Pacific news in brief for 1 August
Photo:
Caleb Fotheringham
Nauru President David Adeang says re-establishing diplomatic relations with China is paying "great dividends" and his people should expect more economic prosperity.
Adeang made the remark while in China earlier this month.
His government published the comments on its Facebook page on Thursday.
Nauru and China re-established diplomatic relations in January 2024.
Adeang said the relationship between the two countries is one of mutual co-operation.
He expects China to play a big role in developing infrastructure, education, health and renewable energy in Nauru, and said the nation feels "bullish" about its economy as a result of the partnership.
Adeang's trip included a stop in China's Guangdong province, where he has ancestral ties.
The importance of mining and petroleum to the Papua New Guinea economy has been starkly underlined at a conference this week.
The 2025 PNG Resources Week has been told statistics from the Bank of Papua New Guinea show that the mineral sector earned US$10.3 billion (43.9 billion kina)
This made up 85 percent of PNG's export revenues.
The Bank's deputy governor Jeffrey Yabom also raised concerns about the illegal export of alluvial gold from PNG.
He said there has been a sharp decline in receipts from alluvial gold exports over the past three years.
A decision by a village in Samoa to ban political rallies by certain parties is illegal, according to the country's electoral chief.
Several Falelatai matai (chiefs) recently signed a letter barring parties from entering the village.
However, Eelectoral Commissioner Toleafoa Tuiafelolo John Stanley has written to remind them that such bans are improper.
Toleafoa said voters have the legal right to hear from, and question, candidates before making a free and informed choice.
He said elections are the foundation of democracy and no one should influence a voter's right to choose, and candidates can take the matter to the Election Court if access is denied.
Vanuatu Prime Minister Jotham Napat has confirmed a controversial Airbus aircraft deal worth more than US$16 million has been revived through high-level negotiations in France.
Napat, who led a government delegation to France last month, described the outcome of the mission as "very successful and very positive".
He said deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Johnny Koanapo managed to resolve key issues during a critical meeting with Airbus executives in Toulouse.
The
Vanuatu Daily Post
reported the deal, signed in 2019, involved the purchase of four Airbus A220 aircraft for Air Vanuatu.
However, it stalled due to financial constraints, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and subsequent political instability.
Travel and holiday website Expedia has put out its list of the world's top ten island destinations - and it features Fiji.
The 'Island Hot List' is based on data and traveller insights and said Fiji has come out as being 'best for community'.
Others on the list include Caribbean island Aruba for adventure; Jamaica, judged best for culture; Bali, best for relaxation; Koh Samui in Thailand, best for affordable luxury; Oahu in Hawaii for best surfing, and the Maldives for romance.
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Sweeping reforms to money laundering laws
Photo: 123RF The government has unveiled sweeping reforms to the country's anti money laundering laws to crack down on dirty money. Set to be in place by the next election, the changes to New Zealand's Anti-Money Laundering and Countering Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) regime aim to shut down dodgy deals, tighten financial loopholes, and take on the criminal underworld, while cutting unnecessary red tape for law-abiding citizens. It is estimated that a staggering $1.35 billion is generated from money laundering in New Zealand every year. The Detail talks to Lloyd Kavanagh, a financial services lawyer and deal maker from Minter Ellison Rudd Watts, about the changes, which include giving police greater powers to freeze bank accounts more quickly, banning cryptocurrency ATMs, introducing a more risk-based system for selling property from family trusts, and making it easier for parents to open bank accounts for their children. Kavanagh also welcomes efforts to streamline and simplify the system by introducing one supervision layer to oversee the rules. "Currently, we have three supervisors who supervise different segments of the market," he tells The Detail. "You have the Reserve Bank, who is the AML supervisor for banks, you have the FMA who oversees securities market participants broadly, and then you have the Department of Internal Affairs, who looks after casinos and everybody else... lenders, lawyers, accountants, real estate agents, and quite a wide range of smaller businesses. "What the government is proposing is... we should have a single supervisor so that they can be consistent in the guidance that they give to reporting entities, and have a total overview of what's going on in the sector. So that is one measure which I think will have a significant impact. "Some of the other measures ... are actually to relieve the administrative burden - one of them is, at the moment, you have to verify your customer's address, which proves to be really difficult for a lot of people.... so, the change will mean you only have to do that if you have got reasons for thinking it's a high-risk customer. "I am actually optimistic that by removing some of the mandatory bureaucracy, resources will get refocused in doing what I think, and I certainly hope all New Zealanders are keen to do, which is to use the pressure on what happens to the proceeds of crime to help us detect crime in the first place." He does have some concerns about giving greater powers to police - "I'm a little reserved about simply giving additional powers to the police if you don't have the right checks and balances" - and questions the ban on cryptocurrency ATMs, which are kiosks that allow users to buy and sell cryptocurrency using cash. "I'm somewhat puzzled by that inclusion because I haven't seen the evidence as to why that would be a particular priority." But ultimately, he believes the law changes will make a difference. "We all benefit if there is less crime in New Zealand. These people [money launderers] make business decisions as to which countries are easier to operate in and profitable to operate in. "And we know from the reports that have come from the government over the last year that New Zealand has an increasing level of drug abuse. We know that we are more and more connected in a world where there are all sorts of transactions going on. "What we need to do is just make ourselves a little bit harder to do bad things in. So, I think these [law changes] are positive steps." Check out how to listen to and follow The Detail here . You can also stay up-to-date by liking us on Facebook
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Lobby group wants rules urging importation of low-emission used cars relaxed
