NEWSPAGE 19 August
2009

(Photos: Massey University / SPINZ)

NEW ZEALAND: Maori suicide prevention symposium seeks answers

(Photo: TVNZ)

SAMOA: Samoa readies for driving switch
Source: TVNZ One News

Samoa will switch to driving on the left hand side, like New Zealand, in three weeks despite the biggest protests in the nation's history.

Two years ago, the government unexpectedly decided to switch from right to left. They say the aim is to boost the number of drivers on the roads by switching to cheaper right hand drive vehicles.

"The only way we can make these people accessible to vehicles is to bring down the cost of vehicles, bring cheaper vehicles and one of the easier ways to get cheaper vehicles is to ask their families in New Zealand and Australia," says Tuisugaletaua Sofara Aveau, Minister of Works, Transport and Infrastructure.

The Samoan government is confident it has done enough to avoid a driving disaster when they change from right to left, but the local population is not convinced. Samoans have taken to the streets in protest at the switch and lack of consultation.

"It's a major issue that impacts on everybody's lives and yet there was no public consultation at all," says Maposua R S Toailoa of the group People Against Switching Sides.

The anti-government marches were spear-headed by outraged lawyers, car yard owners and rental companies.

"(The switch) means that (the companies) will have to change their whole fleet now. A lot of them have been caught out and some of them have even closed business," says Toailoa.

However, the government insists the opponents are just a vocal minority.

"The silent majority of the country are not speaking ... they keep to themselves and when they understand something they will follow that," says Sofara Aveau.

To give the locals time to adjust, the government has declared the first two days of the switch - September 7 and 8 - as national holidays.

And in preparation drivers can test their skills at a special left hand drive track in Apia affectionately named "Aotearoa".

The track is part of a $3.5 million spend on re-marking roads, a publicity campaign and assistance to bus companies needing to install doors that will not open into oncoming traffic.
 

(Photos: Honolulu Star Bulletin / Hawaii National Guard)

HAWAII: Last National Guard battalion returns to Hawaii after 10 months in Kuwait
Source: Honolulu Star Bulletin

Citizen soldiers of the Hawaii Army National Guard's 29th Brigade Combat Team completed 10 months in Kuwait and logged nearly 2.2 million miles escorting convoys to bases in Iraq, averaging six to eight missions a day.

The last of the 1,700 soldiers in the brigade will be home Friday, winding up its second deployment. In 2004 the unit was on active duty for the first time since the Vietnam War, spending 12 months in Iraq.

The military jet charter carrying nearly 400 troops assigned to the 29th Brigade Special Troops Battalion and the 1st Battalion, 487th Field Artillery, developed mechanical problems yesterday after leaving Fort Hood, Texas, and was diverted to Los Angeles, where the soldiers were forced to spend the night.

They are expected to arrive today at Hickam Air Force Base along with an additional 300 soldiers belonging to the 100th Battalion who are on a separate military jet charter.

About 700 Army Reserve soldiers from 40 states and territories were added to the brigade to fill needed positions for this deployment.

Two units of the 29th Brigade -- the Army Reserve's 100th Battalion and the 1st Squadron, 299th Cavalry Regiment -- performed the security escort missions.

Col. Bruce Oliveira, brigade commander, said the 100th Battalion soldiers accompanied at least 240 convoys a month involving 14,000 security missions from Kuwait to Iraq, driving 1.2 million miles. These normally were four-hour drives to Camp Cedar in southern Iraq and were generally completed in a day.

The longer convoy missions performed by the 299th Regiment took several days, and the 1st Squadron averaged 45 of these long-haul convoys a month into Iraq, racking up nearly 1 million miles.

He estimated that some of the escorted convoys involved more than 600 trucks a day, which "hauled enough food to throw a luau for all of Honolulu and enough fuel to fill the tanks of more than 70,000 standard-size cars."

Many of these required the services of the brigade's combat medics.

