ONOTOA ISLAND

2008 SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROFILE

PRODUCED BY THE MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS, WITH FINANCIAL SUPPORT FROM THE UNITED NATION DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, THE KIRIBATI ADAPTATION PROJECT AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE FROM THE SECRETARIAT OF THE PACIFIC COMMUNITY.

Strengthening Decentralized Governance in Kiribati Project P.O. Box 75, Bairiki, Tarawa, Republic of Kiribati Telephone (686) 22741 or 22040, Fax: (686) 21133

ONOTOAN ANTHEM By Iatiri Auia

TE ABA AE TATAUROI AN ISLAND EVER READY

E tataekinaki aron abara ae Onotoa Stories are always being told of our island Onotoa Bwa bon te aba ni mmwane bon te toara n aba That it is a land for men, an oddity of an island Ma ibuakon abamakoro ni Kiribati maiaki Among the islands of the Southern Gilberts E a bon tau ma aron abara ma teiraoina We accept our island as it is and was from ago mangkoa It is a haven for everything (all things/Bass) E nono ni bwaai nako (ni bwaai It prides itself on how it is (how it is/bass) nako/Bass&Tenor) For what can be it’s downfall (downfall/tenor) E karitoa n arona (n aroarona/Bass) Keep it closed and I will not open it Bwa ai tera a e na bwaka iai (e na bwaka iai/tenor) Maidens, old women fingertips always busy Bonobonotia I aki kaukukia To accommodate needs for their households Always thinking and planning for bad days Biritatan tabonibain te unaine ma te atainaine Saving and always saving until such a day arrives Ni katioi baikatau ibukin aia tekateka N iangoi man taratarai aia bong aika bubuaka It is well known amongst the Southern Gilbert Ni karemmwa ni karemremmwa akea bwa ea boo islands te boo Reputed that Onotoa is an island that is always prepared E taonaba taekana iaoni Kiribati maiaki Rouse the elderly, middle aged men and youth Buranikain Onotoa te aba ae tatauraoi, Do away with idleness, wake up or time will catch Eutan te unimwane, te rorobuaka, te rikirake up with you E a tau te nimatutu teirake bwa e a kan oiko baau

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FOREWORD

By the Honourable Amberoti Nikora, Minister of Internal and Social Affairs, July, 2007

I am honored to have this opportunity to introduce this revised and updated socio-economic profile for Onotoa Island. The completion of this profile is the culmination of months of hard-work and collaborative effort of many people, Government agencies and development partners particularly those who have provided direct financial and technical assistance towards this important exercise.

The socio-economic profiles contain specific data and information about individual islands that are not only interesting to read, but more importantly, useful for education, planning and decision making. The profile is meant to be used as a reference material for leaders both at the island and national level, to enable them to make informed decisions that are founded on accurate and easily accessible statistics. With our limited natural and financial resources it is very important that our leaders are in a position to make wise decisions regarding the use of these limited resources, so that they are targeted at the most urgent needs and produce maximum impact.

In addition, this profile will act as reference material that could be used for educational purposes, at the secondary and tertiary levels. This is one of the intentions when the revision exercise was conceived in the first place. In its new format, the profile contains valuable information on the history, geography, demography, commerce and trade, natural resources, the environment, and many other important facts about the islands. The vision to make the island profile important reference material will be further enhanced with the launching of the Ministry’s website. This is indeed a revolutionary step in the sense that such valuable information will be made accessible on the internet, for everyone to use in and outside Kiribati.

The profiles have potential economic value because they provide the kind of information that local and foreign investors need. This aspect of the profiles will be improved with time, as better information on marine and land resources becomes available and incorporated in the book.

The island profiles are useful development documents for individual islands and the nation as a whole. Whether they are used by students, businessmen, tourists, politicians, or planners, I can say with conviction that it will prove a useful resource on Kiribati.

Te Mauri, Te Raoi and Te Tabomoa to everyone.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The preparation of this profile involved the hard work and commitment of various individuals, Government ministries and external development agencies. At the outset, the initiative and financial support of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) must be acknowledged with deep appreciation. UNDP financed the revision of the profiles through a joint UNDP-GoK project known as Strengthening Decentralized Governance in Kiribati (SDGiK).

Other regional organizations that are very supportive to the profiling exercise include the South Pacific Geo-science Commission (SOPAC), who provided technical support in relation to the incorporation of GIS and CHARM in the project, and the South Pacific Commission (SPC), who assisted in the establishment of POPGIS for use in data sourcing and analysis, provided input to the structure of the profiles, recommends the incorporation of valuable data and information, and generously offered to publish the profiles. Without their assistance the profiles as you see it now will not have attained such a high quality in terms of content and appearance. The Ministry of Internal and Social Affairs owes much gratitude to these organizations particularly their concerned staff, for their readiness to assist even if it is beyond their terms of engagement.

The project office of the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF) based in Fiji, through its Pacific Project, also contributed invaluable assistance to the project, in particular to Component 3 which focused on capacity development of local government bodies on the outer islands. Several of the activities under this component were jointly funded by CLGF, thereby absorbing much in terms of financial costs and time. For these contributions we are very much thankful.

The various ministries of Government have helped in one way or another, especially in the furbishing of valuable data and information used in this profile. The project has been successful in maintaining the good relationship that had developed with other ministries and civil organizations. In addition, inter- agency committees were established for monitoring and technical support during the implementation phase of the project. The most important of these committees is the Outer Island Project Coordinating Committee (OIPCC), which serves as the overall steering body of SDGiK. Other technical working committees were also instrumental in getting some of the difficult tasks done. These working committees include the committee on the review of the Local Government Act, and the committee on the review of development procedures. One of the important lessons learned from the establishment of these committees is that it is possible to cut across borders to get the kind of commitment and cooperation that are reflected in the achievements of the project.

Hopefully the network of cooperation which is necessary in sustaining and improving the profiles in future is maintained between the various ministries of Government. As the leading agency in the production of this profile, the Ministry of Internal and Social Affairs must ensure that the linkages between the statistical units of various government departments remain intact.

Due to its multi-dimensional nature, far too many people are involved in the profiling exercise to allow acknowledgement on a personal level. It is hoped that by according merit to their respective agencies will somehow convey the deep sense of gratitude which the project owes to these committed individuals. With this in mind we would like to acknowledge the great contribution and support of the Ministry of Internal and Social Affairs (MISA), in particular the Rural Planning Division (RPD), the Local Government Division (LGD), the Community Development and Services Division (CDSD), and the Accounting Unit, who spearheaded the various activities related to their areas of expertise. The successes that have been achieved in the different project components are indeed the result of their collective work.

Ultimately the greatest contribution and sacrifice in the production of these revised Island Profiles is offered to a few committed individuals, both within the Ministry as well as from outside who deserve to - 4 -

be acknowledged. Nei Terautete Tareti, the computer operator in the Rural Planning Division who collected of the initial data, Nei Buraieta Tekabwaara who worked hard to collect and update data required for the profiles. Nei Ruta Ioata, who assisted in data collection, designed the graphic formats in the profiles, willingly assisted in collection of outer island data and pictures and had to work extra hours to complete her profile responsibilities.

Phil Bright and his colleagues at SPC in Noumea generously offered to edit and publish the profiles, besides arranging for a work attachment with SPC for two of MISA staff. The profiles will have not attained the very high quality in which you see them now without their assistance. In addition, the improved layout and presentation of information is also based on their professional views and guidance.

The strong support and leadership of the Minister of Internal and Social Affairs, Honorable Amberoti Nikora has been a significant factor in the successful undertaking and completion of the profiling exercise, and for the whole SDGiK project for that matter. His support would have not been that strong without the equally solid support and guidance of the former Secretary of MISA, Karib'aiti Taoaba, and Rikiaua Takeke, the current Secretary.

The Deputy Secretary, Manikaoti Timeon spearheaded the profiling and completed the first prototype on Makin after which project staff continued drafting the other outer island profiles. His immense effort and guidance in the profiling is a major contribution to the completion of these profiles. The unwavering efforts and dedication of Nei Erimeta Barako in the completion of the profiles even after the SDGiK project had ended culminated in the completion of these outer island profiles. Ultimately, the KAPII project under the directions of Kautuna Kaitara, the KAPII Coordinator, Kaiarake Taburuea, the Project Manager and Paul Craig, provided the required funds and support in the eventual completion of the profiles.

