Weekly Niue News http://www.niuenews.nu/ _______________________________________________ > April 2, 2004 > Donor Supervision: NZAid a New Zealand government > department wants a manager for a Recovery Project on Niue > after providing $5 million pay out for cyclone relief. The > aid division of Foreign Affairs is at present considering > applicants. The appointment of a consultant to handle the > allocation of assistance has been agreed upon by the Niue > government. The appointment is for up to six months. NZAid > in its terms of reference said the manager would be > responsible for the co-ordination and management of funds > to maximize the effectiveness of assistance being sought > from governmental and non governmental international > community. There is concern by New Zealand that unless > serious consideration is given to building regulations, > town planning, budgeting and prioritizing, tendering and > construction management the risks of aid being spent for > short term structures instead of long term objectives are > high. Already 40 kitset homes have been built on the island > by French Polynesian emergency crews and a start is being > made on building an industrial park at Fonuakula. The > successful applicant will liaise with the Niue Cyclone Heta > Recovery Committee, the Economic Development and Planning > Unit and the New Zealand High Commission. NZAid estimates > the damage caused by Cyclone Heta could reach as high as > $NZ90 million. Two weeks ago the Cyclone Assessment Group > estimated damage at $NZ37 million. Niue has a population of > 1300. > > Report Wrangle: Niue opposition MPs are complaining that > they have not seen the details of the government's $37.7m > plan to recover from the devastating effects of Cyclone > Heta in January. The government earlier last month publicly > released its first draft of "A New Niue" or "Niue Foou" > recovery plan along with an Industrial Park and Building > Proposal. New Zealand Minister of Aid Marian Hobbs visited > Niue two weeks ago and congratulated the island government > on the multi million dollar recovery plan. She said it was > "excellent." But Opposition MP, Terry Coe, said although > some people involved in the agricultural sector and private > sector have seen the plans, the opposition has not been > invited to look at them. He said it was important for > opposition MPs to see the plan because this is a time for > everyone to work together. Still, Mr Coe is aware of the > some of the details and has expressed concern that the > $NZ37.7m price tag on the recovery plan was too high, and > concentrated in the wrong area. "They want 25, I think it > is, 25 million New Zealand dollars to build up the public > service. Well, if you're going to do that and you're only > putting perhaps three million into the private sector, well > it's not going to work," he told Radio New Zealand > International. Prior to the cyclone about 400 workers are > employed in the public service which is 98% of the local > workforce. Niue and New Zealand officials will meet in > Wellington at the end of April to discuss potential donors > for the recovery plan. > > Flights Reduced: Polynesian Airlines has cutback its > services to Niue. The Samoa based carrier which has a five > year contract with the Government of Niue will now fly > Auckland /Niue on Saturday afternoons and Niue to Auckland > on Monday mornings. The current schedule will operate until > October. Previously Niue was serviced by a flight Niue to > Auckland on Friday's and Auckland to Niue on Monday. The > services are unlikely to have any adverse effect on the > tiny nation's visitor industry which was hit hard by > Cyclone Heta in January. There are still five properties > operating according to the latest Niue Tourism newsletter > all spared by Cyclone Heta - Matavai Resort (24 rooms); > Kololis Guesthouse ( 5 rooms); Namukulu ( 1 unit); Anaiki > Motel ( 5 units) and Pelenis Guesthouse (3 rooms). The > three rental car businesses on the island are fully > operational and scenic sites have been repaired. > > Park Start: Ground breaking work on the new $350,000 > industrial park has commenced. The park will consist to two > portal framed buildings to house businesses wrecked during > Cyclone Heta. The park is located on government land > between the Niue prison and the Niue Honey Company at > Fonuakula. Several of the premises will be allocated to > those firms suffering losses when their leased buildings at > the old Public Works Department in Amanau were demolished > by high winds and huge seas. The government has asked the > Niue Chamber of Commerce to be responsible for > administering the park. Meanwhile construction on the new > fish processing plant continues at Amanau. > > University Ready: The new private non-campus university on > Niue has re-located. Last year plans were made for the St > Clements University to open in the manager's house at the > Hotel Niue. During Cyclone Ofa the house was severely > damaged. The chief executive officer (Niue) Kupa Magatogia > of Lakepa a former director of education on Niue found new > premises in the commercial centre where computers have been > set up and are now on-line for students. The St Clements > University administrative director, Australian Dr David Le > Cornu, is expected to visit Niue and officially open the > facility. St Clements will not compete or overlap courses > offered by the well established University of the South > Pacific but will network with other recognized universities > with distance learning facilities as well as run its own > courses in information technology and business management. > The fees will be similar to those of New Zealand > universities. The university will also host courses for > other universities offering distance learning degrees and > diplomas. St Clements University claims to be a leading > private non-campus International University dedicated to > assisting candidates obtain their degrees in the most > efficient way possible, while maintaining the quality of > the degree. Information on its web-site says the Board is > continually working to maximize the international > recognition of the degrees. The University was registered > in March 1995 as a university company on the United Kingdom > Overseas Territory of the Turks and Caicos Islands. The > University is also registered on the Independent > Commonwealth nation of St Vincent & The Grenadines, and the > Republic of Zambia. The Deputy Chancellor of the University > is Professor Dr Godwin Nukunya from Ghana and, > Administrative Director, Dr Le Cornu, from Australia. > > Food Baskets: Money for an agriculture-based project to > rehabilitate Niue's family plantations has been provided by > the South Pacific Community. Funding has been allocated for > each of the 500 families to clear their land and start > replanting taro, vanilla nonu and organic vegetables. About > 100 hectares a year is planned for replanting. The project > is already underway in the south western village of > Tamakautonga with 41 families involved. Many families on > Niue are subsistence planters while commercial growers > produce taro, vanilla and nonu for export. The agriculture > research farm at Vaipapahi is being restored after > suffering damage in the cyclone. > > Roll Up: Niue is to get a lawn bowling green. It has been > planned for some time but Cyclone Heta has delayed its > construction. Niue sports officials in Auckland said it was > essential that Niue had a bowling green so that the nation > would be eligible to compete in international events such > as the Commonwealth Games and South Pacific Games. But > plans for the bowling green have been put on hold until the > island gets back on its feet after the devastating cyclone. > Niue Lawn Bowls president, Liz Liuaga-Rereiti said the > postponement was "a great disappointment for Niue's lawn > bowling but our hearts go out to those who went through the > cyclone and have lost so much." Those who planned to travel > to Niue were Mike and Eliana Bell, Terry Rereiti and > bowling green consultant Wayne Wrack. > > Pro Active: Niue will be among Pacific Islands Forum member > countries, apart from Nauru, at a special meeting in > Auckland. The meeting has been called by the Forum chair > New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark to consider 32 > recommendations aimed at making the Forum a more effective > organisation for the region. Those coming include > Australia's John Howard, who will fly in for the afternoon, > Papua New Guinea's Sir Julius Chan, Fiji's Laisenia Qarase, > Tuilaepa Sailele of Samoa, Sir Allen Kemakeza of Solomon > Islands and Vanuatu 's Edward Natapei. The recommendations > are from an Eminent Persons Group which considered around > 400 oral and written submissions from around the Pacific > over several weeks early this year. They met with > politicians, business people and members of civil society > to consider what emphasis should be placed on economic > growth, sustainable development, good governance and > regional security.
_______________________________________________ weekly-niue-news mailing list http://greta.electric.gen.nz/mailman/listinfo/weekly-niue-news Powered by BAF Technologies Ltd (http://www.bafonline.net.nz/) Read the Weekly Niue News online at http://www.niuenews.nu/
