Category Archives: Oceania

Wednesday, 29 June 2022, 10:26 amPress Release: Oceania Group

Oceania has implemented a $500 million five-yeardebt-facility, its first sustainability-linked loan. Thismeans that over two thirds of Oceanias debt-funding isnow tied to ambitious environmental and socialsustainability goals.

The funding will go towardsdelivering Oceanias business growth strategy, enablingOceania to accelerate its development pipeline and grow thebusiness through organic and inorganic opportunities, at thesame time as enhancing the resident experience and buildingits people capability.

Oceanias business strategyis underpinned by a commitment to sustainability, usingmeasures and goals to benchmark environmental, social andgovernance (ESG) aspects. The five-year loan will commitOceania to certain year-on-year targets to qualify for theloan interest discount, and penalty interest can be incurredif targets are not met.

Asustainability-linked loan is an important step inOceanias sustainability journey and it is encouraging tohave wellbeing and resident experience as the hallmark ofour social metric, said CEO Brent Pattison.

Oceaniais striving for excellence in both clinical best practiceand resident wellbeing. This loan encourages us to go evenfurther with our model of care excellence and help us toachieve our ambition of being the leader in the delivery ofresident-centred retirement and aged care living in NewZealand.

As evidence of climate change becomesmore apparent, we must take responsibility and implementinitiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We arecommitted to reducing our controllable emissions throughongoing measurement, an emissions reduction plan and workingtowards becoming science-based target verified, headded.

Oceanias CFO Kathryn Waugh said linking theloan to sustainability goals and measures is testament toOceanias commitment to sustainable growth.

Weknow that ESG is important to our people, our residents andour stakeholders. We wanted to link our borrowings to oursustainability vision and commitments so we can drive ourperformance even further and with greaterambition.

ANZ is the sole mandated lead arrangerand sustainability coordinator for Oceaniasloan.

ANZ Head of Sustainable Finance Dean Spicer,congratulated Oceania on linking its borrowings toenvironmental and social goals.

The KPIs willprovide a roadmap for sustainable investment, while alsoproviding a financial incentive to hit targets. Weredelighted to be on this journey with Oceania as they strivefor even greater sustainability in their operations, hesaid.

The establishment of a meaningful measurementof care residents wellbeing is an important developmentfor the sector. Social impact is challenging to quantify,and by including this holistic assessment of social,physical and psychological wellbeing, Oceania is furtherencouraged to support improvements in residentexperience, he added.

Accountancy firm Ernst &Young provided limited assurance over the KPIs and loansustainability performance targets against internationallyrecognised Sustainability-Linked Loan Principles.

TheLenders to the syndicated facility included ANZ, ASB andICBC.

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Oceania Innovates With The Implementation Of A $500m Sustainability-Linked Loan | Scoop News - Scoop

Hannah Gapes giving her all on the track at the Oceania Area Championships. Photo / Supplied

Dedication and training came to fruition for two Lake City Athletic Club athletes at the Oceania Area Championships.

The championships were held in Mackay, Queensland recently.

Rotorua's Lisa Adams, Paralympic F37 shot putter and F38 discus thrower, won the open para shot put with a throw of 14.45m.

Lisa said she was both excited and nervous on competition day, which is her norm.

She said she should have been happier with her result, but that is because as an athlete you are always wanting more.

"It was cool, of course you want to do well."

Lisa said she liked the Oceania Area Championships because Oceania is our region, and it is one of the few times you get to compete with and see athletes from the smaller neighbouring nations.

"At the last Oceania Area Championships in Townsville 2019, there were three to four para athletes doing shot put and this year there was eight of us, so it's growing which is really cool."

She says the next big focus is the World Championships in Paris next year, but since it is more than a year she will probably use a closer competition as something to work towards.

Lisa says at the Oceania Area Championships there were also wellbeing workshops and seminars held every day for athletes, para athletes, coaches, officials.

"It was awesome to be able to attend them and to listen and learn. It was pretty cool that was put on by Oceanias."

Rotorua runner Hannah Gapes said leading up to Oceanias she was on a pre-tour with the New Zealand team, where she competed in a 3000m invitational at the Gold Coast, placing second, and a 1500m Mackay invitational which she won.

"Coping with the heat was challenging, but I was really happy with my 1500m race. I had some really great workouts leading into the event as well."

