Paula DAVID

"It is important for the 22 provinces in Papua New Guinea to have a Provincial Climate Change Committee within the respective provinces. This is from a team from the Climate Change and Development Authority who recently visited the Gulf Province to discuss with the Provincial Administration a Memorandum of Understanding regarding the establishment of Provincial Climate Change Office and Committee. That's according to CCDA national communication officer Ms Jacinta Kull. Ms Kull said the purpose of the visit was to strengthen the establishment of the Provincial Climate Change Office in the Provincial Administration, support the Gulf Provincial Climate Change Committee’s plan and activities, and the Provincial Administration in climate change activities and programs within the Provincial Development Plan and CCDA’s Corporate Plan, and further to ensure CCDA and Gulf Provincial Government has effective collaboration. “Once the establishment is in place and the MoU to strengthen this process, it allows an effective means of disseminating climate change information throughout the provinces in PNG.” Meanwhile Ms Priscilla Pep who is also a National Communication Officer added that the Provincial Administrations will play a significant role in implementing the government policies like: Climate Change Management Act, National Climate Change Policy, National REDD+ Strategy, REDD+ Safe Guard Information System, PNG’s Enhanced National Determined Contribution, 2020; and National Adaptation Plan. “Capacity programs will soon follow after the MoU signing." Ms Pep further stated, "One of the first programs to be rolled out is the Satellite Land Monitoring System." "The training will go through overview of PNG near Real-time Deforestation Alerts and Monitoring System and Hands-on demonstration of PNG near Real-time Deforestation Alerts and Monitoring System.” "This will be the monitoring system to be used at both the National and sub-national level to monitor REDD+." Pep added that the CCDA will support at the initial stage in the setting up of the Committee and the Office. After that Provincial Administrations will continue with the funding of the Committee and the Office though the formal establishment process. She added that the Provincial Administration in consultation with Department of Personal Management will recruit staff strength. “The establishment of the Provincial Climate Change Committee and Office is in line with CCDA’s Corporate Plan and Climate Change Management Act.”  

Students from Kerema Coronation Secondary and Malalaua Provincial High School were privileged to learn more about climate change from officers from Climate Change and Development Authority (CCDA) who carried out awareness on Climate Change on the 29th and 30th of March 2023. The awareness carried out was on the Science of Climate Change and the nine (9) priority areas for adaption. National Communication Officer from CCDA Pricilla Pep explained the Science of Climate Change in saying that Climate Change wasreferred to an increase in the average global temperatures, natural events and human actives which are believed to be contributing to an increase in average global temperature causing alterations in the earth’s climate at an unprecedented rate.  She said this was primarily caused by the increase insuch as carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide and other gases posing a grave threat to the environment, people and economies. “The earth is warmed by these gases in our atmosphere that traps heat escaping from the earth’s surface. The greenhouse gases have increased significantly especially over the last 50 years due to human activities such as deforestation, agriculture and the burning of fossil fuels for power. "The increasing concentration of GHG in the atmosphere is trapping more heat, raising the average temperature of the planet’s air and oceans and so altering the climate patterns.” Fellow colleague from CCDA Jacinta Kull added that the effects of Climate Change have already been seen in PNG especially those of coastal flooding, inland flooding, drought, increased prevalence of malaria, damage to coral reefs and the migration of people who are fleeing serious effects. Students were educated on how to address climate change in their homes and communities.

