Mania, 12, and Taleo, 14, flew out of Port Vila with other colleagues today in what is their first and probably not their last overseas trip to participate in the Newcastle Surfest at Mereweather Beach.

Twelve year old, Methusarah Kalran is expected to join the team on the weekend pending her visa approval.

The girls will participate in the Maitland and Port Stephens Toyota High Schools Team Challenge.

The Secretary of Vanuatu Surfing Association, Stephanie Mahuk said the association’s involvement in Surfest is predominantly focused on offering local surfers, particularly from the rural villages, exposure to a different culture via travel, which they otherwise might not have the opportunity to experience.

“They will be the only Pacific island team, being our second team of girls ever to compete at Surfest and for all the girls, their very first time to travel to Australia with an opportunity to meet and greet professional surfers on the World Surfing League 2017 tour,” Mahuk said. 

She added that Surfest is one of Australia’s top surfing festivals incorporating a wide range of surf events held in Newcastle during February each year. 

“The Maitland and Port Stephens Toyota High Schools Team Challenge sees high schools teams form more than 50 metropolitan and regional high schools throughout the state come to Newcastle for the biggest high schools surfing event in NSW,” Mahuk said.

The Surfest will be held from February 11 – 26, 2017.

The Vanuatu Surfing Association (VSA) has had the privilege of being invited to participate in the event since 2012 to showcase the developing talent of surfers in Vanuatu.

As for the girls, Mahuk said they have been surfing for about two years and they have excelled in performance with their outstanding natural talent.

The VSA has dedicated the past year and this year to vigorously driving its vision to seeing more women and girls surfing.

“These three girls and every girl/woman who now surfs are a testament of the success of our women's program addressing the gender inequality in Vanuatu by empowering women through surf demonstrating that regardless of surf being a male dominated sport, they can aspire to surf, achieve that skill and excel notwithstanding their gender. This is a powerful message for women and girls that we hope they will apply to their lives and change the landscape where they are currently marginalized,” Mahuk said. 

Photo by Vanuatu Surfing Association. Team Vanuatu at the airport in Port Vila 

Jane Claxton the captain of the Australian women's hockey side and Rachael Lynch the goalkeeper visited the two countries where they stopped by schools and held clinics.

Jane said they gained plenty of fans including the Solomons' Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare.

“It shows how easy going they are and accepting since it was amazing how high profile people in both Pacific islands were present and allowing us to train over there and assist in their hockey program and increasing their women in sports,” said Jane.

It was awesome to see how men were encouraging them.

“The younger players were quite excited and it’s good to see how passionate they are to engage in sports and that they wanted to play hockey,” added Jane.

“The players don’t have facilities and resources to continue to develop and in Vanuatu we noticed that players were quite amazing and they will be able to play easily in our premier.

Jane also mentioned the issue that is in the Pacific is that they have some type of funding and don’t have competence funding and education how to maintain their sporting facilities including hockey.

Jane advised the young players that it is hard for an athlete to come from Pacific because they do not have facilities like Australia and she advised that young players should turn up everyday with a purpose.

Photo: adelaidenow (Jane Claxton the captain of the Australian women's hockey side)

A late penalty for New Caledonia meant they too put points on the board as they earned a 3-2 win over Papua New Guinea in the tournament’s opening match.

With the backing of the almost 1500 people who packed into Stade Mahina for the match, the Tama Ura didn’t disappoint.

But neither did their opponent who kept the tempo high throughout which made for a fast-paced and exciting encounter.

An early shot from Vanuatu tested Tahiti captain and goalkeeper Moana Pito early on, forcing him to make a superman dive to tip the ball around the upright.

However, it was a brilliant move from Tahiti that saw them take the lead just 11 minutes in when Yann Vivi got his head to a long delivery, looping it over keeper Joshua Willie.

Despite a few testing moments for either side, Tahiti couldn’t extend their lead thanks to some tidy defending from Vanuatu, while for the visitors it was near impossible to beat the fleet footed Pito.

