Neu: 2002-03-18 Contents of this issue:
1. Its Official 2. Booster Pack 3. Air Services Highlighted 4. Tall Order ======================================================================== March 18th, 2002 1. Its Official: The Legislative Assembly on Niue has been dissolved and the country is now being administered by a care taker government consisting of Cabinet members. The Justice Department has announced the official polling day will be April 20 2002 and nominations for the 14 village constituency seats and six common roll seats close on April 4. Major contestants in this year's election will be the Niue Peoples Party headed by Premier Sani Lakatani and an Alliance of Independents whose members consist mainly from backers of the former Premier Frank Lui. Major issues confronting the electorate are the airline services, development of the stagnate tourist industry and economic development which will create private sector jobs and reduce the high number of public servants.Neither group has released its manifesto. 2. Booster Pack: Air New Zealand's small shareholders could be asked for another $36 million as part of a $200 million capital raising announced by the airline at the weekend, one industry analyst said yesterday. The Government would have to foot the bill for the remaining $164 million in a significant negative development for the Air New Zealand, the analyst said. Air New Zealand's chief executive Ralph Norris told an Australian television station that the state-owned carrier had enough money to operate for the next several months, but would raise new capital via a rights issue. Air New Zealand was bailed out with $885 million of taxpayer money which bought an 82 per cent stake. The Government has pledged another $150 million which can be drawn on, preferably through a rights issue, before June 30, 2003. "We're probably looking in the order of NZ$200 million," Mr Norris said. (NZPA). 3. Air Services Highlighted: As political factions on Niue flex their muscles the age-old problem of airline services is fast becoming a major issue in the forthcoming general election. Opposition MP and former Cabinet Minister Terry Coe of the Alliance of Independents wants the island government to pay an airline - preferably Air New Zealand- a $1million down payment for a dedicated Auckland to Niue return service.He says Air New Zealand has a great marketing machine that would help put Niue in front of potential visitors in New Zealand and around the world. He says Niue should budget for an upfront payment and NZODA should contribute to a marketing campaign. He said some serious effort has to be made to stimulate the tourist industry which has an infrastrcture likely to topple in the near future. MP Toke Talagi also sees a direct jet service out of New Zealand a priority. He told Radio NZ International that air services were going to be a major issue.Mr Talagi is the agent for Royal Tongan Airlines on Niue which flies a Shorts 360 turbo prop 35 seater from Nuku'alofa to Niue twice weekly.RTA withdrew its weekly Auckland-Niue-Tonga- Auckland 737-200 service in March 2001 after its international services sustained huge losses. At present a NZ funded airline consultant is investigating a direct service to Niue but some industry sources say its now too late to have any positive effect on the forthcoming tourist season - May to September. The national tourism office is also without a director. The former office head did not renew her contract and an independent review of the office performance is awaited before a new director is appointed. Death Follows Report: Diplomat Bridget Nichols had just completed a report on the breakdown of law and order in the Solomon Islands before she was stabbed to death. The 50-year-old Deputy High Commissioner's early days on the job also involved taking calls from the family of New Zealand construction supervisor Kevin O'Brien, who was murdered in Honiara five weeks ago. In her few weeks in the Solomons, Ms Nichols had prepared the report for the New Zealand Government on the collapse of law and order despite the end of a three-year civil war. It is understood Ms Nichols' recommended sending some police, but in an advisory capacity only. The Prime Minister's office is not commenting until the report reaches the Cabinet table. But Foreign Affairs Minister Phil Goff voiced frustration yesterday at the lack of will or ability of the Solomon Islands police to battle criminals armed with high-powered weapons. A military Boeing 727 carrying Ms Nichols' body arrived at Whenuapai around 10.45pm yesterday. Last night, Solomon Islands police were still questioning a security guard who was supposed to have been protecting the Deputy High Commissioner's fenced flat at Panatina Ridge, where she was stabbed in the chest on Sunday afternoon.(NZ Herald) 4. Tall Order: Rarotonga growers have been asked to supply 16 tons of noni juice for overseas export this month. Cook Islands Noni Marketing Ltd. (CINML) is hoping the growers will be able to fulfill the massive order. The juice is to be exported to Japan and Singapore, where there is a high demand for the Cook Islands product. And CINML noni producer Teava Iro says that this month's order is set to increase in the coming months. "In the past few months there have been orders for 10 tons for export, but, since then the orders have gone sky high," says Iro. He says the Cook Islands could be asked to supply a minimum of 20 tons of noni a month, reaching 50 tons within six months. Niue has a fledgling noni project but is still at the experimental stage.(PIR) __END__
