Weekly Niue News http://www.niuenews.nu/ _______________________________________________ > June 4, 2004 > Hospital Siting: The Niue government is pondering over the > siting of a new cottage hospital to replace the Lord > Liverpool hospital at Tufukia, demolished during January's > hurricane force winds and raging ocean created by Cyclone > Heta. > > Officials say there are two areas under consideration. One > is on Crown land at Kaimiti, the other is at Paliati where > customary titleholders of the land have been approached to > release property for the new hospital. Government sources > told Niue News that health department staff favour the > Paliati site claiming Kaimiti is "too far out of the way." > The World Health Organisation is assisting with planning > the building believed to include 12 beds, an operating > theatre, laboratory, pharmacy, dental clinic, records > library, public health and administration offices. A former > New Zealand director of public health Dr Colin Tukuitonga, > a Niuean involved in planning the $NZ1.8 million > refurbishment of the former Lord Liverpool Hospital has > been appointed advisor for the project. He is employed with > WHO in Geneva. > > Funds are already available for the hospital. The EU has > donated $NZ1.1 million to the new hospital. Australia and > New Zealand have indicated they will assist. > > Meanwhile the Manuaku City Council in South Auckland has > advised the Niue government it is prepared to contribute to > a new cultural centre complex. The facility will include a > museum, performing stage, library, archives, cafeteria, > handicrafts and community affairs offices. > > Beating the Drum: The Niue High Commissioner to New > Zealand, Hima Takelesi, is assisting Premier Young Vivian > trying to drum up enthusiasm for their people to return > home. Premier Vivian is visiting Wellington and Auckland > during the next week. It's another bid in a series of > attempts to get Niueans to move home. Previous meetings > have met with lukewarm interest. > > Mr Takelesi said Cyclone Heta virtually destroyed the > country's infrastructure and had been a wake-up call for > Niueans, of whom about 20,000 live in New Zealand and just > 1300 in Niue. > > "The island is being rebuilt after Heta but it raises the > philosophical question what is it being rebuilt for. That > message needs to be discussed." > > Mr Takelesi said Niueans could not expect other people to > save their homeland for them. > > "We can't abandon the island and hope someone else will > develop it. We must do it ourselves." > > Mr Takelesi said Mr Vivian would remind Niueans they could > collect the full pension back in Niue, and there were > upcoming job opportunities. > > They included a fish plant due to open in August which was > expected to employ 30 people and a nonu plantation from > which the fruit's juice would be bottled as a medicine to > supply a high-demand market in the United States. > > Mr Takelesi said Niue was making slow but steady progress > after the cyclone. > > "It is a relatively small population and we just take one > step at a time." > > Fishy Business: While the Niue Government has entered into > a 50/50 fish processing factory venture with Reef Shipping > Company, the neighbouring Cook Islands government has > dropped its plans to invest in Cook Island Fish Exports. > > The controversial Cook Islands scheme was first aired after > Sealord and Hawkes Bay Fisheries pulled out of the joint > venture, leaving local businessman Brett Porter in sole > charge of the fish processing plant in Nikao, Rarotonga. > > However there was widespread opposition to any such move > from government among many in the fishing industry. > > But now it seems as though the plan, which was rumored to > have been worth $1.7 million, which would have come in part > from regional fisheries funds paid to the Cook Islands > government. > > Porter said the idea was no longer being pursued. > > "We are looking at other avenues, we are looking elsewhere > for a partner and we are in discussions with a number of > parties, although I can't say who because negotiations are > on-going," he said. > > He also said that it was Cook Island Fish Exports that > pulled the plug on the potential deal. > > "We withdrew from those negotiations, it's all just too > hard, politically for them and for us, and we decided to > explore other avenues," said Mr Porter. > > Niue's fish factory is projected to be completed in August > and will provide employment for about 30 locals. > *The Reef Shipping Company vessel Southern Express arrived > Niue last Saturday and unloaded at the weekend. Sixty > containers including 17 fuel tanks were unloaded over two > and a half days. The cargo included food supplies, > vehicles, building materials and cement to the island. > > *Niue may soon ban smoking in public places and in the > workplace. Progressive health outreach programs aimed at > smoking and obesity have been introduced on the island. The > government is now considering a report from the delegation > to the WHO Framework Convention on tobacco control. Niue is > keen to become a signatory to the WHO convention before > imposing the ban. > > * The former director of agriculture, forestry and > fisheries Sauni Tongatule has been appointed director of > the government's new department of the environment. Ernest > Nemaia has been appointed director of DAFF and Brendon > Pasisi deputy director. > > * Tourism now has a separate task force involved in the > repair and rebuilding of business properties damaged in > cyclone