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Jack’s of PNG is official Supplier of Team PNG Merchandise

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The Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee have today unveiled Jack’s of PNG as the Team PNG Merchandise supplier and Corporate Partner of the PNGOC for 2022 and 2023.

One of the leading clothing retailers in Papua New Guinea, Jack’s of PNG today sealed a two-year merchandise partnership which saw the PNGOC award the supplier the licensing rights to its Team PNG brand to manufacture, advertise and distribute Team PNG merchandise apparel for the two-year period.

The merchandising agreement allows the PNGOC to provide its Team PNG trademark to Jacks of PNG to create an agreed range of Team PNG supporter apparel for the general public to purchase from all Jack’s of PNG retail outlets.

In addition to the licensing agreement, Jack’s of PNG has also pledged sponsorship in kind to the PNGOC to the value of K100,000 over the two-year period (2022-2023). The value in kind sponsorship covers the walkout uniforms and accessories for Team PNG to the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games and 2023 Solomon Islands Pacific Games in addition to Board and Staff uniforms for the organisation.

Welcoming the partnership, PNGOC Secretary General Auvita Rapilla stated “Jack’s PNG came on board last year sponsoring Team PNG’s walk out uniform for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and we are pleased to see this partnership extend to include Team PNG Merchandise”.

Rapilla acknowledged and thanked the Jacks of PNG Board for having the confidence in the Team PNG brand and for taking up this new challenge to market and promote the Team PNG merchandise to the general public.

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Business

Locals undergo training at Ramu Nico’s Kurumbukari Mine

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Communities in the impacted areas of Ramu NiCo’s Kurumbukari mine were given a chance to undergo various trainings in the extraction process.

Ramu NiCo has been providing employment for locals especially, since operations began in 2012. The company has so far trained and employed locals in the impacted areas to work in various fields that don’t need specific qualifications.

The Kurumbukari mine, in July of 2022, recruited 22 locals of whom 18 were trained to run and operate the Volvo Articulated Dump Truck and four for excavator trainings from the surrounding communities in the impacted zone.

Their training started on Thursday 7th  July, 2022 and will continue until all the apprentices are familiarized with the functions of the vehicle.

The 18 trainees started off with their T – 1 training at the mine pit and will continue to do their T- 2 Training (800 hours on the job training) and will later be verified based on their competency before joining the work force as qualified Volvo ADT A40E truck operators.

The exercise provides an employment opportunity for locals to work with Ramu NiCo. The 22 locals Selected were from the four major clans around the Kurumbukari Mine site.

This was based on the Memorandum of Understanding (MOA) between Ramu NiCo and the landowners.

Recommendations for training and employment are made by village leaders in the impacted zone of the Ramu NiCo project. Under this program each clan leader who are affiliated with the Company’s Community Affairs Office recommend locals who are able to work in the various fields.

General Manager of Ramu NiCo’s Kurumbukari Mine, Mr. Joseph Umare said the job/employment Opportunity for the mine is given back to the locals as priority.

“Ramu NiCo had been a major contributor of employment to landowners living in the impacted areas Around the Kurumbukari Basin, especially in the Usino Bundi District and parts of Rai Coast District.

The Company recruits 90 % of its employees from Madang Province with the remaining 10%, from other provinces,” Umare said.

He said the training will qualify them to work in the mine’s operations after they finish their T-1 and T-2.

Training respectively including a three-month probationary period. A proud local and trainee Mr. Rex Minembo said, they are very proud to be accepted by the company.

“We are proud to wear the company uniforms and to learn how to operate the mine truck,” Minembo said

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Business

Nasfund’s Membership Discount Program renewed with PNG Air Partnership

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Papua New Guinea’s leading superannuation provider, Nasfund and airline service provider, PNG Air, recently met to renew their partnership.

Through their collaboration, Nasfund members can now access a discount of K50 on one-way airfares through the Fund’s Membership Discount Program (MDP).

“Since the easing of restrictions, we have noted an increase in the demand for travel within Papua New Guinea.

“As a nationally-owned airline, it is in our best interest to make air travel more affordable and accessible.

“Given the current economic situation, we are pleased to renew our partnership with Nasfund to provide this discount to the Fund’s active contributors,” said Simon C. Pitt, PNG Air Chief Commercial Officer.

To claim this discount, Nasfund members will have to show their Nasfund membership ID card, when purchasing their tickets at PNG Air sales offices.

This offer is also redeemable on the PNG Air website. A promo code ‘NASFUND22’ will have to be used when booking until November 30th 2022, and ‘NASFUND23’ when booking from February 1st 2023 onwards. Members can travel at any time, except within the aforementioned dates.

