The Government of Papua New Guinea will crack down on rogue tour operators on the Kokoda Track who are not paying taxes or taking proper safety percautions.

PNG’s Investment Promotion Authority has developed a code of conduct for foreign operators and is talking with them about increasing oversight and a licensing system.

Under PNG law, companies operating for more than 31 days are required to resister with the authority and pay taxes to the Government.

But the authority’s managing director, Ivan Pomelau, told the Herald that monitoring foreign companies to ensure they obtained proper work permits “is quited difficult to enforce given that PNG’s tourism industry is at its infant stage”.

He said a “lot of work needs to be done in terms of regulation and enforcement … [We have] been focusing our effort on marketing and promoting the destination rather than regulating the industry”.

The executive director of the Kokdoa Track Authority, Rod Hillman, said his body was considering a licensing system to help improve safety procedures and standards on the track.

“We’ve gone from 100 people walking along the track a year to a situation where we’ve got around 5000 people walking the track a year. As an industry grows, you want to increase the standard and make the experience for the trekker more reliable and safer experience. A way of doing that is coming in and start licensing operators.”

Mr Hillman said companies and trekking groups sign a code of conduct, but a licensing systems would give authorities the teeth to enforce standards.

“The main problems we’ve had is with independents – people walking without a tour operator. That’s where I’ve had the most troublesome weekends, waiting beside the radio trying to get people out of the track to safety.”

Jonathon Dart
Journalist, SMH

I do not know where these ‘plans’ are coming from but I do know they are being done without any consultation at all with the paying customer i.e. the trekker.

The research we have conducted with a significant number of people who have trekked with Adventure Kokoda over the past 18 years indicates that they want the track left alone. They want to trek in the footsteps of our diggers as they did it. They do not want boardwalks and bridges.

The construction of bridges at Eora Creek will desecrate one of the most significant battlesites along the Kokoda Trail. It must not be allowed to proceed in the vicinity of the battlesite. If a bridge has to be constructed because of the wish of some bureaucratic zealot it should be located at least 500 metres to the east of the current wartime crossing. It would be a relatively easy task to cut a track to a suitable crossing downstream from the battlesite to allow locals to use it if they wish.

The same principle should apply to the Goldie River, Ofi Creek and Dump 1 Crossing (I have not heard this name before but I assume they are talking about Templeton’s Crossing No 1), i.e. any permanent swing bridges should not be constructed any closer that 500 metres to the wartime track.

It beggars belief that we would want to replace the substantial log bridge that the local people have built between Efogi 2 and Naduri with a permanent swing bridge paid for by the Australian taxpayer. The crossing is not on the wartime track so it is not an issue as far as the protection of our military heritage is concerned – but it is an absolute waste of time, money and effort.

The same applies to the proposed bridge across Elome Creek between Efogi 1 and 2.

The plan for the proposed permanent swing bridges is ill-conceived and should be halted until a proper interpretative memorial plan aimed at protecting the military heritage of the Kokoda Trail is commissioned.

I appreciate the work that has been done along the Kokoda Trail in regard to providing educational and health support for villagers. Whilst nobody can argue about meeting these important needs I have serious reservations about the process used in determining who should be responsible for the work; the priorities/partnerships associated with it; and the ongoing lack of effective management for trekking operations across the Kokoda Trail.

I believe much of the work carried out thus far is a Provincial Government responsibility and is not conducive to a longer term sustainable trekking industry.

Over the past decade I have met with the PNG Secretary of the Department of Education, AusAID staff responsible for education, and Provincial Government representatives to try and identify government and community schools along the track; the numbers of teachers and students in each one; the grades being taught; and a list of the books and supplies they need. Nobody has been able to provide me with this information. We therefore go to Theodist Stationary Suppliers in Port Moresby and make an educated guess for the village school supplies we provide under our ‘Yumi Helpim Pikannini’ program.

 If AusAID, the PNG Education Department and the Central and Oro Provincial Governments could somehow work together I believe most trek operators would cooperate in ensuring the education needs of all schools along the Kokoda Trail were satisfied. This would allow our AusAID money to assist more remote villages off the track in both Provinces.

The same logic applies to health support. 

I would also like to correct the perception that the previous KTA was largely ineffective. This is an unfair slight against the Executive Officer, Warren Bartlett, who was engaged on a salary of around $12,500 p.a. During his tenure he had to manage a Board of Directors who were unqualified for their Board responsibilities and who engaged in corrupt activities. He had no staff; no office; and received no support from either the Australian or PNG Governments. He had to micro-manage all finances; personally process all applications for trek permits; personally supervise all evacuations from along the track; manage grievances from a daily queue of landowners and others seeking help. In spite of this he delivered the following community projects along the track (reference is KTA Newsletter of January 2006):

Central Province

1. Track clearing and log bridge replacement contracts – Owers’ Corner to Templeton Crossing;

2. Part re-decking bridge (Sal Army) on Owers’ Corner Road;

3. Maintenance Owers’ Corner Memorial Park;

4. Maintenance McDonalds’ Corner Memorial;

5. Maintenance Depo Memorial;

6. Supply of Lawnmowers, tools and initial 20 litres petrol to Girinumu (Owers’ Corner), Depo, Bisiatabu, Maninumu, Kagi Airstrip, Efogi Airstrip, Manari Airstrip, Naduri Airstrip;

7. Supply poultry projects (wire mesh, nails, feed, feeders, drinkers, lamp & initial kerosene and box day old chickens x 50) to Vesulogo, Launumu, Efogi (x2), Kagi, Girinumu, Manari (x3), Naduri, Kavovo School;

