According to a RNZ report, the workers said they were in awe of their agent, John Suran, who lived with a disability, having no hands, but has travelled to Australia and facilitated interviews and arranged the placements.

Vanuatu's Commissioner of Labour Lione Kaluat said Australian farmers were focusing on Vanuatu to provide workers for their farms because ni-Vanuatu workers were hardworking, committed and had respect for their employers.

Mr Suran had been dealing with the Madec company which will employ the 200 workers.

He said Vanuatu already held the record for workers in New Zealand with 3,700 workers, and now he was confident Vanuatu workers would eclipse their Tongan counterparts in Australia, although there were currently 3,000 Tongan workers in Australia, to Vanuatu's 1,000.

Left - right: Mr. John Suran, recruiters for Madec and Commissioner of Labour, Mr. Lionel Kaluat Photo: RNZI/ Len Garae

Salwai and his delegation visited the Western Pacific Archives, held in the University library’s Special Collections, as part of a general visit to the University where they took the opportunity to meet students from Vanuatu and strengthen educational ties between the two countries.

The archive is a record of all aspects of colonial administration in the Western Pacific from 1877 to 1978 and includes the records of the Western Pacific High Commission, the British Consul in Tonga, and the New Hebrides British Service.

Among its 2,800 boxes of material are highly valuable letters, maps, civil and criminal legal records, black and white photos and other documents recording a colonial life long past.

Those relating to Vanuatu – the New Hebrides British Service - date back to 1902, shortly before it became an Anglo-French Condominium.

The Prime Minister’s party were fascinated to see places and names they recognised, like a plan for a prison in Port Vila which separated ‘whites’ from ‘natives’ that still exists - although not segregated by race – today; old photos showing traditional thatched houses and an original map of the island of Pentecost,  Salwai’s home island.

After a movement for independence in the 1970s, the country became the Republic of Vanuatu in 1980 and now has three official languages; Bislama, French and English.

Welcomed by Deputy Vice-Chancellor Adrienne Cleland, head of Pacific Studies Damon Salesa, Special Collections manager Stephen Innes and staff at the NZ Institute of Pacific Research, the delegation were also impressed by the Fale Pasifika, the iconic building that acts as a touchpoint between the University and Pacific communities.

Salwai wished the Ni-Vanuatu students, who study across a range of disciplines, every success and told them “their country was waiting for them”.

The official visit was the first since Salwai became prime minister in February this year, and involved talks with Prime Minister John Key and a series of events in Auckland, Wellington and Tauranga.

Photo: Twitter

Mr Justice Chetwynd declared their convictions in a half-an-hour verbal judgement late yesterday afternoon. He made the ruling after going through the final submissions of the prosecution and defence counsels.

The judge stated that the defendants in the case, Marcelino Pipite, Tony Nari, Jean-Yve Chapod, Jonas James, John Amos, Arnold Prasad, Paul Telukluk, Silas Yatan, Antony Wright, Thomas Laken, Pascal Iauko and lawyer, Wilson Iauma, were in agreement with each other to defeat the course of justice.

They were convicted to have conspired to defeat the course of justice soon after their conviction in the bribery case, the first ever biggest case involving many government members at one time.

The purported pardoning by the then acting President Marcelino Pipite, took place when the defendants were waiting for their sentencing.

Following arguments put to the court that some of the defendants were not present at meetings to discuss the issue of pardon, Justice Chetwynd clarified that the concept of conspiracy  does not need all to be present at the same time.

He said what is important is if they were in agreement to establish the offence.

In response to arguments that the defendants had not requested their pardoning, and letters to confirm their agreement did not show up in court the judge said there is also no evidence to show that the defendants had refused the pardon.

With regard to the credibility of the information provided by the lawyers who had testified for the prosecution, the Supreme Court Judge said their testimonies had been verified by other independent witnesses.

 Those convicted are yet to be sentenced on 29 September 2016 at 9am.

Photo: One of the meetings was held here

The Vanuatu Tourism Office event will feature videos launched to consumers as part of its recent digital campaign.

Video presenter Megan Singleton will also be speaking to the agents during the opening session.

The agents will also get the opportunity to meet with property and tour representatives in an expo-style environment.  

Air Vanuatu is sponsoring the event, and is giving away air tickets alongside other major prizes.

RNZ reports the piggery can accommodate six sows, two boars and 60 piglets.

According to a senior officer in the department, Stevenson Boe, the development is part of a programme to distribute improved breeds to small holders and medium holder farmers in the north.

