Mark Nizette MBE

There is overwhelming evidence that the term ‘Kokoda’ has been effectively hijacked by Canberra officials to provide relevance to the engagement of aid-funded environmentalists, anthropologists, archaeologists, and social engineers in areas related to social mapping, village livelihoods, gender equity, DEI, ecosystems services options, capacity building, and mentoring far beyond the gazetted boundaries of the Kokoda Trail at the expense of the military heritage of the Kokoda campaign.

Table of Contents

ABSTRACT

More than 65,000 Australians, motivated by the military heritage of the Kokoda campaign and the physical challenge it presents have embarked on a pilgrimage across the Kokoda Trail over the past two decades:

Papua New Guinea – A place of pilgrimage

The Trail is now PNGs most popular pilgrimage tourism destination which has generated more than $300 million for the PNG economy.

But since the Australian Department of Environment, Water, Heritage, and the Arts (DEWHA) took control of the Kokoda Trail under a ‘Joint’ Agreement in 2009, trekker numbers have plummeted by 42% due to their priority of social-environment issues at the expense of pilgrimage tourism.

Since then ‘Heritage‘ was dropped from their title when it was rebadged as the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (DSEWPC). More recently it has been rebadged as the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW).

Each rebadging has seen the DFAT ‘Kokoda Initiative’ move further towards environment and social issues at the expense of our military heritage.

The 42% fall in trekker numbers has resulted in a cumulative LOSS of some $20 million in foregone wages, campsite fees and local purchases for village communities across the Trail.

The primary influencer for the subtle change in priority from pilgrimage tourism to a woke socio-environment agenda appears to be Mr. Mark Nizette MBE, Strategic Advisor to the DFAT ‘Kokoda Initiative’ and Secretary to the influential Ministerial ‘Kokoda Initiative Committee’ (KIC) within the PNG Conservation Environment Protection Authority (CEPA).

Nizette was well suited for his role as an environment bureaucrat. He was born in Lae and is fluent in Tok Pisin. He had previously studied pre-history and anthropology at the Australian National University – his Linkedin profile indicates he is a candidate for a Doctorate in this area. His local knowledge and language skills seem to have placed him in a position of considerable influence in regard to obtaining a frequent-flyer ticket for his Minister. John Pundar MP, on the international Climate Change gravy train. This could be verified by a review of the Minister’s travel itineraries since 2012.

It is not known what strategic management advice Nizette provided regarding the business management of Kokoda tourism during his era of influence from 2011 – 2024 however under his watch during this period:

As a result, the title of Pundari’s Ministry was extended to include ‘Climate Change’ – the following link indicates that Pundari’s private business iterests would have taken priority over his Ministerial responsibilities for the Kokoda Trail:

There has been no investment in the protection, development and interpretation of any historic battle sites across the Kokoda Trail to enhance the value of the pilgrimage for trekkers, or to increase income earning opportunities for traditional landowners;
No environmental interpretation signs, common in Australia’s National Parks, have been placed anywhere along the 138 km Trail to enhance the educational aspect of the trek;
No management systems are in place which results in chaos across the Trail during peak trekking periods;
It is not possible to book a campsite anywhere across the Trail;
No support has been provided to campsite owners to assist them to meet the needs of trekkers;
There is not a single toilet across the entire Trail that meets the most basic hygienic needs of trekkers;
There is no trek itinerary management system in place which denies villagers the opportunity to generate additional income by meeting the needs of trekkers as they have no idea who, when, or how many trekkers will be arriving;
No ‘Trail Maintenance Plan’ has been implemented to provide employment for villagers;
No micro-business initiatives to assist villagers to earn additional income by meeting the needs of trekkers have been introduced;
Not a single one of the five key strategies or 33 objectives of their KTA Strategic Plan: 2012-2015 was achieved – it has since been quietly shelved; and
The Kokoda Track Authority has not published an Annual Financial Report during the entire period of his engagement from 2011 – 2024.

Nizette’s strategy to develop an aid-funded web of influence to support his ideological agenda in PNG, and his clandestine strategy to have the Kokoda Trail managed as an environment park for the benefit of government bureaucrats rather than as a pilgrimage tourism enterprise for the economic benefit of traditional landowner communities is the work of a master bureaucrat.

Mr. Mark Nizette MBE was a former Assistant Secretary for International Heritage at the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities (DSEWPC) in Canberra – he was assigned as a ‘Management Advisor’ to the PNG Department of Environment and Conservation in August 2011 and embedded within the Conservation Environment Protection Authority (CEPA).

Nizette was well suited for his role as an environment bureaucrat. He was born in Lae and is fluent in Tok Pisin. He had previously studied pre-history and anthropology at the Australian National University – his Linkedin profile indicates he was a candidate for a Doctorate in this area. His local knowledge and language skills seem to have placed him in a position of considerable influence with his superiors and associates in PNG and Canberra.

At the time of his assignment DFAT operated a ‘Kokoda Development Program’ from the offices of the Australian High Commission while DSEWPC funded the ‘Kokoda Initiative’ within CEPA. It is a matter of record that the two Australian funded programs were not in sync which created confusion and duplication amongst those they were supposed to serve.

Soon after Nizette was embedded in CEPA the Hon John Pundari MP, Minister for Environment and Conservation, assumed control of all things to do with Kokoda by establishing a ‘Kokoda Initiative Ministerial Committee’ (KIMC). His Secretariat was based in CEPAand Nizette’s title was upgraded to ‘Strategic Management Advisor’.

Minister Pundari’s political influence in the O’Neill Government effectively meant that responsibility for Kokoda tourism was informally transferred from the PNG Kokoda Track (Special Purpose) Authority (KTA), which is responsible to the Minister for Provincial and Local Level Government, to CEPA.

The Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture was sidelined despite the fact he is responsible for any policy associated with the Kokoda Trail which has emerged as PNGs most popular tourism destination. He was relegated to a position on Minister Pundari’s Kokoda Initiative Committee (KIC).

Minister Pundari, was a busy man. In addition to overseeing the six Acts of Parliament relating to the environment he was also responsible for a new Climate Change and Development Authority established in 2015. This position involved extensive overseas travel since then as it is ‘PNG’s Designated National Authority (DNA) for the purposes of the Paris Agreement and any such other or subsequent arrangements or agreements made under the Paris Agreement’.

The following link indicates that Pundari’s private business iterests would likely have taken priority over his Ministerial responsibilities for the Kokoda Trail:

John Pundari MP, Minister for Environment, Conservation and Climate Change

Mark Nizette – Hon John Pundari MP Relationship

John Pundari MP was appointed Minister for Environment and Conservation after the election of the O’Neil Government in July 2012.

Around the same time the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) was replaced by a Conservation Environment Protection Authority (CEPA). According to a post on the PNGBLOGS website that:

‘CEPA is a scapegoat!!‘It is a carefully scheme strategized by a well-organised network to suck public money. Under the management of Dr Wari Iamo as the Secretary, with his smooth talking PR spin-doctor, Gunther Joku (current acting Secretary), and their Australian friend and strategist Andrew Taplin, along with close aids and cronies, this clique has successful enacted their grand plan.

The blog when on to report ib tge CEPA Bill:

‘‘It is common knowledge within the department that more than K3 million has been spent on this unbudgeted project. CEPA Project was never budgeted for in the 2011 fiscal year!

The money was raised internally by transferring money from one account to another especially from the funds allocated under developmental (PIP) budgets, projects undertaken through joint-bilateral agreements like Kokoda Track Initiatives and Coral Triangle Initiatives (CTI), and further purged from the recurrent budgets.

Minister Pundari’s portfolio, which included oversight of the Mining Act; the Oil and Gas Act; the Forestry Act, the Fauna (Protection and Control) Act; the Conservation Areas Act; and the National Parks Act) relating to environment, was expanded in 2014 with the addition of a Climate Change and Development Authority.According to the PNG Central Investigations website, Pundari also controls an extensive business empire which includes more than 30 private commercial companies.

One of the six security companies he owns, Millenium Guards, was reported by the PNG Investigations website to employ 1780 people in 2015, has net assets of more than K22 million, ‘and provides security for Malaysian logging giant, Rimbunan Hijau’.

On 7 December 2017, PNG Investigations Central reported on Pundari’s Climate Hypocrisy:

‘Papua New Guinea’s Minister for the Environment, Conservation and Climate Change, John Pundari, was in Germany last month for the COP23 Climate Change talks, where he urged countries to uphold their climate change promises under the Paris Agreement.‘

Pundari was leading the PNG delegation in Bonn, a role he has become accustomed to having attended numerous international climate conferences as Minister since 2012.

In Germany he called on the delegates to secure real and serious action to effectively tackle global warming by cutting carbon emissions

‘Yet, deforestation of tropical rainforests causes more carbon emissions than all the worlds cars and trucks according to scientists, and PNG has recently become the world’s largest exporter of tropical logs.

‘Even more bizarrely, at the same time Pundari was in Bonn, urging action on climate change, back home in Port Moresby, his companies were providing security services to PNG’s largest logging company, Malaysian owned multi-national Rimbunan Hijau, at its headquarters and a number of other business sites.’

Another of Minister Pundari’s commercial enterprises, Dixies Bungalows, has also raised eyebrows in regard to a possible conflict of interest with his portfolio responsibilities. According to PNG Central Investigations:‘

Dixie’s Bungalow resort ‘offers a restful ambiance, welcoming and peaceful friendly environment’ on the outskirts of Port Moresby. The resort is ‘located in a lush tropical gardens on the banks of the Laloki river below Mt. Hombrum at the foot of the Sogeri plateau’. It offers ’16 executive suites, premier rooms and Bungalows with swimming pools, river and pool side barbecue areas’ together with conference rooms, restaurant, canteen/coffee shop and a shuttle bus to and from the city and airport.‘Little wonder this tropical oasis has become a favoured location for the seminars, workshops, conferences and trainings so beloved of the international aid community. Australian Aid, the United Nations Development Program, World Bank and International Labour Organisation all run or fund multi-day events at the venue.’

The use of Dixies Bungalows for DFAT aid-funded programs, particularly via CEPA, is not known.

On 21 August 2018 PNGBLOGS reported:

‘There is a total lack of leadership in CEPA at current. The Managing Director has been operating out of Stanley Hotel all of this year to afraid to sack any CEPA staff as they all have dirt on him, the Deputy Managing Director is absent from work for weeks on end and forever lobbying on the corridors of Waigani for The Managing Director’s position (as if he can even do the Managing Director’s Job – let alone being totally incompetent in doing his own). Directors from the EP Department are forever taking bribes (in total awareness to the Managing Director and Deputy Managing Director) – which include 90% of officers in there, and trips offloading their officers who should actually go to do the work, Conservation directors are still traveling the world on fact finding missions – and consuming all monies intended for projects. They have been fact finding for 10 years now! The Kokoda project money is all consumed in CEPA through meetings at Dixie bungalows – John Pundari’s business. AusAID should seriously investigate the AusAID appointed Kokoda manager in CEPA, he is seriously compromised.’

Pundari’s political influence within the former O’Neil Government, his Ministerial responsibilities along with his extensive commercial interests meant he had little time for the miniature of pilgrimage tourism across the Kokoda Trail. As a result his key staff in CEPA had more influence over their respective areas than would otherwise be the case.

Mark Nizette emerged as a shrewd ‘influencer’ in Kokoda tourism due to his dual status as a DFAT ‘Strategic Management Advisor’ within their ‘Kokoda Initiative’, and his appointment as secretary of Minister Pundari’s KIC within CEPA.

This was particularly so within the KIC as no other committee members had ever trekked across the Trail with an organised group and therefore had no understanding of its potential as a world-class pilgrimage destination – except for Mark Nizette!

Nizette was also aware that PNG Ministers/officials will generally sign any document which is attached to an Aid-funded opportunity. This is a clever ploy to allow him to argue that ‘this is what PNG wants’ whenever he is challenged – he also knows that the PNG recipients of aid-funded projects will support him to the hilt if necessary.

In his 2013-2014 report he advised:

‘The KTA began work on the development of a database to manage trekking information. The database will record information over time about the number of trekkers in a group, the number of trekking groups and the proposed locations of trekking groups. This will enable the KTA to locate trekking groups in case of an emergency and improve pre-trek logistics planning to manage the numbers of trekking groups at campsites.’

This never happened. There is no evidence of any such database ever being developed – or any other management systems or protocols being introduced under his watch from 2011-2023!

By 2015 it was evident that the management system put in place for the Kokoda Trail by Australian officials had clearly failed and the Kokoda Initiative was operating in a parallel universe without any understanding of the reality of Kokoda tourism.

Not one of their five planned management outcomes or 33 objectives in their ‘Kokoda Track Authority Strategic Plan 2012-2015’ was achieved. As a result the plan was quietly shelved and has never been replaced.

In early 2016 a Ministerial reshuffle in Australia coincided with the transfer of responsibility in aid projects from AusAID to DFAT. This had no noticeable impact on the Kokoda Trail as the same officials put in place by Environment were simply transferred to DFAT. The Kokoda Development Program/Kokoda Initiative were combined which increased Nizette’s influence.

In Australia, Ministerial responsibility was transferred from Environment to International Aid and the Pacific under DFAT. Over the following six years under the Coalition Government there were five different Ministers for International Development and the Pacific. None of them had any previous relationships with PNG, none had any connection to military heritage, and none spent enough time in the job to even to begin understand it.

They also had five different Minister’s for Veterans Affairs between 2015 – 2022 – none of them were in the job long enough to understand the complexities of developing a Military Heritage Master Plan for the Kokoda Trail.

They were therefore reliant on officials such as Mark Nizette for advice re PNG and the Kokoda Initiative.

Nizette effectively firewalled Pundari from any other influences. I was only able to arrange for two brief meetings in regard to the Kokoda Trail during his seven year tenure as Minister. Nizette was present at both meetings and nothing came to pass as a result. I submitted a number of papers to the Minister during this period but none were ever acknowledged.

Pundari was later replaced as Minister for Environment, Conservation and Climate Change with the election of the Hon James Marape as Prime Minister. His demise provided a timely opportunity to drain the swamp by replacing/reassigning Australian officials who were involved with the debacle that is the ‘Kokoda Initiative’ and the KTA.

Unfortunately nothing happened as the revolving door of responsible Minister’s remained hostage to their departmental officials and advisors.

Mark Nizette – James Enage Relationship

Problems relating to the KTA mismanagement originated with the recruitment of James Engage as the PNG ‘Designate CEO’ by Rod Hillman in 2009. Hillman had been appointed CEO of the KTA by the Department of Environment in Canberra and reported directly to them. He had no previous experience in PNG, no understanding of the ‘Melanesian Way’, and no knowledge of pilgrimage tourism related to military heritage.

He was advised that he would have to nominate a PNG ‘Designate CEO’ as part of the process required to obtain a work permit.

Rather than advertise for a qualified commercial business manager Hillman took a convenient short-cut and appointed James Enage who worked in the Prime Minister’s Department. Enage held an Arts Degree from UPNG and was a landowner at Efogi. He had no qualifications or previous experience in business management, military heritage, pilgrimage tourism or trekking.

Enage was then appointed as ‘Designate CEO’ and carefully groomed by the Department of Environment who sponsored him, and sometimes his wife and children, on numerous trips to Canberra, Sydney, and indigenous National Parks in NT/Qld where he was given a podium and VIP status.

We tried to engage Enage on numerous occasions about improving the management of the Trail, but it was clear he was never going to ‘rock his paymasters’ boat’!

Despite his patronisation by Australian officials Enage was unable to withstand the wan-tok pressures from clans across the Trail – he was also subject to demands from an increasing army of opportunistic Kokoda tour operators.

In 2014 Enage was summoned to a meeting with the Australian High Commissioner, Deborah Stokes, over a management/accounting discrepancy. Stokes had been appointed by the new Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop, as part of her gender equality strategy in DFAT. Unfortunately, Stokes knew little about the Melanesian Way which eventually led to her premature reassignment back to Australia after just two years in the job – reportedly at the request of PM O’Neill.

Mark Nizette was present at the meeting where Ms Stokes gave Enage a dressing down. This is the most humiliating experience a PNG man can have under their patriarchal system. Enage expected Nizette to defend him but he remained silent.

It is assumed Nizette may have facilitated this meeting to enhance his authority over Enage as Ms. Stokes would have had other more pressing priorities to deal with.

It backfired! Enage then declared Nizette person non-grata in the KTA office. He later leaked the DFAT Kokoda Initiative Master Plan to demonstrate what he had to endure as CEO. He advised that neither he nor landowners across the Trail had not been consulted in their villages and did not accept the findings in the review.

Enage was correct in this regard – all the meetings for the Kokoda Initiative Master Plan had been conducted in Port Moresby and could therefore only be regarded as ‘desk-top studies’, but that was all Nizette needed to justify his expanding web of influence.

Enage then used KTA funds to establish a ‘Kokoda Track Landowners Taskforce’ and led a charge to close the trail. He saw no contradiction in the fact that he was paid by the KTA to keep the Trail open and then established a separate organisation, using KTA funds, to close it! He also threatened to resign as CEO of the KTA if his demands were not met. By this stage he had gone rogue and the dysfunction of his office continued.

Minutes of the KIC meeting in 2016 provide an insight into their mindset. The discussions were all about funding – the dysfunctional management of Kokoda tourism did not rate a mention.

We had heard rumours regarding the allocation of K500,000 to each of the Provinces at the time however we have never been able to identify how the funds were dispersed or how they were spent.

