Posted: March 14, 2010 | Author: PacificEyeWitness.com | Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Business, Community, Current, Honour & Tribute, NZPacific, Politics, US & Foreign Affairs | Tags: (L), 10, 2010, 3rd Battalion The Rifles (3 RIFLES), 4th Battalion The Rifles, afghan, afghanistan, Ahmadinejad, aimed, Army Soldier, arrives, british culture, british soldiers killed in afghanistan, carrying, city street, conflict, Corporal Richard Green, Corporal Stephen Thompson, death, defence, does, eight, ending, england, foreign, from 1st Battalion The Rifles, hamid, hamlet, Hearse, his, horizontal, human body, Human Interest, interest, investigation, Iran, iranian, Kabul, karzai, Lance Corporal Tom Keogh, look, Mahmoud, march, military, Mourner, nato, overlaps, palace, ParsPix/ABACAPRESSCOM, People, Politics, presence, president, Presidential, React, receives, review, Rifleman Jonathon Allott, Rifleman Liam Maughan, Robert, said, secretary, shakes, solution, surge, the, touring, troop, troops, UK, us, US Marine Corps, van, visit, visiting, war, Wootton Bassett, year'S |
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=war&iid=8225495″ src=”0/0/3/1/The_Bodies_Of_2de6.jpg?adImageId=11236223&imageId=8225495″ width=”500″ height=”329″ /]
WOOTTON BASSETT, ENGLAND, MARCH 11, 2010: Mourners react as the hearses carrying the bodies of five British soldiers killed in Afghanistan are driven along the High Street on March 11, 2010 in Wootton Bassett, England. Corporal Richard Green, Rifleman Jonathon Allott and Rifleman Liam Maughan, all from 3rd Battalion The Rifles (3 RIFLES) and Lance Corporal Tom Keogh, from 4th Battalion The Rifles, and Corporal Stephen Thompson, from 1st Battalion The Rifles, both serving as part of the 3 RIFLES Battle Group were flown into nearby RAF Lyneham this morning. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images).
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=war&iid=8225484″ src=”2/e/2/7/The_Bodies_Of_8e8d.jpg?adImageId=11236283&imageId=8225484″ width=”500″ height=”331″ /]
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=war&iid=8225823″ src=”9/3/0/a/US_Marines_Man_2a78.jpg?adImageId=11236313&imageId=8225823″ width=”500″ height=”315″ /]
KHAN NESHIN, AFGHANISTAN – MARCH 11, 2010: Afghans look on as US Marines search their van March 11, 2010 in a hamlet near Khan Neshin in Helmand Province, Afghanistan. Marines in the area have been assigned to help gather census data for planned Afghan government in the area, and are making visits to rural compounds to get the demographic information in their area of operations. (Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images).
Posted: February 28, 2010 | Author: PacificEyeWitness.com | Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Business, Community, Current, Environment, NZPacific, South Pacific Region, US & Foreign Affairs | Tags: 52994607, Admiral, Alford, Army Soldier, attending, cemetery, ceremony, Chief of Staff, command, Daniel Akaka, day, full length, Hawaii Islands, Honolulu, Human Interest, mayor, memorial, Mufi Hannemann, national, pacific, Pacific Fleet, parade, rear, TSUNAMI WARNING, usa, van, veteran, William Van Meter Alford |
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=Senator+Daniel+Akaka&iid=5247000″ src=”e/4/c/1/Hawaii_Memorial_Day_a88d.jpg?adImageId=10802072&imageId=5247000″ width=”500″ height=”428″ /]
Archive Photo: (L-R) Rear Admiral William Van Meter Alford, Chief of Staff at the U.S. Pacific Fleet Command, Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann, and U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka (D-HI) attend the Memorial Day Ceremony at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific May 30, 2005 in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Photo by Marco Garcia/Getty Images).
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka of Hawaii issued the following statement today:
“Mahalo to all the people in Hawaii who have been working together and following the advice of emergency officials to get through this natural disaster as safely as possible. My staff and I have been working since this morning monitoring the situation. We have been in contact with FEMA and civil defense.
“The last major disaster to hit Hawaii was in 1992 when Hurricane Iniki caused billions of dollars in damage. We were reminded that when a disaster happens in Hawaii, we need to be prepared to take care of ourselves. We have no neighbors that can quickly come to our aid.