An elated Patrice Flaccadori said he couldn’t really ask for a better start to the championship from his players.

“I’m very pleased because the first match of a competition is never easy,” he said.

“Essentially you have to win the first match – that’s what we did tonight and that’s what is important.”

Not the result Vanuatu were after but coach Rocky Neveserveth said he couldn’t be too disappointed given the effort is side put into the match.

“I can’t be disappointed with this result. My players did everything they could to defend and to play, against a strong side,” he said.

“You could see there was perhaps a small lack in preparation, but we gave our all and will continue to do so throughout our stay here in Tahiti.

In the opening match of the tournament New Caledonia opened the scoring early when Paul Gope-Fenepej took just five minutes to latch onto the ball and tap it past keeper Graham Berigami.

While the Francophone’s may have had the lead it was by no means a comfortable one as Papua New Guinea kept goalkeeper Une Kecine and his defenders busy.

A back-and-forth played out through the middle of the first half before an extremely well timed pass from Titouan Richard came to Gope-Fenepej to flick in behind Berigami.

The water break in the 30th minute seemed to cause a break in concentration for New Caledonia as a long lob from defender Kimson Kapai – which could easily have been mistaken for the beginnings of an assist – caught Kecine unawares.

Returning from the break with a renewed sense of determination thanks to that first half goal, Papua New Guinea were soon 100 per cent back in the running when substitute Barthy Kerobin’s stunning equaliser in the 64th minute made it anyone’s game.

It looked like the two sides might have to make do with a share of the points as the match passed into additional time on the second but the dream comeback for Papua New Guinea was dashed with just a minute remaining in the match.

New Caledonia captain Abiezer Jeno made a stunning run into the penalty area before being taken down swiftly. It fell to Bernard Iwa to step up from the spot and he fired home to hand his side the win.

A very relived Michel Clarque was impressed with the way his side held themselves together to the three points.

“I think the team deserved the win. It was difficult for sure,” he said.

“It wasn’t always exactly the most beautiful football, and it was a win we had to chase maybe more with our hearts and desire.”

The resilience of his side to come from two goals down was what impressed Papua New Guinea coach Harrison Kamake.

“It was just one of those games,” he lamented.

“We had it, we thought at least we might draw the game but it just slipped away. It comes back to discipline.

“We didn’t play our cards right and that’s how results like this come about.”

The OFC U-17 Championship continues tomorrow with Group B at Stade Pater bringing New Zealand, Fiji, Solomon Islands and Samoa into the competition.

Group A returns to action at Stade Mahina on 14 February when Papua New Guinea take on Vanuatu at 4pm before the Francophone derby kicks off between Tahiti and New Caledonia at 7pm.

Unlike licensed vessels, the boats carry no automatic identification systems and being made of wood, they literally slip under the radar.

Blue boats had not been sighted in Vanuatu's waters previously, but a number have been intercepted in the last two weeks, and off neighbouring New Caledonia, three boats escaped from Noumea harbour after their captains were prosecuted.

Vanuatu's director of fisheries, Kalo Pakoa, is calling on Vietnam to help stop the illegal fishing.

Pakoa says Vanuatu is within their potential route coming in from Asia through PNG and the Solomon Islands to New Caledonia.

” So the recent incident in the northern part of New Caledonia where these vessels gave custody in the New Caledonian territory and these vessels moved within Vanuatu’s EEZ so Vanuatu is within reach of this global flow into the region,” he said.

Pakoa adds authorities think these blue boats could also be targeting Vanuatu’s coastal areas for whatever resources they are looking for.

“They were spotted in the EEZ but in the last 2 weeks no reports of any activities or any sightings within the coastal areas of Vanuatu. We think we are under threat from these vessels but so we have not got any confirmed reports of any illegal activities in Vanuatu waters,” Pakoa told Pacific Beat.

The suspect was carrying undeclared currency totally FJD $35,000.

