Pacific Updates

Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (10-16 Nov 08)
Winston Jacob is the GULL representative for the Pacific Region. In the past 12 months Winston has done much to facilitate GULL’s progress and development in the region.

Pictured: Winston is congratulated for his efforts at the November meeting, Papua New Guinea Human Resource Institute (PNGHRI).

PNGHRI endorses and supports GULL’s work in-company and in the community in Papua New Guinea. Among others, the PNG Waterboard represented by Api Leka, Executive Manager, is exploring ways of using the GULL system to develop their own Academy in support of its employees throughout PNG.

The PNG Waterboard is currently working to provide all PNG’s urban centres with piped water. This is a major challenge given the diverse topography of the country.

 

Engaging with public and private sectors
Robert (centre right) is one of PNG’s most dynamic entrepreneurs. He has used the principles of action learning to develop himself and his business. He employs more than 100 people and he plans to use GULL’s frameworks to enable his staff to learn at work too.

 

Winston Jacob and Paul Sai, Director, PNG Department of Rural Development & Implementation

 

(Top right) Robert Agarobe, CEO of Helifix Operations Ltd., works on the rota blades of one of his fleet of helicopters

 

 

Action learning pioneers in the Public Service
(Left) Margaret Elias MBE, Secretary, DPM and GULL Elder.

Margaret is the most senior female civil servant in the PNG public service and she is also acting Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, Sir Michael Somare. She is a passionate advocate of lifelong learning and supports the proposals to implement the GULL system across the public service. We are working on this!

A reunion of action learners from the PNG Government Department of Personnel Management (DPM). DPM provides personnel services in support of PNG’s entire public service.

The Air Niugini Academy
Air Niugini, the PNG state airline, was the first company to adopt the GULL system with the aim of developing their own Academy for lifelong learning. CEO Wasantha Kumarasiri is the Academy champion and he anticipates that it will enable the airline to achieve significant advances in service delivery (among other aspirations) in the next few years. All employees will participate in a ‘top down’ and ‘bottom up’ organizational effort.

Pictured: The Air Niugini Academy lead team. The team are devising and implementing the key strategic themes that will enable more than 400 employees to participate in GULL pathways for lifelong learning and organizational return on investment.

 

GULL’s progress in PNG:
Briefing the British & New Zealand High Commissioners

Meeting with David Dunn, British High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea (second left) and (right) a close encounter with ‘Bill’, unofficial assistant to the High Commissioner!

Meeting with Niels Holm, New Zealand High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea (centre)

 

An exciting new GULL partnership
Entrepreneurial Development Training Centre Ltd. (EDTC) is a training institution registered under the Investment Promotion Authority and the National Training Council of Papua New Guinea. EDTC is also Franchisor of the highly innovative and successful Personal Viability (PV) Training Programme. Launched in 1996, PV provides holistic training and enables participants to develop themselves into valuable human assets in support of their families and communities. PV’s Patron is Sir Paulias Matane (who is also GULL’s founding Chancellor).

PV was developed in PNG by Samuel Tam MBE, and it is now operating in other countries too. Its purpose is to encourage participants to develop thinking skills, good character, rich habits and competence so as to enable them to realize their full potential and contribute more fully to family, community and national economic development.

Pictured: EDTC and GULL briefing session (front left, seated) Samuel Tam founder of PV.

The PV-GULL launch event: 12 November 2008
PV’s aim is to enable the people of PNG and other Nations that adopt the PV programme (some 20,000 students since 1996) to become fully self-reliant and financially independent. EDTC provides the content, structure and curriculum for grassroots development and an EDTC PV Grading system to measure good character & competence. GULL provides a system and process for action learning, tracking and recognizing outcomes and for certifying personal and professional attainment (linked to the PV Grading system).

Pictured: The PV-GULL Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and guests at the launch event held in the State Function Room, National Parliament House, Port Moresby, PNG.
The MOU was witnessed by Sir Paulias Matane, Head of State. Guests included leaders from the Church, The PNG Defence Force, Diplomats and other dignitaries.

 

 

Sydney, Australia (17-18 Nov 08)
ILDP Global Learning Forum, Sydney Convention Centre

(Pictured below) Some of the speakers and delegates at the Institute of Learning & Development Professionals (ILDP) event. Winston Jacob shared success stories from PNG and Richard Teare spoke about GULL and the PV-GULL partnership for lifelong learning in the community.

Centre left (next to ILDP banner) Marie Dayton, GULL Elder and President of ILDP. Marie will provide PV and GULL development options via her global network.

 

Wellington, New Zealand (28 Nov 08)
Hosanna Church network and GULL
Pictured: Senior Pastor Gary Colville pictured outside Hosanna Church, Porirua, Wellington, New Zealand. Gary built the current church himself (with two co-workers) as he didn’t have the funds to employee builders.

Gary Colville is a leader of New Zealand’s fastest growing Christian church movement (Hosanna). He is passionate about Christian growth through practical action and he is developing and implementing his own leadership framework. He will use the GULL professional doctor pathway to refine his ideas and then cascade GULL in his church.

(Left) Wellington city and harbour, New Zealand.

 

Brisbane, Australia (29 Nov 08)
GULL Elder Ortrun Zuber-Skerritt is a world-renowned specialist in action learning and an Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Education, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia. Among many other initiatives, she organized the First World Congress on action learning, action research and process management (ALARPM) in Brisbane in 1990 and launched the international ALARPM Association at the Second World Congress in 1992. Ortrun lives in Brisbane and she strongly endorses GULL’s development plans for the Pacific region.

GULL is a not-for-profit foundation registered in California, USA. GULL is recognized by the Government of Papua New Guinea & endorsed by other Governments, Leaders & Institutions.