To mark the second anniversary of Tropical Cyclone Pam, I want to give the people of Vanuatu an account of where Australia’s contribution is making an impact.

I was not in Vanuatu during Tropical Cyclone Pam but I was actively involved in Canberra in determining how Australia could assist Vanuatu’s response.

Our first and foremost concern following a crisis of the scale of Tropical Cyclone Pam was for the lives and wellbeing of those affected.

Australia provided AU$15 million in immediate assistance, which saw almost 500 tonnes of rice distributed to over 32,000 people, 1,300 patients treated at Port Vila Central Hospital and 26 medical evacuations from Vanuatu’s outer islands.

Australia repaired critical infrastructure including 143 schools benefiting more than 19,000 students and immunised 24,000 children.

Hundreds of Australian government personal and Australian-funded NGO and Red Cross staff helped distribute supplies to remote and rural regions of Vanuatu, with the assistance of Australian navy and air force assets.

This assistance helped Vanuatu’s early recovery but the country’s longer-term needs were inevitably much greater.

Tropical Cyclone Pam caused damage and losses equivalent to 64 per cent of Vanuatu’s GDP. Vanuatu’s tourism and agricultural sectors – the two main drivers of Vanuatu’s economy and largest employers – took the greatest hit.

To address this, Australia provided an additional $35 million, on top of annual bilateral assistance of approximately $60 million.

Working with the Vanuatu Government, these funds are being disbursed, with the economic development of cyclone-affected areas a priority.

The bedrocks of Vanuatu’s economy – the agricultural and tourism sectors – are receiving $3.3 million in funding to create jobs, bring tourists back to Vanuatu, restock and replant agricultural products and make Vanuatu’s agricultural sector more resilient to natural disasters and climate change.

Essential infrastructure has been given a boost, with $19.7 million being spent on improving health, education and government facilities in cyclone affected islands.

Hospitals, health clinics, schools and essential government buildings are being rebuilt or repaired to ensure people can access vital health, education and government services.

Coupled with the effects of the El Niño weather pattern, repairing and improving critical water infrastructure has been a priority and essential to the health of communities.

$3.3 million is being spent on repairing damaged water supply systems and ensuring water sources become more climate resilient.

This year will be big year for implementation and there will be many opportunities for businesses to be involved. I encourage local businesses to apply for government tenders to share in this exciting work, create local jobs and inject much needed funds into Vanuatu’s economy.

All projects funded by Australia are designed to match Vanuatu’s needs and be more resilient to climate change and natural disasters.

There is much we can do to lessen the impacts of natural disasters and improve Vanuatu’s ability to respond following such events.

As a close neighbour and enduring friend, Australia was proud to have supported Vanuatu through that difficult time, and is proud to continue to be supporting the country to recover from the effects of Tropical Cyclone Pam.

Photo file UN

A new kindergarten has opened after the old one was destroyed when Cyclone Pam hit Vanuatu two years ago today.

World Vision built a cyclone-resistant kindergarten to replace the one destroyed by the cyclone Pam.

The building is also designed to be used as an evacuation centre where families can shelter safely in the event of future cyclones.

Joe Siri, the kindergarten chairman of almost three years, said the new building is a dream come true.

“Before Cyclone Pam, the kindergarten walls were made of bamboo with iron sheets for the roof. It was totally destroyed by Pam. The iron sheets were smashed against big trees kilometres away.

“Now that we have a cyclone-resistant structure, young people in the village have an idea of how to build other strong structures to resist future cyclones”, Mr Siri said in an article on World Vision Vanuatu website.

Madeleine Jack, aged thirty-nine, who was the kindergarten teacher in the village for six years until the end of 2015, said after Cyclone Pam destroyed the kindergarten, she had to teach the children in a tent for almost a year.

When discussions began between community leaders to build a new kindergarten she stood with her committee to work closely with the World Vision team.

The kindergarten, along with sanitation facilities, was completed in April 2016.

“I wish I had a chance to teach in the new building,” Mrs Jack shared.

Today, the kindergarten has a new teacher, Brailyne Thomas. She is enjoying working in the new building.

