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General News

Week ending Wednesday, 27 April, 2011

Current events and entertainment in Rarotonga and the Cook Islands.

Quake tally $39,000
MMR compromised its procedures
6 ways to improve fishing licensing
$3.9m contract signed for Pukapuka
Freight rates going up
HSBC donates paper to schools
Robyn teaches gettingagrip
Chance for an emerging womens leader
Culture day on Gold Coast
Forum Pacific delayed
Anzac services around country
MMR tightens up on fishing licences
New website nearly ready
52 teams volley in Aitutaki
TIS to meet on fishing plan
Ports warn of disruption at Avatiu
Cook Islanders remember ANZAC
Visitors join in ANZAC spirit
Toilet paper audit laughed at
PM still waiting for reply
CIWA joins trade unions in China
45 fish landed in Easter comp
23kg trevally wins Aitutaki comp

The Cook Islands Red Cross Society has to date collected more than $39,000 in donations from around the country for victims of Christchurchs February earthquake.

Society secretary general Niki Rattle says a cheque from Nukutere College for $14,500 has just been handed over to the appeal, following a runathon fundraiser by students.

Rarotongas Fijian community has donated $700, and the Bank of the Cook Islands has forwarded $1700 to the society from money raised on Aitutaki, Mangaia, Manihiki, Rakahanga, and Pukapuka. And Rehab donated $3000 raised during its benefit show on Friday night.

Its been really amazing, theres been incredible community support and the pa enua have done so well, Rattle says.

In total the society has passed on $36,936 raised by those in the Cook Islands to the New Zealand Red Cross for use on initiatives to help those suffering from the earthquake.

Of the total $20,000 collected in the aftermath of the earthquake had already been banked.

The remainder has been flowing in to the society in past weeks, Rattle says.

To date the societys largest appeal for a natural disaster was in 2005 following the tsunami which destroyed Indonesias Aceh province in December 2004.Cook Islanders collectively gave about $80,000 to help those affected.

Rattle says since then, the appeal for Christchurch earthquake victims has generated the largest amount to be managed by the society for an appeal.

Money collected by the society is buoyed by the amount raised during separate appeals which were also organised to generate funds for those affected.

• Rosie Manins

The Ministry of Marine Resources (MMR) compromised its own compliance procedures when issuing fishing licences to the Northern Cook Islands Fishing Company (NCIFC) in 2008, Cook Islands Audit Office director of audit Paul Allsworth concludes.

Allsworth has completed an audit review of the dealings between those at MMR, NCIFC, and the Cook Islands government at the time.

He finds the ministry, its former secretary Ian Bertram, and former minister of marine resources Wilkie Rasmussen who is now deputy leader of the opposition to have been at fault in their dealings with the licences.

Allsworth has made recommendations to MMR, which he believes will serve the ministry well in dealing with applications for fishing licences transparently and within relevant regulations from now on.

Detailed in his audit review, which was tabled in parliament on Friday, are findings that the ministry failed to enforce its own conditions placed on the NCIFC for licences issued.

The ministry received $640,000 from the NCIFC for 16 foreign fishing licences each worth $40,000 which allowed vessels (all owned by Taiwanese company Yuh Yoh Fisheries (SP) Ltd) to operate in the northern Cook Islands.

Licences were issued on the conditions NCIFC paid $5000 for each vessel up front, and the remainder ($560,000) within six months of licences being issued, that it commenced land-based operations on Penrhyn within three months of issue, and that failure to comply with conditions would result in the suspension or cancellation of licences.

This was despite a clause in the Marine Resources Act 2005 which states licences must only be issued if required fees and other forms of compensation have been paid.

The licences were officially issued in January 2009 and NCIFC commenced fishing operations in the northern islands one month later.

By December that year NCIFC had yet to commence land-based operations on Penrhyn and pay the remaining $560,000.

Although it was apparent that NCIFC had failed to comply with the conditions set out in the Ministers memorandum of November 2008, none of the 16 licences issued were either suspended or cancelled by MMR, Allsworths report states.

The outstanding $560,000 was paid in full by NCIFC on December 23, 2009, when the company ceased fishing.

All catch for the year was offloaded in PagoPago, American Samoa.

NCIFC directors Stevenson Safou-Asuenga and Bruce Manuela initially applied for 30 licences.

Under the Marine Resources Act 2005 and Marine Resource Regulations 2008 only 40 fishing licences can be issued by MMR at any given time, although this figure is subject to review.

Considering the limit set on the amount of fishing licences allowed to be issued in a year, the fact that a company like NCIFC is allowed to continue fishing with 16 licences which were not fully paid for, in Audits opinion sends the wrong message to other local fishing companies (which) adhere to MMR procedures in ensuring their licences are paid for on time, Allsworth says.

The NCIFC, which was registered as a Cook Islands company in 2008, does not own any fishing vessels and its main role is to manage fishing licences for a group of international vessel owners.

Concerns that the company received preferential treatment in securing licences and that dealings were not transparent prompted the audit review, which follows one completed in 2006 of the internal controls over revenue received by the MMR for fishing licences.

On July 18, 2008, Rasmussen, who was the minister of marine resources at the time and is the member of parliament for Penrhyn, submitted to cabinet NCIFCs proposal for 30 fishing licences and suggested it be approved which it was, in principle, by cabinet five days later on July 23.

Penrhyn was set to receive the most benefit from fishing operations, although Allsworth says Rasmussen, in his defence, stated all his decisions were based on the advice from the former secretary of MMR and were in the best interests of his people in Penrhyn.

Allsworth says there was no comment on the proposal at the time from the Crown Law Office, Ministry of Economic Development, and MMR.

It is Audits opinion that Cabinets decision to go ahead with the NCIFC proposal without properly consulting with the relevant government agencies and officials placed MMR in the unfortunate position of compromising its own compliance procedures in terms of issuing fishing licences. Had key government ministries such as MMR, Crown Law, and MFEM properly reviewed and commented on the NCIFC proposal, many of the issues identified during this review would not have eventuated, his audit report states.

Navy Epati who is the Public Service Commissioner worked as an advisor to NCIFC on its proposal to the government in 2008.

Allsworth says Epatis involvement sparked concerns among senior MMR staff at the time, as he employed the ministrys secretary.