Oliveira will be on the last flight of 200 soldiers, leaving Fort Hood Friday. The soldiers spent five days at the Texas Army post going through demobilization briefings before being released from active duty.

The Hawaii Army National Guard will hold a job fair and reintegration workshop Sept. 20 at the Hawai'i Convention Center for Oahu-based soldiers and their families. Neighbor island sessions will be held on the Big Island Sept. 26, Maui Oct. 3 and Kauai Oct. 4. Specific sites will be announced later.

In a written statement, Oliveira said, "During this mobilization, the 29th Infantry Brigade Combat Team soldiers have once again displayed the highest levels of professionalism, selfless service and dedication to duty while honorably representing their families, friends, communities, employers and the state of Hawaii.

"Deployments are always difficult, and the success of this deployment can be directly attributed to the steadfast work of the soldiers of the brigade, and could not have been possible were it not for the unwavering support provided by our communities, employers and our families."

He said 84 percent of his soldiers were combat veterans. He cited other accomplishments:

» Brigade mechanics completed more than 3,700 maintenance requests while maintaining and stocking nearly 48,000 parts, equal to more than 20,000 man-hours of maintenance, working out of Camp Buehring and Camp Virginia.

» Brigade security forces from the 1st Battalion, 487th Field Artillery, performed more than 220,000 personal and 101,000 vehicle searches at the various entry points on Camp Patriot at the Kuwait Naval Base and the Sea Port of Debarkation.

During the first Iraq deployment, only one soldier from Hawaii -- Sgt. Deyson Cariaga -- was killed in combat. But 17 other soldiers assigned to the brigade from other states and American Samoa lost their lives.

On the second combat deployment, there were no combat deaths. But three soldiers -- Sgt. Julian Manglona, Spc. Cwislyn K. Walter and Spc. Casey L. Hills -- died during training or in a vehicle accident.

Photo Captions:

Photo 1 - The first group of soldiers from the Hawaii Army National Guard's 29th Brigade returned home Sunday from Kuwait and were welcomed at Barbers Point by family and friends. The last soldiers from the group return Friday (August 14, 2009).

Photo 2 - Col. Bruce Oliveira, commander of the 29th Brigade Combat Team, right, was welcomed Aug. 8 by deputy commander Col. Kenneth Hara, left, and Brig. Gen. Gary Hara, assistant adjutant general of the Hawaii Army National Guard, as the team arrived at Fort Hood, Texas.

NAURU: Australia, UNDP to help Nauru small entrepreneurs
Source: Microfinance Focus

Australia and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have joined the efforts of the government of Nauru to develop a project to reduce unemployment, promote production and marketing of local goods, improve food security and reduce dependence on costly imported goods in Nauru.

The Nauru Entrepreneurship Development Project, made possible through funding under bilateral arrangements with Australia, will contribute to develop Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector as part of Nauru’s National Sustainable Development Strategy 2005-2025.

The project aims to establish an Enterprise Resource Centre that will cater for both ongoing and potential business owners. The Centre will be staffed by a skilled Business Development Specialist, who will coach, mentor, motivate and train individuals and groups, nurturing their development at every stage of the business, enabling them to achieve their dreams and aspirations, said a regional UNDP mission’s press release. Through the provision of IT, email, fax and printing services, the centre will be a resource for those who operate their businesses from home. It will also have a library of reference materials and will provide professional advice on a range of areas such as packaging, pricing, customer service and marketing. Formal training will also be provided under the project.

Households in Nauru will also have access to financial literacy training to be provided by the centre. The idea is that families will have basic money management skills enabling them to manage their household income better and to invest towards their social, economic and financial goals.

The Nauru government has allocated space for the project within the central Civic Centre complex and currently is in the process of recruiting the Business Development Specialist. The Enterprise Resource Centre will commence activities in August 2009, with a training needs analysis on enterprise opportunities and business awareness, the release said. An initial workshop for potential entrepreneurs will be held in September 2009.
 