8. Supply medical kits to Naoro, Manari, Kagi (KTF main funding K1,000 each);

9. School sponsorships – 26 students Grades 9, 10, 11, 12 ( funded 30% KTF, 70% KTA);

10. Repair Kokoda Track VHF radios – Manari, Kagi, Manumu;

11. School supplies – Manari, Kavovo, Efogi, Naoro (KTF main funding K4000 each);

12. Water Supply materials extension of Manari and Lone water reticulation;

13. Supply sporting equipment to youth Manari and Sogeri;

14. Welfare assistance Kagi community;

15. Upgrading camp ground toilets with fibreglass or plastic toilet trunks (ongoing);

16. Supply VHF radio equipment to Owers Corner (Girinumu),and Ioribaiwa (AusAid Homdap + KTA installation costs);

17. Conduct awareness and project inspection patrols;

18. Conduct Sustainable Tourism Workshop at Efogi (funded KTF); and

19. New Signboard for Kokoda National Walking Track at Owers Corner.

Oro Province

1. Clearing and maintenance for upgrading Kokoda Airstrip for Dash 8 aircraft;

2. Kokoda Town clean up;

3. Supply of Lawnmowers, tools and initial 20 litres petrol to Kokoda Memorial Hospital, Kokoda LLG, Kovelo, Gorari Anglican Parish, Kabara Anglican Parish, Sago Anglican Parish, SDA Kokoda;

4. Repairs to Kokoda Town GenSet and supply diesel fuel;

5. Supply Drum Ovens – Isurava and Alola;

6. Supply Coffee Pulpers – Abuari, Kaele, Hagutava;

7. Supply medical kit to Alola (KTF main funding K1000 each);

8. School Supplies – Kokoda, Alola, Kovelo;

9. School sponsorships – 26 students Grades 9, 10, 11, 12 ( funded 30% KTF, 70% KTA);

10. Track Clearing and log bridge replacement contracts – Kovelo to Templeton Crossing;

11. Repair of Kokoda Track VHF radios – Kokoda, Kovelo, Felai, Abuari;

12. Assist with materials and logistics Rotary project Abuari double classroom and aidpost;

13. Supply sports equipment and shields Kokoda Urban Soccer (donated by Adventure Kokoda);

14. Water, showers and toilets improvements – Isurava Memorial Park;

15. Commence set up of Kokoda KTA office;

16. Supply poultry projects (wire mesh, nails, feed, feeders, drinkers, lamp & initial kerosene and box day old chickens x 50) to Hoi, Amanda, Aso, Savaea, Sengi, Kele Dogua, Komo, Manua;

17. Welfare assistance – Biage Community Group, Emo River Village (Malagas Foundation);

18. Supply sewing machines and materials to Mothers Groups at Fala, Dorcas, Felai Lolo, Kebara;

19. Conduct Sustainable Tourism Workshop at Kokoda in July 2005;

20. Upgrade camp ground toilets with fibreglass or plastic toilet trunks (ongoing);

21. Supply new VHF radio equipment – Hoi, Templeton Crossing (Maraba), wind turbine at Mt Fala repeater (AusAid Homdap funded + KTA installation costs);

22. Supply filing cabinet, typewrirter, office stationery to Kokoda LLG;

23. Conduct awareness and project inspection patrols;

24. Conduct Sustainable Tourism Workshop at Kokoda (funded KTA/KTF); and

25. New signboards Kokoda National Walking Track (double sided) at Kokoda Hospital gate.

This is a remarkable achievement in view of the apathy displayed by both the PNG and Australian governments during his tenure; the difficulties of working with a Board of Directors engaged in corrupt activities; a paltry salary; and a lack of qualified staff.

The Kokoda Track Plan for Sustainable Tourism

During this period a Kokoda Track Plan for Sustainable Tourism was developed by Kelvin Templeton of Templeton-Galt and Colonel David Knaggs of Davendish Management Consulting on behalf of the Kokoda Track Foundation. I commissioned the study in my capacity as Chairman of the Kokoda Track Foundation at the time. Templeton-Galt enlisted the support of Dr Stephen Wearing of the University of Technology Sydney and Paul Chatterton of the World Wide Fund for Nature in Papua New Guinea.

The process used in developing the strategic plan involved workshops with former trekkers in Sydney; villagers in Efogi and Kokoda; and government/community stakeholders in Port Moresby.

The following goals and strategies were identified as part of that process:

1. Identify, preserve and promote the military heritage values of the track, to include the development of interpretive memorials at significant locations

2. Preserve the cultural heritage of the people living along the Kokoda Track

3. Provide protection for the Kokoda Track and the Owen Stanley Range as an area of outstanding biodiversity and universal natural heritage value

4. Build capacity in local communities to empower them to effectively participate in, and support, sustainable tourism

5. Develop an integrated approach to land use management and trekking based on sustainable practices

6. Protect and sustainably manage the areas surrounding the Kokoda Track for the benefit of local communities and visitors

7. Introduce effective governance, accountability and transparency to the KTA Committee of Management

8. Implement effective management systems for LLGs and communities

9. Implement and enforce standards and codes of conduct for tour operators, employees, trekkers and host communities

10. Develop and implement training programs for people engaged in tourism-related activities

11. Adapt the Kokoda model for sustainable tourism to other areas of military historical significance in PNG

12. Build the image of the Kokoda Track as a recognised world-class eco-trekking destination

13. Ensure the financial viability of tourism along the track

14. Provide for the safety and security of visitors to the Kokoda Track.

Proposed Strategies

Implementation

Goal 1

Establish a joint AS/PNG Govt organisation to direct and manage the implementation of the plan.

