Michael Field Reporter

Michael Field
Reporter & author - Pacific

pacifikanews@gmail.com

+64 21 688438

Skype: michaeljfieldakld

Twitter @mjfield

God was probably an artist and if proof is needed, sail out beyond New Zealand's horizon. Five kilometres or so into New Zealand's exclusive economic zone and it's a world of birds completely different from those on the coastline. Hypnotic and colourful, many of the birds are attracted to the fishing boats that are also drawn to waters for the same reason the birds are - it is rich in food.

Lazy poor in Samoa

Samoans who claim they are poor are lazy, Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele says. He says there was no poverty in Samoa. "Every Samoan has claim to land. There are plenty of mangoes, pawpaws, bananas and breadfruit falling off and rotting on the ground, plenty of fish in the sea," he said.

Worries aboard a Ukrainian fishing boat

On the darkened bridge of a large Ukrainian fishing boat it was easy to tell if the captain was near as he incessantly clicked his rosary-like worry beads. "In Russia," says Yuri Kylybov, the 49-year-old captain of Aleksandr Buryachenko, "we have a saying that a fisherman is twice the mariner of any other mariner." Under charter to Nelson based Sealord Group, the 14-year-old 4407 ton factory trawler is the largest operating in New Zealand's exclusive economic zone, taking "high volume, low value" fish and squid. Its 80 men and three women come from Sevastopol on the Black Sea, in Ukraine, part of the Soviet Union until disintegration in 1991. Launched in 1997 it is built to the one grunty size fits all Soviet-era plans; it looks older than it is. In Cold War days they were suspected of spying on the West.

Environmentalists demand end to Ross Sea fishing

An international coalition of environmental organisations is demanding an end to fishing in the Ross Sea south of New Zealand following two major accidents in the last month."The Ross Sea should not be sacrificed for the short-term gain of fishing companies and wealthy consumers in a few countries," Jim Barnes of the Washington based Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition says. The comment came after the Russian flagged Sparta hit and iceberg in the Ross Sea on December 16 but was eventually saved while the Korean flagged Jeong Woo 2 caught fire on January 10, killing three. In 2010, Korean flagged No 1 Insung sank, killing 22 people. All the boats were chasing lucrative toothfish which is sold almost exclusively in top end US restaurants.

Fiji TV says sorry for not making Bainimarama a winner

Fiji’s military dictator Voreqe Bainimarama has won an apology from the country’s free to air broadcaster after it ran a personality phone texting competition in which he came second. Fiji TV subsequently changed the result giving Bainimarama the winning personality of the year award and stripping it from the original winner, Premila Kumar of the Consumer Council. Bainimarama, who ended democracy with an armed coup in 2006 and refuses to restore democracy until 2014, said the text polling, was undemocratic.

Bainimarama – breaks his own word so often

“We will not tolerate an iota of disruption to the peace, safety, stability and common and equal citizenry we now enjoy….” Voreqe Bainimarama, speech to Fiji, 6 January 2012.

Those of us who were there that damp Suva Sunday evening remember much of the strangeness. The empty swimming pool covered in plywood, the piss stench from dozens of men who had drank way too much kava and impeccably dressed George Speight. It was 9 July 2000, at what we all came to know as “Iloilo’s House” in Maunikau. Down the road, Speight and his thugs held the government hostage, coming up to 58 days. Earlier attempted deals had failed, but this one was different because Inoke Takiveikata, the Qaranivalu of Naitasiri, was involved. This led to the Maunikau Accords to release the hostages and for the rebels to return the military arms to the barracks. There was a conditional amnesty, which Bainimarama, as martial law administrator, signed on the covered pool, a stupidly self-satisfied Speight standing beside him. As Bainimarama signed, he said, in a barely audible voice, that it was “the beginning of a long journey” and added, “let us unite as one people for the sake of our beloved country.”