The Member for Namatanai and Minister for Transport and Civil Aviation, Walter Schnaubelt, has concluded a weeklong electoral visit in his electorate with the grand opening of the Halis Primary School’s new 6-in-1 model classroom building on Friday, March 31st. The school with a vivid history dating back almost 114 years to the time of early missionaries, is located few kilometers outside of Namatanai town in the New Ireland province and sits beautifully on a plateau overlooking the Namatanai Harbour in ward 12 of the Namatanai Local Level Government (LLG). As a United Church agency school, it is one of the oldest schools in New Ireland Province established in 1909 by early Methodist Missionaries. In the early days it was known as ‘Lukbuk’ or reading school. Gradually the school grew and changed overtime to a primary school status in 1997. During the official launch of the 6-in-1 classroom Mr. Schnaubelt commended the church and the school board for the partnership in making education a priority. “The education sector in any government system or community is vital enabler for development. Without education, we will lack the knowledge to prosper and develop further. And as your leader, it is my responsibility to make education priority for all. “With the new classroom building, I also urge the teaching faculty to lift your standard in educating our future leaders of tomorrow. Look after the school building and make the most out of it,” he said. The member said he is keen in building two each of the 6-in-1 model classrooms for the six LLGs of the Namatanai district including Sentral Niu Ailan, Namatanai, Nimamar, Matalai, Konoagil and Tanir. Schnaubelt named the new 6-in-1 classroom building as Butut Building in honour of the late Reverend Robinson Butut. Namatanai LLG President Joshua Soi, in the presence of the member and New Ireland regional Bishop Stanley Lavoi, was given the honour to cut the ribbon to officially open the new 6-in-1 classroom building, which was solely funded by the Namatanai District Development Authority at the cost of K1.5 million. Meanwhile, prior to the opening of the Halis Primary School’s new 6-in-1 classroom, Minister Schnaubelt accompanied by Konoagil President, Mr. Isaac Tosel, was in ward 2 of Konoagil LLG on April 26, where he officially launched musical instruments for Amalgamated Local Church (ALC) at Rei village. Schnaubelt further committed K20, 000 towards the building of the ALC church while president Tosel committed K5, 000 as well. He also officially opened a new double classroom and a teacher’s house at Dr. George Brown Primary School – Kudukudu, Matalai LLG on March 27. Matalai LLG president Augustine Topi and Namatanai LLG president Joshua Takin Soi were also present to witness the event.

Several Executive Management staff of the National Gaming Control Board (NGCB) recently attended the Regulating the Game Conference in Sydney, Australia with the aim to upskill and broaden their knowledge. NGCB Chief Executive Officer Ms. Imelda Agon said this was part of upskilling the Executive Management of the NGCB. The decision to send these officers came about after she and her two other staff members attended the same conference for the first time last year and decided that the management team should attend this year. “As a regulatory body, we are committed to staying at the forefront of the gaming industry and attending events like the Regulating the Game 2023 conference helps us to achieve that goal.” “We were able to learn from some of the best and brightest minds in the industry, and we are excited to bring those insights back to our organization and apply them to our work,” Agon said. The conference that was held from March 4th to March 10th, brought together industry experts, gaming regulators, and other stakeholders to discuss the latest trends and challenges facing the gaming industry. The conference provided a platform for attendees to share their experiences and insights on topics such as responsible gambling, fraud detection, cybersecurity in the gaming industry. There were also discussions on the latest innovations in gaming technology such as cashless gambling, particularly emphasis on cryptocurrency involvement. NGCB staff members who attended the conference found it to be an informative and engaging event. They were able to network with industry peers and gain valuable insights into the latest trends and challenges facing the gaming industry. The team included; Chief Operating Officer - Mr. Paul Ketombing, Director Operations – Mr. Jeffrey Yalakun, Acting Director Corporate Affairs – Ms. Roshinah Wari, Manager Investigation & Enforcement – Mr. Linus Paraka, Manager License & Registration – Mr. Sebastian Niggins, Executive Officer – Mr. Emmanuel Kada, Senior Training & Development Officer – Ms. Angela Teine Ellington. NGCB is committed to promoting responsible gambling practices and providing a safe and enjoyable gaming experience for its customers. Attending events like the Regulating the Game 2023 conference helps NGCB to stay informed and up to date on the latest trends and best practices in the industry. Regulating the Game was a prestigious 5-day education program structured to build individual and organization capability, deepen sector knowledge, and advance thinking and discussion about contemporary best practice gambling regulation.