For Oceanias, she competed in the 3000m and placed second.

"I wasn't overly happy with how I performed, but I gained a lot of experience, and it was a great opportunity to race alongside Australia's top U20 middle distance runner."

Gapes said she had a 10-week training block for this event, specifically designed by her coach Jason Cameron.

"Typically this included a combination of easy longer runs and higher speed shorter runs.

"These were done on trails, road and for the speed work I travelled to Tauranga to their all-weather track."

She hadn't competed at the Oceania Area Championships before.

"This was the first time representing New Zealand as Covid has cancelled events that I had previously been selected for," she said.

"It was such an amazing experience to be surrounded by like-minded people with similar goals, and it was great to make friendships with people outside my event.

Gapes said she really enjoyed being able to train and get to know others for the two-and-a-half weeks she was there.

"It was a lot of fun. To finally be able to wear the white and black New Zealand uniform was another step to realising my dream and a huge privilege."

Looking ahead, Gapes is planning on doing a 3000m time trial on the track in Nelson this weekend where she hoped to reach her time-based goal.

Then she would jump straight into cross country training.

"The North Islands are coming up in three weeks, and the NZ U20 Cross Country Championships in July, both held at my favourite cross country course - Taup's Spa Park.

"National cross country will be my final race in New Zealand for the season.

"I will take a small break then head over to the States to commence study and the American cross country session with the North Carolina State University [Wolfpack] women's team."

She thanked Mikro Charitable Trust and Lake City Athletics for their support.

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Dedication and training pays off for Rotorua athletes at Oceania Area Championships - New Zealand Herald

June 28, 2022

BY DAVID SUSUVE

Team PNG set another impressive medal record finishing on top of the 2022 Mini Pacific Games Medal tally.

PNG won 33 gold, 28 silver and 19 bronze and there were some personal records and achievements set by the athletes and weightlifting queen Dika Toua was one of those athletes who once again bagged a handful including an award.

She was honored be inducted into the International Weightlifting Federation Hall of Fame.

Toua was again at her best winning three gold medals in the 49 kg weight class of the 2022 Pacific Mini Games in the Northern Marianas.

The 38-year-old Toua said she has been competing in the sport of weightlifting for more than 20 years and it was an honour to be inducted.

Toua, who first competed in the 1999 South Pacific Games hosted by Guam, also won her 13th title in the Oceania Weightlifting Championships which coincided with the 2022 Pacific Mini Games.

I am grateful and thank you to the Lord for rewarding me with this award.

Im sure my achievement will go on to inspire many young women out there to pursue their dreams in sports, says Toua who also won gold in the Oceania Weightlifting Championships.

Apart from the medals and award, Toua (pictured) was also awarded the Games top female athlete.

She said it was emotional because it brought back great memories of her career, which has eventually paid off.

She said the Mini Games will help her prepare for the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, London next month.

She said the Mini Games have brought up the standard in the Pacific because the accommodation is brilliant.

Toua thanked her sponsor Trukai Industries, the PNG Olympic Committee and Paul Coffa in supporting her over the years.

My achievement wouldnt be possible if it wasnt without the support of these people which Im grateful for.

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Toua honoured to be inducted - POST-COURIER

Peter Bol has lowered the Australian 800 metres for the third time and thought for a moment hed earned a perfect early birthday present for his coach at the Paris Diamond League meeting.

The brilliant half-miler was outpaced for victory on Saturday night by an inspired but controversial finish from home favourite Benjamin Robert, with Bols handsome consolation being a new Oceanian landmark of one minute 44.00 seconds for the two-lap event.

When news came through that the Frenchman had been disqualified, it left the Perth runner to wonder if hed been handed the ideal gift for his coach Justin Rinaldi, whose birthday is on Sunday.

But an appeal from the French runner was upheld later.

I wanted to run 1:43 and give Justin an early birthday present for tomorrow. Came a bit short but stoked with the PB and national record, Bol, who bettered his own Oceanian mark of 1:44.11 set at the Olympics last year when he finished fourth, said.

It was no surprise at all. Weve built this new level of confidence and when training is going well theres no reason why we cant run those fast times and be competitive on the world stage.

Seeing (training partner and former Australian record holder) Joseph (Deng) run the (world championship) standard last week was awesome and running a 1500m PB last week was just part of training.