The discount is now available for members and their beneficiaries, and will be in place for the next 12 months.

CEO, Ian Tarutia welcomed the renewed MDP agreement and thanked PNG Air for their commitment to provide affordable air travel for Nasfund Members.

“This offer certainly provides more value for our members, especially during these challenging times.

“We encourage our members to take advantage of this partnership, to save more while you work today.

We are committed to work together to provide value for our members while they work, so that they are ready for tomorrow,” Tarutia added.

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Business

Nasfund Welcomes New Members on Lihir Island

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The National Superannuation Fund (Nasfund) recently welcomed 800 new contributing members on Lihir Island.

They are employees of 200 landowner companies who provide services to Newcrest Mining Limited (NML), through Lihir Business Services (LBS).

All 200 landowner companies this week received their Employer Registration Certificates, confirming their membership to Papua New Guinea’s leading superannuation provider.

CEO Ian Tarutia in welcoming the newly registered employers, praised the management of each entity for their decision to provide a secure financial future for their employees through superannuation savings with Nasfund.

“The process in registering our new members is one that was made possible through cooperation from NML, LBS, and our Nasfund Lihir service centre.

“The bulk registration of our new members on Lihir island is one of the largest we have had, and is a testament to the great working relationship we have with the local business community.

This also demonstrates the importance that businesses, whether large or small, place on retirement savings for their employees.

As members of Nasfund, these members now benefit from our cadre of services, which includes our online platforms, TextBal service, and our popular Membership Discount Program (MDP).

We are committed to providing value for these members while they work today, so that they are ready for retirement, when the time comes,” said Tarutia.

(L-R): Nasfund General Manager Member & Employer Services, Anne Wilson, presenting an Employer Registration Certificate to Director of Tasio Limited, Barbara Siomel, and Acting General Manager Lihir Business Systems, Assumpta Wauwau.

In receiving the Employer Registration Certificates, Lihir Business Services Acting General Manager, Assumpta Wauwau, thanked the Fund for its efforts in ensuring all requirements were met, for the contractors to join Nasfund.

“This is a milestone for LBS in achieving the superfund compliance requirement for its 200 plus contractors under the LBS/Newcrest vendor agreement.

Having the Nasfund General Manager Member & Employer Services, Anne Wilson, on the island to handover the certificate signifies the importance of this achievement given the volume of employer and member registrations at any one time.

LBS commends the company owners and directors of the Lihirian owned businesses for their cooperation in registering with Nasfund, to safeguard the retirement savings of their employees.

The face-to-face meeting with the fund team leads over the duration of this exercise has also given assurance to the employers and new and existing Nasfund members on Lihir that they are just within reach should they encounter unexpected delays in resolving any of their superannuation related queries.”

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Business

Key implications of PNG’s recent CPI figures

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The price of goods and services have continued to increase since the second quarter of 2021, with Consumer Price Index (CPI) rating closing the first quarter of this year at 6.9 percent – the highest level rating since 2010.

To counter this high domestic inflation, the Bank of PNG has tightened the Monetary Policy

by increasing the Kina Facility Rate (KFR) by 0.25 percent to 3.25 percent this month (July

2022).

According to the BSP Pacific Economic and Market Insight Q2 2022 Report, BSP Group

General Manager for Corporate Banking, Peter Beswick said the uplift in the Kina Facility

Rate (KFR) by BPNG in signaling and tightening the Monetary Policy would result in the

finance sector reviewing loan and deposit interest rates.

The KFR intends to serve as the interest rate at which funds can be lent or borrowed. It is a

monthly rate and any changes to it should translate to market interest rates.

“The Bank of PNG has flagged the tightening Monetary Policy, with an increase in the KFR

by 0.25 percent to 3.25 percent in July 2022. This move is to counter high domestic inflation.

Domestic prices have continued to increase since the Q2-21, with headline CPI for the Q1-

22 at 6.9 percent. The highest level since 2010,” Mr. Beswick said.

“BPNG has noted the key drivers of inflation as being import inflation (through fuel and food),

caused by the pandemic and Russia-Ukraine conflict. Inflation and living costs are expected

to remain high for the remainder of 2022, as global recession fears affecting fuel, energy and

logistic costs globally,” he added.

Mr. Beswick further said that under this scenario, PNG should benefit from increased prices

on commodity exports. However, this lift could be partiality offset by reduced export volumes

in the agricultural sector, as small holders and regional communities are involved in the

general election.