The National Netball team, the PNG Pepes team is on the road to attend the 3rd Pacific Netball Series (PNS) in Gold Coast, Australia. The Board of PNG Netball endorsed a team comprising of youth and experience. All these girls, both in Port Moresby and Brisbane have been consistently playing good competitions and featured netballers in their domestic clubs. Inclusion of more Brisbane based players instills confidence for a promising campaign in the series. The original long list of players went through a very stringent selection process. They were assessed on their Technical Skill, Tactical and Game Sense including Fitness and were rated accordingly. Going through this diligent process identified their strengths and weaknesses. So far, our Pepes recorded its first win against Singapore in Sydney, Australia in 2022 when this Series was first introduced. The second series was held in Sunshine Coast in October 2022, unfortunately, Pepes didn’t record a win. This time, Pepes is ready to take on the challenge to record some win/s. The Board of PNG Netball would like to thank all stakeholders mainly, Netball Australia for partnering with Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to build capacity and help deliver sports-based programs that achieve social development objectives for netball federations in the Pacific. The Board of Netball PNG is pleased to announce the final team for the series. SHOOTERS • Goloa Ovoa - ABAU • Lesieli Taviri – POMNA • Nancy Alu – Brisbane • Rayleen Andrew - POMNA DEFENDERS • Natalie Onno – Brisbane • Shannaz Apelis – POMNA • Jade Pitt – Brisbane Alu Irau - POMNA MIDCOURTS • Michaela Kadlecek – Cairns • Yves Chee – Brisbane • Waisame Andrew – POMNA • Tikimai Vele – Brisbane • Milly Chee – Brisbane • Jacklyn Lahari – POMNA • Neritha Adula - POMNA This team will travel under the leadership of Head Coach, Gimanama Crowdy, Assistant Coach, Margaret Opina and Team Manager, Dianne Lahari. Crowdy said, "I am looking forward to taking this team to compete in the PacificAusSports series from the 24th-29th April. We have a good mix of young and experienced players. We are taking a 15- member squad with 12 to be named on match day so there will be considerable internal competition amongst the players for a spot. Our round matches will be vs Samoa (ranked 18th), Malawi (6th) and Fiji (19th)”. “For the players, this exposure will be excellent for their own growth and learning. We also have our internal goals that we want to achieve and this will be a great opportunity to test our abilities against these teams”. Pepes depart 19th April 2023 for lead up matches in Brisbane before heading into Gold Coast for the series.

With regards to a circular circulating on social media about the protest set for the 30th of March, the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) has made it clear that they will not take part in any sort of protest. UPNG SRC President Luther Kising said, the public is aware of the matter and many people are expecting UPNG and other tertiary institutions to step in and protest regarding the matters that are affecting the country but they have no intentions to take part in any protest this week. “The UPNG SRC made a consideration and decided not to participate in the movement but is more patriotic in undertaking a professional approach to address the opposing issues.” They are in preparations to create a dialogue to have a session with the Prime Minister, former Prime Minister (Peter O’Neil) and other prominent leaders to discusses and get answers on pressing issues such as unemployment rates, law and order issues, the economic turbulence were in (inflation) and other confronting issues affecting the country. “We are going to create a dialogue instead of protesting." "Protesting is not the way forward to get an answer from the government because we want to uphold professionalism and diplomatic approach towards the matter.” “We do not want to repeat the same history about students involving in chaotic activities like the 2016 incident.” Kising said, once they get the dialogue program in order they will put out an announcement for interested individuals, organizations and the media also to participate.

In recognition to World Surveyor’s Day held on the 21st of March, students and staff from the Papua New Guinea University of Technology (PNG UOT) in Lae marked the importance of a surveyor, their job, and the work field. UOT Lecturer, Surveying Section Head Mr. Navua Allen Kapi said the day signifies how surveyors contribute to the development of this nation. “Most of the development takes place on the surveyor’s contribution.” “Surveyors play an important role especially in rural areas to collect data, mainly in road constructions, building boundary definitions which are then assembled and then sent over to the engineers and designers.” Mr. Kapi said that the surveying course itself is the oldest profession in the country and the department was very proud to host the day because UOT is the only university in the country that provides the surveyor’s course and produces a lot of surveyor’s in the industry. The course itself has diploma and a degree course, but the diploma course was phased out in 2014. The degree course is 4 years and is accredited to a global standard. So, most of the students that are produced out from this course can be engaged to international survey companies as well. “The course itself is unique because it deals with the Earth’s measurement, and it is of importance because we build up students from their moto skills. Surveying is not a just a plain surveying that we do, we have other branches of surveying that makes up the main surveying which is engineering, mining, hypo graphic surveying and many more which contributes to the students learning.” Mr. Kapi said, the surveying course itself produces and average of 25 graduands and sometimes it drops down to 20 based on the intakes and the re-intake of students. However, the major problem that these graduating students face is employment. “Employment is one of the challenges that these students face after completing their studies and the government seriously needs to look into the surveying profession. We see that mainly the construction and mining companies are the ones that put out their GDP’s to take up the graduands that we produce every year. ” Mr. Kapi said that they marked the day to mainly share the importance of surveying in the country.