California law threatens NZ fish exports

Fish exports to the United States worth $178 million a year could be in trouble after California enacted a law to fight human trafficking and slave labour in global supply chains. At the same time US President Barack Obama issued a proclamation against international human trafficking which he termed an “inexcusable human rights abuse”. Diplomatic sources say there is growing alarm in the New Zealand government that this country’s exports will become targets in the anti-human trafficking campaign because of heavy dependence on foreign charter fishing vessels which are crewed by mainly Asian men in what amounts to sweat shop conditions aboard decrepit fishing boats. On January 1 the California Supply Chain Transparency Act or SB 657 came into effect. The world’s first such law it requires retail sellers and manufacturers doing business in California to publicly disclose their efforts to eradicate slavery and human trafficking from their direct supply chain.

From the files...

Man with a past - interview with a massacre survivor

At 83 years of age Kabunare Koura still manages to cut toddy although he laughs that it is no longer from the high coconut trees any more. Life is good, he says sitting in a small traditional house on Bairiki Islet in Kiribati's Tarawa Atoll, and he is happy with his nine children, 20 grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

"The past is gone."

His deeply lined face breaks into a smile and he laughs easily and loudly; and you wonder how he can after what he saw. And after his terrible suffering it is equally surprising to find him alive and well. Kabunare is the solitary survivor of a massacre when the Japanese, as World War II was ending, put 150 Gilbert Islanders along the cliff tops of Banaba, stabbed them, kicked their bodies over the edge and fired bullets into the corpses.

Fijians protest against miners

Photos have leaked out of Fiji - where the military's martial law controls all gatherings and imposes heavy censorship - of a protest in Namosi. Villagers there are resisting Voreqe Bainimarama's push to mine large areas of Fiji. It is plain from the photos and the protest, that Bainimarama has forgotten the lesson's of PNG's Bougainville.

Auckland flash dance winning millions in India

A flash dance staged in Auckland's Aotea Square on Monday has made it into the top part of television bulletins across India. The 30 strong Indian Auckland group, organised by movie script writer Padma Akula, staged the flash dance at both Britomart and Aotea Square. Video from the flash dance has now appeared on the BBC, top news channel NDTV and even Tamil TV9 - guaranteeing audiences into the millions.

Cruising in Fiji writing PR for a dictator

A Washington black arts merchant has revealed herself on Twitter aiding Fiji dictator Voreqe Baininimara. Tina Jeon is the new woman behind Fiji ’s PR, supplanting the ranting Sharon Smith Johns of Australia. As revealed here first, Fiji signed a secret US$440,000 deal in August with Qorvis to clean up and improve the tattered Bainimarama image in the US . To date, the sum total has been new Twitter accounts for Bainimarama and his side kick attorney general. Now, it seems, these tweets are not the thoughts of the two men at all, but those of Tina Jeon.

Also at...

Fiji hires Washington black arts company

Qorvis-Fiji document

Outrage over fishing boat Ross Sea disaster

A leading polar biologist has blasted Ross Sea fishing operations saying that the Russian boat Sparta is facing the prospect of sinking in what will shortly be a feeding ground of over a quarter of the planet’s Emperor penguins. “How much did New Zealand spend to help that one Emperor penguin who strayed to New Zealand beaches this last year, a bit of irony there,” wrote American biologist David Ainley who got his PhD 40 years ago studying Adelie penguins.

Twittering Fiji's coup

The first big dividend has come to the people of Fiji thanks to their $1 million donation to Washington’s black art spin masters Qorvis… Yes, for all that money, which might have been wasted on schools or hospitals, military, military strongman Voreqe Bainimarama and side-kick Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum are now in Twitter space. And here is a neat thing; Twitter is very democratic and it lets anybody see not only how many both men have – but also who they are and who they are watching. In the race for victory Bainimarama, who claims to be @FijiPM has 71 followers and he is following 21 people. Aiyaz, touting himself as @FijiAG has sent out more tweets, but only has 47 followers and follows 20 people.

Sex workers tortured in Fiji – new report

Many of Fiji’s sex workers are being tortured by soldiers, a University of New South Wales report reveals.

Radio New Zealand National:

Reviewing the Pacific year - the big power battle for influence, the global financial crisis impact on region and lost Fiji

Russians are back in the South Pacific

Russians are back in the Pacific in manoeuvres that started during the Rugby World Cup involving cash in envelopes and promises of more to come. The money is to recognise non-existent states Abkhaz and South Ossetia. Rival money is being paid to say they do not exist.