(Photos: New Zealand Defence Force)

TONGA: Images from RNZN ROV formally identifying sunken ferry PRINCESS ASHIKA
Source: New Zealand Defence Force Press Release

It was reported yesterday morning the ROV operating from the Royal New Zealand Navy Diving Tender, HMNZS MANAWANUI had formally identified the sunken vessel on the seabed as the PRINCESS ASHIKA.

The ROV identified the vessel by reading the name plate. The conditions on the surface are not favourable but the Navy Team is continuing with their efforts. The water clarity is reported to be very good and this has allowed the team to be able to conduct a good, thorough search of the sunken vessel.

One side of the PRINCESS ASHIKA is obstructed and the ROV is unable to see into the passenger compartment. The vessel is sitting flat on the seabed and appears to be intact.

The ROV has been able to enter the cargo hold and is providing information to the Transport Accident Investigation Commission Investigator.

Photo Captions: Images gathered during the RNZN ROV mission yesterday, released with the permission of the Prime Minister of Tonga.
 

(Photos: Jill Key / Alan Tye)

WORLDWIDE: Just out: “Guidelines for Invasive Species Management in the Pacific”
Source: Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme Press Release

The threat posed by invasive species such as introduced pests, weeds and diseases, to the Pacific region is clear from many recent lessons of the devastation they can cause.

One such lesson is the Brown Tree Snake (Boiga irregularis) accidentally introduced to Guam in the 1940s, which causes Guam to spend over $US 5 million a year on damage and management costs. Another is the taro leaf blight, a fungal disease that arrived in Samoa in the 1990s and decimated taro production; this is estimated to have cost Samoa $US 40 million.

In a region of small nations and territories with limited budgets, strong, solid planning and cooperation for invasive species management is essential to controlling their impacts in different islands.

To assist these efforts, the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), in partnership with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), has just launched (July 2009) the “Guidelines for Invasive Species Management in the Pacific”.

The aim of the Guidelines is to assist invasive species planning and prioritisation by providing a guide to the activities required in a comprehensive programme of invasive species management, whether for an individual country or island, or for a local or regional agency.

“Until now, invasive species planning in the Pacific can sometimes be rather arbitrary, often depending heavily upon who attends meetings, whereas what is needed for a good plan or strategy is careful consideration of all possible management options, followed by objective prioritisation of the action to be taken. “ Explained Dr Alan Tye, the Invasive Species Officer at SPREP.

“The Guidelines don’t set priorities but are designed to facilitate priority-setting by users, who can select the parts of the Guidelines relevant to their own strategy and local conditions or agency responsibilities. They are a starting point that helps to make sure that nothing important is forgotten when putting together a plan.”

The 20-page booklet covers three main themes. “Foundations” includes the basic requirements that underlie any invasive species work: generating support including political support and funding, building capacity and legislation. “Problem definition, Prioritisation and Decision-making” includes gathering baseline information and monitoring, prioritisation methods, and research. The third section covers “Management Action”, including biosecurity, management goals and techniques, and post-management restoration.

The “Guidelines for Invasive Species Management in the Pacific” are available for free download at: http://www.sprep.org/publication/pub_detail.asp?id=699

Photo Captions:

Photo 1 - Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), in partnership with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), has launched the “Guidelines for Invasive Species Management in the Pacific”.

Photo 2 - Some “invasive” species may be native to an island. An example is Mer-remia peltata (Chuuk fidau; Cooks kurima; Fiji veliyana, wa bula; Guam lagun; Kosrae pala; Niue fue kula; Palau kebeas; Pohnpei ceul, iohl; Samoa fue lautetele; Solomons kwalo ambui; Tahiti pohue; Tonga fue mea; Yap wachathal), a vine which is a serious invader of natural habitats.

Photo 3 - Leaf damage to the invasive Miconia calvescens seedlings caused by a fungal biological control agent in Tahiti. This can kill the seedlings and reduces the competitiveness of adult Miconia trees enough to allow native plants to recover.