Our review found no evidence to suggest that Mr Epati used his position as Public Service Commissioner to put pressure on the former secretary of marine, Mr Ian Bertram, to provide a favourable response for his client (NCIFC), Allsworth says.

He says Bertram is not without fault, as his decision to withhold information regarding the NCIFC proposal from his own senior management team lead to a breakdown in communication within the ministry.

The lack of coordination within the management systems of MMR signals management inefficiencies and weaknesses, exposing the organisation to risks which potentially compromise the integrity of MMR and in particular, its fishing licence procedures. Its imperative that management and staff are familiarised with their corporate objectives and ensure that effective communication is coordinated across all senior management divisions to avoid misunderstanding and ensure harmonisation throughout, Allsworth says.

He provides six recommendations for the ministry within his report, and says the government should also develop a policy to ensure all papers presented to cabinet are commented on by relevant government agencies, the solicitor general, and financial secretaries as well as heads of ministries.

Allsworth says the government should also ensure all fishing licence applications include comprehensive business plans and company profiles, as the present system is inadequate.

He says the government should implement a policy to assist low-ranking officials when dealing with senior government officials who are, or may serve as, advisors on various projects where pecuniary benefits may arise.

A number of issues and anomalies still exist in the fishing licensing procedures and management system which have yet to be addressed.

• Rosie Manins

Audit director Paul Allsworth has made suggestions to the Ministry of Marine Resources (MMR) about how it can improve its operation, in particular the issuing of fishing licences.

Allsworths six recommendations are included within his audit report of the issuing of 16 licences to the Northern Cook Islands Fishing Company (NCIFC) for Taiwanese fishing boats to operate in Cook Islands waters in 2008.

He has found fault with the ministry for some issues and anomalies in respect of the licensing, along with others involved including Public Service Commissioner Navy Epati, former MMR secretary Ian Bertram, and deputy leader of the opposition and MP for Penrhyn Wilkie Rasmussen who at the time was the minister for marine resources.

In his audit report, Allsworth says there was a breakdown in communication within the ministry, it compromised its own compliance procedures, and failed to enforce its own conditions of fishing licences issued.

He says the MMR secretary should ensure all documents for agreements or conditions of approvals are signed by all appropriate parties and maintained on a register, which should be provided to legal divisions and copied to offshore divisions for retention on individual company files.

The secretary should also ensure that where there is a deviation from MMR protocol regarding fishing licence procedures which involve MMR staff, the minister, or any other external authorities, such deviations are noted by way of a memorandum, or at the least documented on file and retained by the secretary to protect the integrity of all concerned, Allsworth says.

He recommends the secretary review MMRs internal senior management systems with a view to clarifying roles and responsibilities, improving communications between staff and maintaining oversight of the ministrys overall objectives.

Allsworth says it should be explained why cancellation or suspension of fishing licences issued to NCIFC was not auctioned in accordance with the former ministers instructions to the company in 2008, following breach and non-compliance of the specific conditions required of NCIFC.

He says the MMR secretary should ensure that no application for a fishing licence is to be approved under any circumstances unless the appropriate procedures and processes have been strictly adhered to.

This includes any applications for foreign fishing vessels submitted for ministerial consideration.

Finally, Allsworth recommends the MMR secretary consider the possibility of the ministry establishing a new licensing committee to deal with issuing licences to fishing vessels once the quota for licensing fishing vessels has been filled.

The secretary is to ensure this process should now be formalised and communicated to all staff and stakeholders.

• Rosie Manins

A $3.9 million works contract for a cyclone shelter to be built on Pukapuka is officially signed by (from left) Landholdings Ltd owner Bill Doherty, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration secretary and national advising officer for European Union (EU) projects Jim Gosselin, Rarotongan’s Pukapuka community president and project committee member Makirere Poila, finance minister and fellow national advising officer for EU projects Mark Brown, and Solicitor General, Pukapuka community representative, and project committee member Tingika Elikana. 11042009

A $3.9 million project to build a cyclone shelter on Pukapuka is expected to provide jobs for between 40 and 50 members of the northern islands community for the eight-month duration of the development.

Rarotonga-based firm Landholdings Ltd has secured the contract to construct the centre, and yesterday it was officially signed-off by Finance Minister Mark Brown, Solicitor General and Pukapuka community representative Tingika Elikana, and others involved in the proposal.

Landholdings owner Bill Doherty says he hopes to start work on site at the end of May.

About 10 workers will be taken to Pukapuka from Rarotonga for the job, with the remaining employers sourced locally on the island, Doherty says.

He expects work to take eight months and says most workers will be employed throughout the duration of the project.

About 600 tonnes of equipment and material is ready to be shipped to Pukapuka for the development.

Elikana, who is also a member of the project committee, says the cyclone shelter will make a huge difference to the small Pukapuka community.

He says the island has between 400 and 500 permanent residents, and the centre construction is likely to encourage some to stay on the island.

It will have a major impact and assist in the outflow of our people in terms of migration issues. With the opportunities and jobs provided they will think twice about leaving Pukapuka, he says.

The centre will be the first of its kind on Pukapuka.

Elikana says it has been a long time coming, and members of the Pukapuka community are excited to see the proposal being implemented.

In terms of threats of cyclones and natural disasters for the island, at least well have a centre where people can take refuge.

The project is part of the governments policy to provide shelter for outer islands, and the majority of funding has been contributed by the European Union (EU).

Through the EU development fund, the Cook Islands received 3.5 million Euros for 2003-2007, predominantly for outer islands development.

Total EU funding increased to 4.4 million Euros to accommodate the Pukapuka project.

Roto village on Pukapuka will host the shelter, designed to accommodate more than 460 people.

It will include a kitchen and food storage, offices, amenities, its own waste water system, and water tanks with pressure pumps, hose controls, reticulation, hose reels, and fire extinguishers.

The centres ground floor area will be more than 780 square metres and a mezzanine floor will also be constructed.

It is designed to be used for various activities including sports, community meetings and workshops, health checks, and as a disaster management base.

Construction must be completed by June 30 next year.

In 2005 the Cook Islands was hit by five cyclones, which significantly damaged infrastructure and economic development.

Pukapuka suffered widespread damage.

