We did it Niue, we got to 100!

The Fale team were there last month to promote our e-learning channel FaleOnline and had set the ambitious goal of registering 100 new public servants, 25% of the Niue Public Service. 

The Fale’s Principal Advisor Digital Connectivity, Lise Le’aupepe, and Senior Advisor Communications, Dominic Godfrey, were in Niue at the invitation of the Niue Public Service Commissioner and Fale Governance Board member Victoria Posimani-Kalauni. Our Fale team travelled to Niue with Maritime New Zealand’s Principal Advisor Education and Communication – Pacific Maritime Safety Programme (PMSP) – Sophie Hazelhurst. 

Commissioner Posimani-Kalauni says having the team on-island showed the dedication of the Fale and PMSP work programmes to Niue and the region. 

“Lise, Sophie and Dominic presented a high-level overview of the Fale programme showing how FaleOnline can deliver a variety of programmes to benefit and enhance the capacity of our public servants. This was well supported by our Heads of Department who became champions of FaleOnline for their teams. 

“The drop-in sessions which followed – including the visits to Ministries, school and hospital – meant that everyone could understand how FaleOnline could benefit them, and all of those who attended, registered,” added the Commissioner. 

The visit to Niue was well covered by local news media, featuring on the TV Niue News and their website. Click on the link to view their story or below for the web coverage.

FaleOnline first in-country visit to Niue rollout Learning Management Systems in the Niue Public Service – Television Niue (tvniue.com)

The Fale and PMSP team showed how New Zealand’s Pacific focused agencies can deliver e-learning capability in a fun interactive environment and where questions were encouraged to ensure understanding and participation.

New Zealand’s Deputy High Commissioner to Niue, Elena Procuta, spoke at a function to mark the programme’s joint agency delivery, saying the visit was a great example of what success looks like when two Pacific led programmes work together with common purpose.

“We would like to think that this could provide a blueprint for other New Zealand-funded programmes working in the region. We would strongly encourage such programmes to consider working with the Public Service Fale where e-learning delivery through FaleOnline is a viable option for Pacific government agencies.”

FaleOnline is designed to power-up our Pacific partners’ Public Service driven training and professional development. It’s a tool for Niue and other Pacific stakeholders to access online resources and information curated around the priorities of our 16 Pacific Public Service Commissioners (PPSCs). FaleOnline includes learning content from Pacific regional stakeholder partners and Pacific focused New Zealand public service programmes.

Being web-based, Pacific public servants can connect, share and learn with FaleOnline wherever they have internet access. FaleOnline hosts learning modules, training plans, webinars and templates to support Pacific public servants.

Public Service Fale Deputy Commissioner Tania Ott says “FaleOnline has been carefully designed and curated to support the career development and pathways of Pacific public servants. It’s a place where your team can help realise their leadership potential and enhance and strengthen their governance skills.

“Our partnership with the PMSP is an example of how NZ Public Service agencies can work together to provide targeted, quality support to our Pacific colleagues.

“FaleOnline is also a place where our Pacific Public Service Commissions can share their programmes and policies which can benefit other regional partners.”

Tania noted that this is the Fale’s first official in-person engagement in the region since the relaxation of COVID-19 border restrictions and shows the close working relationship between the Fale and the Niue Public Service Commission.

The Fale has partnered with the PMSP to support delivery of maritime safety modules for the Pacific.

The PMSP has been working with Niue for several years now and supported:

• Safety workshops for Niue vaka and boat fishers
• Water skills for Life delivered through Niue Primary School
• helping build Niue’s search and rescue capacity through the provision of the Police SAR boat.

PMSP Manager David Billington said the PMSP modules will help keep Pacific fishers, seafarers and passengers safe.

“Our modules are designed to support our wider programme by providing clear, Pacific-focused training materials that build maritime safety knowledge and expertise. 

“We’re grateful to the Fale for hosting our modules on their excellent platform and including us in their work to support Pacific public servants.”

The Fale set a target of 100 registrations while in Niue – and by the end of the week had achieved 105, registering over a quarter of Niue’s Public Service.

Both the Fale and PMSP are funded through New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. The Fale is housed within New Zealand’s Public Service Commission to serve Pacific Commission partners and the PMSP is delivered by Maritime NZ.

The Fale is a Pacific led centre of Public Service excellence established in 2020 at the request of our 16 Pacific Public Service Commissioners (PPSCs) from the Cook Islands, Fiji, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.