The SP PNG Hunters have announced that existing assistant coach Paul Aiton has been elevated to the role of Head Coach for the 2024 QRL Hostplus Cup competition. The club has also named an official 40-man training squad in preparation for the upcoming season. The selection of Aiton in the Head Coach capacity is the latest evidence of the Hunters upward trajectory as a football club. Over the last few years, the Hunters have made considerable strides both on and off the field towards a highly professional and successful outfit, and Aiton’s acquisition fits this mould. Having most recently worked alongside Justin Holbrook in the PNG Kumuls dominant Pacific Bowl Championship series, Aiton brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the Hunters Head Coach role. A former Kumul captain himself and a veteran of 250 first-grade games between the NRL and UK Super League, Aiton is perfectly positioned to guide an exciting group of young Hunters players into the future. SP PNG Hunters Chairman Stan Joyce said he is “excited to see one of PNG’s finest Rugby League products take the helm at the Hunters and help more of our young Papua New Guinean young men to develop and realise their dreams to play overseas.” Preparations for the 2024 QRL Hostplus Cup season have already begun and Aiton will oversee an extended squad of 40 players in the opening stages of the preseason. The final SP PNG Hunters 2024 playing squad will be chosen from this group. The club would like to congratulate the following players on their selection in the extended squad: FULLTIME CONTRACTS: Morea MOREA Solo WANE Brendon NIMA Siki KONDEN Joshua LAU Jamie MAVOKO Judah RIMBU Epel KAPINIAS Benji KOT Sherwin TANABI Sanny WABO Seal KALO Tommy MOIDE Trevor SOLU Sakias KOMATI Whallan TAU-LOI Junior IGILA Joshua MIRE Junior ROP Ila ALU TRAIN & TRIAL CONTRACTS DOUZEN HOYATO DOUGLAS PIRIKA ELIJAH ROLTINGA CLENT LAMA KEVIN YAKO ZACHARIAH SELU GARRY JAMES FINLAY GLARE LIMBI HENRY JUNIOR TALIN ATUA JOSHUA ALEX MAX JORDAN PAT ANTHONY WOROT NORMAN AKUNAI CHRIS URAKUSIE WENDLE KIPSY ISHMAEL WAINE ROBERT MATHIAS TRIALLING JERRY JOE BRENDAN TURI MANASH KAI WEIAYH KOI

Phases 2 and 3 of the jointly managed “Women Directors Program for 2023” saw a total of 19 female directors successfully complete the program which saw the Kumul Consolidated Holdings managing director, Professor David Kavanamur and the New Zealand High Commissioner, Peter Zwart certify the 19 women. The training is an initiative of KCH and its vision on promoting women on SOE boards in the country. At present there are 20% women representation on SOE boards. The Women Directorship Program is aimed at achieving 30% female representation on SOE boards by the end of December 2025. Women participants with diverse professional backgrounds, completed the first phase of the training delivered earlier this year in partnership with ADB. The New Zealand Government through MFAT funded the second and third phases and facilitated by New Zealand Institute of Directors. During the presentation, Professor Kavanamur congratulated the participants who now represent the second batch of participants to have completed the Women Directors’ Program since the inception of the program in 2021. Professor Kavanamur said this program was a commitment by Kumul Consolidated Holdings to foster good leadership within its SOEs with a particular focus on female representation to cater to existing, new, and potential Board directors for these enterprises. “The training creates a platform for learning and growth for these potential female SOE directors." "In just two years we have graduated 34 women in total." "We look forward to continuing our partnership with MFAT for future director programs,” Professor Kavanamur said. He also added that KCH anticipated future partnerships with MFAT to increase additional cohorts of women directors to undergo training on broader governance and leadership programs.