To everyone who have contributed in one way or another to the production of this useful document, including the many people and organizations on the outer islands, the Government of Kiribati is deeply indebted, and wish to thank you immensely for your useful contributions.

AMI BAU TE MAURI TE RAOI AO TE TABOMOA.

KAM BATI N RABWA.

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TABLE OF CONTENT

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 10 Main socio-economic indicators 11 CHAPTER 2: GENERAL BACKGROUND 2.1 Location, Size and area 12 2.2 Physical features 12 2.3 Climate 12 2.4 Soil 13 2.5 History and Culture 15

CHAPTER 3: TE MAURI – ENVIRONMENT, RESOURCES AND SOCIAL SERVICES A ENVIRONMENT AND POPULATION 3.1 Demography 17 3.1.1 Total Population 17 3.1.2 Growth rate 17 3.1.3 Population Density 18 3.1.4 Breakdown of Population 20 (a) Age groups 20 (b) Gender 21 (c) Denomination 22 3.1.5 Migration 22 3.2 Land Resources 3.2.1 Terrestrial flora 23 3.2.2 Terrestrial fauna 24 3.2.3 Land Tenure, Use and Ownership 25 3.3 Marine Resources 3.3.1 Size of reef and Lagoon Area 25 3.3.2 Status of Fish Resources 25 3.3.3 Pattern of fishing activities 26 3.3.4 Marine developments 27 3.3.5 Other issues facing fishing and development of marine resources 28 3.4 Status of the Environment 29

B SOCIAL SERVICES/SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE 3.5 Education 34 3.5.1 Number of school age children, proportion enrolled in schools 35 3.5.2 Breakdown of school enrolment at different levels 37 3.5.3 Percentage of pupils completing primary and JSS 39 3.5.4 Number of schools, type and state of facilities 39 3.5.5 Number of teachers, Teacher/Pupil ratios 39 3.5.6 Performance of pupils in national tests/exams 41 3.5.7 Community involvement to improve standard of education 41 3.6 Health 3.6.1 Health facilities (number of clinics and staff) 42 3.6.2 Most common health problems 42 3.7 Housing 3.7.1 Total number of residential houses type and status 43

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3.8 Water 3.8.1 Water Supply Sources 44 3.8.2 Status of Water Supply 45 3.8.3 Lighting 47 3.9 Energy 48

CHAPTER 4: TE RAOI – SOCIAL CAPITAL, COMMUNITY LIFE AND GOVERNANCE 4.1 Local Institutions and Social Change 49 4.1.1 Mwaneaba system and ‘Unimwane’ association 49 4.1.2 Women Associations 50 4.1.3 Youth Associations 50 4.2 Religion 51 4.3 Political Authority and Governance 4.3.1 Traditional political system 52 4.3.2 Local Government system 52 4.3.3 Interface between both 55 4.4 Crime and Justice system 56

CHAPTER 5: TE TABOMOA – ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES, INFRASTRUCTURE AND UTILITIES A ISLAND ECONOMY 5.1 Subsistence economy 58 5.2 Production 58 5.2.1 Copra cutting 58 5.3 Employment 60 5.4 Trade and Commerce 60 5.5 Local Finance 62 5.6 Remittances 63 B ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES 5.7 Agriculture 65 5.7.1 Livestock 67 5.8 Fisheries 68 5.9 Handicrafts 70 C INFRASTRUCTURE 70 5.10 Transportation 5.10.1 Land transport 71 5.10.2 Sea Transport and Shipping 72 5.10.3 Air service (issues, flights per week, passengers and freights 75 5.10.4 Issues facing transportation 76 5.11 Communications 77

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LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

TABLES Table 1 Population density by village Table 2 Population distribution by village Table 3 Population distribution by village Table 4 Size of reef/lagoon Table 5 Sea cucumber species Table 6 Onotoa GPS coordinates Table 7 Senior high schools in Kiribati Table 8 Pupil enrolment in different schools Table 9 Teacher/Pupil ration Table 10 Distribution of solar systems by island Table 11 Population religion makeup Table 12 Revenue and fees Table 13 Council approved projects Table 14 Businesses and license fees Table 15 Onotoa village bank shares Table 16 2008 remittances Table 17 1952 trolling catches Table 18 1952 spearing catches Table 19 Council approved projects Table 20 Onotoa flight schedule Table 21 2009 airfares

FIGURES Figure 1 Geographical view of Onotoa Figure 2 Population trend Figure 3 Population distribution by age Figure 4 Population pyramid Figure 5 Population makeup by islanders Figure 6 Onotoa Population distribution on islands Figure 7 Household access to food tree crops Figure 8 Fishing locations Figure 9 Figure 10 Proportional enrolment of primary and junior secondary students Figure 11 Common health problems Figure 12 Household types Figure 13 Household source of water Figure 14 Household source of light Figure 15 Fuel supply Figure 16 Structure of traditional authority Figure 17 Council staff structure Figure 18 2008 crimes Figure 19 Access to food trees Figure 20 Households and pigs owned Figure 21 Households and chickens owned

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LIST OF ACRONYMS

SDGIK Strengthening Decentralized Governance in Kiribati MDGs Millennium Development Goals MOP Ministry Operational Plan NDS National Development Strategy UN United Nations GOK Government of Kiribati SOPAC South Pacific Geo-Science Commission CHARM Comprehensive Hazard and Risk Management GIS Geographic Information System CLGF Commonwealth Local Government Forum OIPCC Outer Island Project Coordinating Committee MISA Ministry of Internal and Social Affairs RPD Rural Planning Division LGD Local Government Division CDSD Community Development and Services Division SPC Secretariat of the Pacific Community MOH Ministry of Health MELAD Ministry of Environment Land and Agricultural Development MEYS Ministry of Education Youth and Sport MFED Ministry of Finance and Economic Development POPGIS Population GIS RC Roman Catholic Church KPC Kiribati Protestant Church SDA Seventh Day Adventist Church LDS Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints COG Church of God KHLP Kiribati Handicraft and Local Produce Company KSECL Kiribati Solar Energy Company Limited

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CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

The first Island Profiles were published in the late 1980s, about 20 years ago. Apart from being used as a resource book by project personnel in the Rural Planning Division, it remained largely unutilized, and the information quickly became obsolete as the years passed without any attempt to update a lot of the statistics contained in them. This is the first time that the profiles are being updated and upgraded to suit today’s need for information. In addition to the upgrading exercise, the profiles will also be updated, annually if possible, depending on the regularity and availability of reliable statistics. The current revision is based on a mixture of methodologies including importation of data from different government ministries (MOH, MELAD, MEYS, and MFED), the use of PopGIS software to analyze and map data, face to face interviews, questionnaire surveys and the use of reference materials and the internet.

While the purpose of the profiles is to serve as the basic information tool for planners and decision makers, it can also be used to meet the needs of students, business people, politicians, tourists, planners, and the public in general. This is possible due to the fact that it contains unique and interesting information on the island’s culture, economy, natural resources, environment, infrastructure, social services and various other features. With the incorporation of MDG indicators in this new version, the profiles will now serve a very useful purpose of becoming an important tool to monitor the country’s performance in respect of achieving MDG targets. Island-level statistics enables more specific analysis of the situation faced by Kiribati in the different sectors of health, education, poverty reduction, gender equality, the environment, and HIV/AIDS. These are the issues embodied in the eight goals set by the United Nations which countries are expected to achieve by the year 2015.