The Fiji Times reports the woman arrived from Vanuatu at 2pm last Wednesday with the undeclared currency staged in her luggage.

Customs Officers at the Nausori Airport felt suspicious and after examining her baggage recovered various currencies amounting to $35,000.

The currencies found on the Chinese national were United States (USD), Fijian (FJD), Chinese (CHD), Hong Kong (HKD), Solomon and Vanuatu dollars.

Fiji Revenue and Customs Authority (FRCA) Chief Executive Officer Visvanath Das said under Section 32 (1) of the Financial Transactions Reporting Act 2004, any person leaving or arriving into the country with more than $10,000 should declare it to FRCA or face a fine of up to $60,000 or an imprisonment of up to 10 years or both.

"A number of people have also been fined and incarcerated for currency smuggling in the past few months," Mr Das said.

He made the statement during a custom reconciliation held last week in the Prime Minister’s office between him, his Public Utilities and Infrastructure Minister and leader of the Leaders Party Jotham Napat and Joe Natuman as the leader of the Vanua’aku Party.

He said their meeting, Napat performed a custom reconciliation for his comments as a State Minister opposing the government’s consultation on income tax that threw intention on a possibility of a reshuffle within the government.

Pasifik News reprots in a statement, the government spokesperson Hilaire Bule said in return, Prime Minister Salwai and his Deputy Natuman also said sorry to Napat for any word that might harm the members of the Leaders Party.

Salwai said he trusted the members of his government to stand together and make a change for the betterment of this country.

He said that unity and stability within the government is very important towards the development and service delivery to the people of Vanuatu and he thanked all the government Ministers and MP’s who stood with him despite criticism, the current government celebrated its one year Saturday (February 11).

He said the coalition government under his leadership today has been made of many political parties and it is not an easy task to manage it but he said all leaders within the government were born in custom.

PM Salwai said in some other countries, they have guns to solve issues but he is glad Vanuatu has its own way to resolve issues that includes constitutional and custom fashion.

He said the government of the day is made of old and young politicians that have a rich educational background and the country needs them together to join hands.

Photo Facebook Moses Stevens 

Hosts Tahiti take on current table leaders New Caledonia on the second day of Group A action in the OFC U-17 Championship in Papeete, Tahiti on 14 February.

Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu will open the day of action as they both fight for their first points in the competition at 4pm (local time).

Although their 3-2 loss to New Caledonia was heart-breaking for Papua New Guinea coach Harrison Kamake, he remains focussed on staying constructive and tweaking the side’s weaknesses.

“We are playing Vanuatu and they definitely are a good team,” he said.

“We’ll just have to revisit some of the basics and work from there.”

Also seeking redemption after their 1-0 loss to Tahiti, Vanuatu coach Rocky Neveserveth is working to improve the combinations in his side before their second chance at points on Tuesday.

“You could see that we lacked a certain level of preparation but we will do everything we can to stay here in the competition as long as possible,” he said.

“They haven’t lost their focus, they still have belief for the next game.”

Neveserveth is expecting a more calm and structured game from his side without the intimidation of Tahiti’s home crowd in their second match but still believes his side’s weaknesses will be tested by Papua New Guinea.

“Papua New Guinea will be a tough opponent. They have a great game style and we will do our best to work hard on our finishing and our defence.”

New Caledonia will have their turn at facing Tahiti’s passionate crowd when they meet the hosts in their highly-anticipated fixture at 7pm.

Although the match will be high-pressure for the young New Caledonia side, coach Michel Clarque is looking forward to facing their fellow Francophones and hopes to use the match as a chance to learn and develop with his team.

“The next match is sort of between friends and brothers,” he said.

“There’s always been a little something between Tahiti and New Caledonia of course, and there’s somewhat of a difference between our preparations for this tournament compared with the other team.

“It’s the type of tournament where we always want to try and do a lot of teaching, and then we can continue to benefit from these learnings in the future as well.”

