Weekly Niue News http://www.niuenews.nu/ _______________________________________________ > April 23, 2004 > Inflated Claims?: Allegations this week that Niue business > owners have been caught out exaggerating claims for damage > caused by Cyclone Heta which will be covered by New Zealand > taxpayers. New Zealand officials have moved quickly to > prevent any abuse of aid assistance by employing a disaster > recovery manager. Questions are also being asked about the > accuracy of a $37 million assessment of total damage caused > by the hurricane force winds and high seas. Niue has a > population of 1300 and most damage caused was along a > narrow band on the west coast. In an article in the Sunday > Star Times, reporter David Fisher writes a spokeswoman for > NZAid has confirmed "inflated" claims have been made by > people on Niue. "NZAID money will be only released once > proper systems are in place," said the spokeswoman. New > Zealand gave $NZ5million to Niue immediately after the > disaster and so far that money has been spent on buying > heavy plant and equipment ($500,000); repairing and > re-roofing houses ($900,000); assistance for private sector > businesses get up and running ($720,000). The first hint of > problems of claims exaggeration came from a government > selected Private Sector Task Force Team (PSTFT). In a > report the task force said some business people had placed > orders overseas for replacement items without consultation, > others played the "backdoor game" of going direct to > Cabinet Ministers for funds. "In retrospect, it is the > nature endemic in the sector that the team did not take > into account, but it has nonetheless taken comfort in the > knowledge that in time the sector will be much more > collaborative," said a recovery phases document prepared by > the PSTFT. Businesses which rented buildings from the old > PWD site at Amanau and suffered total losses are being > housed in a new $350,000 industrial park being constructed > on land to the west of the golf course next to the Niue > Honey Company at Fonuakula.. > > Assessment Hindsight: Niue should have employed experienced > insurance assessors to inspect private sector businesses > and damaged homes within days of Cyclone Heta. That's the > word from several professional assessors in New Zealand > following allegations of exaggerated claims by business > people on the island. Because no insurance companies will > cover damage caused by cyclones or storms on Niue everybody > in the tiny island community expects foreign aid to restore > their properties. "Local committees set up on the island > must have a difficult task allocating assistance and in > reality are influenced by a number of factors inherent in a > tiny community," said one assessor with Pacific work > experience. He referred to assessments in other cyclone > prone countries like American Samoa. Independent assessors > visited homes and businesses within days and assistance is > granted immediately based on a strict criteria. New Zealand > is in the process of appointing a recovery plan manager for > Niue to ensure assistance is allocated fairly and for long > term benefits. > > Forum Dates: The 35th Pacific Islands Forum - originally > scheduled to be held in Niue - will meet in Apia, Samoa on > August 5-7. The dates were confirmed following > consultations with the Government of Samoa, as the next > Forum host, and with other member governments. Samoa agreed > to host the Forum Leaders meeting after the original host, > Niue, was obliged to defer its offer to host following > damage from Cyclone Heta in January. At this year's meeting > Forum Leaders' will consider next steps in developing a > Pacific Plan to strengthen and deepen cooperation among > members, and identify where they can make gains by sharing > resources. > > Restoration Help: In addition to funding a cyclone recovery > manager on Niue, New Zealand will support two people from > the National Library who are experts in preservation. A New > Zealand Aid spokesperson Josie Pagani said the will assess > how to preserve artifacts and written material damaged in > the January cyclone. The UNDP backed Museum at Alofi was > destroyed by high seas and wind. It housed a small but > priceless collection of Niue artifacts. The Niue National > Library housed in temporary premises at Aliluki was badly > damaged as was the archives department where a large number > of government historical records were stored ready for > filing. Earlier reports indicate that 95% of the High Court > of Niue records have been saved including Land Court > records and genealogy charts. The Justice Department > building was flooded and structurally damaged during the > hurricane force winds. > > New Horizons: An increasing emphasis on Niue culture is > expected to be a key element the island's 10 year strategic > plan for education. Over the next two weeks education > authorities in Niue will be seeking public input into the > new proposals. Director of Education, Tiva Togatule said > Niue has been increasingly aligning its curriculum with > that of New Zealand's, which is what people want, but they > also want to ensure Niuean language and culture is > incorporated. Ms Togatule said since 1989 cultural aspects > have been included but only to intermediate level. She > hopes now to lift the status of the language within the > formal education system. New Zealand's New Zealand > Qualifications Authority which sets standards for the > National Certificate of Educational Achievement no used in > Niue and last year agreed to consider introducing the > Niuean language into the certificate assessments. "We are > now waiting for someone from New Zealand to come and help > us to transfer those into curriculum for year 11 two > thousand and five," said Ms Togatule a former teacher and > former chairperson of the Niue Public Service Commission. > > Citizenship Bar: New Zealand citizenship is contributing to > depopulation of South Pacific states, said New Zealand's > Foreign Minister Phil Goff. Referring to Niue, the Cook > Islands and Tokelau, Mr Goff said ironically lack of access > creates opposite problems -rapidly rising populations > putting more pressure on limited resources. The Cook > Islands and Niue are self governing in free association > with New Zealand and its ethnic populations are New Zealand > citizens. Tokelau remains a territory of New Zealand. Mr > Goff said the region's most fundamental challenge is its > small size of island countries. This has resulted in a high > level of vulnerability not just environmentally but > economically and socially. He cited the recent cyclone > devastation of Niue and, the huge economical impact on > Samoa from the arrival of the taro blight in the mid > 1990's. He also raised the on-going debate over the viable > population threshold of steadily depopulating islands in > the northern Cooks and Niue as an example of this > vunerability. [Niue's population is hovering around 1,300 > ,and population specialists have warned that if it declines > much further the maintenance of essential services and self > governing status will be compromised]. > > Fishing Support: Niue's neighbouring Cook Islands > Government is considering investing nearly $US1 million in > a local fishing company after two New Zealand shareholders > withdrew their investments. Sealord and Hawkes Bay Seafoods > have pulled out of Cook Islands Fish Exports, claiming the > fishing season was too short. The remaining shareholder in > the company, local businessman Brett Porter, says > Government officials have approached him and are > considering buying half of the companies' shares, worth > nearly one million US dollars. Mr Porter says that he met > with the Prime Minister Robert Woonton and the Minister of > Fisheries Robert Wigmore and has put a proposal to them. > Meanwhile Niue's fish processing factory at Alofi South is > due to open soon - vessels from Apia in Samoa have licenses > to fish in local waters and supply the plant. The venture > is a joint effort between Reef Shipping Company and the > Niue Government backed by the New Zealand government. > Catches will be exported to Auckland. > > Free Read: For up-to-the-minute background articles to the > news with a pinch of political and social comment click > onto the Weekly Niue News. It's the best read Niue news > outlet available to anyone, anywhere at anytime...and it is > free. No propaganda, no spin doctoring just reliable plain > facts and specialist comment. Keep abreast of Niue's plans > to rebuild and how and where the action is taking place. > Only at your on-line Weekly Niue.
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