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Friday, January 24, 2014 cook Islands News
regionalneWS nuti no Te Pa enUa
Emirates spending millions in Paciic UAE plans renewable energy projects in ive Paciic nations aBU dhaBI – The United arab
emirates has announced a funding initiative to spend millions of dollars on renewable energy projects in ive paciic nations. Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, Tuvalu and Vanuatu will receive grants from the Uae’s $50 million UAE-Paciic Partnership Fund, with grant inancing from Abu dhabi Fund for development (adFd).
all five projects will be codesigned and implemented by abu dhabi clean energy company Masdar, in cooperation with each nation’s government. The solar and wind projects represent one of the largest capital investments in the Paciic region’s clean energy sector, and are slated for completion in late 2014. dr Sultan al Jaber, Uae min-
ister of state and CeO of Masdar, said: “access to clean energy is a critical component of economic and social development. “This is especially true in the Pacific, as island nations face some of the highest fuel costs in the world and clean energy delivers a tremendous impact in terms of savings and growth potential.” The projects are estimated to save more than 1.2 million litres of diesel fuel annually and mitigate 3030 tonnes of CO2 per year, a statement said.
The projects are also aimed at demonstrating the viability of renewable energy in remote locations, where the International renewable energy agency reports that renewable energy now out-competes traditional diesel imports on cost. “developing countries have the challenge of accelerating economic growth and social opportunities, while facing constraints on natural resources,” said Mohammed Saif al Suwaidi, director-general of the abu dhabi Fund for
development. “The deployment of renewable energy is a unique way forward – decoupling energy access and equity from environmental impacts for the irst time.” The $50 million UAE-Paciic Partnership Fund was launched in March 2013 by Sheikh abdullah bin Zayed al nayhan, the Uae’s minister of foreign affairs, and is administered by the ministry’s directorate of energy and Climate Change. The fund covers project feasibility studies, engineering de-
sign, plant equipment supplies and installation, construction and operation and maintenance training. The la’a lahi ‘Big Sun’ solar plant in Tonga, commissioned in November 2013, was the irst project to receive funding from the Uae. Some of the other international projects operated by Masdar include a 500KW solar photovoltaic power plant on the island of Vava’u in Tonga. - Gulf Business
Travel company helps the kids get online new Zealand travel company gets Samoan college connected WellInGTOn – Kiwi company
house of Travel is helping to connect Samoa to the modern world by donating computer equipment and skilled labour to a college in apia. house of Travel holdings donated 85 second-hand computers, monitors and servers, plus a week of IT technician adrian
Miller’s time to Chanel College, a struggling Catholic school which now has the capacity to get its students online. For adrian, who had never travelled to the Pacific Islands before, it proved to be a lifechanging experience. “It felt amazing to do something selless, altruistic, know-
ing that I was part of something that was beneicial to so many people. I’m sincerely grateful for that experience. I’ve always wanted to do something like that and my company gave me that opportunity.” Miller jumped at the opportunity when his employer sought volunteers for the work, part of a larger, ongoing project being led by Kiwi John ryan. he and his wife are former volunteer teachers at the school.
