The Jet Volume 7 Number 8

FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
JUNE 2015. ISSUE 67
www.thejetnewspaper.com
50 CENTS
Nadi Reign Supreme

Jetsetters End 14-year League Drought
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
It was a moment of joy for the
players, officials and fans-in-green
on Friday, June 12, as Jacks Nadi
lifted the 2015 Rewa Galaxy Premier League title in style.
This was after the Jetsetters outclassed neighbours Lautoka 1-0
in a mouth-watering exciting encounter at Prince Charles Park.
As expected, the match started
on a high as Nadi meant business
from the very first whistle and
started applying early pressure on
Lautoka goal while the Blues tried
to control play and create attacks
with long balls in front of over
3,500 fans in green and blue.
With the League title at stake,
sensational striker and captain
Samuela Drudru rose up to the occasion where it mattered the most.
Taking advantage of a poor
clearance by the Lautoka defense,
Vuniuci Tikomaimereke intercepted the possession and came in
with a grounding cross which saw
Drudru blasting-in to the roof of the
net from the edge of the box giving diving Levi Tawake no chance
at all.
Drudrus 29th minute screamer
sent the home fans into jubilation
as the Go Nadi Go chanting started sounding from the pavilion.
Lautoka tried tooth-and-nail to
spoil Nadis early celebration at
home, however, they failed break
Jacks Nadi players, fans and officials celebrate after winning the 2015 Rewa Galaxy Premier
League at Prince Charles Park on Friday, June 12. Photo: ANUSHIL KUMAR.
the stubborn Nadi defense and a
determined Vereti Dickson in goal.
Speaking to The Jet, an emotional Nadi coach Kamal Swamy
tagged the victory as an achievement of teamwork.
I think it is not just my own
effort. It is the executives, players
and their families, and the supporters who have been backing this
team a lot, Swamy said.

There were criticisms but they
knew that this team can do it and I
think the president, vice president
and the executives played a great
role in this win.
We will now give rest to some
of our senior players and get in junior players to try and build a team
so that we will always have players
banked so that we have replacement for players when then have

injuries or in double cards situations.
Filled with excitement, President Navneeda Goundar said the
league title was long due in Nadi.
I think this league title was long
due and people were just waiting
for this trophy in Nadi, he said.
All the districts want to play in

the OFC Champions League and
I can proudly say that we have already booked our place after missing on it last season. Our focus,
however, shifts on to the Battle of
Giants and Inter-District Championship after that.
q CONTINUED ON PAGE 23
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Fiji - the way the world should be

FROM THE DESK
Charlie Charlie,
a Concern
Charlie Charlie is a demonic game which tends
to entice kids to experiment
the inauguration levels of
witchcraft.
While it sounds funny to
most of citizens and tagging
it as a fake that the pencil
moves because of gravity,
some have already experienced the strange aftermath
of the game leaving them in
a state of shock.
The traditional Mexican game, named after a
child demon, has gone viral
worldwide and spread over
the social media.
The Fiji Times reported
on June 7, a teenager of
a Suva school admitted
to playing the challenge
and suffered unexplained

scratch marks to her body
the following two days after
the incident.
While the Education Minister, Dr Mahendra Reddy,
has already issued a stern
warning across the schools
all over Fiji, three teachers
tried to go against the set
policy and allegedly forced
two Year 3 students of a primary school in Tavua to play
the Charlie Charlie game.
These teachers will be disciplined by the Education
Ministry.
Please discard this game
completely as the consequences is indeed strange
q
ANUSHIL KUMAR
THE JET is Fijis first community newspaper published bi-monthly

by YOURSPACE LIMITED from Nadi - the tourism capital of Fiji.
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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 offers
ON THE BRIGHT SIDE
Western School Heads

Reminded Of Role In
Education Development
By IVA DANFORDNAISARA
Schools that have

been the most successful in improving
student achievement
have visionary leaders who develop and
implement plans that
focus on student learning.
These were the
words of the Minister
of Education, Dr Mahendra Reddy while
closing the secondary
schools Heads of Departments workshop
for Nadroga and Navosa in Sigatoka on June

6.
Dr Reddy said students are now different and they are not
the students that we
were, they are more
vocal and more technologically advanced,
he said.
I am sure that with
strong
leadership,
even the most troubled
schools can be reformed.
Dr Reddy added that
it is just as important
for Heads of Departments to know that
in any organization,
the role of the leaders

keeps changing.
Their exposure to
other outside influences can make the reality
of being a HOD more
daunting. It is within
this very challenging
environment that you
are expected to function, he said
Education Officer for
Nadroga and Navosa,
Vishnu Sharma said
that the HOD workshop is a follow up of
a workshop for head
teachers that were
held last month.
This one day workshop is organized by
the Principals Association and today we have

here 13 secondary
schools heads of departments, Mr Sharma
said.
He says they want
all teachers in Nadroga
and Navosa to be on
par with the education
reforms that are being
carried out by government.
Issues discussed at
the workshop included
conduct of teachers,
examination, expectations of HODs and curriculum changes.
Beware of Dodgy Construction Companies

The Consumer Council of Fiji is cautioning
consumers when hiring the services of a
construction company,
namely, Kingdom Falekau Homes or any new
company born out of it.
This company has
three business partners
who were operating
from Davuilevu, Nasinu.
The Councils warning follows a complaint in which a retired
consumer hired the
services of Kingdom
Falekau Homes, paid
them $30,000 as down
payment but only to be
given a run around by
the company.
To date, the elderly
consumers house had
not proceeded beyond
the foundation stage.
What is more disturbing is that Kingdom Falekau Homes
has now closed its operations, with the three
partners going their
own way, leaving the
elderly complainant in
a painful situation, with
$30,000 poorer and
with an incomplete
house.
The Council is dismayed over the manner in which this company had acted. Their
actions amount to
fraud as this elderly
consumer has been
deceived. No steps
were taken by the
company in advising
the aggrieved consumer of how he would be
THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
compensated.
This is frustrating for
an elderly person especially when he may
have given up all he
had saved in his life
to own a house. Now,
who will pay for his
loss?
The Councils investigations reveal that
two of the three business partners are now
involved with different construction businesses. The worse bit
is they have distanced
themselves from providing appropriate redress to the complainant.

The Council is calling
on the consumers who
may have had similar
experiences with Kingdom Falekau Homes
or any new companies
with links to this business, to come forward
to file their complaints
with the Council. There
is absolutely no excuse
for robbing the vulnerable and ageing con-
sumers of their hard

earned cash.
Consumers should
not hesitate to contact the Council or the
Fiji Commerce Commission to raise alarm
against such dodgy
companies.
Ms. Premila Kumar

Chief Executive Officer
Consumer Council of Fiji
q
LOCAL NEWS
Ministry Intensifies Efforts to Address

Mentally Challenged on the Streets
A Coordinated Committee on Street Beggars led by

the Ministry of Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation
and the Fiji Police Force has
intensified its efforts to assist the mentally challenged
found on streets across the
country.
To date, the Ministry has
profiled a total of 78 streets
beggars from Suva, Nausori,
Ba, Lautoka, Nadi and Labasa.
The chair of this Committee, Minister Hon. Rosy Akbar said so far eight mentally
challenged individuals who
were found on the streets
had been referred to Saint
Giles Hospital for treatment.
The Ministry ensures

that the mentally challenged
are provided with medical
treatment. I am glad to say
that two of the women street
dwellers who had been
treated at St Giles have been
reunited with their families,
Minister Akbar emphasized.
We continue to emphasize on the need for families
to take a caring and compassionate approach when
dealing with mentally challenged, disabled persons
and senior citizens.
She said whilst trying to
address the issue, there are
few challenges encountered
by the Ministry.
The key challenge, we
From Italy
with Love
By LOTE RABOILA
FDB Media & Community
Relations Officer
Altruism is commonly
defined as the practice of
disinterested and selfless
concern for the well-being
of others according to the
Merriam-Webster online dictionary.
That is exactly what the
crew of Patterson Shipping
Ltds (PTL) latest vessel
Spirit of Altruism did when
they set sail from the port of
Napoli in Italy to bring their
new vessel to our shores.
It was a truly trying experience having to spend over
a month travelling through
some of the worlds most
dangerous and pirates infested waters. We were the
first ship carrying the Fiji flag
to sail through the port of
Messina Italy and likewise
through the Suez Canal, director Pattersons Shipping
Ltd Mr. Trevor Patterson said.
The voyage meant that
they sailed past the islands
of Sicily and Crete, through
the Suez Canal past Egypt,
Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Yemen and Somalia all
notorious for pirates.
We had to hire armed
security to provide the additional protection whilst sailing through the Suez and the
port of Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. It was a hair raising experience especially coming
from our region of the world
where we are not used to
these types of situations.
However, after 45 days
and 15 hours on the high
seas, PTL safely delivered
the 74m x 17m, 3457 tonne
to Fiji to complement its existing fleet of Spirit of Love
and the Spirit of Harmony.
We are truly happy to
have arrived safely and likewise to introduce to Fiji this
new passenger and ro-ro
cargo ship. We continue to
uphold the Patterson family tradition of providing the
best services in sea travel for
our customers.
The name Patterson has
been synonymous with
the local shipping industry
ever since 1928 when they
introduced their first vessel AK Jubilee servicing
Levuka Lodoni Village in
Tailevu near Ratu Kadavulevu School. The founders
of Patterson Brothers Shipping, George and Reginald
Patterson (sons of Thomas
Patterson a blacksmith and
engineer who came to Fiji
from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne,
Scotland in 1876) originally
operated as a partnership
called Patterson Brothers
Partnership.
We are very thankful to
the Fiji Development Bank
for their continuous financial support allowing us to
purchase this new vessel
all the way from the other
side of the world. They have
been with us for a long time
and we are happy to share
our success with them.
FDB has been part of the
Patterson Ship Ltd since
1983 when Henry Patterson
(father of George and Trevor
Patterson the current directors) got a loan from the
bank for the purchase of the
vessel TSMV Ovalau II from
western Japan.
The Spirit of Altruism
will set sail on its maiden
voyage for Levuka tomorrow (Wednesday 15 December). It will complement our
existing fleet meaning more
frequency of travels through
our main routes of Natovi,
Buresala, Nabouwalu, Koro
and Savusavu.
Trevor revealed that the
new vessel has the capacity
of 600 passengers however;
they will limit the number
to less than 600 to ensure a
comfortable and enjoyable
ride for their customers.
Sea travelers to the Northern division are sure to be
riding in comfort and style
this festive season with the
Spirit of Altruism providing
up class travel and enjoyable
entertainment on board.
faced when we started the

operation late last year was
the resistance from some of
those who have been begging on the streets for quite
some time.
These are generational
beggars who have been on
streets for over 20 years.
Through
consistent
mentoring and counselling,
the Ministry has been able to
get some of them into skills
training and income generating programs.
We have equipped them
with skills and tools which
have motivated them to
work towards becoming
self-reliant and live a dignified life. The Ministry works
together with Fiji Police to

monitor their progress, Minister Akbar explained.
To date, the Ministry has
also assisted eight individuals through sustainable livelihood programs. These are
men and women who previously begged on the streets,
their lives have been transformed and they now earn
their living through small
businesses like vegetable
selling, canteen and catering to name a few.
Similarly, some have also
acquired full time employment through the skills training opportunities provided
at the Rehabilitation Centre
for Beggars known as Good
Samaritan Inn at Colo-iSuva.

