John Hayes met with Dr Sevele and Luamanuvao Winnie Laban at New Zealand's Parliament in May 2009

May 20, 2009: In addition to steps Prime Minister Key and Foreign minister McCully may set in place there are related questions and processes able to consider JOVE as an option – the select committee Mr Hayes chairs is one.  National MP John Hayes, now chair of the NZ Parliament’s Foreign Affairs, Trade and Defence select committee says there are questions he asks when thinking about proposals such as JOVE.

How do you promote entrepreneurial activity in Pacific Islands economies?

Are there some ways of using some of our aid allocations to promote entrepreneurship?

Mr Hayes says everyone wants to see job growth for Pacific Islands people in Pacific islands economies.

But proposals such as JOVE do not lead to straightforward answers, he says.


The Foreign Affairs, Trade and Defence select committee, with two years work behind it, and two changes of members, is still holding hearings and taking submissions in its review of New Zealand’s relations with its Pacific Islands neighbours.

John Hayes is chair. Chris Carter (Labour) has replaced Helen Clark. Maryanne Street (Labour) replaced Phil Twyford. Pete Hodgson (Labour) and Keith Locke (Green), Todd McLay (National), Jackie Dean (National) are also members.

The committee is looking at issues such as how to increase trade flows from the Pacific Islands to NZ. It has been trying to sort out issues around biosecurity, and around ports. In May it heard from John Fiso and other NZ Pacific Islands businesspeople on the constraints in doing business in the Pacific.

The committee wants to get its recommendations in place and to get the views of NZ Pacific islands people. John Hayes anticipates representatives of the committee will go and discuss its preliminary viewpoints, with NZ Pacific Islanders, and later with Melanesians. When Prime minister Key visits Polynesian islands in early July members of the committee will accompany him and welcome discussions. The report of the committee will eventually go to the NZ Parliament.

Although submissions made to the select committee are on the public record, and may be obtained through the Clerk of the committee at Parliament, draft findings of the review are not yet publicly available.

Resources with likely potential in the Pacific islands include fish, timber, agriculture and tourism, and, in some countries, minerals according to sources close to NZ’s Foreign affairs select committee.

Challenges raised in advice to select committee members include:
o    entrepreneurial activity can be complicated by an inability to deal with the communally owned nature of Island land and other assets
o    managerial and other skills are needed for some enterprises Pacific Island people may like to develop
o    banking facilities are made difficult for Island businesses when their potential security is communally rather than individually owned
o    Maori business models may provide some lessons for Pacific Islands business development
o    Successful Pacific island businesses may achieve positive results by drawing away from communal obligations, which in turn may impact on their communities.


There are NZ Parliamentarians with Pacific expertise who say, usually off the record, that in the last 30 years “our aid effort has not generated the result it should have”.

By Anthony Haas, publisher Asia Pacific Economic News Ltd and associate member, Parliamentary Press Gallery, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it