Teilweise neu: 2001-10-06
Contents of this issue:
1. Safety At Sea
2. Scholarships Cease
3. Census Reveals Sensitive Numbers
4. Appeal Reform
5. Delivery Delayed
6. Time Change
7. Bank Buy-Out
8. Cutbacks Commence
9. Burial Trauma
10. Counting The Cost
11. Easy Come Easy Go
12. Brakes On?
========================================================================
Old contents were:
1. Delivery Delayed
2. Time Change
3. Bank Buy-Out
4. Cutbacks Commence
5. Burial Trauma
6. Counting The Cost
7. Easy Come Easy Go
8. Brakes On?
October 6th, 2001
1. Safety At Sea:
Three Samoan alia tragedies in a row have highlighted the need for
safety at sea.. Samoa fisheries official Nanai Tanielu told Samoa's
media that of the 220 alias in the country, fewer than 100 are
registered with the Samoan Government.
The rest are illegal vessels that have not passed safety requirements.
And most of these illegal vessels go fishing without proper
registration.
"These alias must pass safety requirements before they can be registered
and before they should go out fishing," one fisheries official said from
Apia. The official said that as fishing becomes a valuable economic
development in Samoa, because of the increase in fish exports "many alia
owners are ignoring safety laws".
The most serious concern for Samoa authorities is that many of
these unregistered alias have no VHF radio communication on board
to keep in touch.
On Niue where aluminium dinghies are used extensively for inshore
fishing the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries inspect
craft regularly and fishermen are required to meet high safety
standards.Over the past five years there have been no tragedies at sea
off Niue (PINANius).
2. Scholarships Cease:
The New Zealand Government will phase out its Aotearoa
Scholarship Scheme for Pacific Islands university and other
tertiary course students.
This follows last month's announcement of the establishment of a new
semi-autonomous aid agency as part of a major revamp of the way New
Zealand delivers development assistance.
Minister in charge Matt Robson says the new agency will focus on poverty
elimination and on basic education, rather than on scholarships to
universities and other tertiary institutions.
He confirmed that the last intake of students will continue in 2002 and
the last Aotearoa scholars will complete their courses in 2005.
The Aotearoa scholarships, which have been in existence since 1994,
provide partial funding for Pacific students to study in New Zealand.
Mr Robson however confirmed that a review on all their education
programmes is underway. New Zealand's future assistance in this area
will be decided when the review is concluded. -(PINA Nius Online).
3. Census Reveals Sensitive Numbers:
The number of Niueans living on the island has dropped to 1489 - 290
less than counted in a 1997 census.
Statistic Niue says a census conducted on September 8 this year revealed
there are 323 non Niueans residents - that's 14 more than in 1997. In
New Zealand about 18.000 Niueans live in Auckland, Wellington and
Christchurch.
While all villages on the island recorded dramatic downturns one
village, Vaiea, recorded an increase of 17 (to a total of 63) since 1997
due to a settlement of Tuvaluans.
The largest village isAlofi South with 363 residents, the smallest
Namukulu with 18.
The Statistics Department says private households in the latest census
numbered 509 a decrease of 34 households from 1997.
Population figures are important to Niue - the world's smallest self
governing state. Overseas aid and support from international
organisations such as WHO, UNESCO and UNDP is largely based upon the
number of residents.
Past efforts by Niue to encourage re-settlement of Niueans resident
overseas have been unsuccessful as statistics indicate and government
efforts are now centered on trying to maintain a living viable
community.
There is official concern that some overseas funded projects are not
being completed because of the lack of labour.One major country donor
has already registered its concern that some of its funded projects have
been delayed for long periods.
This month the island celebrates 100 years political association. In
1901 Niue had a population of 4000 with about 30 Europeans, mainly
missionaries and administrators.
4. Appeal Reform:
New Zealand links with the Privy Council are set to be severed, with
plans under way for a new supreme court in New Zealand.
However there appears to be no moves at this stage by Niue to follow
suit. Niue's own Court of Appeal was set up in 1992 when the 1974
Constitution was amended. Prior to that appeals from the Niue High Court
went before the NZ Court of Appeal.
Article 55 (2) of the Niue Constitution allows an appeal to a decision
by the island's Court of Appeal to go before Her Majesty the Queen in
Council the Privy Council).
New Zealand's Prime Minister Helen Clark said it was an "absolute given"
appeals to the London-based Privy Council would be abolished. "It is as
inevitable as the fact that New Zealand will one day become a republic."
Attorney general Margaret Wilson, addressing a law conference in
Christchurch on Friday, revealed plans to set up an advisory committee
to work on a model for a final court of appeal, based in New Zealand.
But the move to scrap the Privy Council - which has handled some of our
biggest legal cases including the Bain family killings, the Mt Erebus
air crash, and, shortly, the Olivia Hope-Ben Smart murders - is already
meeting some opposition in legal circles.
The move would allow significant cases which shape the law to be heard
here rather than by law lords in Britain
5. Delivery Delayed:
Samoa Air which used to provide a weekly return air se vice from
PagoPago to Niue has been forced to delay the acquisition of a third
Twin Otter aircraft.
The airline was scheduled to take delivery of the aircraft this week.
But according to the airline's vice president, Jim Porter, Samoa Air now
is planning for the plane to arrive early next month.
He said the grounding of U.S. air travel in the aftermath of the
September 11th attacks in New York and Washington prevented maintenance
work on the aircraft and as a result the Twin Otter will not be ready
for several weeks.(Radio Australia).
6. Time Change:
Daylight saving in New Zealand begins today. That puts New Zealand on
the same time as Niue but a day ahead. Up to today New Zealand winter
time was one hour behind Niue.