The Centre is doing well
and I am informed that two
of the trainees are now employed at Crest Chicken factory.
Our deepest gratitude
and acknowledgement goes
to this company for creating
employment opportunity to
those two men.
The agricultural and vocational training program is
also progressing well and it
will provide the way forward
for seven other trainees at
the Centre to earn a living
without having to beg on
the streets, Minister Akbar
added.
The Good Samaritan

Inn was opened in February this year through the
funding of $100,000 from the
Fijian Government.
The Centre aims to provide training and employment opportunities for men
who had been begging on
the streets. It is equipped
with accommodation and
training facilities and is administered by Nazarene
Church of Fiji.
DEPTFO
Six More Joins

Seasonal Employment
in New Zealand
By IVA DANFORDNAISARA
Six more Fijians left the

country under the New
Zealand recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme on
Wednesday, June 3, to join
the other 24 that has already
left a couple of weeks ago.
The six had their farewell
at the Tanoa Skylodge in
Nadi after a 3 day pre-departure training by the Minister
for Employment, Productiv-
ity and Industrial Relations

Hon Jioji Konrote.
I certainly hope that we
will be able to send more in
the future and this depends
on the groups that are leaving now, Hon Konrote said.
He said all the report and
feedbacks that they are getting back for the last group
that had left are very favourable and the employers are
very happy with their performance.
Hon Konrote believes
that this goes to show that
their selection criteria and
procedures on picking them

works.
Hopefully they will be
there for the next six to
seven months and come
back with whatever goals
that they have set for themselves, he said.
One of the two females
that were selected for the
Seasonal Employer Scheme,
Maria Turagakacivi said she
was blessed with this lifetime opportunity.
The 26-year-old Naitasiri
resident hopes to save whatever money she gets from
New Zealand for further

studies.
Speaking to The Jet, Hon.
Konrote said the government is very determined to
make more jobs for young
people who are coming out
of tertiary institutions.
My advice to them is to
make the right choice and
remain focused and not to
forget to be committed because the job market is very
limited.
Hon Konrote with the last six leaving for the New Zealand recognised seasonal employer scheme at Tanoa Syklodge in Nadi.
PHOTO.IVA DANFORD
LOCAL NEWS
Government Gives
Legalega Youth
Business Tools
Government
remains
committed towards empowering youths around the
country in assisting them towards achieving their goals
says the Minister for Youth
and Sports Hon. Laisenia Tuitubou.
He made the comments
as he handed over 100 chairs
worth $3,000 to the Legalega
Youth Club of Nadi which
would assist them in hiring
the chair out for more revenue for the club.
The handing over of
these 100 steel chairs comes
in the wake of the ministrys
follow up of requests by the
youth club and this handing
over is symbolic of the ministrys efforts at empowering
youths, he said.
With this equipment, I
challenge you, the Legalega

Youth Club to increase your
income generation through
your projects and continue
to work with us for your
benefit while at the same
time uplift your community
as you stride towards the
future.
The circumstances surrounding your youth club
and the struggles you faced
are in some ways similar
to the challenges faced by
youth clubs all around the
country but in the face of
it all, you have succeeded
in your projects this is
the very reason why I have
chosen to speak of your accomplishments to the other
youth clubs, Hon. Tuitubou
said.
Legalega Youth Club
in my opinion is a beacon
of hope not only for youths
in the Western Division but
Fiji as a whole. Therefore as
you receive this assistance
given to you by the Ministry
this evening, remember that
you have my full support and
that of the ministry.
Hon. Tuitubou said he
hoped the timely boost
would assist the club in its
small micro enterprise project.
Legalega Youth Club is
one of the most successful
youth clubs in the country,
having business dealing
throughout the western division for weddings, birthdays
and other events through
its business arm in catering
and dcor.
q
PRESS RELEASE
Minister for Youth and Sports Hon. Laisenia Tuitubou with Legalega Youth Club of Nadi members.
PHOTO:SUPPLIED
Fiji Gets Help From Sydney Water

To Improve Environment
Sydney Water is assisting
the Water Authority of Fiji
to help create a framework
to better manage environmental compliance as well
as manage the discharge of
industrial wastewater.
Water Authority of Fijis
(WAF) CEO Opetaia Ravai said that engineers from
WAF and from the Ministry
of Environment are now in
Sydney to train with Sydney
Water.
Mr. Ravai said that both
the Ministry and WAF hope
to establish a realistic operational framework that is
appropriate for Fiji and minimise the impact on the environment by better managing
environmental compliance.
We are seeking the best
combination of treatment
technology and the appli-
cability of appropriate discharge standards that would

be more economical to the
country.
He said that WAF was
also looking at the best way
to manage the discharge of
industrial wastewater into
our sewerage networks.
Sydney Water has an excellent track record in building relationships with its
environmental regulator. We
see this as a benchmark for
establishing our governance
framework and management systems in Fiji.
In addition, Sydney Waters trade waste management policies provides an
excellent framework on
which to structure Fijis
policies to gain the best outcomes.
Andrew Kirkwood, Gen-
eral Manager Customer Services at Sydney Water said,

When the Water Authority of Fiji approached us we
were more than happy to
assist.
Not only are we helping
a water utility in a developing country, but it is a great
acknowledgement that we
are world-class in the development of constructive relationships with our regulators
and industrial customers. It
is also an acknowledgement
of the depth of knowledge
and expertise our staff has
developed over the years.
We hope we can share
this knowledge so that Fiji
becomes adept and efficient
in their management of urban water and wastewater
management, said Mr. Kirkwood.
Caption:Shown here are those involved in the training. (l-r) Andrew Kirkwood -Sydney Water A/General Manager Customer servicesIain Fairbairn Sydney Water Wastewater Product ManagerRebecca Whiteside NSW EPAAminiasi Qareqare Ministry of Environment FijiMitesh Baran Water
Authority of FijiLyn Almario Asian Development Bank. Photo: SUPPLIED.
This is the second international mentoring relationship that Sydney Water has
been involved with.
In 2013/14 they worked
with EdaRanu, the water
utility for Port Moresby, New

Guinea as they established a
water quality laboratory.
Both the New Guinea and
Fiji collaborations have been
undertaken as part of the
Asian Development Banks

Water Operators Partnership
Scheme.
PRESS RELEASE
Total Fuels Fiji International

With Continued Sponsorship
Total (Fiji) Ltd will again
provide all the fuel requirements for Fijis biggest sporting event, the Fiji International, after re-signing as the
Official Fuel provider for the
event to be held at Natadola Bay Championship Golf
Course from October 15 18
this year.
We are very happy to
continue our sponsorship of
the Fiji International in 2015.
Total is committed to the
development of Fiji and we
see the Fiji International as
a great platform to promote
golf tourism in Fiji to the
world. It is our pleasure to be
a part of an event that is aiming to bring more in bound
golf tourists to Fiji through

their various promotional
activities. Said Martin J McCarthy, Managing Director of
Total (Fiji) Ltd.
We look forward to
working together with the
Fiji International team in ensuring that this years event
is bigger and better than its
inaugural tournament in
2014 and encouraging as
many of our domestic consumers to be a part of this
great event. added Mr. McCarthy.
Total (Fiji) Ltd, is the latest in a string of partners to
support the Fijian Governments drive to increase
golf tourism through the Fiji
International including the

Intercontinental Golf & Spa
Resort, Natadola, Natadola
Bay Championship Golf
Course, Paradise Beverages
(Fiji) Ltd and Coca-Cola.
Having Total (Fiji) Ltd,
back on board is another
boost for the Fiji International. Local business partners
such as Total are essential to
the successful hosting of an
event which is the size and
scale of the Fiji International. Said Matt Porm, Head of
Commercial for the Fiji International.
In a large market where
established
multinational
oil companies are leaving,
TOTAL is expanding its op-
Natadola Bay Championship Golf Course, Host Venue of the Fiji International 2015.
PHOTO:SUPPLIED
erations. Today, TOTAL operates and distributes petroleum products in the South
Pacific (Fiji, Tonga, New
Caledonia, Wallis & Futuna,
Kiribati, Western Samoa,
French Polynesia and Papua

New Guinea). TOTAL is the
largest Major Oil Company
operating in the Pacific after
the withdrawal of Shell from
Fiji, Tonga and Western Sa-
moa in 2006 and the withdrawal of BP in 2009. Today,

TOTAL has significant assets
in the Pacific Region.
q
PRESS RELEASE
LOCAL NEWS
HODs Accountable for Students

Performace: Dr Reddy
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
Heads of Department
(HODs) in all schools are
now held accountable for
students performance and
are one of the most important components of a school
system.
The Minister of Education, Dr Mahendra Reddy
highlighted this while doing
the closing ceremony of the
secondary schools HODs
workshop for Nadroga and
Navosa in Sigatoka on Saturday, June 6.
He said strong leadership in any school will surely
help in improving the performance of the students.
Schools that have been
the most successful in improving student achievement have visionary leaders
who develop and implement plans that focus on
student learning, Dr Reddy
said.
I am sure that with
strong leadership, even the
most troubled schools can
be reformed.
Dr Reddy also highlighted
on the changing roles of
leaders and the importance
for Heads of Departments to
know about.
Students are now different. They are not the students that we were. They are
more vocal, they are more
technologically advanced.
Their exposure to other outside influences can
make the reality of being a
HOD more daunting.
It is within this very challenging environment that
you are expected to function.
Education Officer for
Nadroga and Navosa, Vishnu Sharma said the HOD
workshop was an initiative
of the Principals Association
to follow up the head teachers workshop that was held
last month.
This one-day workshop
is organized by the Principals Association and today
we have here 13 secondary
schools heads of departments, Mr Sharma said.
We want all teachers in
Nadroga and Navosa to be
on par with the education
reforms that are being carried out by government.
Issues discussed at the
workshop included conduct
of teachers, examination,
expectations of HODs and
curriculum changes.
Nadroga-Navosa Heads of Department during the workshop in Sigatoka. Photo: DEPTFO.
Issues Arising In Safety for

