Weekly Niue News http://www.niuenews.nu/ _______________________________________________ > > [newsban.gif] > > [bewsline.gif] > > Pacific Island Report > Top News > Radio New Zealand > Niue Island Updates > > Niue Weather Forecast > > [bewsline.gif] > > [ad_left.gif] [ad_right.gif] > www. ______________ Go! > > [bewsline.gif] > > Weekly Niue News > > [bewsline.gif] > > February 11th 2004 > > MP Cops It: Niue's leading opposition MP Terry Coe has > received a broadside from New Zealand Foreign Affairs > Minister Phil Goff and his Premier Young Vivian. Mr Coe, a > former Cabinet minister, whose comments have been echoed by > several residents on the island, this week complained about > the level of New Zealand aid provided following Cyclone > Heta. Mr Goff called Terry Coe's comments ungracious and > ill-informed because New Zealand contributed $NZ6.5m to > Niue. Mr Coe had complained that French Polynesia had > provided money, construction materials and people to build > houses while New Zealand's effort wasn't enough. Mr Goff > says French Polynesia has been generous but so has New > Zealand. And, he says he went to Niue with a plane load of > people, many of them Niuean New Zealanders who volunteered > their time as skilled tradesmen to help with the recovery. > "I went up with a group of people from New Zealand > government departments, including Occupational Safety and > Health, who immediately moved in and started dealing with > the asbestos problem. I know that the New Zealand police > are up there, helping. I know that Telecom has been > helping, I know that ordinary New Zealanders have been > hugely generous," said Mr Goff. The island's leader Young > Vivian agrees with Mr Goff saying Terry Coe has got it > wrong in claiming New Zealand is not doing enough to help > the island recover from Cyclone Heta. Premier Vivian says > the French Polynesians do have a high profile at the moment > but he cautions that rebuilding the island's facilities > will take a long time. "We have to put it in the right > perspective in how things are moving and how things are > being planned and where we are headed....at the present > moment, certainly they have a high profile with the village > people and we are moving quite well and we are very > thankful, but it's a long haul, you have got to remember > it's a long haul," said the Premier. French emergency > workers are labouring around the clock to re-house those > who lost their homes in Cyclone Heta. More French kitset > homes are due later this month and will allow those > accommodated in demolished government apartments to buy on > a special rent- to- purchase plan. Meanwhile there is > caution over the allocation of funds for the private sector > to rebuild. There have been allegations that some claims > were in excess of the damage done. > > Clean Up Progress: A leader on Niue says a degree of > normality is beginning to return to the island five weeks > after much of it was wrecked by Cyclone Heta. Common roll > MP O'Love Jacobsen says the islanders' activities are still > inhibited by a lack of fuel but apart from that they are in > good spirits and morale is up. Bulk fuel tanks at the Alofi > wharf were damaged by mountainous seas and petrol rationing > is still in force. Petrol has been shipped in from New > Zealand and the Cook Islands on cargo ships. Food is > available from retail shops and a many residents are > getting aid packages from families living in New Zealand. > Organisers of fund raising ventures overseas have been > visiting Niue to make sure the aid is going to those it has > been consigned to following recent allegations over > assistance mismanagement. Mrs Jacobsen, who has said she > will not be seeking re-election in the March 2005 general > election, reports Niueans are now in the process of wanting > to get on and rebuild their country. She said a lot of > tidying up has taken place, but there were many tired > people and there is still a lot of debris especially in > Alofi South. "Quite frankly what we need now is manpower to > help remove a lot of the mess," Mrs Jacobsen told Radio New > Zealand International. Meanwhile French Polynesia President > Gaston Flosse has called on "all nations close to the > Pacific" to come to the aid of in reconstruction efforts. > Flosse's appeal for aid occurred as he made a personal > inspection last weekend of the cyclone damage on Niue. > "It's not just a question of solidarity, it's a matter of > avoiding too much emigration and perhaps even the > disappearance of this community," Flosse said. The French > Polynesia Intervention Group has 60 workers on Niue helping > clear the debris and erecting 20 kitset homes but according > to Flosse that seems to be insufficient in view of the > extent of the work to be done. Niue's Premier Young Vivian > said Tahiti's aid had "boosted the population's morale" at > a time when