Weekly Niue News http://www.niuenews.nu/ _______________________________________________ > April 9, 2004 > New Hospital: Niue Premier Young Vivian hopes his > cyclone-ravaged island will have a new hospital up and > running by Christmas. Since Cyclone Heta destroyed the > isolated island's only hospital in January, up to five > patients a week have had to be evacuated to New Zealand for > treatment. With financial help from donor countries such as > New Zealand and Australia, Mr Vivian believes a $NZ3.5 > million, 12-bed hospital complex can be completed by the > end of the year. The European Union has pledged $1.2 > million toward the project. Temporary medical facilities > set up in Niue's Youth Centre at Fonuakula have been > described as inadequate and "awful." Niue's post-cyclone > recovery plan will be presented to representatives of > potential donors in Wellington on April 28, a new hospital > being one of the top priorities. In Auckland this week for > the special Pacific Islands Forum leaders' retreat, Mr > Vivian was interviewed by Pacific affairs correspondent > John Andrews. Of Niue's efforts to recover from January's > devastating weather onslaught, Mr Vivian said: "We are > getting on top of most things except a hospital. It cannot > come out of kitset. > "I want to give my people a hospital for Christmas. I think > we need a Christmas present because --- look at the > referral patients. A lot of them are coming to New Zealand > each week. "The [hospital] facilities are not adequate." > Hima Takelesi, Niue's high commissioner to New Zealand, > said a new hospital could be open as early as November, > "provided donor agencies come to the party." Niue had been > given a portable X-ray machine but, while medical staff had > hoped to start using it, no appropriate building existed in > which it could be housed. In the cyclone aftermath, the > youth centre was intended only as a temporary solution. "We > did not expect so many people would be admitted," said Mr > Takelesi. At retreat held in Auckland's Government House, > Mr Vivian raised with Samoa' s Prime Minister Tuilaepa > Sailele Malielegaoi the possibility of Niue patients being > sent to Apia for initial assessment in preference to more > expensive and longer evacuations to New Zealand. Using > Polynesian Airlines' links with Samoa and Niue to New > Zealand, Niuean patients could be returned to Niue after > treatment or on to Auckland if their conditions were more > serious. The Samoan leader asked his Niuean counterpart to > send Niue's Minister of Health Fisa Pihigia to Apia to > discuss the proposal. Costs of transferring Niue patients > to New Zealand --- and Samoa if it happens --- come out of > Niue's aid allocation. > > Manukau Offers Advice: Three Manukau City specialists will > spend a week on Niue next month looking at ways the island > can cope with the aftermath of January's Cyclone Heta. > While in Auckland for the Pacific Islands Forum leaders' > special retreat Niue Premier Young Vivian and Niue's high > commissioner to New Zealand, Hima Takelesi, called on > Manukau Mayor Sir Barry Curtis. Mr Vivian readily accepted > an offer by Sir Barry --- mayor of what the premier regards > as the world's biggest Niuean city --- to send three city > council officers, a civil engineer, a town planner and a > landscape architect, to Niue. Hosted by the Niue > government, the trio will investigate and recommend ways > Niue can redevelop its government departments, > reticulation, and areas such as the cyclone-devastated > Alofi South waterfront. Mr Takelesi told Pacific affairs > correspondent John Andrews: "Young wants some advice on > future development for government departments.should they > be in one area or in different locations, where to locate > things as move away from the coast. "They [the specialists] > will look at what they can do around Alofi South to see > what the Niue government can do with that area without > putting permanent structures in there that could be washed > away in the next storm." As well as recommending plans for > reticulation, the Manukau trio would investigate the > question of relocating vulnerable villages and possibly > come up with a concept acceptable to everyone. "They make > their report then government decides which things they are > going to do first," said the high commissioner. > > Leadership Stakes: With less than a year to go before > Niue's next general election political life on the tiny > island has been dominated with organizing recovery plans in > the wake of the destruction left by the hurricane force > winds of Cyclone Heta. But behind the scenes Cabinet > ministers and MP's are maneuvering for positions at a > critical time of the island's development. Expected to make > strong bids for the leadership are Toke Talagi (53) and the > present high commissioner in Wellington Hima Takelesi (58) > who is planning to return to the island and seek > re-election. Premier Young Vivian (68), despite hinting he > will call it quits in March 2005 will no doubt be tempted > to seek re-election as the jig-saw of his Niue Foou or New > Niue recovery plan starts to fall in place. Former