(Photos: Pacific Islands Trade & Investment Commission NZ)

NEW ZEALAND: Cooking demonstrations help community and students
Source: Pacific Islands Trade & Investment Commission NZ Press Release

Kathy Wong is a chef with a mission. She recently participated the Island Influences in the Community cooking demonstration, which took place on Friday 24 October 2008 at the Otahuhu Community Centre from 6-8pm.

This is the third Island Influences in the Community cooking demonstration organised by the Auckland City Council in association with the Pacific Islands Trade & Investment Commission NZ. The previous two were held at community centres in Onehunga and Panmure and attracted between 30-80 people respectively.

The aim of the cooking demos is to help Pacific people learn new methods of cooking traditional foods in healthier ways, to learn more about nutritional information and to consider career options in the hospitality industry.

But the South Auckland cooking tutor from Southern Cross Campus, Mangere, is also hoping her excellent cooking skills will help attract sponsors for five of her students go on two month internships at The Renaissance Kowloon Hotel in Hong Kong between December and February next year. The students are hoping to raise $35,000 for their travel, accommodation and living expenses.

Southern Cross Campus is a decile one school in South Auckland with over 95% Maori and Pacific Island students. Southern Cross Campus started the annual Overseas Hospitality Study trips in 2004.

Last year, six hard working students went to Hong Kong on internships at the Harbour Plaza Metropolis Hotel and the Kowloon Hotel. One of the six is now living and training in Hong Kong on a 9 month internship, three of the others have stepped up to the next level of hotel training and the remaining two are still in school and have already won scholarships for training next year.

Ms Wong says she sees her role is to develop competency and confidence in skills and knowledge and expose students to a world outside Southern Cross Campus.
“A world where they can walk tall, Pacific Island students will not naturally push themselves forward, therefore I am selling them a future very different to what they have ever dreamed possible” said Ms Wong.

The final Island Influences in the Community cooking demonstration was held on Wednesday 29 October at the Avondale Community Centre.

Photo Caption: The Southern Cross Campus students and their tutor Cathy Wong (pictured
centre with the red stripe on her uniform).
 

(Photos: eventpolynesia.com)

SAMOA: Toa Samoa names team to play Mate Ma'a Tonga
Source: Liz Anderson / Tuilagi MS Esera

Coach John Ackland has named the Toa Samoa team to play Tonga this Friday 31st October.

The honours for reading out the team was given to Lauaki Freddy Tuilagi who is Technical Advisor for Toa Samoa and also two time Super League champions with Apollo Perelini at St Helens in the late 90s.
 

	NAME	POSITION	CLUB	VILLAGE
1	Smith Samau	Fullback	Gold Coast Titans - AU	Falevao & Fusi
2	Matt Utai	Right Wing	Canterbury Bulldogs - AU	Saaga (Siumu) & Faleasiu
3	George Carmont	Center	Wigan - UK	Malaela (Aleipata)
4	Willie Talau	Center	St Helens - UK	Malie
5	Francis Meli	Left Wing	St Helens - UK	Apia & Aai o Niue
6	Nigel Vagana	(Captain)	Five Eight Souths - AU	Samatau & Fasitoo-Uta
7	Ben Roberts	Halfback	Bulldogs - AU	Sinamoga & Leufisa
8	Tony Puletua	Prop	Panthers - AU	Afega & Falelatai
9	Terrence Seuseu	Hooker	Cronulla Sharks - AU	Nofoalii
10	Kylie Leuluai	Prop	Leeds - UK	Moata’a & Toamua
11	David Solomona	2nd Row	Bradford - UK	Tafitoala
12	Lagi Setu	2nd Row	St George - AU	Apia
13	Harrison Hansen	Loose Forward	Wigan - UK	Salamumu
14	Ali Lautiti	Interchange	Leeds - UK	Iva
15	Frank Puletua	Interchange	Panthers - AU	Afega & Falelatai
16	Joseph Paulo	Interchange	Penrith - AU	Apia & Fagatogo (Am. Samoa)
17	Albert Talipeau	Interchange	Gold Coast Titans - AU	Falefa

Feel free to fax your support letters to fax (00612) 4732-2028 attention: Toa Samoa team.

