Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Krizhna Bayudan’s family lost their home in last August’s Lahaina fire. Their rent assistance from insurance is running out, and she’s not sure what’s next.

Now, Bayudan is in D.C. leading a Maui coalition of disaster-affected communities to demand Community Development Block Grant Disaster Relief funds (CDBG-DR). These funds would be a big deal for Maui renters, who received short-term rental assistance but need continued aid to recover and stay on Maui long-term.

“We’re bracing for another grueling application process with no guarantees,” Bayudan said. “I hope CDBG-DR funds will make this process smoother and provide the critical support families like mine need to rebuild and move forward.”

The issue is also national — Congress has not approved CDBG-DR funds since 2022, meaning disasters in the last two years have not received this longterm relief.

The Hawaii Workers Center coalition landed in Washington D.C. Monday and includes working-class Filipino, Hawaiian and immigrant communities. They are advocating for the Lahaina’s working class. The town is 1/3 immigrants and 80% renters, who are being increasingly pressured by multi-thousand dollar monthly rents and sky-high rebuilding costs with little sense of relief a year and half after the fires.

Nearly half of Maui residents say their financial situation has worsened since the Lahaina fire and about 50% are seriously considering leaving the state, according to a July 2024 Maui Together Wildfire Assessment. Eighty-one-percent of fire survivors know someone who has left.

While FEMA provides immediate, partial assistance, CDBG-DR funds recovery support years later and focuses on funding projects for low-to-moderate income residents.

(AsAm News)

SHIPWRECK SEAWATER SAMPLING

The New Zealand Defense Force will aid the Science and Research Organization of Samoa (SROS) to commence a further round of seawater sampling and monitoring in the precautionary area created following the grounding and sinking of HMNZS Manawanui.

NZDF said they were asked by SROS for assistance in conducting updated seawater sampling beginning this week within the precautionary area. NZDF will be providing boat transport to take an SROS technician to sites designated by them where they will take samples which will then be analyzed in the SROS laboratory.

Analysis of seawater in the Safata district coastline showed elevated levels of diesel. The testing continues and fishing has been prohibited in the impacted villages.

Commodore Andrew Brown, the NZDF Senior National Representative for Operation Resolution said being able to provide assistance to the Samoan authorities allowing them to conduct sea water testing is an extremely worthwhile use of resources.

The results from seawater monitoring will be provided by SROS to the Samoan Marine Pollution Advisory Committee who will then decide on the extent of the precautionary area going forward.

Meanwhile, residents in the impacted areas have called on the government to act fast and provide them relief as their livelihoods have suffered. The predominantly fishing community have not been able to fish in their traditional waters since the sinking of the ship.

(Samoa Observer)

NEW NONSTOP ROUTES ON HAWAIIAN AIR

Big plans are in motion for Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines, including a new global gateway in Seattle.

Last week, Hawaiian moved in with Alaska at San Francisco International.

On Tuesday, Alaska has a Shareholders Day meeting, which is an opportunity to answer shareholder questions and announce new initiatives, like unveiling new routes.

Alaska announced Monday it will assign Hawaiian Airlines to fly from Seattle to Tokyo Narita and Seoul Incheon using its wide-body Airbus jets.

The decision means the airline with experience in Asia will handle new Asia routes. It also means Hawaiian will be hiring pilots, flight attendants and ground workers. Hawaiian will up-staff rapidly because it already has a pool of pre-qualified applicants.

This new service is expected to begin in 2025.

Looking ahead, Alaska says an “enhanced domestic network” for the two airlines will also launch Spring 2025.

(Hawaii News Now)

CRAFT CHOCOLATE PRODUCER

Wellington Chocolate Factory (WCF), which pioneered ethical bean-to-bar chocolate, has announced its sourcing more of its cacao supply from the Pacific.

It is also to doubling down on its commitment to transparency, impact, and producing some of New Zealand's best chocolate.

It already has a Grower Partner initiative established, sourcing premium beans for its first single-origin Vanuatu bar directly from farmers.

WCF's co-founder Gabe Davidson said the success of this program and the improving infrastructure across the Pacific mean they can now source the quantities of cocoa for its next growth stage.

“From the beginning, it's nearly 11 years now, we've had a strong interest in cocoa from the Pacific. So this is more of a firming up of a long term strategy to source most of our cocoa beans from the Pacific. It's an exciting time, and we've seen a lot of changes along the way,” Mr. Davison said.

(RNZ Pacific)

REGIONAL RAPID DEPLOYMENT FORCE

A co-ordination and training center for Pacific Island police has been opened as Australia seeks to counter China's growing security influence in the region.

The Pinkenba Hub in Brisbane will act as a central base for deployments of Pacific police when countries request help for major events or crises.

More than 200 officers have already passed through the nearby training center since July, including 33 who were deployed to assist with King Charles' visit to Samoa in October.

The hub forms part of the wider Pacific Policing Initiative, designed by 11 Pacific Island police chiefs and supported with $400 million in Australian funding.

"This is about Pacific security, delivered by the Pacific, in support of Pacific sovereignty," Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said on Tuesday.

The hub's official opening came a day after China transferred four boats and 40 other vehicles to the Vanuatu Police Force.

The equipment, worth about 500 million Vanuatu vatu ($A6.4 million), followed Beijing's security support in Fiji, Kiribati and, most notably, the Solomon Islands.

Australia sees security as a key area where it wants to remain the primary partner in the Pacific, regional expert Tess Newton Cain says.

"The Pacific Policing Initiative is part of their response," the adjunct associate professor at the Griffith Asia Institute told AAP.

"What we need to monitor going forward (is that) the priorities are Pacific-led.

"Are they responding to the policing needs Pacific Island nations have identified?"

Dr Newton Cain said Fiji was dealing with serious illicit drug issues, the Solomons had a focus on civil order while Papua New Guinea faced serious inter-tribal issues. Impetus for the PPI was a secretive policing and security deal Beijing signed with Solomon Islands in 2022 that caused alarm in Washington and Canberra.

(AAP)