During a chance conversation the other day I suddenly discovered that Fiji is about to launch its inaugural fashion week.
As you do, I quickly did a bit of research on the web and found - among many other mentions - the site www.renaissancefiji.com, which certainly looks very impressive.

It told me that the event will be held at the Fiji Beach Resort and Spa, Denarau Island in Nadi from December 3-7.

Apparently the event is based the concept of similar fashion weeks around the world. The Fiji offering appears to have a lot of links to the Auckland Fashion Week with some names from that event popping up at the Fiji one.

According to the website: “Fiji’s inaugural fashion week will showcase the Autumn/Winter 09 Collections for the southern hemisphere. This allows time for retailers to arrange to purchase or incorporate the designers into their retail marketing.”

Plans are ambitious. Organisers are already promoting that, from next year, Fiji Fashion Week will be held twice a year - June 09 for Spring/Summer 09/10 Collections and November 09 - Autumn/Winter 10 Collections.

I will not go into too much other detail as you can check it out on the web.

I see that a bunch of Pacific journos met recently in Apia to get a better understanding of climate change issues. Certainly a timely effort given the importance of the issue for the region.

The workshop was staged parallel to the 2008 Pacific Climate Change Roundtable.

According to an official release the purpose of the workshop was “to provide high-level training to Pacific media delegates on climate change and related issues”.

The release said the participants have developed a draft resolution that is now being finalised. It is hoped this will provide the basis for stronger environmental reporting legacy among Pacific media.

“The heart of the resolution is that it encourages wider climate change awareness work, both from Pacific reporters and from other organisations and agencies the work in climate change related issues. We are pleased that the participants have helped drive every aspect of this resolution as, at the end of the day, it will belong to them,” SPREP’s Associate Media and Publications Officer, Nanette Woonton, said.

Lofty words indeed. The onus now is on these journalists to go back to their respective countries and make a noise about climate change. A lot of noise.

According to a UNESCAP report from a few years ago, the Pacific islands view climate change as a “major disaster”.

No kidding! They have every right to worry.

I found this recent article in the Oceania Flash by Patrick Antoine Decloitre fasinating - it certainly says a lot about the colonial rulers!:

Some members of French Polynesia’s affluent Chinese community are beginning to search for their original Chinese names, as part of a wider search for identity.

While the approach is dividing the ethnic community, whose ancestors arrived in French Polynesia over one hundred years ago, some are adamant in this quest for their original names.

The main reason behind the moves is that in the second half of the twentieth century, France’s official policy in French Polynesia was to encourage, in the name of “integration”, changing names that were regarded as too difficult to integrate in their new environment.

The new name, French version, was also supposed to make spelling and pronouncing easier.

In other cases, the name “frenchisation” resulted from a voluntary request from the immigrants and their descendants.

Some examples of Chinese name changes include Liu into Lou, Chang into Changues, Wong into Vongues, Wan into Vannes.

This change of name affected hundreds of Chinese workers and their families, who are now perceived to be well-integrated and mostly successful in French Polynesia’s social and economic fabric, especially in the trade and retail sector.

Talk about a bad day in the office!!
Here’s something I read on the AAP newswire the other day.
A senior civil servant in the Solomon Islands is facing the sack after pornographic images flashed up as he delivered a powerpoint presentation to government officials.
Fred Ganate, a permanent secretary in the Ministry of Provincial Government, continued to address delegates, unaware of the explicit material that was flashing up behind him.
Ganate has already been suspended from his job, and Prime Minister Derek Sikua could move to sack him once the results of an investigation are known, the Solomon Times reports.
Ganate’s staff were operating a laptop computer during the presentation and when they opened a file - supposed to contain the ministry’s official report - offensive material screened instead.
Special Secretary to the Prime Minister John Keniapisia, who is heading the investigation, said Ganate had denied the computer was his.

I got back from beautiful Rarotonga on Sunday after a week there working on various articles. Yes, I did say working, so no smart comments please - I have had enough of those from friends, family and colleagues already.

Anyway, while I was over there PaciNet 2008 was being held - basically a regional conference promoting the use of the internet and ICTs in the Pacific.

I had nothing to do with this conference but reading through one of their brochures, I noted with interest that the Cook Islands Government recently passed the Official Information Act and that there were funds etc to facilitate implementation as more transparency by Government was promised….and so on.

Talking to Cook Islands News editor John Woods, it was obvious that he was more than excited, to say the least, about this new weapon in their reporting arsenal. However, his enthusiasm was tempered slightly by Abel Caine from Unesco’s Apia office, who told CI News staff that it would not be an instant fix and that it would take time (years in many cases) for the OIA to be used effectively.

John, I know, is chomping at the bit to get started with OIA requests, having seen the Act in action in New Zealand - actually the Cook Island OIA is modelled on New Zealand’s. But I think the reality is that things will unravel a little slower.

Suggestions that New Zealanders should be allowed to retire to the warmer climes of Pacific countries such as the Cook Islands and Niue may sound like a good idea but I don’t think it is without its setbacks.