Our Community. Market Vendors
By MARGARET NAQIRI
The Community members and residents of
Northern Press road in
Martintar held a meeting
on Monday June 8 with
the police, business house
owners and the Nadi Town
Council
Administrator
Robin Ali to discuss on the
issues they are facing on
their streets.
Some of the main issues that were brought
up were the noise from
the night clubs near these
residential homes, smell
from the rubbish containers, (noise and smoke
pollution), Buses stopping
to pick passengers up at
driveways, smoke and
noise from laundry, noise
from the motels, advertising boards that block the
footpath from Martintar to
Namaka.
For the night club,
there have been hundreds
of objections as this is a
commercial area and with
these special zonings, it is
a big issue and a serious
one, this has been taken
up to the highest level,
said Special administrator.
Northern Press road is
now a dangerous street to
walk on as the drunkards
and street walkers occupy
this street at odd hours
of the morning when the
residents are trying to get
their sleep.
Two policemen were
also present at the meeting

and were asked questions
on some of the issues and
what they can do to help.
Detective constable Rajiv talked on the burglary in
the area was very high and
burglary cases are always
unknown.
Criminals are usually
going for jewelleries and
money and it is very hard
to catch them as most of
these
burglars are not
known and never found,
said constable Rajiv.
Also the Bula Festival is
coming up on July 31 and
this is when the burglars
target homes.
I would like to urge
you, neighbours to look out
for each other and maybe
you can exchange phone
numbers and also to look
out for each others properties, he added.
The Namaka Police are
happy to assist the residents by making a patrol
round to the area .
If you are going away
for the weekend or holiday, you can always call us
to let us know and we will
send a patrol car to check
on your property, he says.
By HEATHER ATU
On Saturday June
6, the Namaka market vendors were presented with two stop
signs and two reflector
jackets so that they can
cross from the Namaka market safely with
their produce.
With the assistance
of the Namaka Police
and members of the
Namaka Central Crime
Prevention
committee two vendors were
briefed on how to stop
the traffic with the stop
signs and a round of
applause greeted them
when vendors with
their produce crossed
the road safely after a
lighting from the bus.
The initiative came
from the Namaka Central Crime Prevention
committee in conjunction with the market
representative Alipate
who raised the concern of his vendors.
It was all made possible by Mr Pillai head
of the Business houses
in Namaka and also a
One of the market vendors utilises the stop sign in Namaka

for safety purpose. Photo: SUPPLIED.
member of N.C.C.P.C
who donated the signs
and reflector jackets.
Whistles will also be
given to the two road
patrol vendors. It is
now up to the motorists to stop when they
see the signs at the
market crossing.
Safety Hints from the
Namaka Police
Motorists
1. Dont drink and
drive.
2. Keep to the
speed limits set.
3. Keep a safe distance from the car in
front in case of a sudden stop.
4. Dont use your

mobile phone while
driving.
5. Make sure seat
belts are worn at all
times for drivers, passengers and children.
Pedestrians
1. Cross at marked
crossings.
2. Look right, left
and right before crossing.
3. Dont use mobile phones when
crossing roads.
4. Dont have earphones on when crossing roads.
5. Dont have earphones on when walking early morning or
in the evening- know
who is behind you.
AGRICULTURE
Market Opportunities
Breadfruit
Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) has a realistic potential

of becoming a substantial
horticultural export industry
and food security crop in
Fiji and other Pacific Island
Countries.
Chief Executive Officer for
Natures Way Cooperative Michael Brown said breadfruit
has been exported annually
to New Zealand using the
High Temperature Forced
Air (HTFA) quarantine treatment.
In New Zealand the target markets are the fruit
shops, supermarkets, Otara
fruit shop and flea markets
particularly in Auckland but
could be distributed to other
cities and main centres in
both the North and South Islands, Mr Brown said.
He said the major constraints facing the fresh
breadfruit exports in Fiji are
the lack of steady supply to
meet niche markets during
the season.
The large Samoan and
Pacific Islanders, the Indo
Fijian communities, and
Asians living in New Zealand, Australia and the United States form the basis of
main market opportunities
for fresh Fijian breadfruit.
Fiji has been exporting
Uto dina and Bale kana varieties of breadfruit to New
Zealand from 2001. From
2001 to 2014 a total of 78.8
tonnes of breadfruit mainly
from the Western Division
was exported to New Zea- of Pacific Breadfruit Project,

land however, the mar- Naulukuyas farm previously
ket potential exists for 200 featured sugarcane but the
tonnes annually.
farmer chose to diversify
Principal Research Of- into high value crops.
ficer Horticulture Shalendra
The field trials and comPrasad said breadfruit is an mercial orchard establishimportant crop for the Pacif- ment are part of the colic Island communities and it laborative approach of the
grows well under low inten- Pacific Breadfruit Project,
sity farming practices and Ministry of Agriculture, Biosis generally free from major ecurity Authority of Fiji and
pests and diseases.
Natures Way Cooperative.
Both fresh and proField trials and demoncessed market opportunities stration blocks on Naulukuexist for breadfruits in Fiji yas farm include:
and other Pacific islands and

Intercropping trial
for the industry to tap into - (1) acre breadfruit orchard
these opportunities, transi- part of a trial comparing pertioning production towards formance of breadfruit on
either orchard based plant- different soil types and inings or more intensive plants tercropping with pineapple
within the existing heteroge- and traditional food crops.
neous production system is

Soil erosion conessential, Mr Prasad said.
trol trial (1.1) acre using
He
added
reducing contour planting and drop
tree vigour is important to structures for long term land
achieving this goal.
stabilization and soil erosion
Mass propagation and control.
distribution of good quality

Propagation trial
planting materials is essen- (1.1) acre comparing (3) diftial to increase production ferent methods Marcott Vs
and this should be achieved Tissue Culture Vs Root suckthrough the involvement of ers.
private nurseries.

Commercial trial
Post-harvest
handling (1.2) acre investigating the
of breadfruit to extend the economic returns from a
shelve life for commercial commercial breadfruit orviability of sea freight needs chard crop.
to be explored, he said.
There is a commercial
breadfruit orchard on Ratu
Josateki Naulukuyas farm
at Legalega in Nadi.
According to Kaitu Erasito q MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE
for
FNUs Acting Vice Chancellor Professor Ian Rouse and Tongas Minister for infrastructure
Honourable Etuate Sungalu Lavulavu at the MOU signing. Photo: SUPPLIED.
AGRICULTURE
Technology Boost for

Agriculture
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
The Ministry of Agriculture in partnership with the

Information Trade Centre
[ITC] based in Geneva, Switzerland organized training
using tablets for a group of
extension and economic
planning
and
statistics
(EP&S) officers as part of
continued efforts to enhance
the collection and dissemination of market prices.
Capturing data quickly
using tablets, improve the
quality of information and
provide for easy access of
market database through
the internet was the main
objective of the training.
ITC consultant Stephane
Boyera, who conducted the
training, also handed over
12 tablets to the Deputy
Secretary Corporate Services Maca Tulakepa, who
received it on behalf of the
officers from the Ministry.
Mrs Tulakepa said gener-
ally the benefit of market

survey was that it allows
rapid detection of any difference along the supply
chain, to follow price and
cost trends and to produce
statistics in weekly, monthly
and quarterly reports.
She added it assists staff
to understand supply chains
and enables farmers to maximise their profits by doing
price comparison with all
other markets.
Mrs Tulakepa emphasised on the need to have
more specialised and customised information which
will be provided with a
summarised format with
the whole idea to target any
kind of audience.
These reports are provided to and disseminated
to Food and Agriculture Office in Samoa and are made
available to any interested
party but most importantly
our farmers, she said.
Mrs Tulakepa said the
Ministry will continue to
work with ITC on any project initiative which is help-
ing developing countries on

sharing of information.
From this training, other
extension officers in the Divisions who will be the local market collectors will
be trained further on how
to use the tablet application
for collecting market information in order for them to
understand, analyse and use
commodity information by
using the tablets.
In the farmers case, she
said they can identify where
to do business and at what
price their produced will be
sold.
Tablets will be distributed
to municipal market data
collectors mostly Extension
officers in Labasa, Lautoka,
Rakiraki and Tavua while
EP&S staff will be responsible for collecting prices from
the Suva, Nausori, Korovou
and Navua markets.
International Trade Centre Consultant Stephane Boyera

(left) hands over a tablet to Deputy Secretary Corporate
Services Maca Tulakepa. Photos: SUPPLIED.
LOCAL NEWS
Hygiene and Milk Quality

Training Boost Fijis Dairy Sector
As part of continued efforts to strengthen Fijis

dairy industry, the Ministry
of Agriculture (MoA) with
support from the Government of New Zealand (NZ)
recently conducted a spate
of training for livestock officers and farmers on Milk
Quality and Dairy Hygiene
in the Central and Western
Divisions.
The Ministrys Animal
Health and Production director, Tomasi Tunabuna
said they are looking at
strengthening the work of
dairy advisors through training and exposure through
work.
The Ministry will be
working with other stakeholders to strengthen the
dairy sector, improve farmer incomes and the public
health by providing advisory
and funding components
for breeding, infrastructure
and diseases, he said.
International Agricultural
Development
consultant
(NZ) and dairy specialist
Mel Eden who conducted
the training with two other
NZ specialists Ryan Hall and
Lee Framp for Livestock of-
ficers and dairy farmers on

milk quality said the dairy
industry in Fiji is ready to
progress to new heights.
Mr Eden was involved in
Fijis dairy sector from the
1980s and was instrumental in the setting up of major
infrastructure such as the
Naluwai chilling centre in
Naitasiri.
He said he was pleased
to see that it is still being
used by farmers around
the Naluwai community to
maintain milk quality before
it is being transported to the
processing factory.
The farmers in Fiji are
very keen to learn and adapt
to the new ideas that are
usually taught to them, he
Mr Eden.
NZ High Commissioner,
Mark Ramsden said over the
next five years, they will be
investing FJ$7.5million to
develop Fijis dairy industry
working closely with key
state and non-state stakeholders.
He said while this initiative is still being designed
there have been some
quick-win activities that are
being carried out.
Mr Ramsden said these

include the procurement
of three tractors and implements to help with on-farm
development with the Fiji
Cooperative Dairy Company
Limited (FCDCL), a New
Zealand study tour for staff
of the MoA, FCDCL and Fiji
Dairy Limited this month,
upgrade of two chilling centres, provision of a technical expert to help improve
extension services with the
Ministry and training of livestock officers and farmers.
Principal Agriculture Officer West, Vinesh Kumar said
the dairy industry is growing and more farmers are
now showing interest with
a lot of milk being supplied
through informal markets
across towns in the Western
Division.
The
Government
through the Ministry of Agriculture decided to create
a formal market for the milk
that is produced after which
a chilling centre was set up
in Ba. The current milk production in the Western Division is 2000 litres per day
and on average its about
5litres per cow per day.
NZ Dairy specialist Mel Eden ,left, with Fiji Cooperative Dairy Company Limited CEO
Sachida Nand. Photo: SUPPLIED
Mr Kumar said there are
plans to include more farmers in this sector under the
Ministrys on going Dairy
Industry Support (DIS) program to meet the demands
of Fijis current population
and tourism market needs.
Statistics provided by
FCDCL show that there are

