NEWSPAGE 16 September
2009

(Photo: Wordpress)

NEW ZEALAND: World March for Peace - Moriori Blessing, Rekohu

(Photo: British High Commission)

SAMOA: Win a trip to New Zealand to meet the Super 14 Hurricanes!
Source: British High Commission Press Release

A new and exciting competition for Samoan children has today (September 15, 2009) been launched by the British High Commission in New Zealand.

The winners will win a return all expenses paid trip to Wellington, New Zealand. They will spend Thursday 18 February 2010, as a special guest at the training session of the Super 14 Hurricanes Rugby team, along with tickets to their home game at Westpac Stadium on Saturday 20 February.

We are inviting all school children resident in Samoa to take part in our first ever Sports Essay competition. Children will have to write an essay about becoming a sports-star and saving their side by scoring the winning points in the dying seconds of a game that creates a place in British sports history.

There will be two categories:
* 7 -12 years old
* 13 - 16 years old

Children will be able to research information about British Sports through www.britain4pacifickids.org.

The judging will be based on children’s creativity and how well they use their imagination in writing.

The finalists will be judged by George Fergusson, British High Commissioner and the Prizes will be awarded to the top winners in each age group.

The winners will have their work posted on our website for all to see!

The competition is now open and will close on Friday 21 November 2009. Winners will be announced Monday 7 December 2009.

Competition Details:

Background:

Britain - the origin of our most popular sports Britain, home of the first ever football/soccer game played nearly 150 years ago. Since then it has grown to become the most popular sport in the country and the world! But it’s not just about soccer. Britain is also famous for Rugby, Cricket, Netball, Golf and Tennis.

Rugby has its roots in Britain - it was at Rugby School in 1823 that a student playing football first picked the ball up and ran with it, creating the basis of the game we know and love today.

Cricket - one of the oldest games in Britain. A true gentleman’s game, it was originally the game of choice for noblemen and aristocrats, and to this day, players still stop in the middle of a match for afternoon tea. It has become one of Britain’s biggest spectator sports.

Essay Competition:

Go back in time of British Sporting history. You are a team member playing for England, Ireland, Scotland or Wales, the sport of your choice in the World Cup Final. There are only minutes left on the board and your team needs a goal, try or runs to win the game. Take on the role of your sporting hero. Write a short story about your experience as being the sportsperson who scored the winning points taking you and your team into British sports history.

Email or post your entry to:

Sports Competition
Communications Section
British High Commission
PO Box 1812
Thorndon
Wellington 6140
New Zealand
Email: [email protected]

The Prize:

Winners must have valid passports and relevant documentation for travel between 16-22 February 2010.

The first prize winners from the two separate age categories will win themselves, and a parent/guardian, an all expenses paid return trip to Wellington, New Zealand, where they will attend a Super 14 Hurricanes home game, and personally get to meet the players at a special training session! Students will also win $200 worth of resource material for their school library.

Second and Third Place winners will each receive a British High Commission Goodie Bag and a Hurricanes Goodie Bag.

The British High Commission’s children’s website www.britian4pacifickids.org has been designed specifically for children to enable them to conduct research on-line. For further information about British Sports visit: http://www.britain4pacifickids.org/sport.html
 

(Photo: Riamoana Pasifika)

AUSTRALIA: A young Samoan making it big
Source: Riamoana Pasifika Press Release

Mark, a young Samoan born and brought up in Brisbane has found his passion in music. He has been around music most his life. He describes his sound as 'good acoustic, rootsy soul music'.

Mark picked up a guitar at sixteen years of age and hasn't put it down since. According to sister Tuai Vagana, "when Mark picked up that guitar a creativity and passion was unleashed, this creativity and compulsion for use musical expression and a heart-felt desire to impact peoples lives with his music that drives Mark."

Mark launched his debut at the UBER in Brisbane to a crowd of over 350 people and quickly followed that with successful shows in Melbourne and around South East Queensland.

