PIMA and Fiji Museum staff pack up PIMA’s office to relocate to Vanuatu

PIMA media release

29 July 2006

Pacific regional heritage organisation moves to Vanuatu

In June 2006 The Pacific Islands Museums Association (PIMA) relocated its Secretariat from its previous base in the Fiji Museum in Suva to the Vanuatu Cultural Centre in Port Vila.

During the first years of PIMA, the Secretariat for the Pacific Community (SPC) hosted and supported the Secretariat in Noumea, New Caledonia. In May 1999, PIMA was incorporated as a non-profit organisation in Fiji where it has been located since. In 2006 the Executive Board made the decision to relocate the Secretariat to Vanuatu. PIMA’s Executive Board would like to thank the management of the Fiji Museum, and Director Ms Sagale Buadromo, for hosting the Secretariat from May 1999 until May 2006. The support provided by the Fiji Museum during these pivotal early years of PIMA, which often put a strain on their own resources, was truly invaluable for the development of the organisation.

The idea of rotating the Secretariat around the museums of the region every few years will help keep the Association responsive to the needs of its constituents, develop a strong local knowledge of the heritage sector in various countries, and share the benefits of resources such as workshops, regional meetings and international symposia around the museums of the region.

In June 2006 The Pacific Islands Museums Association (PIMA) relocated its Secretariat from its previous base in the Fiji Museum in Suva to the Vanuatu Cultural Centre in Port Vila

PIMA is a regional, multilingual, multicultural, non-profit organisation which brings together people to preserve, celebrate and nurture the heritage of the peoples of the Pacific Islands. The Association is the only regional organisation established by Directors of Pacific heritage institutions and arose out of a need for museum professionals to come together to provide collective strength and effective gathering and exchange of resources for training, advocacy, and the promotion of excellence in heritage management. Through its training workshops and networking activities, PIMA encourages museums to benefit from the expertise of other museums and constitutes a common voice to advocate the Pacific Museums to International Forums and Organisations.

The Executive Board of PIMA wishes to extend their gratitude and thanks to Ralph Regenvanu, Marcellin Abong and the Vanuatu National Kaljoral Kaonsel who generously agreed to provide rent and utility free accommodation for the Secretariat. PIMA and the Council have signed a Memorandum of Understanding which sets out the responsibilities each party has in relation to this office hosting arrangement. Many staff members at the Kaljoral Senta have assisted with the move and establishment of the Secretariat in its new office, and their warm welcome has already made PIMA’s Secretary General feel part of the team here at the VKS.
The PIMA Board is also very grateful for the ongoing assistance of the Australian Government through their Australian Volunteer Program which makes the volunteer staffing of the PIMA Secretariat possible. Thanks must also go to Jon Naupa and his company Tropical Rainforest Aromatica for their most generous support of PIMA by providing the shipping container and transport which physically brought our office equipment and files over from Suva.

PIMA has an exciting program of activities planned for the next few years. The provision of training courses, practical support for the many pacific museums undergoing renovation and fundraising projects, an upgraded website, attendance at international museum conferences, lobbying for a regional professional heritage management course at USP, statistical research on the museums in the region, and the establishment of the inaugural Committee of the Pacific Branch of the International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS Pasifika) are just some such projects.

PIMA looks forward to working with the VKS in the future on these projects, and thanks the Kaonsel for its ongoing support. We trust that hosting the PIMA Secretariat will add to the Vanuatu Cultural Centre’s already enviable reputation as one of the most inspirational and progressive cultural organisations leading the region.