Neu: 2001-10-25 Contents of this issue:
1. Keep Abreast 2. Services Cut 3. President Confident 4. Remark Reaction 5. New Airline Prospect? 6. Pat On The Back 7. Work Permit Plans 8. Former Commissioner Returns 9. Powder Puff ======================================================================== October 25th, 2001 1. Keep Abreast: Niue is the smallest self governing nation in the world. Its 1748 residents live on the second largest raised coral atoll on this planet ( 2sq kilometres). A recent milestone in the history of the island was the 100 years of political association with New Zealand. We've brought you all the stories about the celebrations as they happened. Now read the articles of top Pacific correspondent John Andrews who visited Niue with the Governor General Dame Silvia Cartwright, senior NZ government ministers and regional dignitaries. Our readership is growing everyday. Our articles are used world wide by top international agencies.For independent news about Niue you're already clicked into! 3. Services Cut: Air New Zealand has detailed cuts to its international services over the northern winter season, in the wake of a slowdown in travel following the September 11 attacks. The airline says the cancellations amount to a six per cent reduction in operating capacity in November, the most affected month. The cuts include services between Sydney and Los Angeles, and services to Rarotonga, Sydney, Brisbane and Nagoya from Auckland. <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> 4. President Confident: </span>Kiribati�s President Teburoro Tito believes his country can cope temporarily with up to 500 asylum seekers seeking haven in Australia, reports John Andrews from Niue. <p class="MsoNormal">Officials from both countries are studying the possibility of boat people being taken to Kanton, a remote Central Pacific atoll in the Kiribati group, for �screening.� <p class="MsoNormal">�We believe it is suitable for the purpose,� President Tito said while in Niue for the tiny island nation�s celebrations marking 100 years of association with New Zealand. <p class="MsoNormal">�We do not have to work with landowners because the government owns the whole island. <p class="MsoNormal">�There are facilities there such as an airport and a good harbour; a few facilities on the island left from the old days when it was used by British and United States military personnel.� <p class="MsoNormal">The president conceded there had been some opposition to the idea of having asylum seekers in Kiribati. <p class="MsoNormal">He said: �There is some concern that has been expressed by people over the idea of Kiribati being involved with people who have connections with Afghanistan, people from that part of the world, particularly in view of what has happened in the last few weeks.� <p class="MsoNormal">He blamed the media for sending out a wrong signal about where such asylum seekers would stay. <p class="MsoNormal">�I believe that most people are happy with the fact that it is only an attempt by the Kiribati Government to try and help a very good friend of Kiribati,� he said. <p class="MsoNormal">�When Australia was already asking Kiribati whether there was a possibility of our helping, it naturally occurred to me that if Nauru was in a position to provide some help to Australia with only one island, I thought Kiribati logically should be in a better position to provide some help.� <p class="MsoNormal">President Tito denied his country had lobbied Australia to become a venue for the asylum seekers nor that money was sought as a reward. <p class="MsoNormal">�It was in response to what we considered to be a need, a genuine need of a good friend of Kiribati reaching out to a good friend in the Pacific,� he said. <p class="MsoNormal">The selection of Kanton as a temporary home for asylum seekers would depend on facts presented to him and his cabinet. <p class="MsoNormal">President Tito believes the matter will be aired at a meeting of his cabinet early next week. <p class="MsoNormal">Footnote: Australia says it has not approached Niue to house any asylum seekers. <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> 5. Remark Reaction: </span>An off the cuff comment by Niue Premier Sani Lakatani caused consternation among some guests at a State feast held to mark the island�s biggest occasion for many years. <p class="MsoNormal">Mr Lakatani told his 300-strong audience in the Niue High School: �Niue is going to go ahead with or without New Zealand�s help.� John Andrews of Pasifika Times reports: <p class="MsoNormal">His audience included the Governor General, Dame Silvia Cartwright, and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>New Zealand Cabinet ministers, Sandra Lee and Mark Gosche. <p class="MsoNormal">Reaction in the multi-purpose school hall was pointedly mute and appeared to go down like a lead balloon during an otherwise festive event. <p class="MsoNormal">Conservation Minister Lee�s immediate reply took potential heat out of the situation, saying the New Zealand Government respected Niue�s right to find its own destiny. <p class="MsoNormal">Shortly before boarding an RNZAF 727 aircraft to return to Auckland, Sandra Lee said she felt sure Mr Lakatani had not meant there was any problem in relationships between the two countries. <p class="MsoNormal">[Niueans are New Zealand citizens and carry New Zealand passports; 10 times the island�s population of nearly 1700 live in New Zealand; New Zealand overseas aid programme funds $6.25 million of Niue�s $22 million annual budget requirements.] <p class="MsoNormal">John Bryan, New Zealand�s high commissioner to Niue, did not consider the premier�s comments were in any way insulting. <p class="MsoNormal">The diplomat said: � It is just a reminder that we have to focus on these issues.� <p class="MsoNormal">Hima Takelesi, Niue�s high commissioner to New Zealand, said Mr Lakatani�s impassioned and impromptu speech was no more than that. <p class="MsoNormal">�It was an off the cuff speech and people should not read too much into it,� he said. �The senior New Zealand minister reflected the sentiments held by most Niueans. <p class="MsoNormal">�Most Niueans would like to see the relationship with New Zealand continuing. The shape would be for the two sides to thrash out.