When the minutes were distributed, almost six (6) months later, James Engage accused CEPA of misrepresenting the record of the meeting. In an email to the CEO, Mr. Gunther Joku he advised:

‘The above is a clear example of what has transpired over the years in terms of KI Reports which has come out and has reflected major negative perception issues on KTA as an organisation by someone in CEPA who cleverly manipulates words to try to influence the Consultation Report outcomes, portraying negative views about KTA within the Kokoda Initiative Program.

‘I say CEPA simply because KI Consultation Reports and Meetings Minutes are generated out of CEPA. KTA has suffered a perception issues in the pass and at present times because this continued attitude is not corrected within CEPA. Classical examples are the outcomes of Kokoda Initiative Mid Term Review Report of 2014 and Kokoda Initiative Draft Master Plan which definitely did not correctly reflect what was communicated by KTA Management to consultants who were involved in writing up of these documents.

To this date, KTA Management do not accept what is written in KI draft Master Plan, because what is written there do not reflect the true essence of KTA status and aspirations communicated to the KI engaged consultants involved in developing the KI Master Plan.‘

Gunther, the above attitude in distorting words and not reflecting the true words used in consultation and KI Stakeholders meeting especially on matters relating to KTA and Track Management and Livelihoods of the Kokoda Track people is definitely hurting our relationship because the correct words and untrue statements just continues to misrepresent the truth and disappoints me.

Please whoever in CEPA, that is distorting words from meeting Minutes and Consultation reports better stop this attitude to give true records of meetings minutes and consultation reports. Otherwise, Gunther, please just remove whoever that is doing this and relocate them to other sections of CEPA to protect our working relationship.

‘For future KI meetings, I recommend that 2- or 3-minute takers be appointed for KI Meeting Minutes taking purpose to eventually compare notes and arrive with the final outcome of correct meeting minutes records. Also use Dictaphones to assist with keeping verbal records of the meeting minutes in future to refer to them when writing meeting minutes.’

The secretary of the KIC meeting referred to by James Enage was Mark Nizette!

The management system continued to deteriorate to the extent that former Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill, ordered a review of the KTA in 2017.

Following is an email to Oro Provincial Governor Gary Juffa regarding my concerns about James Enage being used as a scapegoat to cover the dysfunctional management system put in place by Canberra officials in 2009:

From: Charlie Lynn
Sent: Monday, September 18, 2017 8:08 AM
To: Gary Juffa
Subject: Management of the Kokoda Trekking Industry

Dear Gary,
I have heard that there are plans to replace James Engage as CEO of the KTA with another government appointed CEO. If this is true a change of jockey will not achieve anything because it is the horse that is crook.

I have certainly had my issues with James over the years however I have arrived at the conclusion that he was set up to fail by the Australian Government who patronised him with numerous trips to Canberra, Sydney and various national parks throughout Australia.

On one of these trips they paid for his wife and children to accompany him. As a result James was not in a position to question their ‘directives’ which came directly from Canberra.

He was placed in an untenable position as CEO designate by his Australian predecessor, Rod Hillman (who was on a salary of K360,000 plus generous overseas allowances and tax concessions which would have created a salary package in the region of K700,000).

Hillman had no previous experience in PNG; no understanding of the needs of local village communities along the trail; and no understanding of management or PNG Government structures.

The structure Hillman put in place saw James Enage legally responsible to the Minister for Local Level Government but informally responsible to PNG Tourism; the Department of Environment and Conservation; the Kokoda Initiative; and the Conservation and Environment Protection Authority.

n addition to this he was responsible for dealing with the conflicting demands of landowners and communities along the trail as well as up to 80 trekking companies. It was an impossible predicament.

The problem was exacerbated by the fact that he had to work to a Board of Directors that had no experience in law, accounting or governance.

James himself was not qualified for the position he was thrust into because he no previous management experience or qualifications.
In addition to this Hillman did not put one management protocol in place during his time as CEO and James Enage was left with the mess. One can only conclude that James Enage was set up to fail by the Australian Government.

I have a great deal of additional evidence that supports this conclusion.

Your people along the trail are the victims of the current system.

I have just completed my 89th trek and I can advise you that they have been reduced to spectator status as they see trekkers pass by without receiving any benefit from them.

I believe the solution is to run the Kokoda trekking industry as a business with Incorporated Landowner Groups along the trail as the major shareholders.

I have attached a summary of the steps that need to be taken for this to happen. I also believe that the leadership for this change must come from you, Henry Amuli and your counterparts in Central Province.

I am happy to provide whatever assistance I can at any time. I will be in Port Moresby from 23-25 September and 6-14 October and would be happy to meet up with you to discuss the current situation and proposed solutions in more detail if it is convenient for you.

Best regards,
Charlie

The only change since then was a carefully orchestrated plan facilitated by the Australian High Commission and Mark Nizette to replace James Engage as CEO of the KTA.

On 4 April 2018 Nizette assisted in arranging a KTA Board Meeting to accept Enage’s resignation. He ensured they had the numbers to carry the motion. The CEO of PNG Tourism, Mr Jerry Agus, was appointed to chair the meeting in the absence of Mr Rueben Maleva.

Engage was made aware of the move and arranged for a couple of his key supporters on the Board to boycott the meeting which proceeded and accepted his resignation.

The following day Mr Rueben Maleva called another Board meeting in his capacity as Chairman of the KTA. This time Enage’s wan-toks had the numbers and they refused to accept his resignation. He therefore continued as CEO and the dysfunction remained.

I was in Port Moresby at the time and met his wan-toks outside the KTA office before the meeting.

They agreed that he was a hopeless CEO but explained that he was also their ‘bro’!

On 20 April 2018 we were advised by the Australian High Commission that they:

‘attended a meeting of the Kokoda Initiative Committee which was chaired by Environment Minister Pundari in his capacity as lead minister for the KI.’ They went on to remind trek operators that ‘the KTA Board had met on 4 April and accepted James Enage’s resignation as CEO. One of the purposes of the KIC meeting was for the PNG Government to affirm publicly, and in view of all the assembled stakeholders, that James Enage had in fact resigned from the position of CEO, and to thank him for his service and discuss an appropriate severance package for him.

The latter issue was delegated to the KTA Board to consider, under the interim chairmanship of Tourism Promotion Authority CEO Jerry Agus. Agus was appointed interim KTA chair at the 4 April board meeting, and his appointment was also affirmed at the KIC meeting before the assembled delegates.‘Minister Pundari urged the KTA Board to move quickly to appoint a temporary CEO to replace Enage and suggested that a senior PNG official might be a suitable candidate. A permanent replacement would be recruited following the review into the KTA. The review, which is being led by the PNG Government, is proceeding according to schedule. A contractor has been appointed and is expected to deliver a draft report by the end of May. Consultations will take place with relevant stakeholders including from the trekking industry over the next month.’

On 4 May 2018, The National newspaper reported:

‘Kokoda Track Authority Chief Executive James Enage says the board had decided not to accept his resignation until a review of the authority is completed.|

‘Enage said he had followed due process in tendering his resignation but the board advised him to continue until the current review of the government was completed.’

Minister Pundari and the Port Moresby Governor, Powes Parkop MP, arranged to offer Engage a lateral ‘promotion’ to an executive position in the National Capital District Commission (NCDC) which he accepted.

Mark Nizette – Kokoda Track Authority (KTA) Relationship

Prior to 2008 the Trail was managed by the PNG Kokoda Track (Special Purpose) Authority (KTA), a statutory government body of the Kokoda and Koiari Rural Local-level Governments (LLGs) approved by the National Executive Council under the Local-level Governments Administration Act 1997 and proclaimed by the Governor-General on 11 June 2003.

The KTA was established for the general purpose of assisting the implementation of the functions of the Koiari Rural Local-level Government and the Kokoda Rural Local-level Government and covered the areas of the Kokoda Track as defined in the Proclamations of those Local-level Governments made in accordance with the provisions of Section 27(1) of the Organic Law on Provincial Governments and Local-level Governments’.^[i]

According to KTA Newsletter No 1 of March 2005:

‘Trek Permit Fee income is collected for funding community infrastructure projects with 20% being set aside for administration expenses.

The current KTA website advises that Kokoda Trek Permit Fees are:

‘currently the sole source of revenue for the Kokoda Track Authority and are used to fund Papua New Guinea staff salaries, pay office rental, undertake track maintenance, business planning and management and make land owner / community payments (Ward Development funding).’

The KTA website also advises that:

‘Since its restructure in early 2008, the Kokoda Track Authority (KTA) has reformed its financial and procurement procedures to provide accountability and transparency. The KTA now has robust, transparent financial management processes.’^{^[1]}

The KTA website outlines the distribution of trek fee income for village projects in 2009 only. There is no record of any distribution for the following decade from 2010-2020 which contradicts their current claim regarding ‘robust, transparent financial management processes’.

Since Canberra officials assumed responsibility for the Trail in 2009 the original disbursement of trek fees, which required 80% of trek fee income to be allocated towards ‘community infrastructure projects’, decreased to almost nothing as more money seemed to circulate among Port Moresby based ‘wan tok influencers’.

It was not possible to monitor the disbursement of trek fees because of the KTA refusal to publish financial statements in contravention of their statutory obligations and despite numerous requests.

In 2012 responsibility for the management of the KTA was transferred from the Australian CEO to his ‘PNG Designate CEO’ who had worked as his understudy. Unfortunately, the PNG ‘Designate CEO’ had no business qualifications or experience; was not provided with any management training during his tenure; and did not inherit any management systems as none had been put in place.

The PNG CEO was later humiliated when he was given a ‘dressing-down’ by the Australian High Commissioner in her office. This led to a bitter dispute with the DFAT Strategic Management Advisor, Mark Nizette, who witnessed his humiliation but did not offer any support to him.

Nizette was then declared persona no grata in the KTA office, and a stalemate ensured. This was eventually resolved after the PNG CEO was offered a ‘sideways promotion’ to an executive position within the National Capital Development Commission (NCDC).

Mr Julius Wargirai, Deputy Secretary for Technical, Advisory Support Services at the Department of Provincial and Local Government, was engaged in an ‘Acting’ capacity.

After Mr Wargirai’s ‘acting’ appointment was confirmed, Mark Nizette, who had effectively bee banned from from the office over the previous four years, moved back into it and effectively took control.

Soon after Kokoda trek operators were advised that K350,000 had been withdrawn from the KTA Bank Account and ‘donated’ to an Australian NGO (KTF^[ii]) for disbursement to support the payment of ‘educational supplements for villagers on and off the Trail’.

In the recent Annual Review of the Papua New Guinea Australian Governance Partnership 2019 the author, possibly the DFAT Strategic Management Advisor, described the transfer as thus:

‘The program has entered a pivotal phase due to changes in key personnel within the Kokoda Track Authority, particularly the secondment of a chief executive officer (CEO) from DNPM. The change in approach is evidenced by recent efforts of the Kokoda Track Authority to channel undisbursed revenue into school fees (through an NGO partner) and by the revival of a Technical Working Group (including agency CEOs of the Kokoda Track Authority, National Museum and Art Gallery and CEPA, and DDAs) which has met four times in the past six months. These shifts have seen a sharp upturn in relationships between the Kokoda Track Authority and the other multiple stakeholders, including DFAT and the KIP delivery team.’

This is grossly misleading. The Acting CEO had not yet come to terms with his job because of the competing pressures he was confronted with on a daily basis which included:

a dysfunctional Board of Directors which has never produced an Annual Report, a financial statement, or a set of Board Minutes;
at least three Government Departments (Provincial and Local Level Government, CEPA, and PNG Tourism);
two Provincial Governments (Central and Northern);
two Local Level Governments (Koiari and Kokoda);
14 Ward Councillors;
numerous landowners;
up to 33 trek operators; and
an aggressive Australian Kokoda Tour Operators Association (KTOA) which had been established to protect the financial interests of primarily eco-tour operators.

It is worthy of note that NEC Decision 123/2019 of 23 May 2019:

‘noted the expiry of the Kokoda Track Authority Board in 2016 and directed that the Minister for Inter-Government Relations approve an Interim Board pending the establishment of the proposed legislation, consisting of the same positions as detailed in the 2008 Proclamation, but calling for new nominations for the positions of the Koiari and Kokoda Landowner representatives.’

As a result, Julius Wargirai had neither the time nor the resources to produce newsletters, financial statements or even answer emails.

The ‘educational’ needs of remote families on and off the trail would not have featured as an issue for him in view of these competing demands at the time.

The author’s assertion that the funds represented ‘undisbursed revenue’ is disingenuous.

Kokoda tour companies, who have paid around K12 million in trek permit fees have been demanding that hygienic toilets be installed across the Kokoda Trail but not one has ever been built! They have also been denied information on the financial state of the KTA as no financial reports have ever been published.

Mr Wargirai contradicted the claim of ‘undisbursed revenue’ made by the Kokoda Initiative in an email on 26 June 2019 where he stated:

‘When I took office in November 2018, KTA was already without funds due to the closure of the track in mid 2018. KTA is a Special Purposes Authority established under the Organic Law on Provincial and Local Level Governments (does not have its own Act) and it does not receive direct Funding from the National Government, although it can be supported by departments and Provincial Governments that play some role in the Management and Administration of the Track.

‘ I have to run around seeing heads of relevant departments (DPLGA, Finance, Treasury, Planning and CEPA and TPA) to seek funding to get the operations of KTA going. I presented to them the status of KTA which convinced them to jointly agree and provide the support through properly approved release of government funds to get KTA operational until this year when it is anticipated to start tracking season again and commence receiving trekking fees (revenue) to support itself.’

Mr Wargirai commenced his tenure as ‘Acting CEO’ of the KTA in November 2018.

Kokoda tourism goes into hibernation during the wet season from November through to April each year. As a result, there would have been no income from the time Mr Wargirai was first employed in November until the following April.

If the KTA was ‘without funds’ in November 2018 as stated by Mr Wargirai, and there was no income from trek permit fees, where did they find K350,000 to give to a ‘friendly’ Australian NGO who is not associated with trekking in March 2019?

The transfer was in contravention of the rules for the disbursement of funds advised by the KTA on 1 March 2005. It could not have been approved by the Board of Directors as there are no reports of the Board meeting during this period. It would thus appear that Mr Julius Wargirai was not authorised to approve such a large transfer of funds as he was seconded to his role in an acting capacity.

The approval process for the transfer apparently involved the Director of the National Museum and Art Gallery (NMAG), Dr Andrew Moutu; the Director of KTF, Dr Genevieve Nelson; and the DFAT Strategic Management Advisor, Mr. Mark Nizette.

KTF is an Australian NGO which has no association with the Kokoda Tourism Industry or the commemoration of our shared wartime heritage. Mark Nizette is closely associated with both Dr Nelson, an Australian academic ‘educator’ and Dr Moutu, CEO of NMAG.

Dr Moutu failed to declare he was a Director of KTF in the ‘approval’ process for the transfer of funds from the KTA to the KTF.

DFAT, the Kokoda Initiative, and KTA are listed as ‘Partners’ of the KTF on their website.

This ‘partnership’ was not declared as part of the approval process.

Efforts to seek a response regarding the justification for the transfer of trek fee income and the approval process have been stonewalled by the KTA.

In a nutshell – Mark Nizette advised there was K350,000 in the KTA account when he relocated himself back into the KTA office[iii]. Julius Wargirai later advised that there were no funds in the KTA account when he was appointed Acting CEO.

An investigation into which one is telling the truth needs to part of a Terms of Reference for any investigation into the matter.

A further conflict of interest involves the relationship between the Kokoda Initiative and KTF since Mark Nizette relocated himself back into the KTA office.

Around this time KTF announced that the Kokoda Initiative was one of their ‘Platinum Partners’ which is the highest level of partnership that usually involves payment of an annual cash or in-kind sponsorship.

It therefore begs the question as to the type of ‘donation’ the Kokoda Initiative makes to KTF in return for its Platinum status, and was the K350,000 donated to KTF by the KTA part of their sponsorship arrangement.

The transfer process should therefore be subject of a formal investigation by the PNG National Fraud and Anti-Corruption Squad.

