the jet volume 7 number 6

7/25/2019 The Jet Volume 7 Number 6

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MAY 2015. ISSUE 65 www.thejetnewspaper.com 50 CENTS

Westerners ReignBy IVA DANFORD - NAISARA

The top western-based schoolsin the 2015 Coca Cola Games werecrowned the champions of thebiggest secondary school athleticscompetition in Fiji.

Jasper Williams High Schooland Natabua High School madehistoric win at the Coca-ColaGames bringing both the titles inthe western division for the firsttime ever.

Jasper defended their title fora third successive year, whileNatabua won its first title in theboys division.

Natabua coach Sairusi Naiyukusaid they had a theme this yearwhich was to stay humble andsimple.

We never underestimated anyof the schools because we knowthey also came prepared but wehad to be one step ahead of them,he said.

Coach Naituku said they haveachieved the expectations ofthe supporters and whole of thewestern division are behind theNatabua success.

He praised the performance ofthe athletes and thanked the sup-port of the family and friends of the

school.On the other hand, reigning girls

champion Jasper had a confidentstart and was in full force till theend of the two-day meet.

Jasper Williams coach AntonioRaboiliku said they came this yearwith an objective of where they leftoff last year.

We knew that we had tostep up not only as the defendingchampion but in everything that

we do in regards to the 2015 cokespreparations, he said.

Raboiliku said this year theirpreparations were far much betteras their athletes are getting moreconfident and the training programthat they use is more scientificbased.

I think the western schoolsnow realize that they do not needto use facilities like the ones in thecoke to achieve goals in big games

like the Coca-Cola Games, Raboi-liku added.

Jasper walked away with a to-tal of 21 gold, 9 silver and 6 bronzewhile Natabua scooped 17 gold, 11silver and 5 bronze medals.

Meanwhile, Gospel HighSchools sprinter and best femaleathlete, Younis Bese has brokenMakelesi Bulikiobos 18-year-oldrecord in the 200 metres SeniorGirls event.

The Coca-Cola Games rst-time overall Boys division winner NatabuaHigh School celebrate with chief guest Minister for Education Dr MahendraReddy andThird-time girls division champion Jasper Williams High Schoolstudents and fans in jubilation. Photos: MARGARET NAQIRI.

Bese ran in a time of 24.98 sec-onds in the 200 metres heats whileBulikiobos record stood at 25.14seconds.

Best male athlete, Mustafa Fallsof Marist Brothers High School,also set two new records in the se-nior boys shot put and discus.

The Coca-Cola Games 2015 hadan exciting finish as both the boysand girls title went to the two Lau-toka schools.

FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER


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THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER2

FROM THE DESK

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

Fiji - the way the world should be Being the hub of the Pacic, Fiji has everything that a spectacular tropical paradise has to oer -

from private island resort accommodations, top class restaurants to white sandy beaches, inbound

tours, jet boat rides, hot air balloon rides, mountain trekking, inland tours, eco tourism, sky diving,

helicopter rides, cruise trips, scuba diving, massage and beauty parlours, vibrant night life and a

lot more than any other destination in the world oers

q IVA DANFORD - NAISARA

THE JETis Fijis rst community newspaper published bi-monthlybyYOURSPACE LIMITEDfrom Nadi - the tourism capital of Fiji.

PUBLISHER : SAMUEL SHANKAR Cell: 9966115

EDITOR : ANUSHIL KUMAR Cell: 9203847PRODUCTION : MUNAUWAR KHAN Cell: 9222456

NEWS : IVA DANFORD - NAISARA Cell: 7302604ADVERTISING : MARGARET NAQIRI Cell: 9360047

: ARON GOUNDAR Cell: 9203790

OFFICE PHONES : 6707075 / 6750443EMAIL : [email protected]

: [email protected] : www.thejetnewspaper.com

PRINTED BY DAVUI PRINTERY LIMITED, 12 BAKA PLACE, LAUCALA BEACH ESTATE, SUVA

Phone: (679) 3394755. LAYOUT BY MUNAUWAR KHAN

Bonus Payments forLandowners

As Mothers Day drawcloser, we tend to comeacross different sort ofideas on the gifts to giveour mums.

These gifts are to lether know how muchyou love and appreciateher.

Its also the time ofthe year when moth-ers, grandmothers andwives will be showeredwith gifts, from theirloved ones to expresstheir love and gratitude.

Some people call,send a card, or haveflowers or a gift deliv-ered to their mum.

Cherish YourMums

It is a day of celebra-tion for families withtheir mother, and a timeto reflect on the impor-tance of mothers in theirlives.

Mothers Day in Fiji isalways celebrated andobserved on SecondSunday of May eachyear.

Cheques with a to-tal of $1 million dollarswere handed out byFiji Pine Limited Groupas part of the Lease Se-curity Bonus Payment(LSBP) to landownerson Thursday, April 16.

Officiating the event,chief guest Prime Min-ister Voreqe Bainima-rama said it is by farthe biggest of the threeLSBP payments thathave been made sinceFebruary last year.

The two previouspayments combinedamounted to just$780,000 dollars, and itis wonderful to see this

third payout reach themillion dollar mark,said Mr Bainimarama.

He said the chequesalso followed previouspayments for stump-age and levies that

amounted to $2.85mlast year.For the 2014 finan-

cial year, the Grouprecorded an unprec-edented consolidatedoperating profit of$21.27 million dollarsand just four years be-fore, in 2010, the Grouphad consolidated loss-es of around $5 milliondollars.

Bainimarama saidthis is a truly remark-able turnaround of $26million dollars in theGroups performance

and a genuine causefor the industry, indeedthe whole nation, tocelebrate.

Fiji Pine Group ex-ecutive chairman FaizKhan said it was thelargest of a total ofthree lease securitybonus payments in-troduced in 2013, withthe payments depen-dent on the size of the

The Fiji National Provi-

dent Fund (FNPF) is urging

Employers to contact the

Fund should the need forassistance arise with com-

pleting the newly formatted

Contribution Schedule (CS)

forms.

FNPF Chief Executive, Mr

Aisake Taito said the Fund

will assist employers who

are not familiar with these

CS forms.

He said the employers

must seek assistance to en-

sure accuracy in completing

the forms and avoid hefty

penalties which will be en-

forced by FNPF soon.

Its important that these

Employers voluntary come

forward for assistance, Ta-

ito said.

We have an obligation to

ensure that they know how

to fill these forms to avoid

hefty penalties which FNPF

will soon enforce on late

submissions of these forms

along with the contributions

as specified under the FNPF

legislation.

He said employers have a

duty to ensure that the data/

records provided in the CS

forms are accurate as it is a

condition that must be met

before the contributions are

posted to member accounts.

Some common inaccura-

FNPF to Assist Employers with ContributionSchedule Forms

leased land.The six forest-based

companies in Lololo,Nadi, Nabou, Ra, Buaand Macuata also re-ceived six new ToyotaHilux vehicles worth$400,000.

The Fiji Pine LimitedGroup has announceda record profit of closeto $21.3 million for itsfinancial year 2014.

cies that employers contin-

ue to make when submitting

the CS forms are submission

of incorrect TIN numbers,

employees details carrying

incorrect FNPF Numbers,

incorrect salary information

and employers paying incor-

rect FNPF contributions.

Mr Taito said inaccuracy

of information submitted to

the Fund has resulted in de-

lays when it comes to direct-

ing members contribution.

It has also led to increase

in employees contributions

being directed to the Funds

suspense account.

Mr Taito urged members

to continuously check their

FNPF accounts to ensure

that their contribution have

been directed into their

FNPF account.

Members need to also

take the initiative to verify

and update their personal

details and not wait to verify

their details when they apply

for assistance.

Members can verify and

update their personal de-

tails at any FNPF office near

them.

We need to all work to-

gether in ensuring that data

submitted to the Fund are

accurate as this would fur-

ther safeguard our mem-

bers interest and would

also ensures that members

are able to receive timely

services when accessing

their funds.

By ANUSHIL KUMAR

By IVA DANFORD-

NAISARA


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THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER 3

LOCAL NEWS

The locally-renowned Fi-jian Masi artist and designerof Fiji Airways logo, Makere-ta Matemosi passed away ather home in Lami on Mon-day, April 27.

Makereta created a newidentity which demonstrat-ed that there was more toFiji than stunning islands,by focusing on the warmthof its people, its rich culture,and the unique experiencesit offered.

Fiji Airways board direc-tor Stefan Pichler was sad-

dened to learn the death ofMakereta.

He said Makereta will bedeeply missed by the Fiji Air-ways family and the countryas a whole.