The initiative is made possible with the support from the USAID with the management of the SPC.

The winners of each semi-final at next month’s OFC U-20 Championship are guaranteed a spot on the world stage as OFC has two berths available to its Member Associations in next year’s flagship youth event.

The announcement of the semi-final venues coincides with the confirmation of the kick-off times.

The matches will kick off at 12pm and 3pm local time with Group A playing off in at Port Vila Stadium, while Group B will contest their games at Luganville Soccer City Stadium on the island of Santo.

The semi-final between the winner of Group B and the Group A runner-up will take place at Luganville Soccer City Stadium at 11am, followed by the Group A winner and Group B runner-up at Port Vila Stadium at 2.30pm.

The final will be held in the capital city with kick-off confirmed for 2.30pm.

Additional Information:

The OFC U-20 Championship is the Confederation’s premier youth competition and involves all 11 OFC Member Associations, with four competing in the Preliminary and eight in the Championship.

The 2016 tournament will be the 21st edition of this event which for the first time, offers two berths for Oceania at the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

With 12 titles, former OFC Member Association Australia holds the record for the most wins in this age-group, while New Zealand, Tahiti and Fiji have also claimed regional victories over the 40-year history of the competition.

The 2016 OFC U-20 Championship will be held in Port Vila and Luganville in Vanuatu from 3-17 September 2016.

Group A
Vanuatu (VAN)
Fiji (FIJ)
Papua New Guinea (PNG)
New Caledonia (NCL)

Group B
Tahiti (TAH)
Solomon Islands (SOL)
New Zealand (NZL)
Cook Islands (COK)

Photo: OFC via Phototek

RNZ reports the festival begins today and runs all week in the provincial capital of Tafea province, and is expected to attract representatives from all six provinces including nearby countries including New Caledonia and Fiji, to attend to demonstrate their own food preparation and preservation methods.

Speaking in Port Vila for the festival, Thomas Negov said the 'slow food festival' was the opposite of the 'fast foods' from takeaway shops.

Those less healthy options have been blamed for non-communicable diseases which affect people throughout Vanuatu.

Photo: Facebook/SAFE our SEA Vanuatu

RNZ reports the proposed scheme was made public by the chairman of the Public Service Commission, Martin Mahe, while visiting public servants in Luganville.

He said the scheme would benefit public servants either while they are in office or after their retirement.

Mr Mahe said the commission was trying to stop the provident fund's death benefit scheme, and instead introduce a scheme that public servants can enjoy while they are still alive.

A building project in Vanuatu. Photo: RNZI / Jamie Tahana

RNZ reports the country's Geohazards Observatory has raised the alert to Level 2 on a scale of one to five which signifies the volcano is in a stage of major unrest.

The observatory says volcanic activity could increase at any time over the next few days.

It's warned the local community, tourists and travel agencies to stay well away from the Manaro crater lakes to avoid the effects of volcanic gas, ash and other volcanic activity.

The Department of Meteorology and Geohazards is closely monitoring the volcano which last erupted in 2009.

Virelala succeeds Salwai as the new party leader.

Government’s Public Relations Officer, Hilaire Bule confirmed that the election took place yesterday afternoon after Mr Salwai opened the congress.

Following his election, Virelala who comes from Central Pentecost, thanked the entire congressmen for choosing him to represent them in the party’s leadership.

“It is such an honor to be elected as your next party president”, he said.

Speaking from the congress venue, government PRO Hilaire Bule described the 3^rd RMC congress as the largest compared to the two previous ones due to the growing number of supporters.

The colorful traditional costumes, the beat and the custom dances in the opening hours brought to life the momentum of desire for a fresh beginning for the moderates.

Leaders of the Union of Moderate Parties (UMP) and other moderates who were invited are expected to arrive at the congress venue today to join in discussions and share ideas for a new direction.

In February this year, Moderates in the opposition consoled their fellow moderate member when they joined government side to elect Charlot Salwai as Vanuatu’s prime minister.

Like any other political congress, a final resolution will be expected at the end of the congress.

The workshop offers a space in which to learn more about the law while keeping in mind the nuances of legal and media practice.

As part of the workshop, participants will be given an overview of the country’s court system – a session designed to familiarize them and improve their skills on court reporting.

A session will cover what they should know when reporting a court story.

Journalists will also be given the opportunity to discuss critically important matters such as trespassing, privacy, disclosure of sources, breach of confidence, listening devices and hidden cameras or telephone tapping in the course of court reporting.

Ethics in social media will also be covered.