“The building is strong and I am happy to teach in a good environment with proper sanitation facilities,” Ms Thomas said.

For parents like Sera Stevens, whose five year old daughter Dora attends the kindergarten, it’s hard to forget the night Cyclone Pam struck.

“I was holding my two daughters inside our house so worried about what we would do if the roof blew off since there was no evacuation centre in the village, but today if such a situation happened again we could shelter in the kindergarten building,” she said.

The first words out of Dora’s mouth the morning after Cyclone Pam had passed were, “Mum, what happened to the trees?”

Today Dora happily attends the new kindergarten. She loves to colour, write numbers and learn to read.

She shared, “I love to come to school.”

The project was generously supported by private donations from Australia and New Zealand.

Some 15 people lost their lives, many more were injured and thousands of homes, schools and other buildings were damaged or destroyed.

Pacific Beat reports the National Disaster Management office says it will likely be another two years before the country will be completely recovered, to the dismay of many.

But NDMO director Shadrack Welegtabit says it's important not to rush the rebuilding process if Vanuatu wants its communities to be able to withstand the next storm.

Infrastructure constructed in Vanuatu now must be able to withstand a category 5 cyclone.

According to Welegtabit, the recovery process falls under a separate department with the Prime Minister’s Office and they continued with their work despite a political crisis that resulted in some former ministers and parliamentarians being imprisoned as well as Vanuatu holding a snap election.

Photo file UNICEF. Rebuilding in Vanuatu after Cyclone Pam 

The Daily Post reported that Mr Germain had discussions with the Port Vila Municipality Council about bilateral aid and economic exchanges between Vanuatu's capital and the French territory.

Vila's Lord Mayor Ulrich Sumptoh said that his city and New Caledonia had enjoyed strong diplomatic relations over the years, resulting in Port Vila establishing sister city relations with Dumbea and Lifou.

This included a New Caledonian police mentoring programme for some members of the Port Vila Municipal Wardens.

The programme was set to expand in the Port Vila municipality.

Mr Germain also inspected the main market house in Port Vila which Agence Francaise de Developpement helped to fund.

The President of New Caledonia's collegial government, Philippe Germain. Photo: RNZI / Koroi Hawkins

However, the Malampa Revivors’ captain gives full credit for his development as a player and leader to the support and pure drive of his young but devoted football club.

The towering 25-year-old joined the Luganville-based club when it was established in 2010 and has never looked back, wearing the blue shirt when the side became the most successful Ni-Vanuatu football club outside Port Vila, qualifying for the 2017 edition of Oceania’s premier club competition.

“The past seven years there has been good,” he said.

“The coaching has been good and get on well with them and I’ve really enjoyed being in the captain’s role.

“I think all of us play really well together. We’ve worked really hard as a team and that’s how we’ve managed to be in the OFC Champions League.”

Although the debutants were welcomed into the competition with an arduous fixture against Papua New Guinea’s Lae City Dwellers, Alick is enjoying the challenge of facing the region’s top teams and feels honoured to play against international talent.

“The level is high so it’s good for us,” he said.

“Lae City Dwellers played very well and they were tough. Even though they won the game, it was a good experience.”

Alick now has full focus on tomorrow’s match against Solomon Islands’ Western United, and is feeling confident about earning their first points of the competition.

“I’m feeling good ahead of Wednesday and I’m ready to take on Western.”

Malampa Revivors will take on Western United at 1pm before Lae City Dwellers face New Zealand’s Auckland City FC at 4pm on the second day of action in Group C of the 2017 OFC Champions League at Mangere Centre Park in Auckland on 15 March.

But Caroline Mason saw the need for quilts.

“I started seeing it on television and the news, people lying on the ground with just pieces of tin over them, and I just thought, 'I wonder if I can do something’,” she said.

The ABC reports the grandmother from New Zealand started by collecting donations from her local quilt club, and asking friends to sew some simple bed covers.

But once she discovered how easy it was, she broadened her scope, and contacted all the clubs she could find across the country to ask for donations.

“To cut a long story short, I had 741 quilts here at the house within about three weeks,” Mason said.

