| RAMSI UPDATE: PACIFIC CONNECTIONS NEW ZEALANDERS MAKING AN IMPACT IN SOLOMONS |
RAMSI
New Zealand is one of the largest contributors to the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI). TOM PERRY talks to two New Zealanders who share a passion for their country, and for their work, as part of RAMSI in Solomon Islands.
A veteran policeman of over 34 years, Senior Constable Norm McIntosh has been serving with RAMSI’s Participating Police Force (PPF) for five months as an adviser to members of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF). McIntosh arrived in Solomon Islands in September last year hoping for an experience that was completely different from anything he had done before.
After leaving the small community of Ngaruawahia on New Zealand’s North Island and stepping foot on Solomon Islands soil, ‘completely different’ is exactly the experience McIntosh has had.
Known to most of his friends and family as ‘Uncle Norm’, McIntosh is now serving alongside members of the RSIPF at posts throughout the Solomon Islands and in the capital, Honiara.
It is his first overseas posting and involves him providing advice, guidance and positive reinforcement to local police as part of the long-term rebuilding of RSIPF. This work, he says, has provided him with the experience that will remain some of the greatest highlights of his 34-year career in the police force.
“When I go on shift alongside those guys, it’s amazing to see the things that they are achieving already—despite being such a young police force.”
“My role is to work with them, alongside them, to give them the confidence to make those important decisions,” said McIntosh.
“I hope that my work can help to teach the guys more about various policing skills, such as reporting and response to incidents. I also hope that in some way, I can help give them the self-esteem that they deserve.”
McIntosh’s job has also taken him beyond Honiara. In November, he travelled to the island of Malaita, where alongside soldiers from RAMSI’s military team, he undertook a five-day hike through villages along the island’s southern coast.
His role in this hike was to talk to people living in villages throughout the journey about the challenges they are facing, and to discuss the work of RAMSI as it builds capacity in the Solomon Islands Government and the police force, as well as making new friends along the way.
“It really was an amazing journey to be a part of,” said McIntosh. “For me, to be able to walk, talk and stay with the people we met was unforgettable. I learned a great deal about Solomon Islands culture, and a little more about the value of the important things in life: family, friendship and the company of loved ones.”
One of McIntosh’s counterparts in the RSIPF, Constable Alice Foanaota, says McIntosh’s strengths are in his ability to communicate and make everyone feel good about the work they are doing.
“Norm is very open, he is always willing to talk with anyone,” said Foanaota. “He is always looking out for us, and encouraging us. It’s good because we learn from him, and he is always joking, making us really enjoy our work. We will really miss him when he leaves.”
When he does leave later this year, McIntosh’s legacy is set to be long-lasting. One of his other Solomon Islands counterparts, Constable Livingston Alesasa, has developed such a strong bond with McIntosh that he named his baby boy, Margton McIntosh Alesasa, after McIntosh.
If that was not enough, McIntosh had the rare honour of being chosen to play Santa Claus at the 2009 Carols in the Islands event, which saw him dressed as Santa, arriving by helicopter to the excited screams of more than 10,000 people. It was an amazing dream,” said McIntosh of his moment of nation-wide fame.
“Arriving like that in a helicopter, with all those thousands of people smiling up at me; it was really an incredible thing—the best thing I’ve ever done.”
Fellow New Zealander Sharron Thurston has been working as a RAMSI adviser in the Inland Revenue Division of Solomon Islands Ministry of Finance for over two and a half years.
Thurston, a mother of three from Taupo, on New Zealand’s North Island, is no stranger to Melanesian life, having spent a number of years in Papua New Guinea.
The role of the 80-person strong Inland Revenue Division is to collect much of Solomon Islands revenue, giving the Solomon Islands Government a better chance of being able to afford to deliver many of the services the country needs such as roads, schools and medical care.
The work of ‘compliance’, in which Thurston specialises, is about making sure every business in Solomon Islands contributes a portion of its revenue back to the country through the payment of taxes. Thurston explained, this is no easy task.
“Working in compliance requires a lot of confidence, strength—and a strong sense of purpose,” she said.“It’s very much part of helping to ensure the sovereignty of Solomon Islands—of helping the country stand on its own two feet.”
And this is exactly what Thurston, and her fellow RAMSI advisers working within the Inland Revenue Division, are helping to do.
Thurston’s focus is on ‘capacity development’; on building the strength within the Ministry of Finance’s Inland Revenue team, and this is where she believes she gets the greatest satisfaction out of her job.
“Seeing our guys lead and take charge gives me far more satisfaction than anything else,” she said. “It’s a great feeling to know that the legacy of RAMSI will be long-term…and sustainable.”
Joseph Dokekana, who has served in Solomon Islands Inland Revenue Division for over 15 years, says that Thurston’s strength lies in her ability to see the bigger, long-term goals—and focus her work on these.
“Sharron is very focused on building long-term leadership here,” said Dokekana. “And she is always open to everyone, always willing to talk to everyone.”
“In many ways, she is very much a Melanesian,” he joked.
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