“I worked to establish the FEMA Pacific Area Office headquartered in Honolulu in order to protect our remote island communities, and I have fought attempts to close it. FEMA now has supplies that are prepositioned in Hawai`i at its Pacific Area Office warehouse. This office is critical for disaster preparedness and response throughout the Pacific Region.
“My thoughts and prayers are with everyone touched by the earthquake and in Chile and the tsunami in the Pacific.”
For updates on Senator Akaka’s statements
Posted: February 20, 2010 | Author: PacificEyeWitness.com | Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Community, Current, Honour & Tribute, US & Foreign Affairs | Tags: afghanistan, Army Soldier, Bestof, bomb, british culture, carrying, case, casualty list samoa, city street, conflict, Corporal Johnathan Moore and Warrant Officer Class 2 David Markland, death, dover, Dover - Delaware, Dover Air Force Base, england, exchanging, expertise, family, Hearse, horizontal, human body, Human Interest, Kingsman Sean Dawson, Lance Corporal Darren Hicks, Lance Sergeant Dave Greenhalgh, majestic, Mourner, moving, passing, preparation, Private Sean McDonald, React, recycling, Rifleman Mark Marshall, Sapper Guy Mellors, Sean Caughman, team, topics, Topix, UK, US Marine Corps, us navy, usa, war, Wootton Bassett |
German Vice Chancellor and Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle and German Chancellor Angela Merkel gives a government declaration on ISAF military deployment to increase the number of German troops in Afghanistan from the current 4,500 to 5,350.
Meanwhile, at least 8 British soldiers have lost their lives in February in Afghanistan. American soldiers are also numbered here.
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=afghanistan&iid=7996518″ src=”1/4/e/7/The_Bodies_Of_7a45.jpg?adImageId=10498911&imageId=7996518″ width=”500″ height=”322″ /]
Mourners react as the hearses carrying the bodies of five British soldiers killed in Afghanistan are driven along the High Street on February 18, 2010 in Wotton Bassett, England. The bodies of Lance Sergeant Dave Greenhalgh, from 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards, Lance Corporal Darren Hicks from 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards, Kingsman Sean Dawson of 2nd Battalion The Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment (2 LANCS), Rifleman Mark Marshall from 6th Battalion The Rifles and Sapper Guy Mellors from 36 Engineer Regiment were flown into RAF Lyneham from Afghanistan this morning.
Lance Corporal Hicks, 29, was killed in an explosion on February 11. Lance Sgt Greenhalgh, 25, died when his vehicle hit an improvised explosive device on February 13. Rifleman Marshall, 29, was killed by an improvised explosive device while on foot patrol on February 14. And on the same day, Kingsman Dawson, 19, was shot during a gunfight with insurgents but early indications suggest he was killed from suspected ‘friendly fire’. Sapper Mellors, 20, from Coventry, was killed while he was engaged in bomb clearance, on February 15.
A total of 261 British service personnel have now died since the start of operations in Afghanistan in 2001. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images).
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=afghanistan&iid=7996452″ src=”5/5/9/5/The_Bodies_Of_b79b.jpg?adImageId=10499001&imageId=7996452″ width=”500″ height=”334″ /]
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=afghanistan&iid=7892619″ src=”1/7/9/1/The_Bodies_Of_542f.jpg?adImageId=10499023&imageId=7892619″ width=”500″ height=”339″ /]
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=afghanistan&iid=7996561″ src=”b/0/0/3/The_Bodies_Of_28b9.jpg?adImageId=10498982&imageId=7996561″ width=”500″ height=”355″ /]
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=afghanistan&iid=7892645″ src=”e/f/e/5/The_Bodies_Of_30de.jpg?adImageId=10500186&imageId=7892645″ width=”500″ height=”328″ /]
WOOTTON BASSETT, ENGLAND – FEBRUARY 12: The family of Corporal Johnathan Moore react as the hearses carrying the bodies of Private Sean McDonald, Corporal Johnathan Moore and Warrant Officer Class 2 David Markland – a bomb disposal expert – pass on the High Street on February 12 2009, in Wootton Bassett, England. Cpl Moore, 22, and Pte McDonald, 26, of The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, were killed in an explosion near Sangin on February 7. Their deaths pushed the numbers of soldiers killed in Afghanistan since 2001, past that of the 255 killed in the Falklands War in 1982. WO2 Markland, 36, was killed in another IED blast the following day. The repatriation came as a 15,000-strong force of coalition and Afghan troops made final preparations for a major offensive against the Taliban in Helmand Province. (Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images).
