Festive season’s greetings, a very belated Merry Christmas and good wishes for a prosperous new year 2023 to you all.  

What a year, 2022, it has been. It gives me the greatest of honor accompanied with humility to journey with you all through this year, the year of the birth of Namatanai Nudahat Association Inc. (NNA Inc.). On 30 August 2022, the idea to create NNA Inc. came to life through a meeting held by Richmond Nongkas, Mikael Herry and myself in Kokopo, East New Britain Province. NNA Inc. was formed out of a fundamental principle, to contribute to the development of Namatanai LLG, alone first. We would soon realize, with the issues we were going to face, that the association could not be confined to the LLG level only but must broaden its wings to cover the entire Namatanai District, with discretionary exceptions to address regional developmental issues.  

“Nudahat” means “bilong umi” or “ours” in Namatanai-patpatar language. A sense of ownership of our own issues. The creation of this association was not only to raise issues in Namatanai but more so, to bring about the necessary solutions to those issues, ensure that those solutions are taken heed of by those concerned and ultimately implemented. This association is grounded by the cardinal rule which is to IMPLEMENT change, not to TALK change only.  

OUR VISION, MISSION AND VALUES

Our vision is clear in that we envision a community that has access to basic services that improves the quality of life and is a desirable place in which to live in and enjoy the benefits of family, friends and community.

Our Mission is to enhance and preserve the quality of life and sense of community in Namatanai through advocating for basic services and support initiatives that benefit the greater good of the community.  

In NNA, our values remain steadfast. In order to achieve our vision and mission, we value integrity, fairness, respect, cooperation and a sense of community.   

NNA has, for some months now, since its birth, taken the path of the “Melanesian collective consensus” approach in its decision-making process. This is an implied requirement of our NNA Inc. Constitution which is imposed by the society we live in. This must be adhered to by NNA Inc. going into the future. NNA Inc. was conceptualized into the Melanesian society to which collective consensus remains a crucial element which has been indoctrinated and embedded into the fabrics of our local society itself that has guided our ancestors for many centuries. That we must acknowledge and there must be no reason as to why NNA Inc. should defer from this traditional governance system. We must embrace “Collective Consensus” in the daily governance of NNA Inc., which is absolutely necessary for the survival of the association itself. 

OUR PIONEER INTERIM MEMBERS 

On 30 of August 2022, NNA recorded its first ever interim members. This is a group of educated elite professionals with different expertise in different areas of practice, both in the Public and Private sector as well, in the country. NNA Inc. is so fortunate to have them on board and we acknowledge their membership and their huge contribution to the issues NNA Inc. has faced thus far.  

ADDRESSING THE ISSUES AT HAND 

In the past 4 months, NNA Inc. has carefully maneuvered itself around current issues affecting our Namatanai District, paying careful attention to the geopolitical climate at all levels of the government, the current policies being created by the National Government that will, and has, had an adverse effect in Namatanai District. NNA Inc. has kept its eyes open all throughout.

 With that in mind, in the span of 4 months only, NNA has embarked on sorting out three important issues that had to be rectified forthwith: 

1. Water supply in Namatanai Town.
   

2. Auditing Reports for Namatanai Advancement Limited
   

3. Electricity issue in Namatanai.
   

NNA Inc. has been prudent in progressing these matters and to which there is hope there will be determination and some certainty going forward in terms of the areas highlighted there above.   

THE FUTURE 

In the month of November 2022, I issued a memorandum of instructions to two of our experienced members to develop the “NNA IN 2032- Development Plan” for the association. The development plan, which is still under construction, shall chart the waters for NNA into the future for the next 10 years. The plan is designed to draw much strength and vision from our Grand Chief Sir Michael Thomas Somare Government’s Vision 2050 which the National Government is currently sailing with. In doing that, we participate meaningfully in the development of our Namatanai District and the country as a whole and so we look forward to the completion of it with much interest, enthusiasm and a lot of joy at heart to finally be able to know where we are heading to in the next 10 years. This will be our statement of intent with which all other policies and future projects will take their point of reference from. 

In terms of compliance with statutory requirements, we have published the Notice of Intention to incorporate the Association on 22 December 2022 in the daily National newspaper at page 28. We also look forward to lodging the final form for the IPA Incorporation after the 30 days and have the incorporation stage of NNA Inc. completed by the end of January 2023. The inclusion of other members into NNA will be entertained next year 2023 as outlined in our previous correspondences and will be a boost to NNA Inc.’s capacity to deliver projects and try to solve issues in Namatanai District.   

In the meantime, with the completion of the Strategic Development Plan, we look forward to creating proposals to bringing the much needed services into the District. The National Government has predicted a tough economic downturn for the nation come 2023. With the price of goods ever increasing, inflation at our doorsteps and the need for self-sustainability, NNA Inc. must step into the lime light with tailor made impact projects in 2023 considering the factors at hand. NNA Inc. must create proposals and source funding’s for those proposals in 2023. I have great trust in you all my colleagues-in-development and I look forward to working with you all to ensure that our NNA Inc. vision and mission will materialize in the year 2023 and beyond.  

With that, on behalf of the Interim Executive of NNA Inc. 2022 and our families, I wish you all and your families, wherever you maybe at this time, on the islands or up in the highlands, in the big city or in the village or still travelling at this time, a belated very Merry Christmas greetings and all good wishes, good health, good fortune and a prosperous new year 2023 to you all. 

Yours in NNA development, 

signed…

Jeremiah Kihanges

NNA Inc. President 2023