Socio-Economic Development

Goal 2.1

Build capacity in local communities to empower them to effectively participate in, and support, sustainable tourism

• Educate KTA, tour operators, guides, porters and communities in sound ecotourism practices (IES Principles)

• Conduct workshops and education programs in the basic skills needed to support tourism

• Set up a leadership development program for local communities

• Diversify economic activities in communities in order to reduce dependency on tourism

• Conduct research and prepare a report on the social, environmental and recreational carrying capacity of the Track

Goal 2.2:

Develop an integrated approach to land use management and trekking based on sustainable practices

• Sponsor community representatives to participate in training courses that provide the skills necessary to manage community development projects

• Establish community operated nature reserves to show-case local flora and fauna nage community development projects

Environmental Protection

Goal 3.1

Provide protection for the Kokoda Track and the Owen Stanley Range as an area of outstanding biodiversity and universal natural heritage value

• Obtain listing for the Kokoda track and parts of the Owen Stanley Range as a World Heritage site

• Establish a research program to identify and document natural heritage values of the Owen Stanley range

• Produce interpretive materials of the natural environment for trekkers

• Conduct an environmental impact assessment of tourism on the Kokoda Track

Goal 3.2

Minimise the negative impacts of tourism

• Apply to have contiguous areas adjacent to the Track declared as Wildlife Management Areas

• Implement a ranger training and development program for local communities

• Publish guidelines for ecologically sustainable practices to be adopted by tour operators, guides, porters, local communities and trekkers

• Develop an action plan to eradicate invasive exotic plant species on the track

• Introduce a construction code to ensure new buildings, camp sites and facilities are functionally and environmentally appropriate

Cultural Heritage

Goal 4

Preserve the cultural heritage of the people living along the Kokoda Track

• Introduce community programs which nurture and promote cultural heritage

• Publish culturally sensitive design and construction principles for site developments and buildings

• Establish a monitoring and reporting system for the preservation of cultural heritage

Military Heritage

Goal 5

Identify, preserve and promote the military heritage values of the track, to include the development of interpretive memorials at significant locations

• Establish a body to oversee the preservation and promotion of the military heritage values of the Kokoda Track

• Enact appropriate legislation to protect and honour the military heritage of the Kokoda Track (e.g. World Heritage listing)

• Develop a plan for the listing, preservation and commemoration of all significant military sites along the track

• Have the track recognised as a “National Memorial Park”, owned and managed by the customary landowners

• Incorporate military history education into a porter’s/guide’s vocational training program

• Improve the standard of interpretive and commemorative facilities at appropriate sites

• Incorporate WWII re-enactments into community cultural heritage presentations

Government and Management

Goal 6

Introduce effective governance, accountability and transparency to the KTA Committee of Management

• Provide training in good governance and management for the KTA Committee of Management

• Implement effective business systems and standing operating procedures for the KTA Committee of Management

• Conduct regular external audits of accounts and reviews of procedures for the KTA

• KTA to budget for, monitor and regularly report to PNG Govt on operating costs

• Establish effective communications between KTA, LLGs, landowners and tour operators

Goal 6

Implement effective management systems for LLGs and communities

• Develop a leadership and management training program

• Prepare and implement operating procedures

Operational

Goal 7.1

Implement and enforce standards and codes of conduct for tour operators, employees, trekkers and host communities

• A Code of Conduct be developed and enforced outlining appropriate behaviour and protocols for language, litter, cultural and religious observance

• Ensure host communities compliance with guest house standards, protocols and procedures

• Implement an accreditation scheme for tour operators

• Develop and enact minimum conditions of employment for trek leaders, guides, medics and porters

• Legislate to enforce compliance with KTA requirements such as payment of trek fees, appropriate behaviour and adherence to published trek itineraries

Goal 7.2

Develop and implement training programs for people engaged in tourism-related activities

• Appoint or employ a Registered Training Authority (RTA) to establish competencies and qualifications required of KTA approved trek leaders, medics, guides and porters

• Develop and implement training programs and an accreditation scheme for leaders, medics, guides and porters

Goal 7.3

Adapt the Kokoda model for sustainable tourism to other areas in of military historical significance in PNG

• Document the Kokoda Track model

• Apply the model in other locations in the region

Promotion

Goal 8.1

Build the image of the Kokoda Track as a recognised world-class eco-trekking destination

• Develop and implement a marketing plan which identifies potential and existing markets for ecotourism

• TPA to invest 10% of its budget to promote Kokoda and spin-off destinations

• Provide a facility for trekkers and trekking operators to provide feedback on their experience

• Coordinate the marketing efforts of local trekking operators

Goal 8.2

Ensure the financial viability of tourism along the track

• Establish community cooperatives to facilitate the collection and distribution of revenues

• Introduce regional centres for micro-financing and community banking systems

• Obtain commitment from potential donors for recurrent funding to cover the costs of authorised positions on the KTA

• Secure funding for education and community development programs

Financial

Goal 9

Ensure the financial viability of tourism along the track

• Establish community cooperatives to facilitate the collection and distribution of revenues

• Introduce regional centres for micro-financing and community banking systems

• Obtain commitment from potential donors for recurrent funding to cover the costs of authorised positions on the KTA

• Secure funding for education and community development programs

Law and Order

Goal 10

Provide for the safety and security of visitors to the Kokoda Track

• Develop standards of qualifications and competencies for trek leaders, medics, guides and porters

• Implement a community policing system to provide a secure environment for trekkers

I presented a final copy of the report to the Minister for Veterans Affairs and the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, The Hon Sir Michael Somare, in April 2006. I can provide a copy of the report, together with a complete recording of all workshops conducted as part of the process to anybody interested in examining it in more detail.

Current Status

We seem to be engaging a reactive shot-gun approach to meeting community needs along the Kokoda Trail. This will undoubtedly make us – and them – feel good in the short term but it will not contribute to a sustainable trekking industry for the future.