The Cook Islands government is responsible for major maintenance of the shelter, while those on Pukapuka are tasked with its ongoing maintenance.

• Rosie Manins

Freight rates on the rise 11042001

Responding to an increase in global fuel prices, Air New Zealand has raised its freight rates.

Company headquarters advised that it can no longer absorb rising fuel costs, and recently advertised a 5% across-the-board increase in freight costs.

The increase, however, does not extend to flights from Auckland to Christchurch and vice versa. Services from Auckland to Tokyo are also exempt.

This is intended to give our exporting customers some latitude as they endeavour to rebuild these important trade lanes, regional cargo manager Greg Edmonds said in an email.

Davem Worldwide Ltd, the shipping agent that handles the bulk of freight coming into the Cook Islands, will accommodate the airlines price hike by increasing its base kilogram rates by 5%.

However, because the shipping agent issued a late notice to its clients, it will not be implementing the increased rates until after Easter weekend.

Davem Worldwide is also considering adjusting sea freight rates to compensate for increased container packing and cartage costs, but has yet to confirm its intent to do so.

• Rachel ReevesRachel Reeves

HSBC general manager Taki Anaru with secretary of education Sharyn Paio and a truckload of A4 paper, which is being distributed among Rarotonga schools. 11041921

Fifty-six boxes of photocopying paper are being distributed among Rarotonga schools, thanks to an HSBC Trustee Cook Islands initiative.

HSBC purchases A4 paper for a group of schools in the Cook Islands each year, alternating between schools in Rarotonga and outer islands in the southern group and the northern group.

Last year, Aitutaki, Mauke, Atiu, Mangaia and Mitiaro received a total of 100 boxes this year, Rarotonga schools receive 56 boxes of 2500 sheets each, which will be doled out according to a schools size.

HSBC general manager Taki Anaru says that overseeing the distribution of paper is one of the most enjoyable parts of his job.

Its no big thing for us every odd year to buy an extra pallet and throw it in the container, he said.

In response, secretary of education Sharyn Paio said: Well, its a big thing for us!

She estimated that after freight costs, HSBC probably spends over $60 per box.

Paio said that the paper is especially precious to the Cook Islands Ministry of Education because it photocopies lessons in the absence of certain textbooks. HSBCs initiative has been running for over 20 years.

• Rachel ReevesRachel Reeves

Robyn Pearce. 11042003

The simple answer to the question of why Robyn Pearce became a time management specialist? Because I was bad at it, says Pearce, who gave four time management lectures on Rarotonga and Aitutaki this week to a collective audience of nearly 200 people.

I started learning it for myself and to my surprise people started asking me questions, and I became a world specialist, she said.

Pearce has authored five books and thousands of articles on time management, a field that for 18 years has been her specialty. She travels extensively to give lectures and regularly updates her website, www.gettingagrip.com, with time management tips.

Sponsored by the 2011 Air New Zealand Cook Islands Tourism Awards and The Bond Store, she came to the Cook Islands to offer some insight to tourism operators applying for the Tourism Awards.

Her seminars this week covered three major facets of time management: its general structure, how to manage email and how to manage paperwork.

While the two-hour time windows allowed Pearce to only cover small snippets of much longer programmes she has developed, she managed to initiate a useful dialogue amongst attendees.

It was a useful conversation, more an interactive discussion, on ways to overcome interruptions, how to communicate your priorities to the people you work with, how to say no diplomatically, she said.

Tourism operators had a particular interest in how to handle interruptions.

Because when youre dealing with the public, there are many, Pearce pointed out. (We talked about) how to carve out small chunks of time when you can work on things uninterrupted....You have to find time to carve out for the business or youll never grow it.

Small-scale tourism operators in one session were curious about how to delegate when youve got no one to delegate to, Pearce said. She knows first-hand what it can be like to operate with limited resources and staff, as she grew up in small country towns and has worked in the tourism industry.

While Pearces seminars drew mostly tourism operators, people from other sectors government, education and retail among them turned up.

Attendees unanimously agreed that the Cook Islands would benefit from further seminars with Pearce.

She confirmed she will definitely be coming back in the next few months, but has yet to nail down a date.

In the meantime, Pearce pledges to spread the word about the Cook Islands.

I love being here. Its a beautiful place and Ive got a big mouth so Ill be telling everybody, she said. Ive also got a Top Time Tips newsletter that goes to 10,000 people around the world and Ill be mentioning (the Cook Islands) in glowing terms.

• Rachel ReevesRachel Reeves

Nonprofit organisation Vital Voices Global Partnership is encouraging women leaders in 13 Pacific countries including the Cook Islands to apply for a 19-month programme that aims to advance womens leadership.

Vital Voices is partnering with New Zealand, AusAid, the World Bank, the IFC, the US State Department and the Asian Development Bank to deliver Leveling the Playing Field for Economic Activity Across the Pacific.

The goal of this programme is to enhance the knowledge, skills, and abilities of participants to advocate for womens economic opportunities and greater womens leadership in civil society throughout the Pacific island region.

To do this, Vital Voices will select 39 emerging women leaders in civil society, government agencies, and the private sector to form 13 country delegations. Country delegations will comprise three delegates one each from public, private and civil society.

Each country delegation will take on one of three issue-area projects aimed at increasing womens economic opportunities and leadership in public life:

Project # 1: Affecting Policies, Procedures, or Legislation to Increase Womens Full and Equitable Labor Force Participation

The first project that a country delegation may choose to pursue will enhance women leaders knowledge, skills, and abilities to affect policy, procedural, or legislative change in their countries to increase womens full and equitable participation in the labour force. Each project should outline tangible, realistic goals that it can achieve within the year-long grant period.

Project # 2: Affecting Legislation and Policy Change to Increase Womens Entrepreneurial Activities

The second project that a country delegation may choose to pursue will enhance women leaders knowledge, skills, and abilities to affect policy, procedural, or legislative change in their countries to remove barriers impeding womens entrepreneurial activity. While there are a small, but vitally important number of successful women entrepreneurs in the Pacific Islands, most economically active women work in informal enterprises and often in unsustainable income-generating activities as own-account workers and in unpaid household businesses.

