Welcome to the Newsletter of the German Embassy in Wellington

Ambassador's Visit to Kiribati

From left: HE President Anote Tong, his wife and Ambassador Thomas H. Meister

(© )

German Ambassador Thomas H. Meister visited Kiribati in May for the official presentation of his Letter of Credence to the Head of State, His Excellency President Anote Tong.

At the ceremony, President Tong expressed his appreciation of the support Germany provides within the EU-framework to improve healthcare provisions on the outer islands and alternative energy techniques in Kiribati. His visit to Berlin in December 2009 previous to the Climate Conference in Copenhagen and the development of bilateral cultural projects have contributed to the traditional and friendly co-operation between the two countries.

Ambassador Meister's programme during his visit included talks with the Minister for Communications, Transport and Tourism Development Temate Ereateiti, Minister for Labour and Human Resource Development Ioteba Redfern, and Officer-in-Charge for Foreign Affairs and Immigration Tessie Lambourne. He also met with the Australian and New Zealand High Commissioners to Kiribati and Captain Peter Lange of the South Pacific Marine Service which provides important training and job opportunities for Kiribatians.

Ambassador presents Credentials to Tuvalu

Ambassador Thomas H. Meister with Permanent Secretary (Ag) Mr Petaia Meauma

(© )

In May, Ambassador Thomas H. Meister visited Tuvalu and presented his credentials to Governor-General Iakoba Taeia Italeli.

Tuvalu, one of the smallest countries in the world, has a long history of friendly relations with Germany. Long established institutions like the Tuvalu Maritime School and current projects on seismology and the support of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme characterize and maintain this partnership. Mutual exchange is therefore an important aspect.

Meetings with the Prime Minister Apesai Ielemia, Deputy Prime Minister Tavau Teii, Minister for Works, Water and Energy Kausea Natano and the Minister of Education, Youth and Sports Dr. Falesa Pitoi raised different topics and focused on Tuvalu's main future concern, the impact of climate change and how Tuvalu can address it most effectively with the assistance of the internaional community.

Soccer equipment for Kiribati and Tuvalu

Ambassador Meister with Kiribatian Minister for Labour and HR Development Ioteba Redfern

(© )

During his visits to Kiribati and Tuvalu, Ambassador Meister presented football shirts to the Soccer Associations of both countries. Tuvaluan representatives of the national Soccer Assiciation and Kiribatian Minister for Labour and Human Resource Development Ioteba Redfern, also the President of the national Soccer Association, received the shirts which were part of a donation of sporting gear worth € 6.000 (NZ$ 12.000).

The soccer project is carried out in cooperation with the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) and aims to identify and train gifted players. In addition, young people will be encouraged to play soccer not only at school, but also in their free time and anywhere they find a place to play. Its main target are youngsters between 8 and 13, with a further emphasis on the development and encouragement of female students, teachers and coaches. By teaching community grass-roots coaches and school teachers the use of the sports equipment, the Soccer Associations children will not only get the opportunity to extend their football skills, but also to improve their self-esteem and learn about fair play and social behaviour on and off the field.

Minister of Justice Simon Power in Berlin

On 16 June, New Zealand Minister of Justice Simon Power visited Germany and met with the Parliamentary State Secretary of the German Ministry of Justice Dr. Max Stadler in Berlin. Topics raised during the talk focused on the legal and political prosecution of sexual abuse in both countries and the principles of German criminal trial law.

Furthermore, Minister Power had meetings with several representatives of institutions in the legal affairs sector such as the President of the Regional Court Berlin Dr. Bernd Pickel, the Chairman of the Legal Affairs Select Committee of the Bundestag Siegfried Kauder and the Head of Regional Public Prosecution Office Dr. Andreas Brehm.

Alongside the official programme, both ministers shared their interest in the Soccer World Cup in South Africa and congratulated each other on the successful performance of their national teams.

Looking beyond the Islands – Programme for Diplomats from the Caribbean and Pacific

From 31 May to 2 July 2010, Germany played host to a group of diplomats from countries facing particular challenges in the coming years, as few countries feel the impact of climate change as directly as the Carribean and Pacific islands. For that reason, climate change and measures to tackle it were the main focus of the programme for diplomats from Caribbean and Pacific island states, held this year for the first time.