According to the Pacific Media Assistance Scheme (PACMAS), the workshop offers a space in which to learn more about the law while keeping in mind the nuances of legal and media practice.

“This workshop builds on the Pacific Media Assistance Scheme’s (PACMAS) commitment to strengthen the capacity of journalists to report on and mediate discussion about key issues affecting development.”

It says news media continues to play an active and critical role that can influence conditions of social stability and security by framing issues in ways that can either support or impede development. Therefore, people working in all areas of the media—television, radio, newspapers, books, magazines or online—need to be aware of the laws governing their work.

“It is against this backdrop, that PACMAS is hosting this workshop on Media & the Law to up skill media practitioners and strengthen their capacity (and that of their organisations) to be able to conduct public discourse which supports the development process”, says PACMAS.

During this initiative PACMAS will assist participants lift the quality of their news reporting about the legal system including the courts, defamation, privacy, and disclosure of sources.

Journalists will gain the skills needed to report more confidentially stories involving legal matters so the audience can easily understand their stories.

“We will do this through a combination of classroom-based learning supported by mentoring for media practitioners and a field visit. The workshop will feature intensive discussions, practical skills sessions and presentations from a range of stakeholders. Each participant will also be encouraged to use their time with the trainer as best suits their needs”, it says.

This workshop is designed for journalists and media practitioners who are responsible for setting the reporting agenda for their organisation, and/or those who have the potential to play a significant role in legal reporting of their media outlet and who are keen to develop their skills in this area.

The workshop will be facilitated by Dr Tess Newton Cain, an independent researcher and consultant based in Vanuatu who has close to 20 years experience of living and working in the Pacific island region and is a recognised expert on Pacific politics, policy and development.

Participants will be expected to create content across a multimedia platform (print, radio, television & online) and will be mentored by the trainer.

The workshop will be held at Le Lagoon Resort’s conference room from August 29-31.

Daily Post Newsroom: Photo – Jonas Cullwick     

RNZ reports the boat was taken to Australia after it had been beached on Moso Island in Efate during the storm.

The Australian High Commissioner to Vanuatu, Jeremy Bruer, said his government has met the overall cost of $US2 million dollars for the salvage and repair.

He also said RVS Tukoro will be replaced by a new patrol boat in five years' time.

The new craft, which will be nearly 40 metres long, will have the capacity to provide surveillance on illegal fishing in Vanuatu waters.

Artist impression of Vanuatu patrol boats provided by Australia. Photo: Vanuatu Embassy

The reconciliation took place at the congress venue of the RMC where about 500 supporters gathered together to for their 3rd party national congress.

According to government’s Public Relations Officer, Hilaire Bule, a high-level delegation comprising of leaders for the two moderate groups touched down at Melsisi, Central Pentecost, for the reconciliation and to participate in the RMC congress.

Upon arrival they told Prime Minister Charlot Salwai and the newly elected leaders of RMC their intention was to begin a journey with the RMC by talking and walking in one accord.

PM Charlot Salwai, in response, thanked them for their confidence in him. He also thanked all other coalition partners for their stern support in his leadership.

The moderate’s leaders have agreed to bury their past differences and set new directions for the benefit of supporters who want to see a stable and unified moderate government in future.

Meanwhile, eye witnesses say the UMP delegation that departed for the Melsisi congress were the faction under the leadership of Jacque Nauka that joined the government earlier this year. The delegation comprises Mr Nauka, Party Secretary General, Steven Sau, Members of Parliament, the Major of Port Vila and Yaris Naunun representing the Greens Confederation.

The UMP faction in the opposition led by Ishmael Kalsakau was not included.

On 6 June 2016, Mr Kalsakau had signed a solidarity agreement with his colleague MPs in the opposition to remain as a single solidarity political grouping that will not be swerve by any political influence to divide them.

The UMP elected MPs

Based on a true story, Tanna is a cinematic translation of a song about two lovers who defy the ancient laws of arranged marriage. It was filmed on a volcanic outlying island of Vanuatu in the native language of Nauvhal, the cast drawn from the village of Yakel who, until the arrival of Australian filmmakers Bentley Dean and Martin Butler, had never seen a movie before.

The plot follows a young girl, Wawa, who falls in love with the chief's grandson but is unknowingly betrothed to another as part of a peace deal hatched between two warring tribes. 

The young lovers run away, precipitate a renewal of hostilities and must choose between their hearts and the tribe's future.

The people of Yakel still live by ancient traditions they call kastom, hunting with bows and arrows and settling disputes by ceremonial laws.