Premier > Sani Lakatani now resident in Auckland caring for his ill > wife would, according to political commentators, find it > difficult to get re-elected to a common roll seat. > Opposition stalwart O'Love Jacobsen who earlier announced > that she will stand down and take up residence in New > Zealand in 2005 is understood to be mulling over the > prospects of another term in the 20 member Legislative > Assembly. Colleague and veteran legislator Terry Coe is > certain to put his hat back in the ring along with three > other common roll sitting members Krypton Okesene, Michael > Jackson and Toke Talagi. There are few changes expected to > the 14 village seats. Current MP's have played an important > role in gaining funding for village rehabilitation, > especially improved housing. The cyclone brought with it > the winds of change and a recovery plan which involves an > estimated $37 million facelift. Premier Vivian has been > quick to point out the cyclone has opened doors and > cheque-books which will now allow the island to > realistically achieve past wish-lists. He warned against > the recovery plan simply involving financing reconstruction > and said achieving a prosperous Niue "would involve > addressing social, economic, infra-structural and > environmental needs in a holistic manner." Many locals > consider Premier Vivian is riding high on a wave of > regional support and sympathy which followed the death of > his wife days before the cyclone and despite his personal > grief his insistence upon leading the world's smallest > nation through the darkest days of the island's history. > The Premier's right hand man Toke Talagi, the current > Minister of Finance, absorbed public flak over the > distribution of aid and later, along with other Cabinet > Ministers, over the processes used for allocation of new > houses. Hima Takelesi who stood down as an MP to become > Niue's first high commissioner to New Zealand is in his > second term and is keen to return home to participate in > the next election. The next high commissioner to New > Zealand is predicted to be a highly ranked public servant. > Niue's 800 electors vote in 20 members of the Legislative > Assembly... 14 are from village constituencies six from the > common roll. The 2005 general election will likely be held > in March. > > Medical Supplies: Aid continues to arrive at Niue. The > latest containers to land on the island included $500,000 > worth of medical and educational relief supplies from the > Mormon Church. The Health department received eye testing > packs, new born packs, surgical apparatus, wheelchairs and > a maternity delivery bed. Niue's Lord Liverpool Hospital > was demolished by huge waves during cyclone Heta and a > temporary medical post has been set up at the Niue Youth > Centre, Fonuakula. The Niue government is still discussing > the location of a new hospital. Meanwhile patients > requiring immediate attention are being flown to New > Zealand. There have been two deaths - both visitors - on > the island since the cyclone. > > Bar Opens: The central restaurant and bar block at the > Hotel Niue in Alofi South, spared by the January cyclone, > has been handed over to the owner of Claytons Nightclub > which was swept out to sea. The bar in now operating after > urgent repairs. Previously the Hotel Niue was leased and > managed by the Niue Investment Co Ltd a private company > formed two years ago. > > Ahoy There: The seasonal influx of yachts visiting Niue has > yet to begin. The Niue Yacht Club reported 130 visits last > season. A club official said there are only four mooring > buoys in the Alofi Bay, the majority went missing during > the mountainous seas created by cyclone Heta. > > Wreck Removals: A giant heap of wrecked cars, tractors, > trucks and heavy equipment is piled high at Alofi South > waiting to be shipped off the island. The wrecked vehicle > bodies, along with roofing iron and cables, are remnants > from Cyclone Heta... a some government heavy plant > equipment was debris from Cyclone Ofa in 1990. The debris > will be shipped off the island when the Reef Company > Southern Motu next calls at Niue. > > Education Check: A major review of education on Niue is > about to commence. The review will examine the quality of > education, the best use of resources and the future needs > of the tiny island's dwindling population. The director of > education Tiva Togatule said the review will begin in a few > weeks with community consultation. About 450 students on > Niue attend a national primary school at Halamahaga and the > high school at Paliati. The present cirriculum is based on > New Zealand education standards with special emphasis on > promoting Niuean language and culture. The last review was > carried out in 1987 and resulted in the closure of seven > village primary schools and the formation of a single > national school at Halamahaga. Children are bused free to > school from outer villages During the past decade preschool > education has been encouraged and overall performance > evaluations have been contracted to of the Dunedin College > of Education. > > Weaving Burned: Traditional