Tata Crocombe delivered a paper from Dr. Te’o I. J Fairbairn (University of Newcastle) on New Guinea’s First Development Plan in 1968.
Tata Crocombe at Festschrift
Author: multinesia
Vilsoni Hereniko at Festschrift
Professor Vilsoni Hereniko delivered a paper on cultural translation and contemporary filmmaking in Oceania at the Festschrift for Ron Crocombe, August 12-13 in Rarotonga.
Professor Hereniko is Director of the Oceania Centre for Arts, Culture and Pacific Studies at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji.
The session was chaired by Emeritus Professor Albert Wendt of the University of Auckland.
Academic papers honour Crocombe
COOK ISLANDS NEWS
Fri 13 Aug
A number of academics presented their papers in honour of the late Professor Ron Crocombe at a festschrift yesterday.
Professor Peter Larmour of Australian National University talked about Crocombe’s research into the problem of corruption throughout the Pacific. “Ron was a pioneer in the study of corruption in the region, and he paid increasing attention to it in his writing,” the paper reads. The paper explores Crocombe’s argument that Pacific leaders are under increasing pressure from Asian countries, and that the future of their countries will depend on their integrity as people.
Instead of selling out or giving over to corruption, governments have a choice – to save their countries or to save themselves. Crocombe said that ethics shouldn’t be about rules and consequences but about virtue – the integrity of ‘quality’ individuals. “Virtue ethics may be particularly relevant to leaders, who are in a position to make their own rules, and may not have to suffer the consequences of their corrupt behaviour,” Larmour’s paper reads.
Professor Peggy Fairbairn-Dunlop of AUT shared her research, which makes a link between Pacific students in New Zealand joining Poly clubs and their success in school. She concluded that membership in Pacific clubs “built youth sense of self-esteem, identity and belonging” and positively influenced students’ marks in school. The paper is relevant given that by 2021, the Pacific population is expected to form 9 per cent of New Zealand’s total population.
Of particular interest to local scholars was Professor Hiroshi Moriwaki’s talk on the geology of Rarotonga. Moriwaki collaborated with Gerald McCormack of the local organisation Natural Heritage Trust, local George Cowan and Paul Maoate of the ministry of infrastructure and planning and Toshiro Nagasako and Mitsuru Okuno of Fukuoka University, Kei Kawai of Kagoshima University, to do his research.
To those who are not familiar with geological terminology, the paper is a bit daunting, but it makes some interesting points. Since 4000 BP, the southern shoreline has been advancing seaward, but in Matavera and Tupapa, the shoreline has remained nearly the same, probably due to blockage by certain limestone ridges. Beach ridge plains are higher on the eastern coasts because when the reefs vary, so too does wave movement, and wave movement determines sand distribution.
A number of other scholars and writers presented their papers and research yesterday, and more will do so today, the final day of the conference.
Rachel Reeves
Remembering a remarkable man
COOK ISLANDS NEWS
FRI 13 AUG
Once in a while remarkable people walk into our lives and they never leave – even when they die. Those were the words of Pacific author and academic Professor Albert Wendt talking at yesterday’s festschrift for Professor Ron Crocombe.
Wendt first got to know Papa Ron, as he was fondly known, and his wife Marjorie in the early 1970s when they convinced him to move from Samoa to the University of the South Pacific’s Laucala Bay campus in Suva in 1973. He said looking back it was one of the best moves he and his family ever made and he will be forever grateful to the Crocombes.
Wendt was a keynote speaker at the two-day ‘Conference for Festschrift for Ron Crocombe’ which began at the USP, Rarotonga yesterday. The gathering is to celebrate the life of the well-respected academic who championed the Pacific and Pacific academics. The gathering was attended by around 100 colleagues, friends and families.
In academia, a festschrift is a book honouring a respected person, especially an academic. Wendt said many academics had voyaged on the Crocombe vaka and while some wanted to “jump ship” because the captain was too demanding, those on the journey gained immensely.