Wanting to make sure they reached their destination safely, Mason accompanied the quilts to Vanuatu on a cruise ship, where one of the staff members asked her to visit their village.

It was there that she saw how a local woman's sewing machine had been destroyed during the cyclone.

“I guess I then went home and thought, 'well OK, you did your bit', but I kept seeing an image of this rusty, filthy sewing machine, a ruined sewing machine, and I thought … maybe some women have got sewing machines in their cupboards that they're not using,” she said.

After taking out an ad in her local newspaper, Mason travelled back to Vanuatu with the first load of 14 second-hand sewing machines to give to local women.

One of those women was Janet Kaltovei, who had lost her sewing machine and source of income in the cyclone.

She attended the first workshop that Mason held, where she taught the women how to use their new machines.

“It gives me [good] self-esteem because … when the product is finished with island fabric it's so brilliant. It's so nice and it's quality,” Kaltovei said.

Mason now makes regular trips to Port Vila, enlisting the help of local women to run workshops and distribute the donations of fabric and sewing supplies she has collected in New Zealand through her Facebook page, called Threads Across the Pacific.

She has delivered 100 old sewing machines and has received enough donated money to buy 30 new machines at a discounted rate.

The workshops focus on teaching the skills needed to make high-quality products that can be sold to tourists.

Six women who attended the classes have since signed up for a small business training course with the Vanuatu Chamber of Commerce.

Others have gone on to sell their products in the market — including a group of several women who pooled their resources and sold more than $1,500 (US$1,136) worth of goods.

“They planned out that they would take a third for repairing their church roof, which was ruined in the cyclone, a third to buy themselves more fabric and supplies, and a third they'd divide up and take home for their efforts,” Mason said.

The ability to sell their creations to tourists and neighbours has helped women to raise the money to send their children to school, Mason said.

“Even the primary school children, some can't get to school because they don't have sufficient money for the fees. To get to stay on beyond 11 years [and go] to high school is very expensive by local standards,” she said.

Janet Kaltovei has been making laundry bags for a local resort and is now a tutor at the workshops.

“I feel great helping other women to sew, because we have ladies who have come to the workshops who can't even sew, even hand sewing, so I feel good when I help them to learn,” she said.

“We have people who bring their grandchildren or their children into the workshop and put a dress on and we all give them a big round of applause,” Mason said.

“There's a lot of happiness and pride in that.”

Mason will return to Vanuatu in May with a group of volunteers to help run more workshops and distribute supplies.

This time her plans include visiting a school to replace the two sewing machines that were destroyed during cyclone Pam.

She said the sewing class of about 90 girls had been without any sewing machines ever since.

“There are new developments happening all the time,” Mason said.

“It has kind of grown tentacles of different things happening all over the place.”

Mason said she had no particular connection to Vanuatu when she began her call for donations two years ago, but she felt compelled to help.

“This is in the Pacific and the Pacific is our neighbour, they're our neighbours who are a lot worse off than we are,” she said.

“I guess it was just right time, right place, it just came along and has become a very big thing in my life now,” she said.

Photos Facebook Threads Across the Pacific. Women in Vanuatu wearing the new dresses that they made. 

The category five storm caused major damage to the island chain, all but wiping out tourist infrastructure like hotels and resorts.

Vanuatu's Tourism Minister, Joe Natuman, told Pacific Beat the industry is climbing back but it's not an easy task after something as devastating as Cyclone Pam.

Natuman says a lot of the hotels and resorts had to struggle and use their own resources to come up again.

He adds Vanuatu had to do a lot of campaigning in Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia which are the main source markets to attract tourists back to Vanuatu.

Photo Facebook Dept of Tourism Vanuatu: A cruise ship calls into Vanuatu last month

The event was staged as part of the CNOSF's "Playdagogie - values of Olympism" initiative, which was first launched in Paris in January and aims to engage, educate and inspire youth through sport.

The project has been developed in conjunction with Play International, UNICEF and the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Bid Committee.

It uses the "Playdagogie" training technique, which aims to help children learn and grow through play, with the scheme designed to use games and sport to help youngsters build knowledge and develop life skills. 

