The Pacific Regional Education Framework (PacREF) Programme Facilitating Unit (PFU), has successfully coordinated stakeholders and nations towards meeting education targets in the Pacific region. PFU Coordinator, Mr. Filipe Jitoko, shared valuable insights on the key challenges and takeaways in advancing the framework at the Oceania Sport and SDGs Strategic Partners Forum opening session during the 43rd Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC) Annual General Assembly in Brisbane, Australia. One of the key challenges was coordinating regional activities without disrupting the everyday work of country officials, which was overcome by ensuring all activities were well-structured and efficiently run. The PFU also identified effective partnerships between implementing agencies and countries as a significant challenge, which was addressed by building strong partnerships between agencies and member countries. Being that, Jitoko emphasized the importance of country leadership in the success of regional frameworks through their governance structures. “PacREF’s successful implementation is a testament to the effectiveness of coordinated efforts between different stakeholders and countries. The programme’s key learnings will be valuable in guiding future regional education frameworks in the Pacific region.” In addition, the PFU also recommends using existing forums at national level to create awareness and advocate for regional programmes such as PacREF because this approach would help streamline the process and ensure that all stakeholders are aware of the programme’s objectives and activities. The PacREF programme is committed to developing skills and student pathways to create opportunities that meet learner aspirations and abilities and with Technical Vocational Education Training, including Sports Development, which is a critical aspect of this commitment. Fifteen Pacific Island countries are currently participating in the PacREF programme implementation. The adoption of the PacREF 2018-2030 by Forum Education Ministers in 2018 outlined the transformative and sustainable regional education agenda aligned with global agendas such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Funding the programme were Global Partnership for Education (GPE), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT).

Two strong earthquakes at a magnitude of 5.9 and 5.3 have struck near Pōrangahau in the lower North Island. GeoNet said the first was the magnitude 5.9 which hit about 10.16am at a depth of 22km. It was followed three minutes later by the magnitude 5.3 one, which was at a depth of 15km. On GeoNet's website, about 22,000 people reported having felt the first and about 20,000 reported feeling the second. The National Emergency Management Agency has confirmed there is no tsunami risk from the earthquakes. A couple of dozen aftershocks have occurred since then, which was typical for an earthquake of this size, according to GeoNet. The largest aftershock was magnitude 4.3 that struck about 10.28am. "Although that activity will wane with time, we do expect that there would be earthquakes that would be felt in the coming weeks and months following this event," GNS Science seismology project scientist Katie Jacobs said. Farmer Gretchen King said they got a lot of earthquakes in the rural Hawke's Bay settlement, but this was the strongest one they had ever felt. "It was fairly big, doors swinging, we've lost some pictures from walls, I think a few other things have fallen and hit the ground." The earthquakes did not feel nearly as strong as those in Christchurch, but were big enough they felt they should take action, King said. "It was enough to make us actually go and sit in the car, because we decided that having heard some of the terrible stories from Christchurch we didn't really want to hang around and wait inside with things falling about if we didn't have to." Central Hawke's Bay Mayor Alex Walker told Nine to Noon it was good to see people following safety guidance without waiting for official confirmation. "I want to thank all of those that did self-evacuate on the message of 'if it's long and strong, get gone', and our community out there have taken that seriously." The earthquakes had disturbed the community, which had already suffered damage from Cyclone Gabrielle earlier this year, Walker said. "This is not the kind of wake up call we needed this morning. We do need to keep alert but what is happening in Pōrangahau at the moment is community spirit is relatively high. "They're working together in their recovery from Cyclone Gabrielle, so their networks of how to connect together and look after [each other] as a community is particularly strong at the moment and council and Civil Defence will continue to wrap around them as we deal with it." There had been reports of content damage inside properties, but they were not aware of any structural damage as of yet, Walker said. "Our community there is also spread, we've got residential community who live in Whangaehu coastal community as well as our rural areas out there so we're just making sure we're getting a clear picture of what's happened on the ground, but everybody seems to be okay at the moment which is great." GeoNet advised on its website that a landslide may be triggered by earthquakes, with homes near hills or steep slopes most at risk. If you live near a hill or steep slope, watch out for cracks or movement that could be a warning sign. "If people need emergency help, they do need to ring 111 emergency services if they are in strife," Walker said. Hikurangi subduction zone and slow-slip events GNS Science seismology project scientist Katie Jacobs told Midday Report from Upper Hutt she also felt the earthquake. "It was felt really strong throughout most of the lower North Island, with some reports going all the through the North Island and [upper] South Island." While there was a fault system under Napier and Hastings, the Hikurangi subduction zone along the east coast of the North Island played a large part in earthquake behaviour in those regions, Jacobs said. "We're actively trying to understand and study scientifically earthquakes, specifically in the Pōrangahau region. "I'd also just like to give a shout out and thank you to people in the region who have been actively helping in the last couple of years by hosting additional earthquake recording equipment. A lot of the people who felt the event today will have been helping the science project in the last couple of years." Pōrangahau was also a region that experienced slow-slip earthquakes, Jacobs said. "Slow-slip events are the same kind of motion on the subduction zone like [what] would be experienced in a large earthquake, but instead of having that motion occur over seconds or minutes, like we have with this earthquake today [where] all that energy was released very quickly, in a slow-slip event that energy would be released over weeks to months," she said. "So, it's not at a scale where anyone can feel it, and they can only be detected with quite sensitive GPS positioning equipment." Source: Radio New Zealand

