Weekly Niue News http://www.niuenews.nu/ [2004-09-11: list updated for new site] _______________________________________________ > We have 5 guests online and 1 member online > Christmas Cargo Delayed > Sea freight from New Zealand is not expected to reach Niue > until December 29 due to the breakdown of the MV Southern > Express. The vessel lost its rudder on December 6 off Great > Barrier Island and alternative shipping has been arranged to > take the Auckland loaded cargo to Niue. Reef Shipping > officials hoped to have the cargo offloaded at Niue a day > before Christmas but further delays have meant the freight > which is being transhipped at Apia will reach the island until > December 29. > [date.gif] Saturday, 18 December 2004 > SPENDING RESTRAINT EARNS PRAISE > But Auditor- General Warns Departments > > The Niue Government has been praised by New Zealand's Auditor > General, Kevin Brady, for not exceeding the maximum amount of > unauthorized expenditure allowed under the islands > Constitution. It was the second time in 13 years that the > constitutional limit had not been exceeded. > > Mr Brady said the governments overall financial condition in > the year to June 30, 2003 deteriorated with a net decrease in > equity close to $1.6m. The recurrent deficit totaled $2m > compared with a budgeted loss of $1.1m. > > There was however some expenditure in excess of appropriations > said Mr Brady. It involved education ($19,231); agriculture > ($1,850); health ($19,303) and the Premiers department > ($83928). The trading operations of Telecom and Postal totaled > excess recurrent expenditure by $64,828, Niue Power ($3,913) > and the Broadcasting Corporation of Niue $6316. A major factor > in the recurrent deficits was the loss of income from leasing > out of Telecom Niue numbers to international premium rate > service operators. Those numbers were primarily used for live > sex calls and at its peak earned more than $2m annually. > > Mr Brady said to prevent excess departmental expenditure the > government needs to consider better control over expenditure, > improved estimation of current funding and have the machinery > for the Assembly to grant additional appropriations as soon as > the need for them is evident. > > Mr Brady said it was evident Niue will take several years to > recover from Cyclone Heta and will face considerable pressure > over the next two decades to upgrade and replace its capital > assets. > > The Audit Office recommended the introduction of asset > management with emphasis on component account. > > Unisex Pension Passed > > The Niue Legislative Assembly has passed an Act giving a $50 a > fortnight pension to both men and women. Previously the > benefit was awarded to women only. About 35 qualified for the > handout. > > But Cabinet approved the pension for men and a law permitting > that was passed Friday. > > The Assembly also passed child allowance regulations providing > $100 grant for every newborn child to a non public servant > mother and $340 per annum for every child that qualifies for > the allowance. > > The regulation allows for children over the 18 to receive the > allowance provided the child is not married, not financially > dependent and is attending a recognized school. > > The regulations are understood to be the first of its kind in > the South Pacific and relates to Niuean children, permanent > residents of Niue or a New Zealand citizen. > > Niueans over the age of 60 also qualify for a fortnightly > pension. > > Tourists Encouraged To Sharpen Up > > New Zealanders travelling to the Pacific on holiday are being > encouraged to learn more about the places they visit. > > This is one of the seven key points of the Responsible Tourism > Code launched in Wellington. Labours Pacific Islands MP Winnie > Laban said that while tourists provide a sustainable source of > income, the code asks them to think about their impact on the > environment and local community. > > "The benefits of the code, remind us of how important our > relationship is in a number of contexts. First of all as > tourists in the way we spend our money the decisions that we > make when we visit say the islands, our responsibility with > the environment to treat it like our own homes and to act in a > respectful way," she said. > > About 1200 New Zealand and Australian tourists visit Niue each > year > > Internet Key To Market Promotion > > The South Pacific Tourism Organization (SPTO) is predicting > that the internet will continue to impact upon the package > holiday market to the Pacific. Evidence is emerging that with > the advent of low cost airlines to the region and increasing > use of the internet, the distribution of niche market products > and is highly cost effective. > > Historically travelers to the Pacific have mainly booked > through travel agents and wholesalers with up to 80 percent of > holiday being sold by wholesalers for some countries such as > Vanuatu and Fiji. > > However, recent research indicates that this may be changing > and that consumers are now more likely to deal directly with > tourism operators. > > In the UK for example, 55 percent of the market now consists > of independent travelers, which is a rise of 60 percent since > 1998, with spending for this market more than doubling to > almost $FJ 63 billion. > > Ross Hopkins Technical Adviser at SPTO says that "there is a > continued trend towards direct distribution of the tourism > product, which has been further enhanced through the advent of > low cost carriers to several Pacific destinations. We predict > that this trend will continue, as Pacific operators improve > their internet offering and product distribution to allow > consumers to deal directly with them." > > The SPTO Internet site is becoming increasingly important for > the Pacific tourism sector as we now receive over 2,000 > visitors a day, making it the leading regional tourism portal. > > Said Mr Hopkins: "We are increasingly finding that individual > Pacific tourism operatirs are wanting to get exposure though > our website as part of our membership package.' SPTO is > forecasting that the impact of the internet will not only be > on consumers; evidence from Europe suggests that even well > established retail and wholesale brands are having to > restructure in response to changing market conditions. Thomson > Holidays, for example, one of the leading European travel > companies has recently dropped the Lunn Poly retail brand from > its operations, in favour of internet based distribution." > > Niue tourism office runs a .com web site paid for by the > Internet Users Society-Niue. It provides information for > visitors planning to visit the island. > > IN A NUTSHELL: > > Write Off: Longstanding debits related to the Moui FakaNiue > taro exports totaling $600,000 have been written off by the > Legislative Assembly. > > The debts related to money owed to the NZ funded project by > wholesalers in Auckland who sold the taro but never paid the > project organizers. The government paid out to the growers > with little hope of recovering the debt. > > Adverse: The funding of Intelsat bandwidth has been criticized > by the New Zealand auditor-general Kevin Brady. He said Q-Tel > is no longer meeting its share of an Intelsat contract with > Telecom Niue. > > Q Tel was awarded the contract by Telecoms after a > controversial dumping of Asia Pacific Telecom a giant Hong > Kong listed company that provided millions of dollars of > revenue annually from international premium rate service > operations. > > Telecoms has also been taken to task is over its obsolete > cellular network which keeps breaking down. That part of the > network is no longer repairable and future breakdowns may > result in large amounts of funding required to pay for new > equipment. > > Poll: Niue is not fully prepared if a another cyclone strikes, > according to 80 per cent of voters in last weeks poll. 20% > considered the island is well prepared. > > Geeks: A Computer Society has been formed on Niue. Its initial > membership consists of government employees and its aim is to > share IT knowledge, promote job net-working, assist with e > graphics and provide formal certification of IT skills. The > Niue Computer Society is a separate identity not associated > with the Internet Users Society- Niue which is the delegated > manager of the .NU top level domain. > > Anti Terrorism: The Niue Assembly has passed the United > Nations Sanctions ( Terrorism suppressionand Afghanistan > Measures) Regulations which prohibit the raising of funds for > Al-Qaida organisations or the Taliban.It also prevents persons > on Niue from dealing with property of terrorist groups or > making professional or businesses services available to them. > > Offenders are liable to penalties under section 3 of the > United Nations Act 1946. > > Loss: Matavai Resort the islands flagship in the tourist > industry suffered a $61,000 loss in the year to June 30 2003. > That followed a $20,000 profit in the previous year. In the > current auditor generals report the loss was attributed to the > cost of sales, staffing, promotion and maintenance. > > The resort is 51% owned by the government and 49 % by private > investors. > > > > > > > The 8th edition of Handbook of the South Pacific by David > Stanley has been published and is on sale. The 1091-page > travel guide describes and maps Tahiti and French Polynesia, > Pitcairn, Easter Island, the Cook Islands, Niue, Tonga, the > Samoas, Tokelau, Wallis and Futuna, Tuvalu, Fiji, New > Caledonia, Vanuatu, and the Solomon Islands. The 119 town > plans and island maps are carefully labeled, without the > confusing numbered map keys found in other guidebooks. For > ease of reference, all internet and email addresses are now > embedded in the listings. Moon Handbooks South Pacific > highlights scuba diving, snorkeling, surfing, windsurfing, > kayaking, yachting, cruising, hiking, fishing, and golf. > Beaches, sightseeing, transportation, and places to stay and > eat are thoroughly covered, as are the histories, economies, > environments, cultures, and peoples of the Pacific region. A > comprehensive 25-page index ties it all together. > > Author David Stanley has been writing about the South Pacific > for over 25 years. Paul Theroux called his handbook "the most > user-friendly travel guide to the South Pacific," and it > remains the leading guidebook to the Pacific islands. Priced > at US$24.95, the handbook is distributed in the United States > by Publishers Group West, in Canada by Publishers Group > Canada, in Europe by HI Marketing, London, and in Australia > and New Zealand > > > Fish stocks in the Pacific Ocean are now under new protection > following the inaugural meeting of the Western and Central > Pacific Fisheries Commission held in Pohnpei, Micronesia. > > The move comes as Niue is on the brink of launching a fish > processing industry using New Zealand registered long liners. > > The Director of the Forum Fisheries Agency, Feleti Teo, has > welcomed this positive step towards sustainable management of > the regions tuna fisheries. Mr Teo said "for Pacific island > states the new Commission means the tough decisions about how > we manage our fish stocks will be taken jointly between > Pacific island states and the countries with distant water > fishing fleets". > > "The great fishing powers like Japan, Korea, the United > States, the European Union, China and Taiwan must now sit with > us around the table to decide how we make sure there are fish > for the future, for our children". > > Mr Teo is the Director of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries > Agency (FFA). The FFA has 16 member countries and one member > territory and is based in the Solomon Islands. It has looked > after the interests of its members for over 25 years, helping > them to develop domestic fisheries and maximise payments from > visiting fleets. > > "The new Commission's focus is on the conservation and > management of highly migratory fish stocks in the western and > central Pacific, in particular tuna. For the first time we > have a management body that addresses management problem in > the high seas beyond the 200 mile exclusive economic zones of > our members," said Mr Teo. > > "The fact that most of our member Country and Territory > Ministers attended this meeting demonstrates the importance of > fisheries to the welfare and economies of Pacific island > states. The primary focus of Pacific island states is to > maximise the benefits they receive from their fishery > resources, as long as they are caught sustainably". > > "The new Commission is the result of 10 years of hard work to > bring together all the parties with a common vision; tuna > stocks in the Pacific are the last great fishery in the world; > the major tuna species are still being fished at a sustainable > level and the goal of the Commission is to ensure they remain > so". "The FFA has been working hard to make sure it remains > effective under this new regional framework. > > The Agencies' governing body, the Forum Fisheries Committee, > had met earlier with Minister's receiving a presentation on a > new strategic plan to ensure the Agency remains focused, > relevant, and effective" said Mr Teo. Niue was represented at > the meeting. > > > Last Updated ( Saturday, 18 December 2004 ) > 17465 Visitors
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