Pacific news in brief for 24 April
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Fiji's Narcotics Bureau has warned the country's battle against drugs could get harder if fentanyl becomes widespread.
FBC
reported Jemesa Lave from the Bureau saying this drug is more dangerous than methamphetamine and cocaine.
He said fentanyl has already made its way into nearby countries such as like Australia and New Zealand.
Lave said countries like Fiji are vulnerable to being a transit point for bigger markets.
An economist says the European Union (EU)'s blacklisting of Vanuatu over tax governance concerns is discriminatory, unjust, and immoral.
Eleven jurisdictions are identified by the EU as failing to meet international tax standards. Six of these are in the Pacific region, with Fiji, Palau and Sāmoa included.
Economist Marla Dukharan told the
Vanuatu Daily Post
countries that are not predomonantly white, wealthy and globally powerful are being targeted.
According to the EU, jurisdictions are assessed for tax transparency and fair taxation measures.
Regulation aimed at multinational companies trying to exploit international tax loopholes is also a criteria.
However, Durkharan said there is limited awareness of the UN tax convention globally.
She also warned imposing income or corporate tax in Vanuatu's subsistence and agriculture-based economy would create more problems than solutions.
The presidents of the Marshall Islands and Palau have attended a closed-door virtual session on climate and the just transition.
The leaders' session was convened by UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva of Brazil, which will host the annual UN climate summit this November.
Guterres addressed the media afterwards
,
saying no region is being spared from the ravages of accelerating climate catastrophes, and the crisis is deepening poverty, displacing communities, and fuelling conflict and instability.
He said he urged leaders to step up efforts to submit the strongest possible national climate plans well ahead of COP30, and to scale-up support for developing countries.
Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka is cutting short his visits to Singapore and Indonesia to attend a Fijian chief's funeral.
The
Fiji Times
reported Rabuka will arrive in Nadi on Friday and fly to Savusavu on Saturday for the funeral of Ratu Epeli Mailekutu Wainiu.
The Prime Minister met Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong on Tuesday.
A statment from the Fiji govenrment said discussions focused on prospects for cooperation in capacity building, governance, trade and economic cooperation.
New Zealand's Veterans Minister Chris Penk will attend Anzac Day commemorations in Alofi, Niue.
Anzac Day, which honours and remembers Australian and New Zealand servicemen and women, is this Friday.
Penk said around 150 Niuean men volunteered for the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in World War I, and in the Second World War, Niueans served as coast watchers.
Penk is also planning to meet with Niue prime minister Dalton Tagelagi.
Sihek birds have laid eggs at their new home of Palmyra Atoll - reportedly the first wild eggs for the species in almost 40 years.
Nature Conservancy reports nine young sihek - also known as Guam kingfishers - were released at the organisation's Palmyra Atoll Preserve in September 2024 by the Sihek Recovery Program.
Palmyra Atoll was selected because it is largely predator-free and fully protected.
Bird conservation scientist with the Nature Conservancy's Island Resilience Strategy and the Zoological Society of London, Dr. Caitlin Andrews, said the hope is to reestablish a self-sustaining Sihek population in the wild.
