LONG after the judges expelled from X Factor for uncivil opinions have returned to New York, Vanuatu will still need repair.
The battered and bruised country needs food, clothes, medicine and shelter after Cyclone Pam ripped down the chain of islands. Those are its immediate concerns. In the months and
years to come it will need rebuilding and investment.
As little as 10 years ago the crippling of a Pacific neighbour by such a storm would have stayed on the front pages and top of the news hour for days. Now the sell-by-date on breaking news online can be minutes.
This area has a special link with the country through the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) programme that gives Pacific Islanders work in New Zealand. But it's much more than that - asparagus grower George Turney explained how his Vanuatu seasonal staff had also picked up formal qualifications in building and some plumbing skills while living in Mangaweka for four months of the year.
Such skills have given them fortified homes and a stable water supply, as well as a head start in helping with the reconstruction.