The Fiji Airways Groupis deeply saddened by newsof the passing of MakeretaMatemosi, the person whowas commissioned to de-sign our masi logo.

Her collaboration withus has led to much acclaimand appreciation of our newlogo. Our thoughts are withMakeretas family at thistime.

Logo DesignerPasses Away

The locally-renowned Fijian Masi artist and designer of FijiAirways logo, Makereta Matemosi. Photo: SUPPLIED.

Fiji should establish agenuine Fijian identity with anew national symbol which

is a new flag to replace theone with colonial symbols.

These were the words ofthe Honorable Prime Minis-ter Voreqe Bainimarama atthe Ratu Navula Cadet pass-

ing-out on April 22.According to Mr Baini-

marama, the new flag is in-tended to hoist on Fiji Day,October 10.

Never forget that only byworking together as one na-tion - each of us playing our

part - can we achieve great-ness.

We can achieve our vi-sion of a better and fairernation for us all, no matterwhom we are or where we

come from, Mr Bainima-rama said.

He urged the generalpublic to contribute theirideas to this noble endeavorto strengthen our identityand generate even more na-tional pride.

Mr Bainimarama addedthat this would be a historicoccasion for Fiji as a whole.

The national competitionto design the new flag entryclosed on May 1.

New Flag to Strengthen Fijian IdentityBy IVA DANFORD-

NAISARA

In his speech at the Ma-godro District School Cadetpass-out parade on May 1,Mr Bainimarama said theyhave received more than500 individual entries in thenational flag competition.

Im happy to report that

we have had a wonderfulresponse from ordinary Fiji-ans to our call for a new flagthat all of you will stand be-fore and salute for the rest ofyour lives, he said.

He added they havecome from all walks of life,from young people to thevery old.

Im told there are somevery imaginative entries andit may well be that the finaldesign reflects the work of a

few people rather than justone or two. But I can as-sure you as Prime Ministerthat we will come up with adesign we can all be proudof, no matter who we are or

where we come from.He thanked the Fijian

people for embracing thenoble initiative so eagerlyand have shown their desireto embrace a new flag thatwe can all be proud of as Fi-jians and speaks to all today,

not our colonial past.

By ANUSHIL KUMAR &

IVA DANFORD-NAISARA

PM Impressed withCadet-Passing Out

The Ratu Navula CollegeCadet Pass-out was a won-derful scene as dozens ofyoung Fijians lined up look-ing disciplined and splendid.

This was according to thechief guest Honorable PrimeMinister, Voreqe Bainima-

rama at this years Cadetpass-out held at the schoolground on Wednesday, April22.

The manner in whichyou have just paraded be-fore me does great credit toyourselves, to the Ratu Na-vula College and to our be-loved nation, he said.

I am inspired when Iattend events like this be-

cause I know that the futureof our beloved Fiji will be ingood hands when my owngeneration passes into his-tory and our young peopleassume responsibility forour nations destiny.

Mr Bainimarama urgedthe cadets that whateverthey choose to do, the les-sons of discipline, patrio-tism, duty, integrity and hon-

or that they have learnedas cadets should stay withthem all their lives.

It a great day for RatuNavula College as it hasserved the people of Nadifor 41 years.

Mr Bainimarama said thecadets turnout, drill andbearing are the highest stan-dards that they should beproud of.

By IVA DANFORD-

NAISARA

Ratu Navula cadets led by the school head boy Apimeleki Kolinisau. Photo: iVA DANFORD - NAISARA.

Double Celebrationfor Magodro

District School

Magodro District Schoolof Ba had an historic occa-sion as they held their an-nual Passing out Parade and

the official opening of a newSchool Library on May 1st.

Chief Guest of the dayPrime Minister Voreqe Baini-marama commended onthe turnout saying that thestudents look absolutelymagnificent standing so talland proud.

As primary students,you really are showingmany high school studentshow these parades shouldbe done. So congratula-tions on your marching anddrill, which is a great credit

By IVA DANFORD-

NAISARA

to you, your parents, yourschool, your community andour nation.

He said these paradesteach you discipline and thequalities of bearing attentionto details that will help youimmensely when you growolder.

We want you to live

disciplined lives, be loyal toyour leaders and becomebetter citizens of our be-loved nation. Because oneday, you too will assumeleadership positions in vari-ous walks of life and this ishelping to set you off on theright path, he added.

Mr Bainimarama said hewas also delighted to offi-cially open the schools newLibrary, which is a wonder-ful addition to the schooland urged them to makeuse of it.

You boys and girls havebeen given the best oppor-tunity any Fijian has everhad to get an education andeventually get well-paid, in-teresting jobs.

He said they have givenfree schooling and relievedthe fee burden on parentsthat kept so many of themfrom being able to go to orcompleting school them-selves.

You are never too youngto learn the discipline and

teamwork that comes fromthe training you are reeivingI say it all over the coun-

try and Ill say it again in Ma-godro: it is a wonderful timeto be a Fijian as we have ahealthy economy growing ataround four per cent a year.

Mr Bainimarama said thisis giving them the means todeliver a whole lot of thingslike free eduction, betterroads, better health facilitiesand all those other improve-ments that are moving Fijiforward.

The Hon.Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama at the opening of the new library of theMagodro District School.Photo: SUPPLIED.


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LOCAL NEWS

Coca-Cola Games In Pictures


5/24



LOCAL NEWS

Graduating Class of Success

Forty-eight studentsgraduated from the Aus-tralia-Pacific Technical

College (APTC) on Friday,April 17, at the Vale Ni SoqoConference Room in No-

votel, Nadi.They graduated with im-

proved level of productiv-ity in the workplace withqualifications in Healthand Community Services,Education, Business andManagement, Hospitalityand Tourism.

Chief guest and Minis-ter of Employment, Pro-ductivity and IndustrialRelations Honorable JiojiKonrote said the gradu-

ates should be relieved butmore importantly proud of

what they have achievedthrough their hard work.

There is no substitutefor hard work as the key tosuccess in life. Well doneand you can return to thereal world of a very com-petitive job market outthere with a satisfying feel-

ing of being rejuvenated,Hon. Konrote said.

He urged the graduat-ing class of now having asense of renewed accom-

plishment with their newqualifications that will im-prove their work positions.

Hon. Konrote also ac-knowledged the contribu-

tion of the Australian Gov-ernment and the tutorsand staff of APTC.

APTC is a developmentinitiative funded by the

Australian Government todeliver training and to in-crease the supply of skilled

workers in targeted sectorsin the Pacific region. APTC

Hon. Jioji Konrote with the graduates aer receiving their awards. Photo IVA DANFORD

By IVA DANFORD-

NAISARA

has campuses in Fiji, Sa-moa, Vanuatu, Papua NewGuinea and Solomon Is-lands.

The Honorable Minsterfor Education, Heritage andArts Dr. Mahendra Reddybelieves there was a needto major mindset change ofUnions in this country.

The change in mindsetrequires collective sharingof the output that the em-ployer is after, he said.

Speaking at the FijianTeachers Association Con-

ference, he said unionsshould identify poor per-formers and provide coun-selling and caution letters tothose who are not at par towhat is expected of them.

Dr Reddy also urged theemployees in the publicsector to change their mind-

sets and adopt this call forcollective responsibility as itis in the private sector.

If we fail to deliver onto the output, the employerwill fail and thus the employ-ee should also share the lossin output.

He also urged the unionssubmit to him a list of namesfrom their members whoare not performing andshould be demoted or dis-ciplined for shortchangingthe employer, the studentsand bringing disrepute to the

profession.Dr Reddy also wished to

express his heartfelt appre-ciation to all the contribu-tions done to the educationsystem to date.

Union Urged to Step-upBy IVA DANFORD-

NAISARA

Minister for Education Dr Mahendra Reddy. Photo: SUPPLIED. Teachers are at the

heart of every educa-tion system. Study afterstudy shows that thesingle most importantfactor that determinesthe quality of educa-tion a child receives isthe quality of his or herteacher.

These were thewords of the HonorableMinster for Education,Heritage and Arts Dr.Mahendra Reddy at theFijian Teachers Asso-ciation 2015 Conferencewhich was held at the

Suva Civic Auditoriumon Tuesday, April 28.In his keynote ad-

dress, Dr. Reddy saidteachers play a key rolein our life and have amajor share in shapingit.

They tell us whatachievement meansand teach us what ittakes to accomplishsomething in life and todream big and to neverfear failures, Dr Reddyemphasized.