Samoa forced to take turkey tails for free trade

Samoa has lifted a ban on imported American turkey tails and as a reward for doing so it will now be admitted to the World Trade Organisation. Samoa has been trying for 13 years to enter, but its ban on high fat turkey tails has kept it out.

Over a billion dollars laundered in NZ

New Zealand shell companies launder around $1.5 billion in the proceeds of international and domestic crime, a Justice Ministry paper reveals. It says New Zealand agencies have been advised of "serious offending" aboard by New Zealand registered companies.

Fiji military gets secret Indonesian deal

Fiji's coup prone military is being re-armed by Indonesia in a secret deal. Fiji has been under military dictatorship since 2006, resulting in cuts to military ties with Australia and New Zealand and an arms sale ban by the US and Europe. A brief statement from Fiji's Ministry of Information this week says officials have gone to Indonesia to see "weapons about to be shipped to Fiji" as well as to sign a cooperation deal with the Indonesian Armed Forces or TNI.

Tui fight - yeah right!

First it was the irritating pre-dawn lusting calls, now it’s the fights that often go to the death – its tui breeding season again. The once rare forest bird with the white tuft used to be found only in forests, but the king of aggressive birds has moved into North Island cities – and people are seeing they are not just passive little natives. Bird Rescue’s Lyn Macdonald, who runs triage on the tui battle front, reckons people have a rose-tinted view of them. “They can be little shits sometime, and angels the next,” she say.

Radio New Zealand National:

Samoa forced to take turkey tails for WTO membership, Indonesian arms for Fiji and Fiji's strange budget

Fiji military scraps income tax for most

Fiji’s military regime today imposed a partial fat tax on the nation in an annual budget which will eliminate income tax for 99.4 percent of taxpayers. But the budget announced this morning by military chief Voreqe Bainimarama suggests that tourists from Australia and New Zealand are going to pay a lot more instead.The Fiji Military Forces have voted themselves a nine percent pay rise in the budget.

Anti slave fishing organisation set up

Disgust at the practice of near slavery in New Zealand’s foreign charter fishing boats, along with physical and sexual abuse, has led a group of prominent lawyers and advocates to set up a trust aimed at winning human rights protection for fishing crews. Slave Free Seas - Slavefreeseas.org - comes in the wake of a University of Auckland study into the troubled charter business and year long exposes by the Sunday Star-Times. But even as the group gets started, Indonesians aboard two Korean flagged charter boats, are threatening to walk off, claiming extensive abuse and non-payment of around $1.9 million in wages.

Fiji chief angrily denounces military regime

One of Fiji’s traditional leaders has denounced the country’s military regime, forcing it to order the immediate closure of the provincial council she heads."We do not hate the government per se, but we are truly sick and tired of coups and can no longer meekly follow along,” paramount chief Teimumu Kepa has told the Rewa Provincial Council. Her speech ended with a personal request to Voreqe Bainimarama who seized government in a military coup in 2006. “If you come to arrest me, don’t come in the middle of the night, I am an old woman, all you have to do is call me or send one person,” she said.

Radio New Zealand National:

All Black, Tongan ship and Solomons elections

Sheep farming in PNG: a comedy?

A Christmas gift of lambs from aid organisation Oxfam has revealed a comedic New Zealand aid bid to run sheep on Papua New Guinea 's Highlands . An 35,000 word study was compiled, committees formed, gender rules imposed and drivers and anthropologists hired as the Ministry of Foreign Affair's set out to show reality can eclipse fiction. "PNG sheep development expansion project; social impact assessment" of 1993 reads like an early draft of Paul Torday's 2006 Salmon Fishing in the Yeman.

Record numbers of humpback whales found

Record numbers of baby humpback whales have been recorded in Tonga over the past couple of months. Humpbacks calve in the winter around Vava’u in Tonga and in summer migrate past New Zealand ’s east coast to feed in the Ross Sea .