The needs of the paying customer i.e. the trekker continue to be ignored. For example, as of 30 June 2009:

• There is no credible Trek Permit system – anybody can apply and receive a permit without any thought going into their medical preparedness to undertake such a grueling physical challenge or into their trek itinerary;

• There is no trek operator accreditation system;

• There is no campsite accreditation system;

• There is no system for trekker/villager feedback;

• There is no training and development system for village clans to ‘work together for good tourism’;

• There is no co-ordinated system for trek operators to provide educational and health support to villagers along the track; and

• There is no interpretative memorial plan;

The two major infrastructure requirements for the development of a sustainable trekking industry along the Kokoda Trail are:

• The upgrading of the gravel road between Sogeri and Owers Corner to an all-weather road; and

• The upgrading of the Kokoda airfield to enable it to accept Dash-8 aircraft.

The current expenditure of $250,000 for studies along the track (Village Livelihood Study, Track Analysis, Social Mapping, Transport Study) is an absolute waste of of time and money at this stage of the process.

The allocation of cash payments to Ward Committees will result in the money ending up in the pockets of a few. A fairer system of distribution would be to throw it out the back of a plane as it flew across a village!  Untied aid has been an abject failure in PNG.

The expenditure of A$33,000 trek fees to repair the road between Sogeri and Owers Corner is wrong. This is a Provincial Government responsibility. The Australian government should work in partnership with the PNG Government and Central Province to ensure it is capable of providing safe passage for trekkers. The amount of repair work that will be achieved with this small amount of money will not last for more than one week after completion – or less if it rains.

The Australian and PNG Governments are receiving a windfall from trekking across Kokoda. Since 2002 more than 20,000 people have trekked Kokoda. Their total expenditure would be in excess of A$100 million. This translates to a GST payment of more than $10 million. In return for this the paying customer, i.e. the trekker, has to negotiate a dangerous road to get to the start of the track; they do not have a single environmental toilet to poop into during their trek; and the condition of the Kokoda airfield does not inspire confidence.

At the moment there is a joint bureaucratic industry developing around the Kokoda Trail but the needs of the trekker, and the landowners across the track, continue to be ignored.  These issues were addressed in a Discussion Paper distributed in September 2007.  It can be viewed at:

http://niusleta.kokodatreks.com/documents/ADiscussionPaperontheKokodaEcoTrekkingIndustryNoPics.pdf

Recommendations

1. Adopt the Kokoda Track Strategic Plan as a blueprint for engaging villages communities, establishing future partnerships, developing a co-ordinated plan for sustainable trekking operations, and monitoring progress.

2. Restrict  Australian funding for the Kokoda Development Program to the upgrading of the road between Sogeri – Owers Corner and the upgrading of the Kokoda airfield to Dash-8 aircraft standard;

2. Conduct village workshops in the Koiari and Orokaiva sections of the Kokoda Trail at the beginning and end of each trekking season to determine needs, set objectives, develop partnerships and conduct reviews;

3. Conduct stakeholder workshops in Port Moresby;

4. Commission a Master Interpretative Memorial Plan for the entire Kokoda Trail;

5. Develop and implement a proper Management Plan for Kokoda trekking operations;

6. Develop a plan to co-ordinate assistance from Kokoda Trek Operators in regard to the delivery of health and education support to villages across the Kokoda Trail; and

7. Develop a plan in partnership with local landowners to construct bridges from bush materials and safety hand-rails from bush materials where requried.  Other than that leave the track alone as trekkers – the paying customers – have a strong desire to trek it as it is.

Further information on trekkers and landowners can be viewed at:

http://blog.kokodatreks.com/2009/05/14/the-kokoda-trekker/

http://blog.kokodatreks.com/2009/05/14/the-kokoda-trail-villager/

Dear Charlie,

As a trekker who walked the Kokoda Track with you in 2007, and now as the Head of the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts I would like to respond to the concerns you have recently raised publicly in relation to Australia’s efforts to assist PNG to protect the Kokoda Track. I note that some of these points have already been outlined in other correspondence to you from this department.

Military Heritage

The Australian Government is committed to protecting the Kokoda Track because of its special place in our history and the incredible sacrifices made by our troops. As an example, in 2007 in recognition of the Track’s military significance, the Department of Veterans’ Affairs received $0.9 million to upgrade its Kokoda Track website, and we have commissioned a study (soon to be made public) by the Australian War Memorial to investigate the location of the wartime routes of the Kokoda Track.

Assisting PNG to protect the Track

In addition to protecting the historic value of the Track, we are mindful that the Track is PNG territory and is home to thousands of local people. As such we have agreed with the PNG Government that we will pursue a number of associated objectives including: improving the livelihoods of local communities along the track; building PNG management capacity; and protecting an important potential power and water source for Port Moresby.

We are actively working to assist the PNG Government to: establish and roll out the Kokoda Development Program (KDP) to improve basic services for local people living along the Track (including healthcare, education, water, sanitation, radio networks and transport); reform the Kokoda Track Authority (KTA) to improve administration and track management arrangements; develop a Code of Conduct for tour operators working along the Kokoda Track; and build PNG Government capacity to manage this special area.

Supporting sustainable development of local communities

In relation to the KDP, as a result of our efforts, the program has: refurbished the Efogi health centre; vaccinated more than 150 children; trained 23 village health volunteers; distributed health supplies to clinics; completed the first health patrol of the catchment area for more than a decade, with five more patrols planned for 2009; flown teachers to villages for the start of the 2009 school year; distributed curriculum materials to 22 schools; upgraded the radio network in three villages; and completed a water supply system in Efogi. Additional activities scheduled to commence in mid-2009 include: classroom and toilet construction in a number of villages; installation of water supply systems in Naoro 1 and 2; and the trial of a subsidised air transport program.