Students from Water House Memorial Primary school in the Gelegele Resettlement of Rabaul District in East New Britain province, will now be using a newly built six-in-one double classroom that was officially opened recently. The opening was a double celebration for the students in the primary school as well for the Water House Junior High school, teachers and surrounding communities because the opening also coincided with the commissioning of the new school uniform. Officiating the program was East New Britain Governor, Micheal Marum, Acting Provincial Administrator Levi Mano, Provincial Education Advisor Alkan Mararang and officers from the Rabaul District Administration. According to Head teacher, Mr. Mesulam Gamaliel, the school was established in 1996 after the twin volcanic eruption in 1994 to cater for students in the resettlement communities of Gelegele. He said the successful completion of the six in one classroom was made possible through the school management and board, and the Provincial Government through the Office of the Governor. “We also received support from a small locally owned business of Gelegele. Such gestures shows how locals see the importance of these kinds of infrastructural projects taking place by giving back to the community.” In addition, the East New Britain Provincial Education Advisor Alkan Mararang told the students and parents that such effort and commitment from the school, local businesses and communities is really good as that is what they always emphasize about. He commended the school administration, board and parents for their commitment and perseverance in successfully completing the classroom. “I urge you students and communities to take ownership of the new classroom and look after it to serve future generations.” Furthermore, other provincial leaders praised the school management and communities for their continuous commitment resulting in the building and other school successes. The school later thanked Governor Michael Marum, the provincial administration, education division, local business and everyone who committed their time and support towards the school. Meanwhile, the event also saw the commissioning of school fencing and classroom maintenance, the blessing of new school truck, and the commissioning of the new vehicle for Gelegele Health Centre.

After so much work and preparations, five young Papua New Guinean missionaries of the Society of Divine Word (SVD) will now be taking up their missions abroad. A Mission Cross service was conducted at the St. Paul’s Parish in Mt Hagen in Western Highlands Province, where Fr. Jerry Kurai of Enga, Fr. John Sine of Simbu, Fr. Rex Andrew of Mt Hagen, and Fr. John Hal of Mendi with Br. Raphael Goima of Mt Hagen were commissioned. The missionaries were blessed and bestowed with the Mission Cross, allowing them to be of service to people and communities they will be working with in countries they are assigned to. SVD Provincial Superior, Fr. Jose Orathinkal said that the giving of the Mission Cross is a practice that has been carried down from the founder of SVD Congregation, and that the Cross of Christ protects the missionaries from all forms of harm, giving hope and encouragement when the missionaries grow weary from toil. The PNG SVD Provinces were joyful of the four priests and the brother who were assigned to countries where they are needed to administer the Word through pastoral programs. “It is a moment of great joy, gratitude, and pride not only for the SVD Congregation and family of these missionaries, but also for the Church in PNG.” Fr Jerry Kurai was assigned to Chad (Central Africa), Fr John Sine to Argentina, Br Raphael Goimba’s mission in Zambia (Africa), Fr Rex Andrew to Kenya (Africa) and Fr John Hal to the Philippines. The five will add up to the other nine already serving overseas whom are Fr. Francis Koimb from Mt Hagen serving in Ghana, Fr Dennis Nyaura from Sepik working in Bolivia, Fr. Paul Bina from Simbu in Argentina, Fr. Andrew Masi from Sepik in Timor, Fr. Alex Garuai from Buka in Zimbabwe, Fr. Shadrach Ketiga from Mt Hagen in Jamaica, Br. Aloysius Aisi from Port Moresby in the US, Br. David Nikins of Mt Hagen in the US, and Fr. Jeremiah Kaumbal from Sepik in Germany. The local missionaries going abroad are assigned to four regions of the world; the Asia-Pacific, Africa, Americas, and Europe. Furthermore, the SVD PNG Province has come of age since 1896, and it is now time for PNG to reach out to places, families, people, and communities where they have been sending missionaries to serve Papua New Guinea over the years. “SVD PNG Province is also grateful to eight of our missionary priests who have served abroad starting from early 2000 and have returned back to the country. You all have done the SVD PNG Province proud in taking the Word there, and also represented PNG well during the time of your mission work.” There are now 14 Papua New Guinean SVDs missionaries working in different parts of the world. While some have worked for some years and have come back, there are also around 12 Papua New Guinean SVD seminarians studying abroad.