“In terms of business drivers, we have seen some uplift in select business sectors of the

PNG economy. Hotels & Accommodation providers have seen increases in occupancy

levels, due to additional consultants and short term contractors arriving to assist government

with the general election. Australia has an increased presence, with additional defense force

personal assisting with law and order nationally. While aid agencies have committed

additional resources on the ground to assist with the election operations, logistic and

oversight.

“Major extractive projects on the horizon for 2023, should see improved sentiment as the

PNG economy transitions into its next significant growth phase,” Mr Beswick concluded.

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Business

Telstra Takes Ownership of Digicel Pacific

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Australia’s leading telecommunications and technology company, Telstra, yesterday announced it has officially acquired Digicel Pacific in partnership with the Australian Government.

A statement released yesterday says Telstra will continue to invest in and operate the business across its six South Pacific markets – Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Nauru, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu.

Oliver Camplin-Warner, Telstra International CEO, said the deal was an exciting milestone for the Digicel Pacific business and its customers in Papua New Guinea.

Mr Camplin-Warner confirmed there would not be any local job losses in the Pacific as part of the acquisition and the current Digicel Pacific team would continue the day-to-day running of the business.

“Digicel Pacific will still have the same people and products that their PNG customers know and love today,” he said.

“Telstra will add to these strengths with our more than one hundred years’ experience building and operating the largest mobile network in Australia, and our operations in more than 20 countries world-wide.”

“As part of our commitment to building a strong and sustainable PNG, Digicel Pacific will invest in an additional 115 towers which will be built across PNG over the next two years,” Mr Camplin-Warner added.

“This investment will mean continued improvements to 4G coverage, particularly in rural areas, which will bring with it opportunities to improve health, education, agricultural, commerce and cultural outcomes through the use of technology.”

Colin Stone, CEO, Digicel Papua New Guinea, said Telstra’s expertise in rolling out world-class networks and connecting remote communities would greatly enhance the work to date of Digicel and benefit the people and businesses of PNG.

“Telstra has experience connecting regional and remote customers in challenging geographies across mountains, deserts, rainforests and coastlines,” Mr Stone said.

“We’re looking forward to Telstra applying its network experience as well as its innovation and technology solutions to PNG to continue increasing connectivity in the region as Digicel has been doing for the past 14 years.”

Mr Camplin-Warner said the values of both Telstra and Digicel Pacific were a natural fit, with the companies committed to working together to build a connected future for everyone.

“We strongly believe we are “better together”, and this includes how we both work to support some of the most vulnerable in our communities,” he said.

“Telstra strongly supports Digicel Pacific’s grass roots community investments through the Digicel Foundation, and we are committed to seeing this work continue.”

Mr Camplin-Warner said Telstra had been working closely with Pacific Governments and regulators on the acquisition and thanked them for cooperation and support.

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Lai Valley Welcomes New Corporative Society 

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The launch of a new corporative society for Lai Valley in the Mendi Munihu district of Southern Highlands Province will pave way for economic benefits for 60,000 locals in the area. 

The Lai Valley Corporate Society was launched in Munihu Government Station on Wednesday (June 29) in front of eager locals wanting to learn about the society and the opportunities it would present. 

Interim Chairman of the society, Karl Sopol said the society’s focus is to help get the communities involved in small sustainable activities like piggery, poultry, and other projects rather than wait for government handouts. 

The birth of the society came through discussions among elites from the area who wanted to see how they could help their people sustain their livelihoods. 

Sopol said the society is all about helping people become economically independent. 

“Our target is to have 5 to 10 projects going in the next five years and with funding support of the government and through memberships and set up market access from the area and into the rest of the highlands all the way to Lae”. 

Sopol said with the right infrastructure in place such as the new Gulf to Southern Highlands Highway and other services such as electricity, it presented many market opportunities for the people to capitalize on. 

Eric Alom, an elite from Munihu encouraged the locals to support and take advantage of economic activities through the corporative society. 

“You alone do not have the resources to mobilize resources or to find the markets for your produce or products, a corporative society is able to do that for you, its here to help you get involved in business activities”, said Alom. 

The society now has plans to continue carrying out awareness activities to help people understand what a corporative society does and how they can benefit. 

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Business

Success Built on Kina Bank Partnership

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Kina Bank and SNS Tech have partnered to deliver market leading results for SMEs in Papua New Guinea looking to turn digital. 

SNS Tech is a Papua New Guinean owned tech firm who develop best in class digital solutions for their clients so they can thrive in the digital economy.

As a business, Kina Bank have long been committed to directing the digital future of PNG and identified e-commerce as a crucial aspect to the long-term success of the country.

