New Zealand hikes foreign aid budget with eye on contested South Pacific

by Charlotte Greenfield, reuters.com
May 8, 2018

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand will ramp up foreign aid spending by nearly a third, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said on Tuesday, as the country seeks to pour money into the Pacific in part to counter the rising influence of China.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Peters, who struck a deal in October to form a coalition government, have promised a ‘Pacific reset’ to woo neighboring countries at a time when China is dramatically increasing its presence in the region.

Peters said an extra NZ$714 million ($498.94 million) will be set aside for aid over the next four years in the new Labour-led government’s first budget, set to be announced on May 17. This compares with the current annual aid budget, set under the previous center-right National government, of NZ$647 million.

“The South Pacific has become an increasingly contested strategic space,” Peters, who is also deputy prime minister, told reporters and officials in Parliament on Tuesday.

“Our voice has been weakened during the past decade at the same time as Pacific nations face a myriad of challenges they are not, in many cases, well equipped to tackle.”

The additional aid would “primarily” be directed to the Pacific, Peters added, but he gave no specific details.

New Zealand and neighboring ally Australia have long enjoyed near unswayed influence in the Pacific, including acting as protectorates over Pacific nations such as Papua New Guinea. But their dominance is being challenged with the world’s second biggest economy turning its attention to the region.

Chinese economic aid to the region is growing, according to Australian think-tank the Lowy Institute, with an estimated $1.78 billion spent in the decade to 2016.

China has denied Australian accusations that Beijing is using its aid program to exert influence in the Pacific.

“Does New Zealand need to focus more on the Pacific and to think about its delivery of aid?” said Robert Ayson, a strategic studies professor at Victoria University in Wellington.

“The China factor does encourage New Zealand to think more about that.”

Other nations have expressed similar concerns about China’s growing influence. French President Emmanuel Macron this month called for the creation of a new strategic alliance between Australia, India and France to respond to challenges in the region and China’s assertiveness.

Peters raised the issue with Britain’s foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, at a meeting in London in April. Later Johnson pledged Britain’s “scaled up presence” in the Pacific, a focus analysts say was probably prompted by the Asian giant’s rise.

($1=1.4276 New Zealand dollars)

Vanilla beans now more expensive than silver

by Sue Gleiter, pennlive.com
May 7, 2018

Bakers and ice cream makers are paying a hefty price for vanilla beans.

The key ingredient in sweet treats has soared to near record levels and is now hovering at about $600 a kilogram, making it more expensive than silver.

As a result, consumers may be paying more for that pint of ice cream or doughnut with their coffee.

Earlier this spring, Dunkin' Donut's chief executive officer Nigel Travis told Bloomberg that dairy and vanilla prices are weighing down returns at Baskin-Robbins, one of its brands.

"It puts pressure on both our margins internationally, and the costs to our franchisees, so we've taken this very seriously," he said in the story.

Locally, Urban Churn ice cream's founder Adam Brackbill said he stopped buying vanilla beans in exchange for vanilla bean paste to make his artisan ice cream, which is mostly sold at the Broad Street Market in Harrisburg.

The paste is less expensive than the actual vanilla beans, he said.

"With the prices they are now a days, it's better to buy vanilla bean paste. That is, if you want the beans for that visual appeal," Brackbill added.

In the United Kingdom at least one ice cream maker stopped producing vanilla ice cream, while another ice cream business, Snugburys Ice Cream, says it is paying 30 times more for vanilla than it did last year, according to the BBC.

"It has really gone up, so last year we decided to buy it forward by a year's-worth," Cleo Sadler, who manages the production side of the business, told the BBC.

The high prices can be blamed on a cyclone which last year hit Madagascar, a tropical island off the south-east coast of Africa and the world's top vanilla growing region.

About 75 percent of the world's vanilla is grown in Madagascar. It is also grown in Papua New Guinea, India and Uganda.

Julian Gale, a commodities analyst for IEG Vu, told the BBC they had hoped prices would go down by now but they have remained high due to strong demand.

Melbourne Storm's Justin Olam a humble role model for PNG kids

nrl.co | May 7, 2018

Storm centre Justin Olam says he is humbled to be the first graduate from the successful PNG Hunters Intrust Super Cup side to play NRL and honoured to be able to show young kids back in Papua New Guinea that it is not impossible for them to make it to the NRL.

Storm centre Justin Olam.

©Robb Cox/NRL Photo

While the PNG Kumuls Test side has generally been bolstered by a few NRL stars alongside local players - such as David Mead, James Segeyaro and Nene Macdonald in recent years - Olam is the first domestic player to graduate from the Hunters team to the NRL.

Olam's chance came when Curtis Scott failed to pull up from an ankle injury suffered in round eight and Young Tonumaipea suffered a hamstring strain at training, resulting in a late call-up.

He had some impressive moments in his team's 34-14 loss to the Dragons at Kogarah, pulling off some big tackles and helping outside man Josh Addo-Carr into space on more than one occasion.

"It's not the result we wanted but it's good for me to have a game and go out there and play. I loved it," the softly-spoken 24-year-old told NRL.com after the game.

"I'm the first to come through the Hunter system to play NRL so I'm really humbled. It's a good pathway. I came through thanks to the Storm giving me the opportunity to play.

"It's great for the pathways, that's the main reason why the Hunters have been established as a club, to make a pathway for young Papua New Guineans to come and make their NRL dream.

"I'm happy to be the first one. For me to be the first one is a message to the young kids in Papua New Guinea that it's not impossible to play NRL.

"I'm really humbled I can be an example."

