the Samoan Police and Prison Service.

The cars were given through the Samoa-Australia Police Partnership, which is part of the Pacific Police Development Program.

The cars will strengthen general policing, criminal investigations and the professional standards unit in their day-to-day duties.

Australian High Commissioner, Stephen Henningham, and Samoa-Australia Police Partnership project manager, Superintendent Gary Gent, officially handed the vehicles to Police Commissioner Lilomaiava Fou Taioalo.

This brings the number of cars given to the Samoan Police and Prisons Service by the Australian Federal Police under the partnership to six.

“These vehicles will improve the responsiveness of police to calls from members of the public and boost the investigational capabilities of police,” Samoa-Australia Police Partnership Project Officer Gary Gent said.

Police Commissioner Lilomaiava Fou Taioalo said the vehicles would be an important asset to police.

“I thank Australia for providing us with these new vehicles, which will help us in our day-to-day policing activities,” he said.

“This is another good example of how well Australia and Samoa work together on law and justice issues.”

The Samoa-Australia Police Partnership is a major part of the Law and Justice Sector component of the Samoa Australia Partnership for Development.

Photo Caption: Australian High Commissioner Stephen Henningham and Police Commissioner Lilomaiava Fou Taioalo at the official handover.

(Photos: Australian High Commission)

AUSTRALIA: Australians celebrate indigenous culture
Source: Australian High Commission Press Release

Australia is celebrating NAIDOC Week on 3-10 July 2011 highlighting this year’s theme: Change: The Next Step is Ours.

The theme is about taking indigenous Australians taking responsibility for their future. To control the change, indigenous Australians need to plan and take action to make it happen.

"NAIDOC week is a time for Australians to celebrate the survival of the cultures of both Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders, whose cultures extend back more than 50,000 years," High Commissioner Stephen Henningham said.

"This annual event recognises the uniqueness of indigenous Australians.”

NAIDOC (National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee) celebrations are held around Australia in July each year to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

To celebrate NAIDOC Week this year, the Australian High Commission will have on display in its foyer the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flags. A documentary will also be shown in the foyer.

The first celebration of 'Aborigines Day' in 1955 was a result of the long history of struggle for Australian indigenous people. The event is now celebrated by all Australians.

The Aboriginal flag is divided horizontally into equal halves of black (top) and red (bottom), with a yellow circle in the centre. The black symbolizes Aboriginal people and the yellow represents the sun, the constant renewer of life. Red depicts the earth and also represents ochre, which is used by Aboriginal people in ceremonies. The flag has been adopted by all Aboriginal groups and is flown or displayed permanently at Aboriginal centres throughout Australia.

The Torres Strait Islander flag stands for the unity and identity of all Torres Strait Islanders. It features three horizontal coloured stripes, with green at the top and bottom and blue in between - divided by thin black lines. A white dhari (headdress) sits in the centre, with a five-pointed white star underneath it.

The colour green represents the land, and the dhari is a symbol of all Torres Strait Islanders. The black represents the people and the blue represents the sea. The five-pointed star, which is also an important symbol in navigation for the seafaring Torres Strait Islander people, represents the island groups. The colour white of the star represents peace.
 

Photo Captions:

Photo 1 - The Aboriginal Flag.

Photo 2 - The Torres Strait Flag.

(Photo: Craig T. Kojima / Honolulu Star Advertiser)

HAWAII: Families open homes, hearts
Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser

Hawaii families welcomed 68 Japanese residents into their homes Monday, providing them respite from the devastation of the earthquake and tsunami of March 11.

Many of the host families met their Japanese guests yesterday at Honolulu Airport at a ceremony organized by the Aloha Initiative, a program started by the Japanese Cultural Society of Maui.

Cyndi Hewitt, the Aloha Initiative Oahu coordinator, said the Japanese visitors can stay up to the 90-day limit of their visas, but many will go home later this month for obon season, a time when people pay homage to their ancestors.

The participants, who filled out an application and went through a screening process, were chosen according to those with the greatest need. Some had lost their homes or a loved one; some live in areas with elevated radiation levels where they have to keep windows closed and their children inside. Some will never go back to their homes because of the radiation risk.

"Their whole life is starting over," Hewitt said. "The whole purpose is just to get them out of their situation, give them a break from it and hopefully give them some renewed hope and direction for what they are going to do next."

Daisuke Tanaka, 36, lost his wife, Shizuka, 33, and 2-month-old daughter, Rio, in the tsunami after his house was washed away in Rikuzen Takata, one of the hardest-hit areas.

He and his wife married in Honolulu in 2007 and came back to run in the 2009 Honolulu Marathon. He wears his wife's Hawaiian wedding ring on a chain around his neck. Tanaka brought his wife's ashes to scatter them in the ocean off Hawaii as requested in her will.

Through an interpreter, he said he "doesn't know what to do" and "cannot accept the whole thing yet."

Nora and John Haraguchi of Kaimuki are hosting Tanaka in their home.

