Report from the Chair Dr Heather Devere
Asia Pacific Media Network APMN/ Te Koakoa
Third AGM, Friday, 19 April 2024

Ngā mihi nui kia koutou katoa,

Introduction:
The Asia Pacific Media Network is now well-established as an incorporated society in Aotearoa New Zealand. A community-based network of academics, journalists, and activists, our membership spans Australia, Fiji, Indonesia and the Philippines. APMN also has links to the Manila-based AMIC, Asia-Pacific’s largest communication research centre.

We have been working particularly closely this year with the University of the South Pacific in preparation for the Pacific Media Conference to be held in Suva 4-6 July 2024, where the 30th anniversary edition of the Pacific Journalism Review will be launched. There are also several projects that APMN is working on. One is the Nuclear Free Pacific exhibition to be held marking the 40th anniversary of both the Rainbow Warrior bombing and Nuclear Free law in New Zealand. 

Seed funding has been received from the Quakers and appropriately from PADET (Peace and Disarmament Education Trust) set up with compensation paid by the French Government to NZ for the damage suffered as a result of the attack on the Greenpeace Rainbow Warrior ship in Auckland Harbour on 10 July 1985.

Pacific Journalism Review:
Under the editorship of David Robie and Philip Cass, and produced by Del Abcede, Vol 29 of PJR with the theme of Governance, Disinformation and Training, and a cover photo of the Melanesian Spearhead Group support for West Papua, was published in July 2023. At 300 pages this is a substantial issue that includes eleven on-theme articles, nine book reviews, a special report, frontline report, photoessay, and three obituaries.

Can we just acknowledge these impressive and inspirational women? Shirley Shackleton, Jill Joliffe and Tui O’Sullivan. Tuwhera Indigenous Research Platform at AUT is continuing to house the digital archives. As mentioned before the 30th Volume of PJR will be launched in a special ceremony at the Pacific Media Conference in Suva this year in July.

The publication is well underway with articles already having been sent to reviewers. David will mainly edit this edition with Philip and Del as always, and Philip will mostly edit the second edition with the conference papers. And thanks also to Khairiah for all her work in making things operate smoothly, and other behind-the-scene assistance.

Commentary on media issues and activities:
There have been a broad range of media commentaries from APMN members on issues including West Papua, media rights and free speech, disinformation, the viability of journalism, industry training, conflict analysis, climate change, journalism in Fiji, PNG, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, and the death of Palestinian journalists as well as criticism of the poor coverage of Gaza in the mainstream New Zealand media. The Asia Pacific Report provides ongoing coverage of issues in the region. David Robie, Shailendra Singh, Selwyn Manning, Wendy Bacon, and Gavin Ellis draw attention to and provide deep analysis on media concerns.

Khairiah Rahman presented a paper at the AMIC conference in Bandung, Indonesia in October 2023 entitled ‘Talk ASAP: Africa-Asia Pacific Dialogues on Communication Issues’. In October too, AMPN joined with Nik Naidu and Rachel Mario in a celebration of Fiji Independence Day. David Robie was a guest speaker at the teachers’ wānanga at Auckland Museum on the Nuclear Free and Independent Pacific (NFIP) and Nik filmed interviews of activist “legends” there.

Camille Nakhid and David Robie contributed to the book of remembrance for Tui O’Sullivan launched at AUT. Heather Devere was in attendance representing APMN. There are tributes to Tui in the Asia Pacific Report and an obituary in PJR. Several members of PMN attended the Tuwhera workshop on information sharing.

Shailendra Singh’s regional journalism programme at the USP is in collaboration with three major media industry partners, as he continues to work on building the capacity of local journalists in the Pacific post-Covid. The programme also hosts the award-winning training newspaper Wansolwara.

Wendy Bacon has written on the draconian protest laws in Australia, and Gavin critiques NZ media organisations in his Knightly Views website and columns. The Café Pacific website launched in May 2023 is a collaboration between Selwyn Manning and David Robie. David Robie and Heather Devere were in consultation with Virginia Comolli from the Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime who is helping to set up their new Pacific programme.

Financial Committee:
Our thanks to the Acting Treasurer David Robie, and Nik Naidu for managing our accounts. A full financial report is presented at the meeting. We are now charging membership fees which will help to keep us afloat. And funding is in place to cover the printing of two editions of PJR. As mentioned before, we have some funds from the Quakers and PADET towards the cost of the exhibition.

Whānau Centre and other collaborators
An important partner for APMN is the Whānau Community Centre and Hub where we are physically ‘housed’. The goal of the Whānau Centre is to ‘enhance the health, education and economic well-being of our whanau, communities, families and children’. We are grateful for the welcome from Nik and Rachel.

APMN also collaborates with Asia Pacific Report; Café Pacific; Evening Report; Kaniva Tonga; Muslim Media Watch; Pacific Media Watch; USP Journalism; and Wansolwara News. All of these are accessible via links to the APMN website. We recently joined Te Ohu Tāmaki (Whakawhanaunga Tāmaki Makaurau Inc) which is a collective of community and activist groups working for systemic and structural change over issues of poverty and inequality.

Website:
As above, Asia Pacific Media Network/Te Koakoa Incorporated now has a website at https://asiapacificmedianetwork.memberful.com/. This was only recently up and is now running, but will be a way of genuinely providing a network connection across Asia and the Pacific as well as further afield.

Pacific Media Conference, Suva:
APMN is very pleased to be partnering with the School of Pacific Arts, Communication and Education (SPACE) at the University of the South Pacific and with PINA in presenting this major international conference, the first of its kind in two decades. Entitled ‘Navigating Challenges and Shaping Futures in Pacific Media Research and Practice’, it will run from 4-6 July 2024 on the Laucala Campus.

Tara Arts International:
Heather Devere and David Robie have engaged with the three artists from Tara Arts International whose work looks at the social and political issues of the Indian diaspora in the South Asia/Pacific region. Mandrika Rupa, Tiffany Singh and Mandi Rupa-Reid will be staging an exhibition at the USP at the time of the Pacific Media Conference. Tiffany Singh is a well-known Indian and Pasifika artist whose large installations have been exhibited internationally, Mandi Rupa-Reid is a classical Indian dancer and documentary maker. Mandrika Rupa is an independent film artist whose work has been recognised internationally. Mandrika has also contributed an article to the 30th Volume of PJR that documents the filmmaker’s journey in the making of the documentary ‘Hidden Apartheid:’ that reveals the continuation of clan discrimination in diasporic countries.

Focus for 2024/2025:

At the end of my report last year I stated:
‘There is still work to be done on establishing a website, a database and an archive. Apart from money for some of these tasks, we also need more human resources, and would love for more younger people to become more involved. Some of us are getting a little ancient, so for real sustainability we need to be able to hand over the reins to lead us forward.’
The ancient ones have established a website and a database and rescued the database. We still need more members and especially young blood, so please encourage people to join in these rewarding mahi at a time when these issues are all becoming more urgent.'

I am also going to repeat the thanks I also expressed last year, as this also remains the same:

‘Thanks to everyone for their efforts in keeping this important work going. We all know that without David and Del we would be lost and the secretarial role in any organisation is absolutely vital, so thank you Khairiah. But also to all those who have been involved editing, auditing, reviewing, proofing, catering, encouraging, emailing, writing, photographing, thank you.’

Dr Heather Devere
Chair, APMN
April 2024