When the lower participation of women is a reflection of gender-differentiated challenges (for example, greater difficulty in opening a business compared to men), then not only do women fail to meet their full economic potential, but that of the economy as a whole as well. By choosing this project, delegates can focus on creating strategies that remove legal barriers to womens entrepreneurial success, address investment climate challenges, and improve access to finance, training, and markets.

Project #3: Using Mentorship to Advance Young Womens Leadership in Public Life

The final project that delegates may choose to pursue will provide participants with the knowledge, skills, and abilities to use mentorship to advance young womens leadership in public life. A growing body of research shows that a mentoring relationship often provides young women with the confidence they need to overcome the often firmly entrenched cultural and societal norms discriminating against womens active role in public life.

As in many regions of the world, young women in the Pacific Islands are often doubly discriminated against for being both young and female. Therefore, many young women in the region face challenges in accessing quality secondary and tertiary education, finding employment, and participating in public life.

A country delegation might choose to create a mentorship programme to advance young womens leadership by pairing 15 young women with 15 successful women in the civil society, government, or business sectors. The project would then ensure that each mentor had weekly contact with each mentee to assist her with career guidance, leadership skills, job shadowing, and confidence-building skills.

Vital Voices is asking that women who are interested in any of the above projects apply by Friday. Participants should be willing to invest about ten hours each week to this project throughout the year-long grant period. Successful nominees will be notified by April 29, and the initiation seminar will take place on June 2 and 3 in Papua New Guinea.

Vital Voices Global Partnership will pay for all travel and accommodation costs of the participants related to the course.

For an application, contact careyhogg@vitalvoices.org.

Please include a current CV with your submission. When you are finished filling out this form, please send to Carey Hogg, Political Program Officer at Vital Voices at careyhogg@vitalvoices.org, no later than Friday, April 22nd, 2011.

• Release

11041911

Mudgeeraba Creek State School on the Gold Coast of Australia is hosting a Cook Islands culture day next month, and asking for help with assembling a Cook Islands culture display and amassing traditional knowledge.

On Thursday, May 19, the Queensland school will be celebrating the Cook Islands.

Prep coordinator Kaia Clarke is making an appeal to Cook Islanders on the Gold Coast and in the Cook Islands for the use of artefacts, masks, musical instruments and traditional costumes.

I am trying to get a copy of some traditional childrens songs with music, and some dance steps so we can teach the children. We are also looking for traditional stories that we can share with the children. I will reimburse any one for postage and come pick up anything we could use for our displays, she wrote in an email to CINews. She said the students in her class have written to children at Avarua School, and included Australian animal puppets with their letters, and are awaiting a response. To contact Kaia Clarke, email kaia@construction21.com.au

• Rachel ReevesRachel Reeves

Arrival of the Forum Pacific has been further delayed.

Pacific Forum Line New Zealand customer services manager Jessica Dawson reports that the vessel has been experiencing engine problems.

She has been operating whilst engineers make the necessary repairs, forcing her to reduce speed.

She was expected to arrive in Auckland yesterday and should be in Niue by April 27.

From Niue, she will depart for Rarotonga and should be docked at Avatiu by May 2.

• Rachel ReevesRachel Reeves

Red poppies are on sale in advance of Anzac Day events to be held throughout the Cook Islands on Monday.

Each year on April 25 the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps is commemorated by the Returned and Services Association (RSA) and members of the public as well as representatives of various organisations and community groups.

Services are traditionally organised to coincide with dawn, and will follow similar formats in towns, cities, and villages throughout Australia and New Zealand, as well as other Commonwealth countries.

In Rarotonga the Cook Islands RSA, in collaboration with the government, has organised a programme for the 96th ANZAC Day commemorations.

A dawn parade procession will form along the eastern side of the Ministry of Justice building in Avarua at 5.30am.

By 5.45am the procession will commence towards the nearby cenotaph, where the following dawn service will be held.

All ex-service and serving men and women, including visiting personnel, are invited to attend the ceremony wearing medals.

Decorated service men and women, as well as members of the public, will be seated about 5.30am in anticipation of the parade.

Deputy Prime Minister Tom Marsters and his wife are to attend, as well as the Queens representative Lady Ina Goodwin.

Cook Islands RSA president Henry Wichman will welcome all present and explain the meaning of the dawn service, which will include a flag-raising and singing of the Cook Islands national anthem.

Those involved in this years dawn service include master of ceremonies Charlie Rani, Creative Centre manager Bob Kimiangatau, commander Tony Grubb, Makea Margaret Karika Ariki, police commissioner Maara Tetava, New Zealand high commissioner Linda Te Puni, and lieutenant commander Christopher Cooper.

Bugler Odain Tutakiao will perform The Last Post.

Wreaths will be laid, prayers and poems recited, Bible passages read, an ode made in Cook Islands Maori and English, and one minute of silence observed.

At 10am a church service will be held at the Avarua Cook Islands Christian Church, following a parade from 8.45am.

A non-denominational church service will also be held at the Rarotonga war memorial in Avarua from 11am, at which girl guides, girls and boys brigade members, and boy scouts will parade.

Similar events are taking place in villages on outer islands as well.

• Rosie Manins

Secretary Ben Ponia responds to audit says NCIFC licences should never have been issued

The Ministry of Marine Resources is poised to significantly expand its fishing licence regime with intentions to target bigeye tuna, skipjack tuna, and swordfish in addition to albacore tuna, secretary Ben Ponia says.

He highlights the ministrys position in respect of fishing licences and proposed expansion of designated fisheries within an official response to the director of audit Paul Allsworth, following an audit review by Allsworth into the issuing of 16 annual fishing licences to Taiwanese vessels through the Cook Islands Northern Fishing Company (NCIFC) in 2008.

Ponia says MMR is appreciative of the audit report, which finds the ministry to have compromised its own compliance procedures in respect of the NCIFC licences.

As the statutory authority entrusted with the management of the nations fisheries resources and deriving wealth from this sovereign resource, this report represents a critical opportunity to review and strengthen our policies and procedures for licensing and revenue collection, Ponia says.

(It should be noted Ponia was not the MMR secretary at the time of the NCIFC licensing episiode.)

He says the Cook Islands has an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 2.3 million square kilometres, of which northern fishing grounds are in close proximity to tuna processing facilities in American Samoa.

