Latest news with #PacificIslands
RNZ News
11 hours ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Pasifika Medical Association rejects claims public funds used inappropriately
Pasifika Medical Association group chair Kiki Maoate. Photo: Pasifika Medical Association Group The Pasifika Medical Association (PMA) is rejecting claims that public funds have been used in an inappropriate manner. Te Puni Kōkiri is launching an independent review into allegations that money was used inappropriately for Whānau Ora commissioning services. It relates to allegations of funds misused by two agencies, including Pasifika Futures Limited, where it is alleged that [ Moana Pasifika received $770,000 a year] from a Whānau Ora contract with the Pasifika Medical Association. However, Pasifika Medical Association group chair Kiki Maoate said no public funding has been used to support the professional rugby team. "We strongly reject any claim that public funds have been used in an inappropriate manner," Maoate said. Moana Pasifika became part of the Pasifika Medical Association Group (PMA) on 1 July 2024. At that time, the Moana Pasifika Charitable Trust was formally established to hold both the professional rugby team and the Moana Pasifika Community Sports Programme, Maoate said. "Moana Pasifika has always been more than a rugby team. From the outset, it was established as a platform for social good and long-term transformation for Pacific people. That founding purpose made it a natural strategic fit for PMA, which recognised the opportunity to strengthen and expand Moana Pasifika's reach. With that alignment of values and mission, PMA invested to optimise the organisations positive impact, capability and connection to Pacific communities. "In 2021, a small amount of funding was provided to the Pacific Business Trust to support the development of a business case for the establishment of the Moana Pasifika Charitable Trust. This was consistent with broader support for Pacific-owned and delivered initiatives under the economic domain of Pasifika Futures. "Since that time, any public or Whānau Ora funding has been directed solely to the Moana Pasifika Community Sports Programme. No public funding has been used to support the professional rugby team." the statement from PMA said. RNZ has approached the PMA for further comment. Te Pou Matakana, otherwise known as the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency Limited, is also being investigated after Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka seeked urgent advice on "electioneering concerns". The concerns related to an advertisement encouraging Māori to sign-up to the Māori electoral roll paid for by Te Pou Matakana, which was released this week. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
The Guardian
a day ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Albanese will need to resolve the standoff with Turkey if Australia is to host Cop31
The Australian government's bid to host a major global climate conference in Adelaide next year wasn't supposed to go like this. A two-week meeting of diplomats at the UN climate headquarters in Bonn, Germany, failed to resolve what has become a long-running issue: whether the summit known as Cop31 would be held in Australia or Turkey, the only other nation vying for the rights. At a final plenary session on Friday morning Australian time, delegates from several European countries – Germany, France, Norway and Switzerland – sounded slightly frustrated as they backed the event being hosted by Australia in partnership with Pacific island countries. The UK, Iceland and New Zealand voiced their support earlier in the conference. No countries in the group of 29 nations that will decide the 2026 venue – known as Western Europe and Others – have backed Turkey's bid. But under the UN's consensus decision-making process the issue cannot be resolved while the Turkish government, led by president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, remains in the race. The delayed decision has potential ramifications for the organisation of an event that the climate change minister, Chris Bowen, has said would be the largest ever hosted in Australia. For two sleepless weeks in November, it would draw tens of thousands of people from nearly 200 countries – and the world's attention – to the host city. It is a major political and logistical exercise. The annual Cops – short for Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change – are the major event on the climate diplomacy calendar. If the Adelaide bid is successful, Bowen has said the focus of the negotiations between government officials should be on implementation: how to turn new national pledges for 2035 that are due to be submitted this year into concrete, rapid – and belated – global action. The diplomatic negotiations would run alongside a massive trade fair for green industries. Out on the streets, activists would call for Australia and other fossil fuel nations to do much, much more to back up their climate rhetoric. There had been expectations since before last year's Cop29 summit in Baku, Azerbaijan, that Turkey would eventually bow to the inevitable and withdraw. But there was no sign in Bonn of that eventuality. Instead, Turkey launched a renewed pitch to win the rights, holding a reception to lobby delegates with a presentation on why Cop31 should be held in the southern resort city of Antalya. It argued that, compared with its rival, it was geographically central – and not a major coal and gas exporter. Observers at the talks said countries did not appear to be swayed. Turkey's case has weakened since Baku after Erdoğan's main political rival was arrested in March, prompting widespread anti-government protests and clashes with police. And its record on climate action is not strong. Its resistance to pressure to exit the race means countries