Weve just been building strength and endurance. The difference is though since Joseph ran his qualifier last week the energy has been high and thats a major benefit in itself.

In a frenetic finish, it would have been harsh for Robert to have the win taken from him after hed only nudged through as easily the fastest finisher, with Bol the next quickest on the outside.

In the last 200m, I was burnt, said Robert. I said to myself, Its gonna be hard to finish. Then something happened in the last 50 metres - the second wind.

Its difficult to explain but it proves that you cannot give up, everything can happen. Its my first victory on Diamond League - and it happens in Paris. The pressure was strong with this crowd, but we need to get used to that before Paris 2024 Olympics!

Bol was not too upset he couldnt quite break the magic 1:44 mark, convinced we can definitely go 1:43 and that hes well-primed to challenge for a medal at both the world championships and Commonwealth Games.

My goal for both Championships is to medal. Keep my head up, keep ticking off sessions and competing strong against any field. I believe medals are within reach, added Bol, whos now joint-top of the Diamond League 800m standings with Canadian Marco Arop.

Australias Olympic high jump silver medallist Nicola Olyslagers - formerly McDermott, before her recent marriage - cleared 1.95m but it was only enough for joint-third as she was eclipsed by Ukraines Yaroslava Mahuchikh, who jumped a 2022 world best of 2.01m.

Kelsey Lee Barber, bronze medallist from Tokyo, was fifth in the javelin (60.60 metres), finishing one place behind her Aussie teammate Mackenzie Little (61.23m).

International star of the night at the Stade Charlety was Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who equalled her world-leading time of the year in the 100m in 10.67 seconds and looked in fine nick to go for a 10th world championship gold in Eugene next month.

Bols record-breaking feat completes a stellar week for Australian athletics after Sydneys Ollie Hoare shattered the Australian record for the mile in Oslo, Norway.

Hoare ran an astonishing 3.47:48 when second in the Oslo Mile beaten only by the Olympic 1500m champion Jakob Ingebritsen. It makes Hoare a leading contender for the upcoming World Track and Field Championships in the 1500m, and clear favourite to win gold at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games in July.

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Bol breaks Oceania record as Australian men master the mile - The Guardian

Players returning from overseas are not expected to play any part in the Oceania 7s in New Zealand this weekend which will be used as a build up to the Commonwealth Games and the 7s World Cup.

Former 7s captain Paula Dranisinukula, Fijian Drua fullback Kitione Taliga, Sireli Maqala and Aminiasi Tuimaba are all part of the 26-member extended squad.

The side will be cut to a 13-member squad to play in the Commonwealth Games.

Fiji Rugby Union CEO John OConnor says it is unlikely that any of the returning players will play in the Oceania 7s.

Six mens and womens teams will participate in the tournament where Fiji will be joined by New Zealand, Australia, Papua New Guinea, Tonga and an invitational Oceania side.

The Oceania 7s will be played in New Zealand from this Friday to Sunday.

The 2022 Commonwealth Games will be held in Birmingham, England from the 28th of July to 8th of August.

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Returning players unlikely to feature in the Oceania 7s this week - Fijivillage

Northern NSW Football is delighted to announce a partnership with the Oceania Football Confederation to improve access to coach development material.

The partnership will see NNSWF encourage its coaches to access OFCs coach development system and content through the OFC Learn Portal.

The portal is a learning community for coaches looking to further develop their knowledge, skills and positive impact on the game.

This is an opportunity for us to build our network across Asia and the Oceania region, NNSWF Head of Football Development Peter Haynes said.

By providing access to this portal to our coaches we can help provide them more learning and development opportunities in their own time and at their leisure.

OFC E-Learning Development Manager Sean Douglas said OFC Learn was set up to provide an engaging and accessible approach to education, allowing learners to access information and educate themselves at a time and place that suits them.

The beauty of this approach is that learners from all over the world can share and learn from each other, Douglas said.

Thats why were happy to welcome our friends from NNSWF to join the discussions and share their experiences with learners from across the pacific and all over the world. The site has been set up to facilitate this sharing, so its fantastic that NNSWF will contribute as part of a global learning community.

OFC Learn focuses on coaching and refereeing but we are also hard at work creating learning opportunities for club administrative staff and medical staff. Our recent FIFA club licensing webinar for womens football and our discussion group for physiotherapy are great examples of this.