Five years ago Niue was keen to adopt the same time and day as New
Zealand - it would have meant passing legislation placing the
international dateline to the west of Niue.However the matter was
dropped when the government changed in 1999.
7. Bank Buy-Out :
The Australia-based ANZ bank has bought seven Bank of Hawaii branches in
the South Pacific for $US50 million.
The deal includes two branches in Papua New Guinea, two in Vanuatu and
three in Fiji - with total assets of $180 million and 196 employees.
It will bring Bank of Hawaii one step closer to wrapping up a plan
announced earlier this year to divest all of its South Pacific
operations, with the exception of American Samoa.
Bank of Hawaii's remaining South Pacific assets consist of investments
in Banque de Tahiti in French Polynesia, Bank of Hawaii-Nouvelle
Caledonie in New Caledonia and operations in the Solomon Islands. A sale
agreement for those banks is expected later this year.
For ANZ, the acquisition moves the company closer to its goal of
doubling the size of its Pacific business.
ANZ has total assets of about $93 billion and a market capitalization of
$11.8 billion. The company's main market is Australia and New Zealand,
but it is represented in 29 countries in Asia, the Pacific, Europe and
America.(PINA Nius)
8. Cutbacks Commence:
While Air New Zealand has axed seven return flights from Sydney to Los
Angeles because of reduced demand since last month's terrorist attacks
in the United States there has been no talk of cutting the four times a
week code shared Royal Tongan Airline flights from Auckland to
Tonga.Those flights provide seats for passenger travelling to Niue.
The airline, which received an $885 million bailout from the Government
this week, is reviewing all its domestic and international flight
schedules.
Smaller centre business people in New Zealand and local government
leaders have expressed concerns about any reductions in the number of
flights to provincial towns and cities.
Air New Zealand's annual report shows it made a profit on domestic
services in the last year, but lost money internationally, particularly
in flights to Australia.
9. Burial Trauma:
A Tauranga New Zealand funeral company and a Samoan woman are rowing
over a longstanding local practice that led to her son being buried the
wrong way around.
Ten months ago Lalago Ah Honi lost her 30-year-old son Motina, one of
eight children, to suicide.
She says his death was made more distressing for her when she discovered
he had been buried at the local Pyes Pa Cemetery with his feet - rather
than his head - facing his headstone.
This was in accordance with a longstanding practice in Tauranga where
people are buried facing the morning sun - or facing east.
At Pyes Park Cemetery, where headstones run back to back, people buried
on the west side of the double berm have their feet facing their
headstone so the head gets the morning sun.
According to Mrs Ah Honi, the fact her son was buried this way violated
Samoan customs which she claimed stated that a person could only rest in
peace if the head was buried directly under the headstone.
Upset about the way her son had been treated, Mrs Ah Honi complained to
her funeral company, Jones and Company, and a fortnight after her son
was buried the body was exhumed and "turned around the right way".
However, even today she says she is struggling to cope with what she
calls the "trauma of the whole ordeal" and is seeking compensation -
plus what she claims is a long-awaited apology.
Jones and Company director David McMahon said while the incident had
been distressing to everyone, his company had done nothing wrong.(NZPA)
10. Counting The Cost:
Sports Minister Isireli Leweniqila said the 2003 South Pacific Games in
Suva would cost Fiji about $13 million - in addition to millions now
being spent on facilities. He said sports would become the focal point
and important tool for reconciliation and nation building as Fiji
prepared to host the games.
Addressing Parliament, Mr Leweniqila said the Government had allocated
$16.8 million for the development of facilities.
He added: "The Government of the People's Republic of China has
agreed to provide assistance totalling $23 million for the
construction of a new multi-purpose hall, a swimming complex and an
artificial hockey turf.''
Mr Leweniqila said of the $13 million operating costs, $7.2 million
would be raised through levies on overseas athletes and officials for
accommodation, meals and transportation.(PINA Nius Online)
11. Easy Come Easy Go:
Tonga's acting Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Police, Clive
Edwards, has made a speech in Parliament in an effort to clarify the
status of the Tonga Trust Fund.
Mr. Edwards said he was compelled to issue a statement to help pacify
parliamentarians and the people of Tonga.
He said the American advisor to the Tongan government who recommended
the transfer of some US$ 26 million from the Bank of America to
Millennium Capital Management, Jesse Bogdonoff, was to blame for
misleading the trustees.
Deputy Prime Minister Tevita Tupou and Minister of Education Dr.
Tutoatasi Fakafanua, trustees, already have resigned over the matter.
Ms. Edwards could not confirm specifically how much money had been lost.
He said he feared Tonga would be a laughing stock for it only had
papers now and not hard cash. Tonga's Attorney General is in the
U.S. trying to track down the money.
1. Brakes On?:
A major drop in tourist arrivals in the Cook Islands will mean lower
economic growth, a halt on expansion in the business sector -- and lower
demand for employment reports the Cook island News.
The resulting fall in tax revenue will also mean the government will
have to reduce expenditure, says Bredina Drollet, Policy, Planning,
Economics Manager with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Management.
In a report to the Cabinet last week, looking at the possible economic
effects of a "worst case" downturn in tourism as a result of last
month's terrorist attacks on the US, Drollet says the immediate worry is
that the fall in tourism will shift total consumption down.
The immediate effect on taxation revenue will be a direct drop in VAT --
in proportion to the fall in tourist arrivals, she says.
A fall in consumption is a signal to the business sector to stop
expanding, and to supply less goods and services. Employment hours could
be reduced, particularly in the accommodation and restaurant sectors
__END__