missed a deadline set in Azerbaijan that a decision should be made no later than the Bonn mid-year meeting so that the successful host had time to prepare. It has widely been assumed Turkey would be open to dropping out if the terms were right. It has argued that it should be removed from the list of 'annex 1' developed countries that since the 1990s have been expected to act first in combating the climate emergency. But there has been little appetite from other countries to allow this change. The Bonn meeting agreed the stand-off needs to be resolved as soon as possible. At the latest, it will have to happen by the Cop30 conference in Belém, a Brazilian city on the Amazon River, in November. The new host will then assume the Cop presidency, a global leadership role that lasts through the year. Observers in Australia are increasingly calling on the government to step up its campaign to get the issue resolved. The chief executive of the Smart Energy Council, John Grimes, is among those urging Anthony Albanese to get more involved. Albanese has not attended a Cop since becoming PM. 'It is time for the government to flick the switch if we are to get this done,' Grimes says. That requires a whole-of-government effort led by the prime minister, for whom the Cop will be a legacy defining opportunity, particularly in the eyes of his Pacific counterparts. Sign up to Clear Air Australia Adam Morton brings you incisive analysis about the politics and impact of the climate crisis after newsletter promotion 'This cannot wait for a decision at the Cop in Belém. This is too important, the diplomacy too intricate, and the timeline now too tight, for there to be anything less than a full-throated Australian diplomatic effort to secure the bid by the time the prime minister goes to the United Nations (general assembly in New York) in September.' While relatively little discussed in political debate, Labor has been declaring its hope of hosting a 'Pacific Cop' since late 2021, before it was elected the following year. It has faced accusations of hypocrisy and alleged greenwashing for arguing it should lead a major climate event while it continues to back fossil fuel expansions and extensions, including a recent decision to allow Woodside Energy's North West Shelf gas plant to run until 2070. But leaders from the Pacific, green industries and climate groups have largely expressed a hope that Cop31 would spur government and business to accelerate action at home and abroad. Supporters include Palau's president Surangel Whipps Jr, who told the Guardian a successful bid would be a sign Australia was investing in its 'Pacific brothers and sisters' and 'ensuring that we have a healthy planet'. The South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, has become an enthusiastic advocate, including commissioning an analysis that suggested it could attract 30,000 people and could be worth $500m to the state – more than the combined benefit of all its existing major events. Bowen makes similar arguments. Speaking at an energy conference in Melbourne last week, he said the government was 'actively campaigning' for the conference to 'attract global investment', 'supercharge our transformation into a renewable energy superpower' and 'put the Pacific front and centre on the world stage'. He said it had been 'working hard' with its international partners and Turkey to resolve the bid. On the latest evidence, it may have to step it up a bit.
RNZ News
a day ago
- Business
- RNZ News
Allegations public money used by Whānau Ora for 'electioneering' to be investigated
Moana Pasifika allegedly received $770,000 a year from the Whānau Ora contract with Pasifika Medical Association. Photo: Andy Radka/ActionPress Te Puni Kōkiri (TPK) has launched an independent review into allegations of inappropriate use of public funding appropriated for Whānau Ora commissioning services. The independent review relates to allegations of funding misuse by two agencies, Te Pou Matakana Limited - otherwise known as the Whānau Ora Commissioning Agency - and Pasifika Futures Limited, and would focus on whether the agencies met their contractual obligations when using the public money. The review followed Māori Development Minister Tama Potaka seeking urgent advice on "electioneering concerns" relating to an advertisement encouraging Māori to sign-up to the Māori electoral roll paid for by Te Pou Matakana Limited released this week, and the revelation Super Rugby franchise Moana Pasifika had also received Whānau Ora funds . Dave Samuels, chief executive of Te Puni Kōkiri has called for the 'thorough review". Photo: TPK Te Puni Kōkiri chief executive and secretary for Māori development Dave Samuels said Te Puni Kōkiri had written to both organisations looking for an explanation. "It is in everyone's best interest that we find out what happened. We must safeguard taxpayers' money which is why I have commissioned a thorough review to get to the bottom of these serious allegations," Samuels said. The reviewer and terms of reference for the review were expected to be announced next week, however, Outcome Agreements signed with the two agencies and whether they met their contractual obligations would be in scope. Te Puni Kōkiri said after an open procurement process Whānau Ora had shifted to a new and transparent funding model with data-driven insights, which would make it easier to measure outcomes and ensure value for money. Commissioning contracts with Te Pou Matakana Limited and Pasifika Futures Limited end on Monday, and four new commissioning agencies begin Whānau Ora contracts the next day on 1 July. Te Pou Matakana Limited and Pasifika Futures Limited have been approached by RNZ for comment. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
I took my 14-year-old on a cruise to Hawaii. Strangers kept telling him how lucky he was to have me as a parent.