Most fish caught in the Cook Islands EEZ is albacore tuna which is offloaded in Pago Pago for canning, and all fish caught by the Taiwanese vessels licensed to operate in the EEZ during 2008 through the NCIFC was processed in American Samoa.

Ponia says the ministrys cap of 40 fishing vessels operating at any time has resulted in no noticeable decline in catch rates which are at peak levels of about 7000 metric tonnes per year.

The Cook Islands is renowned as a careful steward of its licences. As a result of good catch rates and effective management a licence to fish in the Cook Islands waters is highly sought after, enabling MMR to charge one of the highest fees in the Pacific.

Annual licences for foreign fishing vessels are $40,000.

The NCIFC paid MMR $640,000 for 16 licences on behalf of Taiwanese company Yuh Yoh Fisheries (SP) Ltd.

Ponia says with a promising catch history and proper surveillance programmes in place the MMR also intends to licence and deal directly with fewer but larger fishing enterprises with a long term business prospectus for the Cook Islands to leverage additional benefits aside from licensing revenue.

In his response to the audit report, Ponia accepts there has been a lack of legal clarity within MMR and says the NCIFC case could have been managed better.

NCIFC does not own any vessels and therefore should not have been issued fishing licences for another companys vessels under the Marine Resources Act 2005.

Licences must be paid for in full by applicants under the act, although the NCIFC only paid a fraction of the amount owed before fishing operations began.

The ministry also failed to enforce its own conditions, which stipulate licences must be suspended or revoked if payment is not received as required under the act.

In his report Allsworth says the lack of coordination within the management systems of MMR signals management inefficiencies and weaknesses, exposing the organisation to risks which potentially compromises the integrity of MMR and in particular, its fishing licence procedures.

Ponia says Allsworth has made unsubstantiated insinuations within the report, however, and he assures the public that the ministrys staff are competent in their ability to manage entire licensing procedures.

He says senior MMR staff are considering the establishment of a register for all legal documents and a revised staff administration policy.

The ministry will attempt to improve internal management procedures and establish a licensing committee, he says.

Please be assured that the MMR will continue, as it always has, to play a constructive role to mitigate the anomalies that influenced this case and caused this review to eventuate.

• Rosie Manins

A mock-up of Cook Islands Tourism’s new website, which should be ready to launch within two weeks. 11042115

On the heels of five months of work, Cook Islands Tourism (CIT) is preparing to launch its new website.

CIT chief executive Carmel Beattie says the website will be operational within two weeks.

The site is in the final testing stages.

CIT contracted a professional writer to develop the text, and the site includes in-depth overviews of Cook Islands culture, history and people.

Users can click to make bookings, browse wedding and honeymoon packages, read Escape magazine online and read country- or region-specific updates.

CIT will be duplicating the site in European and Asian languages, and has introduced a number of new social networking features.

Users can share their own holiday experiences or upload their photos on to a linked photo-sharing site, Flickr. Vacationers can even send e-Postcards from the Cook Islands.

It (the website) needed to reflect the Cook Islands its friendly and warm in the way it speaks to you, Beattie says. We wanted it to be vibrant and showcase the spirit (of the Cook Islands). We think weve done that.

• Rachel ReevesRachel Reeves

The Green Machine, last year’s winners, will be back to defend their hard-won title on Easter Monday. 10040601

A record number of volleyball teams will take to the courts on Easter Monday for the second year of the Cook Islands News Aitutaki Easter 4x4 volleyball tournament.

The revived popular annual event on the island has attracted 52 teams this year and organiser Rere Mataiti expects a few more teams to register before the tournament on Monday.

Games will be played at the Araura College grounds where 16 courts will be set up for an afternoon of thrilling action packed volleyball Aitutaki style.

Cash prizes are up for grabs for first and second placed teams plus cartons of drinks, brand new trophies and sponsors products.

As well as prizes including cash by event sponsor Cook Islands News Aitutaki member of parliament Teina Bishop and champion of womens causes will be putting up $300 from his family for the top three womens team on the day.

2010 defending champions the Green Machine are back again this year and word is this big mens team is itching to hit the courts and win the tournament for a second year but they will be getting stiff competition from team Maoate Contractors and of course first time teams are not to be underestimated.

Its going to be a battle of the tourist accommodations again this year with top two womens teams Pacific Resort and Tamanu Beach back to fight it out for the womens champion title.

Games will start at 1pm sharp at the Araura College grounds where teams in the under 13 boys and girls, under 16 boys and girls, open men and women and golden oldies mamas will dig, spike and smash their way to some fantastic prizes all in the name of community fun and festivity.

• Matariki Wilson

Te Ipukarea Society (TIS) members are being encouraged to attend the Ministry of Marine Resources (MMR) public consultation on its draft plan for exploratory fishing this week.

TIS invited MMR secretary Ben Ponia to deliver a presentation of the ministrys draft plan for exploratory fishing at its own meeting, which has now been cancelled in light of the public consultation on Thursday afternoon.

A similar public consultation was held in Aitutaki on April 18, which was attended by between 40 and 50 members of the community.

TIS want members and the public to attend the meeting in order to better understand how MMRs draft plan and subsequent plans could affect marine life in the Cook Islands.

Society members are being encouraged to consider the draft exploratory plan before voting on a collaborative position in respect of the proposal.

MMR plans to research fish stocks in the Cook Islands Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and its adjacent international waters, to determine whether skipjack, bigeye, and swordfish should become designated fisheries.

Ponia says the ministry hopes it can designate the fisheries as a result of its exploratory fishing plans.

This is the whole point of the exercise and we are undertaking it because we have some anecdotal and scientific evidence that there is a potential fishery.

Much public reaction to the draft plan has focussed on perse seine fishing, as one possibility being investigated by MMR is the establishment of a purse seine fishery for skipjack tuna.

Ponia says the ministry is a long way off from actually developing a purse seining operation, or allowing one, although it has signed four memorandums of understanding with international fishing companies.

TIS is concerned purse seiners target schools of skipjack tuna (bonito) and although they are not the walls of death that are drift nets, sometimes juvenile yellowfin and bigeye tuna as well as whales, dolphins, sharks, and turtles amongst the schools of fish get caught in nets.