Air Niugini will receive much needed assistance to develop human capital from Airbus, through its learning subsidiary, Airbus Beyond after finalizing its commitment. The move signifies a pivotal step towards advancing the airline's workforce capabilities and aims to equip Air Niugini’s middle management with the expertise required for the next phase of its development. This comes following the recent order by the airline for a new A220 fleet. Over the next three years, Airbus Beyond will deliver specialised training courses at Airbus’ Campus in Singapore. The programmes are designed to nurture future talents in crucial areas such as airline operations, planning and sustainability, ensuring Air Niugini will have a skilled and agile workforce capable of navigating the evolving landscape of the global aviation sector. “Airbus Beyond is proud to be a part of this journey and to provide crucial support to the airline's growth," said Adam McGonigal, CEO of Airbus Beyond. Under its fleet modernisation plan, Air Niugini had placed a firm order for six A220-100 aircraft. Additionally, the airline will acquire three A220-300s and two more A220-100s from third-party lessors.

All thanks to the efforst of youths in the Urban Youth Employment Project II, the memorial Sana Peace Park in Port Moresby is taking shape. Landscaping and other minor works is currently being carried out by youths in Intake Four as part of skills training under the supervision of Project contractor Phoenix Builders Limited. Intake Four from the Port Moresby Northwest (MNW) electorate are working to construct an 850-meter footpath including 1.249 kilometre of perimeter fencing. With strong emphasis from the National Capital District (NCD) Governor Powes Parkop for a citywide approach to development, the contribution by the youths, although as part of skills training, is adding value to the overall expansion efforts in the city. City Manager Ravu Frank, having spent more than 20 years with the Commission prior to taking the top job on 8 July 2022, takes pride in the city’s progressive development over the years. “The major infrastructure projects that I have been involved with and taken leadership of, have greatly impacted the appearance of the city and are testimony to the high commitment I have always had to provide the best in service to the city and its residents.” Mr Frank added mention of development since 2011 where all the major capital road projects were constructed, notably the four-lane highways and arterial roads, the first ever fly over in the country, Ela Beach and the grand stadiums and sporting venues in the city. He vowed to continue to give his best for the betterment of the city in his four-year tenure. The works at the memorial and recreational park at Waigani initially began in September by trainees in Intake Three that involved the supply and installation of 227m of perimeter fencing and the construction of 1.7km footpath. UYEP II is an initiative of the Government (GoPNG) which aims to improve the capacity of participating young men and women in Project areas, to engage in productive income generating activities. The Project will be extended to include Lae in Morobe Province.

Papua New Guinea has announced its flag bears for Team PNG with tennis ace, Mathew Stubbings and champion woman footballer, Ramona Padio to lead Team PNG to the XVII Pacific Games in Honiara, Solomon Islands this month. The duo will lead the team into the National Stadium on 19th November during the Opening Ceremony of the Games. This was announced during the Team PNG farewell ceremony on Friday 10th in Port Moresby by the PNG Olympic Committee. President of the PNG Olympic Committee Sir John Dawanincura said, they are blessed to have such a wide diverse set of athletes, ranging in experience from those seasoned Games veterans to the new and next generation’s Team PNG athletes. He said, “Being the Team PNG Flag Bearer is a unique responsibility that places you in an elite and distinguished class with those who elegantly carried the flag and its responsibilities before you." Stubbings has attended two Pacific Games and one Commonwealth Youth Games. He represented Papua New Guinea well at these Games winning a Silver Medal in the Mixed Doubles at the 2015 Pacific Games at the age of 15. Stubbings also won a Silver Medal at the Commonwealth Youth\ Games in the Mixed Doubles the same year. Two years later in 2017, Stubbings won a Silver Medal in the Men’s Singles at the Pacific Mini Games in Port Vila, Vanuatu. At the XVI Pacific Games in Samoa in 2019, at the Pacific Games, Stubbings won Silver in both the Men’s Doubles and Mixed Doubles. The 2022 Pacific Mini Games was another successful endeavour for Stubbings and his most recent. He won a Silver Medal in the Men’s Singles and Gold Medal in the Mixed Doubles. Stubbings is ranked number one in the National Senior Ranking and number two in the Pacific Oceania Senior Ranking this year. He is poised yet again to bring PNG more medals at the 2023 Pacific Games, and now, he also has the honour to be one of the Flag Bearers for Team PNG. Padio on the other hand was one of the members of the Gold Medal winning women’s football team at the 2015 and 2019 Pacific Games. The PNG women’s football team has won a Gold Medal in the last five consecutive Pacific Games starting with the 2003 Pacific Games in Suva, Fiji. It will be a great feat if they can go one more this year and make it six consecutive Pacific Games Gold Medals in Women’s Football. Padio has been part of the National Women’s Football team for many years, and also represented PNG in the 2018 and 2022 OFC Women’s Championship in New Caledonia and Fiji, the 2016 Olympic Qualifiers, the 2016 and 2023 World Cup qualifiers, 2017 Under 19 OFC Championship, and the 2023 Club championship. Padio is also credited with having great leadership qualities and is currently the Co-Captain for the Women’s National Team, and at Club level plays in the Women’s National Soccer League with the Hekari United Football Club. Padio who was excited to be given the honour said: “Thank you for the opportunity and we are going to bring back the 6th Gold medal” to a roar of approval from the rest of Team PNG." 2019 Flag Bearer, Abigail Tere-Apisah was present at the farewell ceremony to pass on the flag which was then presented by PNG Prime Minister, James Marape to the two champions. Sir John said, “I am looking forward to watching you lead our Team PNG contingent out during the Opening Ceremony in Honiara, and then onwards into the Games." “God Speed Team PNG!"