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The Spinoff
an hour ago
- The Spinoff
Secondary teachers walk off the job as government digs in
Teachers say an offer of 1% a year is an insult. Ministers say they should be at the negotiating table, not on the picket line, writes Catherine McGregor in today's extract from The Bulletin. A full-day walkout Secondary teachers are off the job today, with classes around the country cancelled as members of the Post Primary Teachers' Association stage a one-day strike. As Lyric Waiwiri-Smith explains in The Spinoff this morning, the action follows teachers' rejection of the government's offer of a 1% annual pay rise over three years – an increase the union described as 'the lowest in a generation'. Teachers had sought a 4% yearly rise to cover inflation and stem the loss of staff overseas. Today's walkout is just the beginning: rolling strikes are scheduled for mid-September, when teachers will refuse to teach particular year levels on successive days. Meanwhile, primary teachers are holding paid union meetings this week to consider their next steps, after also voting to reject the 1% offer. Teachers say they're worth more For many teachers, the issue is about more than headline figures. In a widely shared essay for The Spinoff, Auckland teacher Connor Murphy describes the government's offer as 'an insult disguised as an offer', pointing out that 'teachers entered into these negotiations with a set of very reasonable demands. Instead of making a reasonable counteroffer, the government ignored our requests and crafted an offer seemingly purpose-built to make things worse.' Teachers argue their pay has fallen far behind comparable professions, with Australian starting salaries now up to $31,000 higher than New Zealand's. Murphy says that while prime minister Christopher Luxon has talked about keeping New Zealanders at home with good, well-paying jobs, the government hasn't followed the rhetoric with action, and teachers are instead eyeing better pay across the Tasman. Ministers dig in Education minister Erica Stanford has urged the union to return to negotiations, calling today's strike 'premeditated' and 'deeply unfair' for parents and students. Public service minister Judith Collins went further, labelling the walkout a 'political stunt' and accusing unions of having 'little tantrums' and using children 'like their shuttle boards' [sic]. The government has tried to highlight what it says is a strong deal: public service commissioner Sir Brian Roche said the latest offer came 'on top of a further 3.9% to 7.7% in pay increases already built-in for each of the next three years' and that the package would deliver pay rises of between $2,500 and $7,000 a year, when annual progression is included. But Collins herself was forced into a rare backtrack yesterday after she wrongly claimed that teachers with 10 years' experience earned $147,000 a year. As Stuff's Bridie Witton and Glenn McConnell report, she later admitted she had 'mixed up [her] messages', clarifying that only a small number of senior deputy principals in large schools would reach that figure. The gaffe further inflamed teachers already sceptical about the government's grasp of their pay and conditions. What teachers actually earn So what do teachers really take home? As Nik Dirga writes in a comprehensive explainer for RNZ, the base salary for a newly qualified teacher begins at just over $61,000, rising step by step each year to $103,000 at the top of the scale. The Ministry of Education puts the average secondary teacher salary at around $101,000. Extra responsibilities – such as running a subject department or serving as deputy principal – attract management units and allowances, which can boost pay into the $110,000–$140,000 range. But only a handful of teachers reach the $147,000 Collins cited, and most are in senior leadership rather than classroom roles. For new teachers, the current offer of 1% a year translates to an increase of less than $12 a week. That, say striking teachers, is why they're on the picket lines today, and why more disruption is on the way unless the government comes back with an offer they can live with.
Otago Daily Times
4 hours ago
- Otago Daily Times
Regional finalist a first-time entrant
Central Otago vineyard manager Damon Lovell is "over the moon" to be representing his region at the Young Viticulturist of the Year competition next week. The 25-year-old is one of five finalists from wine-making regions across New Zealand vying for the top title. The competition is being held at Greystone, in Waipara, North Canterbury. Shawn McAvinue reports. Winning the Otago regional heat of the Young Viticulturist of the Year competition was a surprise for Damon Lovell, as he only began working at the 24ha Carrick vineyard and winery about 10 months ago, after returning home from his OE. It was the first time he had entered the competition. To help judges decide a national winner, he needs to submit a report on past and future innovations in the winemaking industry and deliver a speech on how the industry has changed in Central Otago in the past 20 years and what it would look like in the next 20 years. As he has lived in Central Otago for less than a year, he is interviewing experienced industry insiders in the region. He said the competition was a great way to meet people and learn new skills. Grape varieties on Carrick