Press Release – United Nations

MAJURO / GENEVA (30 March 2012) – United Nations Special Rapporteur Calin Georgescu warned Friday that the communities affected by nuclear testing over sixty years ago in the Marshall Islands are “yet to find durable solutions to the dislocation to … Read more »

Press Release – The Nation

Foreign Minister Murray McCully has set out new terms under which New Zealand might relax some of its sanctions on the Fiji military Government led by Commodore Frank Bainimarama. Read more »

A man swims down a street in Nadi town with floating furniture. Photo: Ashneel Narayan

Pacific Scoop:
Report – from PMC Newsdesk

Heavy flooding has again hit the West Coast of Viti Levu, Fiji’s main island, and inundated Nadi town, leaving residents stranded on top of buildings.

Fiji Village has reported there were eight people on top of the Mobil service station roof. DISMAC, Police and National Fire Authority have been called to the location.

The Semo bridge in Sigatoka is currently closed, leaving residents and tourists stuck in Suva and Pacific Harbour, including AUT University’s professor David Robie, who was attending a conference. Read more »

Press Release – MetService

The large anticyclone that has brought some fine weather over the past several days will stick around over the weekend before drifting away to the east of the country. This will then allow a deepening area of low pressure from the tropics to move towards … Read more »

Press Release – Green Party

The Green Party announced today that former Cabinet Minister Laila Harre will be taking up the newly created position of Issues Director based in Auckland. The Issues Director is one of three senior political advisor roles with the Greens and will … Read more »

Press Release – New Zealand Defence Force

It will be a spectacular show to mark 75 years of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) tomorrow with aircraft from five international Air Forces taking to the skies. Read more »

Delegates at the PINA Pacific Media Summit in Pacific Harbour, Fiji. Photo: ONOC

Pacific Scoop:
Report – by Sheenal Sharma in Suva

A health expert has told media personnel climate change is also a health issue and the media can help identify and solve climate-related problems.

Dr Josaia Samuela, from the Public Health Division of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, said people need to make the link, because basic needs such as food and water are directly dependent on climate.

“The physical environment and non-human species are the primary victims of climate change, while the human impacts of climate change are distant, experienced somewhere else, and at some time in the future,” he said. Read more »

Amo Ieriko performs the firedance at Northcote’s final ‘Pasifika in Libraries’ event. Photo: Melissa Low / PMC

Pacific Scoop
Report – By Melissa Low

The owner of an Auckland performance company wants to see more Pacific Island nations represented in New Zealand’s cultural events.

Amo Ieriko, artistic director of Polynesian Entertainers Ltd, says representation of Hawaiian, Rapa Nui [Easter Island], and smaller village cultures are missing from events like Pasifika and Polyfest.

He says the island of Rapa Nui should have more attention as “that’s where Polynesia started”, and villages in Hawaii and Samoa are unique to the rest of the Polynesian culture. Read more »

Pacific media training at a Pacific Media Summit. Photo: PMC/Hooper

Pacific Scoop:
Report – by Parijata Gurdayal in Suva

The media needs to increase its commitment to reporting on climate change issues in order to safeguard those affected, says human rights lawyer Seema Naidu.

Speaking at the Pacific Media Summit in Pacific Harbour yesterday, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community’s legal trainer on human rights said the media could serve as a critical tool in managing human rights violations of climate change victims.

She commended the media for its coverage of climate change issues in the Pacific but said more needed to be done to highlight the human rights violations of the communities most affected. Read more »

Opinion – Keith Rankin

A book to be published this week, “T o the End of the Earth”, claims that ancient Europeans visited and even lived in New Zealand 2,000 or more years ago. (Refer Egyptians, Greeks came to New Zealand first – book , stuff.co.nz, 23/03/2012). Read more »