• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Ad – Bottom Content

Payload Asia

Building global relationships in Pacific region

Payload Asia

Leaderboard

  • Home
  • Latest News
  • Channels 
    • Carriers
    • Aircraft Manufacturers
    • Airports
    • Courier & Mail
    • Freight Forwarders
    • Express
    • Ground Handling & Cargo Terminals
    • Logistics
  • 10th Payload Asia Awards
    • About
    • Categories
    • Winners Circle – 9th PLA Awards
    • Winners Circle – 10th PLA Awards
    • Awards Gallery
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • More 
    • Event Calendar
    • Directory
    • Contact Us
Share

Building global relationships in Pacific region

July 1, 2007 by Payload Asia

The year 2007 has been dubbed by the US as ‘The Year of the Pacific’. There are great opportunities for New Zealand but only if we take an active role and do everything practicable to build an ongoing relationship with ourPacific neighbours.

Fiji, the Cooks, Vanuatu, Samoa, are still seen by many New Zealanders as the most popular choice for the perfect island holiday and Kiwis rush to book package holidays to these paradise destinations right on our front doorstep.

Despite recent incidents of civil unrest in the Pacific Islands, Air New Zealand in April announced it would boost services between Auckland, Rarotonga and Los Angeles.

The Pacifi c region has long occupied a central place in New Zealand’s foreign policy. Overall, the percentage of the New Zealand population that identify themselves as being of Pacifi c ethnicity has grown rapidly over recent decades and now accounts for 6.9 percent of the total population.

Journalist Michael Field, who has been writing articles and books on the Pacifi c since 1974, believes New Zealand is seen as a "warm and accepted neighbour in Pacifi c, free of the overbearing allegations often laid against Australians".

New Zealand clearly has a commitment to strengthening relationships with the Pacifi c. The Government’s Pacifi c Access scheme, along with the traditional Samoan quota and new seasonal work programmes, will open additional opportunities for Pacifi c people.

But, with the expansion of trade and travel, comes the need to provide effective management and security at the border. "Border control is vague at best," Field says. "Even in places like Fiji, which has a degree of sophistication, the recent unrest allowed a well known conman to fl ee and escape to Vanuatu.

"Pacific states are proud of their sovereignty and they do seek control of their borders. However they are faced with the reality that the infrastructures needed to do the job are expensive." New Zealand Customs manager, international relations, Richard Bargh says while it is diffi cult to point to any specifi c instances of lapses in border control, "we know that Pacifi c Island institutions are not strong and where there’s instability and disestablishment it can fl ow on.

"The weaker the border systems are in Pacifi c countries, the more likely it is that risk will fi lter through to New Zealand."

Bargh says New Zealand has funded a number of capacity building projects recently. A critically important project will be the scoping of a customs automated system that all Pacifi c administrations can use, which will enhance systems for information collection.

As an example of what can be done, New Zealand and Australia ran a capacity building project in Tonga last year, which assisted the government of that country to increase its revenue signifi cantly.

"We’ve had a very good relationship with Pacifi c countries in the past and have been seen as the moderate voice on key issues," Bargh says. "But there is still a lot we can do to further that relationship."

Already, New Zealand Customs, Immigration and other border agencies are currently working on an Integrated Border Security Strategy, which will ensure that border agencies are working together on common objectives.

New Zealand Customs Pacifi c liaison offi cer, John Houghton says geographic isolation, small economies and the absence of land boundaries in the Pacifi c, present real challenges.

"As a consequence, New Zealand Customs has had a long history of engagement in the Pacifi c, both bilaterally and regionally," Houghton says.

Robert Taylor, head of the secretariat of the Oceania Customs Organisation, or OCO, has noted that the New Zealand Customs Service is viewed very positively in the Pacifi c. The OCO is an important regional organisation. Taylor describes the Customs Service as "highly professional, advanced, experts." He observes that Houghton’s position has raised the profi le even further.