were about two-thirds pinot noir and the rest were a mix of chardonnay, pinot gris, pinot blanc and riesling. Some old sauvignon blanc vines were recently pulled out. Sauvignon blanc vines in Marlborough could produce more than 15 tonnes per hectare compared to about nine tonnes per hectare in Central Otago. The sauvignon blanc vines in Carrick were producing fewer than four tonnes per hectare. "It's just not financially viable. We're putting more money into it than we were getting out," he said. A decision was pending on what variety of grape to plant in the area but it would likely be a premium pinot noir or chardonnay variety. Chardonnay was the romantic decision but pinot noir was probably a better business decision. "It's a little bit more enticing, but there's always room for a little bit of romance." He was a big fan of pinot blanc wine due to it being smooth and easy to drink, a refreshing wine for summer drinking. The variety was easy to grow, produced plenty of fruit and was not as disease-prone as some other varieties. He believed aromatic white wines, such as pinot blanc, were becoming popular again. "It looks like pinot blanc is on its way back, which I'd love to see." Premium wine sales in restaurants had dropped due to the pandemic and ongoing economic uncertainty but the market was improving. An Australian wine buyer recently told him a rising trend across the Tasman was more people drinking wine in restaurants any day of the week. "It looks like people are still into premiums, which is good." Mr Lovell was born and raised in Taupiri, near Huntly in Waikato. He wanted to be involved in the primary sector and enrolled to study a bachelor of viticulture and oenology at Lincoln University, despite never setting foot in a vineyard. "I thought I'd have a crack." During his studies, he got a summer internship working at Babich Wines in Marlborough. After graduating, he worked as a vineyard operator on the 47ha organic block at Babich for 18 months. He left Babich to go on his OE. His working holiday in the United Kingdom included being a cellar hand in Surrey for three months and a sommelier, or wine waiter, at a Michelin star restaurant in Kensington, London. He got the job despite having no experience in the hospitality industry. The experience opened his eyes to the "pointy end" of the wine industry. Some diners would spend £2000 ($NZ4530) on a bottle of wine. Highlights of his travels included visiting French regions Bordeaux, Champagne and Provence. The initial plan was to get a working holiday visa for France, but obtaining one was "real difficult" so he and his girlfriend changed their plan to work and live in the United Kingdom instead, which was an easier option to make happen. A dream to work in France remains alive. He was hopeful of taking part in an exchange programme between Central Otago and Burgundy from August next year. Before returning home from his OE, he began looking for work in vineyards in Central Otago. "I sent emails out to pretty much anyone that would listen." Carrick responded about a supervisor role opening up, he said. He had never worked in the South before, but he wanted to be near his girlfriend's family, who live in Dunedin. Another appeal of Central Otago was it being a great place to do outdoor activities, such as hunting and mountainbiking. "I love Otago and it's an honour to be managing Carrick. It's a real cool spot."
Scoop
6 hours ago
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Warmongering Astrologers: Sky News And The War Cabinet
Twenty-four-hour news networks have demonstrated that surfeit kills discretion. The search for fillers, distractions and items that will titillate, enrage or simply sedate, is an ongoing process. Gone are the days when discerning choices were made about what constituted worthy news, an admittedly difficult problem that would always lead to priorities, rankings and judgments that might well be challenged. At the very least, news could be kept to specific time slots during the day, meaning that audiences could, at the very least, be given some form of rationing. Such an approach culminated in that most famous of occasions on April 18, 1933 when the BBC's news announcer declared with a minimum of fuss that 'There is no news.' This was followed by piano music playing out the rest of the segment. On the pretext of coming across as informed and enlightened, such networks have also bought into astrology masquerading as sound comment. The commentators are intended to lend an air of respectability to something that either has not happened, or something they have little idea about. Their credentials, however, are advertised like glitzy baubles, intended to arrest the intelligence of the viewing audience long enough to realise they have been had. Sky News Australia is one such cringing example. The premise of The War Cabinet, which aired on August 11, was clear: those attending it were simply dying for greater militarism and war preparedness on the part of the Australian government, while those preferring diplomacy would be treated like verminous denialists yearning for some sand to bury their heads in. The point was less a matter of news than prediction and speculation, an exercise of mass bloviation. To lend a war time flavour to proceedings, the event was staged in the Cabinet Room of Old Parliament House, which host Chris Uhlmann celebrated as the place Australia Prime Minister 'John Curtin and his ministers steered the nation through World War II.' Former ministers, defence leaders, and national security experts were gathered 'around the Cabinet table to answer a single question: is Australia ready for war?' The stale view from Alexander Downer, Australia's longest and, in many ways, most inconspicuous foreign minister, did little to rustle or stir. Liberal democracy, to be preserved in sacred glory, needed Australia to be linked to a 'strong global alliance led by the United States'. That such an alliance might itself be the catalyst for war, notably given expectations from Washington about what Australia would do in a conflict with China, was ignored with an almost studious ignorance. Instead, Downer saw quite the opposite. 