There is much more to come. I look forward to seeing NNSWF coaches on the site and engaging with them.

CPD points for courses completed through the OFC Learn platform will be determined on a course by course basis and attributed to coaches once a certificate of completion is submitted to NNSWF.

NNSWF coaches can access the OFC Learn site HERE.

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NNSWF partner with Oceania Football Confederation to access coach development - Northern NSW Football

Just as cruising has been appreciated for salubrious ocean views and breezes, everyone has kept mum (at best) about the food, historically produced in one large galley with ingredients from the deep freeze. No longer. While the charming notion of chefs bounding ashore every day to shop at local markets is not practical except on the tiniest ships (try a Belmond barge trip in France for that level of procurement), theres a new culinary day dawning onboard, with food thats more interesting and healthier than ever.

Alamy (Boulud), Redux (Keller), Getty (Pepin).

Several cruise lines have partnered with star chefs. Daniel Boulud, whose empire includes Daniel, is the global culinary ambassador for Celebrity Cruises. He creates dishes for Luminae, a restaurant on each ship exclusive to passengers staying in suites, and this year he opened his first restaurant at sea, Le Voyage, on the lines newest ship, Celebrity Beyond. Three-Michelin-starred Thomas Keller (of French Laundry and Per Se) has his own restaurant on Seabourn ships, the Grill by Thomas Keller, and a range of comfort dishes for the lines informal restaurants, the Colonnade and the Patio. Key ingredients are bought from the same handpicked suppliers Keller uses for his other restaurants.

Courtesy of Oceania Cruises.

Jacques Ppin, winner of 16 James Beard awards and chef to three French presidents, presides on Oceania Cruises, where he has been the long-standing executive culinary director. He also has his own bistro, Jacques, on Oceanias larger ships Marina and Riviera.

Courtesy of Avalon Waterways.

Both Oceania and Regent Seven Seas offer a wide array of plant-based dishes. (Cunard has had a vegetarian menu for years, but its something of a secretask the matre d to show it to you in the evening and put in your order for tomorrows dinner.) Avalon Waterways partners with the Wrenkh brothers, two of Austrias leading chefs in the sustainable and plant-based food movement.

Courtesy of Silversea.

And then theres Silverseas ambitious SALT (sea and land taste) program, which takes passengers deep into the culinary traditions of the regions visited by its newest ships, Silver Moon and Silver Dawn. Menus change daily to reflect the days port of call; mixologists conjure up locally inspired cocktails; local chefs, food producers, and writers give talks and classes in the SALT Lab; and there are food-inspired excursionssay, to a revered cheesemaker in the hills of Mykonos. And no, nobody, on any of these ships, is going to make you share a table.

T&C TIPHear ye, Thai-food lovers: Two four-cabin, boutiquey riverboats (polished mahogany and Asian art) from newcomer Loy Pela Voyages run three-day gastronomic safaris along the Chao Phraya River, from Bangkok to Ayutthaya, with dishes by different Michelin-starred Thai chefs.

This story appears in the Summer 2022 issue of Town & Country. SUBSCRIBE NOW

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Cruises for Foodies- Ships That Specialize in Great Food - Town & Country

Sport

16 Jun, 2022 01:13 AM3 minutes to read

Two former Oceania Football Confederation employees are facing Serious Fraud Office charges over the development of a multi-million facility in Auckland. Photo / OFC Media via Phototek

The Malaysian government is preventing a former Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) official from returning to New Zealand to face fraud charges, a court has heard.

The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) charged two ex-OFC employees late last year after a lengthy investigation into the construction and funding of a $17 million complex in the east Auckland suburb of St Johns.

The OFC is one of six regional confederations which constitute the governing global body Fifa and its membership is made up of football authorities from the Pacific, including New Zealand. The Auckland facility was to serve as the OFC's Home of Football.

Today, Judge Claire Ryan was to hear and consider name suppression applications by the two accused in the Auckland District Court.

Both men are overseas and were expected to appear before the judge via video link.

David Jones QC, who is representing the 59-year-old defendant, said his client has been issued with an order by Malaysian authorities not to leave the country.

An arrest warrant for the man, who watched the hearing through a screen, had earlier been issued by the Auckland District Court in February.