some Niue residents are considering leaving for > New Zealand, where they also have citizenship. > > Flood of Relief: Niue's 1300 residents are overwhelmed at > the amount of food and clothing which is being shipped to > the island. About ten containers have been shipped to the > island since the January 5 cyclone. There are a lot more to > come as groups around New Zealand gather up donated goods > for the self governing state that now has 20,000 of its > countryfolk resident in New Zealand. The European Union Aid > Commissioner says they will give money towards relief aid > for Niue. The amount is still being discussed. EU officials > are assessing projects on the island, following Niue's > acceptance into the African Carribean Pacific group of > nations last year. Commissioner Poul Nielson says he > indicated to Niue's deputy premier Toke Talagi the final > amount of aid money depends on the completed EU needs > assessment. "We are able to release some 600 thousand > euros, which is the B envelope in our planning and > allocation for money for Niue. And the A envelope, the real > predictable money for development work, is 2 million, but > the B envelope is more for unforeseen and not yet allocated > or clearly decided things and we might consider this > situation to release." Mr Nielson says it's important not > to give up long-term development activities in Niue. New > Zealand has made $5m available with $1m to be spent on > private sector development. > > Kind Donation: A 93-year-old Dunedin pensioner has given > $7000 from her savings to help cyclone-ravaged Niue get > back on its feet. Phyllis George said she had a gut feeling > the small Pacific island, almost completely destroyed by > Cyclone Heta last month, was a worthy cause. "My inner > feeling was that I should give something towards it." Mrs > George said she had been moved by the images on television. > "It's so far away over there and the devastation was > horrific. I heard some areas had no power or water and that > the clean-up was going very slowly." British-born Mrs > George, who has no surviving family in New Zealand, said > she fielded many calls for donations. The former home > science lecturer at Otago University regularly gave to > charities. "But you can't do everything," she said. She > doubted the money she donated for Niue would go far, but it > gave her pleasure to help in some way. It was deposited at > the National Bank in the fundraising campaign being run by > NiuFM in Auckland. NiuFM chief executive Sina Moore said > Mrs George's donation demonstrated the spirit of generosity > of New Zealanders. "The fact it is support that comes from > outside the Pacific community is really heartening." The > NiuFM appeal had so far raised $33,867 and another, by > Radio531PI, had raised a similar amount. The Government > said it would provide $5 million for reconstruction work, > mainly to help restore public institutions and help restart > the private sector which was shattered by the cyclone. This > was on top of the $800,000 sent for emergency assistance > immediately after the cyclone. > > Risqué Raiser: Auckland-based Pacific islanders helped > raise money for their cyclone-stricken cousins by parading > around a public park in their smalls. Polynesian actors, > entertainers and sports stars rallied to help the people of > Niue, whose homeland was ravaged by Cyclone Heta, by > bringing intimate fashions to the fore. Warriors player > Henry Fa'afili joined teammate Iafeta Paleasina and > fleet-footed Blues utility back Orene Ai'i to don underwear > for a walk around Western Springs Lakeside. And an array of > Pacific Island actors including Pua Magasiva (brother of > Robbie) and David Fane came up with exciting new ways to > model underwear, say organisers, including headwraps and > the ever-popular "Superman style". The Undiegate > fundraising event, organised by Ponsonby-based Pacific > radio station Niu FM, attracted 300 participants and > contributed $1432 to its cyclone relief fund, which has > topped $18,000. And more help from warm-spirited > Aucklanders is forthcoming, with another fundraising event > planned for Waitangi Day, this Friday. This year's annual > One Love celebrations, organised by the Waiata Artists > Trust, will be dedicated to raising funds for cyclone Heta > victims in Tonga, Samoa and Niue. Whangarei residents > wanting to help the people of Niue get back on their feet > after a cyclone Heta are being given the chance. One Double > Five community house and Whangarei man Don Hedges are > gathering items to send to Niue. Don says pots, pans, > tupperware and nails are some of the things the Niue people > need to re-establish themselves. Meanwhile the Waitakere > City Council plans to send civil emergency, health, > sanitation and environmental specialists to Niue to help > rebuild. Mayor Bob Harvey said the council is