'If this alliance holds, if it's properly cemented, if it is well-led by the Americans… and if we, as members of the alliance, are serious about making a practical contribution to defence through our spending and our equipment, then we will maintain a balance of power in the world.' His assessment of the current Albanese government was one of some dottiness. 'I think the government here in Australia has made a major mistake by playing, if you like, politics with this issue of the dangers of the region and losing the balance of power because they don't want to be seen as too close to President Trump.' Any press briefing from Defence Minister Richard Marles regarding the anti-China AUKUS pact would ease any anxiety on Downer's part. Under the Albanese government, sovereignty has been surrendered to Washington in a way so remarkable it could be regarded as treasonous. While the Royal Australian Navy may never see a single US nuclear powered submarine, let alone a jointly constructed one, US naval shipyards are rolling in the cash of the Australian taxpayer. Former Labor Defence Minister, Joel Fitzgibbon, lamented that Australia's strategic outlook in the Indo-Pacific was 'deteriorating rather markedly,' a formulation utterly vague and a mere parroting of just about every other hawkish analyst that sees deterioration everywhere. Thankfully, we had Strategic Forum CEO Ross Babbage to give some shape to it, which turned out to be that ragged motif of the Yellow Horde to the North readying to strike southwards. The Oriental Barbarians with a tinge of Communist Red were primary reasons for a worsening strategic environment, aided by their generous military expenditure. With almost a note of admiration, Babbage felt that China was readying for war by adjusting its economy and readying its people 'for tough times that may come'. The venal, ever noisy former Home Affairs Department Secretary Mike Pezzullo, who has an unhealthy appetite for warring matters, drew upon figures he could not possibly know, along with everybody else who have tried to read the inscrutable entrails of international relations. Chances of conflict in the Indo-Pacific by 2027, for instance, was a '10 to 20 per cent' likelihood. Sky News, living down to its subterranean standards, failed to mention that Pezzullo had misused his position as one of Canberra's most powerful bureaucrats to opine on ministerial appointments via hundreds of private text messages to Liberal Party powerbroker Scott Briggs. The Australian Public Service Commission found that Pezzullo had, among other things, used his 'duty, power, status or authority to seek to gain a benefit or advantage for himself' and 'failed to maintain confidentiality of sensitive government information' and 'failed to act apolitically in his employment'. His employment was subsequently terminated, and his Order of Australia stripped in September last year. Fine credentials for balanced commentary on the strategic outlook of a state. Other talking heads were keen to push spine tingling prospects of wicked regimes forming alliances and making mischief. Oleksandra Molloy, billed as an aviation expert, thought the 'emerging axis' between Russia, North Korea and Iran 'quite concerning'. Former naval officer and defence pundit Jennifer Parker urged the fattening of the defence budget to 'develop a degree of autonomy'. Retired Australian Army major general Mick Ryan was most unimpressed by the 'zero risk' mentality that seemed to pervade 'pretty much every bit of Australian society'. The Department of Defence needed to take greater risks in terms of procurement, innovation and reducing 'the amount of time it takes to develop capability'. His fantasy was positively Spartan in its military totalitarianism: an Australian state nurturing 'a spirit of innovation that connects military, industry and society'. The cry for conscription must be just around the corner. Chief war monger and think tanker Peter Jennings aired his all too familiar views on China, which have become pathological. 'It is utterly false for our government to say that somehow they have stabilised the relationship with China. Things may have improved on the trade front, but that is at the expense of ignoring the strategic developments which all of our colleagues around the table have spoken about, which is China is positioning for war.' And there you had it: an hour of furious fretting and wailing anxiety with all figures in furious agreement, with a resounding boo to diplomacy and a hurrah for astrology. Dr. Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He currently lectures at RMIT University. Email: bkampmark@