about 260 farmers supplying
milk to the company. The
current annual production
of liquid milk in Fiji is around
10 million litres while our total consumption is around
20 - 22 million litres annually
indicating that Fiji is close to
45 per cent self-sufficiency

in the production of liquid
milk.
q DEPTFO
Domestic Animal Vets in Country

Efforts to strengthen the
laws and at the same time
safeguard domestic animals
in the country have been
boosted with the recent recruitment of two Veterinarians on a voluntary basis.
The Ministry of Agriculture in partnership with the
Fiji Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
(SPCA) and the Nadi Charity together merged their
resources into seeing the recruitment of the two animal
doctors from England.
Director
for
Animal
Health and Production in
the Agriculture Ministry, Tomasi Tunabuna said majority of volunteers have come
to work with the Fiji Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty
to Animals (SPCA) and the
Nadi charity and they have

done a lot of good work previously with domestic animals as well look into animal welfare issues.
Most of these volunteers
he said, are from England,
Scotland, Thailand and even
from America and Canada
whereas nearby countries
like Australia normally work
with other animals in the
livestock sector.
He added because of the
limited veterinary experts in
the country, the AH&P Division is not able to provide
necessary services to small
clinics and awareness programs.
But we are fortunate to
get assistance from overseas
experts at such who will
boost the animal sector.
Mr. Tunabuna said a good

number of volunteers are arriving in the country without
being paid but are lucky to
be provided with some form
of help like accommodation
and allowances.
The animal sector has
had good experience in the
past and the team will be
in the country for three (3)
weeks before visiting other
islands, he added.
The two animal experts
are Dr Loren Marie Shearing
and Dr Margarita Ellen Catherine Boyd.
q PRESS RELEASE
Director AH&P Tomasi Tunabuna (left) with Dr Margarita Ellen Catherine Boyd and
Dr.Loren Marie Shearing. Photo: SUPPLIED.
DJ Ritendra Set to Release his Debut Studio Album

By ANUSHIL KUMAR
Fijian Music Producer,

DJ Ritendra will officially
be releasing his debut
full length studio album
named, Now that youre
gone.
The album, which will
have a total of 10 tracks, is
expected to hit the stores in
early August as confirmed
by DJ Ritendra himself.
The album entirely consists of 10 Songs with every track being produced
by Ritendra, a Fijian Disc

Jockey, music producer,
composer and music director, who will be collaborating with several
other singers who would
deliver their vocals on his
produced tracks.
Speaking to The Jet, Ritendra described his debut
album as a dominant to
love songs.
I would say most of
the songs in the album are
based on love, he said.
Love songs are a special of songs which most of
the people love to hear.
When asked about
how this idea came up in

his mind, he said, I am
a DJ, so Ive always been
known for studying the
tracks of other music artists and then remix them
all, but someday a thought
just stucked in my mind of
making my own original
music independently, and
here I am.
The album will be released under the record label Lewavesi Productions,
co-founded by Ritendra,
with the main genre being,
EDM and Electro Pop.
The albums subjectivity
would focus on the Love
theme and would emphasize on the diversified

emotions expressed.
DJ Ritendra has been a
prominent figure in Fijis
EDM and Electro Pop music scene and with him
now finally releasing his
debut studio album, he
looks all set to announce
his arrival in the Fiji Music
industry in a stunning fashion.
DJ Ritendra. Photo: SUPPLIED
LOCAL NEWS
Vodafone Assists Low

Income Earning Farmers
Vodafone ATH Fiji Foundation and Western Charity
Alliance have been working tirelessly to improve the
farming standard of these
poor and vulnerable farmers in the western division.
Past few weeks have
been a challenge for the
Vodafones World of Difference Candidate associated
with Western Charity Alliance Mr Jitendra Naidu.
Mr Naidu has been working along with these vulnerable farmers for past 6
months and they have been
supported in many ways
through Vodafones World
of Difference program.
So far, Mr Naidu has been
working along with almost
50 farmers in the western
division improving their
standard of living and building their capacity in farming
and sustainability.
Another 35 farmers have
been identified and survey
done along with 50 women
groups, the work is supposed to start by month end
to improve their livelihoods
as well along with others.
Currently Vodafone ATH
Fiji Foundation is working
on SMART farming practice
in communities for more ef-
ficient and reliable market.

Groups formed to increase
the productivity and secure
market for these farmers.
Mr Naidu added since
he joined Vodafone ATH Fiji
Foundation under the World
of Difference program he
was able to bring change in
his community and in the
western division.
We were able to assist
many poor and vulnerable
families to improve their
standard of living, Mr Naidu
said.
Currently Vodafone ATH
Fiji Foundation and Western
Charity Alliance are working in collaboration with
Ministry of Youth & Sports to
engage unemployed youths
into farming through backyard garden project.
Mr Naidu highlighted it
was noticed that our youths
dont have any interest in
farming hence they came
up with backyard garden
project to build capacity in
youths about farming and
importance of fresh food
from their backyard.
The Backyard garden
project will be more of an income generation project for
these youths as they will be
empowered to use 30% of
their produce for their own

consumption and the other
70% has to be sold out for
generating income.
Same we are doing with
the women back in rural
community. In a month or
so these unemployed youths
and women will start to generate income and will be interested to go into farming in
bigger scale.
We are very grateful to
the Divisional Youth Officer,
Western Mr Valami Nima
and his Ministry for the tremendous support and guidance in the project and to
Ministry of agriculture for the
technical support whenever
needed.
World of Difference has
changed many lives and still
working to make an impact
on our community through
their generous support.
Earlier this month, five
people along Ba - Tavua corridor were assisted with vegetable seeds to boost their
income generation.
Ms Parwati Reddy is one
famous in Natawa, Tavua
selling vegetables along the
road side to support their
family.
She was overwhelmed
receiving the assistance to
boost her farming and she

thanked Vodafone ATH Fiji
Foundation many times for
the timely support.
She also highlighted Vodafone was the first and only
charity to assist people like
her since she started selling
vegetables along the road
side.
Mr Naidu added that the
Foundation along with Western Charity will work on an
extra mile to support poor
and vulnerable people improve their standard of living
and live a peaceful and decent life style in Fiji.
We urge more cooperates to come on board and
help us assist these poor &
vulnerable people in your
district for economy growth
and growth in your business
as well.
Once these poor & vulnerable starts to earn good
they will also spend good so
its just like a circle.
q PRESS RELEASE
Minister Thanks Visiting

Heart Surgeons
The Minister for Women,
Children and Poverty Alleviation Hon. Rosy Akbar
has commended the work
carried out by visiting heart
surgeons and medical personnel.
At a dinner earlier this
month, the Minister hosted
52 Australian heart surgeons
and medical volunteers
from the Open Heart International. The visiting medical team had been conducting open-heart surgeries at
the CWM Hospital.
Minister Akbar thanked
the entire team for their
commitment to assist Fijian
families especially young
children who suffer from
heart complications.
It was a great opportunity for me to have the firsthand experience of your expertise and indeed an honor
that you have offered your
service to our country, Ms
Akbar said.
The Ministry has continued to support the Walk
for Life initiative and it is
through Mr Michael Fong,
that we were able to raise
awareness on the Congenital Heart Disease.
Your contributions have
given new lease of life to 24
children and their families. I
have witnessed the smiles
on the faces of the children
and even the tears of joy of
their parents. We sincerely
thank you for your dedication to save the lives of those
children.
This partnership will
Minister for Women, Children and Poverty Alleviation, Hon. Rosy Akbar (5th from left), Walk for
Life activist Mr Michael Fong (2nd from left) and the Australian Medical Team member (1st from
right) with the parents of those children who have undergone open heart surgery at CWM Hospital. Photo: DEPTFO.
continue as there is still a lot
that can be done in terms
of financial and counselling
support services to effectively address Congenital Heart
Disease.
Open Heart International
project coordinator, Dr Melanie Windus said it was a
great privilege for the team
to use their skills and save
innocent lives.
The amazing thing about
this group of volunteers is
that some of us have never
met each other before and
we came together for one
common goal and that was
to really help the people of
Fiji, particularly those children, Ms Windus said.
Since last few days, the
two teams have operated on
36 children and adults - 24 of

these were children.
It was about making
a difference in the lives of
these families.
We are already planning
on coming next year as well
and we look forward for this
continued support from the
Ministry of Children in assisting the families in Fiji.
In March this year, the
Ministry donated $5000 to
support the Walk for Life
initiative that was established by Mr Michael Fong
after his son died of Congenital Heart Disease few years
ago.
As a way forward we are
putting together a database
so that we can monitor and
further assist the families of
these children who have undergone the operation, Mr

Fong said.
The cardiac team consists of professional doctors
from Australia and they have
done an excellent job.
I would also like to
thank Minister Akbar for her
continued support towards
Walk for Life, for without her
support we wouldnt have
come this far.
The dinner was organised
by the Ministry of Women,
Children and Poverty Alleviation and saw the exchange
of ideas between Australian
medical team, Childrens
Heart Foundation and the
Ministry officials.
q DEPTFO
Compare the
Prices When
Buying Sugar
Testing Machine,
Strips
The Consumer Council
of Fiji is calling on the diabetes patients to do comparative shopping when
buying a sugar testing
machine and strips, the
two essentials for those
living with diabetes to
test, monitor and control
their blood sugar level.
Consumers should be
mindful that testing strips
can be more expensive
than the machines and
that price vary at different
pharmacies.
The Councils call
comes following complaints and concerns
raised by some consumers over certain unfair practices by some
pharmacies in terms of
outdated machines and
strips not compatible to
the machine.
As a result, the Council
conducted a survey with
20 pharmacies in Suva,
Lautoka and Labasa between 4 December 2014
to 9 December 2014.
The survey shows
startling results such as
some pharmacies importing machines that
were being phased out
or becoming out-of-date
in overseas source markets. Consequently, some
consumers are left with a
machine with no compatible strips available in the
marketplace making the
machine useless.
For instance, a consumer who purchased the
machine and strips for his
elderly parents found later that the pharmacy no
longer sold the particular
strips for the machine he
had purchased. He was
forced to purchase a new
machine, but a year later
was asked to buy another
one as the test strips for
the second machine was
no longer available.
The survey shows
that prices of machines
ranged from $23 to
$103.17, with brands like
Accu-chek Performa sold
at the Government Pharmacy at the cheapest, for
$23 and Performa (Kit)
sold at a popular pharmacy for $103.17.
The
findings
also
shows that while consumers can buy the machine at a cheaper rate,
the compatible strips,
on the other hand, were
expensive. For example,
Accu-chek
(Performa)
brand machines price
ranges from $23.00 to
$65.99 but its comparable strips which come in
50 pieces sell between