He said the theme ofAppreciating TeachersContribution in the Soci-ety was appropriate fordiscussion in todays ed-ucation system becausethe teaching professionis an asset in improving

education delivery.He added teachersought to be given the re-spect and appreciationthey deserve for mould-ing generations and gen-erations of greatness.

Teaching is not easy.Unlike popular self-be-lief, not everyone can bea teacher.

Dr Reddy concludedby saying that greatteachers teach the stu-dents to believe thatnothing is impossible.

By IVA DANFORD-

NAISARA

Teachers

Reminded oftheir Value

Turtle Talk Launched

on Earth DayTurtle Talks, which is the

first of its kind and is devot-ed to driving conversation toaccelerate positive change,was officially launched onEarth Day, April 22, by cre-ator Monica Laurence.

The purpose of this tur-

tle talk is to share the feel-ing of energy and spirit withthe world to inspire othersabout clean energy, Lau-rence said.

She said the only way toachieve this is by believingthat everything is beautiful.

Fiji is the best place todo it because Fijians arethe happiest people in theplanet.

Laurence also launched38 videos filmed from the

first Talks which were heldfrom 2013 in Turtle Island.

The inaugural talks in-cluded five experts in cleanenergy which lead the con-versation in imaging a futurein which we live with 100%clean and renewable en-ergy.

She said anything thatdoes not pollute is clean en-ergy.

I believe that there is apurpose and there is also a

need to include experts inFiji in tackling this major is-sue, she said.

Laurence also describedthese Talks as a boost in Fi-jis tourism industry.

Filmed on the Island,Turtle Talks invites leadingthinkers and doers to oneisland to discuss solutionsto the biggest issues facingpeople and planet.

By IVA DANFORD-

NAISARA


6/24



LOCAL NEWS

Punjas Signed-Up

with DigicelThe Punjas Group has

switched their entire mobiletelecommunication servicesto Digicel Fiji.

This was announced byDigicel Fiji on Friday, Apri 17,at the Punjas Head Office in

Lautoka.Digicel Fijis Chief Execu-

tive Officer Darren McLeansaid they were delighted tohave such a well-respectedcorporate like Punjas joiningthe list of customers that arenot only leveraging Fijis bestdata network but are takingadvantage of significant costsaving on their mobile bills.

He said it is when theywork with partners like thisthat demand cutting edgeservices where they can re-ally see the benefit of Digi-cels $70million network up-grade investment that wascompleted last year.

This is a fantastic win forDigicel Fiji and it also high-lights the growing strategicalliance between the twocompanies that have a sig-nificant footprint both in Fijiand throughout the Pacific,said Mr McLean.

In welcoming the PunjasGroup, Mr McLean said oneresult that will be felt im-mediately by Punjas is theeffect of this deal to the bot-tom line and Punjas monthlymobile telecom bill will besignificantly reduced.

Punjas senior manag-ing director Nitin Punja saidthey went through an exten-sive bid process ensuringthey got the best deal in themarket.

Communication is thelifeblood of our businessand hence there was a needto ensure we got a qualityservice at the best rates,said Mr Punja.

He said Digicel Fiji madethe process easy and theylook forward to a long part-nership.

Punjas senior manager director Mr Nitin Punja and Digicel CE0 Darren McLean. Photo: SUPPLIED.

By IVA DANFORD-

NAISARA


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EDUCATION

q DEPTFO

The usage of informa-tion combined with moderntechnology is critical to en-hancing the consumptionof land and resources forprogress, says the Ministryof Sugar Industry.

Industrys acting per-manent secretary ParmeshChand made these com-ments during the forum onGeographical InformationSystem and Remote Sens-ing (GIS/RS) User InterfaceForum at the First Landingresort in Vuda, Lautoka onTuesday, May 5.

He said the promotionopportunity for investmentand economic develop-ment is highly dependent onmodern technology.

Due to the vast improve-ment in technology andrecognition of the impor-tance of encompassing sea,air and land information,Government revived andstrengthened the Fiji Geo-Spatial Information Man-

agement Council formerlyknown as the Fiji Land Infor-mation Council, Mr Chandsaid.

This is intended to pro-mote the development andmanagement of Geo-Spatialinformation in Fiji on a moreintegrated and comprehen-sive basis.

Recognising the impor-tance of Geo-Spatial Infor-mation, Fiji pushed for adop-tion of a special resolutionon this subject at the UnitedNations General Assembly.

It was for the first timerecognized and accepted bythe General Assembly.

The sugar industry GISportal was launched in Fiji inNovember last year.

It boosted the Ministry ofSugars authentication for its2015 budgetary submissionresulting in a budget provi-sion for Sugar Cane IndustryGIS of $938,170.00.

Mr Chand said he sharedthis information as it waspart of the objective of theforum adding that informa-tion sharing should be doneamongst the users.

Information Sharing Vital forDevelopment

I am sharing this withyou today (Tuesday, May 2)because this is part of theobjective of this Forum toshare information, data andrelevant experiences so thatmembers could learn andbenefit from them.

By ANUSHIL KUMAR

For what is it is worth,the sustainability of this GIS/RS User Forum will requirehuge leaps of faith. Usersmust come together in faithto share information. With-out this, it may be difficult.

He said sustainability is

about relevance.It is our plea to you all, as

members of the GIS/RS UserForum, that you will contin-ue to work together througha spirit of open dialogue,willingness to share dataand information, establish-

ing communication links,both domestic and offshoreand providing access to thelatest software for the ben-efit of all.

Participants at the 2015 forum on Geographical Information System and Remote

Sensing User Interface Forum. Photo: SUPPLIED.

Leadership in schoolsmatter and we expect de-livery, said the Ministerfor Education, Heritageand Arts Hon. Dr Mahen-dra Reddy.

The Minister stressedthis point when he deliv-ered his keynote addressat the Future Leaders

Workshop Phase One inLabasa.

The meeting was anopportunity for the Min-ister to reiterate to thesenior education officialsin the North on Govern-ments commitment tomaking education easilyaccessible.

You must win their(students) confidenceand trust, it is your job toreach out to the teach-ers and children and youmust know your staff

well, said Minister Red-

dy.He said that in order

to compliment educationassistance, leadership inschools is a vital part ofthis process and the Min-istry expects a delivery ofthe management outputto create a knowledge-based society.

Any leader has to firstunderstand the wholebusiness process andthe productive processof what are the inputs

and all leaders shouldnot lose sight of the out-put they have to deliver,Minister Reddy said.

In education, thereis an outcome that wetarget; this governmenttargets for a knowledge-based society.

This is an outcome

and we are here to deliv-er onto this outcome but

we must play our part.You all play a very

important role in deliv-ering the output which

will deliver that outcome,the outcome is qualified,educated people, and we

want you to deliver this.Minister Reddy said

leaders must talk withconfidence, have thor-ough knowledge in sub-

ject matters and be ableto boost the young peo-ple and teachers.

Leadership in Schools Vital toEducational Development

Dr Mahendra Reddy at the Future Leaders Workshop in Labasa.

Minister for Education Dr Mahendra Reddy at the Future Leaders Workshop. Photos: DEPTFO.


8/24



ADVERTISEMENT


9/24



LOCAL NEWS

Ginger aLucrative

Commodityfor Export

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For more information contact via email:

[email protected] or telephone: 6666800.

Government has identi-fied ginger as one of thepriority commodities dueto its potential for food andincome security and provid-ing employment to the localfarmers.

As such the AgricultureMinistry is making concert-ed efforts in revitalising theginger industry in a bid toincrease production and itscontribution to the Gross Do-mestic Product (GDP).

The industry which in-cludes both the immatureand mature ginger is cur-rently worth $12 million butit is likely to increase in fu-ture.

Speaking in Parliamentrecently, the AgricultureMinister Inia Seruiratu saidGovernment was making allefforts to make ginger as amajor export commodity.

Mr Seruiratu told themembers of Parliamentthat following the accessto export to the Australianmarkets, Government sawginger as one of the prioritycrops which had a potentialfor income and food securityand employment for manyFijian farmers.

He said in a bid to in-crease production, Govern-ment had increased its bud-get to $500,000 this year from$300,000 provided in 2014.

From 2006 2011 therewas no budget for ginger but

I salute the private sectorsespecially our farmers fornot abandoning this crop,said Mr Seruiratu.

Referring to the produc-tion figures in 2013, Fiji pro-duced 10,529 metric tonnesof both immature and ma-ture ginger which was an in-crease of 3477 tonnes com-pared to 7052 metric tonnesproduced in 2012.

Ginger from Fiji is export-ed to Australia, New Zea-land, European Union, USAand Canada.

He added that from2009 to 2011 export earn-ings of the immature ginger

was around $6million butit increased significantly to$12million in 2012 and 2013.

