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Temaru PLans Tahiti delegations Office in Auckland

Published: Tue 12 Apr 2005 10:31 AM
Temaru wants to create Tahiti delegations in Auckland and Sydney
(Tahitipresse) - French Polynesia President Oscar Temaru returned Saturday night from a weeklong medical visit to New Zealand calling for the creation of a Tahiti delegation office in Auckland and Sydney just like what exists in Paris.
Dodging questions about his health, Temaru preferred to talk instead about the “professional reasons” for his voyage. “(French) Polynesia has particular links with the region’s countries, and New Zealand and Australia are countries with which we must have well-structured relations.”
Tahiti already has tourism, airline, CPS offices in Auckland
He noted that in Auckland there is a Tahiti Tourisme representation office, an Air Tahiti Nui sales and reservations office and a Caisse de Prévoyance Sociale (CPS) office to handle patients from Tahiti hospitalized for special treatment.
Referring to Tahiti’s new organic statutory law enacted by the French Parliament early last year, Temaru noted that the French Polynesia government has the right to open a delegation office in Auckland and Sydney. Tahiti’s government has had a delegation office in Paris for many years, primarily dealing with university students and hospitalized patients from Tahiti.
It is now up to the Temaru government to official inform the New Zealand government, “and perhaps the Australian government also”, of Tahiti’s desire, he said.
Temaru wants to involve French government
Temaru said he would like the French government to also be informed of this project so that it can group together all of its services operating in New Zealand. The objective, he said, would be for everyone to work in the best interests of people from Tahiti in New Zealand as well as economic relations and for projects that can be started there in such fields as education and job training. “There are a lot of things to do.”
Meanwhile, asked about when he would be traveling to Paris, Temaru said he was still waiting for an answer from the office of Overseas Minister Brigitte Girardin. He was originally planning on going to the French capital within a few days to meet for the first time with French government officials since his early March re-election as French Polynesia president.

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