Sustainable Livelihoods Project

This project, aimed at developing income-generating options for local communities, was agreed by both the PNG and Australian Governments as a key element of the Joint Understanding, and quotes to undertake this work were sought from organisations and individuals identified by both Governments to have professional expertise in similar work in PNG or elsewhere in the Pacific.

While trek operators will be consulted as a key element of the project, it would be a clear conflict of interest to directly engage an operator with associated commercial interests to undertake this work. We also need to ensure that we include the full range of perspectives in such a study, and not only those of tour operators.

The supplier was selected through a competitive evaluation process undertaken jointly by the PNG and Australian Governments. The selected tender team includes Mr Sandy Lawson, who you have highly recommended to the Government for work in this area, and Associate Professor Stephen Wearing, an expert in tourism at the University of Technology Sydney, with whom you have previously worked. The proposed approach, including selecting the villages to be visited, was discussed with and endorsed by the PNG Government.

Improving management of the Track itself

As you are aware, the former KTA was largely ineffective. We have therefore devoted considerable time and money to assist the PNG Government to put in place improved management arrangements. While there is obviously much more work to be done, the KTA and the new KTA Management Committee, with the assistance of the Australian Government funded experts, has focused its initial efforts on establishing effective trek fee collection and permit issuing processes and putting in place agreed arrangements for distributing benefits to land owners and local communities. I am sure you will be pleased to learn that, as a result of these efforts, the first direct payments to local communities have now been made. On 5 June 2009, the KTA deposited K45, 000 into five separate Kokoda Track Ward Development Committee accounts, and has an additional K35, 000 ready to be distributed to the other nine Wards as soon as they register their Committees and open a bank account. A further K70, 000 will be distributed at the end of June and another K70, 000 by the end of September. This is the first time since the KTA was established that funding from trek fees has gone directly to local communities.

Application of Australian Track Standards

In response to your concerns about the potential application of the Australian Walking Track Standards to the Kokoda Track, the KTA (the organisation with responsibility for the management of the Track) has confirmed that it has only considered using these guidelines in relation to track works, and has no plans to use the guidelines in relation to wider issues such as campsites, facilities and publicity. I can assure you that your concerns regarding any intention to close down trekking operators are unfounded – in fact, our efforts are focused on keeping the Track open.

World Heritage

As outlined in the Joint Understanding, the Australian Government is committed to assisting PNG to undertake a feasibility study for a possible World Heritage nomination of the Owen Stanley Ranges and the Track, if and when the PNG Government chooses to do so. Australia has no role in nominating any part of PNG for World Heritage listing – this is solely the responsibility of the PNG Government. Following a request from PNG in 2007, Australia agreed to provide expertise and resources to assist PNG develop a World Heritage Nomination.

The Department’s Heritage Division has a team dedicated to this program. I invite you to contact the Division Head, Catherine Skippington, or the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy to Kokoda, Mr Sandy Hollway, if you have any concerns regarding the Australian Government’s involvement. In this way we can continue to provide you with up to date and accurate information in relation to the Kokoda program.

Yours sincerely,

Robyn Kruk AM
Secretary
18 June 2009

The Minister for Environment, Heritage and the Arts was assigned responsibility for Australia’s role and responsibilities in regard to the ‘Joint Understanding’.

Whilst I believe the pursuit of a World Heritage listing is a noble goal it should not be at the expense of the historic military significance of the Kokoda Trail.

I believe the Kokoda Trail should be developed as a national memorial trail that reflects the military significance of the Kokoda campaign.

This should be separated from the feasibility study for a World Heritage nomination for the broader Owen Stanley Ranges and be reallocated to the Office of the Australian War Graves Commission.

Background

The Kokoda Trail had been virtually ignored by successive Australian governments since the end of the war in 1945. It was not until former Prime Minister Paul Keating attended the 50th anniversary of the Kokoda campaign in PNG in 1992 that it resonated again in our national consciousness.

Unfortunately the Department of Veterans Affairs had no vision and no plan for Kokoda at the time. On 18 February 2001 the Minister for Veterans Affairs, Bruce Scott MP, wrote: ‘It will come as no surprise to you then that the ‘Government Master Plan’ of which you inquire ‘for the development of the Kokoda Track as a national memorial park’ does not exist ‘.

In spite of this official apathy public awareness increased with the publication of a number of best-selling books on Kokoda and the screening of television features.

Villagers along the track soon began to agitate for increased benefits from the emerging trekking industry. Prior to 2002 they did not have a co-ordinated forum to express their concerns so they took direct action and blocked the track in various places.

During negotiations to re-open the track after a lengthy blockage at Kovello a trek permit system was implemented and a trek fee of PNGK200 was introduced. The purpose of the trek fee was to ensure that villagers received shared benefits from the emerging trekking industry.

The PNG Kokoda Track Authority was established in 2004 and an Australian expatriate and former Kiap, Mr Warren Bartlett, was appointed as Chief Executive on a salary of A$13,000. He was not allocated any staff.

A Board of Directors was appointed but they were not qualified for the role. The Board quickly became dysfunctional and more than a $1 million was misappropriated.

Neither the Australian nor PNG governments displayed any interest in the dysfunction of the Authority until a proposal to mine a section of the Kokoda Trail became public.

The resultant outcry caused an over-reaction from the Australian government. It was obviously decided that the best protection against any future applications to mine or log any part of the trail would be to have it listed as a World Heritage site.

The Heritage Division of the Department of Environment, Heritage and the Arts was allocated responsibility for working with the PNG Department of Environment and Conservation to bring this about.