The increase in exportswas due to government in-vestment in the industry, afavourable and stable mar-ket price for ginger and Fijisaccomplishment to gain ac-cess into the Australian freshginger market, said Mr Se-ruiratu.

He said securing the Aus-tralian market provided Fiji agreat opportunity to furtherbroaden its economic baseapart from providing more

employment opportunitiesfor our farmers.

Mr Seruiratu acknowl-edged the work done bythe Pacific Horticultural andAgricultural Market AccessProgram (PHAMA) of theSecretariat of the PacificCommunity (SPC) and Bi-osecurity Authority of Fiji(BAF) in securing the Aus-tralian market.

The Ministry of Agricul-ture will focus on the qualityby adhering to the protocolsand pathways already estab-lished between Fiji and itstrading partners.

It will focus on improvingfarm management as it iscritical and goes with qual-ity.

There are currently a to-tal of 717 registered gingerfarmers in Fiji, 611 of whomare in the Central Divisionincluding areas of Navua,Namosi, Naitasiri, Rewa andTailevu, 106 farmers are inthe Western Division andOvalau. There are also afew farmers in Ra, Kadavu,Lomaiviti and Vanua Levu.These farmers produce gin-ger for the local and exportsmarkets.

Frespac Ltd and KaimingAgro Processors Ltd are thetwo major companies buy-ing the locally grown gingerfor export but other few ex-porters like Sai Foods Ltd aresome of the latest compa-

nies who are investing intothis lucrative industry.The Managing Director

of Kaiming Agro ProcessingLtd (KAPL) Calvin Qiu saysthat there was a short supplyof ginger and is urging morefarmers to plant ginger forexport.

KAPL that produces andexports processed imma-ture ginger has about 300farmers that supply about1000 tonnes of ginger everyyear.

Majority of these farm-ers are from Naitasiri while

others are from Serua andNamosi.

Mr Qiu wants more farm-ers from Serua and Namosito plant ginger because theyare close to the factory andhave easy market access.

We will need 1200tonnes of immature gingerand 400 tonnes of matureginger this year, said MrQiu.

KAPL exports crystallizedand glazed ginger to USA,Australia, New Zealand, UKand Germany.

There is good demandfor processed Fiji ginger inNorth America and the Euro-pean Union as our ginger isof a very high quality, saidMr Qiu.

Fiji ginger had very lowheavy metal content andno trace of chemical dueto our pristine environmentand the traditional farmingpractices used by the localfarmers.

Agriculture Officer Serua/Namosi Virend Chand saidthat in 2013 about six acresof ginger was planted on theflatlands under the GingerDevelopment Program bysix farmers.

However, due to heavyrain in December 2013 andJanuary 2014 there was highrisk of Fusarium oxyspori-um a fungal disease, so thefarmers had to harvest im-mature ginger and could not

save any for planting mate-rial, he added.This year the farmers are

keeping the ginger to ma-ture and will use as plantingmaterial for the next gingerplanting season, said MrChand.

Ginger planting is target-ed on the upper Serua andNamosi to avoid flooding.

He said that farmersshould treat seeds with hotwater soon after harvestingfor the control of nematodesand Pythium rots in order toattain pest-free planting ma-terials.

Farmers with harvested ginger plants. Photo: SUPPLIED


10/24



Fiji Regarded as the BestShark Diving Destination

Tomasi RaiulaMaui Bay, Sigatoka

Its not good because theywont concentrate well inschool

Emosi Lasaqa

Narewa, Nadi

Not good, should be bannedfrom school

Desmond ArtackSuva

I think its a bad idea

Sue NasilasilaNasoso, Nadi

I dont think its the best idea.Everybody knows that cell

phones are a major distractionto todays society, ESPECIAL-LY the younger generation andyou cannot control that becausesociety changes with time and

technology

What do you think of Pri-

mary School students having

access to mobile phones in

school?

Sweet Tweets

LOCAL NEWS

The Shark Dive of Fijihas recorded a milestoneachievement in the Chi-nese dive industry.

This was after theyrightfully received theBest Shark Diving Desti-nation Award at the DiveResort Travel (DRT) Expoin Shanghai, China.

Tourism Fijis Market-ing Manager for the Asia

Market, Ms. Kathy Koya-maibole who was pres-ent at the Expo, receivedthe award on Fijis behalf.

She said Fiji attractedmost of the participatingcountries at the Expo.

Fijis shark dive wasdefinitely top of mindfor most of the dive clubsand visitors to the expo.

Fiji was voted as theBest Shark Diving Desti-nation after impressingthe EZDIVE Magazine

who carried out an analy-sis of its members (the

Chinese divers).The three-day event

By ANUSHIL KUMAR

provided the exhibitors achance to actively partici-pate and exchange infor-mation pertaining specifi-cally to the dive industry

ranging from destinationsto best diving techniquesand equipment.

The DRT Expo which isthe only professional div-

ing exhibition in China isdeveloped for the divingindustry of Shanghai.

It attracts exhibitors enthusiastic diving re-

sorts and live-aboard op-erators from all over the

Asia-Pacific region.

A new codeshare agree-ment between the nationalcarriers of Fiji and Vanuatu,Fiji Airways and Air Vanuatuwillsee seven flights a week

between the two island na-tions.Fiji Airways and Air Vanu-

atu will now offer their cus-tomers code-shareaccesson flights to and from PortVila as well as interliningca-pability from each airlinesgateway points, further ex-tending their respective net-works.

Fiji Airways will place itsFJ code on Air Vanuatuservices from Port Vila toSuva and Nadi. Air Vanuatuwill place its NF code onFiji Airways services fromNadi and Suva to Port Vila.

The agreement will al-

low customers to purchaseflights through all thedistri-bution channels on both air-lines, providing a seamlesstravelexperience within theSouth Pacific and connectiv-ity to other populardestina-tions including Los Angelesand Hong Kong.

Stefan Pichler, Fiji Air-ways Board Director com-mented: This newcode-share agreement betweenthe two airlines will ensuregreatercooperation, coordi-nation, and ultimately betteropportunities fortravel be-

tween Fiji and Vanuatu.Fiji Airways, as one of

the regions leading airlines,is always on thelookoutfor partnerships like thesewhich provide benefits toall parties commercially.Further than that, it furtherstrengthens the ties betweenthe Melanesian neighbours.

Our customers can nowenjoy better access to pop-

ular Vanuatu destinationslike Port Vila and Santo withthe convenience of a singlebooking.

Air Vanuatus chief execu-tive officer Joseph Laloyersaid the two airlines had along history of deliveringexceptional service through-out the Pacific.

We share commongoals to be leaders in ser-

vice delivery and topromoteour national interests. ForAir Vanuatu, this codeshareagreement means more op-portunity for overseas holi-daymakers to visit

Vanuatu, with smoothconnections from Asia andNorth America. Codesharepassengers can travel todestinations serviced byHithe two airlines on a single

ticket, with onward board-ing passes and

checked-through bag-gage to their final destina-tions (if allowed by

respective airports).

q PRESS RELEASE

Fiji Airways General Manager Revenue Management Shalend Nair, and Fiji Airways Regional General Manager Fiji and the PacicIslands Robert Rounds, shake on the new deal with Air Vanuatu CEO Joseph Laloyer, with Floyd Smith, Air Vanuatu GM Sales andMarketing. Photos: SUPPLIED.

Fiji Airways and Air Vanuatu SignCodeshare Agreement


11/24



LOCAL NEWS

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Member of:

The University of theSouth Pacific Lautoka Cam-pus had a timely visit fromthe Director of the Pacific

Technical and Further Edu-cation (Pacific TAFE) Has-mukh Lal who conductedan open forum for his Lau-toka-based students on May1st.

More than fifty studentstook advantage of the op-portunity to meet the Direc-tor and discuss issues abouttheir courses.

According to Mr. Lal, themain purpose of organiz-ing this forum was to inter-act with students and allowthem to share their learningexperiences and discuss thechallenges they faced.

He said there was a simi-

lar forum held for LaucalaCampus students earlierthis year which proved to bequite successful.

The students freelyraised their issues andconcerns and shared theirsuccess stories and this isexactly what we hope to en-courage in this forum. Yourfeedback is important to us;it will help us to improve in

terms of course delivery, ourservices, facilities and otherareas, said Mr Lal.

He added, one of the stra-tegic objectives of USP wasto establish the Pacific TAFEso that learning opportuni-ties could be extended to

students who do not qualifyfor/not interested in pursu-ing year 13 or foundationstudies but were keen onacquiring other skill basedqualification.