The project has now reached Vanuatu, with the two-day workshop in the capital attended by teachers from three local schools, as well as National Sports Federations and representatives from UNICEF Pacific.

It took place to "provide teachers, educators, development leaders and facilitators with playful and dynamic pedagogical tools to enable them to promote education and reduce the risk of an unhealthy lifestyle in children aged 6 to 12 years of age", according to the CNOSF.

Obesity is considered one of the main challenges in Pacific countries such as Vanuatu.

A follow-up session will be hosted by Play International to support VASANOC’s preparations for Olympic Day on June 23.

The "Playdagogie" scheme is also set to be rolled out in Haiti.

"I already knew of the NGO Play International and their actions," VASANOC President Antoine Boudier said. 

"I was sure that their methodology could be very effective in Vanuatu. 

"Through the deployment of Playdagogie, and its innovative teaching technique, children acquire values linked to Olympism, including leadership, respect for rules and, through this session today, the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. 

"For VASANOC, sharing these values is part of our daily mission and we are very proud to be the first to deploy this original pedagogical method. 

"If we want to improve our society, it is important to relay these messages through the younger generation."

Long dispela de long 2015 Vanuatu ibin bungim strongpela na bikpela cyclone PAM, em oli tok ibin wanpela stronpela cyclone na bikpela cyclone tru long kam long wanpela kantri long Pacific,na tu ibin wanpela bikpela bagarap tru long kamap long histry blong Vanuatu. 

Samting olsem 15 pipol lusim laif blong ol,na planti ol arapela pipol ibin kisim bagarap...wantaim tu planti  tausen haus blong pipol , ol skul na ol arapela bilding ibin kisim bagarap long dispela strongpela win.

 Long dispela annivesary blong en director blong Vanuatu Disaster Management Offis, Shadrack Welegtabbit itok i tru emi tupela yar nau stat long taim cyclone Pam emi kamap, ol wok blong stretim ol samting igo hed yet.

Emi tok ol gavaman department olsem Education, Health, Water na Infrastructure igo yet long wok blong ol long lukim olsem olgeta samting igo gud.

The majority of the community’s population of 136 people sheltered in evacuation centres during Cyclone Pam.

For community elder Meseb Homen, aged 62, the extent of the damage caused by the cyclone and flood is something he will never forget.

“I remembered the morning after Pam I came back and saw water everywhere, some houses flattened and as the day went by the water became mud and covered water wells, houses and gardens,” he said.

He said a few hours before Cyclone Pam struck, five men in the community had agreed not to evacuate for fear of looters.

“As the wind blew strong and the water level rose, the men took refuge in a damaged underground well. Thankfully they survived,” Mr Homen said.

According to an article on the World Vision Vanuatu website, Kathleen John, 43 year old mother of six, took refuge with others from the community at a catholic church ten kilometres away.  But her children still needed to be fed so she had to return to the community to find food.

“The distance did not matter as our children needed food and since the roads were blocked by trees, electrical posts and iron sheets, we walked for about two hours to reach home.

“We had to jump over and go under trees, swim across a rushing river to get food in our garden. The mud covered our garden, we have to dug out mud before getting cassava or bananas and get back to our village so we could find food for our children who were back at the evacuation centre,” shared Mrs John.

The men in the community dug mud out of the water wells and after three weeks in the evacuation centres, Mrs John and the rest of the community returned to their homes where they faced the challenge of accessing clean water.

“Twenty-five litre containers of drinking water were provided by the Vanuatu Police Force often and we used well water to wash and cook. Sometimes my children would accidentally drink the well water and get diarrhoea. This happened quite a bit for several months after Cyclone Pam”, she said.

Today things have changed. World Vision by provided a 6000 litre rainwater tank for the community.

“My kids, especially my youngest daughter May, no longer drink water from the well and are very healthy, the diarrhoea has decreased.” said Mrs John.

May, aged 7, enjoys playing with her friends and likes going to school. “I love to sing the alphabet song and read.”

World Vision was contracted by the Government of Vanuatu to supply the water tank with the support of the Government of New Zealand and the generous support by private donations from Australia and New Zealand.