Papa Ron’s son Tata said his father always loved such Pacific gatherings as the festschrift but would have never accepted the invitation if he had known it was about him. “He would probably be waving placards outside in protest,” he said as the audience smiled and nodded in agreement.
Attendees were yesterday welcomed into the festschrift with a traditional turou before a hymn and a prayer began proceedings.
Papa Ron died last year in Auckland on his way back home to Rarotonga after a trip to Tonga. Makiuti Tongia, the president of the Cook Islands Research Association, said the wind and rain on Wednesday night indicated Papa Ron’s presence at the gathering.
Prime Minister Jim Marurai, who welcomed guests, said Papa Ron had made “an enormous impact on us all”. Marurai said Papa Ron was a man who held up a mirror so people could see and learn about themselves, even if that image was harsh. “He was one of our favourite sons,” Marurai said.
The conference for the late Prof Crocombe, an Emeritus Professor of Pacific Studies, continues today and will feature a number of papers presented by people who had worked with him or whose lives he had touched as well as tributes and personal recollections from his family.
A portrait of Papa Ron by Dominic Crocombe was also unveiled at the conference yesterday.
The memories to be shared at the conference go back to the early days in Papua New Guinea, his time at the Australian National University, and his time at the USP in Fiji, but also include some more recent recollections from two Japanese academics who worked with Prof. Crocombe on surveying the Holocene geomorphic development of Rarotonga. Or most simply put, determining how old Rarotonga is.
Prof. Crocombe has been described as many things a great scholar, historian, commentator and distinguished academic. But, perhaps more than that, he will always be remembered as someone who recognised the potential in everyone regardless of their station in life.
Martin Tiffany
Conference honours Ron Crocombe
Festschrift for Ron Crocombe (1929-2009)
University of the South Pacic, Rarotonga, Cook Islands
12 – 13 August 2010
An extraordinary group of distinguished scholars will gather on Rarotonga to celebrate the life and achievements of one of the founding fathers of Pacific scholarship, known fondly to all as Papa Ron.
In a testament to the many lives Ron Crocombe has touched, speakers will travel from New Zealand, Australia, Fiji, Hawai’i, Vanuatu, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea and Japan to present papers on a wide range of topics, from land tenure and development to politics, geography, biology, health, media, filmmaking and publishing.
Writer, artist and Emeritus Professor Albert Wendt will give the keynote address from a personal perspective, looking at how Ron’s research, writing, and teaching helped shape and develop the entire eld of Pacic Studies and influenced generations of Paseka scholars, researchers, teachers, historians and artists.
Speakers include:
- Dr. Linda Crowl – Divine Word University, Papua New Guinea
- Professor Peggy Fairbairn-Dunlop – Foundation Professor of Pacic Studies, Auckland University of Technology
- Professor Vilsoni Hereniko – Director of Pacic Studies & Oceania Art Centre, University of the South Pacific (USP), Fiji
- Neti Tamarua Herman – University of Auckland
- Dr. Elise Huffer – Human Development Programme Advisor, Secretariat of the Pacific Community, Fiji
- Professor Jon Tikivanotau Jonassen – Brigham Young University, Laie, Hawaii
- Dr. Kei Kawai – University of Kagoshima, Japan
- Professor Brij Lal – Australian National University
- Professor Hugh Laracy – University of Auckland
- Dr. Peter Larmour – Australian National University
- Dr. Ueantabo McKenzie – Campus Director, USP, Kiribati
- Professor Hiroshi Moriwaki – University of Kagoshima, Japan
- Dr. Doug Munro – Victoria University, Wellington
- Dr. Howard Van Trease – Honorary Research Fellow, USP, Emalus Campus, Vanuatu
Local presenters include:
- Hon. Jim Marurai, Prime Minister of the Cook Islands
- Ross Holmes – Lawyer
- Hon. Wilkie Rasmussen – Minister of Finance, Cook Islands Government
- Iaveta Short – Lawyer and Businessman
- Makiuti Tongia, Cook Islands Research Association
- Lisa Williams-Lahari – Coordinator, International Federation of Journalists, Cook Islands
The event will also include a Pacic Artists and Writers Forum and a personal remembrance, “The Other Side of Ron,” from the Crocombe family. A book will be published to honour his many achievements.
