French Polynesia Up-Date. (Photo, Bora Bora island.)

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Virginie Ribadeau Dumas.

This report is the first of a weekly series titled Pacific Scoop’s French Polynesia News Round-Up on politics, economics, culture, youth, urban issues, news and current affairs within French Polynesia.

New Caledonia – 26-31/07/2010

Politics: Caledonie Ensemble Meeting. On Saturday Caledonie Ensemble will held its 3rd meeting since its creation in 2008. This first reunion after the last regional elections will take place in a very peculiar political context, right after its leader Philippe Gomez, also president of the New Caledonia Government, refused to support the 2-flag proposition at the Congress.

Interview of Philippe Gomes on Les Nouvelles Caledoniennes website and Caledonie Ensemble official website.

Politics: Congress adopts Caledonian anthem. On Thursday, Congress’ Special Commission of Identity Symbol adopted New Caledonia’s anthem. It will be officially voted next August 18th along with the island’s new motto and bills design. For more, click here.

Economics: Toward a real estate crisis? Real estate could face serious difficulties with the enforcement of several new measures, as the own planning tax. Still booming not so long ago, the sector could experience a sharp brake. Since the beginning of the year, property sales already dropped by 20% according to the New Caledonian real estate trade union (SPI). For more, click here.

Economics: Protecting New Caledonian job market. The bill on “protection, promotion and support for local jobs” was unanimously adopted in Congress on Tuesday. Resulting of long negotiations, it had been an symbolical measure of the Nomea Accord. The text states that providing that qualificiations and competencies are equal, “employers must give the priority to New Caledonian citizen”, whatever be his or her ethnical background. The measure should be enforced in 2011. For more, click here.

Island news: No more medical care on Belep Island. On Friday, after the second serious aggression in two weeks, the doctor and his two nurses left Belep. The Island being left with no medical staff, an army helicopter had to be sent to rescue injured inhabitants after a car accident on Tuesday. For more, click here.

Youth: a lot more work to do for youth in North Province. This week, the administration held a conference to debate on youth policies with young Caledonians themselves. Aged 16 to 30 what they have been highlighting throughout the week is the lack of information about policies that are dedicated to them. For more, click here.

French Polynesia – 26-31/07/2010

Politics: tensions between the Government and Opposition on SMPP-Sogeba issue. The budget proposition made by the government to settle the situation of SMPP-Sogeba company, has raised amendments from the two opposition parties UPLD and Tahoeraa which hold majority at the assembly, triggering off the anger of French Polynesia President Gaston Tong. This latter denounces the impossibility to rule French Polynesia in this tensed political context while UPLD and Gaston Floss calls for his resignation. For more, click here (Tahiti Presse) and here (Lesnouvelles) and here (Ladepeche).

Urbanism: Setting a general town planning policy. The audit assignment on the creation of a Town Planning Agency in French Polynesia ended on Tuesday. The audit reaches the conclusion that such an agency is required to organize French Polynesia city development, in collaboration with the Province, the States and the different city councils. If everything goes according to plans, the agency should be created by the end of the first trimester 2011. For more, click here.

Vanuatu: Vanuatu celebrates the 30th anniversary of its independence. This weekend, Vanuatu will held festivities to celebrate the 30th anniversary of its independence. The Vanuatu community in New Caledonia – 5,000 members approximatively – will organize celebrations in Noumea for those who cannot fly over. For more, click here (24hdanslepacifique) and here (INC)

Culture: “O Tahiti Nui Freedom”, an expedition to revive the Polynesian sailing past. At dusk on Tuesday, a “O Tahiti Nui Freedom” canoe left Papeete after a traditional Polynesian ceremony. It is expected to rally China in 78 days, if it does not cross the path of a typhoon (0.3% chance according to the captain). The crew sets to retrace their ancestors’ migration itinary in the opposite direction, to draw the attention on those frail boats which colonised and conquered the biggest and the most feared ocean of the planet, some 6,000 years ago. For more, click here (Tahiti Presse), and here (Ladepeche).

Virginie Ribadeau Dumas is conducting an internship at Scoop Media (NZ), and is a French student majoring in international affairs journalism at the Political Sciences Institute of Rennes (France).