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Cook Islands pearl farmers and local technicians can now access NZ$1.5million (US$1.2 million) made available under New Zealand Aid Programme funds.

Documents to formalise the aid programme were signed in Rarotonga last week between the Prime Minister, Henry Puna and local partners.

Administered under the Pearl Production Credit Scheme (PPCS), the funds will finance pearl farm production requirements.

This initiative is one component of the Tripartite Arrangement for Cook Islands Pearl Industry Revitalisation 2011 – 2014 signed by the governments of New Zealand, Australia, and the Cook Islands.

Under this agreement, NZ$3.1 million (US$2.5 million) has been set aside to develop sustainable pearl farm production capacity, implement strategic marketing and sales promoting initiatives, and develop key stakeholder capacity towards managing an integrated pearl industry.

The project has significance for the Island of Manihiki, where 90 percent of Cook Islands pearls are produced.

“Investment in the pearl industry is a priority initiative under the New Zealand and Cook Islands Joint Commitment for Development, and is complemented by our support for improved waste management in the Cook Islands. We are pleased that this positive and important step has been reached,” – New Zealand High Commissioner, John Carter.

The main local partners involved in the Programme Activity are the Cook Islands Pearl Authority (CIPA), the Ministry of Marine Resources (MMR), the Bank of the Cook Islands (BCI), the Manihiki Pearl Farming Authority (MPFA), and the Manihiki Island Council.

Fiji is hosting a major training and monitoring workshop on a European Commission funded ACP Fish II Programme from 24-27 January.

ACP FISH II aims to strengthen fisheries management in African, Caribbean and Pacific countries with the goal of alleviating poverty and improving food security in member states.

The EC has long recognised the economic and social importance of fisheries in ACP countries funding projects that focuses on the planning and management capacities of respective fisheries administrations. The programmes enhance food security and create employment and are stocked with a global programme budget of 30 million Euros, allocated to activities and projects across 78 ACP countries.

In the Pacific, ACP Fish II will develop 26 projects with funding budget of EUR3 million. The Pacific ACP region comprises of 15 countries in the Western and Central Pacific Ocean – an area responsible for half of the world’s tuna catch which is fast approaching 2 million metric tonnes per annum.

The regional training workshop has the theme, “How does legal and policy framework contribute to fisheries resources sustainability.”

It will bring together 35 participants from fisheries administration in 14 Pacific Island countries and regional economic communities, Forum Fisheries Agency, Secretariat of the Pacific Community and the Western Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC).

23 seasonal workers will travel to Australia under the PNG seasonal workers pilot scheme program.

Papua New Guinea Seasonal Workers Coordination Office (PNGWCO) interim co-ordinator John Yamin said this group will complete the pilot scheme program which ran for almost year now.

Yamin said PNG has become the main market for seasonal labour in Australia and so far have been doing very well for the reports they have received despite the little ups and downs that were faced during the year.

“These batches of seasonal workers have been put through intensive training in the last three weeks with the help of the PNG Defence Force to instill discipline and physical fitness,” Yamin said.

He said the workers have also been trained on how to adapt to the Australian way of life so that they can be able to adjust when they are working at the farms in Australia.

Team leader of group six Lina Korowa of Tapka village Western Highlands Province said she and the team are looking forward to this trip which will be a very new and exciting experience for them.

She said the only thing that is very challenging for them is the physical training and waking up at 3am every day but other than that we are all very excited and can’t wait to travel.“Some of us don’t know the potential we have but going through the training we have come to realise that each and every one of us are capable to do thing beyond our expectations,” she said.

The PNGSWCO operates under the Department of Foreign Affairs and Immigration in collaboration with the Department of Labour and Industrial Relations.

Plans are underway in the Cook Islands to establish a new domestic airline.

Kia Orana Air is planning to secure land space at Rarotonga’s international airport complex.

The company said it will bid on a piece of land with the hope of launching its first flight sometime this year.

Director Mark Lusby said the aspiring airline is putting in a tender for a section of land in the airport grounds that is currently being advertised for tender by the Cook Islands Airport Authority.

He said Kia Orana Air will not be able to function until it is allocated some land for a hanger and offices at the airport.

Cook Islands Airport Authority chief executive, Joseph Ngamata said there is more than one company interested in the land.

Samoa’s Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele is set to push constitutional amendments through Parliament to create special seats for women.

Under the changes, at least five seats – or ten percent – of the members of parliament will be female.

Prime Minister Tuilaepa has told Radio Australia’s Pacific Beat that in future, Samoa will ensure those who take the seats are deserving candidates.

“Our proposal is such that women’s representation must come from those who contested the elections,” he said.

“Unlike other parliaments where they actually appoint the women.”

The prime minister said he wants any amendments to come into effect by the next general election in 2016.