working to > gather donations in cash as well as equipment like shovels, > chainsaws and cleaning materials. They are working with the > government so that relief supplies are not duplicated. > Waitakere City and Manukau City are joining forces to try > and raise $1m for Niue. A Niuean Cyclone Trust fund is to > benefit from two fundraising events staged by the Rotorua > Pacific Islands Development Charitable Trust on Waitangi > Day. A volleyball programme was held at the Western Heights > High School gymnasium during the day followed by a social > evening at the Cook Islands Hall on Clayton Road. "We were > planning the fundraising events since the news hit," Trust > manager Tiso Fiaola said, "a lot of our people have been > exposed to cyclones in their own islands and know the > destruction they can cause." Cook Island, Samoan, Fijian, > Tokelauan and Tongan communities have helped organise the > day's activities. > > Dry Time: A drought has followed Cyclone Heta on Niue. > Government officials have put a fire ban on the island as > tinder dry bush presents a major fire hazard. Already > several fires have been reported in Tuapa village and bush > areas around the island. Niue's airport fire rescue team > have been kept busy extinguishing the blazes. No major > damage to property has been reported. Rainfall has been > minimal since January 5 and agriculture officials predict > that in three months time there will be a shortage of taro. > > Tough Series: Niue sevens team made up from mainly New > Zealand based players found it heavy going in the IRB World > Cup series at Wellington. The team failed to win any of its > four games. Results were: Samoa 40 Niue 0; New Zealand 33 > Niue 0; Korea 43 Niue 12; Australia 36 Niue 7. Coach was > Ricky Tagelagi. Niue based players were unable to visit > Wellington this year because of their roles in helping > restore the country after Cyclone Heta. > > Volunteers Unique Experience: A New Zealand couple from > Timaru, Ron and Dianne Paulin signed up for two years > Volunteer Service Abroad on Niue are assisting with the > island's big clean up after Cyclone Heta. Ron works at the > Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, while > Dianne is teaching at the Niue High School at Paliati. The > Paulin's arrived on Niue to start their volunteer work > three days before Heta struck. Since Cyclone Heta, there > has been plenty for Ron and Dianne to do. Dianne has been > working at the high school, preparing for the delayed start > to the school year. And while that includes the usual > teacher's preparation, with the caretaker busy in the > grounds teachers have been told they're responsible for > cleaning up their own rooms. She's been trying to track > down year 13 textbooks. They've apparently been ordered, > but it's not clear whether they've arrived yet. Some people > think they did, but they're not sure where they are, others > are sure they haven't yet arrived. It's proving > frustrating. "Whether that's Pacific, or cyclone-ravaged > Pacific, I can't tell you." Ron has been helping with the > clean-up, and that's involved asbestos removal - donning a > polythene suit, breathing apparatus and gloves - not the > ideal attire in the tropics. "It's a funny thing > (asbestos). It just looks so innocuous, just this stuff > lying all over the place. This last week we've been doing > clean-ups and we're always coming across a bit of asbestos > - and if it's 11am and it's stinking hot . . . the others > have taken risks, and so have I - you put on the breathing > apparatus and the gloves, but don't bother about the suit." > Newly-arrived, Ron was sent out to assess damage to > departmental buildings. He didn't think he was the right > person for the job, but then wondered whether there was > anyone else in an emotional state capable of dealing with > the job. The clean-up has brought some reminders of how > quickly people's lives have changed - that in a matter of > hours, people have lost their home and nearly everything in > it. He is aware that people are leaving Niue. At church > recently there was talk of those who were taking children > to relatives in New Zealand while their home was rebuilt, > and there was talk of others who might not come back at > all. The clean-ups finished about a week ago, and Ron has > to report to the office of the Department of Agriculture, > Forestry and Fisheries to start the job he was sent to Niue > to do. "I've got to find out what my normal duties are, and > whether I'll have a desk, a phone, or access to a > computer." > > Niue Pictures after Cyclone Heta > > [bewsline.gif] > > [EMBED] > [EMBED] > > [EMBED] > > [bewsline.gif] > > Send mail to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with questions or comments about > this web site. > Copyright © 2002 Company Administrative Services
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