Samoa’s Gatoloaifaana Amataga Alesana-Gidlow … seeks a NZ ban on fatty meat exports to the Pacific. Image: IISD

At last month’s Pacific parliamentary forum in Wellington, delegates from around the region called for New Zealand to stop exporting fatty meat to the Pacific. The fatty offcuts being exported have been partially blamed for the rise of non-communicable diseases in the Pacific. But Holly Ryan reports for Asia-Pacific Journalism on other concerns.

Pacific Scoop:
Backgrounder – By Holly Ryan

While non-communicable diseases in the Pacific have been on the rise over the last few decades and are partially blamed on the dumping of cheap, fatty food in the region, shortages of healthy locally grown foods are also a problem.

Fatty food supplies from New Zealand again faced controversy at last month’s Pacific Parliamentary and Politics Forum with calls for such exports to be banned.

“All we can do is keep reminding the government and ministries to not back off and to keep pushing for change,” says Cook Islands Democratic Party MP Selina Napa, who was among those at the forum. Read more »

West Papuan journalist and peace negotiator Octovianus Mote and Pax Christi’s Kevin McBride at AUT’s WPFD address. Image: Del Abcede/PMC

More than 600 journalists have been killed globally in the last decade — 121 died last year alone. They had one thing in common. They were killed for doing their jobs. Greg Asciutto reports for Asia-Pacific Journalism.

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Greg Asciutto

Across the Pacific, advocates of media freedom hosted many World Press Freedom Day celebrations this year.

Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and the Solomon Islands were among the countries to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the UNESCO event on May 3, which focuses upon securing freedom of expression in all forms of media.

According to UNESCO, more than 600 journalists have been killed globally in the last decade — 121 died last year alone. Read more »

Mutton flaps banned in New Zealand and the US but not in the Pacific. Image: Kiva.org

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Michael Sergel and Finian Scott in Wellington

New Zealand must stop the export of fatty foods to Pacific countries if it wants to deal with the region’s record high rates of obesity and diabetes, a Samoan MP told a forum of Pacific leaders today.

Gataoloaifa’na Amataga Alesana Gidlow told delegates at the Pacific Parliamentary and Political Leaders Forum in Wellington that New Zealand is largely to blame, for failing to stop the exporting of fatty meats and other products.

“In the true spirit of supporting each other, we ask our developed brother, partner and neighbour, New Zealand, to stop exporting to your poor and less developed neighbour in the Pacific all your fatty products that are not for sale in your country because they are not consumable,” she demanded. Read more »

Samoan master carver Tuailevaoola Pio Timu creating frangipanis on the Cook Island column. Image: Alistar Kata/PMC

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Alistar Kata

A new early childhood centre will keep South Auckland’s culture alive by erecting pieces of artwork on its Mangere campus.

Six columns, or pou mamanu, will be designed and carved especially for the school, representing some of the main islands in the Pacific, including the Cook Islands, Fiji, Niue, Samoa, Tonga and New Zealand (Aotearoa).

This display will coincide with the opening of the learning centre in November this year. Read more »

Niue youngsters and a laptop … access to technology is limited across the Pacific. Image: Tan-Rose Fatalupe/PMC

National media associations in many Pacific Island nations are “disconnected from the new reality”, says a recent report. But critics say that in spite of problems there is optimism for the future.

Pacific Scoop:
Asia-Pacific Journalism Report – By Finian Scott

Media commentators believe a recent report has highlighted the slowness of national media associations in the Pacific to address the “new reality” in the digital age and conflicts between stakeholders over future development.

Bob Howarth, media communications fellow at the Institute for Peace and Democracy in Bali, Indonesia, and a former general manager of the PNG Post-Courier, regards the “conflicting dialogue” between key stakeholders as a concern for the Pacific.

This is reflected in a contrast between editors and journalists and government officials over where they see the media industry heading. Read more »

AUT Vice-Chancellor Derek McCormack welcomes King Tupou VI of Tonga on the university campus in Auckland today. Image: Daniel Drageset/PMC

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Daniel Drageset in Auckland

Tonga’s King Tupou VI included AUT University in his first official visit to New Zealand today and was greeted by Vice-Chancellor Derek McCormack at Hikuwai Plaza on the Auckland city campus.

The King spent one hour at the university, where he exchanged gifts with McCormack. He was also shown AUT’s newest building, the Sir Paul Reeves Building, which houses the School of Communications Studies precinct and state-of-the-art media centre.

The King’s three-day New Zealand visit has included trips to Wellington and Auckland. Read more »

Fiji peacekeeper troops in UN colours … but the military have staged three coups and had a hand in another in their homeland. Image: UN Multimedia

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Pacific Media Watch

A Fijian academic at the University of Auckland, Dr Steven Ratuva, a political sociologist who is on the editorial board of Pacific Journalism Review, has been awarded a Marsden Fund grant worth NZ$600,000 (FJ$850,000) to lead a major research project on Pacific regional security.

Dr Ratuva, of UOA’s Centre for Pacific Studies, was the only Pacific Islands scholar to win a 2012 Marsden award.

The Marsden Fund is New Zealand’s major research award provided by the New Zealand government and the Royal Society of New Zealand to New Zealand’s top scholars to pursue high level research to advance the knowledge and innovation of the country internationally in the areas of science, technology, medicine, arts and social science. Read more »

The Pacific Plan … under review, criticised. Image: PMC

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By the PMC news desk

An independent review team of leading experts has been named to consider the Pacific Plan during this year.

Pacific Islands Forum leaders nominated a former Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Sir Mekere Morauta, to lead the review at the Forum meeting in the Cook Islands last September.

Following a competitive selection process, the rest of his team has been named. Read more »

Karen Abplanalp’s award-winning article in Metro magazine. Image: PMC

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Pacific Media Watch and Café Pacific in Melbourne

Pacific stories have scored strongly in the annual Ossie awards in Australia for student journalism with a New Zealand investigation into a giant West Papuan mine and a Fiji-based regional newspaper heading the winners.

AUT Pacific Media Centre’s Karen Abplanalp has won a rare double award for her article about New Zealand investment in a controversial gold and copper mine in Indonesian-ruled West Papua.

She won both the Sally A. White Prize for investigative journalism and best feature (print) award. Read more »

Former Fiji coup leader Sitiveni Rabuka speaks at the Democracy in the Pacific conference at the University of Canterbury on Friday. Pictured right is session chair Luamanuvao Winnie Laban. Image: PMC

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By the Pacific Media Centre newsroom

Militarism has always been part of Fijian society and the country needs to find a “corporate” bridge between its civil and military based sectors, believes the man who sparked off the modern day coup culture more than 25 years ago.

Sitiveni Rabuka, then a lieutenant-colonel and third-ranked military commander in the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF), led the first two of four coups in 1987. The other coups followed in 2000 and 2006.

Rabuka, later an elected prime minister, was giving his views on “democracy” as a keynote speaker in a Pacific-wide conference hosted by Canterbury University’s Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies. Read more »