The Terms of Reference should have the scope to investigate:

Who was the author of the Papua New Guinea Australian Governance Partnership Report, 2019?[iv]
Why was the ‘undisbursed revenue’ referred to the Australian Governance Partnership Report 2019 not disbursed towards the upgrade of the Third World toilets across the Trail to meet the most basic hygiene standards for trekkers who paid the fees and/or to improve the basic standards of campsites along the Trail?
According to the email received by the Acting CEO on 26 June 2019 he was not aware of any ‘undispersed income’ when he was appointed in November 2018 – he also advised there was no money in the KTA account when he was appointed. So, who is telling the truth, the author of the Australian Governance Partnership Report 2019, or the Acting CEO?
Was a formal application submitted by KTF for a donation of K350,000?
Does the Constitution of the KTA provide for the approval of donations to NGOs – if the transfer of funds was not in accordance with the KTA constitution will the KTF be required to repay the funds?
Given that the donation contradicts the information on the KTA website regarding the expenditure of trek fee income – did the Acting CEO of the KTA or the Australian Strategic Management Advisor seek legal advice to ensure there was no breach in governance because of the donation – if legal advice was provided is there a record of that advice?
How did KTF justify the figure of K350,000 – did they provide an itemised list of recipients, their contact details, and the amount to be paid to or on behalf of each student – if not, why not?
Did the Acting CEO of the KTA submit a formal request for the donation to the KTA Board of Directors for approval? If not, why not?
In view of NEC Decision 123/2019 of 23 May 2019 was an Interim Board appointed to the KTA at the time of the discussions re the transfer of funds to the KTF – if so is there a Board Minute which records their approval of the donation?
If a KTA Board did not approve the donation, or did not exist, who did?
Was the Acting CEO of the KTA authorised to approve the transfer of funds?
If it is claimed that Trek Permit Fees were not used for the donation, which Government Department was the source of the funds?
If the funds were provided by a PNG Government Department, why would they not have provided them directly to their schools in accordance with normal National and Provincial Government procedures?
Who decided that the transfer of trek fees for philanthropic purposes was more important than meeting the urgent needs of the people who paid the fees i.e., trekkers; or for local village communities who have not received their fair share of benefits from the Kokoda tourism industry for more than five years?
Has KTF acquitted the K350,000 they received?
Why did Dr Moutu fail to declare that he is a Director of KTF?
Was the relationship between Mark Nizette, Dr Andrew Moutu and Dr Genevieve Nelson declared in the approval process for the allocation of the K350,000 donation to KTF by the KTA? If not – why not?
Why did KTA fail to declare their partnership with DFAT, the Kokoda Initiative, and KTF?
The Kokoda Initiative is listed as a ‘Platinum Partner’ of the KTF:
1. Does the Kokoda Initiative pay an annual cash subscription for their Platinum Partnership? If so, what is the cost of their annual sponsorship?
1. If the sponsorship in an ‘in-kind’ partnership what KTF projects have been supported by the Kokoda Initiative and what was the financial contribution of each partner, i.e., the Kokoda Initiative and KTF to each project?
1. Was a cost-benefit analysis conducted for each project?
1. If a cost-benefit analysis was conducted can copies of each one be provided?
1. What were the measurable outcomes from each project?
Was the fact that the Kokoda Initiative is a ‘Platinum Partner’ of KTF declared? If not, why not?

Mark Nizette – Andrew Abel CSM ML

Around this time Nizette ‘sounded out’ Mr Andrew Abel CSM ML to see if he would be interested in the CEO position. Abel was well credentialled and highly regarded as a result of his success in surf tourism over a 30-year period; his appointment as Deputy Chairman of the Tourism Promotion Authority Board; his role as a trustee of the National Museum and Art Gallery; and his position as a Board Director of the National Aircraft Corporation. It seems Nizette soon learned his influence over Abel would be minimal due to his personal integrity and strong character. Nizette then neglected to arrange any follow-up meetings with him.

Australian High Commission – Port Moresby

On 20 April 2018 the Australian High Commission reported:

‘Minister Pundari urged the KTA Board to move quickly to appoint a temporary CEO to replace Enage and suggested that a senior PNG official might be a suitable candidate. A permanent replacement would be recruited following the review into the KTA.

It took a further seven months for them to engage a ‘temporary CEO’ which was made redundant as the ‘review into the KTA’ was completed and published on 4 July 2018.

Soon after James Enage vacated the position KTA CEO Mark Nizette relocated himself back into the KTA office. It is assumed that he acted as an unofficial CEO during that seven month period as there was nobody else in the office capable of filling the position.

It was therefore assumed the DFAT-Kokoda Initiative would initiate an executive search for a ‘permanent replacement’ as instructed by Minister Pundari.

On 30 October 2018 the Australian High Commission in Port Moresby advised Kokoda tour companies:

‘Please find attached the latest edition of Kokoda Nius, the Kokoda Initiative newsletter. Feel free to circulate or place on your websites. Hard copies will be delivered to track communities over coming weeks.‘You would also be aware of recent developments regarding the interim leadership of the Kokoda Track Authority.

On 26 October, an extraordinary meeting of the KTA Board was convened in Port Moresby. Attendees included the heads of CEPA, TPA and DPLGA; representatives from Central and Oro provinces; representatives from Koiari and Kokoda LLGs; and landowner representatives from Central and Oro.

‘The meeting’s purpose was to identify a new interim CEO for the KTA. After a number of potential nominees were discussed, the board agreed to appoint Mr Julius Wagirai, Deputy Secretary for the Department of Provincial and Local-level Government Affairs, as the interim CEO.

‘Once his appointment has been confirmed by the PNG Government, the Australian High Commission will seek an early meeting with Mr Wagirai to discuss our shared ambitions for the track going forward.’

‘Kind regards
‘Tom Battams
Second Secretary
Australian High Commission, Port Moresby

This announcement posed more questions than it answered.

The KTA Board had not met since April 2018 and was considered to be dysfunctional well before that – no Board Minutes were ever circulated regarding their decision.

None of the attendees at the ‘extraordinary meeting’ were qualified to make such an important decision due to their lack of commercial management qualifications, good governance, or expertise in international pilgrimage tourism.

There is a high probability that Mark Nizette would have influenced the decision to engage Mr. Wargirai as he had been working from the KTA office since April-May 2018.

Mr Julius Wargiral was a career bureaucrat with no qualifications or experience in commercial business management, pilgrimage tourism, trekking, or military heritage. At the time of his appointment he was Deputy Secretary of the Department of Provincial and Local Level Government Affairs (DPLLGA). He is a ‘Tolai’ and therefore has no cultural connection to the Kokoda Trail.

The KTA Board of Directors then disbanded and did not meet again.

Without a Board to report to Wargirai was therefore dependent on the DFAT-Strategic Manager, Mark Nizette for advice and direction. It was reported that Nizette instructed that he was to sight all correspondence into and out of the office.

The fact that it took Mark Nizette and the Australian High Commission seven months to engage an unqualified person in an ‘interim’ capacity should be the subject of an inquiry.

According to KTA records 3,365 Australians paid K1.17 million to trek across the Trail during this period and received nothing in return because there was nobody in charge. Kokoda tour companies have no idea where the money went as they have never published a financial report.

Of more concern is that Mark Nizette was aware of the following two executives who were available for engagement as a permanent CEO of the KTA:

Mr. Glenn Armstrong

Glenn Armstrong was a former Marketing Manager for the Post Courier newspaper; General Manager Designate for EMTV; Marketing Manager for Air Niugini; Media Advisor for Kumul Consolidated Holdings; and Proprietor of TLA Media.

Nizette was also aware of his interest in the Kokoda Trail as he had organised the only international promotion of Kokoda tourism on the 70^th anniversary of the Kokoda campaign in 2012. This include having a map of the Kokoda Trail screened on a new Air Niugini Boeing 737; engaging John Williamson to sing ‘True Blue’ at the Anzac Dawn Service and later perform at a major fundraising function hosted by Prime Minister Peter O’Neill for Network Kokoda at Parliament House. Almost K300,000 was raised to build a Community Learning Centre at Sogeri.

Armstrong also hosted an international ‘Future Cities Conference’ for the Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Brisbane in

His interest in our shared military history was evident in a television documentary on ‘Rabaul’ for screening on Air Niugini flights.

0n 13 July 2016 Armstrong sent the following email to Mark Nizette:

‘Hi Mark,
‘It was good to see you yesterday. Attached is a brief Power Point presentation outlining the case for a Visitor’s Centre at Owers Corner.‘Most of the content for the presentation was supplied by Charlie, who has been very supportive of the concept.‘In fact, Charlie convened a meeting in February this year to do some early “brainstorming’ of the concept.

‘Perhaps the Kokoda Initiative can take the next step towards making the concept a reality by forming a working committee with support from both the Australian and PNG Governments, and of course local landowners and other stakeholders.‘Now is the time. We have good people wanting to achieve good things.’

Nizette responded:

‘Glenn,
‘Likewise, it was good to bump into you in the vege aisle – that’s why I like shopping! Thanks for the powerpoint, I’ll check it out and we’ll put the thinking cap on. I’m hoping to catch up with Charlie when he visits later this month, so we’ll get a chance to talk further then.
‘Mark’

Email to Mark Nizette from Charlie Lynn on 15 April 2018:

‘Hi Mark,
‘Great to catch up with you yesterday and good luck with your progress on the KTA.

‘I met with Glenn Armstrong later in the afternoon and he is both interested and available to take on the role of interim CEO.‘I have attached a copy of his CV – I have known Glenn for many years here in PNG and I believe you will find a bloke more suited to the role.‘

You can contact Glenn on his mobile at 7686 5939 and or the following email: tla.media.glenn@gmail.com‘I look forward to catching up on Anzac Day.‘Best regards,
‘Charlie’

Email to Mark Nizette from Charlie Lynn on 27 April 2018:

‘Good morning Mark,
‘I met with Glenn Armstrong last night and he advised that nobody had been in contact with him in regard to a possible appointment as interim CEO of the KTA.‘

I have just returned from my trek and there is no doubt that the trekking industry is at its lowest ebb; the environmental degradation of the trail continues despite the token efforts of Qld National Parks personnel; many sections of the trail are dangerously unsafe; guides and porters continue to be exploited; the Ranger system is non-existent; and the villagers along the trail have been reduced to spectator status.

‘Our trekkers were advised to bring K700 to spend on local services and souvenirs – they spent around K50 each because there were no services provided and no appropriate souvenirs.‘Can you please advise if a suitably qualified interim CEO will be appointed during the KTA review process or whether we will have to continue to operate according to the ‘laws of the jungle’!

‘The only losers under the current arrangements are the guides and carriers engaged in the trekking industry because of their ongoing exploitation and the villagers along the trail who have never been taught how to provide the services or souvenirs required by trekkers.‘Any updates would be much appreciated’.

On Sun, Aug 5, 2018 at 5:58 PM, Mark Nizette <mark.nizette@gmail.com> wrote:

‘Glenn,
‘It was fortunate that our paths crossed, and thanks for reconfirming your contact details. The process to review is ongoing and largely driven by the Kokoda Initiative Committee (Minister Pundari, Gov Juffa, MP Amuli, Minister Tammur, Gov Agarobe, MP Isoaimo and Minister Isifu). So who knows what lies ahead as they navigate some very political and sensitive waters?
‘Mark’

On Mon, 6 Aug 2018, 18:07 Glenn Armstrong <tla.media.glenn@gmail.com> responded:

‘I would like to manage the KTA and will make myself available to do so, provided we are all working together to move forward’.

Nizette responded on the same day:

‘Thanks Glenn, interest noted and appreciated. I’ll keep this in mind as things develop in the PNG Government system.
‘M.’

Nizette made no further contact with Armstrong who was therefore not even interviewed for the position.

Mr. Andrew Abel CBE CSM ML

Around this time Nizette met up with Andrew Abel while shopping at Boroko Foodworld and ‘sounded him out’ to see if he would be interested in the CEO position. Abel was well credentialled and highly regarded as a result of his success in surf tourism over a 30-year period; his appointment as Deputy Chairman of the Tourism Promotion Authority; his role as a trustee of the National Museum and Art Gallery; and his position as a Director of the National Aircraft Corporation.

I later advised Mark Nizette that Andy Abel was interested in the position but he was never contacted for an interview.

It seems Nizette soon learned his influence over Abel would be minimal due to his personal integrity and strong character. Nizette then neglected to arrange any follow-up meetings with him.

Mr. Julius Wargirai

On 30 October 2018 the Australian High Commission announced that Mr. Julius Wargirai had been appointed as the ‘interim’ CEO of the KTA.

Wargarai was a career bureaucrat then serving as Deputy Secretary of the Department of Provincial and Local Level Government Affairs. It was a surprise appointment as he had no previous qualifications or experience in commercial business management, pilgrimage tourism, trekking, or commemoration.

The Board of Directors, which had not met since James Enage resigned seven months earlier, in April 2018, was disbanded after they ‘approved’ Wargirai’s appointment as Acting CEO in October.

The vacuum was filled by Minister Pundari’s Kokoda Initiative Committee, which was influenced by its secretary, Mark Nizette because no committee members had ever trekked across the Kokoda Trail, and none had any previous experience in commercial business management, pilgrimage tourism, trekking or commemoration.

By this stage Nizette, who had relocated himself back into the KTA office soon after the former CEO had resigned in April, had his hands on all the levers!

Wargirai, who was not qualified for the role of Acting CEO, was reliant on Nizette for advice and direction as there were no other qualified staff in his office. It was reported that Nizette instructed Wargirai that he was to sight all correspondence into and out of the office.

The following year, it was revealed that National Executive Council (NEC Decision 123/2019 of 27 May 2019) endorsed a covert appointment for Julius Wargirai to:

‘oversee the transition to the new Kokoda Track Management Authority, and the development of the Kokoda Track Tourism Master Plan’.

The NEC Decision also advised the:

‘the acting Chief Executive Officer of KTA will report to the Minister for Inter-Government Relations, pending the establishment of the proposed legislation, and the abolishment of the existing Proclamations’.

Kokoda tour companies were not aware of this decision until after trekking ceased due to the Covid pandemic in 2021.

The proposal had obviously been drafted and submitted in secret without any stakeholder consultation via the Minister for Environment, Conservation and Climate Change, the Minister for Provincial and Local Government, or the Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture.

Based on our experience on the Trail over the previous 31 years the Minister for Provincial and Local Government does not have the expertise in his department to develop a ‘Kokoda Track Tourism Master Plan’ – this lies within the charter of the Minister for Tourism Arts and Culture.

It then became clear why Wargari never answered emails; never published newsletters or financial reports; never took any action to develop campsites or toilets, finances, or implement any other form of management control since then.

The uncovering of NEC Decision 123/2019, along with his clandestine plan to have NEC establish a ‘Kokoda Track Management Authority’ has inadvertently exposed Mark Nizette’s agenda to have the Kokoda Trail managed as an environment park by the Conservation Environment Protection Authority (CEPA) for the career benefit of aid-funded foreign officials rather than as a tourism enterprise for the economic benefit of traditional landowner communities across the Trail.

It also exposed his strategy of using PNG officials reliant on his influence for aid-funded projects and consultancies to attack critics who challenge his modus operandi.

After we learned of Julius Wargirai’s appointment we provided him with the benefits of our experiences learned from leading treks over the previous 18 years in good faith. Wargirai was initially receptive however it soon became evident he was also under pressure from the Australian Kokoda Tour Operators Association (KTOA) which had been established to protect their business interests in PNG.

Wargirai also turned a blind eye to the fact that KTOA members were non-compliant with the provisions of the Investment Promotion Authority (IPA) Act and were therefore avoiding their taxation obligations by operating illegally in PNG. This was probably due to his awareness that they were closely aligned to Mark Nizette.

Following is an email Trail regarding Julius Wargirai’s response to my queries regarding the failure to implement resolutions from a KTA Forum in Cairns before planning for another one in Brisbane.

From: Althea MASI [mailto:communications@kokodatrackauthority.org]
Sent: Tuesday, 3 September 2019 2:53 PM
Cc: ceo@kokodatrackauthority.org; ‘Mark Nizette’ Subject: November Tour Operator’s Forum Letter Importance: High

Dear Tour Operators, Please find attached to this email the November Tour Operator’s Forum Letter from Mr. Wargirai.

Kind Regards,
Althea Masi
Communications Officer

‘From:                         Charlie Lynn
‘To:                              “Althea MASI”
‘Cc:                              ceo@kokodatrackauthority.org; “Mark Nizette”
‘Subject:                      RE: November Tour Operator’s Forum Letter
‘Date:                           Wednesday, 4 September 2019 9:54:02 AM

‘Dear Althea,

‘Thank you for the information regarding the proposed KTA forum in Brisbane in November. Can you please advise:

1. When will the Minutes of the KTA Forum conducted in Cairns on 14 November 2017 be published?
2. What is the cost of travel, accommodation and venue hire for the proposed KTA Forum in Brisbane?
3.    Will KTA officials attending the forum be contributing to their own costs to attend the forum–if so how much?
4.    Is the Kokoda initiative contributing to the cost of the forum–if so how much?
5.    Will any KTA trek fees being held by the KTA be used to cover the cost of the forum?

‘If there is any intention to use KTA trek fees to cover the cost of the forum I recommend the decision be reviewed and the funds be reallocated towards the cost of saving Freda Duma’s life by assisting with the funding she and her mother, a nurse from the Kokoda Hospital, need for travel and accommodation expenses to Texas, USA for her lifesaving operation. Freda’s mother has been living in Port Moresby for the past couple of months as she desperately seeks support for assistance–as a result she is unable to work as a nurse at the Kokoda Hospital which means that the people the KTA was established to look after are being neglected.

‘This should not be too difficult a decision to make in view of the fact that there has never been an outcome that benefits the Kokoda trekking industry from any KTA Forum conducted over the past 10 years!

‘If there are issues that need to be addressed then the KTA should develop a discussion paper and call for submissions from interested parties which could then be circulated for comment. A forum at the end of this process might then be more appropriate.

‘In the meantime I recommend the KTA develop a discussion paper on the necessity of campsites and toilets to meet the needs of the paying customers i.e. trekkers.

‘During my last trek a couple of weeks ago our guides and carriers complained bitterly about the foul smell from the toilets located near their sleeping hut at the Imita Base campsite (Goodwater).

‘The toilets are simply putrid and have been for many years but were in even worse condition with the increase in trekker numbers during the recent school holiday period.

‘The accommodation for the guides and carriers (adjacent to the toilets) is totally inadequate as is the dining hut and drying hut – a serious eye injury is waiting to happen with sharp poles protruding from the huts at eye height. ‘The shortcomings have been known to KI/KTA for at least a decade but have been ignored.