A new Board was appointed by the PNG Government and Australian representatives from the Department of Environment, Heritage and the Arts were assigned to work with the Authority and the PNG Department of Environment and Conservation.

Joint Understanding

A Joint Understanding covering ‘both the sustainable development of communities along the Kokoda Track corridor, and protection and sustainable use of the natural and cultural resources of the broader Owen Stanley Ranges region’ was signed on 23 April 2008.

The first hint of our ‘big brother’ approach is our refusal to use the official name as recorded on the statute books of the PNG Government i.e. ‘The Kokoda Trail’ (PNG Government Gazette No. 88 of 12 October 1972, page 1362, column 2. Notice 1972/28 of the PNG Place Names Committee refers).

Of more concern is the fact that the Joint Understanding does not contain any references to the military significance of the Kokoda Trail. The words ‘Kokoda campaign – military history – memorials – battlesites – etc’ do not rate a mention in the entire document. I regard this as a serious omission.

Process

From my viewpoint – as a trek operator, a trek leader with 55 crossings of the trail over the past 18 years, the son of a New Guinea veteran, a Vietnam Veteran with 21 years army service, and one with a long term interest in the preservation of the military history of the Kokoda campaign – the process seems to be seriously flawed thus far.

There has obviously been a lot of activity at the departmental level as representatives have been assigned to PNG and others have flown into villages by chartered aircraft to familiarise themselves with their needs.

There has also been much talk – a conference with academics in Canberra, superficial meetings with trek operators, and discussions with other ‘stakeholders’. To date these have not yielded any identifiable outcomes along the track.

For example one of the objectives in the Joint Understanding was to ‘address immediate needs for the 2008 trekking season and create interim Kokoda Track management arrangements’.

I have trekked Kokoda six times since April 2008 and I can report that not a single outcome has been achieved in this regard – and we are now well into the 2009 trekking season!

Another objective was to conduct ‘an economic participation study to cover such options as agriculture, food services for trekkers, and participation in delivering development programs’.

Nothing has happened in this regard!

I have advised of the availability of an agricultural scientist who is fluent in Tok Pisin and Motu and has worked extensively in Melanesia. That person has written extensively on the needs of the Koiari and has previously worked for the (now-defunct) Koiari Development Corporation. He is currently living in semi-retirement in Australia and is willing and able to live in villages for extended periods of time to assist them with agricultural development and value-adding activities. He would also be able to provide valuable feedback on the cultural and environmental impact of the current trekking industry.

My requests to engage this person over the past 18 months have been ignored.

I understand AusAID has completed a survey of the Kokoda Trail but this has not been distributed to trek operators or villagers for comment. This is not conducive to an atmosphere of trust between the key stakeholders and the Department of Environment, Heritage and the Arts.

I could go on!

Outcomes

Whilst there has obviously been a great deal of departmental activity in regard to the Joint Understanding I can report that, after 15 months, there has not been a single outcome on the track. For example:

• There is no credible Trek Permit system in place
• There is no campsite booking system.
• There is no trek operator accreditation system.
• There is no standardised medical clearance form for trekkers.
• There is no co-ordinated system for medical evacuations in place.
• There is no campsite accreditation system in place.
• There is not a single environmental toilet between Owers Corner and Kokoda.
• There has been no attempt to identify clan leaders and landowners along the track.
• There has not been a single workshop in either the Koiari or Orokaiva areas on the track to identify villager needs.
• There is no minimum standard of pay and conditions for PNG trek guides and carriers.
• There is no training or development system in place to assist villagers to ‘value-add’ to the opportunities presented by trekkers passing through their villages.
• No action has been taken to identify (and make safe) unexploded ordnance along the trail.
• There is no plan to upgrade the road between Sogeri and Owers Corner to a safe all-weather standard.

The Australian Trekker

Australian trekkers make a significant commitment in both money and time when they decide to trek Kokoda. In return for this investment they need to be assured they will be safe and that they will learn about the military history of the Kokoda campaign; the culture of the Koiari and Orokaiva people along the track; and the physical environment.

They also expect to have hygienic toilet and ablution facilities at campsites along the trail.

Trekkers are the basic building block of a sustainable trekking industry along the Kokoda Trail. Without them there are no benefits for villagers to share. Unfortunately their needs have been ignored thus far.

The Koiari/Orokaiva Villager

The land in question is owned by traditional Koiari and Orokaiva landowners. The tracks connecting villages between Owers Corner and Kokoda have special significance to our military heritage because of the desperate campaign fought across it during the period 27 July to 2 November 1942.

Clans along the Kokoda Trail are the custodians of land sacred to our military heritage. They will protect and nurture our battlesites provided they receive benefits for doing so.

Villagers are currently missing out on significant potential earnings because they are yet to be taught the concept of ‘value-adding’.

Teaching them to wash and dry trekkers gear, brew coffee, bake scones and produce village billum bags is not PhD stuff. This year they will miss out on the opportunity to earn at least PNGK 1 million because of a lack of basic training in these areas.

The construction of interpretative memorials at significant sites on their land will also provide them with an incentive to further ‘value-add’ to a trekkers Kokoda experience.

Stakeholders

There are many people and organisations of goodwill who want to do good things as a result of their Kokoda experience.

If this is harnessed in a co-ordinated way the PNG government would not have to spend any funds along the trail for education or health services. This would allow them to work with Provincial and Local Level Governments to support Koiari and Orokaiva villages in remote areas off the trail.

Currently there is no plan – and there is no co-ordination. The end result is that inappropriate memorial structures have been erected; inappropriate structures have been build for health and education purposes; and village children are showing signs of tooth decay because of the amount of lollies handed out.