Bigeye tuna is classified as vulnerable to extinction under the International Union for the Conservation of Natures red list.

United States purse seiners have been licensed to fish in the Cook Islands EEZ for years under a multilateral treaty with Pacific Island countries.

TIS states 70 percent of the worlds tuna stocks have been depleted through over-fishing and nations are flocking to the Pacific as a result.

We would prefer to see a significant reduction in the large-scale fishing of tuna in the region. We would prefer to see local, small-scale fishing vessels harvesting tuna, TIS executive members state in their latest newsletter.

The society suggests the government uses some money from fishing licences to further increase surveillance of illegal fishing in the Cook Islands EEZ, assist local fishers to develop small to medium scale tuna fisheries, and develop marine conservation programmes.

We need to work faster before our tuna fisheries are depleted beyond recovery.

The public consultation on the ministrys plan to research skipjack and bigeye tuna as well as swordfish is to be held at the Pukapuka Hostel in Rarotonga from 4.30pm on Thursday.

The ministrys draft plan for exploratory fishing is also available to the public.

• Rosie Manins

Ports Authority chief executive Bim Tou (pictured) is urging the public to be patient as there will be a lot of work on the southern berth (right) of the Avatiu harbour when the $24 million Avatiu harbour upgrade project begins next month. 11042127

The general public and especially users of the Avatiu harbour are asked to be patient as there will be a lot of disruption to services and restricted access to the area when the $24 million Avatiu harbour upgrade project begins in May by New Zealand company McConnell Dowell.

Ports Authority chief executive Bim Tou says that the physical construction of the southern berth of the main Avatiu harbour will begin in mid May and up to 50 local labourers will be working on the project six days a week from 6am to 6pm.

The upgrade work will mainly see the southern berth of the harbour realigned to a straight line as there is a distinct elbow in the alignment of the current harbour.

Removing the elbow and aligning the harbour will mean more room for larger vessels to berth and the harbour mouth will be extended to about 10 metres.

Tou says that the upgrade work on the harbour will mean cargo ships up to 120 metres and some cruise ships between 150 and close to 200 metres could also berth at the harbour.

The turning circle within the harbour is currently 100 metres and after dredging and upgrades the turning circle will be 135 metres.

Proposed dredging at the western marina end of the harbour mouth will also open up the entry to the harbour but Tou says that dredging will likely be done sometime next year.

He adds that the hard standing concrete surface of the harbour will also be upgraded as well as general maintenance around the entire harbour which will mean patrol vessel Te Kukupa will be temporarily moored at the Western harbour.

The inter island shipping area of the harbour will be moved into the international shipping area while construction begins at the top of the harbour, and progress backwards towards the breakwater.

The inter island cargo shed, shed one, on the southern harbour berth will also be demolished except for a lean-to behind the building which will be strengthened and retained for storing of cargo destined for the outer islands.

Tou says that it is important that people in charge of organising cargo for the outer islands coordinate with shipping agents.

Cargo that needs to go under cover from individuals, not businesses, such as gas bottles can be stored in the lean-to and businesses need to coordinate with their suppliers to have cargo delivered on the day the ship is due to depart for the outer islands.

Tou says that plans are in the pipeline for a new inter island cargo shed to be constructed but at the moment, just when the new shed will be built is not known.

This is a major development and we need to all work together and cooperate with each other on how we can best get the project done and at the same time provide the service to our port users, says Tou.

The project in total is expectted to take up to 18 months and will be one of the biggest projects on Rarotonga in recent years.

Tou urges the public to please be patient as there will be restrictions to the harbour area, except for those who need to deliver cargo to ships.

• Matariki Wilson

The Cook Islands RSA procession stops in front of the Avarua cenotaph. 11042519

Tereapii Pitomaki received the New Zealand Operational Service Medal during ANZAC Day commemorations yesterday. 11042505

Cook Islanders took time to honour the courage and sacrifice of those who have served for their countries in international conflict, during ANZAC Day commemorations throughout the country yesterday.

From 5.30am guests and members of the public joined those involved in a dawn parade service at the Ministry of Justice building and cenotaph in Avarua on Rarotonga.

Following a march-in from the procession, prayers were read and wreaths laid on the cenotaph steps, before a moment of silence was observed and The Last Post played.

Guest speaker Commander Tony Grubb, of the Royal New Zealand Navy, reminded those present why each year the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) and all those who have served for their countries are honoured.

Commander Grubb said brave World War One soldiers forged ahead in battle against bullets and bombs, with hearts pounding and legs forcing them on not knowing what the day ahead would bring or even if they would last the day.

Those first ANZACs showed incredible determination and bravery, and we reflect and remember their courage and commitment. Todays service is also a tribute to the courage of those who fought in other more recent conflicts.

He cited World War Two, and conflicts in Korea, Vietnam, Bosnia, East Timor, and Afghanistan where the realities of conflict and war are fresh and the dangers high.

More than 480 New Zealand defence personnel are currently deployed around the world, maintaining stability and peace for thousands of people.

Commander Grubb said New Zealand and Australia are working together to give ANZAC traditions greater relevance and are committed to the creation of a Pacific focused ANZAC reactionary force.

Such a force will help with stabilisation, assistance and disaster relief, he says.

In times of trouble at home Australia and New Zealand will continue to support each other this is what ANZAC means.

Commander Grubb reminded those present of the soldiers still dying in their service to their countries.

He said the New Zealand defence force has lost a number of personnel in tragic circumstances recently, and Australia has also suffered tremendous loss, particularly in Afghanistan where 23 Australian soldiers have died since 2001 four of them in the last year.

The Pike River coal mine disaster and Christchurch earthquakes as well as flooding in Queensland, Cyclone Yasi, and Perth bushfires has made New Zealand and Australia close allies in recent months, he said.

Its at times like these that we pause to remember our shared past and offer each other our support.

Commander Grubb also acknowledged the toll defence service can take on the family members and friends of those amongst forces.

He said the strength of nations rests on the shoulders of those who represent them men and women who sacrifice their future for ours.

ANZACs and all those who have served will be held in our hearts and minds forever we will remember them.

Cook Islands Returned and Services Association (RSA) vice-president Henry Wichman says about 12 Cook Islanders are currently serving in New Zealand and Australian defence forces and there are about 100 soldiers of Cook Islands origin.