Faith based organization Believe Global, recently opened its first Community Hub in Mandress in Gazelle district in the East New Britain Province. The community hub first opened on the 22nd of April in the presence of East New Britain Governor, Michael Marum, Open Member for Gazelle and Minister for Fisheries and Marine Resources Jelta Wong as well as Believe Global Director, Neil Smith along with leaders and members of the community. The opening ceremony was a momentous occasion not only for Believe Global but for the local community, the district and the province as a whole. Believe Global exists to bring positive impact in five key spheres of influence; leadership, business, education, health and the church. With that, the Community Hub functions as the infrastructure needed to bring transformation and uplift in these areas. Hubs are designed to provide dedicated youth development programs such as education training, health services and general community support in rural areas across the nation which are equipped with high-tech A/V connections via internet for ease of global connectivity and program delivery. Meanwhile, this Hub model breaks away from the traditional “silo” model of community services, providing a holistic and integrated model that fosters community engagement and connectivity with the belief that the installation of these Hubs will significantly contribute to Papua New Guinea’s 2050 vision of becoming a smart, wise, fair, healthy and happy society, transcending geographical boundaries to build a stronger nation and brighter future for all. According to Believe Global Director, Neil Smith, the Community Hubs are the realization of a vision that began in 2015, and the product of a strong partnership with Minister Jelta Wong. “Believe Global has been involved in community initiatives, youth development and education programs in Papua New Guinea since 2015 and has been expanding since.” Governor Michael Marum expressed that he was impressed by the scale of the project, which exceeded his expectations and looks forward to the positive outcomes that will emerge over time, especially for the youth of the community. In addition, Minister Wong, in turn, communicated his deep appreciation of the Believe Team and encouraged everyone to make the most of these facilities for the betterment of the community. The recent launch of the Community Hub is just the first of many and hopes to see many more in the future.

Warangoi Secondary School in East New Britain Province resumed its second term on a high note with majority of the students returning from their term break on time. Principal of Warangoi Secondary Mrs. Naomi Vuvu said the first week of school went well with no major issues. “We have had our students return to school back on time and are now looking forward to term two.” “We successfully completed the first term as we experienced some new changes, such as the introduction and implementation of the new curriculum, which is the Standard Based Education/ Curriculum.” “The curriculum will only be applied by our Grade 9 students just for this year and then to next year where the grade 10s will then start applying it as well and so forth.” However, Vuvu expressed concerns that further knowledge is needed on the new curriculum and what is required of it. She also made mention that there is already someone in place appointed by the provincial education board who is going around to schools to educate them more on the new curriculum. Apart from this, with the school’s resumption of term two, the school has not yet received its second quarter of the Government Tuition Fee Subsidy (GTFS), but Vuvu is hopeful that they receive it by next week in order to fund and maintain the school. “For now, we the school are borrowing money from other project funds to run the school.” Furthermore, in terms of infrastructural projects, the school is also looking at extending the school mess to be used for recreational purposes as well as hosting school meetings and is also looking at building a 4 in 1 classroom. “A proposal has been sent to the provincial education board for approval and funding in which we are now awaiting a response from the provincial education advisor.”

The National Capital District (NCD) is leading the way in the implementation of the Urban Youth Employment Project Phase Two (UYEP 2). NCD Governor Powes Parkop supports this because he wants to see youths become employable and self-reliant in line with the National Youth Strategy, which goes in lines with the Government’s Vision 2050 Plans. UYEP II Project Coordination Manager, Tom Gilis said with the success of the Project in Phase One (UYEP 1) from 2011 to 2019, the PNG Government has approved the Project to continue in NCD and will then expand to Lae, Morobe Province. “You are the first of the trainees, in which NCDC decided to kick start the project with the indigenous people of this city.” The UYEP 2 Project is being implemented by the National Capital District Commission (NCDC) under the leadership of City Manager, Mr. Ravu Frank. The 24th of April will see the first intake of UYEP II start their 30-day urban civil works experience at Hanuabada village in the Northwest electorate in Port Moresby. A total of 53 young people, ranging between the ages of 16 and 29, are from Ward One in Hanuabada village and out of that group, 52% are women. In addition to this, the overall number of youths are from the Motu-Koitabu area, 78% of them. Furthermore, the development objective of the five-year UYEP II Project is to improve the capacity of participating young men and women in project areas and to engage in productive income generating activities. The Project is inclusive of all youths, including those living with disability, and has a gender target of 50% females. The project is an initiative of the government and jointly funded by the World Bank. It was approved in April 2020 and was formally signed two months later where the implementation began in July of 2021.