Cook Island MPs were recently asked to consider opening up so more New Zealanders could retire there. This was followed up by suggestions that retired Kiwis could take their pensions to other countries “in their realm” including Niue and Tokelau.

I understand the thinking is that this will help make some of the world’s smallest countries viable and see luxury hospitals and retirement homes built on islands.

Obviously the scheme, which has been floated before, would require agreements between Pacific Island states and New Zealand.

As I said, I can see the thinking behind this for a country such as Niue where the population at best nudges 1500, but in the long term what will it mean for the country? Will it stop Niueans walking out the door to the attractions of a better life in New Zealand?
Will it eventually mean the displacement of one race by another?

Will it be the case that in 20 years Niue will be populated by an aging white population whose preferred method of transport is a mobility scooter? I can just see the look on a visitor’s face when he turns up expecting an unspoilt tropical paradise and is greeted by octogenarians enjoying Friday night housie.

A recent news item on the fijilive website is welcome news.

The article says former Fiji High Court judge Justice Gerard Winters is pushing for a common Pacific Court which may act as a paramount court for cases from Fiji and other countries.

Winters made the announcement at the Fiji Law Society Convention in Denarau recently.

He said the Pacific Court will be situated in Vanuatu near the current University of the South Pacific Law campus.

He added that since Pacific cultures were closely bonded, this would make such a court system workable.

The idea of a Pacific Court was initiated 40 years ago by former Fiji Supreme Court judge and Ombudsman Sir Moti Tikaram.

Plans for a Pacific Law centre are immediate with plans for the court in about five years.

According to the article Winters said there are already plans to have a common judiciary and economic mechanism for the Pacific and that that scoping for the project has already started. “What we are doing is basically providing fuel to the fire and setting the way for this to become a reality.`”`

Given the situation in a number of Pacific countries the court would be able to deliver impartial judgements away from pressure and threats. A bold move that is long overdue.

An emailed press release from Qantas caught my eye me the other day.

It outlined the company’s NAIDOC Week 2008 initiatives (July 6-13) to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

They say the celebrations are aimed at advancing that vision to their customers and staff.

There are some who may say that Qantas is cashing in on the country’s indigenous reconciliation drive but I say good on Qantas for standing up and endorsing the vision of a nation which values Indigenous heritage, cultures and peoples.

Some highlights during NAIDOC Week include an Acknowledgement of Country announcement which will be made by Qantas cabin crew on international flights arriving in Australia to show respect to the traditional owners of the local land area; two short Indigenous films will screen on domestic flights while three acclaimed Indigenous films will feature on international flights.

Indigenous artists will also be flown to Canberra to perform at the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies NAIDOC on the Peninsula concert; and there will be an information and tasting session with a bush tucker expert will be held for Qantas staff; and

This is one of the best bits of news I have heard for a long time.

Sir Paul Reeves, the former New Zealand Governor General was due in Fiji today (July 1) to take part in the political forum process. Sir Paul, 75, is acting as a representative of the Commonwealth.

According to the Fiji Times, interim Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe Bainimarama said Sir Paul will help set up a political forum to reform Fiji’s electoral system.

Commodore Bainimarama had promised fair elections by March next year but recently cast doubts saying reform of the electoral process was paramount before any election.

He said it was important that a forum be set up and engage in genuine dialogue. Sir Paul’s arrival is welcome news as that country has to be seen as going forward by the rest of the world to avoid being harshly criticised again.

I couldn’t believe the venom with which NZ Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters attacked Fiji over a recent announcement to delay their elections. Of course, we all want them to happen but at least there are indications that they will happen, unlike Zimbabwe where it is all just a sham that allows a bloody-minded zealot to continue his reign of terror.

I somehow doubt Mr Peters would be made to feel very welcome if he is allowed in to Fiji as part of a Pacific Forum group to check up on the progress back to democracy.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang claims his country has never attached any political pre-conditions in its economic aid to countries in the Pacific islands. To quote the Tui beer slogan - Yeah right!

He was reacting to a report from an Australian research institute recently which said China’s economic aid to the Pacific island countries was not transparent.

Mr Qin said China, with the principle of reciprocity, had provided aid to the Pacific island countries “within its own capacity to improve the economy and living standard of the region”.

“China does not take this as an excuse to interfere in the other country’s internal affairs, or to add any political condition.”

He said China is opposed to “dollar diplomacy” and would continue the “friendly relations with the Pacific island countries based on the UN Charter and the its principles of peaceful coexistence”.

Interesting to note that just as Australia and other Western donors are trying to squeeze the Fiji government, China has dramatically stepped up its aid.

According to reports China’s aid to Fiji has skyrocketed since the coup in December 2006.

In 2005 China pledged FJ$1 million (US$669,000) in aid to Fiji. In 2007 grant and loan pledges totalled $167 million (US$111.7 million), which is more than half of China’s annual aid to the entire Pacific.