Mr. Lal said Pacific TAFEalso provided a wide arrayof short courses and train-ing opportunities aimed atraising the professional stan-dards/performance of work-ing students.

Our classes are struc-tured to cater for workingpeople, he said. We arevery flexible in terms ofmeeting the needs of thelabour market, therefore

we even offer winter andsummer flexi courses on de-mand.

Mr. Lal said Pacific TAFEalso focused on addressingthe issue of the increasingyouth bulge in the South Pa-cific by increasing the em-ployability of youth by pro-viding skill-based trainings.

Timely VisitBy IVA DANFORD-

NAISARA

USP lautoka-Campus students during the visit of the Director for Pacic TAFE. Photo: SUPPLIED.

Andrew Redfern, whois Fijis first participant inthe international speedsailing competition, aimsto increase his Fiji Nation-al Sailing Speed record of40.87 knots (76 km/hr)

which he set in Luderitz,

Namibia last year.He has registered forthe 2015 Luderitz SpeedChallenge which is goingto be held later this yearand his goal is to attain 45knots (83 km/hr.)

My participation lastyear created a great dealof interest from the in-ternational press andamongst the Pro sailors

who all expressed a de-sire to visit and sail inFiji, he added.

Redfern said in hisexperience at the speedsailing he received somuch help and advice

from the pros that it re-ally helped him raise hislevel of sailing.

Armed with this newfound knowledge and ex-perience, I am confident Ican raise the level of therecord even further.

He said two of theworlds top windsurfingstars are intending to visitFiji to shoot a video aboutsailing as part of a series

on sailing spots aroundthe world.With a worldwide

audience in tens of mil-lions, this would create

wonderful publicity forFiji and promote us as thesailing and water sportsparadise that we trulyare, Redfern said.

Redfern is currentlylooking for sponsors tosupport the record at-tempt and urge anyone

with an interest in sailingor has a desire to pro-mote Fiji or their busi-nesses overseas to comeforward.

By IVA DANFORD-

NAISARA

Fiji National Sailing

Speed RecordAttempt 2015


12/24



LOCAL NEWS

The Fiji Womens CrisisCentre (FWCC) welcomedthe remarks by Prime Min-ister Voreqe Bainimarama

on the problem of intimatepartner violence in Fiji andacross the Pacific.

Bainimarama acknowl-edged the appalling inci-dence of family violenceneeded to be addressedas a matter of urgencyand that despite the govern-ments best efforts, a lot ofwork were still required toaddress it.

FWCC Coordinator Sha-mima Ali said the Prime Min-isters remarks highlightedthe issue of family violenceat a high political level andforced officials to take se-riously the zero-tolerance

policy towards domesticviolence.

The Prime Ministerscomments about the crisisof family violence in Fiji andthe Pacific is an importantpolitical step in giving newimpetus to the laws thatare already in place andthat should be protectingwomen and children, saidMs Ali.

Ms Ali continued: Thesimple message that vio-lence is not acceptable inany form is a milestoneevent for the struggle toeliminate violence against

FWCC welcomes PMs Speechon Family Violence

women and children in Fiji.However, she said it was

now up to the relevant of-ficials, especially the policeforce and social services, toenforce the laws relating todomestic violence.

We need police officerswho know the laws relatingto family violence and whowill not be influenced to ig- q PRESS RELEASE

FWCC Coordinator Shamima Ali. Photo: SUPPLIED.

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nore them or who would ad-vise women against seekingredress through the judicialsystem.

She said laws governingdomestic violence were inplace but that police neededto do more to put them intoaction and to refrain frompassing judgement on thosewho report cases or from

bringing cultural consider-ations into play.

The Police Commission-er and all officers under himneed to know thoroughlythe legal provisions in placeand that are also somethingBainimarama has acknowl-edged.

The zero-tolerance policyon domestic violence has, in

theory, been in place sincethe late 1990s, but has onlybeen sporadically imple-mented.

Ms Ali said with Bainima-ramas unequivocal callingout of the government ser-vices that should be imple-menting this policy, it is nowup to the relevant officials tobegin to put it into practise.

We look forward toworking in greater collabo-ration with the governmentand its agencies to betteraddress the issue of familyviolence at all levels.


13/24



ADVERTISEMENT


14/24



TOURISM

A new $70 million five-star hotel to be built on De-narau Island is expected toenhance Fijis position as apremier holiday destination.

The hotel is part of a con-glomerate between Inter-Continental Hotels Groupand Avoser Limited.

Minister for Industry,Trade and Tourism Hon. Fai-yaz Koya whole-heartedlywelcomed the investmentinto the tourism sector.

He said the new venturewould provide great hospi-tality to the tourists visitingFiji.

We want our visitors tocome to Fiji and enjoy ourhospitality and not just stayin the hotels but go out andspend in our stores, Minis-

ter Koya said.Therefore, such high-

end retail and commercialdevelopments are crucialfor the growth.

Minister Koya said one oftheir main motives would beto feature the Fijian crafteditems in the retail outlets.

Apart from providing the

finest services, he said thesector will also ensure thatlocal market needs are alsobeing satisfied.

One day we want thesehigh-end retail outlets tofeature exclusive, authenticFijian crafted items, as ourdomestic duty free outletsare currently retailing.

It will be the perfectpartnership of internationalbrands working with do-mestic brands.

Whilst we provide thebest and friendliest services,we need to ensure that weare able to cater to our mar-

New $70m Hotel to BoostTourism Industry

By ANUSHIL KUMAR

kets needs in terms of extraactivities, especially high-end shopping.

It is very encouraging tosee Fijian entrepreneurs en-

tering the tourism and hos-pitality sector, Hon. Koyasaid.

The project, which isexpected to complete con-

struction after two years be-ginning from this year, willcreate 250 new jobs duringthe construction phase and180 Fijians will be employed

by InterContinental HotelsGroup when the Resortopens for business.

The Minister for Tourism at the consortium signing agreement between InterContinentalHotels Group and Avoser Limited. Photo: SUPPLIED

Fiji Airways, Fijis NationalAirline, and Fiji Link, its re-gional and domestic subsid-iary, reported their March2015 on-time performance(OTP).

Fiji Airways reported anOTP of 84.90% in March,compared to 88.61% in Feb-ruary, and 75.92% in January.Fiji Link recorded an OTP of94.0% in March, comparedto 91.90% in February and86.90% in January.

Fiji Airways Board Direc-tor Stefan Pichler stated: Itsgood to produce a consis-tent result, and ensure thatwere meeting our monthlyobjective of an above 80%OTP.

The results for Fiji Air-ways in March were im-pacted by issues related tominor mechanical issues,slow boarding and loadingof cargo.

We obviously want to

Fiji Airways Group Maintains

On-Time Performances for

March 2015keep this consistency forApril and the months tocome.

OTP is a global airlineindustry benchmark whichmeasures aircraft flight de-partures as being on timeif they depart from the gatewithin 15 minutes of the air-lines scheduled departuretime.

q FIJI AIRWAYS

Monetary Policy Stance

Remains Unchanged

The Reserve Bank of FijiBoard at its monthly meetingon 30 April agreed to main-tain the Overnight Policy Rateat 0.5 percent.

In announcing the deci-sion, the Governor and Chair-man of the Board, Mr BarryWhiteside stated that theFijian economy is expectedto perform better-than-antic-ipated in 2015 with growthprojections revised upwardto 4.3 percent from 4.0 per-cent.

Governor Whiteside high-lighted that the pressure on

foreign reserves remainsgiven Fijis growing importdemand for consumptionand investment relatedgoods.

The Governor stated thatin its current assessment,both objectives of monetarypolicy are considered to re-main comfortable over thenear term. Inflation rose to2.4 percent in March, from2.1 percent in February,mostly due to higher food,alcoholic beverages and to-bacco prices. However, therecent announcement on

the reduction in domesticfuel prices by the Fiji Com-merce Commission is ex-pected to ease inflationarypressures in the monthsahead. Foreign reserves arecurrently (30 April) around$1,857.0 million, sufficient tocover 4.6 months of retainedimports.

The Governor empha-sised that any change tomonetary policy will beguided in particular by thedevelopments on the out-look for foreign reserves

q RBF


15/24



TOURISM

Sofitel Fiji Resort Makes Initiativeto Mark World Earth Day

Forty five staffs of theSofitel Fiji Resort & Spacame out yesterday try-ing to do something forthe environment to mark

World Earth Day whichis celebrated today(April22).

The program is partof its Planet 21 initiativethat deals with the objec-tives in the hotel industry

which includes respon-sible eating, reducing wa-ter and energy consump-tion and prevention ofillnesses.

