In Kiribati, it’s always fish for lunch

Press, 11 July 1989, Page 9

In Kiribati, it’s always fish for lunch

By

BRENDON BURNS

in Kiribati

It was fish for lunch in Kiribati yesterday as every day — big, thick steaks of albacore tuna, the type drift-net boats plundered in the North Pacific before their move south. In Kiribati one is never more than a few metres from, or above, the sea. Tarawa, Which is host to the South Pacific Forum, is about 40km long. But in parts it is only as wide as the roads and causeways that connect one end to the other. Palm trees dot the landscape and are by far the highest feature. Kiribati is made up of three main island groups, spread over 3.5 million square kilometres of ocean. Life moves at a gentle pace, al-

though the presence of 15 South Pacific leaders has added a certain urgency to the minibus fleet that parades up and down the one sealed road. The equatorial sun means people tend to work and play in early morning and late afternoon, avoiding the hottest part of the day. At dawn, the I-Kiribati, as the locals term themselves, cast nets in the lagoon that borders one side of their island. On the other — never more than a few hundred metres at most — is the reef and open sea. Wearing hats reminiscent of modern racing cyclists’ helmets, fisher-

men steer their outriggered te va (canoe) in search of tuna. On shore, toddlers line the road and cheer at the minibuses before dashing back into their thatched huts.

Many .houses have no walls, welcoming the sea breezes which take the edge off the humidity. On the floors, mats provide bedding, and electric lighting is the exception rather than the rule.

The Otintaii Hotel, housing the South Pacific leaders, provides some contrast. Spacious, cool rooms with louvres and sliding doors look out across the lagoon. With Australian help, a new wing has been built at the hotel to allow

Kiribati to cope with the demands of the Forum meeting. The President of the tiny republic, Mr leremia Tabai, said in opening the Forum that his country could not provide the level of comfort that some representatives took for granted at home. But he said Kiribati, had a tradition of giving its best to visitors. Not yet 40, Mr Tabai has been President since Kiribati gained independence 10 years ago. It had been, as the Gilbert Islands, British-admin-istered. Now it is Australia’s currency which circulates.

Australia is also a big aid donor. But Mr Tabai remembers New Zealand fondly. He spent two years as a senior student at St Andrew’s College

in Christchurch before attending Victoria University. He returned home with a degree in commerce and administration. He became leader of Kiribati just before taking it into the heady days of independence in 1979. As a big fish in a very small pond, he has promoted economic independence for Kiribati. The country has the smallest population (63,000) of the members of the International Monetary Fund. So small is the land area of Kiribati, 390 sq km, that sojne maps do not show anything more than the name. Little wonder when virtually every house can boast a sea view on one side, if not two.