Driving transparency, accountability and transformation within the Papua New Guinea Law Society is the aim of the newly elected President of the Papua New Guinea Law Society (PNGLS). The new President of the Law Society Hubert Hanjause Namani said he is committed to drive reforms to bring about transformation, transparency and accountability within the Law Society as he had full confidence in the capabilities of the diverse Council members who were elected alongside him. “It is my vision to align the Law Society with the best practices observed within the Commonwealth and the wider region." "Transparency and accountability will be at the core of our operations - ensuring that the interests of the public and lawyers are safe guarded.” “We will strive to create an inclusive, ethical and supportive environment for our members - promoting the highest standards of professional conduct." "To achieve our vision, I will lead and drive the implementation of comprehensive governance structures, provision of enhanced training opportunities, and active engagement with members to address concerns and issues affecting the legal community.” He said this commitment extends to fostering collaboration with stakeholders, including government bodies, organizations and fellow lawyers. Meanwhile, he thanked lawyers for participating in the 19th Council General Election of the PNG Law Society. “I am humbled by the trust that learned colleagues have placed on me by electing me as the President of the Nineteenth (19th) Council of Papua New Guinea Law Society,” he said. New Council members elected were Anthony Roden-Paru and Jonathan Holingu. Councillors re-elected were Tauvasa Tanuvasa, Christine Copland, Phillip Tabuchi, Eunice Parua, Emmanuel Asigau and Justin Toliman Wohuinangu.

Credit Guarantee Corporation Limited's (CGC) innovative Loan Referral Platform has been honoured with the prestigious Innovation Award, (Government Category) at the Innovation PNG Gala Awards Dinner, held at the APEC Haus in Port Moresby, on 09th November 2023. This recognition reaffirms CGC's commitment to revolutionizing the financial landscape in Papua New Guinea. The Innovation PNG Conference, a highly esteemed event in the region, serves as a platform for showcasing ground breaking ideas and innovations from various sectors. The judging panel led by a well-known author and futurist Dr. Jane Thomason awarded CGC the Award under the Government Award category following the announcement of the shortlists. Innovation Award is a testament to CGC's dedication to fostering financial inclusion and enhancing access to credit for MSMEs across Papua New Guinea. CGC's Loan Referral Platform is a game-changer in the financial sector, facilitating quick and efficient access to credit with a user-friendly interface. CGC plans to develop an advanced credit assessment algorithms soon which will further simplify the lending process, making it accessible to a wider audience. "We are immensely proud of this recognition from Innovation PNG and would like to thank the organisers, the judging panel led by Dr. Jane Thomason and the sponsors of this event" said CGC CEO Mr Dominic Sikakau. "This award is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our team in developing an innovative solution that empowers MSMEs to achieve their financial goals." "I would also like to acknowledge GGGI who are our partners in this innovation." “The Loan Referral Platform is just one example of CGC's ongoing commitment to delivering innovative solutions that enhances access to credit for MSMEs in Papua New Guinea.”