“Training for International Diplomats” had invited young career diplomats from the Caribbean and Pacific region to Berlin for this training course. Participants from that region had already taken part in the courses for Latin America and Asia in recent years. This year, the organization of a course exclusively for the Caribbean and Pacific was intended to underscore Germany’s partnership with the island states.

One of the aims of the course was to expand the young diplomats’ knowledge of Germany in all its facets. Particulat emphasis was given to its political system, including a visit to the Bundestag, which made a special impression on the visitors. “It is very interesting to us that people can look down on parliament from up here in the dome – it’s not just a matter of looking up,” one of the course participants commented. Like his fellow participants, he was determined to get as much as possible out of the course to enhance his work as a diplomat, particularly as on an international level, the standing of the relatively small island states is shaped to a large extent by their foreign service.

The course also helped participants to develop useful contacts and exchange wide-ranging views. There were many opportunities to do so during the course, including the study trips to Thuringia, Leipzig, Hamburg and Lübeck. The wide-ranging programme covered many other topics as well such a the global financial crisis, disarmament and global security, and included practical exercises such as training in negotiating skills and public speaking.

German culture and lifestyle were not neglected. Whether enjoying German food (the sausages went down especially well) or watching World Cup football together (with everyone crossing their fingers for Germany, of course), the young diplomats left with an in-depth insight into the host country. A strong feeling of community developed within the group, even though its members literally came from opposite sides of the world. “We are all very different, but we quickly got to know each other and definitely already feel as though we belong together,” one young woman said.

New German Solar Project in Tonga

A new solar project has been installed on Fafa Island Resort, located on an unspoilt coral island in Tongatapu Lagoon off Nukualofa, the capital of the Kingdom of Tonga on the main island.

The luxury resort features thatched polynesian fales, unique Tongan/European seafood cuisine and a tropical cocktail bar and is run by German owners. Dedicated to an environmentally friendly operation of the island resort, they have installed a sophisticated 15 kWp Solar Power System which generates suitable electric power of 230VAC for the whole island. The Diesel generators serve only as a back-up in bad weather conditions. The brandnew PV-System was supported by the German Companies Kirchner Solar Group and SMA in Kassel, Germany, a leading provider of solar parks and PV-installations.

German Ernst Eidt was the acting consulting manager for the entire unit, which has now been running for over a month without any problems.

This is the first large, independent solar project in Tonga and it is hoped that it will provide an example for future village and tourist developments, especially on the outer islands.

"Somewhat Different" - Contemporary Design and the Power of Convention Exhibition

The international touring exhibition prepared by the Institut for Foreign Cultural Relations (ifa) and curator Volker Albus, in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut and Massey University’s College of Creative Arts, was presented in Wellington from 1 – 30 May. With its quirky interpretation of everyday objects, it was designed to create an atmosphere of ‘serious lightness’. With 148 objects from more than 60 designers and studios – 47 of them based in Germany and 20 in other European countries – the products on display illustrated the great diversity and humour which can be created when the usual rules of convention are deliberately subverted.

Lifebelts turning into bottle coolers, brushes becoming lampshades; the unconventional design interpretation not only provoked astonishment but challenged the viewer to reflect on and question our expectations and notions of what constitutes 'normal'. The international aspect of this discourse on contemporary design is twofold: on the one hand, it complements the works of the German designers with examples from designers in Denmark, France, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland and Spain. Secondly, the ifa had invited the host institution, the College of Creative Arts at Massey University, to add objects by five of their own designers who in turn interpreted ‘conventional’ design tasks in a "somewhat different" way.

The exhibition is now touring to Auckland where it will be shown at Shed 10 from 31 July - 29 August 2010. It includes the work of German designer Katrin Sonnleitner who is invited as a guest speaker at the “Semi-Permanent 2010” design conference. She will also offer a guided tour of the exhibition on 19 August.

More information at

http://www.goethe.de/ins/nz/wel/kue/des/en6148515v.htm

Please click on the link below to unsubscribe from the newsletter.