Yesterdays ANZAC Day services on Rarotonga also included a cooked breakfast at the RSA clubrooms, where former New Zealand Army corporal Tereapii Pitomaki, of Arorangi, was presented with the New Zealand Operational Service Medal (OSM) by New Zealand High Commissioner Linda Te Puni.

Mangaia-born Pitomaki served with the New Zealand Army between 1983 and 1997, during which time he was deployed to South East Asia and Bosnia.

He has also received a United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR) medal.

Pitomaki, who now works at The Rarotongan Beach Resort and Spa, was one of many returned servicemen who took part in yesterdays dawn parade.

A church service at the Avarua Cook Islands Christian Church was held from 10am, after which members of the Cook Islands Girls and Boys Brigades, Scouts, Pathfinders and Girl Guides marched to the cenotaph.

A Cook Islands RSA procession followed, and more wreaths were laid by representatives of government, the aronga mana, diplomatic corp, various community and uniformed organisations.

• Rosie Manins

Christchurch-based couple Sarah McCallum and Tony Toelupe – a private in the New Zealand Army – are in the Cook Islands for the wedding of McCallum’s mother Clare Small to Vietnam war veteran Roy Whatarangi. 11042502

Canadian World War Two veteran Reg Townsend. 11042506

ANZAC services are unique to every region in every country. Its important that ANZAC services reflect the values of the local region.

Royal New Zealand Navy commander Tony Grubb reflected on the various commemorative services held in the Cook Islands yesterday for the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC).

Hundreds of people participated in and observed services throughout the country to mark the 96th annual ANZAC Day.

Commander Grubb was the guest speaker at a dawn service held on Rarotonga at the Avarua cenotaph.

Speaking to the Cook Islands News after the ceremony, he said it was good to be involved in ANZAC Day commemorations outside of New Zealand.

Based in Wellington, commander Grubb is the New Zealand defence forces advisor to the Cook Islands.

This is his fourth official visit to Rarotonga and he is to work closely with police commissioner Maara Tetava to support the work being done by New Zealand police officers in developing the Cook Islands police department.

Commander Grubb has served with the New Zealand defence forces for 29 years.

Yesterday he was in the company of men both a lot older and younger, who also know what it is to serve for their countries.

New Zealand-born Samoan Tony Toelupe (20) is a private in the New Zealand Army currently based at Burnham near Christchurch.

He has served for the past two and a half years and this week travelled to Rarotonga for a family wedding, as well as to commemorate ANZAC Day in the Cook Islands.

Toelupe says comradeship is a huge aspect of his service in the defence forces.

He was asked to lead the march during yesterdays dawn service in Avarua.

Toelupe is in the Cook Islands with his partner Sarah McCallum, whose mother Clare Small is marrying Vietnam veteran Roy Whatarangi on Friday.

Whatarangi a New Zealand Maori was a member of the Whiskey 3 company 6970 Vietnam as part of the ANZAC battalion land-based army forces.

He spent three months serving in Malaysia and 12 months in Vietnam as a young soldier.

I had my 21st birthday in Vietnam. It was an experience.

He was also based in Singapore from 1971 to1973 and 1979 to1981.

Whatarangi says he still keeps in touch with those he fought alongside, and last year spent ANZAC Day in Vietnam.

He has travelled to the Cook Islands with a group of fellow Vietnam veterans and together they took part in the march for yesterdays dawn parade service.

Whatarangi had progressed to the rank of sergeant by the time he retired from the army in 1988.

Also participating in yesterdays ANZAC Day commemorations was Canadian Reg Townsend, who now lives in New Zealand and travels frequently to the Cook Islands to visit his daughter.

Townsend was a sergeant of the Royal Canadian Air Force from 1939 to 1945 during World War Two.

He trained in Canada and volunteered for service in Europe and Asia, but was never deployed.

Hitler gave up in June so I couldnt go to Europe and they dropped the bomb on Hiroshima so I couldnt go over there either.

Yesterday was the fifth ANZAC Day Townsend has spent in the Cook Islands, where he always participates in services, decorated with his Canadian volunteer service medal and general service medal.

Townsends older brother George Harold Townsend died while serving as a corporal for the Canadian Army in WWII.

He was taken prisoner in Hong Kong on Christmas Day in 1941 and spent more than three years in a prisoner of war camp in Japan.

We got a telegram in 1945 saying that he had passed on in 1944 October 1944. I was in the air force in Canada at the time, Townsend said.

• Rosie Manins

An audit review into the procurement of toilet paper for the 2009 Pacific Mini Games (PMG) has found the games organising committee did not comply with the Cook Islands Government Financial Policies and Procedures Manual (CIGFPPM).

The committee, which included the then PMG chief executive Mac Mokoroa and acting financial secretary Priscilla Maruariki, accepted a Cook Islands Trading Corporation (CITC) quote of $25,596 for toilet paper, following a sponsorship deal with the company.

The CITC quote was higher than three others received from Pacific Hygiene ($9726-$13,887.60), Pacific Supplies ($17,820), and Manea Foods ($19,776).

Director of audit Paul Allsworth says his review of the deal was prompted by concerns from a member of the public worried about whether the process was rushed, if quotes were received as a matter of protocol once a decision to award the contract had already been made, and if biodegradable product was considered.

The contract was not subject to tender because it was worth less than $30,000 and at least three quotes were obtained.

Allsworth found the organising committee did not comply with two clauses in the CIGFPPM which required it to relay the same specifications and instructions to each party interested in providing quotes and for the process to be contestable, transparent, accountable, at arms length and without favouritism.

Our findings showed that there were confusions between the finance/administration team and also the infrastructure and logistics team as to who was responsible for documenting the instructions and specifications of the toilet tissues procurement. Audit received confirmation from the infrastructure and logistics director that it was not their responsibility.

Allsworth says the organising committee accepted CITCs higher quote due to time constraints in ensuring the goods arrived on time, saying shipping was a major factor in the final decision.

CITC was also not able to source biodegradable product due to time constraints.

It signed a sponsorship agreement with PMG organisers between May and September 2009 which was reviewed by the Crown Law Office, Ministry of Finance and Economic Management (MFEM), and lawyer Tim Arnold.

