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Safer Boating in the Pacific

Pacific Maritime Safety Programme

Baz Kirk 3 November 2024

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Our goal: Pacific maritime transport that is safe, reliable and environmentally-friendly�
We are a NZ Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade programme, delivered by Maritime NZ�
We work with seven Pacific nations to deliver maritime safety initiatives under five broad outputs�
All activities are co-designed with our implementing partners and tailored to meet individual country’s needs and priorities�
Our focus: Building strong relationships and empowering local maritime leadership, supporting meaningful change and enduring results

Pacific Maritime Safety Programme – who are we?

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PMSP – our members

Cook Islands
Kiribati
Niue
Samoa
Tokelau
Tonga
Tuvalu

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Output 1: Community education and awareness - we deliver educational programmes and campaigns for artisanal fishers, communities and schools

Output 2: Regulatory strengthening – we help our partners to develop legislation and regulations and the skilled personnel they need to oversee them

�Output 3: Specialist maritime training and education – we support access to specialist training for maritime personnel

��Output 4: Domestic vessel safety – we work with maritime authorities improve standards in their domestic fleets

�Output 5: Search and rescue (SAR) and marine oil pollution response (MARPOL) – we work with partners to develop their search and rescue and marine pollution readiness and response capabilities

Our scope of work

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Output 1: Community education and awareness

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Output 2: Regulatory strengthening

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Output 3: Specialist maritime training and education

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FaleOnline

www.faleonline.publicservice.govt.nz

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Output 4: Domestic vessel safety

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Output 5: search and rescue and marine oil spill response

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��Case study – Samoa community education and awareness campaign

We worked with the regulators to identify their priorities and risks.

They wanted to focus on their ‘alia operators – double hulled fishing boats used primarily by artisanal fishers in crews of three (pictured top left)

Issues included lots of call outs for usually minor problems, lack of safe operations in the harbour or around larger vessels, lack of knowledge/use of safety equipment

The primary objectives identified were:

Encourage operators to take increased personal responsibility for their safety at sea

Increase use of maritime safety equipment

Increase knowledge of engine maintenance and repair

Build a network of community leaders and maritime safety champions across the maritime sector

Response:

We developed a plan for a three-phased campaign – Phase 1 ‘alia operators, phase 2 other small boats (planned for early 2025), phase 3 targeting schools and young people
MWTI identified 10 maritime champions – fishing sector leaders who would be able to support change. We brought them into MWTI to discuss the programme and get them on board (pictured)
We developed a plan focused on safety workshops and outboard motor workshops for the ‘alia operators.
We called the campaign “your safety is in your hands” and developed billboards and pre-departure checklists which featured safety messaging in English and Samoan.

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Activities – safety workshops, outboard motor workshops, regulatory presentations, equipment demonstrations

Photo 1 – bill boards promoting safety messaging set up in five villages targeted due to their high concentration of ‘alia operators

Photo 2 – NZ High Commission actively involved and supporting the activity

Photo 3 – maritime champions across Samoa were identified to help lead change

Photo 4 – demonstrations of life jackets and other safety equipment were a key part of the workshops. To the right you can see Samoa’s Principal Surveyor who took a leadership role in delivering the workshops and found them a helpful opportunity to connect with the communities

Photo 5 – outboard motor workshop on maintenance, trouble shooting and repair held at local maritime college – one of the maritime champions is pictured

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Results from February launch

5 seminars delivered to 133 participants
2 outboard motor workshops, 23 participants
236 lifejackets handed out
14 new applications for ‘alia licences and 23 new beacon registrations
123 feedback forms
104 boating practices survey forms

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��Case study – Niue community education and awareness campaign

Niue sought to establish a community programme targeting their vaka and boat operators that extended to their primary school children.