Tongan luger misses family
Miller and Ryan had just ive days to set in place the infrastructure to enable the college to get connected and adrian has been following up with school staff in Samoa since his return to new Zealand to test the system and guide teachers there to getting it up and running. “When I volunteered to go to Samoa I didn’t really think about how the work I would be doing would impact on the college and its staff, students and the community. It started to sink in as the work over there progressed,” Miller says. “I realised that donating my skills and expertise were a lot more valuable than donating $20 would have been – it will make a huge difference to the
people there and it’s great to be part of helping to upskill the Samoan people to bring them into the technical age. “Many people there have no computer skills at all. Being able to get on the internet is basically a human right these days and has the potential to make a huge difference to the likes of students at Chanel College. It will open up many opportunities for them in the future.” The hospitality and kindness of the Samoan people made the experience all the more meaningful for Miller who says being immersed in the local culture was a real eye-opener and something he will never forget. Chanel College in Moamoa, Samoa, was founded in 1962 by
Marist Fathers and Miller and ryan were hosted by local priests during their ive-day stay. They put in some long hours to get the work completed. “We did what we could in the timeframe we had. I’d love to go back some time and see how it’s all going.” house of Travel holdings CeO Mark O’donnell said the company was very pleased to be able to help John and contribute to his work at Chanel College. “It’s important to us to contribute to the communities in which we live and those with which we have a connection through the business we do,” Mark says. - Press Release
Air crash remembered
Tongan Winter Olympics luge contender Bruno Banani says missing his family back in Tonga is the price he has to pay for his sporting fame. SOChI – Tongan luge star Bruno
Banani says the past ive years have required a lot of sacriice in order to achieve his dream of competing at the Winter Olympics. The 25 year old, born Fuahea Semi, sealed his place at the Sochi Games last month and will become the Kingdom’s irst ever Winter Olympian. In 2008 he was selected by the
German underwear manufacturer Bruno Banani to change his name and take up the sport as part of a marketing stunt. Banani says it was a big decision moving to the other side of the world, away from friends and family, but the hard work has paid off. “I don’t have any family here – I came here the irst time alone and it’s still something I would
say I slowly got used to, being away from the family . “But the good thing is I always go back two times a year to Tonga to visit them. My dad won’t be here in Sochi – they’re trying to bring a few of my siblings – but we will see if that happens. “I think they will just cheer from Tonga by watching it on television.” - RNZI
PaGO PaGO – an independent filmmaker from england is searching for people in american Samoa who were involved in an airline crash in the territory forty years ago. Pan am Flight 806, operated by Pan american World airways using a Boeing 707-321B , was an international scheduled flight from auckland, new Zealand, to los angeles, California, with intermediate stops at Pago Pago, american Samoa, and honolulu, hawaii. On January 30, 1974, it crashed on approach to Pago Pago International airport, killing 87 passengers and ten crew members. UK ilmmaker Paul Crompton will visit american Samoa later this month to interview local residents for a documentary he plans to make about the crash, which was the worst aviation tragedy in american Samoa’s history. he wants to talk to those who helped with the recovery operation with the goal of producing a ilm documentary for the beneit of the families of those who died in the tragedy. nine passengers and one crew member survived the initial crash and post-accident ire. One passenger died the day after the accident.
Three days after the accident, the remaining crew member and three more passengers died. One passenger, counted as a survivor, died nine days after the accident. January 30 marks the 40th anniversary of the disaster. Crompton said he has a friend in london who lost close family in the Pan am crash and has always wanted to understand more about it and how it was dealt with afterwards. “he lived with this story all his life. his father, in his first marriage, was due to board the plane, but at the very last minute he had to take his son to hospital in auckland, but his wife and daughter did board the plane and they were killed. “his father would never speak about the tragedy and very little information exists about it. I found other people were also intrigued and confused about what had happened.” Crompton said his friend has tried to understand as much as he could, but information on the internet and elsewhere is very limited. he has since discovered that there are many others like his friend all over the world – from Canada, Britain, USa, hawaii, Thailand to new Zealand and
australia – and they all have one thing in common, they feel like they need to know more. a Facebook group called “Family and Friends from Flight Pan am 806” is now operating online with relatives and descendents of those killed keeping in touch. Crompton said telling the story will bring about a hugely positive outcome. he said it feels like such a long time ago, but it seems that time creates a stronger desire to want to understand more. he said he wants the surviving relatives to have a document of what happened and to be able to see what it’s really like in american Samoa. “Many of them want to come and visit, and maybe this will inspire them, as well as helping them ind clarity to a deeply personal story out of it, and this is what a few families have said to me. Maybe we can build a memorial at the site of the crash. Somewhere they can go and visit and pay respects, because there is nothing there at the moment. Crompton will be in american Samoa from January 31 to February 3 to do research and hopefully interview people who were there on the night of the crash. - PNC/sources
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