Teilweise neu: 2002-04-11 Contents of this issue:
1. Better Trees 2. Theft increases Alarming 3. New Broadcasting Boss 4. Land Dispute Resolution 5. Goodwill Visit 6. Sales Encouraging ======================================================================== Old contents were: 1. New Broadcasting Boss 2. Land Dispute Resolution 3. Goodwill Visit 4. Sales Encouraging April 11th, 2002 1. Better Trees: Delegates from Forum member countries meet in Nadi, Fiji next week to discuss ways of using forest resources in a more sustainable manner. Some of the problems in this sector include the impacts of deforestation as well as the need to conserve and protect unique forest resources. These efforts rely on international cooperation, capacity building and appropriate technologies. The Nadi meeting will also evaluate the region's progress towards the implementation of the global initiatives proposed under theInter-governmental Panel on Forests (IPF) and Inter-governmental Forum onForest (IFF). The meeting will identify which projects are priorities for possible assistance from members of the United Nations Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF). The outcomes will be submitted to the third United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) in June, 2003 in Geneva, Switzerland. The UNFF was established in October 2000 to promote and to strengthen the political commitment to sustainable forest management. The UNFF is closely linked to the World Summit on Sustainable Development. The Nadi workshop is organised by the Forum Secretariat in collaboration with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community and GTZ Forestry Program, and funded by the Australian Department of Fisheries and Forestry, the NZODA, and UNDP. (Forum Secretariat). 2. Theft increases Alarming: Residents and tourists on Rarotonga are locking up. Cases of reported theft have continued to rise dramatically, so much so that even the government describes the rate of increase as "an alarming trend." Before 1999, reported cases were less than 100 a year. In the 1999 to 2000 financial year, the cases suddenly climbed to nearly 300, with about the same amount reported for 2000 to 2001. No mention is made in the police budget vote of the high theft rate specifically. Cook Island Police promise to "increase the detection and apprehension of offenders and thereby enhance public safety. Overall, a large part of the $2.8 million police budget goes on the detection and apprehension of criminals, with $727,301 budgeted for this area. The next biggest on-land policing area is "public awareness and involvement in safer community projects" at $453,312. However, the police budget also includes half a million for the police patrol boat and about $369,000 for the Meteorological Office, which comes under the police portfolio. (Cook Islands Star) 3. New Broadcasting Boss: A Niuean broadcasting graduate Mr Patrick Lino has taken over as general manager of the Broadcasting Corporation of Niue. Mr Lino has been studying in Auckland but was a former employee of the corporation when it was headed by Mr Hima Douglas. Mr Lino replaces the acting general manager Trevor Siakia who resumes his role as technical manager.The last general manager of BCN was Ms Shona Pitt of Rarotonga. 4. Land Dispute Resolution: There are four ways to handle disputes arising from the management and use of customary land in the South Pacific, a symposium in Suva heard.Speaking at the three-day Transforming Land Conflict Symposium at the University of the South Pacific, Emeritus Professor of Law Don Paterson, said they are: - taking away power of management from land owners and vesting it with a statutory body, such as the Native Land Trust Board in Fiji; - legislate certain restrictions and prohibitions over the way in which custom owners manage and use their land; - legislate that certain transactions involving customary land must have the approval of a person or statutory body before it can be undertaken; - leave things exactly as they are. Of the four options, Professor Paterson said the third may be the best for the South Pacific. This is because it required prior approval for certain uses of the land without removing the initiative from the land owners, he said. He recommended the establishment of a regulatory body for each major island, to which outer islands would also be subject to. Representatives from provincial and municipal government and central government would have a right of attendance. He suggested such a body could possibly be called the Island Rural Development Authority.( Pina Nius OnLine). 1. Goodwill Visit: A French patrol boat La Tapageuse is moored at Alofi until tomorrow. The vessel which is used as a rescue craft and fisheries patrol boat in French Polynesia waters is on a goodwill visit after calling at Rarotonga. The captain hosted the Premier and Cabinet to lunch on board the La Tapageuse. Today some of the crew of 31 will take part in a football match at Paliati. 2. Sales Encouraging: Business confidence picked up in the March quarter with businesses expecting higher export sales and better sales in New Zealand. The latest Institue of Economic Research survey shows a net 23 per cent of firms expect general business conditions to improve in the next six months. This is a sharp turnaround from the net 10 per cent expecting conditions to get worse at the last survey. The strong confidence levels added weight to expectations that the Reserve Bank would increase the official cash rate by another 25 basis points to 5.25 per cent next week and heading for 6.25 per cent by the end of the year, bank economists said. Economists said business confidence was now mended and growth was on a rock-steady pace according to the survey figures. But two-thirds of the survey replies were completed before the Reserve Bank surprised many by lifting interest rates last month and higher rates may take the gloss off confidence. The survey also excludes the agricultural sector which is expecting lower incomes next year. Firms expectations for export sales imply they think a "strong recovery in world demand will occur", NZIER said yesterday __END__