He has recently completed his first single 'Butterfly' and is preparing for a tour visiting New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga culminating at the Festival Napuan, Vanuatu in November.
 

(Photo: ‘Ōlelo)

HAWAII: ‘Ōlelo: Future of public access television at stake
Source: The Hawaii Independent

Cable television in Hawai’i has come a long way since the days of the old faux-wooden 30-channel dial cable box. As technology improved and the number of cable channels multiplied, so did the needs and capabilities of public access television.

In the last 20 years, Hawai‘i residents have seen ‘Ōlelo Community Media evolve from a single independent cable TV channel into a multimedia service composed of seven community media centers, online viewing capabilities, and six cable channels, including video-on-demand.

‘Ōlelo was created in in 1988 as part of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) mandate that awarded Oceanic Cablevision Inc. its franchise, which comes up for renewal this month.

DCCA is holding a hearing to collect public input on the franchise renewal on Tuesday at McKinley High School’s Hirata Hall. All written comments are due to DCCA by Friday.

‘Ōlelo, on behalf of its public stakeholders, says that the way Oceanic’s renewal contract is written does meet the current and future needs of the public and does not take into account future technological advances in media— such as greater bandwidth and handling High Definition video and data simultaneously.

“It’s not about what ‘Ōlelo wants, it’s about what ‘Ōlelo manages,” says ‘Ōlelo marketing manager Jack Bates. “We don’t produce programming, the public does.”

In its 1988 Decision and Order 135, DCCA stated that “the grant of a cable franchise gives Oceanic a right to use and occupy public places, highways, and easements, which are of limited and scarce nature. Substantial economic benefit will flow to Oceanic from such privilege. In exchange, Oceanic should be required to provide the widest possible diversity of information sources and services to the public. This order ties the length of the term of the franchise to the degree to which Oceanic is willing to be responsive to the needs and interests of the community.”

Oceanic created its relationship with ‘Ōlelo to meet DCCA’s requirement to present the public with diverse media perspectives.

“The issue for the community,” Bates says, “is that there needs to be on the part of the state in negotiating with Oceanic the capability to meet the technological needs of the future.”

Funding future technology

Today, Oceanic serves almost 50 percent more subscribers than it did when the original franchise was negotiated in 1988.

In its franchise renewal application, Oceanic proposes that the number of locally-created public, educational, and governmental (PEG) access programming channels be limited to five. Today, there are currently five PEG channels and a temporary sixth channel used by ‘Ōlelo.

To address an increase in PEG demand, Oceanic proposes that provisions be included within the contract “to adjust the number of PEG channels as warranted by the availability or deployment of technology (i.e. video on demand, streaming video, etc.), the level of demand for PEG programing, and the long-term best interests of O‘ahu subscribers as a whole”.

However, ‘Ōlelo says that options such as video on demand alone are not sufficient enough to account for the growing public demand because much of ‘Ōlelo’s viewership comes from traditional channel surfing.

Instead, ‘Ōlelo would like to see an increase in the share of services and funding provided by Oceanic. An increase in funding, ‘Ōlelo says, would allow for more community media centers to be available on O‘ahu, support ‘Ōlelo’s migration to High Definition, upgrade its current fibre connection, and upgrade its network to handle High Definition video and data simultaneously.

“When it comes to community access, there is no mention [in the renewal] for greater bandwidth or High Definition,” Bates says.

“We’re a supporter of Oceanic,” Bates says, “but we’re not in support of the contract the way it is now.”

In addition, ‘Ōlelo would like to see that 10 percent of total services — not just 10 percent of channels as stated in the original contract — be available for public access use as well as two statewide channels in addition to the allocated O‘ahu channels.

Looking at the numbers, ‘Ōlelo feels that Oceanic needs to adjust its funding from rates negotiated in 1988.

In its franchise renewal application, Oceanic wants to continue to provide funding to ‘Ōlelo based on a 3 percent gross revenue rate, while supplemental funds would come at a rate of $3 per subscriber.