Despite their 1-0 win against Vanuatu, Tahiti coach Patrice Flaccadori hopes to see a better 90-minute performance from his side in their second match.

“In the second half, the whole time we were under pressure. When you win the ball you need to hold on to it, to keep possession, and we weren’t so good at that,” he said.”

Flaccadori believes his side will need to up the intensity against New Caledonia if they plan to overtake the Melanesians on the table.

“They won 3-2 so they’re ahead of us in the standings, so we’re going to do what we need to in order to win this match. It’s a very important game for us.”

Games organisers Van2017, in conjunction with the Ministry of Youth Development and Sports, the Sports Commission of Vanuatu and VASANOC, have begun discussions to ensure the venues will be well managed and maintained once the Mini Games conclude in December.

RNZ reports Larry Sengstock from Otium Planning Group in Melbourne spent six days in Port Vila meeting with various officials and talking with the Sports Commission about the process and key elements of a business plan.

Mr Sengstock also worked with the PNG Government following the 2015 Pacific Games in Port Moresby.

He said the first thing to do is to get a clear vision of who are and what the stakeholders want.

"In this case the stakeholders also include non-sporting entities who want to have access to the facilities on an ongoing basis for festivals, conventions etc," he said.

"[It] is very clear that the ability to pay for access for many sporting groups is a major issue. There needs to be rate sheets and policies approved that will ensure a balance between elite athlete use, commercial use, and local grassroots usage."

The Acting Director of Ministry of Youth Development and Sports, George Maletoka, indicated the model presented can be achieved if the process starts immediately.

He said it is no good to wait until after the Games to sort things out and it was critical to have the structure of manpower and support in place during the handover stage from the contractors, and in place for the Games.

Mr Maletoka said the venues caould then go into operations mode without delay in January 2018.

Van2017 CEO Clint Flood said the real measure of success and importance of hosting the Pacific Mini Games will be seen and felt in the years to come with venues that are fully functional and maintained and being used for all sorts of activities in the community.

Korman Complex is currently being upgraded under a program by the People's Republic of China and being built by CCECC.

The work includes two indoor multipurpose halls, a new running track and grandstand, six tennis courts, four beach volleyball courts and an archery range.

The facilities are scheduled to be handed over on October 30.

RNZ reports Charlot Salwai launched the programme in Port Vila on Tuesday in front of more than 500 public servants.

Mr Salwai said it was important to drive the performance of all public servants so they can improve their productivity and service delivery.

He said after 36 years of independence he was very happy to see the public service embrace innovative programmes to help achieve the government's priorities.

A study was carried out 12 months ago to isolate any barriers faced by public servants and the new performance management system aims to attack these barriers.

David Robie is a professor of journalism at Auckland University of Technology and the director of the Pacific Media Centre.

He says the new laws are a step in the right direction, but it will also take a change in mindset from the government to make sure Freedom of Information requests are taken seriously.

“This is a tremendous encouragement for the media in Vanuatu, also for NGOs and other people seeking information and it’s a tremendous boost for the whole of the Pacific because Vanuatu is now the second country to follow on from Cook Islands,” Robie said.

However, he told Pacific Beat not to expect immediate change.

“I think fundamentally the government is committed to a much more open access to information and that was certainly reflected in the vote among MPs for bringing this Act before parliament and voting last year. Now that it’s actually in force. But we have got to actually allow for change in mind set because basically officials have gotten along quite happily for many years of just withholding information and being terribly helpful to the media,” Robie said.

Photo file: Vanuatu journalists at a press conference 

Amicale FC management has confirmed that the three Brazilian players who have sign with Rewa FC in the OFC Champions League will join the Red Roosters list and Bong Kalo, Tafea FC midfielder.