Another new feature of the profiles is the introduction of a computerized back-up system, which is made up of an electronic copy of the profile, as well as a GIS program which enables detailed analysis of statistics right down to the village and household levels. The ultimate objective of the whole exercise is to have an efficient and reliable source of information about the outer islands, that is not only available in hard copy, but better still one that could be accessed immediately by the push of a keyboard button. This will enable professionals and lay people alike to acquire information quickly, for whichever purpose they may have. The profiles will be made available on the Ministry’s website – www.misa.com, or alternatively through PRISM. This will enable international access to the profiles for the use of traveling officials, overseas students, potential investors and visitors. Apparently the website will contain information other than the island profiles, from the various divisions of the Ministry and perhaps additional relevant information from other government ministries. Upon completion of the website two goals will be achieved, first, that the information will be available on line for the first time and, second, that such useful information will be accessible from anywhere in the world in electronic form. This is going to be a significant achievement in itself.

The continual usefulness of the profiles, and other information contained in both the hard and electronic versions, will depend to a great extent, on a reliable system of updating and upgrading. After all, information changes all the time, as do the technology upon which it depends. Finally, it is hoped that the profiles in their new format and accompanying electronic features will serve the purpose for which they are designed, and much more. We wish every user of this profile enjoyable reading, and trust that they find it interesting and rewarding.

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Summary of main socio-economic indicators

NATIONAL Onotoa Total Males Female Total Male Female Total population (November 2005) 92533 45612 46921 1644 827 817 Urban population 40311 19435 20876 NA NA NA Percent of national population 1.8 1.8 1.7 Percent urban (%) 43.6 NA NA NA Rate of Growth (%) of total population 1.8 -0.29 2000-2005 Population density 127 105 South Tarawa population density 2558 NA NA NA % population younger than 15years 37 38 36 42 40 41 % population 15-24 years 21 21 20 14 9 11 % population 15-59 years 58 57 58 52 50 51 % population 60 years and older 5 5 6 7 10 8 Age dependency % 46 Households NA NA NA Number of private households 13999 332 Number of persons in private households 88644 43749 44895 1,644 Average household size 6.3 5.2 Number of institutions (non-private) 43 NA NA NA Number of persons in institutions 3889 NA NA NA Labor market activity 36969 20013 16956 Employed population 34715 18883 15832 973 481 492 Cash workers 13133 8095 5038 127 74 53 Village workers 21582 10788 10794 734 348 386 Unemployed 2254 1130 1124 2 1 1 Non-labor market 21069 7926 13143 Students 7323 3496 3827 43 29 14 Persons engaged in home duties 6077 793 5284 16 13 3 Inactive persons 3662 1996 1666 7 5 2 Retired persons 3227 1179 2048 36 7 29 Disabled or sick persons 709 398 311 8 4 4 Prisoners 71 64 7 0 0 0 Labor market participation ratio 63.6 71.5 56.3 NA NA NA Employment-population ratio 22.6 28.9 16.7 NA NA NA Unemployment rate (%) 6.1 5.6 6.6 91.7 Education School enrolment rates 6-15 year olds (%) 91.0 89.1 93.0 NA NA NA Proportion of population 15 years and older with secondary or 50.5 51.6 49.5 NA NA NA higher education Proportion of total population with secondary or tertiary 19.4 18.2 20.5 NA NA NA qualification

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CHAPTER 2: GENERAL BACKGROUND

2.1 Location, Size and Land Area

Onotoa is a low lying atoll of Kiribati situated in the southern Gilbert group. It is similar to all the other atolls found throughout the Kiribati islands and consists of a lagoon contrasting to some of the other islands which do not have lagoons and is the fifth island from the southern end of Kiribati.

Alternative Names: Clerk Island, Clark Island Area / Country: Southern Gilbert group, KIRIBATI

Coordinates: Latitude (DMS): 0° 51' 24 N Longitude (DMS): 169° 32' 7 W (Degrees, minutes and seconds)

Area: Total land area: 15.62 sq.km

Onotoa was discovered in 1826 by a whaling ship called John Palmer and named after the captain of the ship, Captain Clerk. It’s local name Onotoa is a combined abbreviation of ‘Onoman Aintoa’ (Six Giants) who were mythically involved in the creation of the island and is thus known locally as ‘Land of the six Giants’.

It lies south east of Tabiteuea Island (Drummond Island), northwest of Tamana in the southern district and around 650 km southeast of Tarawa, the capital island of Kiribati. 0.77 km of the initial 15.62 sq. km is comprised of its seven villages while the rest 14.85 sq. km is not lived on and comprises arable atoll land.

21.2 Physical features

Onotoa has seven (7) villages with Tabuarorae, an islet, located at the southernmost end of the island followed by Aiaki, Otoae, Temao, Buariki, Tanaeang and Tekawa at the northernmost end of the island. The villages are located along the lagoon coastal area throughout the island. The combined islet of Otoae and Aiaki are now easily accessible after construction of a causeway from Temao to Aiaki. Tabuarorae still has to be connected to the rest of the mainland.

2.3 Climate

With the exception of Tarawa which has its own meteorological office, the non-availability of rainfall measuring equipment on the outer islands has resulted in the lack of rainfall data for all the outer islands of Kiribati including those in the Phoenix and Line group and Onotoa.

Onotoa, like the other islands near to the equator, have an equatorial climate, while the islands to the extreme north and south of the group are tropical. It is hot and humid all year round with east trade winds moderating the temperatures throughout the year. November to April is the rainy season, with high humidity and stronger winds.

Like most Kiribati islands, the strong influence of El Nino and La Nina events on the climate is prevalent throughout and Banaba is no exception. El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variability is defined by the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) that measures the difference in pressure between Darwin, Australia - 12 -

and Tahiti. Simply defined, El Nino is the warming of the sea-surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean that influences the atmospheric circulation and consequently rainfall and temperature in specific areas around world. Depending on this complex interplay of sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the equatorial Pacific ocean, atmospheric circulation is affected which either then moves eastward or westward producing either of the two events, El Nino or La Nina which in turn either results in rain or drought on the islands depending on where the atmospheric circulation is headed. (http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/analysis_monitoring/ensostuff/nino_regions.html).

.Drought spells in Onotoa have been a common occurrence and at times so bad that the Onotoans, according to an old mans recount of his father’s story, were eating leaves although he did not specifically mention which leaves. This was in the drought in the 1920s that reportedly (Ntongatonga pers. comm.) lasted for 7 years when a lot of people were suffering badly from drought effects as at that time, there were hardly any stores if any and fishing equipment.

Generally in Kiribati, the wet season, according to records, falls between the months of September to February, while the dry season begins in March and ends in August. The temperature ranges between 28˚ Celsius at dawn to 32˚ Celsius in the early afternoon. Cool ocean breezes play an important role in keeping the temperature down during hot days.

2.4. Soil

Kiribati atoll soils are derived from the underlying coral reef and thereby consist mainly of calcium and magnesium carbonates (Town 1982). The soils tend to be shallow and alkaline with large soil (grain) particles rendering it highly permeable with low capacity to hold water, highly porous. Top soil nutrients are therefore easily washed down the layers of soil or away making the soils very infertile. As a low lying coral not rising more than 2 feet above sea level, the soil is vulnerable from the dangers of sea level rise and soil erosion.

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Fig 7: A geographical map of Onotoa

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2.5 History and Culture

Onotoa was discovered in 1826 by Captain J. Clerk on his ship ‘John Palmer’. Captain Davies of H.M.S. Royalist called on Onotoa in 1892 at which time he made entries into his log book that summarized the socio-economic profile for the island at that time. Instead of a king, the island was under the administration of 160 old men and had a population of 1050, all Protestant followers. Traders present on the island then included Thomas Redfern, a British trader who had travelled to the island on his own account and a Mr. Henry Williams, whose details were not entered. The island was exporting around 150 tons of copra and 1½ tons of shark fins and had already had other ships visiting the island, the H.M.S Miranda in 1886 and the ‘Archer’ (the Pacific Trading Company phosphate vessel). 120 people at this had been taken away on ships to work in Fiji, Samoa, Honolulu and Mexico during the years of ‘black birding’.