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=afghanistan&iid=7892656″ src=”2/4/a/4/The_Bodies_Of_f6d2.jpg?adImageId=10500252&imageId=7892656″ width=”500″ height=”315″ /]
American Troops Killed in Afghanistan
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=afghanistan&iid=7990058″ src=”8/7/b/9/Fallen_US_Marine_738b.jpg?adImageId=10499151&imageId=7990058″ width=”500″ height=”330″ /]
A U.S. Marine carry team moves the transfer case of Marine Pfc. Jason H. Estopinal during a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base on February 17, 2010 in Dover, Delaware. Estopinal who was from Dallas, Georgia was killed in Afghanistan supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images).
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=afghanistan&iid=7990043″ src=”9/9/b/f/Fallen_US_Marine_98e8.jpg?adImageId=10499179&imageId=7990043″ width=”500″ height=”313″ /]
A U.S. Navy carry team prepares to move the transfer case of Navy Internet Technician 1st Class Sean Caughman during a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base on February 17, 2010 in Dover, Delaware. Caughman was killed in Iraq while supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
Posted: February 10, 2010 | Author: PacificEyeWitness.com | Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Business, Community, Current, education, NZPacific, Opinion & Commentary, South Pacific Region, Tourism, US & Foreign Affairs | Tags: 72870086, abolishslavery.org, absence, beijing, child, child sex labour, Child Trafficking, china, CNN.com, Disappearance, Founder, Headshot, Human Interest, kidnapping, law, missing children playing cards, People, raped, Shen Hao, wetsite |
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=human+trafficking+china&iid=3881828″ src=”8/f/3/3/PicImg_Volunteer_Creates_Playing_172c.jpg?adImageId=10067858&imageId=3881828″ width=”500″ height=”348″ /]
BEIJING, CHINA: (CHINA OUT) The ‘missing children playing cards’ are displayed by Shen Hao, the founder of a missing person wetsite, the http://www.xrqs.com, on March 31, 2007 in Beijing, China. The cards show photographs, informations of 27 missing children and Shen Hao plans to hand out them free to the public security departments, civil affairs bureaus and residents, in areas notorious for child trafficking. 38-year-old Shen, a resident in Chuzhou of central China’s Anhui Province, set up the wetsite in 2001 and later founded a network of volunteers dedicated to finding missing people. Shen has been regarded as one of the ‘Top Ten Volunteers in Anhui Province’ for his efforts in tracing missing people, according to state media. (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)
If you think human trafficking does not happen in the Pacific region, think again. If you think that Pacific countries including New Zealand and Australia are exempt from child slave labour, then you’ve got your head in the sand. Just ask those who work in brothels.
Cohen funded a charity called AbolishSlavery.org last year, but his work freeing victims of human trafficking began more than a decade ago. The ashes of my goddaughter (Jonty) are the symbol of why we have to do this”, he says.
Jonty Thern was a former child sex worker in Cambodia. She died of liver failure at 17. Her family say she died as a result of years of alcohol and drug abuse that she was subjected to in nightclubs and bars as a child.
Khum Sophorn Thern mourns her daughter, Jonty, whom she sold among gripping poverty. She was told Jonty would sell flowers and candies in bars. Only later did she learn that Jonty would be repeatedly raped and beaten.
To read more: Man Goes Undercover to Combat Child Sex Slavery- CNN.com.
Posted: February 10, 2010 | Author: PacificEyeWitness.com | Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Business, Community, Current, education, Honour & Tribute, Opinion & Commentary, US & Foreign Affairs | Tags: aretha franklin, Arts Culture and Entertainment, birthday, black and white, celebration, character, collar, fashion, females, Gospel, gospel legend, gospel singer, Hirohito, Human Interest, Imperial Palace, Japan, mahalia jackson, mavis staples, music, neckwear, new orleans, Only Japanese, People, religion, Singer, singing, single, Tokyo Prefecture, usa, vertical |
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=mahalia+jackson&iid=6894043″ src=”0/e/5/c/Mahalia_Jackson_ac5a.jpg?adImageId=10066388&imageId=6894043″ width=”500″ height=”750″ /]
29th April 1971: American gospel singer Mahalia Jackson (1911 – 1972) singing at the Imperial Palace at Tokyo, during Emperor Hirohito’s 70th birthday celebrations. (Photo by Keystone/Getty Images)
A diversion from politics for a change. A warm interview on Gospel legend Mahalia Jackson.
