The Prime Minister, Helen Clark, is attending the 39th Pacific Islands Forum. This year, it is being held on Nuie, a small Pacific island with a population of only about 1,500 people.
The annual forum started in 1971 and there are now 16 member countries. They include Australia and New Zealand – two important members because they provide financial aid and they help with peace-keeping when there are problems on these islands. In the last few years, New Zealand has sent soldiers and police to Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Nauru and Tonga. In 2004, New Zealand gave $20 million to help Nuie recover after a hurricane.
Most of these Pacific countries are poor and cannot survive without aid. In the last few years, New Zealand has given short-term visas to workers from countries so that they can help with the harvests in our vineyards and orchards. These workers need the money to send home to help their families. Last week, some workers from Kiribati were sent home early because of a problem with their employer who said they did not work well. They were pruning vines in the vineyards in Marlborough, around Blenheim, but the weather was very cold. They are used to hot weather in their home country. They also had very poor living conditions with 22 people living in one 3-bedroom house. Australia has just announced that they will follow New Zealand’s idea of short-term visas for workers from Pacific Islands to pick fruit and vegetables; however, they will be careful to provide good living and working conditions.
Three items that concern members of the forum during this meeting are: global warming, the high cost of food and fuel, and relations with Fiji. Commodore Frank Bainimarama did not arrive at the forum. Members think he boycotted the forum because last year he promised the members that he would hold democratic elections by March 2009; however, now he says that is too early.
Global warming is a concern because the members are worried about rising sea levels and because of the increase in storms which cause so much damage. |