Two recent examples indicate the state of planning flux in the Department of Environment, Heritage and the Arts:

• During the last two weeks of this month a team from the Kokoda Track Foundation was dispatched to Kokoda to do a ‘livelihood study’ in villages along the track. It seems that the PNG Kokoda Track Authority did not know they were doing it until they arrived in country. The Kokoda Track Foundation is a registered charity – their lack of experience with villagers along the track means they were ill-equipped for the task. Nobody seems to have been consulted on the tender process, the terms of reference; or the desired outcomes for the study.

• On 31st March we received a request to assist a company who has been asked to tender for a ‘Condition Analysis’ of the 96 Km Kokoda Trail. We do not know if the tender refers to today’s popular eco-tourist track; the wartime trail, the original route of the 39th Battalion; the eastern side of the Yodda Valley where the 53rd Battalion fought; or the connecting tracks to and from Lake Myola 1 and 2. We do not know what the terms of reference are, or the required outcomes. The company has been given 5 days time to submit their tender!

These studies are a sham and are obviously motivated by the need to spend money before the end of the current financial year. Neither study is related to an assessment of the military heritage of the trail; the needs of the paying customer i.e. the trekker; or the needs of villagers who will shortly be getting fed up with the number of inexperienced and ill-informed consultants asking banal questions about their needs and lifestyles.

Non-government, community and charitable organisations not involved in trekking should also be encouraged to direct their goodwill to village areas remote from the Kokoda Trail as part of a strategy to ensure shared benefits are more widely spread.

The Kokoda Honeypot Effect

I first trekked Kokoda in 1991. In 1994 I submitted a paper on the need to develop Kokoda as a national memorial park. In 2000 I founded the Kokoda Track Foundation to develop a strategic plan for Kokoda. This was completed and presented to Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare and the Australian Minister for Veterans Affairs in 2006.

My purpose has always been to develop Kokoda as a model that could be used for other Pacific War battlesites in PNG – the Black Cat Track, Shaggy Ridge, Buna/Gona, Rabaul, etc.

Unfortunately everybody has flocked to Kokoda. There are now more than 30 trek operators and a myriad of other stakeholder organisations seeking to do ‘good things’ along the trail. It risks being overwhelmed with goodwill while nearby villages off the track are neglected. This has the potential to lead to dissent and disruption in the longer term. For example landowners on Mt Victoria are continually sabotaging the VHF communications tower.

We therefore need a strategic plan to get a proper balance in our approach to honouring the legacy of our soldiers, sailors, airmen and coastwatchers throughout New Guinea during the Pacific War.

Ministerial Responsibility

In the latest budget an amount of $10 million was allocated to the Office of Australian War Graves Commission for the development of an interpretative trail in France and Belgium to honour the sacrifice of our veterans in WW1.

The same approach needs to be adopted for Kokoda which is our interpretative trail for WW11.

Conclusion

Kokoda is a national shrine. The trail between Owers Corner and Kokoda contains battlesites sacred to our military heritage. The expertise gained by the Office of Australian War Graves in the development and management of the interpretive trail in France and Belgium should be applied to Kokoda.

The Office of Australian War Graves should establish a close partnership with the Department of Environment, Heritage and the Arts who administer the Act that has Kokoda listed as an Overseas Area of Special Significance. The Department of Environment, Heritage and the Arts s also responsible for the broader long-term goal of working with the Government of PNG to achieve a World Heritage listing.

The Office of Australian War Graves should also work in partnership with PNG Tourism to develop models for visits and treks to other significant military historical sites throughout PNG.

Recommendation

I recommend that responsibility for the development of an interpretive trail between Owers Corner and Kokoda be transferred from the Department of Environment, Heritage and the Arts to the Office of Australian War Graves.

Charlie Lynn
Adventure Kokoda
PO Box 303
Camden
NSW 2570
charlie@kokodatreks.com.au

1. I respect Charlie Lynn as a leader and for the work he has done both on the Kokoda Track and with his company Adventure Kokoda. I have met with Charlie and some of his tour leaders and believe we have a mutual respect. He has put together a strong and qualified team and whilst we don’t always agree we do talk and discuss issues surrounding the Kokoda Track.

2. The Kokoda Track Authority (KTA) is a Papua New Guinean Special Purpose Authority. It is not Australian, nor should it be. The land belongs to the Papua New Guinean people, in the same way as Gallipoli belongs to the Turkish people and Villers-Bretonneux belongs to the people of France.

3. Australians pride themselves on “being there when a friend needs a hand” and respecting and honouring our soldiers’ ultimate sacrifice. I believe the work the KTA, tour operators, PNG Government and communities along the Track are working together towards this ideal, with significant financial and other support from the Australian Government.

4. The KTA is responsible for collecting the trek permit fees, managing the Track and distributing a proportion of the trek fees to the land owners. As such it is the day to day manager of the Kokoda Track and it is a KTA responsibility to develop systems to improve the trekker experience – whether through campsite bookings, itinerary planning, and accreditation of Tour Operators or developing training programs.

5. KTA’s sole income is from Trekking Permit fees – no government or other ongoing assistance. It is a tight budget and there is a strong desire to put a significant proportion of the trek permit money into the land owners’ hands. It is their land and they should get some return.

6. Although funded by the Australian Government, I work for and take direction from the Papuan New Guinean KTA Management Committee and the PNG Government.

7. Annette Dean, the interim Chief Executive, didn’t quit. She had a short term contract to fill the position whilst I tidied up my affairs in Australia before I could commence.

