Temaru PLans Tahiti delegations Office in Auckland
(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.