Mahalia Jackson: Voice Of The Civil Rights Movement : NPR.
When you hear the voice, you know the woman.
“That’s where the power comes from,” says the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who first met the singer in the 1960s. “When there is no gap between what you say and who you are, what you say and what you believe — when you can express that in song, it is all the more powerful.”
Mahalia Jackson was born in 1911 in New Orleans. When she was 16, she traveled the well-worn path up the Mississippi River to Chicago.
Beginning in the 1940s, she was one of the first singers to take gospel out of the church, drawing white audiences and selling millions of records. She inspired generations of singers, including Aretha Franklin, Della Reese, Albertina Walker and Mavis Staples of The Staples Singers.
Still, Staples says, Mahalia Jackson’s success didn’t always go over well back home in the black church.
To listen to interview click here
Posted: February 9, 2010 | Author: PacificEyeWitness.com | Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Business, Community, Current, education, Fono Notices, Honour & Tribute, NZPacific, Opinion & Commentary, Politics, South Pacific Region, US & Foreign Affairs | Tags: asking, dr jonathan coleman, government, horizontal, Human Interest, maori-english simultaeneous translation, Melissa Lee, military, new zealand, nick cree, nz, nz media, nz minister of broadcasting, nz on air, parliament bilingual, Parliament Building, People, Politics, RNZAF, sqaudron leader, The Media, time, wellington |
POLITICAL SCENES OF 2009
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=nz+parliament&iid=6795760″ src=”8/e/5/9/National_Party_MP_409a.jpg?adImageId=10053187&imageId=6795760″ width=”500″ height=”376″ /]
WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND – OCTOBER 13, 2009: New Zealand National Party MP Melissa Lee is confronted by the media on her way to question time at Parliament. Ms Lee is accused of using money from the contingency budget to increase the markup for five series of ‘Asia Downunder’ by an additional 2 per cent, a potentially serious breach of contract between TV production company Asia Vision Ltd and funder NZ on Air. (Photo by Marty Melville/Getty Images).
LISTEN LIVE to Parliament from 2pm during sitting days.
Parliament has opened with tributes to the dead in recent months. Haiti. Air Force pilot and Squadron Leader Nick Cree.
Source: Parliament website
Simultaneous interpretation of te reo Māori into English is available in the House and galleries, and on Parliament TV, from 9 February 2010.
The simultaneous interpretation will not form part of the official record of the House. Any speeches in te reo Māori will later be transcribed and translated for publication in Hansard, which is the official record of debates in the House.
Interpreters work from a purpose-built soundproof booth supplied with sound from the House and television pictures.
Members listen to the interpretation via an earpiece. Visitors to the galleries can ask the attendant for a receiver from which to listen to the interpretation.
For Parliament TV viewers, an alternative ‘English only’ audio stream is available for selection. This audio stream is live from the House until the interpreter’s microphone is turned on. At that point, the sound will come from the interpreter. When the microphone is turned off, the audio stream will revert to the live House sound.
Viewers of Parliament TV on the web are offered a choice before they view Parliament TV. The interface on the Parliament TV page has been changed accordingly. See detail below.
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=nz+parliament&iid=6795762″ src=”4/0/7/f/National_Party_MP_2f28.jpg?adImageId=10053227&imageId=6795762″ width=”500″ height=”352″ /]
Dr Jonathan Coleman Minister of Broadcasting and NZ on Air is questioned by the media about MP Melissa Lee on his way to question time at Parliament on October 13, 2009. (Photo by Marty Melville/Getty Images).
Posted: February 9, 2010 | Author: PacificEyeWitness.com | Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Business, Community, Current, education, Fono Notices, Jobs In The Pacific, NZPacific, Opinion & Commentary, Politics, South Pacific Region | Tags: adults only, Apia, Arrival, bankruptcy, Bronagh, Bronagh Key, celebration, ceremony, Close-up, color image, copy space, dawn, Diplomacy, food, Georgina Te Heuheu, government, Head of State, Highness, hold, Hon Georgina, horizontal, Human Hand, Human Interest, ideas, indoors, inside out, interest, joblessness, John, john key, Kava Kava, key, labour party, lifestyles, Maori and Pacific jobseekers, Maori unemployment, midsection, national party, new zealand, no money, NZ European unemployment, one man only, One Person, Pacific unemployment, People, phil goff, photography, Pita Bread, pita sharples, pocket, Politics, poverty, Prime Minister, prime minister nz, samoa, serving, Sharples, statistics NZ, Traditional Culture, Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi, UE rate, unemployment, visit, Waitangi, watch, welfare, Whare Runanga, work policies, worst hit by recession |
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=unemployment&iid=5285562″ src=”6/d/5/b/Hand_holding_out_d925.jpg?adImageId=10045614&imageId=5285562″ width=”500″ height=”333″ /]
No pretty picture here. Statistics NZ shows the unemployment rate has risen again for Maori and Pacific job seekers. They represent the worst hit groups normally resident in New Zealand. The unemployment rate for Pacific has almost doubled from 7.8 percent unemployment (December 2008) to 14. percent, as at December 2009.