$59.95 to$95.00. Omnitest Plus brand machine is
sold from $40 to $52 but a
consumer will be paying
somewhere between $50
to $59. 95 for the compatible strips.
For strips, brands such
as Codefree and Caresens are popular among
diabetes patients. 50
pieces of Codefree is selling at a price range of
$33.00 to $49.95 and price
for Caresens strips ranged
from$32.64 to $44.95 for
the same quantity.
The common pack
of strips available at the
pharmacies was the pack
of 50 strips with prices
ranging from $32.64 to
$92.95.The highest price
recorded for 50 strips
pack was $92.95 for Page
2 of 2 the Accu-chek Performa brand while the
same brand was sold at
the Government Pharmacy for $46.50.
The Korean-made Caresens brand had the
lowest price of $32.64
sold at a Labasa pharmacy for the same number
of pieces.
Unfortunately,
some
pharmacies were found
selling strips in packs
which were nearing expiry dates at the time of
the survey.
Consumers can be
pragmatic by opting to
take advantage of the
Government pharmacy
where they can buy sugar testing machines and
strips at a reasonable
price as compared with
other players in the local
market.
The consumer watchdog is also calling on the
State to consider reducing fiscal duty to zero per
cent on the two items, in
the next budget as these
are crucial for diabetes
patients. This would assist the consumers in
managing diabetes ultimately, easing the pressure on the State in terms
of hospitalization.
The
Council
also
stands hopeful that rules
and standards will be set
to deal with warranty, expiry periods of strips and
pharmacies to ensure
they have sufficient stock
of strips and not dumping
outdated machines in the
market.
Ms. Premila Kumar
Chief Executive Officer
Consumer Council of Fiji
LOCAL NEWS
A New Flag For A New Fiji

Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum announced the next stage in
the selection of the new
flag representing independent and democratic
Republic of Fiji.
Following an open
and inclusive process,
the Fijian public can review and comment on
the shortlisted 23 designs
that were chosen from
more than two thousand
entries submitted.
All Fijians, living both
at home and abroad, are
encouraged to participate
in making the final selection. There are many different ways in which all
Fijians can engage in the
process: on a special web
page-- Newfijiflag.com,
calling into radio pro-
grams, by text message

to #323 if your carrier is
Vodafone; and to #170
if your carrier is Digicel.
You can also share your
feedback by post to the
address:
Department
of Information, PO Box
2225, Government Buildings, Suva or drop off your
post at Department of Information, Ground Floor,
New Wing Government
Buildings, 26 Gladstone
Road, Suva.
On June 30, after Fijians express their comments and their preferences, the new flag will
then be considered by
Cabinet and Parliament.
The outcome will
be a new flag for a new
Fiji. When the new flag
is raised for the first time
on Independence Day,
10 October 2015, it will
be the culmination of an
historic event in the history of Fiji in keeping with
our progression from colonialism to a true and independent democracy,
said Attorney General
Sayed-Khaiyum.
He said the government is following through
on a mandate engraved
in last years election and
that political critics of the
new flag are anchored to
mentality of the past.
There is a small backward looking political
faction that claims they
are disturbed by the raising of a new flag for a
new Fiji. For anyone still
listening to them, please
remember this: Prime
Minister
Bainimarama
first proclaimed the need
for a new flag in 2013.
Knowing this, Fijian voters elected the Prime
Minister in overwhelming numbers in 2014. The
Prime Minister then officially announced the national competition for the
design of a new Fijian flag
in 2015.
The Attorney General
drew a sharp contrast
with the selection of the
current flag 45 years ago.
In that case, there
were only about 400 flag
designs submissions over
a limited period of one
months time, at the end
of which a committee of
only four men Ratu Sir
Kamisese Mara; Ratu Edward Cakobau; Vijay R
Singh; and C. A Stinson

announced their decision.
Obviously there was
very little deliberation
and public consultation
in choosing the current
flag, The Attorney General said.
This time around, Fijians from all walks of life
and all over the world
have had the chance to
actively participate in
this process and now, in
sharing their preference,
before a passage to the
Cabinet and Parliament,
which will culminate on
Independence Day with
the raising of the new Fijian Flag.
Sweet Tweets
What are your thoughts on
Fiji under-20s achievement
at the recent World Cup in
New Zealand?
Riten Gosai (Rj RG)

Honolulu, Hawaii
Great effort by Frank and
the boys. Truth is we still do
not have what it takes to compete at this level. Responsibility falls back on the regime
controlling soccer in the country. The performance was a reflection of our poor standards.
Ironically, its not a question
of when but IF ever people
at Football Headquarters will
wake up and become impartial, development oriented visionaries!
q DEPTFO
Fawziyah Ali
Waqadra, Nadi
Good achievement as first
comers.
Lautoka Market Vendors Receive

Certificates
Yesterday marked a special day for Lautoka market
vendors as more than 120
were recognised for their active participation in a series
of Getting Started workshops, held in March and
May 2015, aimed at helping
them work together towards
making positive changes to
their marketplaces.
Hon. Lorna Eden, Assistant Minister for Local Government, Housing and Environment and Ms. Joanne
Choe, Counsellor, Development Cooperation (Fiji and
Tuvalu), Australian High
Commission handed out
certificates to the market
vendors.
The Getting Started
workshops are part of the
Markets for Change project,
a six-year, multi-country initiative that aims to ensure
marketplaces in rural and
urban areas of Fiji, Solomon
Islands and Vanuatu are
safe, inclusive and non-discriminatory, promoting gender equality and womens
empowerment. The project
is principally funded by the
Australian Government.
A key focus of the
workshops is to form and
strengthen market vendor
associations, which are important avenues for vendors
to engage in marketplace
Ayzaaz Ahamad
Manukau City, New Zealand
A trophy carries dust. Memories last forever
Devika Sheenal
Nasau, Nadi
Simply great achievement that

compliment each other. Well
done Fiji FA and the U20s.
Heads high, Boys You did us
Proud!!
Hon. Lorna Eden and Ms Joanne Choe with Lautoka market vendors Photo: SUPPLIED
decision-making and ultimately to contribute to improvements to market conditions.
At the ceremony, Hon.
Lorna Eden emphasised
Governments
continued
commitment to improving
market vendors living standards through improving
market facilities.
The Ministry of Local
Government will continue
to support Municipalities
around the country through
infrastructure development
and improved service delivery.
Hon. Lorna highlighted
that the certificate ceremony signified the commitment

of true outreach strategies
placed by the Fiji Government in partnership with
UN Women and the Australian Government to see that
people at grass root level
and those that are economically disadvantaged have
a chance to improve their
earnings.
Ms. Choe congratulated
the market vendors and encouraged them to use their
newfound knowledge and
skills in ways that would
benefit themselves, their
families and their communi-
10 THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
ties.
The Getting Started
Workshops are an important place to start in getting
women market vendors to
participate and have a say
in the decision making process in the marketplace. You
ladies are part of the change
that needs to happen for
women in the Pacific to be
empowered and take control of their lives.
The Getting Started workshops have now been held
in all 10 Markets for Change
market sites in Fiji, already
resulting in the establishment of one new market
vendors association and the

reinvigoration of a number
of others.
Financial literacy training for market vendors, delivered in partnership with
UNDP and Westpac, has
been rolled out across the
Mohammed Iftikar
country, as well as comPakuranga, New Zealand
munications and leadership
workshops for the executive
Fijis success at U20 World
committee members of ex- Cup was great but on other hand
isting market vendors asso- the entire admin of the parent
body needs to make sure that
ciations.
players welfare are properly
looked after and players are
given right people to guide
them.Heads high, Boys You
did us Proud!!
q PRESS RELEASE
FTE - 2015
FTE 2015
A Platform for Everyone Serious About
Tourism in Fiji
By IVA DANFORD NAISARA
Rise Beyond the Reef

together with Tourism Fiji
hopes to provide a platform
for women, so that they can
share their voice from the
remote communities that
they work with at the Fijian
Tourism Expo (FTE) 2015
which started on Tuesday 16
June.
Rise Beyond the Reef
Director, Ms Janet Lotawa
says the Fijian culture offers connectibility in the way
that many western cultures
do not.
She adds this is made
possible through a totally
different system of currencies in communities that
do not all revolve around
money, but more so on relationships, friendliness and
genuine warmth of the Fijian people.
So a few of our artisans
will be in attendance who
live in rural and remote
communities. Our Commu-
nity Made products will represent artisans from districts

in both VitiLevu and Vanua
Levu, said Ms Lotawa.
Ms Lotawa said while being able to attend a major
event like FTE 2015 is challenging for the community
artisans, often times in rural
and remote communities is
where you get to see, feel
and experience the true
spirit of Fiji and for tourists
a community experience is
what makes their visit even
more special than enjoying the Fijian sunshine and
beaches.
Rise Beyond the Reef is a
non-profit organization that
acts as a bridge between
remote communities, government, private sector, and
aid organisations to increase
their understanding of resource sharing and working
together to help better the
lives of women and children.
Communities,
which
are not often represented,
will be able to showcase a
range of traditional contemporary products including
jewelleries and accessories,

housewares, woven products and gift items through
the non-profit organisation
at FTE 2015.
Tourism Fiji Director of
Event, Ms Sally Cooper says
FTE is a platform inclusive of
the whole Fijian community.
FTE values the work of
everyone who is serious
about the growth of the Fijian tourism industry. Tourism in Fiji is about genuine
partnerships and enhancing
relationships through the
social interactions through
FTE, the effects of which
fundamentally flow back
to the communities which
the industry is built on, she
adds.
The Rise Beyond the Reef
exhibition booth is sponsored by Westpac to give
rural women a chance to
promote their initiatives to
international buyers attending FTE 2015, as well as develop opportunities for businesses.
Bringing a world of
wine experiences
right to your doorstep
Buy great wines from around the world at great
prices - www.victoriawines.com.fj
Victoria Wines
Bula
Vinaka
l
Westpac Banking Corporation ABN 33 007 457 141. The liability of its members is limited.
l
l
l
l
Retail Banking
Business Banking
Corporate Banking
International Trade
Foreign Exchange
For more information on Westpac products and services call

Westpac Customer Service Call Centre on 132 032 or log on to
www.westpac.com.fj or visit your nearest Westpac Branch.
Banking for generations
Whilst a strong wine

culture exists in the
countries that represent
the key demographic of
tourists visiting Fiji, it has
taken our small Pacific
state a little longer to develop a similar appreciation and understanding
of wine. It does not help
that we dont have the
right climate to cultivate
grapes for making wine
and as a result wine isnt
a feature of every dinner
table,
complimenting
the cuisine.
Today however, Fijis
only dedicated wine importer and distributor,
Victoria Wines, has a
Wine Club of over seven
hundred people who
enjoy monthly wine tastings in Suva and regular
wine dinners in partnership with top restaurants
and hotels. Earlier this
year Victoria Wines hosted the first ever internationally accredited wine
and spirits course under
the auspices of the Wine
& Spirit Education Trust
led by a master of Wine
from the New Zealand.
Victoria Wines commitment to supporting
the emerging wine culture in Fiji is illustrated
again in June with its
sponsorship of the Victoria Wines Food & Wine
Festival as part of the Fijian Tourism Expo 2015.
Over 450 wholesalers
attending the Expo will
have the opportunity to
experience a selection
of wines from six key
wine countries matched
against a mouth-watering
menu provided by top
restaurants, chefs and
specialist food importers at this unique event.
Wine partners are: Villa