Onotoa according to its oral tradition was created by Nareau the Creator when he stamped the surface of ‘Te Bomatemanki’ with his foot. The ‘Bomatemaki’ cracked causing a stone to fall into the inner part of ‘Te Bomatemaki’. The crack allowed light to get through for the first time. The stone was the first and only one found in ‘Te Bomatemaki’. Nareau went inside ‘Te Bomatemaki’ and found that the inhabitants were half human and half spirit. They could not move because they were stiff after lying cramped in the small space for a long time. Nareau helped them to move freely by bending and stretching their limbs. He then took them to the only stone which fell into the “Bomatemaki” and told them that the stone would turn into land. As time passed the stone gradually turned into land as prophesied by Nareau. It was named Onotoa. The name Onotoa is a combination of two words, Onoti, which literally means ‘unique’ and toara which means “single or pairless” (Dr. U. Mackenzie 2006). Onotoa was claimed by its inhabitants to be the first island to be created by Nareau but then so are most of the other islands in the rest of country.

The more popular legend however regarding the creation of Onotoa was that of the six giants who came from ‘Te Boomatemaki’ and were walking the newly created earth when they came upon a reef (‘ora) where they decided to rest on. The idea of creating it a land soon came to them after a few days of resting and thus they started diving the ocean and bring up rocks and sand which they piled on the reef that later became an island. It was named Onotoa after the six giants, ‘onoman’ (six) and ‘aintoa’ (giants), thus ‘Six Giants’. The six giants’ names were in accordance with the stages of the ocean/sea and tides:

1. Babatirake - tide when coming in 2. Babatirio - tide when going out 3. Tokitoki - sand piling up densely 4. Reburebu - sea/ocean when rough 5. Tabukibuki - sea when falling as waves 6. Kataotao - sea when flooding the reef and other low places

During the initial establishment of central government on the island, there was a time when the people of Buariki village rebelled against the colony administration where the men stopped a court proceeding and released two old men who had been arrested for not fulfilling court rulings. The men had taken the side of the two old men (Temarawa and Taniera) who were not happy with a cousin of theirs who had willed his lands to a foreign local man married to Temarawa’s daughter on the basis that the lands were better willed to the daughter as the lands would still be left in the family where the daughter’s husband could will it to his own family members if the lands were under his name. The rebellion resulted in a penalty of the Buariki men having to build a limestone memorial monument on the islet of Aonteumwa which stands to this day to remind the people of Onotoa that strict penalties could be delivered to those that rebelled against the colonial administration. Onotoa is regarded by its people as a land for men. To the Onotoan this means an island where only the - 15 -

men have to be fit, skillful and resourceful in order to survive. It motivates them to strive hard towards achieving self-reliance and complete independence from others and is where egalitarianism is also still traditionally upheld.

The island anthem summarizes their way of life very well and beckons them to be ready for whatever may come. It is this cultural belief, born out of experience of hard life especially during droughts when tree crops die and water turns brackish, that makes the people practice and live a unique lifestyle of always preserving and keeping food stored and resources maintained for as long as it takes, in preparation for times of need. This preservation of food and resources tradition later pervaded into their cash economy and is well known as savers of resources, food and cash for use at times of scarcity. This tradition is still upheld and is therefore shameful for a family or household to be unable to provide the required food or cash contribution for a church, village or island function when the call comes for it.

The people are like the rest of those in the country, kind, generous, hospitable and friendly but are more cautious to enter into relationships or friendships. They believe in saving all kinds of resources where they can be saved, in dependence on owns resources and efforts, getting something done each day and resting or playing/entertainment, only, after a day’s work has been done.

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CHAPTER 3: TE MAURI – ENVIRONMENT, RESOURCES AND SOCIAL SERVICES

A. ENVIRONMENT AND POPULATION 3.1 Demography

3.1.1 Total population

The 2005 census recorded a total population of 1644 people on the island, a decrease of 24 people since the 2000 census when the population was 1668. Of this 1644, there are 827 males and 817 females scattered throughout the island’s seven (7) villages of Tekaawa, Tanaeang, Buariki, Temao, Otoae, Aiaki and Tabuarorae.

Fig 2: Onotoa population trend since 1931-2005 National 92533 90000 Onotoa 84494 80000 77658 72335 70000 63883 56213 60000 51926 50000 47735 43336 40000 31513 No. of Persons 29751 30000

20000

10000 1639 1491 1993 1960 1997 2034 1927 2100 1918 1668 1644 0 1931 1947 1963 1968 1973 1978 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005

Census Year

The population of Onotoa represented 1.78% of the total 92.533 population of Kiribati with South Tarawa having the greatest number of people living on it at 43.56%. The trend has fluctuated between 2100 and 1491 people since 1931 with lowest number of people counted in1947, which was around the time when recruitments for work in the phosphate companies in Nauru and Banaba were carried out after the end of WWII. Otherwise, Onotoa’s population has undergone minor increases and decreases over the span of 74 years.

3.1.2 Growth rate

On its own, Onotoa’s population has reversed growth and instead decreased in growth between 2000 and 2005 with a recorded population decrease of -1.4% (Population difference of 2000 and 2005/2000 total population*100 => 24/1668*100). Compared to its previous population change of a decrease of a considerate 250 people at -13%, Onotoa population decreased slightly further since the 2000 census by 24 people. Onotoa is also another of the islands in Kiribati where people are slowly migrating away from the island in search of better education, business and employment opportunities. Nationally, the Gilbert Islands population growth was 1.7% in 2000 and 1.8% in 2005. Kiritimati in the Line Group has the - 17 -

fastest national growth rate of 8% on average (2005 Analytical report)

3.1.3 Population Density

Population density is defined as the number of people living within a square kilometer of land that is calculated by dividing the number of people in a given location with the area of land. Table 1 below presents the population density on Onotoa throughout the years since 1995, showing that the density has been slowly decreasing over the last years meaning that there is more land and less people living on it.

Table 1: Population Density by village (2000 & 2005) Village Density Land Pop Density Pop Density Change Village Area 2000 2000 2005 2005 % Tekawa 0.07 169 2414 164 2343 -3 Tanaeang 0.1 192 1920 249 2490 30 Buariki 0.13 205 1577 213 1638 4 Temao 0.05 401 8020 348 6960 -13 Otowae 0.16 189 1181 238 1488 26 Aiaki 0.2 240 1200 186 930 -23 Tabuarorae 0.06 272 4533 246 4100 -10 Villages 0.77 1668 2166 1644 2135 -10 ONOTOA 15.62 107 105 -1.4 Source: 2005 PopGis

Onotoa has a land area of 15.62 sq. km of which approximately 0.77 sq. km (PopGis 2005) comprises the village areas and an approximate 14.85 sq. km not lived on. Concurring with the slowly decreasing trend in population, so has the density and where there were 123 people living on a square kilometer of land in the 1995 census, the 2005 census eventually calculated 105 people living on a square kilometer of land on Onotoa – a decrease of nearly a quarter the density since 1995.

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3.1.4 Breakdown of Population

The following chart depicts the breakdown of the population throughout the seven villages of Onotoa.

Fig. 3: Onotoa Population distribution by age group in villages

70+

50-69

18-49

15-17

6-14 Age groups

2-5 Tabuarorae Aiaki Otowae 1 Temao Buariki <1 Tanaeang Tekawa

0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 No. of People in age groups

Source: 2005 Census of Population, NSO/MFED, 2007

Most of the mature population aged 18 to 49 numbering 340 can be found in the village of Temao where the most population is residing. The oldest 54 people aged 70 years and over are distributed amongst the seven villages of Onotoa just as the rest of the different aged population are distributed. . Of the 1644 total population, there are 761 (46.3%) of people in the age dependency group (age dependency group defined as those below 15 years and those over 64 years of age). From this figure of 761, there are 671 younger than 15 and 90 elderlies older than 64 years old (PopGis 2005).

The age dependency group is defined as those unable to live on their own and generally those below 15 years and those over 64 years of age. More than half, 761 (46%), of the island population are in the age dependency group of which the majority 671 (88%) are the younger folk aged 0-14 years old while the rest 12% are the elderlies, aged 65 and older. The age dependency trend is similar throughout the islands of Kiribati as well. The oldest person on Onotoa in 2009 is Nei Kimeata Teema (pictured right), born in 1921 and 88 years old in 2009. However, the oldest person in the country is Tawetia Nakabuta, 110 years old in 2009, originally from Maiana but living in Marakei with one of his great grandchildren, a Government seconded staff to the Marakei Island Council (Elderly Office MISA).