8. The Australian Government and the Australian people have a strong connection to, and a reverence for, the Kokoda Track. As such a joint understanding between the PNG and Australian Governments has been created to, among other objectives;

• An improved standard of living, quality of life, and access to basic services for communities along the Kokoda Track corridor.
• Improved opportunities for income generation, through the following:
       o Sharing benefits from tourism on the Kokoda Track, through better distribution of trekking fees and development of local income generation opportunities (business and employment)
       o Improved access to markets (transport) for other income generation opportunities
• The preservation of social and cultural values of the World War II route.
• The impacts of trekking are managed to deliver clear net environmental benefits for the Kokoda Track Communities.
• The World Heritage values of the Kokoda Track and Owen Stanley Ranges are understood and where appropriate, protected.

9. This Joint Understanding is supported through three programs; the KTA, the Kokoda Development Program (health, education, sanitation & water supply) and through support for the PNG Department of Environment. The financial commitment from Australia to the KTA includes;

a. Two funded positions – The Chief Executive and an Operations Manager (both Australians).
b. Funding a Business and Administration Manager (Local contract with KPMG)
c. A proposed cash injection to undertake a range of urgent track maintenance projects
d. The financial commitment is complemented by a range of support in administration and project management from the Canberra Office.

10. The KTA has a Management Committee (Board of Management) consisting of three heads of PNG Government Departments, four representatives of PNG Provincial and Local Level Government and two land owner representatives who provide valuable direction to the KTA management and connection to the PNG Government and local communities.

11. The KTA had serious misappropriation of funds in previous years and these monies have now been recovered, the amounts were approximately $80,000. To prevent this happening again there is a completely new Board of Management, totally new staff and a significant management priority in preparing the policies, procedures and systems to prevent this re-occurring.

This commentary is to reassure the readers that the KTA takes its role very seriously and has a commitment to tour operators, trekkers and the local communities. We are all working towards preserving the memory of those soldiers in 1942, providing an experience for trekkers that is life changing and allows people to appreciate and understand the conditions the soldiers fought in and the sacrifice they made, for trekkers to learn of the people who live on the Track – ancestors of those who provided such unstinting support and to acknowledge and respect their ownership of the land.

I believe Charlie and I have similar visions for the future of Kokoda and I will continue to work with him, and all the other tour operators, to achieve these goals. Most of you have trekked with him or been involved in his life in some way. In many ways Charlie represents values that have, sadly, left mainstream Australia. His spirit of the larrikin, the total and unreserved trust of mateship and his strength of character is often harder to find than I once knew. The Kokoda Track needs people like Charlie (and his team) with their passion, commitment and knowledge.

Please judge the KTA on what it does in the future and not on what it used to do. If in a year there is the same mistrust and concerns then I would have failed and I will be brought to account accordingly.

Rod Hillman
Chief Executive
Kokoda Track Authority

Annette’s credentials for the job were never in question but whoever made the decision that a white woman could work effectively in the KTA office environment in Boroko was naive in the extreme. They certainly did not listen to her predecessor, Warren Bartlett.

Warren, who has been in PNG for more than 40 years, ran the KTA office since the organisation was established in 2004. He faced two major challenges on a daily basis. One was running the entire trekking operation across Kokoda without any effective staff support. The other was dealing with an unqualified Board who used subtle and not so subtle methods of intimidation to get access to substantial amounts of money from treks fees and elaborate scams with their wan-toks in local, Provincial and National government.

Neither the Australian nor PNG governments were intereted in the management of the Kokoda Trail at that time. He was on his own.
Adverse public reaction to a proposal to mine part of the track caused them to focus on a solution to protect the military heritage of the area.  By this time the Board had effectively misappropriated more that a million kina in Port Moresby and embezzled more than a quarter of a million more from the bank.  Nothing was flowing through to the villages who were forced to compete amongst themselves for trekkers business along the track.  It pitched brother against brother.  Clan against clan.  Village against village.  Koiari against Orokaiva.   
Within a short period of time committees, consultants and conferences became the order of the day as Canberra began the task of ‘assisting’ PNG to obtain a World Heritage listing for the Kokoda Trail and the Brown River Catchment Area.  Most observers thought this was a bit ambitious in al country with a system of customary land ownership.

Working from the top down – as they do in Canberra – departmental bureaucrats visited villages along the track by helicopters to famiarise themselves with ‘village needs’.  They ignored advice from trek operators who have been operating along the track for up to 20 years.  They ignored previous research from village and stakeholder workshops and refused to continue that process.  They refused to engage people with extensive experience in Melanesian culture and language.  They refused to trek with established companies who focus on the military history of the Kokoda campaign in order to understand the significance of the pilgrimage.

It was soon apparent that Canberra was operating in a parallel universe.  Trek operators were left to make their own arrangements as they conducted academic conferences in Canberra, took advice from armchair experts who once had a ‘kokoda experience’, and continued to rotate people with no experience in Melanesian culture through the country.

After 15 months of frenetic activity not a single management measure has been implemented for the track.  It could be argued that the system has regressed.  The office is no longer accessible on a 24 hour basis and the link between villagers and management seems to have been broken. 

Annette Dean’s departure is a wake up call.  Australia needs to draw a line in the sand and admit they have got it badly wrong over the past 15 months.  They need to immediately cancel any plans for ‘experts’ scheduled to conduct track analysis and assess village needs.  They need to engage people familiar with Melanesian language and culture.  They need to identify clans and landowners along the track.  They need to acknowledge that Kokoda is a military historical pilgrimage and not an exclusion zone for eco-evangelists. They need to work in partnership with trek leaders, clan leaders, landowners and Local/Provincial  government officials.

They also need to acknowldege that Australia’s politically correct culture is not appropriate for Papau New Guinea.

Let’s hope that Annette Dean’s negative experience can be used in a positive way.