‘The campsites along the trail are now in the worst condition ever – there is not a single bridge that can be classified as safe – those built in the Nauro-Brown River area are rotting as they always do at this time of the year but there does not seem to be any plan in place to maintain them – none of the creeks or interesting features are signposted – etc. etc.

‘The problem is that there is no plan for the coordinated development of campsites along the trail – or the protection and interpretation of our military heritage – and trek operators are kept in the dark despite investing more than K1 million each year in trek fees and many more millions in wages, campsite fees, accommodation, etc –the KTA/KI has not issued a newsletter for around 5 years – we have never seen an audited financial statement – no workshops have been conducted with villagers, guides or carriers – etc. ‘We are obviously willing to assist in the development of a discussion paper on these urgent issues if required. ‘In the meantime I would appreciate your response to the above questions.

‘Best regards,
‘Charlie

‘From: Julius WARGIRAI [mailto:ceo@kokodatrackauthority.org]
Sent: Saturday, 7 September 2019 3:13 PM
To: Charlie Lynn
Cc: jerry.agus@papuanewguinea.travel; Andrew Moutu; gjoku@dec.gov.pg; dguina@dplga.gov.pg; Genevieve Nelson; Andrew Connelly; mark.nizette@gmail.com; Sue Fitcher; Genevieve Nelson
Subject: RE: November Tour Operator’s Forum Letter and other issues

‘Hi Charlie, ‘I must advise you that there is no need to respond to your repeated e-mails due to the very fact that KTA is an established PNG entity under PNG laws, hence I am not subject to you as a foreigner.

‘Further, I am unable to inform you on internal management decisions not related to you, as I have my own line of Reporting under the PNG Local Level Government Administration Act 1997 and the Proclamation of KTA.

‘The issues you continue to raise here are the same that you have been repeatedly raging, lying and falsely accusing everyone on (including KTA, CEPA, DFAT and individual Australian Advisors and your own colleague Tour Operators) although I have repeatedly clarified and informed you two times.

‘I still have these e-mail to re-send to you if you cannot remember having read and understood them. I thought after those communications (which I copied widely), you would have come to discuss them with me and finds ways to addressing them just like all other Tour Operators which have been in closed contact with my office.

‘Most of the issues cannot be addressed overnight as they would require proper planning, resourcing and partnership since KTA had no funds generated last year and early this year due to the closure at Kovelo in June 2018. Let me remind you too that I was appointed only in late October 2018 and am doing my very best to address some of your very same concerns jointly with CEPA, NM&AG, and the two Governors from Northern and Central Provinces including stakeholders of KI. Some of the points you are raising are good, but there are processes, protocols and resources involved and you need to be patient and raise them through proper channels for appropriate attention instead of using social media to personalise by publicly accusing, lying and defaming me and individual Advisors in CEPA, NM&AG and your colleague Tour Operators because you want everything your way.

‘On the 14th November 2017 Cairns Tour Operator’s Meeting Minutes, I have advised you on it. The notes (not proper Minutes) I got from one of the three appointed Scribes at the meeting indicated that there was no resolutions reached on the issue of Minimum Pack Weight to be carried by Porters and Guides on the Track. However, I made it clear at the Gateway Tour Operators Meeting in May this year ( to which you sent your apology) that during the interim period, no changes is to be made until the new legislation is passed, as some of these issue would be taken into account either in the new legislation or guidelines.

‘Regarding young Freda’s Medical Support, you actually accused me and the head of KTF for illegally using Australian money paid by Australian Trackers to KTA (KTA’s revenue) for school fees when it should be donated for Freda’s Medical Treatment. Let me clarify again that at that time, there was no revenue made by KTA as the Track was closed in 2018. I have to seek PNG government funding to sustains KTA and progress some of the community programs which benefits a wider population then one particular individual.

‘This was the way forward approved by the Technical Working Group and later the Ministerial Committee at Lamana Hotel which was attended by the Former Minister for Environment and his MD, Governor for Oro Provincial Government and his PA, former PA for Central Provincial Administration, Secretary for DPLGA, Presidents of the Koiari and Kokoda Local Level Governments and witnessed by donor partner representatives, land owners and leaders of local communities located along the Kokoda Track. This have also resulted with other partnership program including water projects for the Governor for Oro Provincial Government, KTA, CEPA and Abt under KI arrangement and others on a one-to-one arrangement with KTA. ‘Everything I did therefore was proper and legal. Your post in the social media actually defamed me and the head of KTF and you have not apologise to us for it since Charlie!

‘Since last year, you have been telling the World through social media that you successfully arranged for a complete free medical treatment in Australia for Freda and the arrangement to transfer her to Australia was in progress. Some weeks later you indicated in your e-mail that you are now arranging for her treatment in the Philiphines and after a while India and USA before you eventually referred it back to PIH, Port Moresby. You gave so much expectations to Freda’s parents and they have to transfer immediately from Kokoda station to Port Moresby to await Freda’s transfer overseas for medical treatment. Before they came to Port Moresby, the Member for Sohe donated K30,000 to the parents towards Freda’s medical treatment but this was all used up in Port Moresby because of your lies and they have to sustain the family whilst living with wantoks.

‘In fact you deserted them here in Port Moresby and never contacted them again and that’s when they came to KTA for support. Assisted by KTF, KTA continued consultations with PIH and a second diagnostic test on Freda was conducted by PIH and fully paid for by KTA and they went back home around June (they are not in Port Moresby as you referred to). Sooner later, you started requesting KTA, using Freda’s Medical situation as a reason to waive your Tour company from paying track fees so that you can use this money for Freda’s medical expenses. As I stated in my first e-mail response to you, you are only using Freda’s Medical condition to benefit your Tour Company, in fact you do not really care about her deteriorating condition. To this day, you continued to falsely publicised in the social media for every one to believe you that you are unable to assist Freda because KTA is unable to help by allowing your tour company to do tracking free of charge, so the fees could go towards Freda’s medical expenses. I do not have the powers to make that decision and I stated that in my two (2) earlier e-mail response to you.

‘On Camp sites, KTA, TPA and CEPA through KI are already doing somethings in progressing it and you can communicate with me to find out on the status of it later.’

From: Charlie Lynn
Sent: Monday, 9 September 2019 9:40 AM
To: Julius WARGIRAI <ceo@kokodatrackauthority.org>
Cc: jerry.agus@papuanewguinea.travel; dguina@dplga.gov.pg; Alan McCagh <alan.mccagh@amspng.org>; Andrew C.Abel,ML <sapng06@yahoo.com.au>
Subject: RE: November Tour Operator’s Forum Letter and other issues ‘Good morning Julius,

‘I did not mean to trigger a rant when I asked you some simple questions regarding the funding of your proposed KTA Forum in Brisbane in November.

‘I would have thought that a customer who generates around K6 million for PNG-Kokoda tourism each year – and pays around K200,000 in trek fees to the KTA – would be entitled to a more considered response to emails – in a commercial environment it’s referred to as ‘customer service. I never regarded it as an international legal issue as you implied in your rant.

‘I appreciate that you have inherited a dysfunctional management system and that no action has been initiated to assist you with the skilled staff you need to be effective. ‘

I also appreciate that I am indeed a ‘foreigner’ as you state – however you should be aware that I was honoured to be inducted as an Officer of Logohu in the 2015 PNG Honours and Awards list for ‘‘for service to the bilateral relations between Papua New Guinea and Australia and especially in the development of the Kokoda Trail and its honoured place in the history of both nations’ over the past 25 years.’

‘I would caution you against using the word ‘foreigner’ however as it could be seen to have a derogatory connotation. You are the Acting CEO of PNGs most popular tourism resource which is dependent on international visitors. You should therefore refer to them as guests or tourists rather than ‘foreigners’ otherwise it will have a negative impact on the potential for tourism in PNG.

‘I was also disappointed that you have elected to copy my emails ‘widely’ – as you advised – without my permission. This is a serious breach of trust by a CEO. Unless you can provide me with an assurance that you will not distribute any future emails without my permission I will use my blog to communicate with you via social media so that everybody can read what I have to say and respond accordingly.

‘I have attached a copy of my PNG CV to give you an indication of my past commitments to our shared wartime heritage on the Kokoda Trail.

‘I have also attached a detailed submission we prepared for marketing Kokoda based on our collective experience leading 750 expeditions across the Kokoda Trail over the past 28 years.

‘The submission was in response to a request from you after your KTA Forum in Brisbane on 28 November 2018. As you can see we put a considerable amount of time and effort into it however we were disappointed when you failed to acknowledge receipt of the paper or to express any interest in it. This is why I questioned the expense of conducting another KTA Forum in Brisbane again this year which triggered your rant – you also neglected to answer the questions I raised. The questions remain valid because I cannot recall a single outcome from any KTA Forum conducted over the past 10 years – however I am happy to be corrected.

‘When I was last on the trail I was advised that you would be available to meet with me on Friday, 16 August however when I finished my trek the day before our scheduled meeting I was told that you would not now be available as you would be in Kokoda. I was not able to schedule another meeting as I was due to depart Port Moresby the next day. However, you are aware that I have visited you when I have previously been in Port Moresby – I therefore reject your inference that I would not come to your office to discuss issues with you. ‘I am surprised at your revelation that the KTA did not generate any revenue in 2018. According to your KTA records 3,033 trekkers crossed the trail in 2018 – this would have generated K1.61 million in trek fees. ‘It therefore begs the question – where did the money go? We know that nothing has been invested in campsite improvements and, according to local villagers, nothing has been distributed to them. This is surely worthy of a formal investigation which you should be obligated to initiate in your capacity as Acting CEO.

‘The primary cause of the frustration of your paying customers and your villagers along the trail is that nobody knows what has happened to the income collected from trek fees over past years because the KTA has never published an audited financial report, an annual report, or even a newsletter. The missing K1.61 million of trek fee income in 2018 that you have referred to is a good example.

‘The other major frustration is that I have to evacuate villagers from the trail at my own personal expense because they cannot get any assistance from the KTA. We have spent more than K20,000 on urgent medical evacuations over the past 18 months.

‘For example on 5th June I emailed you with a request I had received by Satphone from one of my trek leaders who relayed a request for the Menari health clinic for a young girl in Menari to be evacuated to Port Moresby hospital for treatment. You didn’t respond. On 6th June I received a second Satphone call which advised that an aircraft was arriving in Menari the following day and that she could fly to Port Moresby for treatment. I sent you a follow up email but once again you failed to respond – so the young girl had to stay in the village and suffer.

‘The villagers are aware that both the KTA and Kokoda Initiative now use helicopters like a Uber service to fly to ‘official openings’ of local Aid funded projects such as museums and schools and ‘meetings’ to resolve issues they have often caused – but they refuse to use them to support medical evacuations for villagers they are supposed to support.

‘I would appreciate any specific examples of where you think I might have defamed you. I admit I have been critical of the KTA because of their lack of any management protocols; their failure to produce audited financial reports; their failure to produce newsletters; their failure to publish trekker statistics; their failure to abide by their own rules; their failure to develop a database; etc. ‘I dispute your statement ‘that I want everything my own way’.

All I have ever wanted is a level playing field for all trek operators. This includes rules that limit the maximum weight of backpacks for your carriers to 18 kg; to ensure that each one is provided with a full trek uniform; that each one is issued with a sleeping bag and mat; that each one is paid a minimum of K70 per day and a ‘Walk Home Allowance’ of K250 at the end of their trek.

‘This is what your PNG Tour Operators unanimously voted for at the KTA Forum in Port Moresby on 8 November 2017 and I cannot understand why you will not enforce it. The issue was first raised at a forum in Sydney in 2015 and has been on the agenda for the past four years. I believe this is more than sufficient time to say ‘enough is enough’ and that it is time for you to make an executive decision to implement the motion carried at the KTA Forum on 8 November 2017 without any further delay.

‘Your statement that I am only using Freda Duma’s medical condition to ‘benefit my tour company’ and that I ‘do not really care about her deteriorating condition’ is beneath contempt.

‘I first met Freda’s parents, Doreen and Banual, outside your KTA office at the end of my Anzac trek in April when they called out to me as I walked past. They explained that they had visited your office but nobody would speak with them. I had previous email contact with them via a relative and had initiated a number of inquiries to seek medical assistance for Freda with the Children First Foundation in Sydney and later with Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children (ROMAC). After a number of meetings the Children’s First Foundation advised they were unable to help due to the expense associated with the operation. ROMAC advised there was a political issue with such operations in the NSW hospital system. I then wrote to the NSW Minister for Health to seek his intervention however I have not yet received a response. ‘In the meantime, Dr Aminya Sultan, CEO of the Pacific International Hospital advised that a heart specialist in Texas USA would operate on Freda on a pro-bono basis but that we would have to pay for travel and accommodation costs for her and a guardian. On 13 May 2019 I sent the attached email to you which advised that:

‘I have advised Dr Sultan that Adventure Kokoda will underwrite the cost of transport and accommodation for Freda and her guardian for the lifesaving operation’.

‘I’m not sure what part of that statement you do not understand!

‘I had not been able to follow up with Dr Sultan as I have spent almost six weeks on the trail leading three groups across it since then. My time between treks has been fully occupied with meetings in Canberra and Sydney; researching the potential for a wartime tourism industry for PNG; writing submissions; working with Network Kokoda to assist your people; and long periods of daily exercise to ensure I am fit enough to lead my next trek. ‘During my last trek I was contacted by Freda’s mother again and I agreed to meet them before I returned to Sydney.

‘In the meantime I had arranged for Ms Emily Kleinig, a Director of the Oro Community Development Project – who is now residing in Port Moresby for a year – to see if she would assist in coordinating Freda’s emergency operation with Dr Sultan. She has agreed to do this and we are now waiting for them to meet.

‘I asked Freda’s mother if she had been back to the KTA to seek help and she advised that every time she did she was advised to ‘see Charlie Lynn’. I then gave her another K300 to assist with their living expenses while they remain in Port Moresby. ‘I simply cannot understand how deskbound executive bureaucrats in the KTA and Kokoda Initiative can ignore the plight of a young village girl who is destined to die without doing anything at all to help. If you had adopted my suggestion to establish an Excel database for the Anzac trekking period we would now have more than enough money to fund her operation – but once again you ignored my email!

‘I have explained my objection to the KTAs reported allocation of K350,000 to an Australian NGO to donate to villagers for educational supplements in previous emails to you.

‘According to your KTA website trek permit fees are ‘are currently the sole source of revenue for the Kokoda Track Authority and are used to fund Papua New Guinea staff salaries, pay office rental, undertake track maintenance, business planning and management and make land owner / community payments’.

‘There is no provision for donations to NGOs to cover shortfalls in government expenditure in education. ‘I therefore believe trekkers who paid these trek fees have a right to know:

‘Who decided that such a significant donation to an NGO should be more important than the cost of an emergency lifesaving operation for a young schoolgirl from Kokoda?
Who made the request for the donation?
Was the request supported by a formal application?
If the request was submitted as a formal application can you provide a copy to trek operators?
Was the donation approved by the Board of the KTA?
Is there a Board Minute recording the approval of the donation?
Given that the donation contradicts the information on your website regarding the expenditure of trek fee income – did you seek legal advice to ensure there was no breach in governance as a result of the donation?
If not – why not?
If you did seek legal advice can you provide a copy of that advice to trek operators?
If trek fees were not used for the donation as you infer where did the funds come from?
If the funds were provided by a Government department why did they not provide them directly to the schools as education is a government responsibility?
Who determined that a donation to an NGO would be more important than the provision of hygienic toilets for the paying customers?
What is the acquittal process of the K350,000 for the NGO?

‘I would appreciate your response to each of these questions in the interests of transparency.

‘I appreciate your advice that KTA, TPA and CEPA through KI ‘are already doing something in progressing it’ in regard to campsites – however a review of KTA newsletters over the past decade indicates they have completed three campsite surveys across the trail but absolutely nothing has happened ‘in progressing it’.

‘I appreciate the fact that you have not trekked across the trail so I have attached two of sample reports we have received from our last trek to give you a feel for our professional standard.

‘I would also ask you to keep in mind that the Kokoda Trail is PNGs most popular tourism destination and, according to Trip Advisor, Adventure Kokoda is the most professional trekking company – Trip Advisor has rated us as the best trekking company on the Kokoda Trail for the past five consecutive years. According to the reviews which you can check here and here Adventure Kokoda receives more than quadruple the number of 5-star ratings than all of the other Kokoda trek operators combined. I would have thought that such an achievement would be the cause of celebration rather than denigration by the KTA.

‘Adventure Kokoda also sponsored Network Kokoda as a Not-For-Profit company which now provides more philanthropic support to your villagers along the trail than all of the other trekking companies combined. ‘I have been advised by your KTA Rangers that Adventure Kokoda is the biggest provider of trek fee income to the KTA this year.

‘I therefore find it difficult to understand why you and your colleagues in the Kokoda Initiative and the Kokoda Tour Operators Association (KTOA) criticise us so much. You would be far better off encouraging them to lift their own standards and become more professional rather than continually trying to denigrate our achievements.

‘My final point relates to your concerns about my use of social media to critique the KTA and the Kokoda Initiative. This is a result of the fact that you do not keep us informed. There are no newsletters – no financial statements – no consultation on the needs of trekkers or villagers – no consultation on the need to develop a Master Heritage Interpretation Plan for the trail – no consultation on the engagement of military historians – no consultation on the need for ‘village museums’ – no consultation on agenda items for forums, etc. etc. And when we try to solicit information on these topics our emails are ignored.