Amicale FC List: 1- Seloni Iaruel, 2- Godsen Donna, 3- Alphonse Boingham, 4- Diego Benedito Maximo, 5- Whitley Bebe 6- Octav Meltecoin, 7- Marcello Tenause, 8- Chanel Obed, 9- Elias Junior, 10- Bong Kalo, 11- Alphonse Lency, 12- Solo Iaruel, 13- Namoli Namatak, 14- Jackson Temakon, 15- Francoise Sakama, 16- Gibson Dadau, 17- Daniel Natou, 18- Yersin Avock, 19- Watson Maliwan, 20- Jeffrey Bob, 21- Roger Marcel, 22- Roddy Lenga 23- Simon Tousi, 24- Richard Manuriki.

Coach: Robert Yelou

Western Sydney Wanderers Team B List: 2- Malcolm Ward, 3- Tate Jackson, 4 –Joshua Bartolotto, 6- Tacettin Kumsuz 8 -Blake Currey, 9- Alexander Lopez, 10- Brandon – John Robertson, 12- Oliver Wiggin, 14- Brodie Clarkson 15- Mohamed Al-Taay, 16- Zachary Duncan, 17- Richard Stewart, 18- Jerry Skotadis, 19- Jamie Percevski, 21- Anthony Vastag, 30- Jack Groeneveld, 40- Mackenzie Syron.

Coach: Athanasios Diles

Photo Vanuafoot Facebook

Ol 11 officers ia oli arrive long Vanuatu long namba 3 February 2017 mo welcome blong olgeta I tekem ples long Vansec house long 12 February 2017.

Ceremony blong welcomem back ol officers ia, Acting Commissioner blong Police nao hemi organisem mo hemi congratulatem olgeta from high performance we oli bin putum aot taem oli stap long mission blong leftemap nem blong Vanuatu.

Hemi continue blong talem tankiu long ol support mo prayers we ol families oli save mekem mo commitment blong olgeta kasem taem ol officers ia oli kam bak.

Long Response long toktok blong Acting Commissioner, Contingent Commander, Senior Inspector James Aru hemi highlightem sam gudfala performance we ol officers ia oli bin putum aot.

Hemi talem se, wan long ol outstanding performance we I mekem se plante long ol narafala country we oli attendem semak mission ia oli pointemaot hemi, ol officers blong Vanuatu oli gat gudfala skills blong computer mo semak taem oli bilingual compare wetem ol narafala countries.

Wetem hemia I mekem se plante long olgeta oli karem ol gudfala position long area blong mission we oli part long hem.

Ol officers ia oli stap long mission long Ivory Coast blong 1 year 8 months mo oli namba 3 contingent we oli serve long Ivory Coast

The prescribed countries under the dual citizenship arrangement are Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa, United Kingdom and United States of America.

The minister said the delay in the legislative amendments being certified at the end of 2016 had now been completed and this would now enable administrative steps to press ahead.

Pato said there are a number of considerations that were taken into account when processing applications for dual citizenship.

"It has to be stressed that dual citizenship is not an automatic process, but one that needs an applicant to demonstrate that he or she is eligible to be considered for the grant of dual citizenship under the relevant laws.

He said there are two categories of people who can seek PNG dual citizenship.

"One category is that of PNG citizens who want to hold citizenship of a prescribed country and to turn in their PNG citizenship.

"The other category is that of people who hold citizenship of a prescribed country and wish to gain dual citizenship with PNG," Mr Pato said.

"Dual citizenship is distinguishable from the single citizenship by naturalisation which is still available should one wish to renounce their foreign citizenship and retain only PNG citizenship," he said

The PNG Government has approved new application fees for those who are applying for dual citizenship:

Current PNG citizen or former citizen seeking dual citizenship with a prescribed country the fee is K5000.

Children of mix parentage turning 18 years old and intend to retain their PNG citizenship the fee is K2000.

Citizen of a prescribed country seeking dual citizenship the fee is K15,000.

He said dual citizenship is a new concept and creates great opportunities for people at home and around the world.

"Through dual citizenship, our best and brightest can retain their connection with their homeland and not be hampered by bureaucracy.

"With dual citizenship we are better able to attract skilled workers who will be able to stay and build a home in Papua New Guinea, but still be able to return with ease to their place of birth to see family," he said.