"It was very devastating, seeing all the tragedy," Nora Haraguchi said. "We felt that we should do our share and open our homes and hearts for them. Hopefully, that's going to help some of those people heal and get a peace of mind … even if it's just for temporarily."

She planned to leave the agenda up to Tanaka, a construction consultant who says he is seeking a new direction in life.

Hewitt said the Aloha Initiative would like to continue as long as there is a need and donations from individuals and businesses. She choked back tears while recalling the donations that gave the Japanese citizens a free trip to the islands.

Japan Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines offered discounted fares between Japan and Hawaii, while Hawaiian also donated free interisland flights for the participants. First Hawaiian Bank donated $25,000, Relativity Media gave $50,000 and Mana Foods contributed $20,000.

"There was no way this could have happened without the corporate sponsors," Hewitt said. "The outpouring of support is a little overwhelming, that people are so generous."

Todd Funasaki of Makiki requested a family with children to expose his kids, ages 8, 5, and 3, to people from another country.

"We'll have a full house," Funasaki said. "Hopefully they become friends, ideally for life."

Nearby, Kana Igarashi, 38, an event planner from Sendai, awaited a chance to relax in the islands.

"My house down," she said. "No tsunami, (but) earthquake."

Earthquakes continue to occur along with dust clouds in her hometown, making the situation "cruel," Igarashi said.

With her 1-year-old daughter, Ten, in her arms, she expressed gratitude for those who helped in the program and wept.

To donate or learn about being a host family, visit alohainitiative.com

Photo Caption: The Aloha Initiative, a program started by the Japanese Cultural Society of Maui, welcomed the first group of Japanese citizens who arrived Monday at Honolulu Airport to spend time in the islands following the devastation of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. Sabina Funasaki, left, and Kepler Funasaki greeted Konosuke Maeda and his mother, Maya, with lei.

TONGA: Big reduction in Sea Cucumber export quota for 2011
Source: Matangi Tonga

As the sea cucumber harvesting season continues into its second month after a slow start in Tonga, 12 licenses have been issued to local operators for the 2011 harvesting season for export of a reduced quota of 100 tonnes of dried beche de mers.

The Ministry of Fisheries on July 1 confirmed that the licenses were issued last month in June to only 12 local operators who had paid their licensing fee. Tongatapu and Vava'u received three licences for each group, while four licenses were issued in Ha'apai and one each in Niua and Ata.

The number of licenses this year dropped in comparison to the 23 licenses issued in 2010 to local operators, who in return exported 312 tonnes to Asian markets.


Sea Cucumber depletion

In May, the Ministry of Fisheries in a sea cucumber stock survey carried out in November 2010 to March 2011 concluded significant stock depletion, especially on high commercial value cucumber such as teatfish and black teatfish, found mainly in Tongatapu.

But low value species, such as lollyfish and snakefish, remained on an average level of healthy stock.

Under the law, a closed season running from April 1 to September 30, but operators are given an extra month to dry the sea cucumbers and export them as beche-de-mers to its Asian markets.
 

(Photo: South Pacific Regional Environment Programme)

WORLDWIDE: FICs develop skills to access environmental development assistance
Source: South Pacific Regional Environment Programme Press Release

A Pacific regional proposal writing workshop opened in the Cook Islands to help Forum Island Countries (FICs) access funds to support renewable energy and salt water desalination projects.

The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) have pooled resources to coordinate the workshop focusing on the Pacific Environment Community (PEC) Fund and the Pacific Islands Greenhouse Gas Abatement through Renewable Energy Project (PIGGAREP).

The PEC Fund, administered by the Forum Secretariat, is a commitment by the Government of Japan of ¥6.8 billion (approx US$66 million) to support FIC projects with a focus on the provision of solar power generation systems and sea water desalination plants, or a combination of both.

PIGGAREP, administered by SPREP, is aimed at reducing the growth rate of greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuel use in FICs through the removal of the barriers to effective use of renewable energy technologies.

It is anticipated that by the end of the week participants would have completed a number of draft project proposals.

“It dawned on me when I started pushing for renewable energy in the Cook Islands that we have capacity issues particularly in writing project documents,” said the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, Hon. Henry Puna as he opened the one week gathering.

“I am pleased that in the meantime our friends from our regional and international organisations have stepped in and pledged their continuing commitment to help us. The truth is we cannot stand still, we cannot wait two, three or five years for our own people to build capacity to do these things, we need to move now and learn as we grow.”

“It is our goal that at the end of this workshop, our Forum Island Country members, including those of our Smaller Island States, will have added capacity to draft proposals for development assistance,” said Su’a Kevin Thomsen, Director of Strategic Partnerships and Coordination Programme at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.

“And more specifically, they will gain confidence to complete the important tasks of drafting their PEC Fund detailed project proposals and PIGGAREP Project Activity Summaries.”

The workshop is from 4 - 8 July in Rarotonga. Participants attending represent the countries of: Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

Photo Caption: Participants at the Pacific regional proposal writing workshop in the Cook Islands.