Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 1, Number 9, 1 November 1984 — OHA Participates in South Pacific Confab [ARTICLE]

OHA Participates in South Pacific Confab

Moses Keale, trustee for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs representing Niihau and Kauai, represented OHA as an official observer totheSouth PacificCommission annual conferenceOct. 15-20 in Noumea, New Caledonia.

The commission's purpose is to promote the eeonomie and social welfare and advancement of the peoples of the South Pacific region for whom it works. The region takes in some five million people. This is the third straight year Keale has attended the annual session. OH A was first invited in 1982 when the session was held in Pago Pago, American Samoa. The 1983 meeting was held in Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas. As an official observer, Keale's role is similar to that

of ambassadors. He provided input and participated in decision-making sessions. He also addressed the delegation during the five-day meeting. "Self-sufficiency through eeonomie development is a major movement among South Pacific island governments these days and it is our plan to tie in with them now rather than wait and be left out," Keale said.

Keale added that delegates covered a broad spectrum of topics, including tourism, natural and human resources joint ventures in farming, fishingand industry, industry and trade promotion, transportation promotion, financing and many more. Delegates from Europe and the mainland United States were also among those in attendance.

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