� <p class="MsoNormal">But some of Mr Lakatani�s political opponents such as senior Opposition figure Veve Jacobsen were astonished. <p class="MsoNormal">�It is hypocrisy when he asks the Governor General to take Niue�s thanks and gratitude for what New Zealand has given then gets up and says something like that,� she said. <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>�A lot of people did not clap. The premier insults the hand that feeds us over the years. <p class="MsoNormal">�I believe he said it in an inappropriate setting where people were enjoying themselves. There were a lot of people who were disgusted at what he said.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span> <p class="MsoNormal">�Previously he thanked New Zealand for its assistance in the last 100 years. I do not believe that was the right place to say it. <p class="MsoNormal">�As the number one man in this country, he needs to retract this statement,� said Mrs Jacobsen. <p class="MsoNormal">One seasoned observer of Niue affairs suggested that, with the island�s general elections due early next year, the premier�s impromptu remark, the only potentially controversial episode during the four days high-ranking New Zealand dignatories spent on the island, played into the hands of his political opponents. <p class="MsoNormal"> 6. New Airline Prospect?: Premier Sani Lakatani was all ears when Kiribati�s President Teburoro Tito discussed the prospect of bringing Niue into a regional airline loop. John Andrews Pasifika Times correspondent filed this report after visiting the island..Using a leased ATR72 aircraft from France, Kiribati�s national airline Air Kiribati Ltd plans soon to launch an international island-hopping air service linking up with its Pacific neighbours, Nauru, the Marshall Islands and Tuvalu. <p class="MsoNormal">Kiribati is spending more than $AUD3 million on the venture which could be up and running by Christmas.President Tito revealed details of the national carrier�s scheme while in Niue for its celebrations marking 100 years of association with New Zealand. He said that if the international service proved successful, it could lead to expansion within the South Pacific region --- even as far as Niue, a tiny nation in desperate need of reliable air services <p class="MsoNormal">�We�re hoping to get it off the ground by the end of this year or early next year,� said President Tito.�We cannot do it alone. We need the co-operation and support of our immediate neighbours. <p class="MsoNormal">�We want to create island-hopping tourism in the Pacific. It must be island hopping style and the eco-tourism type to <p class="MsoNormal">�You have to mix it with the aspirations of the village people to be part of the tourism. <p class="MsoNormal">�There are people who want to come to Kiribati but they cannot afford to spend say a week or more in just seeing Kiribati. <p class="MsoNormal">�They would rather do a few days on Kiribati, a few on the Marshalls, Nauru and Tuvalu�and move back. That is the kind of tourism we need to create.� <p class="MsoNormal">President Tito thinks Niue, with its unique attractions, more than qualifies to become part of an island-hopping network. After talks with Mr Lakatani, President Tito said: �I believe he is very receptive and delighted about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span> <p class="MsoNormal">�He would like me to work on this project and he encouraged me to consider Niue some time in the future as part of the island hopping, eco-tourism service.� <p class="MsoNormal">He said Mr Lakatani and his government desperatelyneeded some reliable air service for the island from tourist hubs in New Zealand and neighbouring South Pacific island. President Tito said Air Kiribati Ltd planned to fly the ATR72 on to Fiji several times a week. <p class="MsoNormal">�We have already agreed on that with our immediate neighbours,� he said. <p class="MsoNormal">�They have agreed to the concept of this ATR72 going to Fiji. Tuvalu was eager to buy shares in the venture but because the aircraft was being leased for three years, not purchased, such investment was not easy, said the Kiribati leader. <p class="MsoNormal">Taking the plane�s range and freight configurations into account, the airline believed it could carry 60 passengers between the island nations. If Kiribati�s neighbours proved really keen to join in the venture, then the Air Kiribati-run service might be given a more regional name. President Tito said airline officials had already had favourable talks with Air New Zealand representatives about servicing the ATR72, possibly as often as once a week. The aircraft�s owners would supply pilots initially until while local pilots were trained to the required standard. <p class="MsoNormal"> 7. Pat On The Back: Any worries Hima Takelesi had about Niue�s centenary celebrations soon evaporated. Realising that things sometimes go awry on the island, Niue�s high commissioner to New Zealand said the event turned about better than some, particularly visitors, expected.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span> <p class="MsoNormal">�I think everyone did very well,� he told Pasifika Times on his return to Wellington. <p class="MsoNormal">�Things happened when they supposed to.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span> <p class="MsoNormal">�I�m glad the locals behaved normally. I thought with all the dignatories, they might be a little bit timid. �I think the whole thing was well worth it. It brought a bit of confidence to the local people.�<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>Mr Takelesi said <p class="MsoNormal">Niueans were looking for something to celebrate and show off the island. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>They wanted to tell Niueans living in New Zealand that there was still a home for them on Niue if they so desired. <p class="MsoNormal"> 8. Work Permit Plans: Time restraints meant Niue missed an opportunity during the centenary celebrations to announce an easing of work restrictions for New Zealanders.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>Minister of Immigration Robert Matua Rex intends to introduce legislation to the Assembly which drops a work permit requirement for New Zealanders on the island, writes John Andrews after a visit to<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> the island. </span> <p class="MsoNormal">�I will do it as soon as possible,� he told Pasifika Times. <p class="MsoNormal">�I wanted it to have been a message from our Premier [during the celebrations].