‘The only avenue remaining for us is our blog and social media. I will not be intimidated by threats to prevent me from trekking because both my father and I served on active service in the fight for freedom – my father in New Guinea and myself in Vietnam. Tens of thousands of Australians and Papua New Guineans have died in the defence of this precious right i.e. freedom of thought, freedom of speech and freedom of choice. I have no intention of surrendering that hard-earned right however I am prepared to engage in constructive debate with anybody, at any level, at any time on the issues of mutual concern. If such a choice was available, and our emails and submissions were acknowledged I would not have to revert to using social media as a critical platform.

‘I have attached a copy of all the emails I have exchanged with you this year – it equates to just over one email a month. This could hardly be regarded as ‘repeatedly raging, lying and falsely accusing everyone’ on issues you neglected to mention. I believe the tone of these emails was mutually respectful however it seems to have changed since the Australian Strategic Management Advisor was imposed on you and embedded in your office – it could be a coincidence however it is noticeable.

‘I will be in Port Moresby from 24-26 September and would be more than happy to meet with you – and any of my other detractors – to discuss their concerns with us however they should be advised that I have no intention of compromising our professional standards for our trekkers; our commitment to a Master Heritage Interpretation Plan for the Kokoda Trail; or our commitment to the welfare of your people across the trail.

‘Best regards,
‘Charlie’

Wargirai failed to respond!

During my first trek across the Trail post-Covid in 2022 I observed that many sections of the Trail were unsafe, campsites were dilapidated and the toilets were well below the hygienic standards trekker would accept.

No updates were provided by the KTA in 2022 or in the lead-up to the 2023 peak trekking period in April 2023.

On 2 February 2023 I sent an email request to the Acting CEO of the KTA requesting an update on condition of the Trail and the adequacy of campsites and toilets. He did not respond.

On 10 February 2023 I sent a further email with a proposal that we pay our trek fees direct to campsite owners to provide them with an incentive to prepare their sites to meet the expected influx of trekkers in the forthcoming Anzac trekking period. He did not respond.

On 13 March 2023 I sent a further email and advised him that: ‘We are now less than 4 weeks away from the peak Anzac trekking season and the situation is now urgent. I repeated my proposal that we use a portion of our trek fees to offset the additional costs we would have to incur to meet the needs of our trek groups. He did not respond.

On 23 March 2023 the Acting CEO advised that my ‘intention not to pay Trek Fees direct to KTA and instead distribute direct to the campsite owners through other interest groups not legitimized by law to administer these powers and functions would constitute a breach of these provisions, and considered an illegal act on your part’. He failed to provide any assurances that the Trail would be safe and the campsites adequate to meet our needs.

On 14 April 2023 I departed Owers Corner with a group of 111 people comprising 36 trekkers and 76 local guides and porters. I advised the KTA Ranger that I had not received any assurances from the KTA, so I had not applied for trek permits. I also advised them that I had an additional K16,000 in cash to pay directly to campsite owners to assist them to prepare their sites for the Anzac trekking period. Receipts were obtained from campsite owners for each payment they received.

On Saturday, 15 April 2023 the Acting CEO engaged an armed police contingent and went to Owers Corner to prevent any further Adventure Kokoda trek groups from departing.

Governor Gary Juffa Intervention

On 16 April 2023, Governor Gary Juffa intervened and threatened the Tropic Air Charter Manager, Mr. Mathew Bruttnall, that there would be violence against Tropic Air’s aircraft at Kokoda airfield if they transported Adventure Kokoda’s trek group from Port Moresby to Kokoda that day.

I was later advised by the owner of PNG Trekking Adventures, Ms. Pam Christy, that Governor Juffa had again threatened Mr. Brutnall with violence on 19 April 2023 if he flew Ms. Christy’s trek group from the Australian High Commission into Kokoda. Adventure Kokoda and PNG Trekking Adventures sometimes coordinate the use of charter aircraft by advising each other of space available on their flights or opportunities for backloading.

Julius Wargirai Intervention

On 3 May 2023, Adventure Kokoda’s Manager, Mr. Donald Watson, went through the normal process of booking an aircraft with Tropic Air by sending an email to Mr. Brutnall attaching Adventure Kokoda’s manifest. However, Mr. Brutnall responded and requested for confirmation of valid licenses and permits because Tropic Air was threatened during their last trip to Kokoda, and he did not want the same thing to happen.

On 3 May 2023, Adventure Kokoda’s Manager, Mr. Donald Watson, went through the normal process of booking an aircraft with Tropic Air by sending an email to Tropic Air’s Charter Manager, Mr. Mathew Brutnall. However, Mr. Brutnall responded and requested for confirmation of valid licenses and permits because Tropic Air was threatened during their last trip to Kokoda and he did not want the same thing to happen. In response, Mr. Watson confirmed that Adventure Kokoda had trek permits that were issued by the KTA.

On the same day at around 11am, Mr. Brutnall sent an email to Mr. Watson which stated, “We have been instructed by KTA not to uplift you.” Mr. Brutnall further stated that Adventure Kokoda’s licence was suspended by KTA and advised that Tropic Air will seek approval to transport Adventure Kokoda’s trekkers upon provision of their trek permits otherwise Tropic Air was not permitted to fly.

Mr. Wargirai in his capacity as Acting CEO of KTA did not have the authority to instruct Tropic Air on where to fly and which passengers to transport. This conduct was an abuse of power by Mr. Wargirai and called his integrity into question as well as the integrity of his office.

Both Governor Gary Juffa and Acting CEO Julius Wargirai have since been referred to the Ombudsman for their breach of the leadership code for Government officials.

Our Adventure Kokoda manager, Mr. Donald Watson, met with the Acting CEO of the KTA when he arrived and agreed to pay for my group’s trek permit fees and the group scheduled to depart later on that day.

The Acting CEO then visited the TropicAir terminal the next morning (Sunday) where our Adventure Kokoda Logistics Manager, Mr. Tau Maguli, paid him for the two groups leaving from Kokoda over the following two days.

All cheques were dated 11 April 2023 as part of normal logistic planning and preparation for the Anzac trekking period.

The payments were in accordance with Section 9 of the Koiari and Kokoda Local Level Government Trek Permit Law 2005 which state:

‘A trekker without permit shall be required to return to the office of the Kokoda Track Authority or approved licensee or authorized agent or officer of the Authority and make arrangement for payment of such permit, plus any imposed penalty.’

No penalty was levied by the Acting CEO for Charlie Lynn’s group which had departed the previous day when he accepted the cheque for his trek permits.

On Monday morning (17 April 2023) our Adventure Kokoda Logistics Manager, Mr. Tau Maguli, visited the KTA office and received official receipts for all payments.

Receipts were received for all additional payments made to campsite owners during my trek.

A week later, on 24 April 2023, The Minister for Environment, Conservation and Climate Change, the Hon Simon Kilepa MP, announced the cancellation of our Adventure Kokoda’s Commercial Tour Operator’s licence without notice.

The Minister, who is Chairman of a Kokoda Initiative Committee (KIC)^[2] advised:

‘The committee heard very disturbing reports from the Acting CEO of the KTA, Mr. Julius Wargirai, that on four occasions recently Adventure Kokoda deliberately attempted to evade payment of trekking permit fees to the KTA as required under PNG law.’

Mr. Wargari neglected to advise the Minister and/or his Kokoda Initiative Committee that Adventure Kokoda had paid all trek fees owing directly to him the previous week in accordance with the provisions of the Koiari and Kokoda Local Level Government Trek Permit Law 2005. The Minister continued:

‘The Committee further heard that a trekking group arrived at Owers Corner on Friday 14ᵗʰ this month without any application for permits, or any notification to the KTA. Mr. Lynn announced to the KTA ranger that they would trek to Kokoda without the lawful KTA trekking permits. Despite being previously warned in writing by the CEO, and again advised by the KTA ranger at Owers Corner, Mr. Lynn lead the trek onto the Kokoda Track after continual refusals to pay KTA trekking permit fees.

The Minister, and/or his Kokoda Initiative Committee, was obviously misled by Mr. Wargari who was aware that we had been communicating with him for two months prior to our trek to seek an assurance the Trail would be safe, and campsites would be adequate to meet the needs of our trekkers who paid for their trek permits in good faith. He failed to respond to these emails. As a result we felt we had no option but to pay a portion of our trek permit fees directly to campsite owners to assist them to rebuild their sites to meet the needs of their paying customers.

We advised the KTA ranger of our intentions and assured him we would obtain receipts for all cash payments to campsite owners. We also advised him of our concerns over the fact that the KTA refuses to publish financial reports and refuses to invest in campsites or toilets to meet the needs of trekker who pay the fees. We advised the ranger to notify the KTA and advise them of our intentions to pay our fees directly to campsite owners.

The Minister further advised:

‘This action was attempted again over the next three days by the same company, resulting in more than 100 tourists trekking without a valid permit from KTA. It is reported that cheques were eventually paid to the KTA after the groups had commenced trekking.’

This is simply not true. The Minister, and/or the Kokoda Initiative Committee, was obviously misled by Julius Wargari who had received cheques for all trek permits due for the Anzac trekking period at Owers Corner on 15 April 2003, and at the TropicAir terminal the following day on 16 April 2003.

Wargari’s KTA office staff provided receipts for all payments by Adventure Kokoda on Monday, 17 April 2023 however, according to Adventure Kokoda bank statements the cheques were not deposited into the KTA bank account for a further two months – until 13 June 2023!

The Minister never sought to ascertain why Julius Wargari withheld these cheques for two months before depositing them in the KTA bank account – and why he misled his Ministerial committee.

The Minister should also have been asked why he did not seek an explanation from Adventure Kokoda prior to cancelling the licence of a company which took 32 years to build, at the stroke of his pen without notice!

He should also have been made aware that our Adventure Kokoda trek groups paid K12,425 to the KTA for trek permits on behalf of his 36 trekkers, plus an additional K14,870 to landowners for campsite fees and further development – a total of K27,295. Despite this there was not a single hygienic toilet across the entire Trail and the section adjacent to the Brown River remained dangerously unsafe.

We then engaged our lawyers in Port Moresby to take out an injunction against the Minister’s cancellation of our tour operator’s license.

On 22 November 2023 the National Court found:

the Kokoda Initiative Committee of 21 April 2023 decision to consider the proposal to cancel Adventure Kokoda’s Commercial Tour Operator’s Licence was invalid;
Minister Kilepa’s decision to cancel Adventure Kokoda’s Commercial Tour Operator’s License was invalid;
Minister Kilepa and Acting CEO Julius Wargari were to take all steps necessary to restore Adventure Kokoda’s Commercial Tour Operator’s License; and
Adventure Kokoda were awarded costs against the Kokoda Initiative and the KTA.

Wargiral is now into his 7^th year in the KTA office without a single change being implemented to fix the management system despite numerous requests to do so. The cessation of trekking due to Covid provided him with an abundance of time to catch-up on his work. Despite this he still has not issued the Minutes of KTA Forums held in 2017 and 2019; has not published any financial statements as promised; has not advised of any plans to prepare campsites for the post Covid era; etc.

The legal status of Wargiral’s appointment in an acting capacity would also seem to be questionable as such appointments must be reviewed by National Executive Council (NEC) every three months. It seems unlikely that 20 applications for an extension over a 5-year period would not raise some eyebrows within NEC if requests had been submitted to them.

Mark Nizette – Kokoda Tour Operators Association (KTOA) Relationship

The Australian ‘Kokoda Tour Operators Association’ comprises a small group of Australian Kokoda tour companies established to protect their business interests in PNG.

The modus operandi of the KTOA is detailed on this link:

Australian Kokoda Tour Operators Association: A Shameless Australian Lobby Group

The primary influences in the Association are:

The Association is closely aligned with Mark Nizette.

Mark Nizette was secretary of the Kokoda Initiative Committee when it met to discuss the cancellation of Adventure Kokoda Tour Operators Licence on XXXXX.

Nizette failed to declare a conflict of interest against Charlie Lynn and Adventure Kokoda as he had a pending defamation claim against both parties.

According to Facebook posts the Kokoda Tour Operators Association was advised of the cancellation of our Adventure Kokoda Tour Operators Licence 30 minutes before Adventure Kokoda was advised.

David Howell and Mick O’Malley posted:

Kokoda Tour Operators Association
April 26 at 1:40 PM
https://www.facebook.com/www.KTOA.com.au

‘It is with a heavy heart that we must report the misconduct of one of the largest Kokoda Tour companies on the Kokoda Track. Adventure Kokoda, who had over 120 trekkers on the Kokoda Track decided to defy PNG Law and take matters into their own hands, refusing to pay trekking permits and as such, started walking the Track illegally and without permits. They did this covertly and when approached by Kokoda Track Authority Rangers, they did it aggressively.

‘Walking the Track without a permit is illegal under PNG Law. Without a permit, you risk the lives of all your trekkers, as insurance companies may deny evacuation facilities to a rogue company.

‘It also denies much-needed money to local villagers. Denying payment of permits has robbed local villagers of more than 40000 kina or nearly $20000 Australian Dollars.

‘’It has come to the KTOA’s attention that Adventure Kokoda has had its trekking license revoked (or soon will have) and will soon be fined by the respective authorities. The KTOA fully understands the actions of the Kokoda Track Authority on this matter. The KTOA understands that as operators, we all have an obligation under PNG Law, to abide by that law and to ensure that the people of the Kokoda Track are never robbed of the money they deserve.We will continue to update the industry on this and other important matters as they come to hand!’

The night before the PNG National Court was due to hand down their judgement regarding our appeal against the cancellation of our Adventure Kokoda Tour Operators Licence, the KTOA and KTA met at a dinner in Brisbane the night before a scheduled forum.

At 9.53 pm on 22 November 2023 David Howell sent the following photo by text to Charlie Lynn -it was captioned thus:

L-R: David Howell (KTOA & Kokoda Historical), Mark Nizette (DFAT Strategic Management Advisor), Deb Manders (Getaway Trekking); Ollie (Adventure Bound); Dr Andrew Connolly (PNG National Museum and Art Gallery); Mick O’Malley (KTOA & Australian Kokoda Tours; Peter Ryan (

Emai Trails: Mark Nizette – Governor Gary Juffa

Mark Nizette’s seduction of Oro Governor, Gary Juffa, provides an interesting insight into his modus operandi in the development of his aid-funded web of influence in PNG.

After Juffa’s election as Governor in 2012 he was initially supportive of the potential of the Kokoda plateau as a key pilgrimage tourism destination and frustrated by the lack of engagement from the DFAT Kokoda Initiative and their surrogate, the Kokoda Track Authority.

Juffa is of Irish-Orokaiva parentage, is intelligent, engaging, forthright and ambitious. Prior to his election he was the Commissioner of PNG Customs.

In his early days he adopted the moniker juffa@theeducatedsavage.com

Since he was elected in 2012 he has been consistently briefed on the management difficulties tour companies were having with the dysfunctional management system imposed on the Kokoda Track Authority (KTA) by Canberra officials.

From the time of his election in 2012 we have consistently tried to engage him on Kokoda’s potential as a world-class pilgrimage tourism destination. This opinion was based on my own experience of visiting every Civil War battlefield during my two years’ service with the US Army, another two years’ service with the ANZUK force in Singapore and Malaysia, and the hundreds of trekkers I have led across the Kokoda Trail over the past 32 years.

During my frequent visits to PNG I hosted Governor Juffa for lunch in various 5-Star restaurants (he doesn’t do lunch in cafes) to discuss the challenges and possible solutions to the dysfunctional management system for the Kokoda Trail since Canberra officials took control of it in 2009.

The following extracts of emails between us indicated his support for the development of Kokoda tourism and his frustration with Port Moresby based officials at the time:

27 April 2013: Email from Governor Juffa (juffa@theeducatedsavage.com ) to Charlie Lynn re Kokoda:

‘Great meeting you Charlie and hope to see you gentlemen more often in time to come . . . I have plans to improve Kokoda and make it a memorable station worthy of its great history . . . I have a keen interest in reviving the other areas of historic significance as well such as Buna and Sananda, Oivi and Wairope and others. You gentlemen could greatly assist with research and data that would assist me.’‘

26 August 2013: Email from Governor Juffa (juffa@theeducatedsavage.com) to Charlie Lynn re Kokoda:

‘Firstly, thanks for the various emails. I apologize for responding late to them and also for not being able to catch up with our mutual friend you referred. Please convey my apologies to him and advise that the next time I shall be in town and certainly make the effort. ‘

I would also like to congratulate you on your media release regarding the squandering of aid along the Kokoda Track. Thank you very much! You were spot on as usual. ‘Interestingly, there was an item on the 7 nightly news about money laundering. The thing is the media got it wrong by insinuating that AusAID money was squandered by PNG when in fact we no longer receive monetary aid and AusAID money is SQUANDERED by AusAID, examples of which you mentioned in your article.

‘I would love to talk to Alan Jones about this or at least prepare an article for Australian media if you think you can help, I would be much grateful.’

21 October 2013: Re Kokoda Track Authority

Email from Charlie Lynn to Kokoda Initiative (Kate Feros) cc Mark Nizette, Governor Juffa:

‘Following is an email from our most experienced trek leader, Major Chad Sherrin MM regarding the current situation along the Kokoda Trail.
‘Chad’s understanding of the military heritage of the Kokoda campaign; his empathy with the people along the trail; and his appreciation of the environment are second to none.

‘Chad used to report to the KTA office at the end of each trek to provide an update on the condition of the trail and a forewarning of any issues for the KTA to anticipate. He ceased doing this about six months after Rod Hillman arrived because Hillman was not interested and only paid lip service to his reports.