Opening three weeks earlier than anticipated, the 80-room, AUD 30 million resort is the company’s first property in Vanuatu and employs 120 staff.

Set on the cliffs of Erakor Lagoon, it offers breathtaking views of the lagoon’s clear waters and the sandy white beaches of Erakor Island.

The resort is located just outside the heart of Vanuatu’s capital, Port Vila, and a convenient 15 minutes from Bauerfield International Airport.

“We are proud to expand our South East Asia and Pacific Rim portfolio to another popular destination in the South Pacific,” said Wyndham Hotel Group President and Managing Director Barry Robinson.

“Vanuatu is famous for its world-class beaches, friendly people and relaxed atmosphere, and this resort is a strategic addition to ensure our rapidly-growing Wyndham Hotel Group portfolio provides guests with the most diverse range of experiences possible.”

With its brilliant array of sea life, including tropical fish, coral, starfish, sea horses and sea cucumbers, Erakor Lagoon is considered a stunning destination for snorkelling and scuba diving.

Resort guests receive complimentary use of snorkelling equipment and kayaks on-property, while local cruise operators provide day trips for snorkelling or diving at secluded spots.

A range of reef and shipwreck sites off the coast are ideal for scuba divers.

Ramada Resort Port Vila offers studio rooms, junior suites and two-bedroom suites, all with balconies and panoramic views of the lagoon, air conditioning, kitchenette and satellite television with 30 international channels. T

he resort’s facilities include a swim-up pool bar, lounge bar, sports bar, a swimming pool, a gym and conference rooms that can cater for up to 140 delegates.

Akiriki, the onsite restaurant, serves a variety of local favourites and international dishes using the finest local produce and ingredients.

“The introduction of this resort under the globally-renowned Ramada brand is a milestone development for Port Vila’s tourism offerings and for the local economy,” said Ramada Resort Port Vila Managing Director George Dechaineux.

“We have enjoyed welcoming our first guests and we intend to show them how friendly, authentic and beautiful Vanuatu is.” Travellers all over the world will be able to access Ramada Resort Port Vila through Wyndham’s market-leading rewards program.

A week long workshop underway and being attended by senior government departments officers will produce the country's first Emergency Response Plan on biosecurity.

Vanuatu's Director of Biosecurity said the country must be prepared to activate a response plan because it was surrounded by threats of unwanted pests and diseases.

RNZ reports Timothy Tumukon cites neighbouring countries including New Caledonia which has a banana bunchy top virus, Solomon Islands and its rhinoceros beetle and melon fly, and Fiji with citrus canker among other pests.

Mr Tumukon also cited Australia with a range of serious pests and diseases, such as fruit fly in Queensland.

He said an incursion of a new pest or disease requires a proper assessment as to whether to activate an eradication or containment plan - this was where the Emergency Response Plan comes in.

In another development, Vanuatu's Biosecurity Director had advised against harvesting volcanic stones from the sea coast of volcanic islands for crushing purposes saying it could have an adverse impact on the environment.

While it was a lucrative business to use crushed stones as sealing chips for roads in the country, Mr Tumukon said the islands' landmass was small and the impact of any harvest would become noticeable overtime coupled with sea level rise.

Thanks to Namatan’s sponsors, Digicel and Air Vanuatu, there are seriously good prizes on offer, including a Phantom 3 Drone, a Samsung S7, a Samsung J5, a Tablet (Alcatel Pixi 4 7 inch) and a Phone (Alcatel Pixi 4 4 inch). For your chance to win, submit your film to the Australian High Commission by 19 April, 2017.

Namatan is open to all residents of Vanuatu of all ages and skill level.

 Participants must produce a short film of one to seven minutes which contains Namatan’s 2017 unique item, the Naio.

Finalists’ films will be screened in communities and schools on Efate, Tanna, Malekula and Santo and at the Namatan Grand Finale on 24 May.

Entry is free and easy, with all terms and conditions of entry available on the Australian High Commission’s website (http://vanuatu.embassy.gov.au).