As part of its major clean up exercise, Police in the city of Mt Hagen in the Western Highlands Province, have removed a major illegal wholesale and retail betel nut market at Suara next to the Mount Hagen main market. Provincial Police Commander (PPC) Superintendent John Sagom said the clean-up was to maintain cleanliness within the city and to avoid petty crimes. He sounded a warning to city residents that police would not tolerate any illegal markets within the city. He said police have issued warnings numerous times, but people are deliberately being ignorant and disrespecting the city laws. He said police are now going to remove illegal markets within the city to ensure betel nuts are only sold at the designated markets. The PPC said selling betel nuts illegally at the unauthorised markets and locations contribute to lawlessness in the city. The vendors create a safe haven for criminals, create litter and cause unnecessary traffic congestions. Mr Sagom said Mount Hagen is the third major city in the country and everyone in the city should be responsible for their rubbish and should learn to keep the city clean. “I know buai (betel nut) selling is a business, but those people selling betel nuts must use the designated buai markets at Okapana, outside of the Highlands Highway,Top Town, at Keltiga, and Kamnavur at Baiyer road. “I appeal to all the Western Highlanders and other city residents to cooperate with the police and the City Commission to keep our city clean. People must respect the efforts of police officers and the City Commission in containing lawlessness in the city and keeping it clean. “Police will not hesitate to come down hard on anyone who sees fit to break any city laws. We will use all reasonable force under the law to arrest and prosecute anyone found breaking the laws,” Mr Sagom said.

It wasn’t a good hunt yesterday afternoon at the Santos National Football Stadium (NFS) for the SP PNG Hunters, the Hunters boys put up a very tough fight against the tigers from Brisbane but fell short of just two points. With a home crowd advantage, the Hunters scored in the first 5th minute putting them in the lead, but the Brisbane Tigers hit back with a 4-pointer in the 13th minute and soon after, the Hunters retaliated with fullback Morea Morea crossing over the line with another two more ties for the Hunters. But the Tigers hit back with another two more tries with all successful conversions putting them in the lead at half time 20 to 18. In addition to the misery of the Hunters in the first half, five-eight Sakias Komati was sent to the sinbin at the very last-minute, living the Hunters a man short for the start of the second half. After a rocky first half, just 5 minutes into the second half of the game, a quick play by the Tigers side earned them their first try, but a quick comeback by Hunters through Morea Morea set the score board at 24 points all. Even though the weather was pretty grey and hot, the Hunters tried their best at the very last minute to try equalizing the score board but the Tigers came back strong and held them off with another two tries and both successful conversions and a penalty kick, putting them in the lead at full time 38 to 36. Hunters Coach Stanley Tepend said the boys could have done better if they didn’t miss the 2 conversions. It was a close game and again the Hunters kicking game failed the team. “The boys just need to practice more on their kicking and hopefully they will surely do that to improve on their kicks.” “Discipline was also another pointer that the boys need to work on. Apart from them improving on their kicking skills, they really need to work and pull up on their discipline before our next match,” said Tepend.