‘As you can see from Chad’s email below he has also tried to keep James informed but James himself has become a rather artful dodger.
‘It is clear that neither James nor the Board of the KTA have any idea of the needs of the paying clients who generate the income for the industry or the owners of the land they trek through.

‘It is also clear that the legitimate trek operators have been effectively sidelined in their desire to have a level playing field for all Kokoda trek operators.

‘I have just completed my third trek for the year and all I feel along the way is a sense of anger over the environmental degradation of the trail; the abandoned campsites; the unsatisfactory condition of toilets; the lack of campsite facilities; the lack of a campsite booking system and the angst this causes; the lack of effective safety measures along sections of the trail; the lack of welfare for local guides and carriers; the ripping-off of campsite owners by unscrupulous operators, etc, etc.

‘DSEWPC have to accept that the KTA structure established by Rod Hillman has failed.

‘Our company has organised more than 30 expeditions across the trail this year and we are not aware of a single effective management function provided by the KTA. It is a free-for-all management system based on a first-come, first served basis. There is no incentive to abide by any licensing systems (which themselves are a farce) or the Code of Conduct (which is irrelevant in the current environment). As a result the local communities are not realizing their potential and as they become more disgruntled we will inevitably have a repeat of the recent incident on the Black Cat Track.
‘There is a window of opportunity to address the dysfunctional system we now have as the current trekking season draws to a close.
‘I therefore recommend that the forums scheduled for next week be cancelled as there is insufficient trust and goodwill to ensure any sort of positive outcome.

‘The resources from these forums should be directed towards the conduct of village workshops at Efogi and Kokoda. These should be conducted by an academic facilitator familiar with local language and culture such as Mark Nizette with local support from the NCC and OTAC.
‘The next part of the process should involve the drafting of legislation to support the delegated management authority of the KTA and a critical review of the structure and expertise required to operate as a proper management authority.

‘We are more than happy to provide whatever input we can into this process but we do not plan to waste any more time, money or effort in attending any future ‘forums’ at this stage.’

24 October 2013: Re Kokoda Track Authority

Email from Charlie Lynn to Kokoda Initiative (Kate Feros) cc Mark Nizette and Governor Juffa:

‘We have been advocating landowner workshops along the lines we organised and funded from 2004-2006 since Australian Government personnel arrived in 2008 and have been continually ignored.

‘We instructed our trek leaders to report to the KTA office at the end of each trek in 2009 and provide an update on the condition of the trail and any issues of concern to local landowners. They were ignored by Rod Hillman and stopped going.

‘We paid our trek fees in full and in advance and were placed at a serious financial disadvantage because Rod Hillman negotiated a discount of around $50,000 with our main competitor – then wrote them a letter verifying they had paid their trek fees in full – and thanked them for doing so. He never wrote and thanked us for paying our trek fees in full and in advance.

‘Rod Hillman allowed another competitor to get away without paying K100,000 in outstanding trek fees – then gave them a trek operator’s licence.
‘I invested around K60,000 in developing a Kokoda Trail Topographical Map and gave an early edition to Rod Hillman and the KTA to assist them in their understanding of the Kokoda Trail in 2009. The Australian Government then paid around K80,000 to a consultant to map the trail without putting it out to tender. The consultant had never trekked Kokoda and used information provided from our map and our trek leaders to put it together. Their map had to be trashed later because it was inaccurate. I have never received a satisfactory explanation as to why we were not invited to tender.

‘We have attended every forum, at considerable expense, since 2004.

‘At the last forum in 2012 we were one of only three companies to attend. Our major issue of concern was the integrity of the KTA licensing system. We were assured that no new licenses would be issued.

‘The KTA then changed the definition of what constitutes a licensed operator and continued to issue them. As a result we lost a significant contract to an unlicensed operator.

‘We have verbal and photographic evidence that the K2.5 million Village Livelihoods Program does not exist. The villagers have eaten the goats, ducks and chooks – the fisheries pond was never populated and the rice harvest didn’t work and is now overgrown. This assessment was made by a PNG agricultural scientist who visited the sites and spoke with the villagers. Despite this the KTA has advised they are going to continue with a review of the program.

‘We have an agricultural programs in operation at the Sogeri National High School, Iaowari High School and seven villages on the Sogeri plateau. We have been providing fresh vegetables to more than 400 student all year. The KTA are aware of the program but they have never visited the sites or shown any interest in the projects.

‘We have visited the KTA office on a number of occasions to get a copy of the campsite survey completed by an Australian consultant (who has never trekked with a legitimate trekking company) but they won’t release it to us. How can we provide constructive feedback if all the reports completed by Australian consultants are kept secret?

‘We have invited KTA personnel to trek with us, at our expense, to witness the impact of the experience on paying clients but the offer has never been accepted.

‘I completed my 70th trek across the trail last week. I can still feel the anger at the environmental degradation on some sections of the trail; the condition of toilets at the various campsites; the number of ‘unlicensed’ trek operators; the overgrown campsites; the lack of a campsite booking system; the lack of protection for the welfare of PNG guides, carriers and campsite owners; the degradation of battlesites; etc. etc. This has all happened under the watch of the Australian Government since 2008.

‘Your statement that your role is ‘to support and assist – not to do’ was not followed by Rod Hillman.‘He negotiated secret deals with rogue trek operators; he closed the books and stopped publishing trek operator statistics; he refused to monitor the integrity of trek operator websites; etc.‘Unfortunately he failed to do any of the things necessary to manage the Kokoda trekking industry effectively. He failed to co-ordinated the development of legislation to support the authority of the KTA. He failed to implement a campsite booking system. He failed to implement a campsite audit system to ensure landowner received the full amount due from trek operators. He failed to resolve landowner disputes at Owers Corner and Lake Myola. etc

‘As a result of these failures there is not a single management protocol in place for the Kokoda trekking industry. James Enage has been left holding the baby.

‘This year our company has paid around K130,000 in trek fees and we still can’t even book a campsite! We therefore treat our payments for trek fees as a bad debt and write them off as soon as we pay them.

‘It was always envisaged that the Kokoda Trail should be a model for the development of a wartime tourism industry in PNG. Instead it has become a honeypot for Australian consultants, NGOs in search of a cause and rogue operators.

‘If we are serious in realizing the potential of the Kokoda trekking industry we need to start again and acknowledge the following factors:1. The Kokoda Trail is a wartime historical pilgrimage;

2. The two most important groups in the industry are the people who own the land along the way and the people who market treks and generate income i.e. trek operators.

‘The most effective way to engage local landowners is through the conduct of annual workshops conducted by professional facilitators experienced in local culture and language.

‘The most effective way to ensure the professionalism of trek operators is to create a level playing field and ensure the same rules, regulations and codes apply equally to them all.

‘We should also acknowledge that Australian trek operators require reliable PNG companies to organise all of their in-country logistics. There is therefore great potential to assist local PNG companies to establish and operate such business enterprises.

I regret that we cannot justify the time and expense of attending the planned Brisbane forum because it is ‘not focused on the key issues that need to be addressed.

‘However we strongly support the conduct of workshops in Kokoda and Efogi to pick up where we left off in 2006.

‘We would be happy to contribute to a working group to address key issues if one were to be established.

24 Octboer 2013: Response from Kokoda Initiative – Ms Kate Feros re KTA

Response from Kokoda Initiative (Kate Feros) on 24 October 2013 Re Kokoda Track Authority:

‘I am aware that a number of concerns have been raised over recent weeks about the KTA’s management of the Kokoda Track trekking operations. There are various strategies we, and other Kokoda Initiative partners, are actively pursuing to assist the KTA improve its track management and its engagement with stakeholders. These will be raised for discussion at the Tour Operator forums in November.

‘I’m sure you can understand that it can be difficult to fully assess and address the issues from outside PNG, not least because our role is to support and assist – not to do. This is also why it is valuable to receive information and constructive comments from industry professionals and others on the ground. The views and recommendations of trek operators and leaders are very important in this regard. Mr Sherrin’s report on Track conditions is both concerning and informative. Your patience and continuing engagement while we work with the KTA to improve track management is appreciated.

‘Of course, we also highly value the views and opinions of community members and landowners, which the ‘Kokoda Initiative gathers and responds to in a few different ways. Your suggestion of reinstating the village workshops is one we are already exploring in a different context and it is encouraging that someone with your experience supports the concept so strongly. I understand that at a meeting of PNG Kokoda Initiative key agencies it was agreed that such workshops would be held early in the new year at the two locations you have suggested and including Efogi in the middle of the Track.

‘I am disappointed to hear that you do not intend to participate in the upcoming Tour Operator Forum. These forums present an opportunity for direct engagement with the KTA and with other operators, to raise issues, share ideas and brainstorm collective solutions. I understand the KTA is willing to open discussion on issues such as community engagement and indeed on the format of the forums themselves.
‘From these forums, other Kokoda Initiative partners also gain an insight into issues of interest to tour operators and can help to form and implement track management solutions in the broader context of the sustainable development masterplan as directed by the PNG Cabinet. As a long-standing operator in the region, I hope Adventure Kokoda continues to be involved in the forums.’

24 October 2013: Response from Governor Juffa re KTA

Response from Governor Gary Juffa on 24 October 2013 Re: Kokoda Track Authority:

‘I am amazed at the complete lack of effort to understand the interest of the Oro Provincial Government in all this. We now see the KTA being an entity that DOES NOT IN ANYWAY represent the people of Oro where the greater portion of the trail lies. We the people are seriously discussing closing this trail and considering other options for economic development. KTA can be renamed the Koairi Track Authority and trekkers can walk that portion of the trail.

‘Until such time as the people of Oro and in particular Kokoda are in someway brought to the discussion table, we see no benefit in keeping the Kokoda Trail open. That is the message of the people of Kokoda and I am inclined to support them as their Governor.

‘Perhaps a possible sit down and necessary discussions can be entered into to consider the future of the Kokoda Trail. If not, we are keen on closing this World War 2 feature as the dignity and rights and indeed participation of the people of this trail seems to be secondary to the interests of Waigani and perhaps Canberra. Having said this, we have nothing against the trekkers and the tour operators.’

25 October 2013: From Governor Juffa re KTA:

‘Thanks for keeping me in the loop. I must say I am becoming increasingly frustrated and unhappy with the manner in which KTA and the Kokoda Initiative is completely ignoring the issues we are concerned about. I am also amazed that the KTA is actually under some organization in Port Moresby and can only assume that it is for the convenience of Canberra’s faceless men.

‘Landowners and local level government presidents have approached me and have asked me to take the matter up for them. They are keen on shutting down the trail as they feel they are simply being ignored. I have asked for them to remain calm and advised them that I will make every effort to sort things out but I too am also very disturbed at the growing of feel good do good crowd that are just flocking into Kokoda to save people and do great things without consultation or any form of respect to the authorities and what we are trying to do.

‘I have significant plans for Kokoda and how best to develop that tiny station to be a world class tourist destination and bring about the necessary changes that will see the improvement of our peoples lives and some of these efforts if coordinated would be of great help but as it is, it appears to be very much intrusive and even counterproductive.

‘I am NOT asking for any assistance from Australia or anyone for that matter, just asking for some respect of authority and consultation. What happened on the Black Cat will not happen in Kokoda but I assure you that after years of being ignored, people are becoming bitter and while this cannot be seen, it is there, festering like an ulcer…’

20 January 2015: Re The need for reform of the Kokoda Track Authority

Email from Charlie Lynn to Governor Juffa @theeducatedsavage.com:

‘I have attached a paper I submitted to the Board of the KTA Board for discussion at their December meeting. I believe they have deferred their discussions.‘The paper argues that PNG should reclaim ownership of the Kokoda trekking industry because the current management system established by the Australian Government has clearly failed.

‘Consideration should therefore be given to renaming the management authority; re-locating to 14-mile; and restructuring the areas of trek management, infrastructure and marketing.

‘The paper advises that some of the most wealthy and influential people in Australia have trekked Kokoda. Such people would be more than willing to assist in ongoing philanthropic programs that would directly benefit local villagers and further develop the potential for wartime tourism in PNG.

‘Unfortunately, the KTA has never implemented any form of database to capture this information so it is lost.‘

‘The implementation of a ‘Community Development Levy’ has the potential to provide significant and sustainable community development in all villages along the trail.‘Time is of the essence if the KTA wishes to capitalise on the opportunities presented by the Centenary of Anzac commemoration period which begins in April.

‘I do not believe the Board of the KTA realise the urgency of the work required to implement a management system that will bring substantial benefits to the people they purport to represent along the Kokoda Trail. It can be done but they have to change.

‘I would appreciate your feedback on the Discussion Paper and any suggestions you might like to make to improve it.

‘I am leading a trek across the trail tomorrow and will be back in Port Moresby on Friday, 30th January. I am trying to host a meeting of key personnel on the afternoon of the 30th to discuss the paper and answer any queries they might have.

‘I would obviously like to catch up with you on Friday afternoon, evening or anytime Saturday if you are available. I will ask Warren Bartlett to liaise with you to see if it is possible.’

9 March 2015: Re Management of the Kokoda Trekking Industry

Email from Charlie Lynn to Governor Juffa at juffa@theeducatedsavage.com:

‘The mismanagement of the Kokoda trekking industry by the Australian Government is costing your people along the trail a small fortune each year – and robbing them of the potential to realise their potential as a world class trekking destination.

‘Since the Australian Department assumed control of the Kokoda Trail with a ‘management assistance’ package for PNG in 2009 trekker numbers have declined by 46 per cent despite a 10-fold increase in staff and the injection of more than K40 million – mainly on Australian consultants who are sent up to PNG to address problems they will never understand because they refuse to engage the villagers at the village level (probably because they cannot get back to the Crowne Plaza each night!) – they inevitably leave behind a 10-point plan and return with a wallet full of money. Kokoda has become a honey-pot for the Australian consulting industry.

I have just completed by 75th crossing of the trail over the past 25 years – unlike overpaid bureaucrats and consultants I spend more than 90 per cent of my time living on the trail with guides, carriers and villagers. I can report that the K5 million Village Livelihoods Program generated out of Canberra without any consultation with trek operators or local villagers that has not generated a single toea in additional income for villagers.

‘They have failed to develop a master plan that honours, protects and perpetuates the military history of the Kokoda campaign after seven years in-country.

‘They have ‘gifted’ PNG with a dysfunctional management system that operates in a parallel universe to the reality of trek operations along the trail. For example:
• There is no acknowledgement that the PNG Government has the right to name their own geographic features;
• There is no respect for the name of the Battle Honour awarded to the Papuan Infantry Battalion or the 10 Australian battalions who fought in the Kokoda campaign;• There is no PNG legislation to support the authority of the KTA;
• There is no campsite booking system;
• There is no protection for the welfare of PNG guides and carriers;
• There is no system for the protection of wartime relics along the trail;
• There is no protection for campsite owners being short-changed in fees owed to them;
• There is no protection or recognition for landowners of significant sites.

‘In fact there is not a single management protocol in place to manage PNGs most popular tourism destination.

‘There is an urgent need for PNG to reclaim ownership of the Kokoda trekking industry – you do not need the patronising control of Australian government bureaucrats because the numbers indicate the industry is now sustainable.

‘According to KTA records 38,620 Australians have trekked the Kokoda Trail since 2004. This has generated approximately K380 million with the following outcomes for the Kokoda trekking industry:
• K11.5 million in trek fees for the KTA;
• K70 million in international air fares;
• K19 million in domestic air fares between Port Moresby and Kokoda;
• K19 million in hotel accommodation in Port Moresby;
• KK31 million in wages for PNG guides and carriers;
• K5.5 million in village campsite fees along the trail;
• K19 million in village expenditure during treks.

‘Note: the combined income all villages along the trail in the early 1990s were estimated to be in the region of K60,000!‘The Australian and PNG governments have shared K38 million in GST revenue – far more than they have invested back into the industry.

‘The Australian government has been more focused on creating a handout mentality along the trail rather that working with responsible tour operators to help villagers realise their potential from the trekking industry. Australian Aid is the antithesis of sustainability.

Their concept of ‘capacity building’ and their mantra of ‘hand-ups instead of handouts’, ‘giving men fish’ etc. has failed the villagers along the Kokoda Trail. The following income opportunities have been ignored:

• Owers Corner. This area has the capacity to earn considerable income because it is located on an accessible road from Port Moresby which is experiencing rapid economic growth. This had been negated because of our patronising dealings with local landowners and our lack of historical awareness. As a result the campsite built with AusAID funds has never been used and the area has nothing to attract visitors. The opportunity to develop a traditional village with a coffee shop; an arts and crafts center; a welcome ‘sing-sing’ area; an audio-visual centre which tells the story of the Kokoda campaign and escorted day treks down to the Goldie River or Imita Ridge is yet to be realised.

• Coffee Huts. PNG coffee is the best in the world. Despite this there is not a single facility along the trail that offers a hot cup of brewed coffee. This is in spite of significant amounts of AusAID funding in capacity building. If trekkers brought just two cups of coffee a day at K5 each they would increase earnings by more than K300,000 per trekking season. If they offered a hot scone or biscuit it would double.