Heta. Previously those in the industry were > included in a private sector task force. Hardest hit were > the Hotel Hotel which was demolished, a three unit motel at > Namukulu and the Dive Niue business which was accommodated > in a government building at Tufukia. > > * WiFi is gaining popularity on Niue following cyclone > damage to dial-up lines. The Internet Users Society-Niue > which installs and maintains the modern technology has seen > a dramatic increase in WiFi useage since the January > cyclone Heta. With the additional networking installed > since then there has been a major increase in users. IUS-N > reports about a third are private sector and two thirds are > government departments. The fastest growing consumer of > WiFi bandwith is the government of Niue. > > *The Paul Holmes TV program that featured the government > media officer Nui Tauevihi's January loss of his Aliluki > state flat and possessions and a former Resident > Commissioner Lyle Shanks and his wife Mary are among those > to have donated funds to cyclone battered Niue. The > following recently donated more than a total of $NZ204,000 > - Pamatatau Family; Niue Makatumau New Life Church; Rev. > Pehalo Maika and Family; Mangere East Primary; DM & NI > Searle; Harry Manuela; Paul Holmes Programme [TVNZ]; S and > Jack McKay; Lyle and Mary Shanks; T and M. Cannady [USA]; > Anne Edwards $2,000.00; Rev Maua B Soala $1,000.00; SOPAC > Staff, Suva $1,100.66; John Andrews $300.00; Ngati Porou > $25,000; Pastor John Tangi [Niue-Cook Is Community] > $33,279.55; TP Engineering $2,000; Cook Is. Government and > People $127 652.83. > > *Reef Shipping has opened an art gallery in Auckland. Its > main focus is to provide a venue for Pacific Island based > artists for the exhibition of their work in an urban > setting. The gallery's projected audience will be the New > Zealand art buying public, corporations and institutions. > Niue's Mark Cross has works in the gallery which opened > last month. The first major exhibitor at the new gallery is > Mahiriki Tangaroa. Born in Christchurch and mastering in > photographing at Canterbury University, at the young age of > 21 she returned to the birthplace of her parents, > Rarotonga. Ten years later she is still there as curator of > the Cook Island National Museum. > > *The Customs shed at the Alofi wharf has been rebuilt in > new colorsteel. The aging storage shed was badly damaged in > the cyclone. AusAid allocated $40,000 for the repairs.It > also donated $25,000 for water quality monitoring > equipment, $3,000 for a new barometer at the Airport > Control Tower and $60,000 for modifications to the > temporary hospital housed at the Niue Youth Centre > Fonuakula.Other contributions to the restoration of Niue: > UNESCO US$25 000, Taipei Economic and Cultural Office US$10 > 000; People's Republic of China US$ 40 000; Massey > University Centre for Public Health $1 500.00;. Government > of Fiji NZ$25 532.00; New Zealand Emergency Funds $300 > 000.00;. Forum Secretariat NZ$ 17 472.00; Australia A$150 > 000 Emergency Funds. > > * The South Pacific Community and the German aid agency GTZ > have donated $24,000 to purchase a Mini Max portable > sawmill to salvage cyclone-damaged logs. Forestry workers > will be trained in the use of the portable sawmill. > > *Niue will host the SPREP Regional Met Service Directors > meeting in October. The government hopes the local economy > will receive a needed boost from the conference as will > accommodation properties. > > Watchdog Evaluation: Progress toward economic reform and > sustainable development will dominate the eighth annual > Forum Economic Ministers Meeting in Rotorua next week, > including a report from Transparency International on their > evaluation of regional governments.N.Z. Deputy Prime > Minister Michael Cullen with chair the event at the > Millennium Hotel from June 8-10. > > Economic Ministers and delegation heads from Australia, > Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, > Kiribati, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, > Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, > Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu are expected to attend. > > Important items on the agenda include public sector > economic governance including a presentation from > Transparency International on their regional assessment and > discussion of the Pacific Plan announced at the leaders > meeting in New Zealand the first week of April. > > The intention of the Pacific Plan is to provide clear > recommendations to Pacific Leaders on a sequence and > priorities for intensified regional cooperation. The plan > aims to identify the sectors and shared concerns where the > region might make the most useful gains from sharing > governance resources and aligning policies. > > Islanders Obese: Statistics released at a conference in > Europe indicate that the Pacific leads the world in > obesity. They reveal that women in Niue and Samoa are > significantly more obese than men. > > The World Health Organization has compiled a database of > obesity rates in 140 countries based on what is known as a > Body Mass Index. > > A BMI of 25 or more indicates "overweight" and 30 or more > "obesity." > > The country with the top score in the world is Nauru, with > an average Body Mass Index of almost 80. Tonga is second > with a BMI of 60. Samoan women rate 62 to Samoan men 33. > > The scores for the Melanesian countries are significantly > lower. > > Vanuatu's BMI is less than 20.
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