Total expects new Papua New Guinea Government to honour gas agreement, SP Brewery signs a MoU to turn brewing waste into fertiliser and Air Niugini may take over one of Cathay Pacific’s routes. Your weekly digest of business news.

French energy company Total said on Friday that it expected Papua New Guinea’s incoming government to honour the gas agreement signed in April.

‘We note that the new prime minister has indicated that he will honour the contracts that were already signed,’ Total said in a statement sent to Reuters. ‘According to our information, this touches on the gas agreement signed by PNG’s government to develop the Papua LNG project.’ (Reuters)

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A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between SP Brewery and Impetus Niugini Limited will see the first composting plant using controlled microbial composting methodology in Papua New Guinea convert waste from the brewing process into non-chemical fertiliser (compost and biochar). (Post Courier)

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Air Niugini may take over Cathay Pacific’s Cairns route. Alan Milne, Air Niugini’s Managing Director, reportedly discussed the airline’s capacity with representatives in Cairns and Queensland, including the Department of State Development and Cairns Chamber of Commerce. ‘What we can say now and certainly after the conversation (with Cairns leaders), is I think there are a whole lot more opportunities than just freight. There is a whole passenger market too.’ (Cairns Post)

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PNG Biomass is evaluating a project to add an additional 11-megawatt solar farm to its Markham Valley site. This will allow the company to reduce electricity costs and develop a Markham renewable electricity park of 41MW installed capacity. (The National)

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A new Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) for cooperation between the Australian Pacific Training Coalition (APTC) through the Australia High Commission and the Motu Koitabu Assembly will provide vocational education in the hospitality sector for young people in Motu Koitabu. (Post Courier)

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Niuminco Group Limited has released its report for the first quarter of 2019, which includes mining and production activity in Edie Creek in Morobe Province. (Post Courier)

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Last week, Bank South Pacific Board Chairman, Kostas Constantinou, reportedly said that after the purchase in 2015 of Westpac operations in various Pacific islands and Cambodia, the bank will aim to have nationals running operations. ‘With all our Polynesian and Melanesian countries that we acquired from Westpac, we are progressing extremely well by having nationals of those counties run those organisations, Samoa, Vanuatu, Fiji and eventually could be Cook Islands,’ he said. (Post Courier)

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PanAust has won the Miners Innovation Award at Austmine 2019 Mining Innovation Conference and Exhibition in Brisbane, Australia. The award was given in recognition of the company’s solution to backload diesel to its Phu Kham Copper-Gold Operation in Laos. (The National)

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New Zealand has unveiled its new budget. The budget, which was presented by Finance Minister Grant Robertson has been considered a ‘world-first’ because it was designed with wellbeing in mind. This means billions of dollars will be spent on mental health services services, combating child poverty and tackling family violence. Mental health investment received NZ$1.6 billion (K3.5 billion) and the government expects to help 325,000 people with ‘mild to moderate’ mental health and addiction needs by 2012-24.

#Budget2019 tackles key social determinants of #mentalhealth such as housing, child poverty, family and sexual violence – this is all part of prevention and creating a more just society.

— Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand (@mentalhealthnz) May 30, 2019

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Tininga Ltd has given K30,000 to the Mt Hagen Cultural Show committee; the event will take place in August. ‘Tininga has gained confidence from the effort of the show committee made in 2018 to restore the iconic event and we are renewing our partnership for the 2019 show,’ said Pat Duckworth, Tininga’s Managing Director. (The National)

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Photograph of the week

Two Meri Safe buses are transporting women and children in Lae. Credit: Meri Safe

 

Two Meri Safe (women safe) buses are now operating in Lae. The service is managed by the non-government organisation Ginigoada Foundation and is funded by the Australian Government with support from Pacific Women. One of the drivers is Barbra Namuesh, a 47-year-old woman and mother of two who used to run services from Wau-Bulolo to Lae. (EMTV)