Olam acquitted himself well in his top-grade debut, putting outside man Josh Addo-Carr away for a try and putting on a few shots in his 10 tackles while also accruing 97 run metres. However he said he was far from satisfied with his own performance.

"It's my first game, I just need to get my body up to the pace and understand the game as well," he said.

"It's different from [Intrust] obviously. I'm not really confident at the moment but if I play a second or third game I know what to do next. I know I'll be very confident my next game."

Olam wasn't sure how long teammates Scott and Tonumaipea would be sidelined. Coach Craig Bellamy also has the option of a fit-again Cheyse Blair, who recently returned from injury as well.

"All I need to do is go back and train well and improve on my mistakes," Olam said.

"Hopefully I get a second call-up."

Anzac Day 2018 at Bomana War Cemetery

All pictures@Malum Nalu

Change of CEO of PNG Air Ltd

PNG Air Ltd

The Board of Directors of PNG Air Ltd (POMSOX: CGA) announced on Wednesday that the company’s chief executive officer, Muralee Siva, has resigned from his role as CEO.
Siva was appointed to the CEO position in November 2012, and has overseen the
implementation of the company’s strategy to focus more on regular passenger transport services, introduce majority ownership by major PNG institutions, re-fleet with new ATR 72-600 aircraft andr ebrand the company as PNG Air.
Chairman of the company’s board, Murray Woo, said: “Muralee believes that after more than five years in the role and with rebranding and the initial stage of the re-fleeting programme successfully completed, it is time for him to move on, and to allow someone with a new perspective and a
different set of ideas to come in and take the company through the next stage of its
development.
“The board has been speaking for some time to Muralee about a transition, and agrees that this is the right time for it.
"On behalf of the board, the company and its major shareholders, I want to express to Muralee our appreciation of his outstanding efforts and contribution.
"I sincerely thank him for his dedication to the company, and for the skills, experience and acumen he has brought to it."
Pending appointment of a permanent CEO, the company’s chief commercial officer, Paul Abbot, will be the acting CEO.
Abbot joined the company as manager sales & distribution in January 2011, and became the chief commercial officer in October 2013.

Fresh Produce Development Agency commended for its work

Fresh Produce Development Agency

Fresh Produce Development Agency (FPDA) will continue to promote its programmes in the country backed by an excellent corporate governance and best management practices, National Planning Minister Richard Maru said on Tuesday.

National Planning Minister Richard Maru (right) with Fresh Produce Development Agency management including CEO Mark Worinu (third from left).

The minister met with FPDA’s top management to discuss on issues relating to fresh produce development in the country and the way forward.
A presentation made by FPDA chief executive officer Mark Worinu touchedon the successes and prospects for the organisation.
Maru said he was impressed with the work of FPDA so far and assured them that he would ensure funding was secured to carry out to their activities.
Worinu said FPDA had been around for 30 years now and had been working in the back stage promoting and developing food crops for farmers and assisting with the market chain so farmers could get their produce to the markets.
He said some of the major crops that were commercially-viable included bulb onion, sweet potato and English potato, among others which they have been promoting in the country.
FPDA has developed seed-multiplication for distribution and assisted local farmers to grow and supply seedlings where and when required.
Potato and bulb onions are commercially-viable and can be grown in quantity to replace the import market and even export to other countries if emphasis and skills were transferred to local farmers.
Other crops such as citrus and pineapple had the potential to develop into large-scale with the potential for downstream processing only if there was concrete Government intervention with funding and technical support.
Worinu said FPDA was only a regulatory body assisting with skills and knowledge,  but given the need and interest shown by the small farmers, it had gone out of its way to assist with farming skills transfer, supply chain and securing markets.
Maru said while he was impressed with the work of FPDA, he also challenged them to provide their plans and objectives so the government could assist wherever they could.
“I want us to look at the bigger picture and take our food crop production and development to the next level," he said.
"We have to be innovative and learn the new skills and technology in farming.
"We need downstream processing and look at supplying our markets adequately and even exporting our crops to other markets around the world."
Maru is determined to see agriculture,  especially horticulture industry, adequately funded and driven to the next level.
“Our farmers must work in cooperatives and be owners of the market chain," he said.
"They should own the processing plants and continue to work on their farms to supply the market.
"We cannot sit back and allow outsiders to take over our agriculture industry."
Maru also commended FPDA for building a four-storey office complex in Goroka which is scheduled to be opened later this year.
He said with the best corporate governance and sound financing system, his office would not hesitate to assist FPDA with funding in their projects and programmes.
While thanking minister Maru for having confidence in FPDA Worinu said his office would be ever-ready to deliver what was required by the Government to fulfil the  Vision 2050 policy and the medium-term development plans.
Ends…

Boluminski Highway sealing in New Ireland underway

Australian High Commission

Works are well underway in New Ireland on a major project to reconstruct 32.4km section of the Boluminski Highway between Pinatgin and Loloba.

The K39.4 million project is being delivered
through the Papua New Guinea - Australia Partnership, with the support of the New Ireland Provincial Government.

Australia is committed to supporting a prosperous Papua New Guinea.
Works along the Boluminski Highway will help business, help local communities access markets and services and boost the tourism industry in New Ireland Province.
Department of Works Secretary, David Wereh, is pleased to see the project progressing well.

“This is an important project on an essential economic corridor for
Papua New Guinea," he said.
"The project will finally link the centres of
Namatanai and Kavieng with 265km of sealed maintainable road.
"This will be a significant achievement made possible through a long term
commitment by the Papua New Guinean and Australian governments”.
More than 140 local residents are employed on the project and worksare expected to be completed by the end of December 2018. The project is being delivered through the Papua New Guinea – Australia Transport
Sector Support Program.