Maria (New Zealand),
Yalumba (Australia), Trapiche (Argentina), Luis
Felipe Edwards (Chile),
Gerard Bertrand (France)
and Bottega (Italy).
The ability to consistently deliver a high level
of food and wine quality will only enhance the
tourism and the hospitality industry in Fiji commented Liam Hindle,
Managing Director for
Victoria Wines. Plus, it
contributes towards our
general sense of pleasure
and well-being at home,
which well illustrates the
tagline for Victoria Wines
framed by Liam several
years ago: We love it, We
drink it, We sell it!
q VICTORIA WINES
11
NADI IN PICTURES
NCCI Website Launch
National Training And Productivity Centre Forum
Skipper Cup Challenge
WSL Fiji Pro
Fijian Tourism Expo 2015
ADVERTISEMENT
13
TOURISM
Rosie Holiday Staff Gets

Free Medical Check-up
ACATA Trust Fiji (Action for Children and

the Aged) in partnership
with Projects Abroad
held a health screening
at Rosie Holiday in Martintar, Nadi on Thursday,
May 7.
The health screening
was in conjunction with
the Corporate Health
and Wellness program
which was to create and
educational awareness
program
Health screening was
conducted for the Rosie
Holiday staff.
Health Projects Consultant
for
Projects
Aboard Rosan Lal said
the main aim of this
screening is to test employers for blood sugar,

blood pressure, and
body fat and cholesterol
levels.
We have also come
up with a new program
where we test employers on their fitness level
not only for sports but
more on health so that
they can be reminded
on where their health is
improving or deteriorating, he said.
Mr Lal said it is more
of a pro-active program
which educates on nutrition and guiding them
in physical activities.
He believes the program will give the staff
Strength, balance and
endurance.
Also present at the
health screening were
volunteers and interns
from countries from all

over the world.
Julie Jesssen, who
is from Denmark and a
volunteer for Projects
Abroad, said it has been
a good experience for
her to know how and
where the health condition stands in Fiji.
We are conducting a health screening
for Rosie holiday staff
where we check the
weight, height, blood
pressure, blood sugar
level and fitness, said
Jessen.
She said after all the
tests are made, the staff
will now have a counseling session where
they are counseled and
told of the different results that they have been
tested on.
We talk to them and
Volunteers form Projects Abroad advises the Rosie Holiday staff on the health risks.
Photo: IVA DANFORD.
follow them for 21 day

and come back to see
if they have improved
their results, she said.
Jessen said they will
be staying in the country

for three months to conduct health screening
in schools, villages and
companies which have
already started in Nadi

where she has also experienced diversity from
urban to rural health issues.
Mohan Chandra Appointed to

Top Fiji Airways Post in NZ
Moham Chandra
Fiji Airways has announced the appointment of

Mohan Chandra as its new
Regional General Manager
for New Zealand.
Chandra is an Aviation industry veteran who takes up
the role previously held by
the late Shannon Currie.
He was most recently
Commercial Director for
Kenya Airways, based in Kenya, where he was responsible for Worldwide Sales,
Revenue Management, Network Planning and Market-
ing.
Otto Gergye, Fiji Airways
Executive General Manager
Sales & Marketing commented: Were delighted
to welcome Mohan to Fiji
Airways to head up what
is a crucial market not just
for the airline, but for Fijian tourism in general. Its
definitely a market were
committed to, and this is
evidenced by our increased
capacity through new Wellington flights, and increased
frequencies from Auckland
and Christchurch.
Chandra will be responsible for all Sales across New
Zealand for Fiji Airways as
well as managing agent and
supplier relationships. He
has also worked for Emirates and KLM, and worked
in the Middle East and Asian
markets.
Along with a Commercial Pilot License from New
Zealand, Chandra also holds
an Executive Management
Diploma on Management,
Finance, Marketing & Lead-
ership from American Management Association, and a

Diploma in Aviation Airline
Transport Endorsement.
To further strengthen its
Sales Operations in New
Zealand, Fiji Airways has
also appointed Melanie Watson as Manager Sales.
This role will assist the
Regional General Manager and focus on business
growth.
Watson started her career in the travel industry at
Gullivers Travel (now Stella
Travel) in 1988, and until

recently managed the New
Zealand Carlson Wagonlit
Travel office.
Both Chandra and Watson officially started on June
2nd.
q PRESS RELEASE
Investing
Made Easier
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
Ways to further enhance

the policies to ensure its
competitiveness as an investment friendly country
continues to be explored by
the Fijian Government, says
the Minister for Industry,
Trade and Tourism Hon. Faiyaz Koya.
You must be thinking
what has made this possible Fiji has, the lowest
corporate taxes in the region
and streamlined income tax
structure, duty-free imports
of capital inputs, a number of tax free regions have
been established on Fijis
two main islands Viti Levu
and Vanua Levu as well as
in our maritime islands, he
said while addressing accounting professionals during a workshop at the KS
International Asia Pacific
Conference in Nadi on Friday, June 5.
He said the removal of
minimum investment inception has made the foreign in-
vestment much easier.

Foreign investor entry
has been made a whole
lot easier by the removal of
the $250,000 minimum investment threshold, which
investors can now use as
capital injection rather than
a deposit for registration.
This makes the Fijian investment environment very
liberal and open.
He added Fiji would soon
launch its online registration
and approvals system for foreign investors giving those
investors services from the
comfort of his or her home.
The online systems will
fast-track the registration
and approval process, taking Fiji forward towards establishing a one stop shop
for investors.
The Fijian Government
continues to invest significantly to provide an enabling
environment for investment,
through development of
key infrastructure, such as,
roads, bridges, ports and airports.
Since 2009, an average of
27.3 per cent of the budget
has been dedicated to capital expenditure, with 32 and
36 per cent put to capital in
TOURISM
2013 and 2014 respectively.

In the past, before the
Bainimarama Government,
this figure was below 20
percent and in addition to
the economic and infrastructure reforms, the Fijian
Government is working on
improving the efficiency of
the civil service, through the
Civil Service reforms and
modernization of service
delivery, and improving the
performance of public enterprise and undertaking divestment of certain entities.
The public enterprises
reforms will allow for introduction of new technology
and expertise and provided
an opportunity for the private sector to participate in
these entities.
We have created the
best environment for investment and as stated earlier
we are open for business,
the opportunities are not
limited to any one sector.
He said Fiji is also becoming part of global value
chains and there are synergies between our agriculture and tourism sectors and
manufacturing and services
sectors.
.
Seeto Says Goodbye to

Castaway Island
Fijis award winning celebrity chef, Lance Seeto,

has finally called it a day on
Castaway Island Resort, after five and half years redefining and promoting Fijian
cuisine for Fijis international visitors.
Seeto has taken the resorts cuisine to the highest
accolade and is the first chef
to win back-to-back awards
in the AON tourism awards
Best Fine Dining Restaurant
Category in 2013 and 2014
during his stay.
He said it was a hard
decision to leave his home
of more than five years,
the staffs are like family to
him, but he had essentially
outgrown Castaway Island
and was looking for bigger
opportunities to continue
evolving Fijian cuisine.
My mission has been to
bring back the traditional
cooking techniques and
unique foods to my restaurants. Food is one of the best
ways to showcase Fijis traditional culture and the cuisine of the outer islands offer a glimpse into the past,
Seeto said.
The Taste of Paradise
host left the resort earlier in
the month but officially sev-
ered ties with the resort on

May 9.
Seeto has announced
that he will soon join the
new management team at
Mana Island Resort and Spa,
under General Manager, Ulrich Hoffgen.
Mana is on the cusp of
relaunching an excitingly refreshed product, with one of
the biggest and state of the
art kitchens in the South Pacific, servicing nine food and
beverage outlets.
I cant reveal too much
but its safe to say that Mana
Island will become the foodie capital of Fiji.
The award winning chef
has also received multiple
tourism awards for his efforts to promote Fijis culture
and cuisine both locally and
internationally.
International visitors and
locals cannot wait to try his
next evolution of Fijian cuisine.
The renowned chef has
been in a unique position
to lead and redefine Fijian
cuisine, as one of the few
expatriates to travel so extensively to the far outer islands to capture the essence
and gastronomy of the untouched islands.
The top chef s love of Fiji
will also see him apply for
dual citizenship to finally become a Fijian citizen.
Lance Seeto during his time spent at Castaway Island. Photo: SUPPLIED.
15
TOURISM
Sofitel To Launch New Adults

Only Waitui Beach Club In Fiji
Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spas

Waitui Beach Club which is
going to be a modern, multimillion dollar new-build
leisure concept designed
exclusively for adults only
will be officially launched
and open to the public on
July 24th.
This will be a dynamic
new adults-only area with its
own pool, champagne bar,
restaurant and poolside cabanas.
Sofitel Fiji Resort & Spa
General Manager Alan Burrows says the couples and
non-family market is on the
rise for destination Fiji, and
is set to grow even faster
both on the mainland and
outer Fijian islands.
At Sofitel, we want to
maximise on the trend for
luxury, adults only travel
options in Fiji - and most
importantly balance out
our existing reputation as a
family travel destination, because we have so much to

offer guests at both ends of
the spectrum, he said.
With this standalone,
specifically designed new
product offering tailor-made
for adults of all ages, we
hope to appeal to be singles
travelling with friends, solo
travellers,
honeymooners
or any couple escaping on
a minibreak to the Pacific islands, he added.
Mr Burrows said while
entertainment and a great
bar menu were natural components of an adults-only
themed area, the Waitui
Beach Club would be aligning closely with the resorts
So Spa facility and chef team
to ensure that wellbeing also
remained a priority and option for guests using the
club.
Representing an investment of FJ$3.2 million, the
new pool development
within the existing resort,
will be accompanied by
the introduction of a new
accommodation category
consisting of 74 designated
Beach Club rooms allocated

in close proximity to, and
complementing, the beach
club concept.
Guests who book the associated adults only room
category will have immediate access to all the facilities
located within and connected to the Waitui Beach Club.
Complimentary entry to the
Beach Club is also available
to anyone booking to stay in
one of the resorts 10 indulgent suites (including the
Presidential Suites).
Waitui Beach Club will
have a focus on health, with
complimentary yoga and
tai chi in the morning and
a healthy breakfast (when
a bed and breakfast package is booked). Other features will include a private,
dedicated check-in area,
personalized pool butler service, a selection of balanced
menus by nutritionist Lucinda Zammit, a 25m lap pool,
state of the art gymnasium,
as well as enhanced room
amenities and complimentary sun downer cocktails.
Private cabanas, a world
Free Social Media with

Digicel
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
Digicel Fiji launched

a new offer with Total
Freedom Pass with free
access to Facebook,
Twitter, Instagram and
Linkedin.
This was announced
following a build-up
from its popular Freedom Pass which was
launched in July last
year.
The Total Freedom
Pass will enable Digicel
users access social media namely Facebook,
Instagram, Twitter and
Linkedin for free.
Digicel Fiji Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Darren McLean said the
popularity of Freedom
Pass led them introduce
the Total Freedom Pass.
He said it was an exciting innovation for

young people in Fiji.
Our research shows
that more and more Fijians are using social media to stay in touch with
their friends and we are
able to make this possible by providing them
to access the internet
without restrictions.
We were delighted
with the high demand
for the Freedom Pass
and we have added value to the new Total Freedom Pass to provide our
customers with the best
value and quality service at the best rates.
Mr McLean added this
service is for their customers to enjoy social
media free-of-charge.
He also mentioned
this innovative, new prepaid offer loaded with
exclusive offers, was
never seen before in Fiji.