Sofitel Fiji GeneralManager Alan Burrowssays Sofitels parent com-pany, ACCOR tries to dosomething for the envi-ronment and the planet21 program initiativesevery year and this yearthey have come out toNadi District School torun a competition to tryand make the studentmore aware of recycling.

We brought them

some bins so that theycan do some recycling inthe classroom, said MrBurrows.

He said the actual pro-gram has been runningfor over 10 years as thecompany initiative andPlanet 21 is the 21 initia-tive that the hotel has tofollow regarding recy-cling and reusing.

We have various pro-grammes in the hotel tomake sure that we arenot throwing anything outthat can be used someother way, says Mr Bur-rows.

Nadi District SchoolPrincipal Meli Cabebulasaid he was glad andproud that of the initiativeSofitel and with the 647students in the schoolthey will now know howto manage rubbish.

Since our school hasentered the Nadi TownCouncil clean schoolcompetition earlier thisyear, the planet 21 pro-

gram is a great boost for the

school, said Cabebula.

q SOFITEL FIJI

Sotel Sta educating the students of Nadi District on how to maintain the 3Rs.Photo. IVA DANFORD.

Sriman JagdishbhaiTrivedi to visit Fiji

The well known narra-tor of Shastras from India,Sriman Jagdishbhai Trive-di will for the first timeever visit Fiji and deliverKatha in a well organizedand clear manner and he

will be a key attraction tohis audience.

This will be held on

the 16th, 23th, and 24th ofMay in Shri Vishnu Man-dir, Lautoka.

According to the Indi-an Cultural Society (NZ)Incorporated, Trivedissession of the narrationof shrimad Bhagvat Katha

was a very successful onein Wellington, New Zea-land on December 30th2006 and 7 January 2007.

All who attended feltthe miracle achieved, an

impressive feat espe-cially considering this

was his first Katha inpublic. His Knowledgeand expertise in puttinghis message across tohis devotees was of thehighest level and needsmore than simple ap-preciation. All wouldagree an amazing andmoving atmosphere

was created, quotedthe Indian Cultural So-

By IVA DANFORD -

NAISARA

By IVA DANFORD -

NAISARA


16/24



TOURISM

Captain Manu Rajappa

has been appointed the

new Chief Pilot and Manag-

er Flight Operations for Fiji

Link, its domestic subsidiaryby Fiji Airways on May 4th.

Fiji Link General Man-

ager Thomas Robinson said

Captain Rajappa will man-

age Fiji Links 71 pilots and

ensure the safety of the flight

operations.

This role is obviously

crucial in maintaining all of

our professional standards,

which includes on-going

training, mentorship, opera-

tional excellence and reli-

ability of Fiji Link.

Two other management

changes were announced

by Fiji Link as a result of

Captain Rajappas promo-

tion.

Captain Nitesh Prasad re-places Captain Rajappa as

Training Manager and will

act as ATR Fleet Captain

until a permanent appoint-

ment is made and First offi-

cer NeliVuatalevu has been

appointed Line Operations

Manager.

By placing another

home-grown professional

in the position of Chief Pi-

lot for Fiji Link, were very

clearly signalling our focus

on what Fiji Link offers Fiji-

an aviators a fulfilling pilot

progression pathway within

the Fiji Airways Group. We

aim to increase our comple-

ment ratio of locals to ex-

patriate pilots, and the newpilot management changes

announced today speak

volumes about the skills

and experience Fijian pilots

have.

These were the words of

Stefan Pichler, Fiji Airways

Board Director.

q FIJI AIRWAYS

Fiji Airways AnnouncesCaptain Manu Rajappa asFiji Links New Chief Pilot

International delegates,media, and Fijian tourism

service providers attend-ing the Fijian Tourism Expo(FTE) 2015 will have accessto Managed High-SpeedWi-Fi services so that every-one stays connected to theirbusiness during the three-day event in June.

This is after Digicel Busi-ness came on-board as amajor sponsor and con-firmed its commitment to Fi-jis premier tourism industryevent as the preferred tech-nology sponsor in its secondyear running.

Digicel will be showcas-ing its market-leading Busi-

ness Solutions services likeCloud Storage and Telepho-

ny to the hospitality industry,and at the same time pro-vide overseas guests, media,and local exhibitors withcomplementary access toFijis best and fastest inter-net connectivity.

Tourism Fijis Director ofEvents, Ms Sally Cooper says,There could not have beena better partner than Digicelto manage FTEs connectiv-ity needs. They did a greatjob last year and we are veryconfident that Digicel willprovide the best businesssolutions to keep everyoneconnected over the course

Digicel to Manage

FTE 2015

Connectivity Needs

of the three days expo.Registrations for FTE 2015

closed last Friday 1 May.FTE 2015 is scheduled to

take place from 16-18 Juneat the Sheraton ConventionCentre on Denarau Island.For more information andregistration, please visit FTE2015 website at fijitouris-mexpo.com.

q PRESS RELEASE


17/24



TOURISM

It is now the exciting

times for the tourism indus-

try of Fiji.

The industrys new un-

dertakings including new

advertising platforms are

endlessly being made ac-

cessible for Fijis tourism

industry to use as part of its

awareness campaign.

Minister for Industry,

Trade and Tourism Hon. Fai-

yaz Koya highlighted these

as he launched the Fiji Island

Living magazine in Nadi.

He said it is a great op-

portunity for Fijis tourism

industry to boost its market.

This is a very wonderful

opportunity to further mar-

ket Fijis tourism industry

and give readers another

opportunity to know more

about Fiji, he said.

Island Living magazine

is a renowned magazine

and they have done simi-

lar advertisements for our

neighbour countries and we

are grateful that they would

like to further boost the Fi-

jian tourism sector to its

readers on what a wonder-

ful destination Fiji is.

The magazine is de-

signed to give readers an in-

side view of Fijian living and

hospitality including various

tourism-based destinations.

Fiji Island Living maga-

zine editor Tiffancy Carroll

said the magazine will be

disseminated locally as well

as across the Pacific.The magazines would

be distributed in Fijian re-

sorts, around the Pacific and

travel agents in Australia,

Editor Carroll said.

The magazines would

also be available in 45 top

hotels in Australia including

lounges in more than 12 in-

ternational airports.

Minister LaunchesTourism Magazine

q TOURISM FIJI

Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism Hon. Faiyaz Koya reading the newly launched tourism magazine.

Photo: SUPPLIED.

By ANUSHIL KUMAR

[email protected]


18/24



BUSINESS NEWS

The Consumer Councilof Fiji maintains its earliercall to Vodafone Fiji to im-prove its current 3G and4G Networks. The Councilreiterates that Vodafone

Fiji owes a better serviceto all its users and not justhollow promises such asultra fast speeds. We haveinformation from Voda-fone Fiji users where con-nectivity and advertisedspeeds do not match whatthey actually experience.There have been instanc-es where consumers hadchosen to downgrade theservice after Vodafone Fijicould not deliver 4G speedas advertised.

The issue is not simplyabout speed. Its about

promised speed and ac-tual user experience. Itsabout the need for moreaccurate information onservice delivery; which is

why the Council is callingfor a Broadband Disclo-sure Statement.

Any ISP selling productsbased on speed shouldguarantee speed whichshould be clearly disclosedon advertisements to cus-tomers and in customerservice contracts. Consum-ers signing up to a serviceneed to give their consent

that they understand theseterms and that there is noguarantee of 3G, 4G or

whatever speeds are beingadvertised by the ISPs. It is

baffling to note that Voda-fone continues to advertise4G and emphasizes speed.

It has been running ad-vertisements with phraseslike Enjoy 3G High SpeedMobile Broadband with Vo-dafone. (See: http://www.

vo da fo ne .c om .f j/ pa ge s.cfm/personal/specials-offers/now-with-95-3g-cov-erge-fiji-wide.html)

One should look at itsFAQs on 4G on its website:http://www.vodafone.com.

. In number 8 it saysIn a word Speed. Voda-

Improve The Services

fone 4G provides ultra fastspeeds and this means that

you can do more in lesstime

Vodafone says it has

never guaranteed speedsbut always made sure itadvised customers of therange of speeds on averagethey could expect Howdoes Vodafone communi-cate this to customers? Wehave not normally seensuch a disclaimer in its ad-

vertisements.In regards to illegal

phones and the laws/regu-lations, Vodafone needs tospecify the particular tech-nical rules and standardsas per Section 55 (3) and(4) of the Telecommunica-

tions Promulgation 2008.For the benefit of consum-ers, it would be really help-ful for Vodafone or TAFto make people aware of

these specific rules andstandards pertaining tomobile equipment anddevices. Instead of blam-ing consumers and someretailers of bringing in suchequipment, consumersshould be educated onthese requirements. Dothe right thing by makingall necessary disclosures!

