REPUBLIC OF NAURU Nauru Bulletin INSIDE THIS ISSUE: I S S U E 2 4 - 2 0 1 2 / 7 5 11 DECEMBER 2012

 Nauru’s development since 2004: Perspective of an Our Airline resumes Majuro service Australian expat on Nauru auru‟s national carrier The round trip service will N Our Airline resumed link Brisbane, Nauru, Majuro  Goodwin joins commercial air services yester- and Tarawa each week and finance team day (10 Dec) between Nauru Nadi every other week. and the Marshall Islands.  Taiwan volunteer The destination was revisited donates IT resources While the air services agreement several months ago with has been in place for several chartered flights to the  Nauru schools years, commercial flights have Marshall Islands‟ capital expect volunteer not. This commercial arrange- Nauru’s national carrier Our Majuro. The resumption of teachers in 2013 ment was sealed last month (13 Airline resumed commercial the route is a welcome move Nov) in a Memorandum of services to Majuro yesterday for Nauruan families living in Understanding (MoU) signed (10Dec) the Marshall Islands – by the Marshall Islands offering a direct flight to government and Our Airline Tanoa International Hotel. The Nauru. Chief Executive Officer Geoff event will be hosted by Nauru‟s Bowmaker on behalf of the High Commissioner Jarden Our Airline staff have also Nauru government. Kephas. conducted training of local staff in Majuro in the areas of The official function to launch Minister for Finance Hon sales and reservation, check-in yesterday‟s (10 Dec) inaugural Roland Kun and Secretary for procedures, catering, security flight (Nauru, Majuro, Tarawa Transport Lesi Olsson were on and safety awareness▪ and Nadi) will be held this the flight and will be attending evening in Nadi Fiji at the the event. Haulagi takes out Dux award wenty year old Nauruan student Niga Haulagi Niga‟s tuition in Fiji was funded by his T recently graduated from high school taking parents - Samson and Lilly until this year with him the Dux award and eight other academic when he was awarded a full scholarship by and sports achievements. the Nauru government. His achievements have made both his family and country proud. The awards Niga achieved are Dux, Best All Rounder, Sportsman of the Year, First Place (in “I wasn‟t expecting the Dux prize, since there class), Most Improved, Leadership Award, Subject were a lot of smart students in my form. I Niga Haulagi - prize in maths, physics and introduction to believe that my patience and hard work has surprised by his technology. got me through. school Dux award In his final year at high school Niga was elected “I want to thank the Almighty Lord for head boy at Levuka Public Secondary School on having favour in my life, in choosing me to Fiji‟s Ovalau Island where he attended for five be the Head Boy, Dux and the Best All years. Rounder,” Niga said.

Niga was accompanied at the awards ceremony by Niga is looking at furthering his studies in High Commissioner Jarden Kephas. aircraft engineering in the new academic GOVERNMENT INFORMATION OFFICE INFORMATION GOVERNMENT year▪ P A G E 2 Nauru’s development since 2004 Perspective of an Australian expat on Nauru

Peter Depta is from the and higher taxes and needs to keep its sights Australian Treasury and charges and cutting many looking forward and not has been deployed to the government programs and backward. Instead of focusing Nauru Department of some departments. We also on what the previous Finance three times since cut the payroll introducing generation was or was not 2004. He is now here as the $140 per fortnight salary for paid or is owed, I think the a Finance Adviser to all Government employees. budget should be clearly build capacity with the directed at NSDS priorities, Acting Secretary for Things were tough. in particular, the next Peter Depta was Finance and finishes up in generation of Nauruans January (recruitment for his I remember one time a should be given top priority deployed to Nauru in replacement is currently mother and her young child through better education/ 2004 as secretary for underway through came into my office wanting training and health services Finance when reform PACTAM). $10 for food because they and infrastructure, measures were were hungry. Turning her employment opportunities, introduced by then Nauru Bulletin asked Peter away empty-handed was as well as financial systems Nauru government for his unique perspectives one of the toughest things I which will provide a secure on how Nauru has changed have ever had to do. future for Nauru‟s children. since 2004 and his views on Nauru going forward. However, I think many of So as I approach the end of these hard decisions have my current deployment “When I first came to Nauru as paid dividends and over the people ask me will I be the Secretary for Finance in past 8 years or so I back? The last two times I July 2004 Nauru was a very have noticed a dramatic was here I left never expecting different place to what it is difference. Incomes are to be back. However, in my today. In 2004 the budget higher, there is more local experience „never‟ is a really was only $13 million and farming/fishing, you see long time and who knows, Reform is an the Government could not more people exercising, the you „never‟ know what the afford even basic services; Island is looking great future holds.” ongoing process today it‟s over $62 million thanks to clean and green, (excluding donor funds). infrastructure is better and Nauru should (power, water, telecommu- not be complacent Salaries were only paid nications, fuel etc) and periodically (if at all), mining has commenced Contributed by Peter Depta and slip back into electricity supply was again. sporadic, fuel rationing was the ways of the commonplace, phones In the department of largely didn‟t work (there Finance processes are past: Depta were no mobiles), there was running more smoothly and no mining, etc. budget processes are more transparent. In this environment the Australian finance team was Nevertheless, reform is an deployed to assist the new ongoing process and Nauru reform Government to turn should not be complacent this around and tough and slip back into the ways decisions were made. These of the past. In developing included introducing new further reform I think Nauru