• Trekkers Laundry. AusAID ‘capacity building’ programs have also failed to teach villagers to offer a laundry service along the trail. Most trekkers would gladly pay K10 to have their clothes washed each night, dried in their local hut and delivered back to their tent next morning. Potential earnings would approximate K200,000 per trekking season.• ‘Sing-Sings’ – Re-enactments. Over the past 25 years I have witnessed some spectacular local ‘sing-sings’ and re-enactments of wartime carriers. Trekkers gladly pay up to K20 each for such occasions but the idea of a co-ordinated plan has obviously been missing from the ‘capacity building’ sessions.

• Hot-Showers. Trekkers gladly pay K5 for a hot shower at Bombers Campsite. They used to do the same at Myola until it was put out of action by a vexatious land claim. Campsite owners could easily be assisted in building a hot-shower facility as a means of earning additional income.

• Bread Ovens. In the early 1990s the campsite at Myola operated an oven which baked bread and heated water for the shower. They served toast in the morning. This was the most anticipated service by trekkers who paid an additional K10. Unfortunately it has not operated for the past 10 years however the demand exists – and trekkers will willingly pay for it.

• Kokoda. The Kokoda plateau has great potential as a major wartime tourism hub because of its airfield and its proximity to the Isurava memorial. The plateau lends itself to the establishment of an Orokaiva Cultural Centre and a historical audio-visual facility to showcase the Kokoda campaign. The proclamation of ‘Kokoda Day’ by the PNG Government on 3rd November each year would eventually lead to a PNG day of commemoration that would rival Anzac Day in Australia.

‘It would quickly develop into a Kokoda week with short treks to Isurava and Abuari; cultural festivals; arts and crafts markets; local tours. It would open up a tourism market to millions of Australians who would not otherwise trek Kokoda. It is a tourism goldmine waiting to happen.

‘Gary, I have given up with the Australian Government – they refuse to trek with me because they know the projects they have invested in do not exist. There is not a single identifiable outcome from any initiative they have invested in. They have not achieved a single performance objective from their Strategic Plan 2012-2015 – not one!

‘I would like to make myself available to work with you and the PNG Government to assist you in reclaiming ownership of the Kokoda trekking industry and in establishing a framework for a wider wartime tourism industry to attract pilgrimages from Japan and America as well as Australia.

‘I will be in Port Moresby next month for the Centenary of Anzac trekking period and will try and catch up with you for further discussion.’

30 April 2015: Email to Nizette and Juffa Re Management of the Kokoda Trekking Industry

‘’I have attached a discussion paper I forwarded to James Enage on 11 January this year – It was neither acknowledged nor discussed and the suggestions were ignored.

‘We spent two days at a trek operators forum in March and agreed on urgent action that needed to be taken in preparation for the Centenary of Anzac trekking period. Not one of the agreed actions was undertaken. Our email follow ups to the KTA were ignored.

‘The entire KTA were AWOL during this period. No rangers were present and trek operators were left to fend for themselves and also compete with unlicensed trek operators who continue to ignore the KTA with impunity.

‘The KTA is broken and we can no longer pretend that it has any relevance to the Kokoda trekking industry.‘Under the current system villagers along the trail are being robbed of the opportunity to earn at least an additional K1 million per trekking season . . .

‘The two essential components of a sustainable trekking industry are trek operators who generate the income for the industry and landowners who own the land over which they trek. The needs of both have been ignored to date.’[3]

25 July 2015: Re Visit to Port Moresby

Email from Charlie Lynn to Governor Juffa (juffa@theeducatedsavage.com)

‘The KTA is now completely invisible from an operational viewpoint – beyond dysfunctional!

‘They have not produced a newsletter for 12 months; are continuing to charge a ‘Marketing Levy’ in spite of admitting that these funds have been misappropriated since they were implemented; have not yet produced the minutes of the trek operators forum we were ‘compelled’ to attend in March; have not resolved the issue at Isurava; and just don’t answer emails any more.‘The issue that concerns me most is the massive amount of foregone income, lost opportunities and lack of welfare concern for local villagers, guides and carriers.

‘I have completed a comprehensive paper on the issue and am currently having it reviewed by my peers. I will bring a copy of the final draft for you.‘I don’t believe there is any option but to start again.

‘I have advised Mark Nizette of my schedule and hopefully we will be able to have a similar meeting to last time to keep everybody in the loop.‘I have asked Mari Ellingson if she can arrange a meeting with Minister Abel while I am in town. I would like a similar meeting with Minister Pundari if possible.‘Please let me know if you will be in POM and available to catch up while I am in town.’

March 2015 Re Kokoda Track Authority Review

Email from Charlie Lynn to Mark Nizette cc Australian High Commission and the Kokoda Initiative:

‘I’m not sure of the Chain of Command on this issue so I will address it to each of you.

The Kokoda Tour Operators Association (KTOA) have posted the following on their Facebook Page:

‘A reviewer has been selected and it is hoped this company would commence its review at the beginning of May and be able to present its findings and recommendations within a number of weeks.‘

The Kokoda Initiative review will commence at the completion of the KTA review to ensure a more efficient and effective delivery of services.

‘Towards the second half of this year it is envisaged that the Kokoda Stakeholders forum will be re introduced allowing all NGO,s Landowner Associations, Porter Associations, Village Communities, Trekking companies and all interested parties to communicate and discuss opportunities, challenges and priorities for all Stake Holders and communities on the track.‘Regular forums, workshops and on the ground meetings will ensure all stakeholders can contribute and be heard in the distribution and priority of services across the track.

’‘Given the KTOA only represents 11 of the 36 licensed trek operators why has this information not been distributed to the remaining 25?

‘I am concerned that ‘Kokoda Stakeholder’ forums would even be considered during the review process because I am not aware of a single outcome from any one of these forums since they were introduced by Rod Hillman in 2009 – I have attached a summary of outcomes from the Hillman era of management from 2009-2012.

‘I am also concerned at the apparent corruption of process in regard to the conduct of the most recent tour operator forums in Port Moresby and Cairns. Adventure Kokoda invested approximately $10,000 to attend each of these forums.

‘As you can see from the attached ‘2017 Post-season TOF Meeting minutes’ distributed by the KTA the following motions were unanimously agreed to by the 63 participants at the meeting:

•     Reduce the maximum weight of backpacks carried by PNG guides and porters to 18 kg;•     Increase the minimum daily rate of pay for PNG guides and porters to K70 per day;
•     Every PNG guide and carrier to be paid a ‘walk-home allowance’ of K250 each; and
•     Every Kokoda tour operator to provide each PNG guide and carrier with a head-torch, a sleeping bag, a sleeping mat and a shirt with the name of the company they are trekking for on it.

‘Something then ‘happened’ at the Cairns Tour Operators Forum which was attended by a number of members from the Kokoda Tour Operators Association because the minutes of the Port Moresby forum were not tabled or discussed. I can only assume that the KTA representatives were either persuaded or bullied into not tabling them. My emails to the KTA requesting clarification on this issue have been ignored.

‘Of more concern however is the fact that the minutes of the meeting were taken by an Australian Government official but have never been distributed. Why?‘Emails to the KTA regarding the status of the minutes and the outcomes of the Port Moresby forum have also been ignored.‘As a result we are about to start the 2018 trekking season without a single action being taken to address the dysfunction of the KTA whilst the KTA Review process is being undertaken.

‘I note that the reviewer will ‘commence its review at the beginning of May and be able to present its findings and recommendations within a number of weeks’ as advised by the KTOA. This does not seem to allow much time for consultation with trek operators – particularly the 25 that don’t belong to the KTOA; Local Level and Provincial Government officials; and each landowner group across the trail.

‘My most serious concern is related to the fact that we are about to begin the 2018 trekking season without any management system in place as a result of the complete dysfunction of the KTA. The people we are therefore supposed to protect and empower i.e. the local guides and carriers will continue to be exploited by being overloaded, underpaid and poorly equipped. Local campsite owners will be short-changed and local village communities will continue to be spectators to the passing parade of trekkers.‘The paying customers we lead across the trail will not have a single hygienic toilet to use and we are not able to ensure that the campsites we have booked will not be occupied when we arrive. Those who trek with PNG companies will not have any Public Liability Insurance cover and we know there are at least nine unlicensed operators leading groups across the trail.

‘The corruption of process within the KTA will continue unabated – no accounting for monies received; no disbursements to local communities; no annual reports; no financial statements; no distribution of information via newsletters; no effective ranger system; etc. etc. etc.‘This is the system that the Australian Government put in place so surely there is a responsibility from somebody in Government to take some urgent action to provide an interim management system until the KTA review process is complete and a new system – hopefully one that allows the Kokoda trekking industry to be run as a business rather that a government bureaucracy, is implemented.

‘Can you therefore please advise why the motions agreed to at the PNG Tour Operators Forum in Port Moresby were not tabled for discussion at the Cairns Tour Operators Forum the following week and when the minutes of Cairns forum will be distributed to those operators who invested a significant amount of time and money to attend.‘I would also like an assurance that any information regarding progress of the KTA review is distributed to all licensed trek operators.’

9 September 2018: Re KTA Review Submission

Email from Charlie Lynn to Henri Amuli MP cc Governor Juffa (juffa@theeducatedsavage.com):

‘I have attached my response to the KTA Review conducted by TRC Consultants dated 4 July 2018.

‘I was disappointed that the Review Team did not trek across the trail to discuss the reality of the Kokoda trekking industry with trekkers, guides, carriers, campsite owners, landowners and local communities. As a result of this it can only be regarded as yet another consultant’s ‘desktop study’.

‘On my recent trek I was accompanied by Rashmii Bell, author of My Walk to Equality and Butterflies along Kokoda as well as numerous other essays for Pukpuk Publications.

‘During her trek Rashmii interviewed guides, carriers, campsite owners, landowners and villagers. She was distressed to learn that many of the carriers she interviewed from a number of Australian companies complained about being overloaded, underpaid and poorly equipped. Campsite owners complained about being short-changed and villagers complained about the lack of opportunities to earn additional money from the industry.

‘Towards the end of her trek Rashmii broke down when she saw women in Isurava villages sitting like beggars on the ground with small amounts of twisties and coca-cola which nobody was buying.

‘I told Rashmii that when I first started trekking these proud women would greet us with local fruit, cooked vegetables, huge smiles and lots of giggling. These wonderful traits have been stripped from them since the Australian Government assumed control of the trekking industry in 2009 because nobody in Port Moresby has cared to assist them to realise their potential.

‘The Kokoda trekking industry is now in the worst shape since I began trekking 27 years ago. An industry that once had so much potential has been reduced to the status of a 3rd World trek because of the dysfunction and possible corruption within the KTA.‘I have made the following recommendations to Mr Gunther Joku as Head of the KTA Review Panel:

Withdraw the current KTA Review conducted by TRC consultant’s;
Draft new Terms of Reference relevant to the reality of the management of the Kokoda trekking industry;
Invite the major accounting firms in Port Moresby to tender for the new review;Revoke the current proclamation for the Kokoda Track Authority and offer redundancy payments to all staff;
Appoint an administrator with considerable management experience in PNG over a long period of time for the period 2018 – 2021; and
Appoint a Chief Ranger who is fluent in Tok Pisin, has the respect of local communities, understands the significance of the wartime history of the Kokoda campaign and who has trekked Kokoda at least 30 times for the period 2018 – 2021.

‘In the meantime you and Governor Juffa are in a position to immediately reverse some of the exploitation of your people by the current band of ‘blackbirders’ amongst the Australian trek operators.

‘To do this all you have to do is to establish a Checking Station at the Ranger’s Hut in Kokoda to ensure that all trek operators abide by the following rules:

Maximum weight to be carried by guides and porters to be 18 kg (this was the maximum allowed during the Kokoda campaign in 1942);
Every guide and porter engaged to be issued with a zippered sleeping bag and foam mat for the trek;
Every guide and porter to wear a uniform comprising a cap, shirt and shorts identifying the trekking company they are working for;
Every guide and porter to be employed for the duration of each trek and to be paid a daily rate of K70; and
Every guide and porter to be provided with an airfare to return to Kokoda or paid a ‘Walk-Home Allowance’ of K250.

‘Your people are crying out for leadership in this regard as Rahmii discovered in her conversations with guides and carriers during her trek.‘You should not be bluffed by the Kokoda Tour Operators Association (KTOA). In their submission to the KTA Review they stated:

‘Landowner / guesthouse owner expectations need to be managed. There is little to no understanding that unless there is a financially viable and sustainable trekking industry, the whole deck of cards falls down. Expectations of increases to porter payments, porter welfare, increase in revenue to guesthouse owners etc. do not reflect this reality.

‘Many comments were received about the desire for better conditions for porters and guides including welfare, uniforms, sleeping gear, food, medical treatment (possible Medivac), pay, health insurance, training, pension, superannuation etc. KTA to be strict on porter requirements on the Kokoda Track and to ensure tour operators follow Code of Conduct.

‘Whilst the KTOA is also supportive of porter welfare, this reads very much of an entitlement mentality. Education is required.’‘This is a damning indictment of the deliberate exploitation of your people. If KTOA members believe that providing for the welfare of the subsistence villagers they employ is providing ‘an entitlement mentality’ they should be advised to stay in Australia or find another country to exploit.

‘You can read my comments on their submission to the KTA Review by clicking here.

‘A recent post on Trip Advisor from a British female who trekked with an unlicensed trek operator (Intrepid) stated:‘

Food – disaster. For breakfast salty crackers with jam of honey, corn flakes with powder milk…..every day. Never ate it). Dinner and lunch – boiled pasta/ noodles/ spaghetti plus breakfast set. 18 meals – PASTA. Sorry…twice we had rice. No fruits – if you want to, need to get for yourself. Didn’t expect amazing meals, understand that you can’t get products on the way….but other groups had really great food – so if you want to, you can organise it much better than ours.’‘This is hardly likely to attract international trekkers to Kokoda but it is indicative of how bad the situation now is on the trail with the current dysfunctional management of the KTA.

‘I have attached a draft Joint Media Release for you and Governor Juffa to consider releasing. If you announce this and set up Checking Station at the Kokoda Rangers Station with effect from 1 October you will go a long way to stopping the blatant exploitation of your people.‘I would also ask that you consider supporting the recommendations we have made to the KTA Review Panel.’

9 September 2018: Email response from Governor Juffa

Email response from Governor Juffa (juffa@theeducatedsavage.com) to Charlie Lynn cc. Henri Amuli MP:

‘Thank you Charlie. It’s good to hear from you some sobering truths. Sadly we are getting nowhere with the PNG Government who see no interest in turning the effort as they had promised. Of the K50m promised to be paid yearly commencing in 2012 only K8m was paid and I have no idea where that went.

‘Meanwhile the issues you raised are indeed serious however as it is, this Government is quietly dismantling the Provincial Government system and defunding this platform for service delivery. I fear things will get worse. Many members are busy seeking short term glitzy efforts to mesmerize their voters.. essentially they are merely using public funds for early campaigning exercises and there is much being done to avoid the constitutional framework of the Provincial Government it appears to circumvent scrutiny.

‘I shall peruse the release and advise.’

17 January 2019: Email to Governor Juffa Re TB Isolation Ward at Popondetta Hospital

Email from Charlie Lynn to Governor Gary Juffa cc. Henri Amuli MP:

‘We have lost the support of the most wealthy donors we have dealt with over our failure to open the TB Isolation Ward at the Popondetta Hospital.

‘The donor’s family operates four foundations in Africa however they decided they would like to provide support to assist in the elimination of TB in the Central-Oro Provincial areas after trekking with us. They were prepared to provide significant financial support in this regard.

‘When I was approached by the Oro Community Development Project to assist in raising K400,000 to assist in the development of a TB Isolation Ward at Popondetta due to the emergence of drug resistant TB in the area I approached our donor and we raised the money in 24 hours.

‘The ward was built in Brisbane and shipped to Lae where we had to wait for more than six months for Customs to release it.

‘I understand the building was completed around 12 months ago but it has not been opened because of an internal dispute at the hospital.

‘The donor has asked why he should provide any further assistance to PNG when they obviously don’t want to help themselves.

‘How do I answer that?’

28 September 2018 : Email o Governor Juffa re ‘Dysfunctional Kokoda Management’

‘Tomorrow I will be leading 41 young Australians across the Kokoda Trail. They have paid K14,350 for the experience but they are about to discover that there is not a single campsite that will meet their needs.

‘There is not a single hygienic toilet for them to use.

There is not a single battlesite that has been developed by the Kokoda Initiative to interpret the story they have come to hear.

‘There is not a single bridge that could be classified as ‘safe’ – and sections of the trail are dangerously unsafe.

‘During their trek they will witness PNG porters struggling under 30kg loads and having to sleep on damp ground without sleeping bags.

‘This year our company, Adventure Kokoda, will pay a total of K200,000 to the KTA in trek fees.

‘We receive nothing in return for this and our email requests for information are ignored. The KTA will receive a total of K1.2 million in trek fees but nobody knows where the money goes – they have not produced a financial report, a newsletter or a management protocol for more than 5 years.

‘They refuse to provide emergency medical assistance to villagers along the trail. ‘They are the victim of a management system put in place by Australian Government officials in 2009 – and after 10 years insitu it can only be described as a catastrophic failure.

‘Prime Minister Marape’s vow to ‘take back PNG’ offers you a timely opportunity to follow his lead and ‘take back Kokoda’!

‘The only beneficiaries of the K125 million ‘Kokoda Initiative’ have been Australian officials, academics and consultants who have been engaged to experiment with it.

‘The ‘experiment’ has clearly failed due to a widespread ignorance of the realities of the Kokoda trekking industry. As a result Kokoda trekkers, guides, carriers and landowners have been deprived of the benefits that could accrue from such a significant world-class pilgrimage.