Ms. Bindula Prasad

Officer-In-ChargeConsumer Council of Fiji


19/24



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20/24



BUSINESS NOTICE BOARD


21/24



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22/24



LOCAL SPORTS

Wardens Gold WinsNawaka 7s

Wardens Gold wascrowned the championsof the Fiji Bitter Nawaka7s as they walked away

with $10,000 prize mon-ey after thrashing ArmyGreen 33-19 in the cup fi-nal at Prince Charles Parklast month.

Team coach MaxwellHughes said the boys putthings together and as a

team they won the tour-nament.This was their best

performance from all theothers that the boys havehad and there are a lotof things that we needto brush up on, Hughessaid.

He said during theirpreparations for the CoralCoast 7s, they need tobrush up on a few things.

We should have

scored more tries and got

more points but I guessthats the way rugby is,

when you lose concen-tration things go the other

way.In the womens cat-

egory, Striders defeatedNadi Blazers 20-12 whilethe Big Bula Lions wonthe Oldies title beatingSemisi Naevos NawakaOldies 26-12.

The Nawaka Sevenshad a total sponsorshipof $30, 000 for the tourna-ment.

During the officiallaunch at Nawaka Villageon April 15, Paradise Bev-erages Marketing manag-er Joe Rodan handed thecheque to the Tui Nawa-ka Ratu Asaeli Naevo.

The major sponsor ofthe Fiji Bitter Nawaka 7s,Paradise Beverages haspromised to continue itssponsorship in the yearsto come.

FRU AGM Concludes; New Board Also AppointedThe Fiji Rugby Union

(FRU) concluded its AnnualGeneral Meeting (AGM) atthe Novotel in Lami on Sat-urday, April 25, with the elec-tion of a new board of direc-tors.

The meeting was chairedby the recently appointedFRU President, Prime Min-ister Voreqe Bainimaramawith over ninety (90) unionofficials in attendance.

The outgoing ChairmanFilimoni Waqabaca in hisreport (presented by boardmember Dr Esther Wil-liams in his absence) saidthat turning the FRU to asustainable, financially andadministrative strong unionpracticing good governanceprinciples and processesand dedicated manage-ment team to continuouslyimprove and develop rugbyin Fiji, was their main objec-tive.

KEY ACHIEVEMENTSThe immediate actions

for the first two years in-

cluded a total organisationrestructure, budget deficitreduction plan, financialstability plan, improved rev-enue including sponsorship,improved financial and ITsystem, improved recordsystem, improved humanresources and governanceand Constitution review, DrWilliams explained.

In terms of governance,our target was to put inplace a new organisationstructure, new policies, HRand Recruitment Manual,

Staff reviews and assess-ment, Financial Manual andKPIs and contracts for staff,she said.

All sponsorship agree-ments underwent legal vet-ting and we ensured theFRU Logo was registeredand copyright finalised.

This was the most criti-cal issue we put right as al-most everyone was usingthe FRU logo illegally, Dr

Williams added.She said the introduction

of a new financial and re-cording system has been akey achievement.

FRU will now be ableto maintain financial andall other records to ensuretimely and accurate dataand information that will as-sist FRU in its operations.

But more importantly,it will ensure the transfer ofknowledge processes fornew and existing staff mem-bers which World Rugby(WR) highlighted in its re-view report, Dr Williams

said.In June 2014, World Rug-

by, after a series of meetingsand agreements, restoredfunding to FRU. For 2015,funding support is FJD5m.

Dr Williams said WorldRugby has agreed to workwith FRU as a partner andwill engage with FRU inpreparation for World Rugbyin September 2015; projectsthat will assist FRU bothin terms of operation andpolicy; training and capacitybuilding, governance and .

Wardens Gold players, fans and oicials celebrate aer winning the Fiji Bitter Nawaka Sevens at Prince Charles Park.Photo: MARGARET NAQIRI.

By IVA DANFORD -

NAISARA

World Rugby is also pro-viding additional assistancein the new engagementincluding funding costs ofsenior management staff in-cluding a General ManagerRugby.

And this has largely beendue to the fact that WRnow acknowledges whatthe Board has achieved inthe areas good governance,management, , administra-

tion, games, and player wel-fare.

She said in February 2014a sponsorship consortiumagreement was signed withVodafone for cash and kindover a five year period. In2015 this sponsorship is bud-geted at FJD3.1m.

We thank Vodafone andits consortium partners fortheir support and commit-ment to rugby.

There are other spon-sors who have come onBoard, big and small, and Ithank them all on behalf ofthe Fiji Rugby Union Board,

Council and members fortheir continued support.

FRU total sponsorship incash and kind for 2015 totalsFJD4.2m.

The Government of Fijithrough the Fiji NationalSport Commission (FNSC)supports Fiji Rugby meetingthe costs of the 7s and 15scoaches as well as participa-tion of our teams in interna-tional competitions. We aregrateful to the Governmentof Fiji through the FNSC forthis strategic support.

Support from FASANOCis equally and warmly ac-knowledged.

When this Board took upoffice, revenues were downconsiderably. There was adeficit of FJD$606,647.00 in2012.

All the positive out-comes in the past twentyfour months have resulted ina healthy financial situationfor FRU.

As the approved audit-ed accounts show, from adeficit of FJD$606,647.00 in2012, this was turned aroundin 2013 with a surplus ofFJD$63,716.00 and in 2014a surplus of FJD$586,213.00.

This is a remarkableturnaround for a small or-ganisation in a short periodof time and is attributed tothe hard work and commit-ment of all Board membersand FRU management.

FRU has not been in theblack for many years.

Income for 2015 budgetfor FRU is about FJD12m.

This is not a small operation.The goal is to sustain andgrow this.

PARTICIPATIONFor Rugby, one signifi-

cant feature is the growth inplayer numbers.

In Fiji in 2014, participa-tion in rugby numbers wascollected and entered in adatabase for the first time.

The target is to increasethis number going forward.And for such a small num-ber of people participatingin rugby and the high level

of success we have hadon the international arenain the past 100 years, it issomething we should all beproud of.

Rugby certainly puts Fijion the map and continuesto be a unifying force in thecountry.

In terms of the supportfrom fans, they play an im-portant role and strengthenthe unifying force of the

game in Fiji. A partnershipwith fans and members ofthe community in submit-ting feedback on ideas onimproving rugby in Fiji willcontinue.

MOVING FORWARDGoing forward, the FRU

Board recognises that therewill be significant positivechallenges for the game.These include: in key growthareas including sevens andschool rugby.

Providing full support forour flagship team, the FijiMens Sevens Team, to en-sure they have the best re-

sources and opportunity tobe the No.1 Sevens team inthe World.

Constitutional Reviewto be approved. The cur-rent 2010 Constitution withchanges needs to be ac-cepted and endorsed at anAGM. This has gone througha legal panel. The changescould not be accepted be-cause of the lack of a quo-rum in two arranged AGMsin 2014.

Sustainability of FRU. It iscrucial that other sources of

revenues is found. Merchan-dise revenue has grown inthe past year and has muchpromise. The FRU brand is agood one and is supportedlocally and internationally.

Commercial opportuni-ties and investment to bepursued.

Keeping good accountsand financial reporting. Thisis a challenge for FRU aswell as all unions. Financial

woes have been longstand-ing and some improvementmust be made.

Rugby participation at alllevels needs to grow overthe next 5 years.

Communication be-tween FRU management,Board and unions must beimproved going forward.

A partnership in rugbystrategy must be imple-mented.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSTodays Annual Gen-

eral Meeting will be the endof the term of the currentBoard and we wish to thank

the Honourable Prime Min-ister and President of FRU,the Trustees and the Councilfor your faith in us to under-take a mammoth exercise toright the course of Fiji Rugby.

It has been an honour toserve the Council, the rugbycommunity and family, andall rugby fans in the past twoyears.

q CONTINUED ON PAGE 23


23/24



LOCAL SPORTS

Waqa Wins Golden Boot Award

PM Receives International

Olympic Committee President

Ba striker Saula Waqasfive goals in the Fiji AirwaysOFC Champions Leaguehave gained him the GoldenBoot Award.

The 19-year-old, who is

also the Vodafone Fiji Un-der20 striker, has dedicatedthe award to the two mostimportant women in his life-grandmother and mother.