Download the conference programme and handbook here:
Festschrift for Ron Crocombe
The Cook Islands Research Association, in association with the Library and Museum Society and the University of the South Pacic Cook Islands Campus, is pleased to announce a Call for Papers and Conference for a Festschrift celebrating the life and work of the distinguished scholar Ron Crocombe, who passed away last year.
Papers will celebrate the life and work of Ron Crocombe, and relate to, or reect upon Ron’s contributions to the study of the Pacic. A selection of papers presented at the conference will be published as a Festschrift which will also include a list of academic colleagues and friends who wish to recall or honour Ron’s personal, public or academic life. Maori and French language sections will be included in the publication together with submitted artworks and poetry.
The conference will be held in Rarotonga 12 – 13 August, 2010, following the 10th International Symposium of the Pacic Arts Association in Rarotonga 9 – 11 August, 2010.
Selection Panel
Brij Lal, Albert Wendt, Patrick Nunn, Peggy Fairbairn-Dunlop, Peter Larmour, Vilsoni Hereniko, Howard van Trease, Jon Jonassen, Ted Wolfers and Marjorie Crocombe. Editor: Rod Dixon
Conference Location
University of the South Pacic, Cook Islands Campus,Takamoa, Rarotonga
Deadlines
Final date for abstracts – 15 April, 2010
Final date for papers – 30 June, 2010
Submissions
Please send your abstract, title, paper and contact details to:
Rod Dixon, Editor
Mail: Director, University of the South Pacic Cook Islands Campus, P O Box 130, Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Via New Zealand Courier: Director, University of the South Pacic, Cook Islands Campus, Takamoa, Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Phone: (682) 29415
Fax: (682) 21315
Email: dixon_r@usp.ac.fj
Registration
Registration is free and will take place at the conference venue. To assist the organizers with this event it would be greatly appreciated if you could conrm your participation by emailing Rod Dixon: dixon_r@usp.ac.fj by 28th May 2010.
Accommodation
Rarotonga has a wide variety of accommodation offerings from four star to backpacker accommodation and ranging in price from $NZ1,500 to NZ$35 a night. All accommodation enquiries will be handled by Kristina at Destination Management Cook Islands. Email: Kristina@dmck.co.ck.
CIRA Membership
To all our members and intending members, should you wish to join or update your membership, the
rates are as follows:
Student: $10 per year
Ordinary: $20 per year
Five Year Membership: $100
Life members: $1,000
Life patron: $10,000
Please forward payment, name and contact details to:
Anna Koteka
P.O Box 11, Rarotonga, Cook Islands
Email: kotekas@oyster.net.ck
RIP Papa Ron
PAPA RON CROCOMBE
1929 – 2009
Ron Crocombe and I ran this blog together for 16 months. It was one of many projects he pushed in his indefatigable quest to promote Pacific scholarship and Pacific voices. He was a tireless multi-tasker who collaborated with colleagues around the globe, often without fanfare or recognition.
I volunteered my services after the first conference of the Cook Islands Research Association in February 2008, an organization founded by “Papa Ron” and a team of scholars to promote research and dialogue about our homeland.
The conference was a great success. People came from around the Pacific to present fascinating papers on critical issues like land rights, fish poisoning and nuclear exposure. A swarm of new members and distinguished patrons signed up, swelling CIRA’s nascent coffers. There was lots of local and regional media coverage.
It was a special event for my father, Dr. Joe Williams, and me. Ron and Marjorie asked us both to present papers, and they invited Dad to deliver the keynote speech on his pioneering research in tropical medicine during the early days of Cook Islands independence.
I’ve known the Crocombe family since childhood. We grew up with their kids and read all their books. Ron and Marjie are the father and mother of Pacific scholarship, always encouraging the pursuit of knowledge and ideas, generating screeds of books and papers on all aspects of Pacific history, society and cultures.