Niuean weaving displayed at the > West Auckland Pacific Islands Centre in West Auckland has > been destroyed by fire. Included in the displays was Tongan > tapa and Cook Island tivaeae cloth. The centre, housed in > an old Henderson winery, was the venue for a Pacific > Islands monthly market. Many Niuean weavers met regularly > at handicraft sessions in the 50-year old building. The > fire was understood to be caused by an electrical fault. > All the traditional works displayed at the centre will be > hard to replace, said Pacific art coordinator Mary Ama. > > New Link?:Niue's former designated carrier Royal Tongan > Airlines is now considering a direct flight between Sydney > and Rarotonga. Reports from Tonga indicate planning for the > new service has yet to be finalized. The expansion move > comes despite serious financial problems linked to the > kingdom's national carrier.. RTA Auckland-based sales and > marketing manager Gary Hamilton said the airline has a > number of planning decisions to finalize before a > commencement date for the service is fixed. RTA has been > flying a weekly service between Auckland and Rarotonga > since August last year. The airline provided weekly jet > services to and from Niue last month when the Polynesian > Airlines 737-800 underwent its annual maintenance check. > > Coconut Substitute: An experiment in American Samoa using > coconut oil as an alternative to diesel fuel could > eventually benefit Niue. Timothy Jones, owner and manager > of Extreme Samoa, a locally based company that focuses > primarily on generators and power generation said his > company is currently in the middle of breakthrough > experiments involving the burning of coconut oil as an > alternative diesel fuel source. Jones has dedicated a large > part of his time and nearly $US20,000 into researching the > alternative fuel source. He said he has been conducting > several crude experiments into the potential BTU heating > value of the by-product, and the waste left behind after > the coconut oil was extracted from the nut. Jones claims > that the results were stunning, as the coconut waste (husk > and shell), produced large quantities of heat when burned. > "This heat could be captured and turned to steam, which in > turn could generate power via a steam turbine. If the > exhaust heat from the coconut oil burned in the diesel > engine was fed into the steam generation system in > conjunction with the husk and shell burner, the cost of the > power output drops dramatically, and the coconut becomes > the fuel of choice. Now that we have a cost effective > cycle, the next step is to evaluate the resource," he said. > Jones discovered that "It takes roughly 50 coconuts to make > a gallon of high quality burnable fuel. The by-product or > waste begins to accumulate fast, although the skeptics say > that resources in American Samoa are too small to take on > such a project. Niue has an abundant supply of coconuts > which have been used to produce scented coconut oil for > local sale. The oil can also be used for cooking. Niue uses > diesel run generators to supply the national grid but is > currently looking at installing wind turbines on the east > coast. > > Say That Again: Veteran language experts on Niue are > reported to be struggling to translate some complex phrases > used in the draft copy of Niue Foou or A New Niue - Cyclone > Recovery Plan. Examples of difficult English to Niuean > translations cited: "the impact on terrestrial > biodiversity...substantial mortality of native species.. > non state actors...society is interwoven ... needs in a > holistic manner...prioritisation and costing...bullet point > summary... internally displaced population...robust > regimes.. costed development activities...our society is > divided in to portfolios, departments and villages..." The > draft report was reportedly compiled with experience from > the cyclone Heta recovery committee, the economic > development and planning unit, New Zealand's Ministry of > Civil Defence and Emergency Management and the United > Nations Development Programme. > > Better Governance: Pacific Island Forum leaders (including > Niue's leader Young Vivian) have adopted a Pacific mission > statement that includes a commitment to good governance.The > mission statement came from an Eminent Persons' Group > report that was adopted at a forum meeting in Auckland on > April 6.While there's little detail about how this better > governance is to be achieved, the leaders have agreed that > at their meeting in Samoa in August they will set up a > taskforce to work out a more detailed plan for the Pacific. > > Keeping Ahead: The best read on-line news column is the > Weekly Niue News Update. For news and independent comment > the Niue News is immediate, up-to-date and reliable. > Niueans around the world click on each week to check out > what's happening on their home island. Keep informed as the > cyclone recovery plan unfolds...where the millions of aid > dollars are being used and will a new Niue emerge from the > devastating events of January 5? Only in your Niue News.
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