I was feeling shut out by my 14-year-old son, as many parents of teens do. In a fleeting conversation, he had mentioned that his dream trip was Hawaii. I decided to take him on a cruise with no Wi-Fi so we could reconnect. A few months ago, I found myself standing in that familiar, painful space many parents of teenagers know all too well — feeling shut out. My 14-year-old son, all hormones and headphones, wanted nothing to do with me. He was deep in the world of friends, phones, and being "too cool" for anything that resembled family bonding. But I remembered something he'd said during one of our rare, fleeting conversations: "My dream trip is Hawaii." So, for his 8th grade graduation, I planned a surprise. Not just a trip to Hawaii — an adventure cruise with UnCruise, a small-ship expedition company that sails the islands with a focus on nature, activity, and unplugged experiences. I booked it hoping, somewhat desperately, that it might be more than just a vacation and that maybe, just maybe, it would bring us closer. Now that I'm back, I can say: It did. One of the best parts of the trip was that it wasn't just us. Our ship, the Safari Explorer, hosted about 30 other travelers. This built-in community meant we didn't drive each other crazy. My son could hang back when he needed space, and I could talk with other adults, some of whom turned out to be unexpectedly insightful allies. Meals were communal style, which took the pressure off having to make conversation one-on-one three times a day. I didn't anticipate how those other passengers would reflect me back to my son in a new light. People kept telling him how lucky he was to have a mom who kayaked, snorkeled, hiked volcanic craters, and actually kept up. I think he started to see me as more than just "mom who nags" and as someone interesting, even cool. He also saw me as someone who talked with others and contributed to group conversations. At home, I'm often wrong by default; here, I became someone worth listening to. There were moments on the trip that transported us both, like when he spotted an octopus while snorkeling and shouted for me to come see it. His face lit up with pure excitement. For a moment, it was like he was little again, eager to share his world with me. We were in this experience together, not as a parent and reluctant teen, but as two people seeing something amazing. The focus of Uncruise is on adventure activities — every day we were out in nature. This almost never happens at home, where my teen would rather do just about anything than spend time with me outdoors. But here, there was no other option. Uncruise is the anti-cruise; it's about the destination, not the ship. That meant every day we hiked, snorkeled, kayaked, and swam. It turns out we both loved it. There was also no Wi-Fi on the ship, and that turned out to be a blessing. Without the constant lure of his phone, he had no choice but to be present. We played cards, something we hadn't done in years. We talked about girls, sports, friendships — the messy, unfiltered stuff of being 14. I kept my advice to myself and just listened. It reminded me that he still wants to be heard, even if he doesn't always act like it. A surprising highlight of the trip was hearing others compliment him. One guest told me he gave up his seat for an older man when I wasn't around. Another said he helped clean up a dropped plate of appetizers. It's easy to get lost in the eye-rolling and one-word answers at home, but here, I was reminded of the kind, thoughtful kid I'm raising. This trip wasn't a magical fix for the challenges of parenting a teenager. But it was a window — a reminder that he's still in there, and that I am too. Read the original article on Business Insider
ABC News
a day ago
- Sport
- ABC News
Pasifika First Nations jersey revealed for Lions test
On July 22nd, the British & Irish Lions will visit Melbourne to take on the First Nations & Pasifika Fifteen -- a new team composing of players of Pacific Islander and First Nations heritage. The team is coached by Tongan and former Australian Wallabies star Toutai Kefu, yesterday he fronted media at the unveiling of the team jersey at Marvel stadium. Approximately 40,000 fans from the UK and Ireland are expected to travel to Australia to support the Lions during their 2025 tour. "That's a great motivator for these boys and if we can put a really good performance and get a good result, that's the best way to represent our people," Kefu said.