Unemployment among Maori has risen from 9.8 at 15.4 percent. This does not include the figures for European/Maori which is 13.6 percent. Asian unemployment stands at 9.2 percent. The unemployment rate for those who identify as European is 4.6 percent.
MP for Mana Luamanuvao Winnie Laban says the rate should shame the Government into action.“Just over three months ago unemployment rates among Pacific Islanders was 12.3 per cent and we were being promised by the Government it was working to get people back to work, “she says.
The Labour Opposition Spokesperson for Pacific Island Affairs says this latest increase shows their policies are not working. “In just one year, 5000 additional Pacific Island people have lost their jobs. Pacific Island people, who are overrepresented in lower paid jobs, were also bitterly disappointed at the miserly rise in minimum wage announced last month.”
Luamanuvao says many in the Pacific community are saying they are disappointed with a lack of action from the Minister of Pacific Island Affairs Georgina Te Heuheu.
Te Heuheu, who is the second Maori woman to gain election to the National Party, is widely criticised within the Pacific community for her lack of action on Pacific issues.
Luamanuvao on Te Heuheu:
“She is virtually invisible in the portfolio and offering no support or ideas. I am deeply saddened that the Government is failing so many families and that the Minister of Pacific Island Affairs has sat back and done nothing.”
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=georgina+te+heuheu&iid=5330621″ src=”0/3/0/5/John_Key_Embarks_207b.jpg?adImageId=10046208&imageId=5330621″ width=”500″ height=”353″ /]
NZ Pacific Affairs Minister Georgina Te Heuheu(right), during a visit to Samoa with the Prime Minister John Key(next to her) and Maori Affairs Minister Dr Pita Sharples (left), July 7, 2009 in Apia, Samoa.
Opposition Leader Phil Goff says unemployment in New Zealand is now at the highest level it has been in 16 years and is growing at the highest rate in a decade.
“168,000 Kiwis are now unemployed. The total number of jobless is more than 275,000,” says the Labour Leader.
“The Government’s stimulus package has produced just 2300 jobs. That is a lot less than the 3500 people who queued for hours last month for the chance to grab just 150 jobs at a new South Auckland supermarket.”
Goff, who is highly critical of Prime Minister John Key’s Job Summit for producing few results to help those who need it the most, says more and more people are struggling to make ends meet, with the young, the less well off, Maori and Pacific communities and other ethnic groups especially hard hit.
Source: Statistics NZ
Single/combination unemployment rate (unadjusted) by ethnic group |
| Ethnicity |
December 2008
quarter (percent) |
December 2009
quarter (percent) |
| European only |
3.2 |
4.6 |
| Māori only |
9.8 |
15.4 |
| Pacific peoples only |
7.8 |
14.0 |
| Asian only |
6.3 |
9.2 |
| MELAA only |
10.7 |
17.1 |
| ‘Other ethnicity’ only |
4.1 |
3.3 |
| European/Māori |
7.0 |
13.6 |
| Two or more groups not elsewhere included |
6.5 |
14.1 |
| Note: MELAA = Middle Eastern/Latin American/African |
|
|
Posted: February 5, 2010 | Author: PacificEyeWitness.com | Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Business, Community, Current, education, NZPacific, Opinion & Commentary, Politics, South Pacific Region | Tags: annette king, Arrival, Attempted, breakfast, Cherington Hiku, competition, conflict, dawn, demonstrating, filing, group, Haka, hone harawira, horizontal, Human Interest, interview, john key, king, King Tuheitia, Kingi Tairua, labour, leader, leaves, left, line, Listening, Maori MP, MP Annette King, MP Parekura Horomia, Nautical Vessel, new zealand, ngapuhi, Ngapuhi Kaumatua Kingi Tairua, oposition, paddle, parekura horomia, People, phil goff, police, Politics, Prime Minister, Protestor, senior adult, serving, shore, Show, silence, Sitting, slient, talking, TeTii Marae, Titewhai Harawera, Traditional Culture, Treaty Grounds, Tuheitia, Upper Marae, vertical, violence, Waitangi, waka, Walking, watch, welcome |
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=waitangi&iid=3870554″ src=”a/9/1/5/Waitangi_Day_Celebrated_688a.jpg?adImageId=9896541&imageId=3870554″ width=”380″ height=”277″ /]
WAITANGI, NZ, 5th Feb 2009: Silent marchers walking on Treaty Grounds at Waitangi.