Ron insisted on providing a forum for Pacific stories, no matter how small or remote. As a scholar, writer, editor and educator for six decades, he mentored generations of colleagues and students. Education and status were never barriers – he encouraged everyone to speak up and have their say.
That’s what this blog is about. Ron emailed reports, updates, papers and other information that I’d edit and post. He took no credit or by-line. It was just another aspect of his extraordinary service to the nation and the world.
Ron’s message is to tell your own story, in your own words. His enormous legacy will continue to inspire all of us, and the next generation of storytellers.
Karin Williams
Blogmaster
Prize winners of Pacific 2050 essay competition
Cook Islands Herald
11 Feb 09
CIRA is delighted to announce the prize winners of the Pacific 2050 essay competition held to promote the theme of their February conference of the same title.
There were five prizes and the winners in order of merit were James Beer, Makiuti Tongia, Teina Bishop, Kate Ngatokorua and Mahariki Tangaroa as adjudicated by a panel of judges.
First prize of $1000 went to James Beer for his passionate advocacy of alternative energy in place of petrochemical fuel in his paper called ‘A practical energy transformation handbook for the Pacific today and tomorrow’.
Makiuti Tongia won $500 for his paper on ‘Cultural Evolution, the next 50 years’ which he jokingly announced would come in handy for his children’s trip to NZ soon.
Teina Bishop won $250 for his interpretation of ‘Cook Islands Tourism, prospects and potentials’ chaired by Aunty Vereara from CIANGO.
Kate Ngatokorua won $125 for her futuristic essay on ‘The lesson is learnt’ and speaks of ‘greed taking over the islands heart and core’ where ‘island ways had vanished’ and the ‘great divide’ began.
Mahariki also won $125 for her paper called ‘Carving out a future in contemporary visual art’ where our artists continue to travel internationally and that will ‘have inevitable impacts on creativity’ and ‘virtual reality sites via the internet are evolving’.
Other presenters included Nandi Glassie’s paper on ‘The evolution of leadership and governance in Atiu’; ‘Imported trees in Atiu – past disasters and future hopes’ by Papa Paiere Mokoroa; Jeane Matenga’s paper on ‘Developments and potentials for Cook Islands Communications’; Dr Jon Jonassen’s and his ‘Global, regional and national perspective’ on the Pacific in 2050 and Iaveta Short’s futuristic paper on ‘Hopes and Fears for the next 50 years’ .
Saturday papers included a paper on ‘Opening our ocean gateway prospects for the future’; ‘Possible, probable and preferred futures’ for the Cook Islands by Petero Okotai; and ‘Coke and coconut trees aka Enhancing the spirit of enterpise’ by Dr Ngamau Tou.
The panel of judges were impressed about the calibre and variety of works presented for judging adding that some of the Saturday presentations may have won a prize except the writers had not provided advance copies.
CIRA president Angie Tuara thanked all those who presented papers and noted some papers were not submitted in the essay competition in the adult category at the request of the writers.
Meitaki maata to Tata Crocombe for sponsoring the essay competitions, which has now been extended to the end of 2009 for the school students’ category.
Economic forum looks at key priorities
Cook Islands News
Sat 07 Feb 2009
The Cook Islands Research Association’s economic crisis forum resulted in several common suggestions for priority actions for the country.
The association says overall the forum identified the need for a larger collaborative team involving the private sector and government to work together on the details of the stimulus package for 2009/2010 budget.
The forum included opinion from the private sector including the tourism industry, retail industry, and from the chamber of commerce, government, the opposition party, banks, and economists.
Key priorities for a stimulus package from government which these sectors identified at the forum were headed by the call for extra tourism promotion.
Other suggested priorities were investment in infrastructure (using local contractors), tax cuts, increased foreign investment, lower interest rates from banks (and maybe soft loans), and investment in primary industry (such as agriculture) especially in the outer islands.