Jones told the court that today's hearing was effectively the first for his client and asked Judge Ryan to proceed with the administrative aspects of the case - in absence of the man being in New Zealand.

The man faces six charges for money laundering, obtaining by deception and causing loss by deception. Jones entered not guilty pleas on his behalf today.

The second defendant, a 54-year-old man, failed to appear via video link today and is understood to currently be on a Pacific island. He faces three charges, which Judge Ryan said were yet to have pleas recorded.

The judge added that she was "somewhat concerned about his lack of appearance today".

She decided to grant interim suppression for both men until a further hearing in October.

The OFC has said in an earlier statement it could not comment while the case is before the courts.

The SFO has been probing the OFC for years, following allegations of kickbacks and corruption during the past decade. Former officials have been fined and banned from further involvement in the sport by Fifa.

International football has been marred in recent years with allegations of corruption over its awarding of World Cup hosting rights and the resignation of former Fifa president Sepp Blatter, who faces prosecutions for bribery and fraud.

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Malaysian government prevents football fraud accused from returning to NZ - New Zealand Herald

An early goal sealed the Kiwis fate.

Costa Rica New Zealand 1-0

New Zealand were one game away from the 2022 Qatar World Cup, but fell at the last hurdle against Costa Rica.

A cross into the box found its way to former Arsenal man Joel Campbell after just over two minutes played.

New Zealand then had a goal disallowed in the first half, and to make matters worse, Kosta Barbarouses got himself sent off in the 69th minute.

The striker lunged into a challenge on Costa Ricas Francisco Calvo and caught his ankle. The referee went out to look at the VAR monitor and came back with the red card in his hand.

New Zealand tried to come back in the second half, despite being a man down, but they could not find a way past Costa Rica keeper Keylor Navas.

A passion for everything football and especially in Oceania. Owner of Football in Oceania.

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New Zealand fail to qualify for World Cup - Football in Oceania

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Abbey Moody, 18, of Picton, competing in her javelin event at the 2022 Oceania Athletics Championships.

A Marlborough teenager might have one of the best throwing arms in the country ... for her age.

Javelin and water polo are two sports Abbey Moody excels at, having represented New Zealand on an international stage for the first time this month.

The 18-year-old from Picton broke the New Zealand under-19 womens record for javelin at the 2022 Oceania Athletics Championships, held in Mckay, Queensland between June 7-11.

With a throw of 50.42 metres, she beat her previous personal best by 3.5m.

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I was really stoked with hitting the 50-metre mark, she said.

It sort of wasn't feeling realistic, but then hitting it was absolutely incredible.

The teenager was also preparing to head to Belgrade, Serbia next month, after being selected for the New Zealand team competing at the 2022 FINA Water Polo Youth Women World Championships from July 31 to August 8.

This year marked the first time the teenager had competed internationally, and reckoned water polo and javelin had their similarities, in terms of the throwing.

She said when she first picked up a javelin in high school, she thought oh, I can throw this a bit, after having developed a strong arm from water polo, which shed started playing when she was 10 or 11 years old.

Supplied/Stuff

Moody, left, is off to Serbia next month for the 2022 FINA Water Polo Youth Women World Championships.

The technique required to throw a javelin did differ slightly from shooting a ball in the pool though.

With water polo, I guess you don't really come through fully with the throw, whereas you need to with javelin, to get the most power out of it, she said.

Moody played the utility position in water polo, which meant she was more of an attacker than a defender, and thought the sport was the more challenging of the two, because of how physical it is.

Just overall fitness levels have to be higher for water polo, and also because its both physically and mentally so challenging, she said.

A year 13 student at Rangi Ruru Girls' School in Christchurch, Moody was looking forward to travelling to Serbia next month, especially because her family would be there poolside to watch her.

Ricky Wilson/Stuff

Moody has played water polo since she was 10 or 11, seen here playing for the Marlborough u16 girls team in 2019.

My whole family is coming over which will be exciting, because they weren't able to come over for the Oceania champs, so just having them on the side of the pool will be quite exciting, she said.

For the next few weeks, the 18-year-old said shed be putting down the javelin to focus on the upcoming water polo competition.

Moody said javelin had become her primary focus though, as she was hoping to use her talent in the sport to get a university scholarship in the United States after finishing high school.

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The teen water polo player who took to the javelin like a duck to water - Stuff