Faafetai mo lau Tapuaiga. Alofaaga mo Samoa ma Aiga.

For further information:
• Toa Samoa - Media Manager Tuilagi MS Esera (041) 509-3631
• Toa Samoa - Liaison Officer David Lakisa (041) 354-4333
• Samoa Team - Media Liaison Liz Anderson (0412) 014-656
• World Cup - Media Director Tracie Edmondson (0416) 258-342

Photo Captions: Toa Samoa gets blessing of Country.
 

(Photos: J. Kneubuhl)

AMERICAN SAMOA: ASCC/ITT Ceremony honours AutoCAD certificate recipients
Source: American Samoa Community College Press Release

During a ceremony this past Friday (October 24, 2008) afternoon at the American Samoa Community College (ASCC), 18 individuals from the local workforce and the community received certificates for having completed the night course Beginning AutoCAD, offered by the Institute of Trades & Technology (ITT). The four-week night course introduced some of the participants to the principles of the computerized design program AutoCAD, while providing others already familiar with it an opportunity to upgrade their skills. “Some of these individuals already use AutoCAD as part of their job,” said ITT Dean Leusoga “Bill” Emmsley, “but given its diversity of applications, anyone who uses it can benefit from expanding their knowledge and enhancing their skills.”

For readers unfamiliar with the term AutoCAD, despite the sound of its name, it has only a tangential relation to automobiles, limited to their physical dimensions. Rather, the acronym CAD stands for “computer aided design”, while “auto” references a self-integrated system. Simply put, AutoCAD provides a powerful aid to any kind of computerized design work. It has already found widespread popularity among architects and engineers, but Leusoga describes its possibilities as “limitless”. As he explained, “After you program a multi-part design formula into AutoCAD, when you make changes to one part, it automatically does the corresponding changes to the other connected parts. This saves designers of all types a lot of their valuable time, and allows them to more freely experiment with options. Most obviously, AutoCAD speeds up the process of designing construction projects, but some people have even used it for designing clothes or for simple home improvements.”

ITT offers the night course in Beginning AutoCAD as a service to members of the workforce and the community wishing to utilize the program in their professional capacities or personal activities. The recently-completed course attracted participants from Star Kist, McConnell Dowell, ASPA, ASTCA, and even several ITT instructors in other areas. Instructor Etemani Elisara holds certification in Autodesk, which qualifies him to test others and administer credentials in AutoCAD through the ITT. The Institute’s AutoCAD training comes in three phases: beginning, intermediate and advanced, and participants can earn a certificate of completion for each. After they complete Advanced AutoCAD, they may sit the Autodesk examination for their own full certification.

Guests at Friday’s ceremony included members of the ASCC administration and the public and private sectors. ASCC Vice President Dr. Kathleen Kolhoff-Belle, Will Sword of BP South West Pacific, and Peter Crispin of Industrial Gasses provided special remarks and words of encouragement. Leusoga says that in addition to the next to levels of AutoCAD, ITT hopes to offer night courses in electrical, automotive, computer repair, introduction to fiber-optic, and basic call-center training in the near future.

For more information on the ITT, visit the ASCC web page at www.amsamoa.edu, and click on Trades & Technology. You can also email them directly at itt@amsamoa.edu.

Photo Captions:

Photo 1 - Participants who completed the night class Beginning AutoCAD offered by the Institute of Trades & Technology at ASCC gather with supporters from the College and various public and private sector representatives during a ceremony held this past Friday.

Photo 2 - Will Sword of BP South West Pacific gives the special remarks to recipients of certificates in Beginning AutoCAD last Friday at the American Samoa Community College.

Photo 3 - Leusoga "Bill" Emmsley, Dean of the Institute of Trades & Technology at the American Samoa Community College, offers words of encouragement during a ceremony for participants who have completed a night course in Beginning AutoCAD.