Total Freedom Pass
provides customers the
chance to browse Facebook and stay connected on Twitter, Instagram
and Linkedin for absolutely free.
This special plan offers Fijians a virtually
unlimited mobile experience for an unbelievably low price. This has
never been done before
in Fiji.
The Total Freedom
SIM offers Free Calls,
Unlimited SMS, 750MB
of data, and the best rate
in Fiji for calling other
networks. The exclusive offer is based on a
flat charge of $4.99 for 7
days usage.
The newly launched model design of Sofitels adults only waitui club. Photos: SUPPLIED.
bar, and guaranteed pool
seating are on offer exclusively for Waitui Beach Club
guests, while at night, the
setting of the sun will bring
subtle lighting and a change
of mood, with frequent live
entertainment on offer.
Guests will also be able to

enjoy the Swim Up pool bar.
The space can be extended for use for the conference and incentive market, and will become a new
stand-alone venue in Fiji
- the Adults Only themed
beach club will be a flexible meeting and incentive

space that can be utilised
for conference and leisure
groups on special request.
Fiji Pro Launch

By MARGARET NAQIRI
The Minister for Tourism, Trade and Industry
Hon Faiyaz Koya officiated as chief guest at the
opening ceremony of the
Mens Competition World
Surfing League Tour 2015
Fiji Competition that was
held on Tavarua Island on
Saturday June 6.
In welcoming the surfers, Hon Koya thanked
the surfers from around
the world for choosing to
come and surf in Fiji.
The Day began with a
45 minute trip on the awesome water taxi- SeaFiji
that took the Minister and
the media personnels
TOURISM
Hon Faiyaz Koya welcoming the surfers to Tavarua Island.

Photo: Margaret Naqiri
over to the Island.

The official kava ceremony was then officiated by the landowners
to all the surfers and the
Minister welcomed them
and declared the Fiji Pro
open.
Surfers from around
the world had a taste of
our traditional kava drink
including 11 times world
surf champion Kelly Slater and last years world
surf champion Gabriel
Medina.
The evening went on
with meke performances
and our very own local
talent Knox playing his
famous renditions and
all the surfers and staff
danced away.
Inia Awarded For His First

Ever Wild Card Entry
By MARGARET NAQIRI
The 30 year old Inia Nakalevu from Momi who

is now residing in Nadi
won the second wild
card entry at the Mens
Competition World Surfing League Tour 2015

Fiji Competition that was
held on Tavarua Island on
Saturday June 6.
The second Fijian wild
card entry winner was
proud to be awarded this
prestigious award and
dedicated it as a birthday
gift to him as he turned 31
years old on June 7.
This is a wonderful
birthday gift for me and
I want to thank my wife
and my kids and my family for the support they
have given me, said Na-
kalevu.
The proud husband
and Dad hopes to win his
hit in the first round of the
competition.
I have been surfing for
fifteen years and I usually
come down here to surf
on Tavarua every day. Im
looking forward to winning my hit in the first

round of the competition,
he said.
Nakalevu said he felt
very happy and proud of
himself as it was the first
time for him to get a wild
card
However the first wild

card entry winner was
Aca Ravulo Lalabalavu of
Cuvu Nadroga.
Wild card entries winners will each receive
$10,000 dollars.
support@media.com.fj
From Left: Aca Ravulo and Inia Nakalevu with their trophies.
Fijis upcoming surfers with Hon. Faiyaz Koya.

17
BUSINESS NEWS
Fiji, China Strengthen Relations

By ANUSHIL KUMAR
A historic signing of
several
Memorandum
of Understanding (MoU)
agreements between the
Fijian Government and
China during the China
(Guandong) Fiji Economic and Trade Cooperation Conference on
Monday, June 1, has further strengthened its relations with Chinas Guangdong Province.
Tourism Minister Faiyaz Koya said it was an
important event as it
boosted relations between trade, investment
and economic cooperation with the Guangdong
Province.
Todays
(Monday,
June
1)
conference
will ensure that Fiji and
Guangdong Province of
China maintain close relations to maintain close
relations to implement
the relevant cooperation
initiatives, Minister Koya
said.
He said Fiji and Guangdong shared many synergies including tourism
and trade.
He said there was possibility to develop them
further through the 12
Government and commercial memorandum of
understandings signed.
Minister Koya said the
MOUs will contribute to
the improvement of social and economic relations and develop active
technical
cooperation
between the countries in
the respective areas.
The Government to
Government MOUs will
provide a general framework for dialogue and

cooperation on health,
tourism and other areas
of mutual interest.
The commercial
MOUs will be conduits
for growth of bilateral
trade and investment by
Guangdong nationals in
Fiji.
The Chinese delegation was led by Mr Hu
Chunhua, member of
the Political Bureau of
the Communist Party
of China (CPC) Central
Committee and Secretary
of the CPC Guangdong
Provincial Committee in
China.
The following MOUs
and agreements were
signed:
MOU on
Strengthening Cooperation between Suva and
Guangzhou City
Co-building of
Guangdong
Friendship
Garden
MOU between
Guangdong Health and
Family Planning Commission (GDHFPC) and Ministry of Health, Fiji
MOU on Establishment of Fiji-Guangdong Bilateral Enterprises
Council
Cooperation
Agreement on Supporting
Exhibitions in Guangzhou
between CCPIT Guangzhou and Fiji-China Business Council
MOU on Establishing Sister School Relationship between Zhongkai Secondary School in
Huizhou city, Guangdong
Province and Sun Yat-sen
Secondary School in Suva
MOU on Strengthening Tourism Cooperation between the Ministry
of Industry, Trade and

Tourism of Fiji and the
Tourism Administration
of Guangzhou
MOU on Tourism
between Tourism Administration of Guangdong
Province (TAGD) and
South Pacific Tourism Organization (SPTO)
Projects of Fishing, Selling and Processing of Tuna and other
Seadfood in Fiji
Nadi Tourist
Resort Project in Fiji between Guangzhou Tianli
Co., LTD and NEW ERA
DEVELOPMENT Ltd
Fiji Forestry &
Wood Industry Development Project
Fiji Pengtao China Town Real Estate Project between Guangzhou
Pengtao Real Estate co.,
Ltd and Tropical Isles Ltd
Hotel Apartments
Investment Projects of
Martin Place in Nadi
Fiji Agricultural
Development Project
Fiji Suva Mining
Investment Project
Project of Black
Pearl and Crab Farming,
Processing and Selling in
Fiji
Fiji Vanuatu
Biological Planting Development and Marketing
Project
Sales Cooperation Project of TCL /Alcatel Cellphone and Tablet
Products between TCL
Electronics Australia Pty
Ltd and FONEOLOGY SOLUTIONS Ltd
Tourism Service
Cooperation Project between CITIC International Travel Co.,Ltd and Fiji
Summer Holiday Travel
Agency
Tourism Ser-
Minister Faiyaz Koya with members of the Chinese Delegation and other senior officials.
Photos: DEPTFO.
Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism, Hon. Faiyaz Koya during the China (Guandong) Fiji
Economic and Trade Cooperation Conference.
vice Cooperation Project

between China Younger
Travel Service and Tour
Managers (Fiji) Ltd
Tourism Service Cooperation Project
between China Travel
Service Gongbei Port and
Breadfruit Tours (Fiji) ltd
Education Fund
by Huizhou Municipal
Peoples Government of
Guangdong Province to
the Chinese Education
Society of Fiji
Guangdong International Cultural Exchanges Base
Guangdong
Tourism and Promotion
Center South Pacific
Fiji-Guangdong
Medical Training Center
Investment Fiji chief
executive officer, Godo
Muller-Teut and Minister
for Employment, Productivity and Industrial Relations, Jioji Konrote were
also present during the
signing of the MOUs and
other agreements.
Muller stressed on the
trade growth between Fiji
and China since 2009 and
said Fiji had a businessfriendly tax system that
supported innovation and
investment.
ADVERTISEMENT
19
BUSINESS NOTICE BOARD
ADVERTISEMENT
21
LOCAL SPORTS
Melbourne Storm to Play in Fiji

The
Melbourne
Storm rugby league
team - one of the stars
of the Australian National Rugby League
will start playing in Fiji
from this year.
They will start of by
playing an exhibition
match in Fiji later in
December against a
local team selected
by the Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama. The plan was
revealed after representatives of the Melbourne Storm met
with the PM and the
AG in Suva.
The Storm will also
train in Fiji in December this year and in
2016.
Alongside
their
training, the club will
have coaching clinics for local clubs and
young people as well
as open trials for aspiring rugby league players. The proposed exhibition match will be
a 9s match between
key Storm players and
the PMs invitation
team.
The Clubs Chairman, Bart Campbell,
thanked the Prime
Minister and his Government for their support in agreeing to the
squad coming to Fiji
and said the 9s match
would undoubtedly
be the highlight of the
week.
Were very much
looking forward to
coming to Fiji and
playing before Fijian
fans, he said.
Mr Campbell also
highlighted the support of the Melbourne
Storm for rugby in the
Pacific Islands and the
fact that some of the
clubs most talented
players have come
from the region, including Fijis Marika
Korobiete.
Hes one of the
most exciting players
in the game and were

proud to call him one
of ours.
The Prime Minister
and the Club Chairman also agreed to
the Storm playing a
regular season match
in Fiji against another
NRL team within the
NRL competition from
2017 and every year
thereafter.
This is a wonderful
opportunity not just
for the fans and our
young ones but also
for those who want
to play professionally
in the NRL. My Government will facilitate
and support this initiative by the Storm,
said Prime Minister
Voreqe Bainimarama.
The fact that the
Storm have chosen to
come to Fiji is an endorsement and shows
confidence in my Government and the infrastructure we have
built to facilitate such
Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama and Attorney General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum with representatives of the Melbourne Storm club. Photo: SUPPLIED.
international events.
I am extremely excited about it because
it opens up new doors
for our young men
who are known for
their natural talent,
flair and athleticism.
The AG said that
this would bring about
increased economic
opportunities for our
tourism industry and
our ability to show

case our country as a
viable investment destination.
It is also wonderful
that we do not have to
fork out any budgetary/financial support
to the Storm initiative.
We simply have to ensure and facilitate that
all the different private sector actors are
able to collaborate to
make this wonderful
initiative happen.
The Storm Chairman and his team also
met with the Minister
for Industry, Trade and
Tourism.
q PRESS RELEASE
Maori All Blacks to Play