As part of the sponsorship agreement, the PMG organisers would favour placing orders for supplies with CITC . . . similar sponsorship agreements were entered into with other major sponsors. Audit could not confirm this as MFEM were unable to locate their copies of these arrangements.

The sponsorship deal with CITC included a contribution by the company to PMG organisers equivalent to 50 percent of the net profit derived from supply.

Audit found the CIGFPPM does not factor in the return and benefits for government to enter into such sponsorship agreements with suppliers.

Allsworth recommends the CIGFPPM is adhered to, all senior public service officials are accountable for their actions, and failure by heads of departments to adhere to regulation results in the matter being recorded on their personal files as part of their performance and appraisal review with disciplinary action possible.

He asks for all government contracts to be filed and made available for audit, and all contracts reviewed with legal opinions obtained.

In response Mokoroa, chief of staff at the Office of the Prime Minister, says the audit review was laughed at because it deals with toilet paper, and Allsworth failed to say the procurement of ALL equipment and materials for the games was not finalised, costed, and ordered.

Procurement occurred in April and May of 2009, leaving three months for supplies to arrive on time.

Mokoroa says the procurement of toilet paper was entirely legal in compliance with MFEM guidelines, and at the time he asked the audit office to help with supply contracts due to staff shortages and a lack of understanding about relevant regulations.

The most disappointing thing about my request was that not long after this email the director of audit (Allsworth) was elected as treasurer of CISNOC (Cook Islands Sports and National Olympic Committee). It appears that the director being the one appointed to oversee government expenditure and paid over $120,000 a year would rather opt to be a treasurer for CISNOC.

Perhaps PERCA (the Public Expenditure Review Committee) should have acted accordingly to address this gross misdemeanour by the director of audit, Mokoroa says.

He says the PMG organising committee did its best to adhere to all legislation despite time constraints, the need to honour sponsorship deals, funding issues, and the change in some key staff at the time.

Personally I think the PMG Ltd have done the best that they can do to deliver, and if there was any overlooking or committal of any of the MFEM policy guidelines it was unintentional but an oversight on my part at the time of committing this procurement. For that I apologise.

• Rosie Manins

The onus is on Christchurch Mayor Bob Parker to nominate people he considers heroes and heroines people who went the extra mile in rebuilding the earthquake-ravaged city for a free holiday to the Cook Islands.

Prime Minister Henry Puna sent a letter to Parker after the February earthquake and has not received any response.

Cook Islands Tourism chief executive Carmel Beattie said the letter was an invitation to the mayor to choose 50 brave Cantabrians to enjoy an all-expenses-paid holiday to the Cook Islands with their partners. Parker was also invited.

We asked the mayor to join them because we see him as a hero, she said.

Beattie said tourism operators on both Rarotonga and Aitutaki made incredibly generous offers of their products and services to accommodate the heroes and heroines.

We estimated that all up it was between $200,000 and $300,000, she said of the offers pledged by tourism operators, which included international and inter-island airfares, accommodation and tours. It will give these people an incredible visit to the Cook Islands.

• Rachel ReevesRachel Reeves

CIWA president Anthony Turua meets the President of China Hu Jintao who is currently the Paramount Leader of the People’s Republic of China equivalent to President Obama of America. 11042603

Cook Islands Workers Association (CIWA) president Anthony Turua is representing the Asia Pacific Region together with over 300 delegates from all over the world at the 2011 International Forum on Economic Globalisation and Trade Unions in China.

Turua says that its a timely forum for the Pacific region considering the post economic crises.

The forum creates an opportunity to share the work objectives of China and other countries by stimulating enterprises to set up trade union organisations according to law to unionise the vast majority of workers including migrant and labour service workers.

Talks centered on stimulating enterprises to start collective wage bargaining according to law, strengthening regional and industrial collective wage bargaining work while trade unions will also take vigorous action to facilitate the formulation of such laws.

Discussion also included talks on regulations and income distribution policies, making efforts to facilitate the enhancement of the wage supervision and guarantee system, coordinate with government departments to demand back wages for workers, ensure regular wage growth and payment for workers and bring about the growth of payment for labour in pace with the growth of labour productivity.

The economic summit held recently provided provision for human capital enhancement and Turua felt that the forum outcome to improve workers technical qualities and their innovation ability is the key to economic advancement and pushing forward the construction of education and training.

The three-day forum ends on Thursday April 28 in Beijing, China.

• Anthony Turua

Aitutaki’s Alistair Webb with a 23kg giant trevally caught popper fishing in the Easter fishing competition on the outer island. The fish won biggest trevally and was caught aboard Foxy Lady, skippered by Jason Watt. 11042501

The two-day Rarotonga Easter fishing competition, sponsored by Cafe Salsa was highly successful, with 15 club boats taking part.

A total of 45 fish with a combined weight of 451kg was landed over the two days , Easter Saturday and Easter Monday.

The catch included a magnificent 43kg yellow fin tuna, numerous other tuna, maimai, paara and several other species.

Eleven of the 15 boats managed to land fish.

Stormy conditions on Saturday saw tuna on the feed and a calm sea on Monday saw mostly maimai, wahoo and ono on the feed. Prizes were awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the two categories of the heaviest fish landed and total aggregate weight.

In the heaviest fish category, Don Beer fishing in Trader Don took out first place with a 43kg yellow fin while Ina Kaikura fishing in Raumati took second place with a 19kg yellow fin and Corey Fisher fishing in Corey Anne took third place with an 18kg yellow fin.

In the aggregate division, Seafari Charters landed 8 yellow fin, 1 ono and 6 maimai for a total aggregate weight of 140.8 kg to take first place.

Second place went to Raumati with 12 yellow fin tuna weighing 78kg and third place went to Bobi Marie with 2 wahoo weighing in at 29.8kg

A lucky boat draw for a meal voucher was won by Reel Time.

The two-day competition was finished off with prizegiving and live band on Monday night.

The club wishes to acknowledge the generous support of major sponsor Cafe Salsa.

• Weighmaster

Aitutakis Alistair Webb with a 23kg giant trevally caught popper fishing in the Easter fishing competition on the outer island. The fish won biggest trevally and was caught aboard Foxy Lady, skippered by Jason Watt. 11042501

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