Mr Pato said after Parliament passed the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in December 2016, a series of administrative measures needed to be implemented and these are now in place including checks and balance and transparency in the system and to prevent misrepresentation.

He said the application forms for different categories of applicants such as investors and sports persons are also being reviewed and finalized. 

PNG were first on the board in the 16th minute of play when Aben Pukue struck one past Vanuatu’s keeper, Joshua Willie.

Vanuatu hit back not long after when a mix up in the box allowed Dilland Ngwele to equalize.

PNG were one up again right before the break when a penalty awarded saw Barthy Pukue fire through his side’s second goal of the match to take PNG to a 2-1 lead at half time.

But the score was level again in the 55th minute thanks to the boot of Abert Vanva.

Both sides scored again in the 81st and 83rd minute to see the match drawn.

Vanuatu will take on New Caledonia in round 3 of the Championship on Friday at 4pm local time.

Photo file Vanuafoot 

A hospital manager, who is also part of the Dengue Taskforce, says 435 people were tested for the mosquito-borne disease.

He says of the 115 people who tested positive four were hospitalised.

He says one patient suffered spontaneous bleeding.

RNZ reports the number of dengue cases has also risen in neighbouring New Caledonia where an epidemic was declared last month.

Neveserveth made the comment as Vanuatu held Papua New Guinea to a 3-all draw in the OFC U 17 Championship in French Polynesia Wednesday afternoon.

“Papua New Guinea prepared for this match and we also prepared a long time for this match,” he said.

Being able to keep his side motivated in spite of having to come from behind three times was a challenge but one Nerveserveth said his team dealt with well.

“The best part of the game for me was when our young guys scored goals. We spoke a lot about this match and we told them to press, press hard and try and score goals,” he said in a report on OFC Media.

“I also told them to focus, keep your heads in the game and remain motivated for the full match. With that approach we were able to get the draw.”

The early pressure came predominantly from Papua New Guinea’s end as they got their Group A match against Vanuatu underway.

After both registered opening losses the emphasis for the two Melanesian nations was a victory and points on the board.

Aben Pukue was the hero for his side when he opened the scoring in the 16th minute that had keeper Joshua Willie beaten.

It wasn’t just a decisive moment for Papua New Guinea as they took the lead, but for their opponents too who lost their first-choice keeper to an injury.

Pukue and Barthy Kerobin wasted no time in giving replacement Dgen Leo a hard time between the sticks with a series of shots that would have had the keeper thankful he warmed up well.

At the other end of the park Abert Vanva joined Dilland Ngwele and Jean-Claude Batick in peppering the Papua New Guinea goal with shots.

They were rewarded for their hustle in the 25th minute when some mis-communication in the goalmouth saw Ngwele register a goal for his side with a toe-poke.

With just a few seconds of additional time remaining ahead of the half-time whistle Papua New Guinea were handed the gift of a penalty.

Converted by Barthy Kerobin, Papua New Guinea had the luxury of a one goal lead coming back for the second half. They may have rested to comfortably on their laurels however as Abert Vanva took advantage of a fumble from the keeper to pull Vanuatu back in line.

For the third time Vanuatu slipped ahead in the 81st minute thanks to Barthy Kerobin who put the finishing touch on a deflected ball. Celebrations were short-lived however as two minutes later Zidane Maguekon’s free kick slipped through Graham Berigami’s hands.

Sharing the points after having had the lead three times during the evening made for a hugely disappointing finish to the afternoon for Harrison Kamake.

“I’m very disappointed because I think it was just a few individual decisions that gave us the result we weren’t really after,” the Papua New Guinea coach said.

“I have to commend my side for the team effort. I was impressed with the ability to switch between the attacking and defending.”

Vanuatu takes on New Caledonia on Friday (local time). 

"We were merely the conduit for telling their story."