Fiji in July
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
as the Maori All Blacks

were the first rugby team
to play at the then, newly
renovated National Stadium just before the 1979
South Pacific Games.
New Zealands Maori That team was captained
All Blacks is set to battle by famous All Black prop
Fiji for the first time in Billy Bush, said Tabuaseven years as part of a levu.
two-match series in July.
The Maori All Blacks
Fiji Rugbys Chief Exec- last played the New Zeautive Radrodro Tabualevu land Barbarians in 2010
said it would be a great as part of the centenary
opportunity for people in series winning 37-31.
Fiji to witness a grand and
New Zealand Maori
exciting rugby match.
Rugby Board Chairman
This match is guar- Wayne Peters said he is
anteed
entertainment really looking forward to
for Fiji, come July, and this encounter.
we are delighted to once
Its great news that
again host the Maori All the Maori All Blacks will
Blacks, said Tabualevu.
again be taking on interThe side will be filled national opposition in
with Super 15s Rugby 2015, Peters said.
players so they will be a
Were very excited to
very good team.
be returning to Fiji where
The Maori All Blacks weve enjoyed a wonderlast played Fiji in the Pa- ful rivalry over 77 years.
cific Nations Cup in 2008,
This match will be a
winning 11-7 in Lautoka.
great celebration of the The Maori All Blacks performing traditional haka before the game. Photo: SUPPLIED
The two sides first met proud rugby history we
in 1938 in Suva and since share and again underthen have played each lines the strong ties be- Blacks Coach Colin Coo- Pacific Nations Cup and land Rugbys high perforother 28 times where the tween Pacific rugby and per, he is looking forward Rugby World Cup later in mance programme.
Maori All Blacks, who last New Zealand rugby.
to assembling the team the year. Thisll be a real
This tour provides an
played in Suva in 2005,
again.
challenge
for
the
boys
important
opportunity for
The Maori All Blacks
have won 19 matches, play Fiji three days after
Fiji will be tough op- and well need to be on many players to further
lost seven and drawn the historic Test in Apia ponents and will be top of our game, Cooper develop their skills and
twice.
prove themselves at the
between the All Blacks looking to turn in a top said.
This game will have and Manu Samoa.
performance as part of
The Maori All Blacks international level.
a lot of history behind it
The team will play Fiji
And for Maori All their preparations for the are a key part of New Zea22 THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER
at the ANZ Stadium in

Suva at 3.00pm on Saturday, July 11, and returns
to New Zealand to take
on the Barbarians at Eden
Park, Auckland the following Saturday on July
18.
LOCAL SPORTS
Warriors Arrive Home

Unbeaten
The Telecom Fiji

Warriors finished off
their South American
tour at a very high
note winning all their
three matches.
The Warriors defeated Uruguay 30-22
in the first match, Argentina 23-21 in the
second game and
Uruguay 42-22 in the
final match.
The strengths of
the players were to
believe in themselves
and to go out there
and play the 80 minutes of rugby to their
very best, said head
coach Senirusi Seruvakula.
He said the games
were so touch and the
weather was another
challenging factor for

the boys but everyone
gave in their best effort while they were
given a chance to play
for their country.
They know that we
are here not only in
making up the numbers, but for them to
put up to another level, especially for the
boys coming from the
local competitions,
he said.
He believes it is going to be a big challenge for the local
players playing here
in Fiji; the next step for
them is from the warriors to knocking the
doors into the Flying
Fijians team.
With 10 players
in the Warriors side
selected into the national 15s extended
squad for the Rugby
World Cup, coach Seruvakula thinks the
selectors have missed

out on some of the
players on the current
tour.
They will need to
look at our final report
and I believe a lot of
players deserve to be national team and

in the PNC squad.
also for the players.
In an interview, Seruvakula said there
was a lot of learning
experience for himself as the coach, the
q CONTINUED FROM
PAGE 1
At this juncture, I
would like to thank our
sponsors Jacks who came
all the way to support Nadi
team and all other people
who have supported us in
one way or the other and
I think there will be more
tournaments in Nadis bag
again.
Lautoka coach Lambert
Sarju congratulated Nadi
for winning the league.
Congratulations
to
Nadi. My boys also played
well, a structured soccer,
but you got to score and
defend and thats what
Nadi did.
Telecon Fiji Warriors team and managerment arriving at the Nadi International Airport after their South American tour.
Photo: IVA DANFORD-NAISARA.
U20 Stamps Mark in

FIFA History Book
By ANUSHIL KUMAR
The Vodafone Fiji Under-20 side has all the

reasons to smile despite not making it to the
round of 16.
Given the tag of
the Oceania Underdogs, the Frank Farinacoached side stunned
the whole world and left
a lasting impression in
their first ever participation in the FIFA Under-20
World Cup hosted by
New Zealand this year.
Fiji outclassed Honduras 3-0 in their second
pool match, creating
one of the biggest upset of the world cup and
claiming countrys historic win at a FIFA tournament.
Despite being downed
8-1 by Germany, the Jale
Dreloa-captained side
did not lose hope as sensational striker Iosefo
Verevou continued from
where he left against
the Germans, scoring
the only goal and putting his name in the history books for being the
first Fijian to score in the
World Cup.
Verevous pile-driver,
Saula Waqas bicylelooking shot and Antonio Tuivunas powerful
header (which deflected
off Honduras defender
Kevin Alvarez into his
own goal) was more
than enough to send
the Fijian supporters in
Christchurch and fans
back in Fiji into jubilation.
The Central Americans were evidently
stunned and, as they
kept dominating play in
the second half, the stubborn Fijian defenders
worked overtime while
peoples
man-of-thematch Misiwani Nairube
produced some outstanding saves to deny
the Central Americans
finding the net.
Coach Farina was extremely delighted with
the historic win for Fiji.
He said the boys continued from where they
left against Germany in
the second half.
Im very pleased, Farina said during the postmatch Press Conference
at Christchurch Stadium.
The boys followed
on from, particularly, the
second half against Ger-
The Vodafone Fiji Under-20 side before playing their first game at the FIFA U20 World Cup in New Zealand.
Photo: Jamie McDonald - FIFA.
many.
We started well and
we planned to press a
lot higher up the park
which I think frustrated
Honduras a little bit, and
we were winning possession in good areas.
Weve got a reputation for defensive football, but we showed that
we know where the goal
is. Our players realised
they could compete at dream, exclaimed a vis- to Uzbekistan 3-0 in their

this level, and that they ibly emotional Misiwane final group stage match
deserved to be here.
Nairube to FIFA.com.
as it was just the matter
Instrumental stopper
I had a good game, of goal difference which
Nairube was equally but thats just a side note. saw unbeaten Germany
proud of the win.
The team is the most and Uzbekistan qualifyHe said it was not just important thing. Today ing from Group F.
him, but the teamwork (Thursday, June 4), we
The main final bepaved their way to suc- did something extraordi- tween Brazil and Serbia
cess.
nary.
was yet to be played
Were
incredibly
Fiji, however, failed when this edition went
proud of this win its the to qualify for the round- to press.
realisation of an amazing of-16 after going down
THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER 23
Page 22
Page 23
MAORI
ALL BLACKS
TO PLAY IN FIJI
WARRIORS
RETURN HOME
UNBEATEN
JUNE 2015. ISSUE 67
50 CENTS
Jets Lead Skipper Cup
The victorious Nadi side after the mouth watering game with Northland at Prince Charles Park in Nadi.
By IVA DANFORD - NAISARA
The Jacks Nadi team had a very

tough competitor in the 4th round
of the Skipper Cup Competition at
the Prince Charles Park in Nadi on
June 13.
The Nadi based team out casted the Northland side to a 26- 3
win and remained undefeated after four rounds.
Team Manager Jeff Tamata said
the reserve players had a positive
impact on the game and their objective was to score a bonus point
win and which was what mattered to the team.
It was believed to be a very tough

game for both the sides as both
teams knew that they should have
done better.
Meanwhile, the Lautoka team
was too strong for the Macuata side
as they thrashed them with a 34-17
win.
Lautoka manager Timoci Namuaira said he was happy with the
performance of the boys especially
to secure their bonus point win.
Namuaira said securing the bonus point win was an achievement
for the team compared to their last
years performance.
Both teams had their strengths
and weaknesses say Namuaira.
Northland and Nadi in action at Prince Charles Park in Nadi. Photos: MARGARET NAQIRI.

The Jet Volume 7 Number 8

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FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

JUNE 2015. ISSUE 67

Nadi Reign Supreme

team a lot, Swamy said.

banked so that we have replacement for players when then have

All the districts want to play in

Fiji - the way the world should be

and suffered unexplained

THE JET is Fijis first community newspaper published bi-monthly

ON THE BRIGHT SIDE

Western School Heads

Schools that have

for Nadroga and Navosa in Sigatoka on June

the role of the leaders

the Principals Association and today we have

Beware of Dodgy Construction Companies

THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

themselves from providing appropriate redress to the complainant.

sumers of their hard

Ms. Premila Kumar

Ministry Intensifies Efforts to Address

A Coordinated Committee on Street Beggars led by

The Ministry ensures

faced when we started the

together with Fiji Police to

Samaritan Inn at Colo-iSuva.

The Good Samaritan

Six More Joins

Six more Fijians left the

ity and Industrial Relations

procedures on picking them

New Zealand for further

THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

challenge you, the Legalega

Fiji Gets Help From Sydney Water

cability of appropriate discharge standards that would

eral Manager Customer Services at Sydney Water said,

utility for Port Moresby, New

Asian Development Banks

Total Fuels Fiji International

golf tourists to Fiji through

International including the

THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

French Polynesia and Papua

moa in 2006 and the withdrawal of BP in 2009. Today,

HODs Accountable for Students

Issues Arising In Safety for

also present at the meeting

One of the market vendors utilises the stop sign in Namaka

4. Dont use your

THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) has a realistic potential

was exported to New Zea- of Pacific Breadfruit Project,

THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

Technology Boost for

The Ministry of Agriculture in partnership with the

ally the benefit of market

ing developing countries on

International Trade Centre Consultant Stephane Boyera

THE JET - FIJIS FIRST COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER

Hygiene and Milk Quality

As part of continued efforts to strengthen Fijis

ficers and dairy farmers on

Mr Ramsden said these