Good luck to Vanuatu’s filmmakers and remember, Ae blong yu, lukluk blong mi.

Photo: Participants of 2015 Namatan Short Film Festival 

Malampa Revivors opened with a significantly stronger performance in their 1pm fixture against Western United, forcing the speedy Solomons to fight to the final whistle for the 2-1 win.

Western earned an early lead when Joses Nawo sent in an impressive shot from the right edge of the 18-yard box in the 25th minute but the Ni-Vanuatu first-timers lifted their intensity after conceding and the rest of the half saw a more equal spread of possession as Malampa Revivors fought for the equaliser.

Their tireless effort paid off early in the second half when Matson Feni received a yellow card for a tackle on Ismael Edward in the box and captain John Alick scored Malampa Revivors’ only goal of the game from the penalty spot.

A penalty on the other side of the field allowed the Solomon Islands club to regain their lead after a foul from Greg Bani in the box in the 75th minute. Western United captain Henry Fa’arodo stepped up to the penalty spot and fired the ball just wide of a diving Naruel Maliu to bring the score to 2-1.

A chance for Western United to further their lead came after Greg Bani was shown a yellow card for another foul in the penalty box in the 84th minute, but Maliu pulled off an impressive save to stop substitute Paul Wale from getting his name on the score sheet.

Although the loss ended Malampa Revivors’ chance of reaching the semi-finals, assistant coach Steven Ham was very pleased with the valiant effort displayed by his side, and thought his inexperienced team put up an impressive fight against a more established squad.

“I’m really happy because Western United are a talented team, most of them play for their national team,” he said.

“We really tried our best and we are a new team so I am pleased with our effort.”

Western United coach Commins Menapi was overjoyed to leave the field with their first points of the competition, and felt proud watching his side persevere against their determined opponents for the full 90 minutes.

“I’m happy with the performance of the boys today, we got three points and I’m happy with the way they played,” he said.

“Malampa gave us a good game today, I think they improved from their last game against Lae City Dwellers, so I was very happy that the boys went out there and gave 100 per cent.”

Photo Twitter OFC Champions League 

Telecommunications Vanuatu has apologised for the disruption to fixed and mobile services

It said lightning strikes and power outages caused the network to become unstable.

RNZ correspondent Len Garae said phone services had been worsening over the last week and most phones were not working yesterday, causing people to respond angrily on social media.

He said it showed Vanuatu was still reliant on overseas expertise.

"They had to get an expert especially from Australia and they went as far as hiring a plane to get him over to sort the problem out and fix it. We continue to depend on expertise from the outside. We do have local expertise here but in this particular case it was so drastic and it was so sudden they had to rush in someone especially from Australia."

Mr Garae said people had become dependent on their mobile phones, and the outage was very disruptive to people and businesses.

At least that’s the way Erakor Golden Star defender Michell Kaltack, currently competing in Group D at the OFC Champions League, sees it.

“We all use the same language for a start,” he said.

“We all grew up together so when we move, we move as brothers and a team.”

And in fact given there’s five Kaltack’s in the squad – two of them his brothers and the other two his cousins – it really is a family affair.

Kaltack says joining up with Erakor has been an emotional homecoming.

“For me I’m very proud to be part of it because it’s my local club, it’s my family,” he explained.

“In the family Kaltack there’s five of us playing with this club. Three brothers and two cousins – we all grew up together.”

Kaltack also indicated the need for the club to stick to its roots.

“For us it’s important we use local players because we will show our country and other countries, what the level of Vanuatu football is.

“We don’t take export players as it helps us to improve the level and show what Vanuatu can do.”

Kaltack has previously turned out in this competition for Tafea FC and said the more matches he has at a high level, the more he feels he can offer both club and country.

“My experience in the Champions League with Tafea has developed my skills and I have learned through the mistakes I’ve made in my past games,” he explains.

“In addition, with my teammates I learn something from them and they learn something from me.

“We are constantly improving and sharing our knowledge and that’s a good thing for us, the players, as well as the club and Vanuatu football in general.”

Erakor Golden Star will be calling on the Kaltack forces when they play Marist FC this evening (6pm, TAHT, Stade Pater) in a bid to keep their chances of semi-final qualification alive.