At the same time, Taylor said, the New Zealand government should be praised for making it possible for the OCO Secretariat to have a permanent home in Suva, Fiji.

These kind of initiatives help move OCO countries towards gaining the necessary global standards that would see them able to trade more effectively on a world stage.

The OCO works closely with its bigger, global partner, the World Customs Organisation (WCO), which represents 171 countries, to ensure that the smaller countries in the Pacific can access the full range of WCO tools and resources. Six OCO members are WCO members – New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Papua New Guinea.

But while capacity building projects are underway in the Pacific, border security continues to be a hot topic.

"If we have weak borders in our neighbouring countries, it can open the door to exploitation from individual criminals, and the more sophisticated organised criminal syndicates," says Matthew Gibbs, the Pacifi c Immigration Directors’ Conference (PIDC) head of secretariat.

"Countries with weak or outdated legislation, combined with a perception of corruptibility, are soft targets for criminal elements looking for bases to establish wider crime networks. This also raises the issue of terrorism," he says.

Dean Blakemore, the new Immigration regional liaison offi cer – Pacifi c Border Security Group, based in Apia says the solution to immigration and related border issues cannot be solved by one agency or country alone.

"We are beginning to recognise the signifi cance and value of having a presence in the Pacifi c whereby we can work closely with our colleagues for the greater good of the region. This requires buy-in from a governmental level and dedicated fi nancial backing over the long term."

Other Topics: Air & Cargo Services, air cargo, Air Cargo Asia, air cargo freight, Air Forwarding, air freight, Air Freight Asia, Air Freight Logistics, air freighter, air freighting, Air Logistics Asia, Air Shipping Asia, airlines cargo, airways cargo, asia cargo news, cargo aviation

Related Articles

  • Kuehne+Nagel offers SAF option with Lenovo
  • FedEx adds Asia-Europe capacity with new PEK-CDG route
  • IATA’s new North Asia head returns to Beijing
  • Vietnam’s IPP Air Cargo targets September launch
  • CEVA Logistics opens new warehouse in the Philippines
  • Cainiao boosts parcel services to Pakistan and Bangladesh

Ad – After Content

Primary Sidebar

Trending News

  • Cainiao, Saudia Cargo and WFS/SATS join forces 204 views
  • e-commerce drives operators to add more capacity via BOH 183 views
  • One Record Hackathon in Doha ends on high note 177 views
  • Freight transport stakeholders to discuss net-zero path at COP28 107 views

Payload Asia Awards

  • Air cargo takes spotlight at 8th Payload Asia Awards 3k views
  • Payload Asia Awards A toast to excellence, resilience at 7th Payload Asia Awards 2.1k views
  • Top players reunite at the 9th Payload Asia Awards 1.3k views
  • 9th Payload Asia Awards set on 28 October 1.1k views

Subscribe To
Our Newsletter



By submitting this form, you are consenting to receive marketing emails from: . You can revoke your consent to receive emails at any time by using the SafeUnsubscribe® link, found at the bottom of every email. Emails are serviced by Constant Contact

Payload Asia continues to be the authoritative source for informative, accurate and up-to-date news and information on the air cargo industry and related sectors.
With its updated and refreshed look the print edition continues to provide high quality coverage on the Asia-Pacific, India-Middle East, Europe-CIS, North & South America and Africa air cargo markets.

© 2021 Harvest Information. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy

Partner Sites : Asia Food Journal . and Television Asia Plus .

We use cookies and similar technologies to improve your browsing experience.
Continuing to use this site means you agree to our use of cookies. I agreeRead More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non Necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

Analytics

Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.

Performance

Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.

Advertisement

Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.

Save & Accept

Disclaimer: Translations on this website are automated using Google Translate. While we strive for accuracy, please be cautious, as machine translations may contain errors. For critical or sensitive content, consider seeking professional human translation. We are not liable for any reliance on the translated content.

1