The Imported Motor Vehicle Association wants the government to change the rules for how it sets the clean car standard charges. Photo: 123RF A lobby group for secondhand car importers believes rules that encourage low-emission cars from overseas are doing more harm than good. The clean-car standard charges importers with high-emitting vehicles and gives credits for eco-friendly cars that can be used to offset costs. The scheme came into force on 1 January, 2023 with an aim to increase the number of low and no-emission cars in New Zealand's vehicle fleet. The Imported Motor Vehicle Association said its data showed used light-vehicle imports had fallen 22 percent year-on-year and were now 25 percent down on 2023 volumes. While it acknowledged that other international factors had contributed to the downturn for imports, it believed the Clean Car Standard had a disproportionate impact on availability and affordability. It wanted the government to change the standard by removing its formula for how the rules came up with whether a car met or did not meet emission targets, reducing the targets and coming up with smaller penalties to maintain supply incentives, without pricing vehicles out of reach. Chief executive officer Greig Epps said the standard encouraged people to buy cars in New Zealand's current vehicle fleet, rather than import them. "That goes against everything we are trying to do with carbon reduction, because the younger the vehicle generally, the more efficient it is and the better for the environment." Epps said, if cars were just held onto, rather than being replaced with newer cars, then no environmental benefits would be made. Transport Minister Chris Bishop said he was aware that the number of used-imported vehicles coming into New Zealand continued to fall and that the decline began in 2017. The decline was influenced by factors such as higher vehicle prices at Japanese vehicle auctions, the current economic climate and consumer demand, Bishop said. He was seeking further advice on the clean-car standard and whether it was working as intended. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
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Couple take former Pāpāmoa Beach homeowner to court as she refuses to leave
By Hannah Bartlett, Open Justice reporter of Terina O'Connell says she had not consented to the mortgagee sale but ASB went ahead with it anyway. Photo: Hannah Bartlett / NZME A couple who bought a Pāpāmoa Beach house needed a High Court order to remove the previous owner, after she refused to leave the property. New owners Benjamin and Chelsea Brown bought the two-bedroom home at a mortgagee sale this year, with settlement taking place on 21 May. Previous owner Terina O'Connell said she had been trying to "negotiate a solution with ASB for two years" and had not consented to the sale of her home. As a result, she refused to move out and even went as far as reaching out to people on social media, asking them to come to her home and support her before settlement day. The new owners sought a trespass order on 22 May to remove O'Connell and her supporters, and when that didn't work, they took their case to the High Court. According to a recently released High Court decision, Justice Dani Gardiner held a telephone conference on 6 June, when O'Connell's position could be heard by all parties. The court was also referred to a Facebook post she made, where she invited supporters to join her at the house. There are two posts still on her Facebook page, in which she did a "call-out" for support, saying "all I know is that the supposed settlement is Tuesday, 20 May 2025 - tomorrow". She said the purchasers had "made a deal with the devil" and that "the bank does not own my property, I have no business with you and I am not bound by any contract you made". She posted that she "would appreciate some support at my home... tomorrow afternoon... tomorrow night and for the next couple of days". While not discussed in the High Court judgment, there was also a livestreamed Facebook interview that O'Connell did with Counterspin Media, in which she explained her views on the "alleged debt" owed to the bank. In it, she said she had paused her mortgage repayments, while the bank refused to provide her with documentation she had requested or answer questions she had. The judge summarised O'Connell's position as primarily taking issue with the mortgagee sale process conducted by ASB. O'Connell told the court she'd tried to "negotiate a solution" for two years and had not consented to the mortgagee sale, and said ASB went ahead with the sale anyway. She also said ASB's solicitor advised her of the settlement date, but said she was told the couple's lawyer would contact her about vacating. O'Connell said that never happened and, the day after settlement, the new owner arrived at the property, followed by security guards and police, and she had been "harassed". She rejected the couple's claim that her presence at the house, with others, had posed a risk of damage to the property, adding they were there to "support her through this stressful time", and that she would experience emotional and financial hardship, if forced to leave. Justice Gardiner's decision said the Browns were the registered owners, and any issues that O'Connell had before the mortgagee sale were "between her and ASB". "These issues do not affect the plaintiffs' legal ownership of the property," Justice Gardiner said. The judge said, while it may have been unfortunate if O'Connell had been unaware the couple intended to take possession of the property immediately on settlement, that was the usual case. She also accepted there was a risk of damage to the property by O'Connell or her supporters. The High Court judgment also noted that, while O'Connell remained at the property, the couple were in breach of their insurance policy, as they couldn't change the locks or get an electrical warrant of fitness. They were also unable to rent the property to service their mortgage, which placed them at risk of default. The judge made an order requiring O'Connell and any other occupants to vacate the property by Monday, 9 June. Cotality New Zealand data showed a "minor lift" to 81 mortgagee sales in the second quarter of this year, up on the previous quarter, when there were 52. This marked the highest number since the fourth quarter of 2023, when there were 101 mortgagee sales. However, Cotality head of research Nick Goodall said the number was "still very low in a longer-term context, especially compared to the Global Financial Crisis". "I think this illustrates a more stable financial lending environment over the last decade or so, as well as the willingness and ability of banks to work closely with borrowers who may be struggling, rather than resort to mortgagee sales, which doesn't really benefit either party." OneRoof has 58 properties currently listed as "mortgagee sales" in New Zealand, with the total number of properties listed sitting at just over 38,000. New Zealand Banking Association chief executive Roger Beaumont said banks were responsible lenders. They typically had dedicated teams to deal with those experiencing financial difficulty, and mortgagee sales were "rare and always a last resort". "There are several options that banks may offer... depending on their particular circumstances. That may, for example, include temporarily moving to interest-only repayments." Beaumont said, in the six months from July to December 2024, there were 1.4 million home loans across 1.1 million customers. "As an indication of potential financial issues, of the total number of home loans in that period, 17,445 loans switched from principal and interest repayments to interest-only repayments." - This story originally appeared in the Zealand Herald .