The Chief of Yakel plays Chief Charlie and the Yakel medicine man plays the Shaman. Mungau, who plays the chief's grandson Dain was chosen by consensus because he was considered the most handsome man of the village.

Since its limited Australian release, Tanna has collected a slew of international awards. It was voted best film and best cinematographer at the Venice International Film Festival.

At the Australian Directors Guild Awards Tanna beat more fancied commercial successes -  The Dressmaker, Last Cab To Darwin and Looking For Grace - for best direction and best feature film. 

The Venice jury said: "The eye behind Tanna captures the subtleties and complexities of a culture under threat and provides the audience with a clear vision of that world."

The film came about after Dean, a documentary film-maker, expressed an interest in exposing his young children, 4 and 2, to an exotic and traditional culture before they went to school.

Dean lived in Yakel three months without filming, only picking up a camera with the villagers' approval after showing Rolf De Heer's Ten Canoes, a film made in cooperation with members of the Aboriginal community.

Variety critic Richard Kuipers observed the film to be a universally accessible and emotionally affecting romantic drama. The "stirring tribute to the power of love" would likely "prompt many viewers to shed tears of sadness and tears of joy at various points".

The Hollywood Reporter's David Rooney said the unique narrative debut of Dean and Butler was a "soulful folktale encompassing both tragedy and hope".

"Told with captivating simplicity and yet richly cinematic, it combines ethnographic and spiritual elements in a haunting love story with classic undertones, affording a glimpse into a little-known culture."

Awarding the movie two and a half stars, Fairfax's Jake Wilson, said the film accorded with the romantic vision of life in the south seas which has persisted in the Western imagination for hundreds of years.

Dean maintains the film is true to the community's vision of their own lives. "Although it's true literature and cinema has romanticised people of the South Pacific for centuries, Tanna does not," he says.

"We lived with, wrote together, improvised all scenes with direct contribution and oversight by the community. They approved cuts at every step of the way and were so proud of the film the chiefs made a speech after the world premier in their village saying, "We know you came here with your equipment and idea to make a film, but we want to inform you we consider this our film". They then presented us with a sacred kava root."

Australia has submitted eight other films in the Foreign Language category since 1996, including Ten Canoes, Samson and Delilah, and The Rocket. Despite the strong calibre of submissions, Australia has never been nominated in the category.

Working closely with the people of Yakel had been one of the most rewarding experiences of their creative lives, directors Dean and Butler said in a joint statement. "Together we have opened a rare window into a rapidly vanishing world full of hope and dynamism. We are so proud to bring their story to the world."

The Chief Executive of Screen Australia Graeme Mason said: "Tanna does what all great films aspire to do: transport you out of your seat and keep you completely riveted as you dive into another world. It's a simple and universal story told with such impressive nuance and looks extraordinary on screen. It's a great privilege to submit Tanna to the Academy on behalf of Australia, the filmmakers and the people of Yakel."

The movie will be released in New York City and Los Angeles on September 16 and 23, respectively.

In his Order, Justice JP Geoghegan said he is able to allocate a hearing on October 19 at 9am at Dumbea, to hear the case.

Mr Marikembo filed his application for Judicial Review on July 12 after his appointment was revoked by the Head of State, only one month after taking office. The President then appointed former Vanuatu Mobile Force Commander Willie Vira as chair of the Commission.

The injunction has prevented the Police Service Commission from functioning thus derailing the process for the appointment of the new Police Commissioner.

The State Law Office has advised that the process for the appointment be put on hold until the court makes a final decision on the matter.

According to the Vanuatu Police Act, the Vanuatu Police Force shall consist of a Commissioner and such senior and subordinate officers as may from time to time be approved by the Minister. But, Vanuatu has been without a Police Commissioner since the dismissal of Arthur Caulton in 2012.

Instead, five senior officers have been appointed as acting commissioner, also in line with the law, overseeing the affairs of the Vanuatu Police Force.

The government has indicated its earnest desire to see the top police post filled as soon as possible but this can now only happen after the determination of the court, in October.

File photo: Vanuatu police officers

When addressing the guests at a function recently, Michael Benjamin a board member to the Vanuatu Pro Medic asked the Vanuatu Government through the ministry of Health to support the initiative which has the potential to benefit all Ni-Vanuatu, expatriates and visitors to Vanuatu.

He said Vanuatu should be proud of this achievement as the Air Ambulance has enabled Vanuatu to be a leader in the Pacific in pre-hospital care and now can provide an international standard areo medical retrieval service not only to Vanuatu, but to the greater part of the South Pacific.

