Neu: 2002-04-15 Contents of this issue:
1. Price Rise Plea 2. Top Internet Users 3. Quality Leaders Wanted 4. Samoa Strength 5. Appealing Case For Change ======================================================================== April 15th, 2002 1. Price Rise Plea: If you've got a good product don't be afraid to charge for it. Tourism New Zealand has told tourism operators to put their prices up to boost income from tourists by 10 per cent. At an industry update in Wellington , chief executive George Hickton said the organisation's focus was on boosting off-peak visitor numbers and yield to increase the value of the $5 billion industry by 10 per cent. "We can't afford to be a low-cost value operator in the tourism market. Your job is to put the prices up," Mr Hickton told the gathering of tourism operators. International visitors spent three times more on an airfare to New Zealand than they would to an equivalent destination, Mr Hickton said. The typical visitor to New Zealand was a frequent traveller who liked to learn, was environmentally aware, technologically savvy and interested in other cultures, marketing manager Ian Macfarlane said. Advertisements had been placed in top-quality publications, such as Forbes magazine, to target these people, and journalists from the same publications were invited to reinforce the advertising with travel features. The 100 Per cent Pure New Zealand advertising campaign featured extensively on the Discovery Channel. Tourism New Zealand is also examining where it spends its $55 million budget on marketing. 2. Top Internet Users: New Zealanders are among the most Internet-savvy people in the world, according to a research paper by a Victoria University think-tank. The Institute for the Study of Competition and Regulation (ISCR) report says Wellingtonians' thirst for all things Internet is noticeable in the growth of cyber cafes, particularly in the past year. But while New Zealanders are Internet savvy, they are still behind other countries in the uptake of faster and better Internet technology, the think-tank says. The report suggested New Zealanders were refusing to pay the higher charges for faster Internet access such as ADSL and cable modems, choosing instead to download large files while they slept. But ISCR principal Bronwyn Howell said New Zealand was maintaining a lead over Australia in practically every measure of Internet adaptability. It also ranks among the best countries in the OECD. New Zealanders spend an average 22 hours a month online, putting us behind the United States but well ahead of other OECD countries. Fourteen of every 100 New Zealanders is subscribed to an Internet provider, putting us 9th in the OECD, and ahead of Australia. Of 1000 computers in New Zealand 92.6 are connected to the Internet on average at any time, seventh best in the OECD. 3. Quality Leaders Wanted: Papua New Guinea's Ombudsman Commission is beginning a massive awareness campaign to promote quality leadership in the leadup to national and local elections. The campaign is highlighting qualities such as honesty, transparency, humility, willingness to serve, integrity, being ethical and having the strength of character to refuse bribes. Chief Ombudsman Ila Geno said that if there were quality leadership, there would be less cases of misconduct in office. The awareness campaign is part of the commission's external relations program aimed at curbing the growing levels of corruption by leaders in all sectors of society. Mr Geno said they are concerned about the need for "good governance" which the people have the power to elect by voting for people with good leadership qualities. (Papua New Guinea Post-Courier/PINA Nius Online). 4. Samoa Strength: Its the type of economic growth Niue businessfolk would gladly let an uga, coconut crab bite them for.As New Zealand struggled to achieve 5.4 percent economic growth last year and Niue recorded minus movements across the board, business was booming in its near-neighbour Samoa. Samoa's economy grew by a spectacular 10 per cent - triggering a warning it might get ahead of itself - though that's forecast to slow this year. According to an Asian Development Bank report, rapid expansion in manufacturing, building, fishing and private service industries are driving Samoa. Tourism earnings were also up last year despite visitor numbers dropping in the post-September 11 fallout. The ADB report says Samoa has benefited from reforms in the 90s, but warns the economy is so charged up it risks overheating. Providing there are no "severe external shocks", the report forecasts growth of a healthy 5 per cent in 2002-2003, driven by ongoing and new construction, with agricultural and fishing expansion also contributing. Manufacturing is also expected to register strong growth as the clothing industry develops and copra processing recovers. Stronger exports and remittances should prevent deterioration in the country's current account balance. Growth in tourism, however, is expected to slow. GDP growth has been at the sorts of levels seen in China, with Samoa hitting 7.3 per cent growth in 2000.But inflation is also up, from 1 per cent in 2000 to 4 per cent last year, above the central bank's target of 3 per cent. Ensuring stability in the face of inflationary pressure should be the focus of policy-makers, says ADB.(Various/ Evening Post) 6. Appealing Case For Change: Niue may consider changing its Constitution to have the New Zealand Supreme Court replace the Privy Council. Niue which has its own Court of Appeal consisting of NZ Judges sitting in Wellington NZ has the Privy Council as its court of final appeal although a case from the tiny island has never been taken there. With constitutional changes to reduce the number of members in the Niue Legislative Assembly already in the pipeline, the new government after April 20 may consider adding changes to the Court structure. A report on a NZ Supreme Court to replace appeals to the Privy Council says the new court would hear up to 50 appeals a year compared with an average of eight cases currently heard by the London law lords. Attorney-General Margaret Wilson will unveil the model for the new top court as New Zealand moves to sever its 160-year link with the Privy Council, seen by some as another step towards becoming a republic. The advisory group's report says basing the court of final appeal in New Zealand will improve access and "considerably increase" the range of cases it covers. The advisory group, chaired by Solicitor-General Terence Arnold, says there will be more criminal appeals to the court, an increase in human rights cases and more appeals from specialist courts such as the employment court. The result would be a "significant broadening of the current appeal rights to the Privy Council", the report says. __END__