Puma Energy has not received any FX sufficient to purchase products which is restricting them to have the ability to import fuel into the country. Puma is not able to repay suppliers for fuel purchased on international markets over the past six weeks as it continues to urge commercial banks and the Bank of PNG (BPNG) to allocate foreign exchange. Puma Energy currently has nearly USD 70 million of outstanding FX orders with the Bank of Papua New Guinea, which has limited the company’s ability to sustainably manage long term fuel requirements. BPNG has not released sufficient USD to Puma Energy for its outstanding orders from October and commercial banks have not allocated available commercial FX flows to Puma. Hulala Tokome, Chairman and Managing Director of Puma Energy Papua New Guinea said ensuring fuel supply is vital to PNG. “We continue to urge the BPNG and banks to work together and allocate FX flows to fulfil Puma Energy’s orders." "We are working hard to ensure there is no impact of fuel supply this month and avoid the possibility of fuel rationing to preserve stocks for emergency services, hospitals and critical infrastructure, such as power generation.”

Nawaeb MP Theo Pelgen recently committed Nawaeb District to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UPNG Medical Faculty. The MoU to be drafted later would capture arrangement for more medical students to actively participate across all health facilities in Nawaeb. Mr Pelgen made this assurance whilst attending the completion of several medical students at Situm Health Centre. The students were on medical practicum for the last 4 weeks at Situm Health Centre and have contributed immensely to the functions of the center by providing additional manpower and resources to center to serve the people better. The twenty-three students were from the Midwifery, Nursing and Intensive Care Unit faculties. “I take this time for your efforts to come and help serve the people of Labuta and Nabak at Situm Health Centre.” “I would love to see more of you coming to serve our district in this term of me in office.” Pelgen stated that health is a very important sector of the district and the sector is covered holistically in the Nawaeb District Five (5) Year Development Plan. “On behalf of the people of Nawaeb, I'm thankful for you students to for taking initiative to construct a proper floor for the patients to utilize at Situm." "By doing this, you have shown the true humanitarian spirit and leadership in your line of work.” The MP further presented medical work kits to the medical trainees that include stethoscopes and basic tools for the trainees to work with later in their career. He added the medical kits presented were a token of appreciation for the practicum students that had come to serve the district. Meanwhile, Pelgen upon inspecting the idle Situm Health Centre Ambulance enforced the movement of the vehicle to be towed to Boroko Motors immediately for service. The ambulance had mechanical failure and was left in operational for the last two months at Situm Health Centre. “The vehicle will be moved today to Boroko Motors for a full repair, because it is the only ambulance serving Labuta, Nabak and Ahi LLGs of Nawaeb District.”

A group of 15 lead cocoa farmers, including two women, from 10 districts of the Sepik Region participated in a week-long study tour to the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (AROB). The study tour was facilitated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) under the European Union-funded STREIT PNG Programme. AROB was chosen as the destination because it is known for its high-quality cocoa beans and well-managed cocoa blocks. The main objective of the study tour was to expose the Sepik farmers to different aspects of the cocoa value chain in Bougainville and to enable them to learn from successful cocoa producers, businesses, and entrepreneurs. The Sepik farmers had the opportunity to visit various cocoa farms, cooperatives, processing facilities, and markets in Bougainville. They met with thriving cocoa producers, business owners and entrepreneurs who shared their experiences and advice on cocoa block management, cocoa business development, and farm business diversification beyond cocoa farming by venturing into other businesses such as tourism, poultry, and fishing. The Sepik farmers also gained knowledge on cocoa quality assessment, semi-processing, processing, and marketing. They saw how some cooperatives aggregate their cocoa beans efficiently and supply them to exporters or domestic food manufacturers. They also learned about the importance of producing consistent quality cocoa beans to access premium markets. The study tour coincided with the Bougainville Chocolate Festival 2023, which was held on Buka Island. The study tour was an eye-opening and inspirational experience for the Sepik farmers, who interacted with various stakeholders in the cocoa value chain in Bougainville. “For me, treating cocoa farming as a serious business is something I’ve learned.” “Also, the population here in general have the right mindset and attitude and these are some valuable lessons to take back from this exposure visit,” said Sussie Noguru of the Bogumatai Women Cooperative Society of East Sepik Province.