The SP PNG Hunters will play their second home game this Saturday at 3pm when they take on the Brisbane Tigers in Round 3 of the QRL Hostplus Cup. Their return to Port Moresby this season following a challenging relocation period on Queensland’s Gold Coast is a major boost for the club as they look to continue what is a promising start to the year. The pride and passion of Hunters fans in Papua New Guinea is well renowned and the Hunters will be looking to give them something to cheer for in their first home game of 2023. There is an added level of intrigue about Saturday’s match with Brisbane Tigers Head Coach Matt Church returning to the Santos National Football System (NFS) to face his old club for the first time. The star of the show has undoubtedly been rookie fullback Morea Morea. He is lighting up the QRL stage in 2023 with one try, two try assists and an average 123 running meters across his first two games, providing the Hunters with silky speed and fancy footwork. Morea wasn’t the only Hunters lighting up the highlights reel in Round 2 though, as Hunters five-eighth Sakias Komati scored a double to announce himself in the Hostplus Cup competition. SP PNG Hunters Head Coach Stanley Tepend said that the team’s focus remains inward following a promising start to the season. “For us, we haven’t changed too much this week,” said Tepend. “It’s only Round 3, early in the season. We’re not focussing too much on our opposition each week, just looking inward and working on ourselves and where we can improve.” “Although it was disappointing to come away with the draw last week, I think taking three points from our first two away games, is positive for us. We’re still a relatively new side – a lot of guys have made the step up from Digicel Cup this season and are learning what it takes to be successful at this level.” “We’re satisfied with how we’ve started but there’s still a lot of work to do and areas we can improve on.” Tepend said the playing squad and staff are looking forward to playing in front of a home crowd this weekend. “We’ll be using NFS to our advantage this week, for sure. Playing in front of our family and friends is going to be a special feeling,” said the coach. “For the players, it’s what they’ve been working towards coming through the Digicel Cup. They’ve always wanted to be a Hunter at NFS and they get their chance on Saturday. The boys are excited.” Team List 1. Morea Morea 2. Brandon Nima 3. Benji Kot 4. Rodrick Tai 5. Solo Wane 6. Sakias Komati 7. Jamie Mavoko 8. Junior Rop 9. Wesser Tenza 10. Epel Kapinias 11. Sherwin Tanabi 12. Julius Yakopa 13. Ila Alu (captain) 14. Judah Rimbu 15. Tom Moide 16. Henry Noki 17. Joshua Mire 18. Junior Igila 22. Trevor Solu  

In commemoration to World Oral Heath Day celebrated on the 20th March 2023, the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG) hosted an awareness program to mark the day at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences to create awareness about the significance of oral health & to educate individuals about the different oral hygiene practices that one should be following on a daily basis. UPNG Dental Students Association President Lazarus Wamp said that the PNG Dental Association usually carries out this awareness program but for this year they took the initiative to celebrate this day. He added that oral diseases are a major health concern for many Papua New Guineans and these needs to be addressed so that people are aware of it. “In order to look after one’s oral health is to brush his/her teeth twice a day to avoid oral cavities, eat health foods and minimize smoking and the intake of alcohol.” “We have to be responsible with our intake of whatever we consume. Because the wrong intake can not only harm your oral health, but also your internal organs as well.” He is urging everyone to practice good oral health because PNG does not have the proper equipment and treatment to treat mouth cancer and other mouth disease in the country. He added that, there’s not much investment put into dentistry to provide such services to our people to cure, prevent and to carry out more awareness on the importance of oral health, and the rightful authorities need to look into this. “The government needs to invest into Dentistry and not neglect it. The PMGH Dentistry takes about 20-40 patients a day and we do not have enough equipment to serve our people.”

As a strong advocate of promoting the development of sports in the country, Theodist has once again renewed its commitment with a sponsorship of K50, 000 toward the PNG Olympic Committee as part of their annual sponsorship efforts. Theodist National Sales and Marketing Manager Mr. Kevin Anderson said, the company has supported the PNGOC not only through financial assistance but also through participation of its staff in coaching, team management and officiating at international levels. “Our partnership with PNGOC goes back a very long way and we have been working as a sponsor partner for over 20 years now and that is something that we are really proud of, and we are very aware of the impact that sports can have in terms of nation building.” “It gives us the true pleasure to stand here and continue to be part of the development of young Papua New Guineans and that is truly what this activity is all about.” Together with other partners, the PNGOC aims to enhance the reputation of PNG as a high-performing sporting nation while inspiring and uniting Papua New Guineans through sporting excellence and success. PNGOC Secretary General, Auvita Rapilla expressed her gratitude to Theodist for its ongoing commitment to the PNGOC and Team PNG. Rapilla said that through this kind of support that helps us ensure that we can get our athletes to excel and go and represent our country in different sporting codes. “We are grateful for this support and this support makes a lot of difference. This will help us with our administration cost and operational cost and this sponsorship is what helps us drive the engine room at the PNGOC to make sure that we get our teams ready and to make sure that we are able to get our teams to the games.” Rapilla said that the significant contribution made by Theodist towards the success of PNG's athletes and programs, shows the company's belief in the organization's mission, vision, and goals, and in the power of sports to create positive change in society. Theodist is also a supporting sponsor of the organizations' events, such as the SP Sports Awards, PNG Sports Hall of Fame, and the Prime Minister’s Corporate Golf Challenges.