With a joint vision in bettering digital experiences in PNG, Kina Bank and SNS Tech have joined forces to set local catering company Tapioca Delight up for digital success. Using Kina Bank’s Internet Payment Gateway (IPG), Tapioca Delight can continue to build out their thriving online business.  

The partnership saw SNS Tech assist in integrating Kina’s IPG on behalf of Tapioca Delight. This meant that Tapioca Delight’s owner, Ginia Sialis, could concentrate on looking after her business whilst SNS Tech took care of the set-up phase.  

Kina Bank’s Chief Transformation Officer, Ivan Vidovich said, “As the leading digital bank in PNG, we’re always looking for the right partners to work with to ensure we’re supporting local SMEs and helping them become digitally focused.  We’ve seen great results already partnering with SNS Tech, Tapioca Delight is just one example of many.”  

Kina Bank’s IPG platform is the first in PNG to accept local bank cards from, BSP, MiBank and ANZ, meaning customers have the freedom to browse and order what they want all whilst using a standard local bank issued card of their choice.

“We feel a sense of accomplishment here at Kina Bank, having taken our Internet Payment Gateway out to commercial customers and having it adopted by PNG born companies like Tapioca Delight.  We take tremendous pride in supporting online businesses and we’re confident that providing a secure digital payments platform will help drive PNG’s digital innovation”, said Ivan Vidovich. 

Tapioca Delight has seen a flurry of new orders come through their website, the first one coming from a customer in New Zealand ordering a cake for her best friend in Port Moresby. Ginia Sialis said, “I couldn’t be happier with the set up and integration to Kina Bank’s IPG.  Both SNS Tech and Kina have been great partners and have really helped us in the growth phase of our business. Being a SME in PNG, it is important that I can rely partners like SNS Tech and Kina Bank.”   

Kina Bank’s Internet Payment Gateway is a tool available to all SMEs looking to turn digital. 

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PNG Air on the Way to Celebrating 35 Years of Service

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Three long serving employees of PNG Air have proudly spoken of their early days with the airline when it began operations in 1987.

They include acting CEO Stanley Stevens, Chief Commercial Officer, Simon Pitt and Lae Sales and Reservations Manager, Jennifer Ahab.

“We are pleased to be able to share this anniversary announcement today. The airline is pleased to have many long serving staff still with us and will be highlighting their stories throughout the year of celebrations,” said acting CEO Stevens.

In announcing the airline’s 35th year of service today, PNG Air announced a K35 reduction for all tickets bought starting from (today) March 30th to 8th April 2022 for travel between 25th April to 5th June 2022.

For Jennifer, she began her career with PNG Air as the first female load master some 25 years back before moving to Lae to manage the Nadzab Office in the year 2000.

“I have since been looking after the Lae Sales Team and I am proud to be an employee of PNG Air”, she said.

PNG Air commenced operations on 30th June 1987. It was registered as Milne Bay Airlines (MBA) by founder late Sir John Wild Snr. (Sir MBA).

In 2001 it changed its name to Airlines PNG and again in 2015 rebranded to PNG Air.

The airline has grown over the years with introduction of new air crafts like ATR 72-600 and expanded its services throughout Papua New Guinea.

Chief Commercial Officer, Simon Pitt said, to commemorate the airlines 35th anniversary, a logo for this specific occassion will set the bench mark for activities the airline company plans to do throughout the year.

“The logo is a representation of all the distinct elements of our livery represented through the Bird of Paradise,” said Mr. Pitt.

PNG Air customers are advised to use the promotion code ‘PNGAIR35’ when doing bookings.

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SP Commemorates 70 Years of SP Lager Brand

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This year marks the 70th Anniversary of the launch of the SP Lager brand. To commemorate this, SP Brewery designed a special logo for the brand.

Speaking at the official launch of the brand’s 70th anniversary earlier this week, SPB Managing Director, Ed Weggemans said the brand has journeyed with the nation marking many milestone occasions that have fostered the feeling of national pride and togetherness.

The anniversary logo will be incorporated into all of the brand’s activities in the market, including television advertising, radio, social media and billboards.

The anniversary launch saw Mr Weggemans, with four long serving staff, unveil SP Lager’s 70 Years commemorative logo, in the presence of local media and the company’s leadership team.

“This journey demonstrates how the brand has been able to withstand the test of time whilst remaining relevant in an evolving market. The brand continues to maintain the same great quality it was back then and is still the beer of choice we all come together to enjoy, regardless of status, region or gender,“ added Weggemans.

“As a registered PNG company SP Brewery through its SP Lager brand also played an important role in contributing to the PNG economy and the Government’s national purse”, said Weggemans.

SP Lager began its journey in 1952 as South Pacific Lager and began production on November 26th for the first time.

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