Papua New Guinea (PNG) representative Ua Ravu, has officially signed a deal with the Canberra Raiders for the clubs inaugural season in the NRLW. The PNG Orchids representative plays for the Harden Worhawks in the local Katrina Fanning Shield (KFS) competition. Ravu attended the club’s Regional Women’s Skills clinic in Griffith in January and was also part of the KFS Academy that ran for six weeks earlier in the year. This will be her first NRLW contract; a proud moment for the young PNG lass. Ravu represented the Orchids at the 2021 World Cup as well as the 2019 World Cup Nines and the nation’s two Test Matches against England in the same year. The 26-year-old who grew up in Leeton, New South Wales, now lives in Griffith where she is a Game Development Officer for the NRL. Ravu expressed how grateful she was for the opportunity to join the Raiders and can’t wait to get started. “It hasn’t really sunk in yet. I’m still getting all the emotions and there’ll still be more to come but it feels really good, it’s very exciting and I’m looking forward to it.” “It’s something I’ve always dreamed of doing, so I’m very grateful for the opportunity.” In addition, Raiders NRLW coach Darrin Borthwick stated that Ua was obviously rewarded with some good form at the local KFS competition with her PNG representation at the World Cup. “I am really excited for Ua. It’s another good story where she moved over to Australia at a young age and never had that opportunity to travel to Sydney to play in an elite state comp. “We talk about fitting the mould of being a good person but being a good player as well that’s what I’m most excited about with Ua. I can’t wait for her to get here and fulfil the dream she’s had for a long time of playing for the Canberra Raiders.” Meanwhile, young Ua is joined by Elise Smith, who has a similar background as Ua in the KFS and was part of the Yass Magpies’ 2022 KFS premiership winning team. Smith who lives in Junee, New South Wales, started playing footy after she finished school and has played both Rugby League and Rugby Union over the past decade. She represented the Riverina Bulls in the NSW Country Championships in recent years and has also been part of the ACT Brumbies wider squad. “I’ve been blessed and I’m just so grateful to be able to put this green shirt on, it means so much to me. I’m so happy and excited for the journey.” Furthermore, Coach Borthwick is excited to see the talented duo from the Riverina be part of his inaugural squad and is looking forward in seeing what their performance can bring to the team.   Source: raiders.com.au

The country must revisit and drastically revise its approach to royalties, equity participation and taxation in the mining, oil and gas sector. This was the remark from New Ireland Governor, Sir Julius Chan whilst speaking to an enthusiastic crowd of students at the IBS University in Port Moresby this week. Sir Julius who was invited by the University to address the future leaders, spoke on the theme; “Dramatically increasing the Benefits stream from the Mining and Oil and Gas sector,” stating that implementing reforms in the Oil and Gas sector will have a positive outlook on PNG’s economy. He said that the key areas of concern in structuring the legislation and regulation for any agreement for a natural resource project include; 1. The level and structure of royalties 2. The structure of equity participation by the State and 3. The structure of taxation system. Sir J explained that the structure of mining, oil and gas regimes in PNG was established in the period 1958-1998 where legislations for negotiation were drafted at a time when PNG had little experience in the way countries from around the world structured their mining and gas laws. In PNG, legislations were flawed to provide a fair and dependable reform to respective stakeholders. “The level of royalties paid in the Mining and oil and gas sectors in PNG are very low by international standard.” The Mining Act 1994 establishes State equity at 22.5% of the project. Once a lease is issued the State gives away all the minerals, which is different from countries around the world, where the State receives automatic equity in any extraction project. “Most of these International countries receive a carried Interest of between 30-50% in such projects. Under this approach, the company pays all exploration and development cost and when the project begins producing, the State receives a share of profit equal to its share of exploration and development cost. Sir J therefore, stated that PNG must insist on at least 30% Carried Interest in all mining, oil and gas projects in the country. “In the taxation system, PNG still has so much to learn from the world; therefore, must implement reforms in the PNG tax laws to make Effective Tax Rate consistent with International Standards, which will result in additional income for the State.” As one of the last founding father of the nation, Sir J urged for implementation of these reforms, for increase in the country’ revenues and to make our country financially independent and debt free.

