Teilweise neu: 2002-04-17 Contents of this issue:
1. Enough Thanks 2. Positively Niue 3. Rising Rate 4. Niue Neglected? 5. What's Next ======================================================================== Old contents were: 1. Rising Rate 2. Niue Neglected? 3. What's Next April 17th, 2002 1. Enough Thanks: Niueans say they are being "overconsulted." A steady stream of consultants pass through the big raised coral atoll with a small population (1700) most of the year. They come from government,regional and international agencies delving into every imaginable aspect of life on the island. During the recent "Sustainable Living Community" study there were consultants working on human resources development, tourism, organic farming, hazardous wastes and fishing aggregate devices. Researchers working on the Living Community project reported people were overloaded by the many consultants that were calling for meetings and it is a credit to the Niuean participants that this caused some apathy amongst a few participants. "The common call from the local people was that they were tired of review after review where not much happens after recommendations have been submitted. Participants have a strong expectation to see some clear action lines as an outcome of this study." said the researchers. 2. Positively Niue: Culture and community life is highlighted as one of the strengths of Niue, according to a study into maintaining a sustainable living community. The report prepared by Nina Perez and Stewart Hadfield said Niueans expressed that there is tranquillity and peace, unity in the community and racial harmony. "Niueans are able to live without fear on their island. There are also strong family ties and Niueans are distinguished by their friendliness and hospitality," stated the report. "Culture is definitively an essential feature for Niueans and several times the need to maintain the "pride in being in Niue" was expressed. Also noted was the need for education to "appreciate our land and our culture" and to find ways to "sustain cultural values" while increasing overseas exposure. Language was seen as a strength and also as an essential element of the Niuean identity. 5th and 6th formers and the year 5 and 6 primary school students were asked to draw Niue in 20 years time. The majority drew an image very similar to Auckland. It was clear that the youth feel very attracted to the city life of New Zealand and the traditional appreciation for the land and the sea is somehow getting lost amongst the younger generations. Although there is a common feeling of well-being in Niue, amongst the groups and individuals consulted there was a call for a change in attitudes as an important element for the future of Niue. Amongst the attitudes that need to be changed, local people mentioned: - Aid-dependent / spoon-fed attitude. That is expecting to receive things without doing anything or very little for it. The Niuean Government expects to receive assistance from the New Zealand Government. The Village Councils and individuals expect help from the Niuean Government, so nobody takes the first step. This can paralyse self-initiative at all levels. - Nepotism / overpolitical. Is "not what you know but who you know". Reference was made to one family with members in strategic places to make things happen. - Keeping people down to their same level. It seems that there is the tendency of authorities to hijack endeavours that have not been initiated by them. Some referred to it as jealousy (mahekeheke). - Prejudice against foreigners and Niueans living in New Zealand /favouritism. - Arrogant / patronising attitude of Niueans living in New Zealand towards Niueans in Niue. - Quarrels within families regarding land. - Younger generations are used to Western values such as "instant gratification", "do not like hard work", and "quick way to get the answer". 1. Rising Rate: The oceans around New Zealand are warming faster than the global average and the rate at which the sea level is rising - up to 2 millimetres a year - is showing signs of increasing. Niue, 2000kms to the north is not considered to be affected by the phenomena. National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research figures issued this week show that during the past 10 years water temperatures have risen about .3 degrees celsius - a level of increase not seen since the 1930s. The oceans around New Zealand warmed in the 1900s and 1930s, but cooled between 1973 and 1992 before the present sharp jump, indicating a complex warming pattern. This follows, but is not always in step with, a global trend upward. According to the institute, the average ocean temperature around New Zealand increased about 1 degree during the past century. The global average is .6C. Institute scientist Craig Stevens said the lower temperatures around New Zealand during the early 1980s were caused by stronger and more frequent El Nino climate spells. El Nino and La Nina events caused the temperature of the tropical ocean to fluctuate by as much as 4C, and the temperature around New Zealand to fluctuate by a smaller amount in the opposite way.(The Dominion). 1. Niue Neglected?: The two most overwhelming priorities for the Niuean community, both in Niue and New Zealand , are Transport and Economic Development, says a report on Sustaining Niue as a Living Community released this week. " Air link is considered as the main bottleneck that hinders the further progress of Niue. The air link issue has even become a psychological strain to Niueans aspirations and plans for development. In the eyes of the local people these two issues require addressing urgently and there are high expectations on the outcomes of these study regarding this two goals," states the report. "Besides these two goals, the New Zealand Niuean community considers it a main priority to strengthen the relationship of Niueans in Niue and New Zealand. At present there is a general feeling of neglect from the Niue and New Zealand Government." The report says the main strengths of Niue are its village communities and also its spiritual and cultural values, especially those that foster unity and connectedness in the villages. Another strength is the love for the land and the sea that enhances the economic development opportunities for these traditional . 2. What's Next: New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs wants Niue's Sustainable Living Community Report to go a step further. It has proposed that the second phase of the study carried out by Nina Perez and Stewart Hadfield "will involve the establishment of a group in Niue representative of all elements of society to develop, with the help of a number of constitutional, economic and social facilitators one or more 'home-grown' models of governance and economic and social development relevant to the Niue of today and designed to support the attainment of the living community goal". Niue is governed by a 20 member Legislative Assembly. The island has a dwindling population of 1400 Niueans and 300 expatriates.The first phase of the Living Community established that a constitutional review committee concluded that local people feel ".the special constitutional and political relationship between New Zealand and Niue and the way it has operated since 1974 has otherwise been successful and satisfying for those who remain in Niue". Niueans have expressed a need for action. The researchers noted that during phase one most people interviewed on the island expressed their frustration towards meetings that, in their view, only produced reports with recommendations that were never implemented. The researchers propose Niueans discuss the design of "home-grown" models of governance and take into account " the growing apathy of local people to meetings, especially for those Niueans who work outside the public sector. __END__