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Table 2: Onotoa population distribution in villages Village Total <1 1 2-5 6-14 15-17 18-49 50-69 70+

Tekawa 164 5 2 16 38 8 64 25 6 Tanaeang 249 6 2 25 73 16 89 31 7 Buariki 213 1 6 21 57 5 85 31 7 Temao 348 3 7 33 107 15 140 31 12 Otowae 238 4 7 28 67 6 101 22 3 Aiaki 186 1 2 13 46 6 74 36 8 Tabuarorae 246 4 4 31 62 7 103 24 11 ONOTOA 1,644 24 30 167 450 63 656 200 54 Source: NSO 2005 census

(b) Population by Gender

Statistics indicate that in 2005, males outnumber the females by 10 (827-817) and as depicted in the population pyramid in Fig 12 for Onotoa, (Kiribati 2005 Census2: Analytical Report, SPC, Noumea, 2007), the sex ratio for Banaba is 101 males to 100 females – (total number of males/total number of females * 100 => 827/817*100).

Fig. 4: Onotoa population pyramid

Onotoa population pyramid 2000 (shaded) & 2005 (Outlined)

75+ Males Females 70-74 65-69 60-64 55-59 50-54 45-49 40-44 35-39 30-34 25-29 20-24 15-19 10-14 5- 9 0- 4

150 100 50 0 50 100 150

Source: based on the 2005 Census Analytical Report, SPC, 2007

As is the trend with most developing countries (Haupt. A. & Kane T.Thomas 2000), Onotoa also has a very young population with the majority aged between 0 years and 49 years old. Those in the teenage groups are lot less, confirming the trend of migration to South Tarawa higher education in the senior high schools of which most are located in South with a few church high schools on the outer islands. There also has been a significant decrease of those in the 30-34 age group and a significant increase of those in the 35-39 age group. The improvement of the education system in the establishment of a JSS and provision of qualified teachers to both primary and junior secondary schools has allowed 12-14 year olds - 21 -

to stay back in the outer islands including those on Onotoa to complete their junior secondary education before attending high schools elsewhere.

(c) Population distribution by religion

The 2005 census shows that the Onotoans are predominantly Protestant with 1230 followers (74.8%) of the total 1644 Onotoan population. This is followed by 338 (20.6%) Roman Catholic followers, 37 (2.3%) Bahai followers, 29 (1.8%) followers of other religions such as Assemblies of God, Jehovah’s Witness and 4 (0.2%) Seventh Day Adventist followers.

Table 3: Onotoa Population by Religious denomination 2005

% Religion of Onotoa % National Church Religion Number Population Representation Kiribati Protestant Church 1230 74.8 3.7 Roman Catholic 338 20.6 0.7 Seventh Day Adventist 4 0.2 0.2 Bahai 37 2.3 1.8 Church of God Nil Nil Nil Mormon 6 0.4 0.2 Other 29 1.8 2.3 None Nil Nil Nil NS Nil Nil Nil Source: 2005 Census of population, NSO/MFED

Kiribati Protestant Church followers represent 3.7% of the overall 33042 total national KPC congregation. The Roman Catholic congregation on Onotoa represents 0.7% of the national 51144 RC followers, 1.8% of the 2034 national Baha’is with the rest denominations of SDA and others making up the rest of other different minority church followers on the island.

Fig 5: Population makeup by islanders 3.1.5 Migration Northern Islands, 68 In 2000 the population of Onotoa was Overseas, 11 Central Islands, 31 1668 where there were 1918 in the Southern Islands, 120 1995 census that again decreased by 10 people in the 2005 census resulting Line ^ Phoenix in a last record number of people on Islands, 0 Onotoa being 1644. If this is anything to go by regarding migration of people over the years, it would indicate that a Onotoans, 1414 total of 250 people were not in Onotoa in 2000 minus 10 more during the 2005 census giving a total out-migration of roughly 14% in a matter of a decade since 1995. Source: PopGis 2006

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According to the 2005 census, of the 1644 population in Onotoa at the time of the census, 1414 were Onotoans, 68 were from the northern district islands, 31 were from the central islands, 120 were from the southern islands, 11 were foreigners and there none from the Line and Phoenix group but then, the Line & Phoenix island were initially inhabited by people from the Gilbert group. A recorded 4797 (5.2%) Onotoans make up the Kiribati population of 92533 and where 1414 reside on Onotoa, the rest 3383 are scattered all over the rest of the Kiribati islands either as Government employees working on these islands, through marriage and adoption, attendance of higher education schools and general family visiting amongst other reasons. Fig 6: Population distribution on islands Of the 3383 Onotoans not living on Kanton 5 Onotoa, 2255 (47%) were residing Kiritimati 301 in South Tarawa while a significant Tabuaeran 156 Teeraina 72 number had migrated to Kiritimati Arorae 29 Tamana 14 and Tabuaeran in the Line group. Onotoa 1,414 However, it should be noted that the Nikunau 13 Beru 47 Line group of islands were opened STabiteuea 32 NTabiteuea 58 for leases and migration in the early Nonouti 40 1970s when people from all over Aranuka 20 Kuria 24 the Gilbert group were resettled on counted Islands Abemama 78 Maiana 13 there. Unfortunately, the census STarawa 2,255 NTarawa 135 does not indicate when these Abaiang 52 people arrived on the islands that Marakei 12 Butaritari 7 were otherwise not their initial Makin 16 homeland for a more detailed Banaba 4 expression of in and out migration. 0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 Number of Onotoans

3.2 Land Resources

The island’s main resources like the rest of the islands are it’s limited tree resources predominantly coconut trees and it’s abundant marine resources.

Fig 7: Household access to food trees/crops

Cabbages 3.2.1. Terrestrial Flora 10

Plant life plays a great role in livelihood of the islanders and as limited as they are, they all 222 have significant uses as sources of: Breadfruit 315 a. Subsistence and commercial Coconut 96 materials and products Bwabwai b. Ingredients for medicines c. Symbols of individual welfare d. Ingredients in traditional 136 Banana 290 Pawpaw cultivation 38 Tekaina e. Materials for toys

Sweet popatoes, 4 Coconut trees (Cocos nucifera) are generally the trees of life for islanders as all parts of the Tebero, 82 tree provide their mainstay of food, shelter, - 23 -

medicine and income for the people in Kiribati including those in Onotoa. Coconuts have adapted well to atoll and dry conditions and will still remain standing after years of drought even though they may not be producing fruit. However, without fruits, these trees during drought times can still provide toddy spathes that have provided the people for centuries with their initial source of vitamin C found in the toddy. The pandanus tree (Pandanus tectorius) comes second after the coconut as one of the very important tree crops on the islands that people hack their living out of.

There are two distinct species of breadfruit, the common breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis) and the Mariannas breadfruit (A. mariennensis) plus a hybrid of the two The breadfruit tree comes next after the pandanus as the popular fruit trees in the islands but unfortunately the most vulnerable to prolonged droughts (R.R. Thaman 1990). These are therefore cultivated and looked after carefully around the homes where it is easier to look after and rarely found inland and away from homes.

Cultivating ‘bwabwai’ in Onotoa is very difficult due to it requiring a great amount of water to grow has made ‘bwabwai’ a luxury food item that is not included in the daily staple food but instead cultivated and reserved for very important functions. Bwabwai pits in the southern islands have to be dug to the water lens in order for this root crop to grow contrasting to the northern and central islands where the water table is quite high. So where ‘bwabwai’pits in the southern islands are guarded, rarely seen as all are located in the forest, and very private properties, the Northern island bwabwai pits can be seen in abundance alongside the road and in the extreme northern islands, are known to be community owned. The location of the ‘bwabwai’ pits deep in the forest is because its cultivation is surrounded in traditional secrecy and intensive care. As such, it is exclusively reserved by the islanders for ceremonial purposes only (R.R. Thaman 1990).