<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span> <p class="MsoNormal">�Cabinet has agreed in principle to lift all the restrictions that are one way. Buying land and voting are the two exceptions.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span> <p class="MsoNormal">�You have to go to the House and repeal certain Acts and amend the legislation.�<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span> <p class="MsoNormal">Mr Rex, who hopes to introduce the legislation before Christmas, said present laws implied that New Zealanders had to apply for work permits and residency.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span> <p class="MsoNormal">�Let�s be reciprocal,� he said. <p class="MsoNormal">�It is a one way thing at the moment. I think it is unfair. Let�s have the complete freedom of our relationship.� <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> 9. Former Commissioner Returns: </span>Visiting Niue for the first time in 27 years brought memories flooding back for<span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Lyle Shanks, the tiny island�s former resident commissioner, writes John Andrews, Pasifika Times correspondent.Mr Shanks, now living in Wellington, was a guest at Niue�s centenary celebrations last weekend.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span> <p class="MsoNormal">�The first thing one notices is that Niueans are fast learners,� he said. �They have accepted the outlooks and influences of New Zealand, Australia and other Pacific countries.�Niue�s chief administrator for six years from 1962, Mr Shanks said: �I think that politically they are probably much more mature then when I was there.It is for their own people to judge if that is good or bad.� Taking up strong positions, either in government or in opposition, was inevitable, he said. <p class="MsoNormal">Mr Shanks was impressed with the way centenary events were organised, on time or ahead of it, unlike similar occasions on other Pacific islands.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>�The other thing I felt was the warmth of the people,� he said. �Their warmth has not changed at all.�<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>During his administration, 750 new, reinforced concrete homes were built on Niue.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>�It is noticeable that of those have been deserted by people coming to New Zealand�.and they have deteriorated,� he said.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span> <p class="MsoNormal">�Assembly members feel that some of them present a bad face for the island. They have difficulty getting agreement with those who have gone to New Zealand to have these structures taken down, or other action to ensure their dilapidated state is removed or made available for someone else to live in. <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>�They have a problem with it and I think it may well be insoluble in the short term. If they take drastic action, which they might do, there could be an angry reaction from people who have left the island.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>�Some of them could organise visitation in numbers and confront the legislators.�<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>Mr Shanks was disappointed to see some industries doing well in his time had disappeared --- passionfruit pulp, high-grade limes --- but the prospect of growers now turning to totally organic crops was encouraging. <p class="MsoNormal">�I think there are signs that, despite the reduction in the size of the population, there may be a turning point and that slowly they will pull themselves up to getting a better economy going locally,� he said.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>�The population itself is lacking viability but it seems to me that the population there is doing quite a bit to develop a local economy. They certainly have a strong local society.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>�The traditional church of Ekalesia, formerly the London Missionary Society, is alive and well. They still put a lot of effort into their church, physically and spiritually.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>�Traditional crafts and language is being preserved and the skills of the people in both public and private sectors are quite high.�<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>Mr Shanks also noted there were few cattle left on Niue. <span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>�We had over 50 head of beef cattle when I was there,� he said. �They were very well conditioned. We also had two dairy herds then that supplied milk to the schools.�<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>For Mr Shanks who used to chair Niue Assembly sessions, meeting Talaiti, former Assembly member for the village of Vaiea, was a highlight.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>Now aged 93 with failing eyesight, Talaiti is believed to be the oldest person on the island.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1"> </span>�He eventually recognised who I was and his son, Talaititama Talaiti, is now Assemblyman for that village,� said Mr Shanks. <p class="MsoNormal"> 10. Powder Puff: Conservation Minister Sandra Lee's Beehive office was temporarily closed off today after an anthrax scare that staff said later was a hoax. <p class="MsoNormal">The Minister had spent the weekend on Niue celebrating 100 years of political association with New Zealand. <p class="MsoNormal">The alert was sparked yesterday when Ms Lee's receptionist Jacqui Aliva discovered white powder in an envelope addressed to the minister. She had been wearing gloves while opening the minister's mail when she discovered white powder on the letter opener she had been using. The envelope had a South Auckland postmark and Parliament had been mis-spelt as "Parliment" on the address. There was nothing else in the envelope apart from the powder. A relaxed Ms Aliva was this afternoon wiping down her desk of any traces of the substance she said had smelt like talcum powder.Parliamentary officials have established a procedure in the event of an anthrax scare. __END__