Michell Kaltack is one of five members of his extended family in the Erakor squad.

But the Solomon Islands champions admit they'll need to be at their very best to upset hosts and Group D leaders AS Tefana in Papeete.

The Honiara club was 4-2 winners against Fiji's Rewa in their first match but suffered a frustrating 2-1 defeat to Vanuatu side Erakor in midweek.

They need to beat Tefana by at least two goals to give themselves a chance of progressing to the next round and coach Juliano Schmeling said anything was possible.

"The players are still growing, still improving, they're a young squad. They're really enjoying this challenge, the challenge for a very young group but the challenge that if we want to qualify for the semi-finals we need to pass through this challenge," Schmeling said.

"They're happy and looking forward to get a good performance on the Friday [local time]."

"Definitely we respect Tefana because they have been in the O-League for many years. [They have a] strong squad, playing at home but in the game anything can happen," he said.

"We need to get a good strategy for the game, some good plans, good task for our players and perform well. Especially if we don't have any individual mistakes I believe we still have a chance."

Erakor also have a slim chance of finishing top of they can beat Rewa by at least five goals and hope Marist beat Tefana by a solitary strike.

Meanwhile in Group C hosts Auckland City are well placed to advance in their bid for a seventh straight Oceania crown.

The Navy Blues might already have top spot secured by the time they face winless Malampa Revivors from Vanuatu.

But coach Ramon Tribulietx said they won't be taking anything for granted.

"We need to make sure that we are tuned up for the game. It's going to be another difficult battle against a team that's going to run and run and run with a lot of intensity. We need to make sure we're up for it."

Papua New Guinea's Lae City and Western United from Solomon Islands square off in the early kick off, needing big wins to overtake Auckland on goal difference.

Even if that does come to pass, a draw or better will be enough for the defending champs to join Team Wellington and AS Magenta in the final four.

Photo: OFC Media Solomon Islands futsal coach Juliano Schmeling. 

In the earlier match Erakor Golden Star had been hoping to keep their dreams of semi-final qualification alive – even if by a long shot – but unfortunately for the Vanuatu side Rewa had other plans beating them 2-1 to claim their first points.

Tefana coach Sebastien Labayen was incredibly pleased to be through to the semi-finals for the second consecutive year, and credited his strong coaching team with the success.
“We often see the team on field, this time it is a team of coaches next to you,” he said with assistant coach Pascal Vahirua and goalkeeper coach Manuel Taae alongside him.

Former professional Vahirua said the squad had been well prepared for this competition so to qualify for the semi-finals was of little surprise.

“We prepared our team to be present and ready, to being the maximum level of energy to the field and achieve our goal in the best conditions.”

The match kicked off with full intensity from both sides with each aware of what it would take to qualify for the final semi-final berth.

Sylvain Graglia, who will fly out tomorrow with the Tahiti national team for their World Cup Qualifying match against Papua New Guinea, was firing on all cylinders once again as he powered up and down the field with some piercing attacks.

For their part, Marist was equally in the mix with a couple of decent attacks testing goalkeeper Stevens Hiriga, but they struggled to maintain possession in the middle and were eventually punished for it.

Jonathan Tehau opened the scoring in the 23rd minute when he fired in an effort that Philip Mango struggled to deal with. Marist was then dealt a number of cautions as they held off a series of advances from their opponents.

They were dealt another blow however, when a shot ricocheted off the boot of defender Michael Boso and redirecting it past a diving Mango.

Despite the two goal deficit, Marist never let their heads drop and were rewarded for their determination just ahead of the break when Guilherme Guedes netted his fourth of the tournament.

The night got tougher for Marist on the stroke of 65 mintues when defender James Egeta was awarded his second caution of the evening after he was deemed to have halted a promising attack from Tefana.

A man down, Marist continued to play and although at times were clearly outnumbered by their opponents, kept up the pressure. After a stunning run into the box, Brazilian Guilherme Guedes was taken out down earning a penalty which he duly slotted past Hiriga.