NAURU BULLETIN I S S U E 2 4 - 2 0 1 2 / 7 5 P A G E 3 Goodwin joins finance team ast month (Nov) the Department of Finance welcomed L Sarah Goodwin as the new deputy Secretary for Treas- ury, taking over certain checks and balance procedures while at the same time build local capacity for the position. Sarah Goodwin joins the finance team as Ms Goodwin also took over responsibilities of authorizing deputy secretary to payment vouchers and cheque signing from Javan Tamakin Treasury who has also been acting in the position of Secretary for Finance.

One of the key aims of Ms Goodwin‟s assignment is to implement mechanisms to reduce unnecessary repetition and to enable continuity in the whole PV process.

Ms Goodwin is also responsible for the continued implementation of the Financial Management Information System (FMIS). FMIS is a fully integrated accounting budgeting system that was installed in Treasury and across all government departments last year.

Ms Goodwin is recruited under the Australian Volunteers program Pacific Technical Assistance Mechanism (PACTAM).

Her career in finance spans more than a decade. Her most recent work has been in Afghanistan as finance advisor to a non-government organization and in 2009 was the trust accounts advisor in Papua New Guinea▪

Taiwan volunteer donates IT resources ast week (3 Dec) the His role was later expanded L Taiwan Embassy held a when the education department special luncheon to hand over required an IT to train teachers Information Technology (IT) and principals on how to use books to the Minister for the computer. Education Roland Kun and Director for ICT Geoffrey “I find that there were no Harris. professional books at the schools so that the teachers The donation of 26 IT books could use to help themselves, so Minister Kun thanked Mr Liang ICT Director was initiated by Mr Ryan Liang I put in a proposal to for his good work at ICT and Geoffrey Harris (L) a Taiwan volunteer who has the [Taiwan government‟s] the schools and wished him a accepting book donation been working with the ICT International Cooperation safe journey home. from Taiwan IT volunteer department for the past year. Development Fund (ICDF). Ryan Liang Mr Liang departed Nauru last Mr Liang who has finished his “ICDF approved and got 20 week (5 Dec) for Taiwan. He deployment in Nauru last week books, two for each of the plans to travel and climb Mount was responsible for developing schools where I have worked Everest as mountaineering is the government website and and another extra 6 for ICT also one of his passions▪ troubleshooting its network and Nauru. The books are Windows printers. seven and Office 2010,” Mr Liang said.

Nauru schools expect volunteer teachers in 2013

he Education Department is senior volunteers to undertake T expecting five senior teacher work with Nauru Education, there volunteers recruited under the Fiji had been a significant number of Volunteer Scheme (FVS) before applicants because of the popular- the start of the 2013 academic ity of the scheme. year. This agreement allows Nauru to co-partner with the government of The recruitment process is Fiji to meet the costs of the volun- underway with the Nauru High teers. Commissioner Jarden Kephas, Third Secretary Masau Detudamo The volunteers will be paid an and a member of the Fiji education allowance indexed to the average department making up the Nauru’s High Commissioner to salary in that profession. Fifty per selection panel. Fiji Jarden Kephas (L) and Fiji’s cent will be paid by the FVS in Fiji dollars and the other 50 per Permanent Secretary Public “Seven expatriate teachers have cent for transportation and decided not to renew their Service Commission Pramesh accommodation will be provided contracts so the five volunteers Chand following the MoA signing by Nauru. will replace them and the rest will in October be covered by our local teachers,” The return airfares for the Secretary for Education Dr Maria volunteers will be met by the Fiji Gaiyabu said. government▪

Since the signing of the Memoran- dum of Agreement (MOA) for

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