Trent Hodkinson still remembers when Owen Craigie came to Westfields Sports High to talk about the ins and outs of life as an NRL player. At the time, a young Hodkinson could feel his NRL dream slipping away, having missed selection in several representative teams, but the words of Craigie stuck with him and reignited his rugby league dream. Now an NRL Ambassador, Hodkinson is hoping to have the same impact on the next generation of stars, sharing the skills and lessons he learnt throughout his playing career to send positive messages throughout the wider rugby league community. “I was talking about that [Craigie's visit] for months,” Hodkinson told NRL.com. “I’ve been an NRL Ambassador now for a few years and there's no better feeling now than giving back and making someone else’s day. “Since finishing footy, I have been lucky enough to have travelled all around Australia with these programs and although it's about going out to the communities and helping kids and teenagers get through tough times, I’ve learnt a lot about myself as well. “You go through a lot in rugby league, it's not about just putting on boots and playing and on the weekends. There’s a lot of things you can relate back to people in everyday life and it’s special that we're in a position where we can do that.” As far west as Dubbo, north as Cairns and south as Adelaide, the former New South Wales halfback – alongside the NRL Community team – has been working hard to deliver programs to schools and rugby league clubs across Australia. For Hodkinson, there’s still no better feeling than connecting with a student and knowing his story and advice could have a lasting impact on someone’s life. “I recently did a trip out to Armidale. They had trials coming up for the rep team out there and I gave this kid a bit of advice,” Hodkinson said. “He messaged me after to tell me he didn't make it and we kept talking and his mindset has now changed and he knows he’s got to work hard. [caption id="attachment_47037" align="aligncenter" width="791"] Trent Hodkinson catches up with fellow NRL Ambassadors at Rugby League Central.©NRL Photos[/caption] “I was never one to make all those rep sides going through school as I told him. "But I eventually just worked hard, stuck with it and I made the NRL and that's the advice gave to him. “And this boy texts me now and tells me he's working hard on a weekly basis now, which is pretty special that you're able to have that impact on people.” Leading the NRL Ambassadors is Program Deliverer Alan Tongue, who has been educating and inspiring schools and sporting clubs across Australia since 2012. The former Raiders lock has been the face of the NRL Community team for the past 10 years, sharing important messages and promoting positive change through various programs such as Voice against Violence and League Stars Inspire. “This ambassador program is really important to me personally. I retired in 2011 and I wasn't 100 per cent sure what I wanted to do after footy,” Tongue told NRL.com. “But in 2012 I was asked if I wanted to be an NRL Ambassador, so I joined the program and it completely change what I thought I was going to do. “I thought I would go back into coaching and that would be it. But after I was showcased into the community programs, I started doing some stuff on my own and now I can't imagine doing anything else. “So I'm hoping that the Ambassador Program has the same impact on all these other guys and women too and we just want to build on that.” Source: NRL.Com

Fijian winger Sunia Turuva is set to miss Sunday's Pacific Bowl final against Papua New Guinea with an ongoing calf injury. Turuva suffered the injury in the process of scoring a try against the Cook Islands in Week 2 of the Pacific Championships. Super League speedster Jason Qareqare comes in on the wing as he did last weekend while Dragons winger Mikaele Ravalawa shifts to the centres. In better news for the Bati, Kitione Kautoga has been named on the bench to return from a back injury after also missing last week's game against PNG. The Kumuls, meanwhile, have centre Rodrick Tai back on deck from a knee injury but Mesake Ravonu (head knock) and Mackenzie Yei (knee) will miss the Bowl final. Source: NRL.com