Other general flora comprise papayas, local fig, bananas, uri (Guettarda speciosa), casuarinas, leucaena, non (Morinda citrifolia), saltbush (Scaevola sericea), heliotropes (Tournefortia argentea), Alexandrian laurel (Calophyllum inophyllum), sea trumpet (Cordia subcordata), iron tree (Pemphis acidula), beach almond (Terminalia samoensis), great lettuce tree (Pisonia grandis), mangroves (Rhizophora stylosa), privet (Clerodendrum inerme) and a variety of ornamental plants, grass and weeds. The flower of the Guettarda locally called ‘te uri’ is the national flower of Kiribati. Cyperus laevigatus (maunei) - On the island of Onotoa in Kiribati, this native 'nut sedge' was used for weaving fishing lines and nets. Individually, all these plants play a great role in the subsistence and economic life of the people on Onotoa.

3.2.2. Terrestrial Fauna

Like the rest of the Kiribati islands, Onotoa is not rich in its land fauna and comprises the common pigs, chickens, dogs, cats, birds and island insects such as rats, lizards and ants. The marine fauna though is abundant in fish, octopus, flying fish, tuna, ‘nimnai’, mwake, mako, ‘were’ and others , to name a few.

The local pigs and local roosters are generally priceless domestic animals that all households have to own and they are kept and managed well. Dogs are also kept domestically and to a lesser extent cats. Where dogs are kept as pets because of their role in guarding territories, cats are kept to control rats around the home as rats are abundant throughout Kiribati and in some places such as in the northern islands; they are devouring more coconuts than can be harvested for consumption and copra.

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3.2.3 Land Tenure, Use and Ownership

Land is owned by families. Inheritance is the common form of conveyance of title with the eldest receiving more lands and male heirs given preference over females. Land is also conveyed as gifts. Some lands have been disposed by sale. Land are therefore inherited as willed from the parents and has changed dramatically where once it used to be a preference that lands were willed to male heirs only because of the tradition of women going to live with the husbands. Nowadays, anybody can inherit lands regardless of whether they are sons or daughters.

The use of land on Onotoa is generally the same as those on other Kiribati islands. Village settlements are concentrated on the eastern part or the lagoon side of the island where villages are situated. The southwest parts of the atoll are separated by a wide passage but a causeway built in February 1992 has joined both. In Onotoa though, the tradition of inheriting the ‘tekateka’ (a piece of land along the village strip) is still predominant, in cases where there are no sons, the daughter can then inherit a ‘tekateka’. This however is dependent on how many village ‘tekatekas’ a father has. Children are allowed only one ‘tekateka’ each in the village unless they are without siblings in which case they own all, to will to their children as they so wish. The rest of the lands in the bush are evenly distributed between the children.

Some acres of freehold land are leased by the Island Council to accommodate its administrative buildings, schools and health centers. Disputes over land ownership and boundaries are settled in Lands Court.

3.3 Marine Resources

3.3.1 Size of reef and Lagoon area

Table 4: Size of Reef/Lagoon Size Island REF(sq/km) REF base (sq/km) LGN (sq/km) LAND (sq/km) Onotoa 21.56 54 75.38 15.62

2.3.2 Fish resources and status:

It is difficult to quantify the fish resources of Onotoa, or any island for that matter. However, it is generally accepted that the bigger the reef area the larger the fish resource, particularly reef fish. It could therefore be concluded that due to its large reef and lagoon area, Onotoa has abundant reef and lagoon marine resources. Free migratory fish such as skipjacks and yellow fin tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis, Thunnus albocores) flying fish (Cypserulus sp.) and shark (Ginglymostoma ferrugineium) are always abundant. A study carried out in 1951 by the National Academy of Sciences – National Research Council from Washington D.C. reported a fish collection of 325 species (Preston E. Cloud Jr. 1952 published report). .

The villages of Aiaki and Tabuarorae in the south and Tanaeang and Tekawa in the north of the island are conveniently near to the large sand flats where the infamous sea worms (Sipunculus indicus) can be found in abundance. Unfortunately, these are not harvested from the sea as much as in some of the outer islands such as Tabiteuea but instead are harvested mostly as bait. This reluctance to fish for sea worms is generally regarded as an insult against a man’s ability and skill to fish in the lagoon and ocean. Lagoon fishing comprises eel trapping, diving, trolling and net fishing. As in other small lagoon-less atolls, such as Makin, Tamana and Arorae in the Gilbert group of islands, the islanders can only rely mainly on deep ocean fishing for their livelihood. In times of rough seas people simply switch to tinned food (mackerel, sardines, corned meat, and chicken) from the shop which is basically the same for all - 25 -

the other islands.

The main and major source of protein to atoll islanders is fish and shellfish as hardly any other animal can live and survive in the atolls with their limited vegetation. Pigs and chickens on the other hand take time to grow and are normally kept for special functions or family celebrations. Fish is therefore a daily protein that can be found in both the ocean and lagoon.

3.3.3 Pattern of fishing

Fishing is largely a man’s responsibility even though women are not restricted from fishing. Not every man owns a canoe or boat but the majority of the households either own a canoe/boat or have access to one. Nonetheless, it is extremely rare to borrow canoes belonging to other households unless it belongs to an immediate brother or sister of the family.

Canoes are highly priced items as they are hard to make and equally hard to get materials to construct one. The frames and planks are made up from imported timber obtained from Banaba, Nauru and South Tarawa while the outrigger is made from local wood mostly those that are light most of the time breadfruit, sea trumpet and the great lettuce tree. The fishing pattern on Onotoa is dependent on the ownership of a canoe/boat, fishing equipment and skills handed down from the fore-fathers.

Eel trapping is dependent on knowing how to construct an eel trap, sea worm fishing dependent on how and where it is probed while deep sea fishing depends on how far the line should be allowed and knowing what kind of bait to use to catch specific kinds of fish. Constructing a fish trap on the reef requires knowledge of the reef features, current and tides and so forth. All these know hows are family guarded secrets just as cultivation know hows of the different cultivated tree crops are also kept in the families. Fig 8: Fishing locations Figure 8 ((left) categorizes 300 household fishing activity generally 265 268 by area and method. Generally, 231 238 250 fishing takes a big part of the daily 194 lives of people on the outer islands 200 and for Onotoa, most households 150 use the all fishing areas according to whether they have fishing nets,

No. ofHHs 100 canoes, boats, diving gear or eel traps. 50 The chart shows that the most 0 popular area of fishing are areas Ocean Flat Lagoon Flat Ocean Lagoon Net Fishing where net fishing is carried out. Fishing location Net fishing is the most popular with 268 households carrying out this activity followed by lagoon flat fishing with 265 households, 238 households fish in the lagoon with 231 utilizing resources on the ocean flats with 194 able to access the ocean to fish. In the year 2000, 226 - 26 -

households owned canoes, 24 owned boats, 178 owned fishing nets and 11 owned cooler boxes. Eventually in 2005, households owning fishing nets increased to 208 and 21 cooler boxes. The unavailability of canoe and boat data in 2005 unfortunately rules out a comparative elaboration.

Canoe owners/fishermen generally will have the following fishing items:

a. Fishing lines of various sizes b. Two or more handmade lures c. A variety of hooks in different sizes d. A flying fish net (‘riena’) e. A wooden club for stunning big fish f. A knife g. Swimming goggles h. Torch (Preston E. Cloud Jr.)

There are two boat channels on the island of which one is located at the capital village while the other at Tabuarorae. These two channels provide safe passage for transportation of cargo and passengers from visiting ships.

3.3.4 Marine Developments

Before white men came and Kiribati was claimed a protectorate by the United Kingdom, sections of the reef flat and water areas of the lagoon were owned by men/clans who retained exclusive rights to fish such areas. A man who fished in these exclusive areas risked punitive measures by the clan owners. This system of ownership was done away with when the islands became British protectorates in 1892 (Preston E. Cloud Jr.). Such kind of reef ownership is now still evident in the stone fish traps that are still legally family owned where others are not allowed to fish in.