The biggest controversy at Waitangi last year was the assault on Prime Minister John Key by two members of the crowd, who were later arrested and charged. What is almost always missed at Waitangi, from the media coverage, are the calmer scenes of the day. This year promises to be an interesting news day at Waitangi: it will be the first time in as many years that a number of international dignitaries will return to Waitangi for the day; Hone Harawira and the Maori Flag; and the Tongan followers of Josh Liava’a mislead into seeking refuge with Ngapuhi over their immigration status. Meanwhile, back to 2009, a lo0k back at the stories that made the front page and the lesser known scenes of the day. Photos by Sandra Mu/Getty Images.
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=waitangi&iid=3858974″ src=”f/5/3/0/Prime_Minister_John_05f1.jpg?adImageId=9895923&imageId=3858974″ width=”379″ height=”594″ /]
WAITANGI, NEW ZEALAND – FEBRUARY 05: Hone Harawira, a Maori Party MP listens as New Zealand Prime Minister John Key is welcomed onto Te Tii Marae on February 5, 2009 in Waitangi, New Zealand. Waitangi Day is the national day of New Zealand which is a public holiday held each year on February 6 to celebrate the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand’s founding document, on that date in 1840. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: February 3, 2010 | Author: PacificEyeWitness.com | Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Business, Community, Current, NZPacific, Politics, South Pacific Region | Tags: gerald otimi, greeting, horizontal, Human Interest, immigration, iwi adoption, John, josh liava'a, key, Kingi Tairua, maori iwi, new zealand, ngapuhi, Ngapuhi Kaumatua, Ngapuhi Kaumatua Kingi Tairua, overstayers, pacific immigration, pacific islanders, Politics, polynesian, Prime Minister, scam, TeTii Marae, Traditional Culture, vertical, Waitangi |
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=ngapuhi+waitangi&iid=3858973″ src=”0/5/9/c/Prime_Minister_John_4990.jpg?adImageId=9881538&imageId=3858973″ width=”500″ height=”348″ /]
PHOTOS TAKEN A YEAR AGO AT WAITANGI, NEW ZEALAND FEBRUARY 05, 2009: Ngapuhi Kaumatua Kingi Tairua welcomes New Zealand Prime Minister John Key onto TeTii Marae.. Waitangi Day is the national day of New Zealand, which is a public holiday held on February 6 each year to celebrate the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi. The treaty is New Zealand’s founding document, signed on February 6, 1840. (Photo by Sandra Mu/Getty Images).
Another immigration scam, involving adoption into a Maori tribe, pops up again in the Land of the Long White Cloud. It was only last year that Gerald Otimi, who’s presenting before the court on charges, and his band of merry followers allegedly scammed Samoans and Tongans.
This time, different faces, same song. Josh Liava’a, a former police detective, of Tongan descent, is promoting a scheme, that can only be described as a scam, whereby Ngapuhi will adopt Pacific people who have overstayed their visa into their iwi in order to gain New Zealand citizenship. His scam, which he had initially sort to charge $1000 a passport, is aided by an agreement to welcome Pacific people into a Maori iwi (tribe), namely the Ngapuhi tribe of Northland.
Liava’a is no stranger to controversy involving the Tongan royal family and closer to home in New Zealand.
The Maori elder named is Ngaphuhi Spokesperson Kingi Taurua, a highly respected kaumatua (elder) of Ngapuhi. He also happens to be an award-winning te reo Maori broadcaster. He currently hosts a weekly current affairs show in te reo Maori on Radio Waatea, a Maori language radio station based in Auckland. Since the story broke on TV One by Pacific Correspondent Barbara Dreaver, Taurua has refuted Liava’a’s claim for payment.You have to wonder if Dreaver, as per other stories, has jumped to a convenient conclusion to beat up a story, without checking all the facts. Journalism isn’t a perfect art or science so we’re still keeping an open mind until we see all the evidence.