He added that Vanuatu and the South Pacific now have an international standard aero Medical retrieval service that is capable of Domestic medivacs and international ability to Brisbane, Sydney, Auckland, New Caledonia, Fiji and Solomon Islands at an international standard comparable to anywhere in the world.

The milestone was achieved through the professional support and commitment of the Promedical, Medepole, Airworx and Air Taxi.

The contract is worth 128 million vatu.

Repair and construction works will be conducted at 44 health facilities in the Tropical Cyclone Pam affected provinces of Malampa, Penama, Shefa and Tafea.

The restoration and strengthening of these health facilities is being funded by the Australian Government through its Tropical Cyclone Pam Recovery Program.

Work has commenced to repair and rebuild multiple health centres nationwide.

The Australian and Vanuatu Governments are committed to strengthening the Vanuatu healthcare delivery system with a “build back better” approach. Australia has overall invested over 555 million vatu towards Vanuatu’s health recovery programme.

Ramada Port Vila is fast taking shape along the banks of the Erakor Lagoon.

A cliff face had to be removed before building could commence.

The self-contained, four-star resort comprises 67 junior rooms, eight studios and five two-bedroom suites which all overlook the water.

Accommodation starts from A$350, including breakfast, as part of five-pay four or stay seven-pay five packages.

Once complete, the resort will also boast a conference/ballroom, which could host 140 people as well as three bars and a restaurant.

Other features include a conference room, pool, gym, meeting rooms, jetty, mini mart and day spa.

The managing director is George Duchaineaux, who was previously general manager of the new Ramada Hotel & Suites Noumea.

The former resident manager at Hotel Gran Senyiur in Indonesia, Eduardo Queipo, has been appointed general manager.

Ramada Port Vila is independently owned, and was signed under the Wyndham Hotel Group early last year.

Photo: Eduardo Queipo at Vanuatu’s newest resort, which will open next year

RNZ reports Clint Flood, visited Port Vila in May after being asked by the Pacific Games Council to help with the organisation of the 2017 Mini Games.

The former Executive Operations Manager for the 2015 Pacific Games in Papua New Guinea was then appointed CEO in July after Joe Carlo was forced to step down because of health matters.

Carlo, who led the successful bid team that won hosting rights for the Games in Port Vila, died earlier this month.

"The board and Joe had made some decisions about me moving into that role and Joe being in a support role. The news of Joe passing was a shock to everybody. He left an incredible legacy - not just obviously for these Games but sport and media in Vanuatu and throughout the Pacific. It's big shoes to fill but I know he's kind of looking over us and making sure that we deliver a great Games we can all be proud of," he said.

The starting date for the Mini Games was pushed back to December 2017 following delays caused by Cyclone Pam.

Clint Flood said while they would like to be further ahead in their preparations, officials remain confident everything will be ready to go in 15 months time.

"There's a lot of activity taking place - venues are under construction courtesy of the Chinese Government and some other aid groups, we're starting our marketing campaign, we're starting to recruit staff, we're going to get the sports involved so there's a lot of things that Joe put in place that we're able to move forward," he said.

"The construction has now started at (the main Games site at) Korman. There's a lot of construction to do but the Chinese Government, through their contractor, will pick up speed I think. We hope for good weather and not too much rain and certainly not again a repeat of the disaster last year with Cyclone Pam.

"We have now started to engage some staff. We have a launch on October 14 of our sponsor programme - we're out in the marketplace now talking to sponsors.

"We've got a Government agreement in terms of funding, which was the most critical thing to put in place. We're now working out the mechanisms of obtaining the cashflow and providing the documentation around that."

CEO of the 2017 Pacific Mini Games, Clint Flood. Photo: Supplied

NZ reports trade negotiators met in Christchurch last week to address labour mobility - one of the final rounds of negotiation before the completion later in the year.

However, Vanuatu's Lands Minister, Ralph Regenvanu, said cabinet members have not seen enough of the text and there needs to be better communication to all stakeholders.

"The Pacific islands is made up of more than just governments. It's made up of more than just officials."

"And I think we need to consider the view of a range of organisations including civil society and I also think that in any civil consultation, especially elected officials, are there to represent the views of the people," he said.

The head of the Office of the Chief Trade Adviser, Dr Edwini Kessie, said his office had organised a number of public consultations in Vanuatu.

Ralph Regenvanu Photo: WikiCommons / Marke Lowen