The Ministry of Fisheries & Marine Resources Development is responsible for marine development nevertheless; Island Councils on individual islands have their own marine developments. The most recent popular development by the MFMRD is the promotion of sea cucumber harvesting for income generation purposes. To this effect, the Fisheries department is carrying out underwater surveys for the different species of sea cucumbers specifically the white teat fish (Holothuria fuscogilna) numbers for

Table 5: Sea cucumber species and buying prices LOCAL NAMES COMMON NAMES SCIENTIFIC NAMES Buying Price/kg AUD Buraerae Prickly redfish Theleanata ananas 1.50 Kanimnim Sand fish Holothuria scabra 1.30 Kiriin Green fish Stichopus cholornatus 1.70 Mmamma mai White teatfish Holothuria fuscogilna 2.00 Nautoonga Blackfish Actinopyga miliaris 0.30 Ntabanebane Lolly fish Holothuria nobilis 0.30 Ro mmamma Black teatfish Holothuria nobilis 2.00

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Taika/te kuntaika Tiger leopard Bohadschia argus 1.30 Uraura Red surf Actinopyga mauritiana 1.80 Waeura Surf redfish Actinopyrga mauritiana 1.80 re-stocking purposes. Where the white teat fish are abundant, they are collected and taken back to the Fisheries headquarters in South Tarawa for breeding. The white teat sea cucumbers are bred in artificial tanks of which the young ones are used to restock depleting stocks on the outer islands. White teat fish (Holothuria fuscogilna) are as the most sought after restocking species from amongst the sea cucumbers because they have higher market prices compared to the other sea cucumber species.

3.3.5 Issues facing fishing and development of marine resources

Nonetheless, there are still fishing development issues facing the Onotoans such as:-

a. Lack of fishing equipment b. Depletion of the different species of sea cucumber especially the white teat fish c. Remoteness of the island makes it hard for them to access fish markets in South Tarawa d. Absence of an ice-plant has made salting, their only way of preserving fish

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3.4 Status of the Environment

Consistent with climate change, the most threatening environmental issue on the island is soil erosion that has been greatly exacerbated with the increasing sea level, increased marine aggregate resource mining and land reclamation. Other issues such as safe dumping of rubbish and effects of drought in bushfires are but some of the issues that is facing Onotoa and the rest of Kiribati. Islands in the south are especially vulnerable to bushfire threats during drought times and are most vulnerable to brackish wells.

Kiribati has been assessed and considered as being at relatively low risk from cyclones but storms can create major damage to food crops on the islands that are mostly mere strips of rocky coral land between the ocean and a lagoon (SPDRD Case studies of the Pacific 2002). These storms concur mostly with the rainy seasons which are towards the end of the year until the early months of the year.

Drought on the other hand is an ever- present threat to crops and human health. Drought brings with death and decreased production of land crops, brackishness to wells and vulnerability of lands to bushfires. The change in climate has brought with it more and longer periods of drought resulting in dying fruit trees, loss of income, increased water brackishness and generally, a toll on the living conditions of the people on the island.

Generally, coastal erosion is a rising reality and concern to the outer island communities including Onotoa who have no other option but to construct seawalls to protect their land and to avoid relocation to other villages or eventually islands. The construction of the causeway in the early 1990s joining Temao to Otoae has been one of the contributing factors to the increasing erosion experienced around the island, not to mention the initial dying of lagoon marine resources when it was first constructed without culverts. A couple of culverts have since been incorporated into the causeway but still, more are needed to allow the currents etc to return to original forms. Another causeway has also been built to connect Aiaki and the islet of Tabuarorae this time in a different form, more a pathway that will constructed on the reef/lagoon flat and accessible only during low tide for travelers between the islet of Tabuarorae and mainland Onotoa.

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Table 6: CC & SLR Onotoa GPS Coordinates

No. Lat/Lon hddd°mm'ss.s" Description 1 S1 56.717 E175 34.117 Eroded area 2 S1 57.113 E175 34.385 Eroded area 3 S1 56.642 E175 34.308 Eroded area 4 S1 56.616 E175 34.385 Eroded area/KPC Tabuarorae 5 S1 56.800 E175 34.781 Causeway 6 S1 56.477 E175 34.916 Accretion 7 S1 56.481 E175 35.339 Migration Beach 8 S1 56.966 E175 34.179 Fresh Water 9 S1 56.669 E175 34.283 Eroded area 10 S1 54.264 E175 36.904 Accretion 11 S1 53.974 E175 36.901 Accretion 12 S1 53.782 E175 36.898 Eroded area 13 S1 53.640 E175 36.878 Eroded area 14 S1 49.124 E175 33.269 Eroded area 15 S1 48.637 E175 32.805 Eroded area 16 S1 48.581 E175 32.457 Eroded area 17 S1 48.539 E175 32.281 Eroded area 18 S1 48.603 E175 32.404 Eroded area/RC Tanaeang 19 S1 48.355 E175 32.130 Fresh Water 20 S1 48.465 E175 32.132 Eroded area/KPC Tekatana 21 S1 48.200 E175 31.845 Eroded area 22 S1 48.279 E175 31.916 Eroded area 23 S1 52.572 E175 36.031 Eroded area 24 S1 52.485 E175 35.790 Eroded area 25 S1 52.346 E175 35.465 Eroded area 26 S1 52.259 E175 35.259 Eroded area 27 S1 52.215 E175 35.108 Eroded area/KPC Otoae 28 S1 52.184 E175 34.968 Eroded area/RC Otoae 29 S1 52.076 E175 34.703 Eroded area 30 S1 53.574 E175 36.873 Eroded area 31 S1 53.247 E175 36.753 Eroded area 32 S1 51.976 E175 34.591 Eroded area 33 S1 51.732 E175 34.169 Eroded area 34 S1 50.152 E175 33.002 Eroded area 35 S1 50.041 E175 32.984 Eroded area 36 S1 49.848 E175 33.017 Eroded area 37 S1 49.032 E175 33.232 Eroded area 38 S1 48.960 E175 33.206 Eroded area 39 S1 48.887 E175 33.176 Eroded area

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40 S1 48.662 E175 33.323 Fresh Water 41 S1 49.433 E175 33.160 Eroded area 42 S1 47.982 E175 31.665 Eroded area

Note: The following maps may not be north oriented for better display of climate change impacted areas.

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B SOCIAL SERVICES/INFRASTRUCTURE

3.5 Education

The data used in this section are derived from the Educational Statistical Yearbook for the years 2004 to 2006, census data from the National Statistics Office (NSO) and SPC 2005 PopGis statistics derived from the NSO data. The National Statistics collects such data during census times while the education data are compiled by head-teachers and, submitted to the Statistical Unit of the Ministry of Education who update their database every year from data submitted by the Principles and Head teachers on the outer island schools. All the islands of Kiribati now have several primary schools and one junior secondary school on them with the number depending on the population and land size of the islands i.e. there three Primary schools and one JSS in Onotoa. There is no pre-school as yet on Banaba and thus children start their formal education in their 6th year when they start primary school.

There are 4 types of schools (not counting tertiary schools) within the formal education system in Kiribati, namely primary, junior secondary, combined junior/senior secondary, and senior secondary. The first 2 types of school, primary and junior secondary are independently located on every island for accessibility by all children of school age. However, pre-schools are not yet included in the Government school system as yet even though they support them anyway. The Island Councils as such promote their own pre-schools and pay their own pre-school teachers. The national/universal junior secondary schooling program started in1998 initially with four schools established on different islands and by 2002, all islands in Kiribati had one JSS established whence free absorbing of primary school pupils straight into junior secondary school. Class 1 to Form 4 are free education services by the Government of Kiribati to the nation.