‘Ōlelo would instead like to see the 3 percent gross revenue rate increase to 3.5 percent as well as an increase in supplemental funds, which are used to support things like facility construction, renovation, and upgrades.

“We’re a supporter of Oceanic,” Bates says, “but we’re not in support of the contract the way it is now.”

Photo Caption: ‘Ōlelo would like to see that 10 percent of Oceanic’s total services—not just 10 percent of channels as stated in their original contract—be available for public access use as well as two statewide channels in addition to the allocated O‘ahu channels.
 

TONGA: Replacement ferry service for Tonga soon
Source: Matangi Tonga

A new interim inter-island passenger vessel for Tonga is expected to be in service soon, to replace the sunken ferry MV Princess Ashika.

NZAID's Communications Advisor, Adham Crichton, said today that the move for an interim ferry service was instigated by NZAID in conjunction with AusAID and the Government of Tonga.

The submissions of proposals to offer a ferry service for Tonga was closed last week on September 10 and there has been interest from international operators in the Pacific, New Zealand and Europe. An assessment panel is now looking at the different submissions to decide on the most appropriate provider.

Under the tender, the vessel type sought after must have a Ro-Ro with bow or stern ramp and should accommodate 400 passengers both floor and day seating. The vessel requires a cargo capacity of approximately 250sq m and 4.55m free height with 100-400 tons of cargo deadweight.

"The aim is to have the interim charter ferry service in place as soon as possible following a fair and open tender process. And the charter period is expected to be up to 18 months and will provide regular, reliable and safe service until the replacement vessel funded by the Japanese government arrives in 2011," he said.

Crichton added that the Government of Tonga had been fully involved in the tender process to ensure that the interim service meets the requirements of the Tongan people.
 

(Photo: PACNEWS)

WORLDWIDE: Forum Secretariat appoints two new programme directors
Source: Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat Press Release

The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in Suva, Fiji has appointed two new Programme Directors.

They are Su’a Kevin Thomsen from New Zealand as Director Strategic Partnerships and Coordination and Ms Tanya Chakriya Bowman from Australia as the new Director - Economic Governance Programme. Mr Thomsen is the first Director Strategic Partnerships and Coordination after the position was created recently.

In welcoming the appointment of the two new programme directors, Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Tuiloma Neroni Slade said: “The appointments to the two senior positions at the Secretariat were made after an open and transparent process of advertising the positions and assessing the candidates including several rounds of interviews.”

“Due to the seniority of the positions within the Secretariat’s structure, it is important that we get the candidates that meet the criteria prescribed for the two positions and I believe that two candidates appointed have the relevant qualifications and experience.”

Mr Slade added: “The experience that Mr Thomsen and Ms Bowman bring will be an asset to the Secretariat and will help strengthen team performance and leadership within their respective programmes as well as support to the Secretary General and policy advice in their areas of work.”

Mr Thomsen’s most recent position was Manager Pacific Engagement International Relations with the Ministry of Social Development in New Zealand. His other roles include Director Policy and Communications in the Ministry of Pacific Islands Affairs from 2001 - 2008. In 1999-2001 he was Senior Adviser Policy and Service Development at the Department of Corrections Policy and Service Development.

Ms Bowman has held the post of Director and Trade Advisor, Pacific Group in AusAID from 2007 to 2009 and was AusAID representative on the Interdepartmental Committee initiating the Pacific Seasonal Workers Pilot Scheme in Australia. She also provided advice on development aspects of Pacific trade negotiations and the coordination trade related support to the Pacific. Among the other positions she has held, Ms Bowman was also Economics, Trade Policy and APEC Unit Manager in the Asia-Economic Section, Asia Regional Branch from 2005 - 2007.

Ms Bowman begins her appointment with the Secretariat in early October while Mr Thomsen will start in early November.

Photo Caption: Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Tuiloma Neroni Slade (right).