Tourism marketing in the longer haul higher yield markets and the need for extra flights and carriers for the US, Europe and Australian markets was highlighted at the forum.
Many of those who spoke at the forum suggested that efforts need to be made to reduce the cost of telecommunications. The main calls are for government to allow competition for Telecom Cook Islands, to improve regulation and negotiate with TCI to improve services and keep prices down.
Finance minister Sir Terepai Maoate told the forum government wants to hear what advice there is to help grow the economy and weather an economic crisis.
Collaboration will power National Sustainable Development Plan
Cook Islands Herald
Thurs 06 Feb 2009
The State of the Economy loomed large at the Government sponsored conference at the Crown Beach Resort on Wednesday to discuss the National Sustainable Development Plan aka Te Kaveinga Nui. The meeting attracted a very large turnout including the NZ High Commissioner, the President of the Are Ariki, Air NZ, President of the Koutu Nui and more.
The conference is to provide an opportunity for our decisions makers and leaders – whether traditional, government, business or community leaders – to take a closer look at the existing plans to see if they are sufficient to address the issues that have arisen in the wake of the global financial meltdown.
At the conference DPM, Sir Terepai Maoate explained that Te Kaveinga Nui was launched in 2007 amidst doubts that the NDSP would be shelved and gather dust instead of being implemented. Happily, that has not happened and there has been much progress in achieving the Goals within the plan.
For instance, in the social sector, the DPM cited the lifting of the personal tax threshold to $10,000 with Government considering raising the threshold even more. Others are the recent rise in pensions ‘easing the burden on our senior citizens’; the removal of import levies; and as an incentive to returning Cook Islanders, VAT has been removed from their personal and household items.
Nevertheless, the DPM acknowledged that as the plans have been implemented, some of the strategies and targets may have been a ‘bit too ambitious’ in terms of capacity in personnel and finance. He explained that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss what is needed to meet the targets and perhaps be more realistic in planning for the future.
Superannuation board approves investment in Cook Islands
The DPM also made the surprise announcement that the Cook Islands Superannuation Board had approved the proposal to invest 20% of funds with our local banks.
Sir Terepai was enthusiastic about the decision made by the board which will ‘make more funds available in our banks’ that could be used for ‘building homes’ and ‘business investment’.
The Power of Collaboration
The theme is ‘The power of collaboration’ or ‘Mou i-te Mana o Te Taokotai’ with development economist, Vaine Wichman delivering her paper on the State of the Economy being first on the agenda, followed by a panel discussion led by Tou Ariki (House of Ariki), Mark Brown (Chamber) and Nikki Rattle (NGO).
Economic management will also be scrutinized ‘to ensure sound management of the Cook Islands economy’ as stated under goal 3 of the NSDP.
According to the background papers from OPM, the country is tracking reasonably well with MFEM succeeding ‘in maintaining the ratios of operation, debt [and] personnel put into place during the mid 1990s reform programme.
It will be interesting to see the reaction of the participants to that contention considering that Chamber of Commerce is on the record as being concerned about the ever increasing number of public servants. Figures differ with some saying they are approaching the numbers in 1995 just before the collapse of our economy leading to a mass layoffs in the public sector which in turn lead to an exodus of our people to New Zealand and Australia.
The background acknowledges the impact of the 5 cyclones on the economy and that GDP (gross domestic product) in 2006 at only 0.7% and 1.3% in 2007 and the rather optimistic projection that ‘growth will return to a long term growth rate of around 2%’.
The report also notes that ‘tourism by far remains the key driver of the economy’ at 50% of the GDP and the ‘challenges’ of this heavy reliance on the sector and that ‘it is anticipated that this will decline as a result of the global events’.
It is about looking at all the ‘key challenges’ and what needs to be done in each sector, for instance, in Social development or Economic development or Good governance or Infrastructure and Environmental sustainability. For instance, challenges facing Infrastructure are ‘what are our expectations in relation to water?’ or ‘what are our expectations in relation to waste management?’ or ‘how can we better manage our environment?’
Cook Islands Research Association 