Pre-school attendance generally starts at the age of 3 when the children are still learning to talk and continue until the child is 5 years old. At 6, formal education officially commences at Class 1 in the primary school for the children until they reach Class 6 at the age of 11. At the age of 12, the children then automatically enter Junior Secondary School after completing Class 6 in Primary schools. They remain in JSS for 3 years (Form 1-3) before competing for a place in Form 4 in one of the various Senior Secondary Schools located mostly in South Tarawa and the outer islands of the Gilbert group including Kiritimati in the Line group. There are several church schools belonging to the Roman Catholics, Kiribati Protestants, Mormons and the SDA respectively that are located mostly in South Tarawa, Kiritimati island and others on the outer islands of Kiribati. The Government, after KGV/EBS located in South Tarawa also has another high school (Teabike) in Tabiteuea

To teach in primary school, one has to have at least reached Form 5 (minimum qualification) to be eligible to enter the Teacher’s college whereas to teach at junior or senior secondary schools, one has to have at least reached Form 7 in senior high school. Having undergone the required trainings and having attained the minimum academic qualifications required by the national authorities to be qualified to give classes at schools (Education Digest 2006), teachers can then enter the education system as qualified teachers. Teacher trainings are given out at the Kiribati Teachers College in South Tarawa that requires a minimum two year intensive training to be qualified or certified to teach classes in schools. Prevalent on the outer islands in the education system is the recruitment of so called ‘monitors’ (those who have not undergone or attained qualification to become teachers) to assist in teaching the children especially when teachers are lacking due to transfer and traveling problems.

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Table 7: Senior secondary schools in Kiribati

Name of School School Type Location 1 Chevalier School Senior Secondary (SS) Abemama 2 Church of God High School SS South Tarawa 3 George Eastman High School SS Nonouti 4 Hiram Bingham High School SS Beru 5 Immaculate Heart College SS North Tarawa 6 Kauma High School Combined Junior & Senior (CS) Abemama 7 King George V & Elaine Bernacchi SS South Tarawa 8 Meleangi Tabai High School SS Tabuaeran 9 Moroni High School CS South Tarawa 10 Sacred Heart High School SS South Tarawa 11 St Joseph's College SS Abaiang 12 St. Francis High School SS Kiritimati 13 St.Louis High School SS South Tarawa 14 Stephen Whitmee High School SS Abaiang 25 Teabike College SS Tabiteuea North 16 William Goward Memorial School SS South Tarawa

3.5.1 Number of school age children, proportion enrolled in schools

A total of 357 children enrolled in the three primary schools on Onotoa in 2005 (PopGis) of which there were 187 males and 170 females distributed in Classes 1 to 6. The JSS students numbered 120 with 73 boys and 47 girls. Fig 9: Proportional enrolment Proportional attendance of JSS primary school pupils as against 1 Never been Primary JSS students on Onotoa would 6 not be a fair comparison as there are thrice the number of Primary school pupils than JSS students. 19 Left 7 However, on their own (Primary

School enrolment School and JSS), proportional

100 attendance of primary school Attended 344 pupils against those who left and those who have never been to

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 400 school is quite high in favor of the No. of Students/pupils number who attended primary school at 96.4%, 344 Source: PopGis 2005 pupils of the initial 357 that enrolled in 2005. 7 (1.9%) left without completing primary school while a further 6 (1.7%) had never attended primary school at all. JSS attendees on the other hand totaled 120 students. Of this, 100 (83%) of the initial enrolments of 120 attended JSS in 2005, quite a high number of 19 (15.8%) left without completing JSS while 1 (0.9%) never attended JSS at all.

Generally, among reasons such as being disabled, poor beyond reason or plain parental ignorance of the importance of education, it is interesting to know that in this present age that there are still children who are not attending school. The Gilbert group trend in the last years of families and parents inviting

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and sending children to South Tarawa to access schools there that are believed to offer quality training than on the outer islands has slowly been solved through the upgrading of present teacher training and existing teacher qualifications. The establishment of JSS on the outer islands has also helped considerably in stemming the flow of junior secondary students from the outer islands. Another reason for children having left school includes having parents as Government employees being transferred to another location on another island within the country or migrating to New Zealand under the Pacific Access Category.

Those that have never attended school has greatly decreased but can still be found throughout the country. Most of the time, children not attending school at all is mostly due to either the child or the parents being disabled in one way or another.

3.5.2. Breakdown of school enrolment at different levels

There are 3 primary schools on Onotoa namely ‘Te Wii n Oota’ located between Buariki and Tanaeang, ‘Ootan Kariraia’ located at Tabuarorae islet and ‘Biken Aioto’ located between Otoae and Aiaki. Pupils from the villages of Tekawa, Tanaeang, Buariki and Temao attend the ‘Te Wii n Oota’ Primary School, Aiaki and Otoae pupils attend the ‘Biken Aioto’ Primary School and ‘Ootan Kariraia’ Primary School accommodates the Tabuarorae pupils. Tebuota JSS is located near to Biken Aioto primary school, located between the villages of Otoae and Aiaki for equal access to students from both ends of the island.

Table 8: Number enrolled in different schools No. of Pupils No. of Teachers Onotoa 2006 2006 Total Total FM FM Bikenaioto Primary School 32 39 71 415 Otan Kariraia Primary School 21 26 47 213 Tewinnota Primary School 95 96 191 437 Total 148 161 309 10 5 15 Source: Education Digest 2006

In 2006, there was a total of 309 pupils attending the three primary schools on Onotoa. Of this there were 148 females and 161 males. 71 (23.2%) of the 306 students were enrolled at Biken Aioto Primary School, 47 (15.4%) were enrolled at Otan Kariraia (Tabuarorae) and the majority of 191 (62.4%) were enrolled at the mainland primary school, ‘Te Wii n Oota’.

Fig 10: Proportional enrolment in primary and junior secondary

JSS students on the other hand totaled 166 of which there were 97 female and 69 male students. There were 53 (32%) enrolled in Form 1, 52 (31%) in Form 2 and 61 (37%) in Form 3.

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3.5.3 Number of teachers and ratio

The national teacher pupil ratio was 26 pupils to 1 qualified/certified teacher in 2006 however, the teacher:pupil ratio on Onotoa varied amongst the three primary schools and JSS.

Table 9: Teacher/Pupil ratio School No. of Students No. of Teacher:Pupil Ratio Teachers Te Wii N Oota 191 7 1:27 Biken Aioto 47 3 1:16 Ootan Kariraia 71 5 1:14 Tebuota JSS 166 8 1:20

3.5.4 Percentage of pupils completing Primary and JSS

In effect, from the initial number who enrolled in primary school on Onotoa at any of the three primary schools was 357, 96.4% of these attended school, 7 (1.9%) left without completing primary school while a further 6 (1.7%) had never attended primary school at all. JSS students attending school on the other hand totaled 120 students. Of this, 100 (83%) of the initial enrolments of 120 attended JSS in 2005, quite a high number of 19 (15.8%) left without completing JSS while 1 (0.9%) never attended JSS at all.

Unfortunately, completion of Primary and JSS school data are not available to clarify the completion percentage of these school students. However, the PoPGis data showed that in 2005, 789 islanders (aged over 25 years) had gone to school. Of this, 579 (73%) completed primary school, 0.1% was a graduate while 55 (7%) completed secondary school. The rest 157 (20%) either did not complete schools or did not attend school at all. None of these 789 people ever went to Primary school, the most obvious reason being that pre-schools had not been introduced to the islands then.

3.5.5 Number of schools, type and state of facilities

Onotoa has three types of school, pre-schools, primary schools and a junior secondary school. The first primary school on Onotoa was called ‘Otakou’ Primary School that used to accommodate children from all over the island. As Kiribati developed and the need for schools increased, ‘Otakou’ was deserted when the new primary school ‘Te Wii n Oota’ was built between the villages of Buariki and Tanaeang that would accommodate children from the four villages of the mainland Onotoa and another two built for the villages of Otoae and Aiaki and one for the islet of Tabuarorae.

These schools are new and therefore in pretty much in piece. School desks and chairs are however lacking as in most of the outer island schools thus children sit on the floor on mats woven from coconut fronds or pandanus leaves. Fortunately all classrooms are equipped with blackboards, the main teaching instrument as whiteboards are a recent development and the schools do not have a generator to use media as an alternative teaching instrument.

The JSS on the other hand is better equipped with toilets and furniture i.e. desks and chairs however there are some school facilities still lacking at Tebuota JSS such as a library and science laboratory. As a legal requirement for all schools, they are to be provided with safe and appropriate toilet facilities. The following toilet / person ratios were deemed appropriate for Kiribati conditions including Banaba: • 1:40 for girls; • 1:60 for boys; and • 1:25 for teachers in urban schools only (it is assumed that teachers in all other schools will have

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