At this stage, it is not clear whether those monies were going direct to the Ngapuhi broadcaster or solely for the benefit of Liava’a , without the knowledge of Taurua.
Time will reveal it, sooner or later. Still, we would be very surprised if in fact Taurua is complicit in this. He’ is highly respected in his circles of influence. This latest revelation will dent it though. Let’s see what the evidence shows over time.
As for Liava’a, the public record shows this is not the first time the former police detective ,now acting as an mmigration consultant ,has sought financial compensation from the Tongan community in some way.
Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: January 18, 2010 | Author: PacificEyeWitness.com | Filed under: Breaking News, Community, Current, NZPacific, South Pacific Region | Tags: all, All Blacks, America's Cup, Arts Culture and Entertainment, auckland, blacks, British Royalty, captain, Community, crew, daniel carter, day, Dean Barker, Disembarking, earth, feet, full length, gesturing, Governor-General, high, horizontal, Human Interest, kevin mealamu, maori, meeting, new zealand, occupation, oven, People, preparation, prince, Prince William, prince william visits New Zealand NZ, Residential Structure, richie mccaw, royal, royalty, sailing, talking, Team New Zealand, Traditional Culture, vertical, visit, Waist Up, william |
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=prince+william&iid=7566402″ src=”f/7/e/5/Prince_William_Visits_0e35.jpg?adImageId=9164231&imageId=7566402″ width=”500″ height=”319″ /]
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND : His Royal Highness Prince William watches workers prepare a traditional Maori earth oven called a Hangi, at the Governor General’s residence on the first day of his visit to New Zealand on January 17, 2010 in Auckland, New Zealand. HRH will undertake numerous engagements during his 3 days in New Zealand, before heading off for a further 3 days in Australia. This is the first official overseas visit for the second-in-line to the throne. (Photos by Chris Jackson/Getty Images).
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=prince+william&iid=7566429″ src=”d/a/6/a/Prince_William_Visits_f89b.jpg?adImageId=9164215&imageId=7566429″ width=”348″ height=”594″ /]
Prince William (C) stands over a traditional Maori earth oven called a Hangi, at Government House on the first day of his visit to New Zealand.
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=prince+william&iid=7567792″ src=”3/5/1/7/Prince_William_Visits_4203.jpg?adImageId=9164005&imageId=7567792″ width=”380″ height=”477″ /]
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=prince+william&iid=7566448″ src=”c/7/8/5/Prince_William_Visits_c55b.jpg?adImageId=9164335&imageId=7566448″ width=”380″ height=”567″ /]
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=prince+william&iid=7567255″ src=”2/c/2/b/Prince_William_Visits_df51.jpg?adImageId=9164014&imageId=7567255″ width=”380″ height=”253″ /]
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=prince+william&iid=7567254″ src=”6/9/8/3/Prince_William_Visits_dc11.jpg?adImageId=9164027&imageId=7567254″ width=”380″ height=”253″ /]
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=prince+william&iid=7566401″ src=”5/8/4/9/Prince_William_Visits_0e75.jpg?adImageId=9164397&imageId=7566401″ width=”380″ height=”574″ /]
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=prince+william&iid=7566418″ src=”5/0/d/5/Prince_William_Visits_daf8.jpg?adImageId=9164219&imageId=7566418″ width=”380″ height=”261″ /]
HRH Prince William chats with guests at Government House before a traditional Maori dinner of a Hangi.
ALL BLACKS, NZ PRIME MINISTER & THE ROYAL BOX AT MT EDEN
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=prince+william&iid=7567245″ src=”4/1/c/a/Prince_William_Visits_8058.jpg?adImageId=9164199&imageId=7567245″ width=”380″ height=”276″ /]
Prince William (C) talks to All Blacks Dan Carter(left) and Kevin Mealamu(right) as he visits Eden Park Stadium on the first day of his visit to New Zealand.
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=prince+william&iid=7567256″ src=”2/a/4/2/Prince_William_Visits_6bc4.jpg?adImageId=9164489&imageId=7567256″ width=”380″ height=”493″ /]
Prince William and All Blacks Richie McCaw share a joke as the Prince visits Eden Park Stadium.