The primary objectives identified were:

Increase awareness and use of maritime safety equipment

Build a network of community leaders and maritime safety champions across the maritime sector

Promote strong water safety practices amongst Niue’s young people

The response:

Working with Niue implementing agencies (Transport, Fisheries and Police), we’ve designed and delivered workshops for boat and vaka fishermen, focused on safe boating practices, equipment, and communications
Again we developed a look for the campaign – which in Niue is called “Safety at sea means always getting home” – pictured above are the information booklets developed with safety messaging tips for righting capsized vaka and looking after your equipment
A big focus has been encouraging locals to share their stories and learn from each other – the man in the lifejacket is Des Hipa who tells his harrowing tale of his boat sinking leaving him in the water for six hours. He calls his life jacket “his best friend”. You can’t get a more compelling story!
Workshops usually include a practical component – whether it’s demonstrating canoe righting techniques or practising with VHF radio

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��Case study – Niue community education and awareness campaign

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Results to date

Niue has now included the wearing of lifejackets on small craft in their legislation
Fisheries staff report broad compliance with this rule
Approximately 80% of boat and canoe operators in Niue have attended PMSP workshops
The Water Skills for Life programme has been delivered by Niue Primary School for at least one term a year since 2019

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��Results – real life story Niue

One example of the impact of these workshops – Clayton Viliamu, a vaka fishermen who attended our first workshops in 2018.
Clayton was given among other things, a lifejacket and a water proof pouch to carry his mobile phone in – you can see him wearing both in the photo on the left
In 2022, Clayton went out in bad weather and his vaka was smashed on the reef. Thankfully he was wearing his lifejacket and made it to a rock where he was able to get out of the water and call for help – using his cellphone in the PMSP waterproof pouch.
He was rescued a few hours later and told media:

Clayton Viliamu, father of three was prepared for his fishing trip as he does every time he goes out. He had his life jacket and his phone in the pouch. “Always safety before going out to sea. My contingency plan is always planned before I go fishing.

And one thing that’s always in my mind is that I have to come home, always be back home”.

“The key lesson is no matter if you’re an experienced fisherman, before you do anything else, use your head and don’t panic.

“I almost panicked I remember one workshop listening to a couple of fishermen and they said that if you panic, you won’t get anything out of it. Like Brendon Pasisi said that if you’re gonna do it once. You have to do it right to get back home. Save your energy and do what’s right” said Clayton Viliamu.

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��Case study – Cook Islands Pa Enua campaign

Three fold:
Regulatory/inspections
Community engagement – consultation, safety equipment, awareness
Education – Cook Islands Boatmaster

Key success strategy. Family focused. Promoting the good culture and best practice.
Remoteness means nothing is available easily, and every thing is incredibly expensive. PMSP has provided in excess of 200K NZD to support safety awareness campaigns in the outer Cook Islands.
What works – joining in and being part of the village life, engaging with and becoming the student of the villagers. They have much to teach and their tuned climate and environmental knowledge is steeped in cultural history, passed down through the generations.
Recognising the embedded skills and knowledge of those who have grown up with boats and celestial navigation. They cant teach it to you because they don’t know how, but they will educate you every minute of the day just by walking alongside them.
If your given the heart of the island, it’s a treasure bestowed only on those who they hold utmost respect for, it means, you are part of them, and belong in their community. Welcomed back, any day any time, no questions asked.

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Cook Islands Pa Enua

Remoteness needs to be understood, 4.5 flying hours to islands with an airstrip, and then a boat trip anywhere up to 6 hours to get to destinations such as Nassau and Rakahanga Islands. Certainly not for the faint hearted nor for those affected by travel sickness. And if you don’t like fish, don’t volunteer to go.

All languages spoken is in Cook Island Maori, or Pukapukan, yet communication is relatively easy once you understand the culture.

Christianity is strong. Church is mandatory on Sunday. Catholic, Seventh Day Adventist or Cook Island Christian Church. You can attend any one you like, but just don’t sleep in or be late for any reason!

Engineering ingenuity is evident everywhere, and nothing goes to waste. “Scooter trikes” are an opportunity to tow a small trailer for produce etc, and outboard engines are repatriated to power generators etc if the bottom end becomes inoperable.

9M Tsunami Pontoon Boats seem to be the chosen option for at sea transfer of cargo from the coasters, or sometimes a barge if the island is lucky enough to have one.

The famous book An Island to Oneself” written by Tom Neale, tells the story of his solitary life living 7 years on Suwarrow Island.

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��Tonga patrol boat operators course

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IT IS A PRIVILEGE TO HOLD A ROLE WITH PMSP.

VERY FEW PEOPLE GET TO EXPERIENCE THE BEAUTY OF THE REMOTE ISLANDS AND THE GENUINE LOVE, HOSPITALITY AND ACCEPTANCE OF THOSE THAT LIVE THERE.

MEITAKI KOREREKA!

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Safer Boating in the Pacific

Baz Kirk, Pacific Maritime Safety Programme

www.maritimenz.govt.nz/pmsp