Standing on the edge of an active volcano, the spiritual mother of the island of Tanna, Australian documentary filmmakers Martin Butler and Bentley Dean never expected to be swapping traditional penis sheaths for red-carpet wear at this year's Oscar ceremony.

"It's all surprising given the film's humble beginnings. Four years ago, the villagers had never seen a film, and Martin and I hadn't made a feature, so to get to this stage is very special," says co-director and cinematographer Dean of their film named for the South Pacific island.

Dean's desire to live within another culture on Tanna, where he'd made a TV documentary in 2004, fueled his and Butler's idea to make a feature film in the islanders' native Navhaul language. After being guided to the village of Yakel, they decided their film would highlight the islanders' desire to turn their backs on a 21st century world and hold on to their customs and traditional way of life.

Tanna's story of two young lovers who try to defy the laws of arranged marriage was adapted from a traditional song and a real-life story. During a period of seven months, Butler and Dean lived with the villagers of Yakel and, with Butler on sound and Dean on camera, guided them in making the film, earning the trust of people not used to a movie set.

"We are extremely collaborative. We sat and talked with the villagers about how we wanted to make a story that comes from them," explains Butler. "We were merely the conduit for telling their story."

The filmmakers also worked closely with the director of Tanna's cultural center, JJ Nako, who became an important cog in the production wheel, acting as translator, cultural interpreter, guide and, on occasion, a third crewmember.

The process of developing Tanna's story line and dialogue to the start of filming took several months, involving the telling of tribal stories, workshops, improvisation and rehearsals over many hours and days. When it came time for casting, art imitated life, with many of the villagers replicating their real-life roles onscreen. And in true Hollywood style, the leading man was chosen by the villagers for his good looks.

"We had our preconceived way of filmmaking, so we introduced the villagers to the camera after three months. We chose one complex scene for the first rehearsal, and it's the first time as a photographer that I got goose bumps," says Dean. "The nuanced performance in that rehearsal was so good, it ended up in the film."

Filming was a lengthy process, with shooting confined to one scene per day. In addition to the language issues and working without a set script — as the cast doesn't read — the remote rainforest location provided many health and logistical challenges. During the seven-month shoot, they included a bout of viral conjunctivitis that blinded Dean for several days, cuts that turned septic, the loss of a computer and camera on the volcano and the gradual powering down of the solar cells the filmmakers brought in to use as a power source. Finishing each day at about 3 p.m. for the obligatory kava ceremony (kava, made from the roots of the plant of the same name, is a beverage with mild narcotic qualities that's consumed throughout Pacific Ocean cultures) often was a welcome respite.

"It was a big challenge and the most rewarding of our creative lives. Stepping outside the documentary comfort zone was exciting and liberating," says Butler.

Adds Dean: "Helping the islanders learn to make and love cinema for the very first time through the process we used is just as important as the final product. If you can get a ripper film of it, that's icing on the cake."

Back in early 2000, with limited knowledge of modern farming techniques or farm management skills, Moli planted 300 cocoa plants, but the plants did not flourish as he had hoped.

He hadn’t maintained the plantation or harvested cocoa since 2007. His cocoa plantation was overgrown and he couldn’t distinguish between the cocoa plants and other trees. In September 2015, he harvested approximately 5kg and the same amount in February 2016.

“For seven years, my family struggled to harvest cocoa; branches were everywhere because I hadn’t done any pruning all this time. But thanks to this World Vision program things changed.

“In early March 2016 I was introduced to the Vanuatu Agricultural Research and Technical Centre site where I quickly learnt pruning methods, and by the end of the same month, I had pruned my cocoa plantation,” Moli said.

Moli’s hard work paid off when he earned AUD$841 around Christmas 2016 compared to the AUD$168 he earnt twice per year in the past. World Vision’s Sanma Community Economic Development project, funded by the New Zealand Aid Programme, supports farmers on Malo Island to improve the quality and quantity of their cocoa. 