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=prince+william&iid=7567243″ src=”1/3/a/5/Prince_William_Visits_a29d.jpg?adImageId=9164505&imageId=7567243″ width=”380″ height=”534″ /]
NZ Prime Minister John Key and Prince William.
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=prince+william&iid=7566416″ src=”c/f/b/b/Prince_William_Visits_4392.jpg?adImageId=9164697&imageId=7566416″ width=”380″ height=”266″ /]
HRH Prince William sits in what will be the Royal Box as he visits Eden Park Stadium on the first day of his visit to New Zealand.
ON LAND AND SEA
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=prince+william&iid=7566411″ src=”9/5/2/1/Prince_William_Visits_9026.jpg?adImageId=9164759&imageId=7566411″ width=”380″ height=”256″ /]
HRH Prince William meets locals after disembarking an America’s Cup Yacht in Auckland Harbour.
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=prince+william&iid=7566562″ src=”8/6/7/2/Prince_William_Visits_0aa9.jpg?adImageId=9164810&imageId=7566562″ width=”380″ height=”248″ /]
HRH Prince William helms a 79 foot ex-America’s Cup Yacht in Auckland Harbour with America Cup winners.
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=prince+william&iid=7566549″ src=”7/b/3/7/Prince_William_Visits_add1.jpg?adImageId=9164821&imageId=7566549″ width=”380″ height=”278″ /]
HRH Prince William and his private secretary Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton winch in the sail.
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=prince+william&iid=7566454″ src=”4/3/f/9/Prince_William_Visits_2a4c.jpg?adImageId=9164840&imageId=7566454″ width=”380″ height=”552″ /]
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=prince+william&iid=7566458″ src=”f/0/c/3/Prince_William_Visits_85a3.jpg?adImageId=9164844&imageId=7566458″ width=”380″ height=”492″ /]
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=prince+william&iid=7566459″ src=”2/5/9/6/Prince_William_Visits_7af7.jpg?adImageId=9164856&imageId=7566459″ width=”380″ height=”507″ /]
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=prince+william&iid=7566447″ src=”1/e/9/8/Prince_William_Visits_20d8.jpg?adImageId=9164860&imageId=7566447″ width=”380″ height=”511″ /]
[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=prince+william&iid=7566467″ src=”0/d/6/f/Prince_William_Visits_57be.jpg?adImageId=9164866&imageId=7566467″ width=”380″ height=”258″ /]
HRH Prince William talks with Team New Zealand crew on NZL 41 while sailing on Aucklands Waitemata Harbour on the first day of his visit.
Archives to March 2010 - PEW 
American Undercover Fights Child Sex Slavery
Posted: February 10, 2010 | Author: PacificEyeWitness.com | Filed under: Analysis, Breaking News, Business, Community, Current, education, NZPacific, Opinion & Commentary, South Pacific Region, Tourism, US & Foreign Affairs | Tags: 72870086, abolishslavery.org, absence, beijing, child, child sex labour, Child Trafficking, china, CNN.com, Disappearance, Founder, Headshot, Human Interest, kidnapping, law, missing children playing cards, People, raped, Shen Hao, wetsite | Leave a comment[picapp align=”center” wrap=”false” link=”term=human+trafficking+china&iid=3881828″ src=”8/f/3/3/PicImg_Volunteer_Creates_Playing_172c.jpg?adImageId=10067858&imageId=3881828″ width=”500″ height=”348″ /]
BEIJING, CHINA: (CHINA OUT) The ‘missing children playing cards’ are displayed by Shen Hao, the founder of a missing person wetsite, the http://www.xrqs.com, on March 31, 2007 in Beijing, China. The cards show photographs, informations of 27 missing children and Shen Hao plans to hand out them free to the public security departments, civil affairs bureaus and residents, in areas notorious for child trafficking. 38-year-old Shen, a resident in Chuzhou of central China’s Anhui Province, set up the wetsite in 2001 and later founded a network of volunteers dedicated to finding missing people. Shen has been regarded as one of the ‘Top Ten Volunteers in Anhui Province’ for his efforts in tracing missing people, according to state media. (Photo by China Photos/Getty Images)
If you think human trafficking does not happen in the Pacific region, think again. If you think that Pacific countries including New Zealand and Australia are exempt from child slave labour, then you’ve got your head in the sand. Just ask those who work in brothels.
To read more: Man Goes Undercover to Combat Child Sex Slavery- CNN.com.