In preparations for their first ever Lavagirl Xplosion Fashion Show, PNG’s fashion brand Lavagirl and Maku Gifts are working around the clock to finalize things before the event takes place on the 6th of May at the APEC Haus in Port Moresby. Entrepreneur and Owner of Maku Gifts, Annette Sete stated that they have so far conducted a model audition in which fifty out of 140 models have been confirmed to take part in the runway show. “We have had a total of 680 applicants who have shown a huge interest in taking part in our Runway Show in which we shortlisted 140 models.” “From there, we cut down to now a total of 50 models who will be taking part in the show in which they have begun rehearsals this week.” “We should have a final team ready before next week so we can get into the routine of the show.” The show itself is an opportunity for Lavagirl to be creative and create something different. Sete added that they aim to bring about to the audience something PNG hasn’t seen. “Also with mother’s day coming up, we would also like to use this opportunity to drive traffic to our shops as well as a sneak peek on what we have in store here at our Maku Gifts shops.” Sete further outlined a major challenge in preparations which was being able to prepare everything on time to avoid any last minute hiccups. The show will present a total of twelve collections, and has placed pressure on the team to complete them on time. In addition, Sete stated that she has two designers who will be working alongside her in preparations for the show. This including Fiji fashion designer, Micheal Mausio who will use this opportunity to sell his products on the day. “Micheal Mausio who has been in partnership with Lavagirl, has been selling our products in Suva, therefore we want to be able to get him to showcase his products in the PNG market.” Tickets are still selling at the cost of k300 per ticket at any of the Maku Gifts shops. “The show will only cater for 300 people so purchase your tickets now and don’t miss out.”

The National Capital District City Manager, Mr. Ravu Frank, has expressed disappointment in discovering this morning that the Poinciana trees planted as part of the Boroko Precinct Transformation Program have been removed. Frank stated that the trees when fully grown are magnificent and will enrich the look and feel of the CBD. “Street signs, lights, flower beds and other public goods continue to be vandalized and the public accepts this as norm.” “Public assets are for everyone to enjoy and we must be appreciative and responsible.” “The efforts of many are dampened by a few individuals who have complete disregard for the community and city authority. When will we start taking ownership of our city?” An investigation will be conducted with the assistance of the police who have CCTV cameras installed around the area as Frank has made it clear that this issue will not go away quietly. “We will find the culprits and make examples of them. Enough is enough.” NCDC has encouraged the public to start keeping a watch out for vandalism and to report immediately to a hotline that will be set up. “Residents must protect our city assets by isolating and discouraging reckless behaviour by few individuals.”

The University of the South Pacific recently hosted a 2023 Board Meeting of the Pacific Islands Universities Research Network examining the outcomes of what has been achieved in the past ten years. The high-level meeting also focused on the impact PIURN has made since its inception in 2013 and in preparation for the 5th PIURN Conference hosted by USP Cook Islands Campus (4-6 July 2023) and to discuss the future of the Network. USP Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Pal Ahluwalia, President of the University of New Caledonia (UNC), Professor Catherine Ris, as well as co-chairs of PIURN, welcomed the member universities of the consortium, which included Vice-Chancellors from Universities of French Polynesia, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. The meeting allowed PIURN Board members to reiterate their commitment to enhancing academic and research collaborations between the 14 members’ universities, with a joint PIURN call for research proposals. They also discussed the Network’s vision, a regional strategy to adopt and critical activities to develop and strengthen PIURN. USP VCP Professor Ahluwalia described the achievement in ten years as something marvelously done as the network was gathering momentum and acknowledge the work of researchers that made the PIURN research projects a reality. USP Deputy Vice-Chancellor Education Professor, Jito Vanualailai, on the other hand, highlighted common challenges faced by the Universities in the region such as attracting research funds, building a research culture in the Pacific and increasing outputs, attaining international recognition, improving the wellbeing of communities and advising national and regional policies. PIURN is now recognized as an essential stakeholder in the Pacific region and has demonstrated its capacity to catalyse the emergence of joint academic projects of regional relevance. It has secured significant research grants successfully, and the biannual conferences have made it possible to scale up the collaborative dynamic amongst researchers and promote our postgraduate students’ work. During the meeting, PIURN Coordinator, Mathilde Souchon, presented the impact assessment of PIURN Projects that attracted 2.5 million in research grants following the 17 PIURN research collaborative projects. “The joint USP-UNC master’s degree in Sustainability Sciences is also an example of the strong dynamic of the Network.” Additionally, the PIURN Board Meeting was also a chance to leverage the Network’s success, discuss a new vision and mission for PIURN and examine the new memberships’ applications to the Network.