Photo 4 -  A community member receives his certificate of completion in Beginning AutoCAD after completing a night course offered by the Institute of Trades & Technology at the American Samoa Community College.
 

FIJI: Swim targets coaches
Source: Fiji Times

People often associate Fiji Swimming only with swimming competitions and championships in Suva, Nadi, in the Pacific region as well as further afield.

However, a dedicated group of Fiji Swimming volunteers have been instrumental over the years with taking swimming into the wider Fiji community.

And the Australian Government, through one of its agencies, has helped to make it possible with funding for the initiative.

Fiji Swimming is currently running a program with funding assistance from the Australian High Commission under the Australian Sports Outreach Program.

They have provided a grant of AUD$5,000. The scope of the program is to:

* Develop coaches who serve the needs of the community;

* Develop coaches who serve the needs of the sport

* Allow Fiji Swimming to 'control' the standard, development and number of coaches; and

* Provide a source of income for the owners of the certification process

This week Fiji Swimming is running two Swim Assistant Swim Teachers Award courses, one in Suva yesterday and one in Nadi today, for teachers from each of the Special Education Schools on Viti Levu.

This has been modified to suit the needs of the special education students, and is an initial course covering effective teaching methods, stroke development, water safety and risk management in an aquatic environment.

The teachers take part in both classroom sessions and practical sessions in the pool.

The courses are being run by Ally Todd and Clive Rushton from New Zealand Swimming.

Fiji Swimming and the Australian Government are actively contributing proactively to greater water safety awareness and skills among members of the Fiji community.
 

NEW CALEDONIA: New weather alert system for New Caledonia
Source: Radio Australia

New Caledonia's weather department has unveiled a new warning system that also includes cyclone alerts.

The new system is colour-based, with a scale of four, ranging from green, yellow, orange and red which represents high alert.

Meteo-France local director Eric Peterman says the new system becomes effective on the 12th of next month, in time for the beginning of the cyclone season.

The new system not only includes cyclone alerts, but all kinds of weather phenomena that can pose a threat like strong winds, heavy swells, heavy rain, and flooding.
 

WORLDWIDE: Closer cooperation on response to STIs in the Pacific
Source: SPC /UNAIDS Joint Press Release

Regional cooperation on the response to HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is expected to further improve as more than 100 technical and country representatives in the Pacific prepare for two subregional joint planning meetings.

‘Representatives from 20 countries and territories will be taking part in the meetings and participating in the joint planning process with their regional technical and development partners,’ said Dr Dennie Iniakwala, HIV & STI Section Head for the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC). With SPC coordinating and leading the events, Dr Iniakwala expects that the two meetings, which replace the one large annual meeting previously held, will better cater to the diversity of Pacific countries and territories.

‘This change to the planning process comes from listening to the countries we provide services to and is a vital part of our ongoing effort to improve the harmonisation, coordination and efficiency of our work on HIV and other STIs.’ Dr Iniakwala also hopes that a stronger country voice at the planning table will result in a more focused response on the ground in each of the participating countries, and from all the partners involved.

Echoing SPC’s comments, UNAIDS Pacific Regional Programme Coordinator, Stuart Watson, said, ‘It is very important that regional partners hear directly from countries and territories what their national priorities are in terms of HIV and other STIs. We can then better target the activities of our joint work plans within the framework of the regional strategy.’

‘We are already seeing progress and improvements regionally,’ says Dr Iniakwala, citing the Pacific Regional Strategy on HIV and other STIs (2009–2013) and the Pacific Islands HIV & STI Response Fund as examples of better coordination. Pacific Forum leaders endorsed the second regional strategy at their 2007 meeting, and according to Dr Iniakwala ‘the Response Fund is designed to provide grants from key donors in a more streamlined, timely and flexible way’ to country and regional partners to help them implement their work plans.

Alongside country representatives, more than 20 regional organisations, including NGOs, faith-based organisations and development agencies and media will attend the two subregional meetings, which will be held in Suva, Fiji, from 27 to 31 October 2008, and Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia, from 10 to 14 November 2008.