Neu: 2002-04-02 Contents of this issue:
1. Cop Shot 2. Breadfruit Ban 3. Glass Business 4. Nature Networking 5. Sacking Call 6. Sporting Candidate 7. Tax Haven Idea 8. Paper War 9. Prominent Niuean Dies 10. New Tourism School ======================================================================== April 2nd, 2002 1. Cop Shot: A policeman was shot and wounded yesterday as ethnic protests flared in New Caledonia's capital, Noumea. The shooting came hours after police fired teargas to break up a demonstration by about 40 youths who had blocked the main road into the city. The policeman, shot at long distance by an unknown gunman, was flown to hospital by helicopter. Sporadic unrest has broken out in the suburb of St Louis since December amid tensions between Kanaks, New Caledonia's indigenous ethnic group, and Wallisiens, who are originally from the Pacific island group of Wallis and Futuna.(NZ Herald). 2. Breadfruit Ban: Pacific Islanders traveling to New Zealand should not carry cooked breadfruit with them, the New Zealand Agriculture Ministry has advised. The ban was declared after fruit fly larvae were found in cooked breadfruit carried by Pacific Islands passengers flying into Auckland. The New Zealand Agriculture Ministry noted that in the past 12 months passengers traveling into New Zealand were intercepted 25 times with fruit fly eggs detected on cooked breadfruit. If undeclared goods are detected passengers face a spot fine.(PIR) 3. Glass Business: Niue bans in the importation of glass bottles and has an active aluminium can recycling project. In the Cook Islands glass bottles are freely imported but the Rarotonga Recycling Centre is now making every effort to keep the island clean and green. The centre has recently exported its first shipment of crushed green glass to Auckland on board the MV Southern Express. The Turangi center now has an aluminum can baler, plastic baler, two special containers, a glass crushing system, yard bins and a forklift - all thanks to NZODA (New Zealand Official Development Assistance) for its help in funding the recycling and safety equipment. Paper Reclaim Ltd. in New Zealand designed the glass crushing machinery and special containers, and commissioned the recycling equipment at the centre in February. Last week's recycled glass was shipped in a special container, which has removable partitions to allow it to ship three different types of crushed glass at a time. Due to the large volume of green bottles exceeding the brown and clear colored ones, the shipment of glass last week was entirely green in color. Because of the substantial weight of crushed glass in large volumes, the container can only be filled halfway for it to be transported safely. The rest of the space can be taken up by bales of plastic and aluminum cans. This time the center filled the space with five bales of clear plastic and one bale of blue/green plastic bottles. When the container is emptied, it can be filled with products for export to Rarotonga.(PIR). 4. Nature Networking: Conservation officers from Niue will attend the 7th Pacific Island Conference on Nature, Conservation and Protected areas to be held in Rarotonga July 8-12. Director of the South Pacific Regional Environmental Programme, Taman'i Tutangata, said the conference recognises that mainstreaming involves breaking down barriers of old development thinking, theories and beliefs through bringing together people representing all sectors of society to agree to a common purpose on how best to achieve sustainable development for the Pacific islands region. " It represents part of a continuum of activities focussed on putting nature conservation and consideration of our environment in balance with economic and social development practices and policies. We invite other sectors to contribute their valuable experience to the process and to become involved in the dialogue along with those people working in the field of nature conservation" he said. Sponsors of the confernece include NZODA, AusAid, UNDP, ConservationInternational, British High Commission, Government of the Cook islands, The Naure Conservancy, Society of Wetland Scientists and Telecom Cook Islands.(PIR). 5. Sacking Call: The Alliance of Independents spokesperson Mrs O'Love Jacobsen has confirmed today she asked the acting Premier Young Vivian to cancel the contracts of two Information Technology committee advisors after a commission of inquiry into e mail and internet services had completed its hearing on Niue. US resident Gerald McClurg a technical advisor to the Cabinet appointed committee and Auckland-based economist Richard Duncan a former committee member recently gave evidence before a commission of inquiry into Niue's e mail and internet services. Mrs Jacobsen said after the pair had given evidence she phoned the then acting Premier Vivian and suggested the government dispense with their services. "The government has been paying these men big money and we could be saving a lot by doing away with their services," said Mrs Jacobsen A former Cabinet Minister in the government that signed a memorandum of understanding with the Internet Users Society sole manager of the top level country code domain dot NU, Mrs Jacobsen gave evidence to the commission in support of the e mail and internet services which were set up at no cost to the government and run with users having free access. "We've got local residents running an efficient internet service at no cost to the government and here are overseas advisors trying to ruin the venture and preventing the managers from making financial contributions to health and education on the island," said Mrs Jacobsen. She said if the Alliance gained power after the April 20 election she would work to disbanding the NITC and encourage the internet society to continue its efforts by contributing to developing internet services on the island especially in education and health. 