Waqa netted a hat trickagainst Lupe Ole Soaga anda double against AS Pirae forthe Men-In-Black in the re-gional competition and be-came the first Fijian playerto win the top award.

Im very happy and lostfor words, he said.

I want to dedicate thiswin to my grandmotherSereana Waqanicakau andmy mother Inise Naituva.They are my biggest source

of inspiration and motiva-tion. Its their guidance,love, affection and supportwhich give me a reason todo better and make themproud.

My grandmother andmother are always theresupporting me in everygame I play and this awardis dedicated to them. I alsowant to thank my team-mates for all their support.

I could not have scoredthe five goals if they did notpass the ball to me. Footballis a team sport and I would

not have won this awardwithout them.

The lanky striker said theaward comes as a perfectmotivation for him aheadof the FIFA U20 World Cupwhere he aims to score

more goals for Fiji.Winning the Golden

Boot in a tournament whichhas some of the best strik-ers from around the world isvery special to me.

I would say this is a

lifetime award for me andsomething I will alwayscherish and look at to getmore motivation before mygames, he added.

Ba coach and VodafoneFiji U20 assistant coach Sha-

Saula Waqa receives his Golden Boot Award from Fiji FA President Rajesh Patel. Photo: SHANE WENZLICK / Phototek.nz

len Lal said this is a hugeachievement for Waqa ashe is the first Fijian to beawarded.

He has been impres-sive and improving gameby game and I hope that

The Prime MinisterHon. Voreqe Bainimara-ma received a courtesycall on Saturday, May 2,

from the InternationalOlympic Committee(IOC) president ThomasBach.

Mr Bach led a high-level delegation to meetthe Prime Minister at hisoffice in GovernmentBuildings, Suva.

In welcoming thePresident and his del-egation to Fiji, the Prime

Minister said Fiji lookedforward to working withthe IOC to strengthenFijis sporting sector.

By ANUSHIL KUMAR

the award will be a moralebooster for him ahead of theFIFA U20 World Cup, Laladded.

q FIJI FA MEDIA

We thank all those whohave volunteered their timeto help FRU in many ways.They include our legal ad-visors, our marketing andcommunications advisors,I.T experts and media part-ners. We thank you all foryour time and without re-ceiving any remuneration.

Again, to the Govern-ment, all our sponsors andin particular Vodafone andits consortium partners,

thank you warmly for yourcontinuing partnership inrugby.

To the CEO Mr RadrodroTabualevu and his team,we thank you for your com-mitment and hard workin keeping rugby movingahead in our most challeng-ing time.

I also thank Dr Berlin Ka-foa who carried the ActingCEO role for a substantialperiod on top of his substan-tive position at the Fiji Na-tional University. He servedat the most critical timewithout remuneration.

Over the two years, theBoard had 25 Board meet-ings. Sub-Committees metfrequently, sometimes everyweek. I thank their familiesfor their time as I know Di-rectors have sacrificed agreat deal.

So to the Board Direc-tors Mr Daniel Whippy,Mr Mosese Taga, Dr BerlinKafoa, Dr Esther Williams,Mr Napolioni Batimala, MrBaljeet (Billy) Singh, Mr CarlNgamoki-Cameron and MrFilimone Vatuvoka a big

vinaka vakalevu to you all.Thank you for your supportand your commitment toFRU, the players and theunions, Dr Williams men-tioned on behalf of outgoingchairman Filimoni Waqa-baca.

NEW BOARD APPOINT-MENTS

The AGM concluded to-day with the un-opposednomination of the newboard of directors.

They are Jay White, JohnOConnor, Max Olsen, TevitaBolanavanua, Ratu AiseaVosailagi and Carl Ngamoki-

Cameron. Ngamoki-Camer-on is the only director thatwas retained from the previ-ous board

Three (3) directors re-main to be appointed. Thetrustees will appoint two (2)while the third will be thePrime Ministers nominee.The new board of directorsare expected meet soon anddecide on their Chairman.

The meeting was also ob-served by World Rugby, FA-SANOC and the Fiji NationalSports Commission.

qCONTINUED FROM PAGE 22

He pointed out hisGovernments commit-ment to develop thesporting sector for Fijisyouth.

They also spoke aboutFijis participation at the2016 Olympic Games in

Rio, Brazil, in particular,the Rugby sevens tour-nament that will featurefor the first time in Rio.

The visiting delega-tion included the IOCVice President andPresident of the Austra-lian National OlympicCommittee Mr JohnCoates and the OceaniaIOC President Dr Robin

Mitchell.

q FRU

q DEPTFO

As the newest tourna-ment on the PGA Tour ofAustralasia and OneAsiatours, the inaugural FijiInternational was a re-sounding success.

It was not only a greatgolf event, but also an

opportunity to show-case Fiji as a premiercultural, leisure andsporting destinationwith a diverse rangeof activities and attrac-tions.

120 players from16 different countriescame together at thespectacular NatadolaBay Championship GolfCourse to take on thechallenging layout, de-signed by local hero Vi-jay Singh, to compete inthe regions first ever in-

ternationally broadcasttournament.

Other players in thefield included threetime Major ChampionNick Price, Fijis DineshChand, Indias highestranked and world top-100 player Anirban La-hiri, Chinas top ranked

qCONTINUED FROM

BACK PAGE

players Liang Wenchongand Wu Ashun, and twoof Australias most suc-cessful and respectedgolfers Craig Parry andPeter OMalley.

Hitting the very firsttee shot of the Fiji Inter-national, Steven Jeffresswent on to make history

by sinking the last puttof the tournament as hebirdied the 18th hole toclaim the title by fourshots from fellow Aus-tralian Jake Higginbot-tom.

qPRESS RELEASE

Last years Fiji International winner Steve Jeress recieves the prize money.Photo: SUPPLIED


24/24


MAY 2015. ISSUE 65 www.thejetnewspaper.com 50 CENTS

Page 22 Page 23

WAQA GETSGOLDEN BOOTIN OFC

More Fijians are guaranteed to beplaying the countrys premier golftournament the Fiji International.

Four Fijians competed in the inau-gural Fiji International, held in Augustlast year, but that number is set to risein 2015 with more places in the tour-nament provided to local talent.

The Fiji Open champion will earna start, as will the top finishing Fijianplayer and in an exciting new devel-opment, a qualifying series will bestaged around the country with threeplaces in the Fiji International up forgrabs.

The increased number of playingopportunities for Fijians at the FijiInternational is one part of the PGATour of Australasias plan to grow thegame of golf in the country.

In 2014 we had four Fijian golfers

teeing it up in the inaugural Fiji Inter-national, this year we aim to see thisnumber increase, said Simon Butterly,General Manager Tournament Divi-sion for the PGA Tour of Australasia.

Through the Fiji International anumber of young Fijians are exposedto golf, we want to provide them withrole models to look up to and aspire tobe like.

Vijay Singh continues to inspire anumber of people to take up the game,but we want to find that next Fijian starto encourage future golfers.

Golfers aiming to compete in the FijiInternational will have their first oppor-tunity to qualify via the Fiji Open whichis to be played at the Fiji Golf Club inSuva from June 4-7.

We are very grateful to see an in-creased number of opportunities pro-

vided for Fijians to compete in theprestigious Fiji International, saidOfakilomaloma Tabunakawai, Presi-dent of the National Golf Associationof Fiji.

This allows for our local talent toearn the exclusive experience of play-ing against some of the worlds bestgolfers at the Fiji International.

Fijian PGA Professionals and elite

amateurs with a handicap of five orless who are also Fijian citizens or resi-dents will be able to compete in the FijiInternational qualifying series.

Played over three days, playerswill compete on three of Fijis best 18holes courses with the leading scorersacross the 54 holes earning one of thethree coveted positions into the world-class tournament.

It is great to provide our local golf

professionals a chance to qualify forthe Fiji International and prove them-selves at an international level, saidGraeme Bell, President of the Fiji PGA.

To compete against some of theworlds best golfers is an opportunitythat needs to be earned and we be-lieve the qualifying series will achievethis goal.

The 2015 Fiji International will be

held from October 15-18 at NatadolaBay Championship Golf Course.

The inaugural Fiji International,boasting a million dollar prize purse,signalled Fijis official arrival onto thegolfing world stage with the FijianGovernment, Fiji Tourism and Fijisnumber one golf ambassador, VijaySingh, all making a push to put theircountry on the lucrative world golfingmap.

More Fijian Golfersfor Fiji International

Steve Jeress (pictured )broke away from third-round co-leader Jake Higginbottom towin the Fiji International last year. Photo: SportAsia.com

WARDENS GOLDWINS NAWAKA7s

q CONTINUED ON PAGE 23

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