“I’m proud of the game we had,” Marist coach Juliano Schmeling said.

“The first half to be honest, I wasn’t expecting to concede two goals. The second half I was very proud of them, it was an amazing performance especially when we went 10v11.”

In the opening encounter Rewa caused a stir when they went ahead in the 24th minute after Marcelo Junior put the finishing touch on an Iosefo Verevou pass.

That lead was extended less than eight minutes later when Verevou once again played supplier, cutting a pass back from the goal line to a Madhvan Goundar who put the ball past Chikau Mansale.

Despite conceding the two goals, Erakor was otherwise sound in defence but struggled to make inroads in the midfield and up front against their Fijian opponent.

It took until the 58th minute of the match for Erakor to get on the board, with leading scorer Tony Kaltack adding a fifth to his overall tally.

Play was up and down, back and forth, but neither side was able to find the net again leaving Erakor to rue their missed chances, while Rewa celebrated their first points on the table.

“You can see the challenges we’ve come through and the improvement we have made game-by-game,” Rewa coach Marika Rodu said.

“We wanted to end the competition on a high note, so despite the fact we won’t make it to the next stage, it was a good stepping stone for us and the boys did well to secure the three points.”

For Etienne Mermer the loss was somewhat disillusioning but overall was pleased that the side was able to get some results along the way.

“First af all I want to congratulate the boys,” he said.

“And from my point-of-view, I expected to get a win but unfortunately we lost. That said, it has been a good experience for us, especially for these players.”

AS Tefana are the fourth and final team to qualify for the OFC Champions League semi-finals where they join Auckland City FC and Team Wellington of New Zealand as well as AS Magenta of New Caledonia – the same four semi-finalists as in 2016.

Photo: OFC via Massimo Colombini Marist made Tefana earn their semi-final berth this evening. 

Unicef is working with the Vanuatu government on the groundbreaking project in the hope it will save lives.

"If it works it will be massive, it will be huge, it will be another step ensuring that all children get the vaccinations they have a right to and deserve," Sheldon Yett, Unicef Pacific representative says.

1 News reports Unicef has already run successful drone trials in Malawi in Africa to transport HIV/Aids blood samples.

It plans to do the same thing with vaccines in the Pacific with trials starting in Vanuatu in June.

"It's very important to go in a methodical method and do small trials, making sure that the vaccines can be delivered safely making sure the vaccines don't get lost, making sure they stay cold," says Mr Yett.

Some Pacific communities are inaccessible by road, and it's not unusual for remote medical centres to run out of supplies with sometimes serious consequences.

In Vanuatu just over half of one year olds have been immunised for measles compared to an average of 90 per cent in the wider region.

"Sepsis is a huge thing in the Pacific setting whether it's bacterial or whether it's from malaria and all various vector borne diseases, so to send the drone out to take supplies to areas, I think will be fantastic," says Dr Alec Ekeroma.

Medical authorities believe that as long as drones don't replace supply chains it could be a major boost for the Pacific.

"If it works in Vanuatu it will work in Tonga, in Fiji and all the other Pacific Islands that are so decimated," says Dr Ekeroma.

Drones have already been used in Vanuatu to access cyclone damage but carrying precious cargo on board is a different story.

The drones will be expected to fly more than 30km to different delivery sites carrying a vaccine package weighing about two kilos.

If the mid-year tests are successful real vaccines will be delivered to three sites early next year, making a difference to those who need it most.

While the remaining 11 are not due for parole for some time, former prime ministers Moana Carcasses and Serge Vohor, along with former MP Steve Kalsakau, have applied because they have served half their sentences.

It will be up to the Parole Board to decide if the applications are successful.

The editor of the Vanuatu Independent newspaper Tony Wilson told Pacific Beat their possible release is likely to ruffle some feathers within the current government.

“Under Vanuatu law once you have served six months then you are eligible to apply and they have done that in writing about a week ago,” Wilson said.

The other 11 former MPs got extra sentences added on to their original sentences for their involvement in the pardoning incident and they will have to wait some time before they have served half their new sentence.

Wilson said surprisingly there has been very little publicity and public reaction so far.