Climate Change Resilience
28 July 2014, Niue - The Niue Meteorological Service has completed a two day workshop this month led by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) to help enhance their media and communication skills.
The training is one component of a Pacific regional project that covers 14 islands, to help reduce the vulnerability of their communities to extreme weather events, disasters and climate change through better response and preparedness.
Funded by the Government of Finland, this aspect of the project aims to bridge stronger relations between national media and National Meteorological Services to ensure regular relaying of weather information through the media. Other components include a pilot project in each of the countries.
In the case of Niue, the workshop sought to enhance and strengthen media and communication partnerships already in place.
"Partnership is about learning from each other, partnership is about communicating to others about weather, climate and climate change issues that affect the lives of people," said Hon. Billy Talagi, Minister of the Niue Meteorological Service under the Ministry of Natural Resources, at the opening of the workshop.
"Partnership cannot work well if two don't work together, one is dependent on each other, if one weakens, the other fail, both must take the leading role to help inform the public. Weather forecasts and warnings have no shelf life, it must be disseminated rapidly to the public or else they are useless."
The Niue Meteorological Service distributes regular climate and weather information both on a daily and monthly basis. This is shared through the Broadcast Corporation of Niue (BCN) - Radio Sunshine and Television Niue with plans in place to expand this through a column in the Niue Star, a fortnightly Niue Publication.
Other participants at the workshop included members from the Departments of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF); Education; Office of the Premier and; Tāoga Niue.
"The two day media training has reminded us how important it is to work with the media to try and promote our services and to make them understand," said Mr. Sionetasi Pulehetoa, Director of the Niue Meteorological Service.
"We were really impressed by the way the media and other government departments currently utilise the information products developed by the Niue Meteorological Service in their communication products," said Ms. Nanette Woonton the Media and Public Relations Officer of SPREP.
"For example, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries are using the Niue Climate Outlook (NCO) a monthly product to help their growers prepare for the coming weather conditions in their communication products. It's a perfect example of an effective partnership to help keep the community aware."
The two day workshop was also an opportunity to strengthen the Vagahau Niue (Niue Language) for Meteorological terms to avoid confusion when translating weather forecasts from English to Vagahau Niue. Plans are under way to help formalise these terms through the Niue Language Commission.
At the end of the workshop a Niue Media Guide and Plan was developed.
The training is one component of a Pacific regional project that covers 14 islands, to help reduce the vulnerability of their communities to extreme weather events, disasters and climate change through better response and preparedness.
Funded by the Government of Finland, this aspect of the project aims to bridge stronger relations between national media and National Meteorological Services to ensure regular relaying of weather information through the media. Other components include a pilot project in each of the countries.
In the case of Niue, the workshop sought to enhance and strengthen media and communication partnerships already in place.
"Partnership is about learning from each other, partnership is about communicating to others about weather, climate and climate change issues that affect the lives of people," said Hon. Billy Talagi, Minister of the Niue Meteorological Service under the Ministry of Natural Resources, at the opening of the workshop.
"Partnership cannot work well if two don't work together, one is dependent on each other, if one weakens, the other fail, both must take the leading role to help inform the public. Weather forecasts and warnings have no shelf life, it must be disseminated rapidly to the public or else they are useless."
The Niue Meteorological Service distributes regular climate and weather information both on a daily and monthly basis. This is shared through the Broadcast Corporation of Niue (BCN) - Radio Sunshine and Television Niue with plans in place to expand this through a column in the Niue Star, a fortnightly Niue Publication.
Other participants at the workshop included members from the Departments of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF); Education; Office of the Premier and; Tāoga Niue.
"The two day media training has reminded us how important it is to work with the media to try and promote our services and to make them understand," said Mr. Sionetasi Pulehetoa, Director of the Niue Meteorological Service.
"We were really impressed by the way the media and other government departments currently utilise the information products developed by the Niue Meteorological Service in their communication products," said Ms. Nanette Woonton the Media and Public Relations Officer of SPREP.
"For example, the Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries are using the Niue Climate Outlook (NCO) a monthly product to help their growers prepare for the coming weather conditions in their communication products. It's a perfect example of an effective partnership to help keep the community aware."
The two day workshop was also an opportunity to strengthen the Vagahau Niue (Niue Language) for Meteorological terms to avoid confusion when translating weather forecasts from English to Vagahau Niue. Plans are under way to help formalise these terms through the Niue Language Commission.
At the end of the workshop a Niue Media Guide and Plan was developed.