World Vision Vanuatu Area Program Manager Vomboe said, “The exposure visits to different cocoa production sites have helped farmers, including Moli, by increasing their knowledge and skills in good farming practices, and as a result the income they are earning from their cocoa has increased.”

Farming techniques such as pruning, spacing and fermentation were also passed on to other farmers, who were not directly involved in the programme, by twenty-four farmers who attended the training. This has also led to an increase in their income.

“Farmers directly involved in the program now have solar panels installed on their houses to improve lifestyles since there is no electricity on the island. They can pay their children’s school fees for the upcoming academic year and also cover other household needs,” Vomboe said.

World Vision has connected farmers with ACTIV (Alternative Communities Trade in Vanuatu), a non-profit organisation that works closely with cocoa farmers on Malo, by facilitating fair trade for local products. ACTIV helps farmers earn an income by purchasing their products if there’s a delay with the OKEANOS, a sea vessel used by ACTIV to purchase cocoa in the archipelago.

The project has increased production and income through sustainable production and processing practices and by facilitating access to financial and business services to help farmers understand and engage with the market.

Since March 2016, Moli has planted an additional five hundred cocoa trees. His wife Monique said all the households’ needs are now being met and they even manage to save some money.

“Our lives have changed since my husband learnt new farming techniques. We saved AUD$276 in December alone for school fees. Now we have solar panels to generate light and our children can study to have a better future,” Monique said.

This would be through improved access to sanitation, drainage facilities, and roads.

A grant agreement for the additional financing was signed in a ceremony in Port Vila today, attended by Jean Pierre Nirua, Vanuatu's Education Minister and Acting Minister of Finance and Economic Management, and Nancy Wells, Senior Country Coordination Officer of ADB’s Extended Mission in Vanuatu.

The $2.87 million grant will be provided by the Global Environment Facility.

“The extra funds will help strengthen climate change resilience and disaster preparedness in Port Vila,” said ADB’s Nancy Wells. “Increasing the design standard for the project’s drainage and preparing catchment management plans following sustainable urban drainage principles are part of this plan.”

Port Vila is the commercial and tourist center of the country, generating almost two thirds of national GDP. The poor state of the capital’s drainage, road, and sanitation infrastructure are negatively impacting Vanuatu’s ability to attract and retain commercial and tourist related investment. The infrastructure’s current deteriorating condition is also raising concerns regarding public health, environmental degradation, and poorer quality of life for Port Vila residents and visitors.

“The co-financed project, managed by the Government of Vanuatu through the Vanuatu Project Management Unit (VPMU) and funded by grants from the Government of Australia and the Global Environment Facility — a loan from the ADB and a grant contribution from the government — will help the country achieve sustainable urban development through improved services in Port Vila,” said Mr. Nirua at the ceremony.

The project will help address the increasing urbanization that is putting unprecedented pressure on infrastructure and is contributing to sustainable development in Port Vila in close coordination with other major projects underway in the national capital including the Port Vila Lapetasi International Multi-Purpose Wharf Development Project, the Vanuatu Interisland Shipping Support Project, and the Vanuatu Tourism Infrastructure Project all which will support Port Vila as a vibrant and attractive economic hub of the Pacific.

But a special group of people are preparing to make the long trip from a remote island in the South Pacific Ocean to the United States and create a small piece of movie history.

They're part of the cast and crew of the movie "Tanna" which has been nominated for an Oscar.

The Australian-produced movie was filmed in Vanuatu using local people speaking their own language, and none of them had ever acted before.

The film’s Cultural Director, Jimmy Joseph Nako says his tribesmen are excited but they didn't comprehend just how big a deal an Oscar nomination is.

“I think we will win the Oscars. It’s what I am aiming for. And if we win it, it will be the greatest achievement in my life. I will be so proud and dance to the air. It will be my custom dance and to lose it. I will still be proud of myself for attending the Oscars, Nako said in an interview with Pacific Beat.

'Tanna' is one of five films nominated for the Oscars Best Foreign Language category.       

The Oscars will be held in Los Angeles on February 26,2017.