6. Sporting Candidate: Among the new faces seeking a common roll seat in the Niue Assembly is Steve McCoy (37) manager of the Central service station in Alofi. Mr McCoy, a former policeman and high school teacher, is a respected national coach of the Niue rugby XV that made its debut on the international scene last year. He's been a stalwart of Niue rugby and is likely to pick up strong support from the island's rugby fraternity. Why go into politics? Mr McCoy said he was invited to put his hat in the ring because he believes those who have been in power "are not looking after what we've got." He wants to see greater private sector involvement in economic development and more positive efforts to make Niue less reliant on assistance. Mr McCoy said he recognises the value of independents who can freely contribute ideas which often fall outside the scope of party politics. He is supporting the Alliance of Independents group. Nominations for the election close mid-day April 4. [Niue News will bring you a comprehensive list of candidates when they are formally announced by the Electoral Office.] 7. Tax Haven Idea: Niue could become a tax free haven which would stimulate interest from many New Zealanders keen to live in a warm tropical setting and have their savings free from tax on interest. So says the Alliance of Independents who are prepared to investigate the idea if they gain power over the Legislative Assembly after the April 20 election. Mrs O'Love Jacobsen an AOI leader said the abolition of all personal and company tax would be replaced with an across the board import duty. "The island's income would then be spread across the whole population - its simply a sort of goods and services tax but would be collected from importers by the customs department as goods arrive over the wharf," said Mrs Jacobsen. She said the duty would push up the price of all goods on the island but the AOI says the benefits far outweighs workers paying taxes especially in a state with only 1700 residents with 450 in government employment. The Alliance of Independents say to take the idea a step further exemptions could be given to folk who want to live here and bring their savings with them."The interest on those savings would be tax free - a great incentive for those to move here and settle," said a spokesperson. The plan is likely to encourage promoters of a NZ retirement living experience project on Niue. Meanwhile, the AOI says an immediate waiver of business tax for five years would assist those companies struggling to stay afloat in a stagnant economy. Local businesses have declined during the past three years and the total income derived from company tax has dropped to $150,000, according to an AOI spokesperson."That money should be circulating in the community," said the spokesperson. 8. Paper War: Wallis island's only weekly newspaper, Te Fenua Fo'ou, claims its being harassed by so-called "custom police" which has attempted to close the media outlet. The latest move is believed to be caused by further discontent from the royal authorities of 'Uvea (Wallis) about a story published recently challenging the right of a woman whose name was removed from an electoral roll for alleged corruption to seek a seat in the territorial assembly. Keys to the newspaper's office last month were seized by the "custom police" chief who also raided the office and took modems and computer hard disks belonging to the weekly newspaper. They were given back to the police earlier this week. The paper has continued publication through alternative printers in New Caledonia (where it enjoys a strong readership among the strong Wallisian community). Editor Laurent Gourlez claimed Tuesday there has been another raid from the "custom police" which this time damaged furniture and a telephone. The "custom" official was apparently angered at the publication of the latest issue of Te Fenua Fo'ou. Publisher Michel Bodineau later called on the French police to attend the scene questioned why no one had yet been arrested in relation to what he termed "repeated acts of vandalism". International press rights defence association Reporters Sans Fronti�res has officially protested to local authorities, urging them to ensure rights guaranteed under the French Constitution were upheld in France's most remote overseas territory.(Oceania Flash) 9. Prominent Niuean Dies: The funeral service for Mr Aiao Kaulima JP a former senior Niuean public servant who was for many years prominent in island affairs in New Zealand, will be held at the Pacific Islanders Church, Newton Auckland today. Mr Kaulima was aged 67 when he died in Sydney after a long illness.The Government of Niue will be represented at the funeral by high commissioner HE Hima Takelesi and Mrs Takelesi. Mr Kaulima was for a long time the most senior Niuean public servant serving in the Resident Commissioner's Office in the 1960 and 70's. He resigned from the government to take up a post as assistant registrar of the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji. The Kaulima family then moved to Auckland where he carved himself another successful career. Mr Kaulima enrolled at Victoria University of Wellington and gained a Diploma in Teaching English as a Second language, (DipTESL) and worked for a number of years at the Pacific Islands Resource Centre in Ponsonby, Auckland. He was also very prominent in Niuean affairs in Auckland and was co-author of the First Book For Learning Niuean published in 1994. Former Premier Frank Lui appointed Mr Kaulima as consul-general in the Auckland office where he served for one term. He was the first NZ resident Niuean to take up the post. Mr Kaulima's brother Mr John Kaulima, a jewellery manufacturer is Niue's honorary consul in Auckland. 10. New Tourism School: French Polynesia's President Gaston Flosse laid the foundation stone of a new hospitality school tostrengthen training for Tahiti tourism. The school at Punaauia, on the west coast of Tahiti, is being built because a school at Taaone has become too small, with nearly 580 students enrolled. The new school will have 850 students, teachers and staff. It will also have boarding for 230 students from French Polynesia's outer islands. Built on a five-hectare site, set in a beautiful landscape, it is due to be ready for the beginning of the school year in August, 2003. It will include four restaurants, seating 60 people each, two studios, two luxurious bungalows, 18 hotel rooms, and lecture theatres.( PINA Nius Online). __END__