‘The total collapse of the management system now provides you with a window of opportunity to ‘take it back’!

‘The Australian Government has allocated A$10 million (K23 million) to commemorate the 75^th anniversary of the end of the War in the Pacific next year! This provides an opportunity, with a short time frame, to develop a commemorative plan that will provide a lasting benefit for PNG. It is worth keeping in mind that the next significant anniversary i.e. the Centenary of the Kokoda Campaign is 25 years away!

‘The following action steps are therefore submitted for your urgent consideration:
1.      Reject the current Review of the KTA[i];
2.      Rebadge the ‘Kokoda Initiative’ as the ‘Owen Stanley Initiative’ which reflects CEPAs purpose of establishing a case for a World Heritage Listing for the Owen Stanley Ranges as per the Joint Understanding signed between the two governments in April 2008;
3.      Seek the development of a separate Joint Understanding for Commemoration to honour and interpret our shared wartime history in PNG;
4.      Establish your own ‘Kokoda Project’ to replace the ‘Kokoda Initiative’ – it’s purpose would be to develop a model for a wartime tourism industry in PNG; and
5.      Reclaim ownership of the management of the Kokoda Trekking Industry by:
a.      Seeking the withdrawal for the Australian ‘Strategic Management Advisor’ from the KTA/KI:
b.      Transferring responsibility for the Kokoda Trail (PNGs most popular tourism destination) from DPPLG-CEPA to PNG Tourism;
c. Appointing an experienced PNG Business Administrator to manage the KTA for a 2-3 year period;
d.      Appointing an interim Board of Management which includes the Minster for Tourism, the Governors of Central, Oro and NCDC, and a specialist in landowner liaison;
e.      Appointing a Landowner Liaison Officer to establish a ‘Kokoda Trail Management Company’ with Incorporated Landowner Groups from across the trail as shareholders; and
f.       Appointing a Chief Ranger Instructor to properly train and develop Kokoda Trail Rangers.
6.   ‘The Australian Government should be invited to:
1.      Develop a ‘Joint Agreement for Commemoration’ to honour and interpret our shared wartime heritage in PNG;
2.      Engage an accredited Military Heritage Architect to develop a Master Heritage Interpretation Plan for the Kokoda Trail;
3.      Fund the positions of Business Administrator, Landowner Liaison Officer and Chief Ranger Instructor in lieu of the current Strategic Management Advisor; and
4.      Establish a Joint Committee with the interim Board of the KTA to develop a plan to commemorate the end of the War in the Pacific in 2020.

‘I am available to provide whatever advice or assistance is required for research to assist you in ‘taking back Kokoda’ and developing it as a model for a wartime tourism industry in PNG.’[4]

28 September 2019: Email response from Governor Juffa re ‘Kokoda Dysfunctional Management’

‘Thanks Charlie for this poignant reminder of our need to step up. I would be keen to catch up and discuss some basic solutions. ‘

Let me know.’

29 Septembe 2019: Email to Governor Juffa re ‘Kokoda Disappointment’

‘I was disappointed not to meet with you – or even hear from you last week.

‘I made the decision to come to Port Moresby – at my own expense – to meet with you and other leaders to discuss the opportunities for your subsistence communities along the trail.

‘I appreciate that you are busy with your campaign to free West Papua however I am most disappointed at your reluctance to help your own people.

‘One of our past trekkers is from one of Australia’s wealthiest families. They support four foundations in Africa and were prepared to invest a significant amount of money to help you fight TB in Oro Province. He was the major donor to the construction of a TB Isolation Ward at Popondetta Hospital but has not yet received a ‘Thank You’ note or any progress on the operation of the ward from anybody. As a result you have lost him as a donor.

‘I currently have the Mayor of Canada Bay, one of Sydney’s richest Councils, to trek Kokoda for the 8th time – he is on the Board of the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway at Concord. He would like to establish a Sister-City Relationship with Kokoda which would allow the City of Canada Bay to provide significant health and educational support to your hospital, health centres and schools in Oro Province. He is obviously disappointed with your lack of interest in the proposal.

‘We have a young 15 year-old girl from Kokoda, Freda Duma, who is destined to die as the result of a serious abnormality with her heart. The operation she needs to save her life can only be performed overseas. Her mother is a nurse at your Kokoda hospital. She has been in Port Moresby for some months trying to get financial support – as a result she has been unable to help your people who need medical treatment at your hospital. We are prepared to help but I am yet to find anybody in PNG who cares about her.

‘In the meantime we have KTA and KI officials using expensive helicopters like a Uber service to open Aid funded projects along the trail – but they are not interested in helping this young Kokoda school girl. I just don’t get it!

‘On my last few treks I have had to evacuate young people requiring urgent medical treatment at my own expense because I am unable to find anybody in the KTA/KI who cares about them. ‘I have submitted numerous proposals over the years to establish a database that could be used for philanthropic purposes for your villagers however I have not been able to find anybody in the KTA who is interested.

‘I invited you to Chair a Network Kokoda PNG Not-for-Profit Company which we would support with funding from Australian but I have not received any response. Our Board of Directors in Sydney have asked why should they work to raise money for villagers if their own Governor is not interested. Only you can answer that question.

‘I could go on about the blatant exploitation of your guides, carriers and landowners along the trail however my views on that are already well documented. Nothing will be done to prevent it until their leaders decide that ‘enough is enough’.

‘I remain willing to provide whatever assistance I can to assist your people and to develop a sustainable wartime tourism industry for them however I am unable to do much more without the support of their leaders.‘

29 September 2019: Email resoponse from Governor Juffa re Kokoda Disappointment

‘I shall respond to your neocolonial diatribe in due time...I apologize if we brown people are not all grovelling are the feet of the great wealthy colonialists that we are so fortunate to have even spend a second to think about us..’

24 February 2020: Email to Governor Juffa re ‘Protecting your flora and fauna across the Kokoda Trail

‘Your guides and carriers along the trail are set to be treated as ‘flora and fauna’ by Kokoda tour operators again this year as we prepare for the 2020 trekking season.

‘Their wages and conditions have not been changed since the Australian government assumed control of the industry in 2009 – their minimum daily pay rate remains at K50 per day. I am sure the cost of a kilogram of rice is much more than it was 11 years ago!

‘They are still required to carry loads that are 4.5 kg heavier than the maximum that was allowable in 1942 – many have to struggle with much more than this because there is no checking system and no enforcement of rules.

‘They are asked to bring their own blanket and their own clothing to provide some protection from the wet ground and freezing conditions they have to endure in the upper reaches of the trail. ‘If they get sick during a trek they are left behind in a village because there is no provision for their welfare.

‘We have been calling for the following minimum conditions to apply for the engagement of local guides and carriers for a number of years:
1. Minimum rate of K70 per day;
2. Maximum weight of 18kg per carrier;
3. Issue of a sleeping bag and foam sleeping mat to each guide and carrier;
4. ssue of a full trek uniform – cap, shirt and shorts – to each guide and carrier;

‘We have also advocated for a K50 welfare levy to be applied for each trekker – unfortunately we have no confidence that it would be managed properly because the KTA has not published an audited financial report for 10 years so we have no idea how much money they receive or how they spend it.

‘This is easy to fix but nobody in PNG seems to have the will to do anything about it – Australian tour operators will therefore continue to treat your people as ‘flora and fauna’ because they know they can.

‘The KTA will not act because they are intimidated by the Australian Kokoda Tour Operators Association (KTOA) which was formed to protect their own financial interests in PNG by minimizing costs.

‘I feel the only hope your guides and carriers have against being exploited is for Oro and Central Province to advise them that it will no longer be tolerated and unless the minimum requirements above are not provided trek groups will not be allowed to pass your checkpoints at either Kokoda or Owers Corner.’

24 February 2020
Email response from Governor Juffa to Charlie Lynn:

‘Appreciate your information Charlie. I agree we need serious efforts to address this and will act.’

19 February 2020: Email to Governor Juffa re ‘Meet up to talk about project and Kokoda Trail

‘This project is funded by private supporters of the Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway in Sydney who want to provide a ‘virtual reality’ experience for their visitors. They believe it will take the value of the visit to a new level for the thousands of students who visit the place each year. I was asked if I could volunteer my time to assist which I have agreed to do.

‘Your Koiari and Orokaiva people are an integral part of the Kokoda story – this is why I have been arguing for the engagement of an accredited military heritage architect to develop a master heritage plan for the trail in partnership with your PNG National Cultural Commission.

‘I would think that Virtual Reality technology offers a unique opportunity for PNG Tourism to tell the story of the many cultures of PNG – that was the purpose of my email.

‘The history of the Kokoda campaign has been well documented – the challenge for PNG is how do you convert the history of Kokoda and other significant campaigns into a wartime tourism asset?

‘The answer is to create an adventure-wartime tourism industry on a commercial basis that meets the needs of potential high-value tourists in a highly competitive industry – for example among your Pacific neighbours Bali attracts more than two million Australians each year while Fiji, New Zealand, New Caledonia and French Polynesia attract millions more – PNG, the last adventure, land of a thousand cultures, and custodian of the history of the War in the Pacific attracts less than 100,000!

‘From a wartime tourism perspective 9000 Australians attend the Gallipoli service each year and thousands more at other times throughout the year but only 2000 attend Bomana – yet Gallipoli is double the cost and more than quadruple the distance!‘From an adventure tourism perspective thousands of Australians flock to Everest Base Camp, Mt Kilimanjaro, the Amazon, Manchu Pichu and the French Alps each year – destinations that are much further away and much more expensive than PNG.

‘I believe PNG can obtain a larger slice of the adventure-wartime tourism market but first they must understand the needs of their potential customers and then set about meeting them.

‘I have attached a copy of a Marketing Strategy I submitted to the KTA over a year ago in response to a request from the CEO – we invested a considerable amount of time and effort into researching and developing the document however we did not even receive a response – and nothing has happened! As a result your people across the trail continue to be denied the opportunity to realise the benefits offered by the Kokoda trekking industry and your local guides and carriers continue to be exploited by being overloaded, poorly equipped and underpaid. This level of exploitation would not be tolerated in any other international adventure tourism destination and I cannot understand why it is tolerated in PNG. ‘

19 February 2020: Email response from Governor Juffa re request for meeting to discuss the Project and the Kokoda Trail

‘I am curious Charlie, how will the people of Oro be depicted? I mean this is about the great Australians, but were we not also Australian then or were we flora and fauna or what were we?’

14 November 2022: Email to Governor Juffa re Proposed KTMA Act

‘My issue with Mark Nizette relates to the fact that he is an Australian ‘Strategic Management Advisor’ to the aid-funded DFAT-Kokoda Initiative regarding the management of the Kokoda Trail.‘As I see it, the priorities for the strategic management of the Kokoda Trail are: the development of business systems, protocols, and proper governance for the management of the Kokoda Trail which is now PNGs most popular tourism destination; The Identification, protection, and interpretation of significant military heritage sites across the Kokoda Trail between Owers Corner and Kokoda and through to the beach-head areas of Buna and Gona; the protection and interpretation of the pristine environment across the Kokoda Trail; and the development of micro-finance and micro-business opportunities for the traditional owners of the land sacred to our shared military heritage.

‘Mark Nizette is employed by Abt Associates within the DFAT Kokoda Initiative; he is secretary to a ‘Kokoda Initiative Committee’ established by the Minister for Environment, Conservation, and Climate Change; and works out of CEPA and KTA offices which obviously places him in a position of considerable influence. ‘We assume he also reports directly to DFAT at the Australian High Commission. ‘The Emergence of Kokoda Tourism ‘Prior to my first trek in 1991 less than one hundred trekkers a year crossed the Kokoda Trail. ‘As a result of our pioneering treks from 1992, and the positive publicity we generated, more than 54,000 Australians have since trekked across it and generated around K650 million for airlines, hotels, transport, supermarkets, camping stores, employment of guides and carriers, campsite owners and villages. ‘The value of positive publicity for PNG from television stories, newspaper articles, and social media, which you can view on this link, is worth tens of millions of kina in marketing terms.

‘During this period some K65 million has washed through your subsistence village communities in the form of wages, campsite fees and local services – this is significant because between 1942 and 1992 they earned nothing!

‘Kokoda trek operators have paid more than K12 million in trek fees to the KTA.

‘Philanthropic donations of trekkers personal clothing, boots, medical and school supplies along with camping gear would amount to a further K12 million in benefits. ‘It is worth noting that this has been achieved by commercial business entrepreneurs without any form of government assistance.

‘Early Days
‘In my early years of trying to develop pilgrimage tourism there was no interest in the Kokoda Trail from either the PNG or Australian governments as you can see from the attached correspondence with various officials – despite the negative ambivalence from the Australian government we persevered.

‘During this time I rediscovered the battlesites at Brigade Hill and Isurava which had been bypassed and reclaimed by the surrounding jungle and forgotten – in 2002 I successfully lobbied the Australian Government to build a memorial at Isurava. It is now a sacred place for trekkers.

‘In 2004 I lobbied Sir Peter Barter to establish a management body for the emerging Kokoda tourism industry. Sir Peter agreed but, once again, neither government was interested in providing any financial support. I then advanced K25,000 to the KTA to allow it to operate until trek permit fees could be collected because I believe in its potential – the former CEO of the KTA, Warren Bartlett, can verify this fact.

‘Warren Bartlett then had to withstand some heated criticism from other Kokoda tour operators at the time as they did not want to have to pay a fee to trek across it – the purpose of the fee was to ensure your people received shared benefits from the emerging trekking industry. ‘Reaction to Mt Kodu

Gold and Copper Mine.
‘The Australian Government finally became involved in the management of the Trail after a public backlash over a threat to develop a gold and copper mine at Mt Kodu adjacent to the Trail. ‘They then over-reacted by hurriedly signing a ‘Joint Understanding’ in 2008 and dispatching a team of environment officials to PNG to assume responsibility for the management of the Trail – they were all new to the country and had little understanding of, or empathy with, the Melanesian Way, and no commercial business acumen.

‘I have attached a summary of their failed management outcomes during their term from 2009-2012. ‘The KTA Strategic Plan: 2012-2015 they developed was an abject failure. They have since shelved the plan so, as of today, there is no management plan in place for Kokoda tourism – and there is no Military Heritage Plan in place to protect, interpret and honour our shared wartime heritage. ‘It’s not as if they were not made aware of the issues.

‘As you can see from the attached letter to you on 3 June 2013, and the attached paper ‘Kokoda Time for a Rethink’ dated to February 2013, along with the attached email trail between us from 2013-2017, the problems and suggested solutions have been clearly identified – and totally ignored. ‘I have no record of ever receiving a response which was disappointing as we invested a considerable amount of time and resources in identifying problems and developing proposals to rectify them.

‘I wrote my first paper on the need to protect the wartime integrity of the Kokoda Trail 28 years ago in 1994, and I have never wavered from those ideals. I have made numerous other submissions in regard to creating additional income earning opportunities for your villagers since then – all have been ignored.

‘In order to honour my commitment to your people I established a Network Kokoda charity to provide philanthropic support across the Trail as you can see from this link.

‘Over the years I have led many wealthy trekkers who would like to contribute to the welfare and development of your people but nobody in the Kokoda Initiative-CEPA-KTA alliance has expressed any interest in establishing a database or a philanthropic trust despite my constant urging to do so.

To give you an idea of the potential of a philanthropic trust assume that if just 10% of the 54,000 trekkers made a commitment to donate the equivalent cost of just one cappuccino per week, you would now have an automatic annual income of K3 million per year available for community development, scholarships, and emergency health support across the Trail for your people. We would obviously achieve more than 10%, and more than the cost of a cappuccino per week, however it will never happen while the Kokoda Initiative-CEPA-KTA is run by ambivalent government officials languishing in remote air-conditioned offices on secure, fixed incomes.

‘As you can see, Mark Nizette has been aware of these management failings since at least 2013 – I would obviously be interested to know what ‘strategic management advice’ he has provided to rectify them.

‘Military Heritage ‘Australians choose to trek Kokoda because of the wartime heritage of the Kokoda campaign. ‘This indisputable fact has been ignored by the DFAT-Kokoda Initiative which has failed to engage an accredited military heritage architect to develop a Master Military Heritage Plan for the Kokoda Trail and northern beach-heads, or to invest in the interpretation of any major battle sites across the Trail since they assumed responsibility for it in 2009.

‘Of more concern is the investment they have made in places such as ‘Blamey’s Garden’ and their pursuit of the myth of a ‘Lost Battlefield’ which will not generate any income for villagers and will never be visited by trekkers. ‘I would be interested to know what ‘strategic management advice’ Mark Nizette has provided to ensure these unrelated projects, that are never visited by trekkers, deserved a higher priority than the significant wartime heritage sites such as Brigade Hill, Mission Ridge, Lake Myola, Templeton’s Crossing and Eora Creek which they all visit, but which the DFAT-Kokoda Initiative has refused to invest in. This has obviously denied landowners of these important sites the opportunity to earn thousands of kina in additional income each year.

‘The Business of Pilgrimage Tourism:
‘Australian tourists are motivated to trek across the Trail because of the wartime military history of the Kokoda campaign.

‘Since the Australian Government assumed responsibility for managing the Trail under a Joint Agreement signed in 2008, trekker number have dropped by 46 percent which has resulted in a cumulative loss of some K49 million for your people in foregone wages, campsite fees, and local purchases. ‘This has also resulted in a cumulative loss of approximately K330 million in foregone revenue for the income generators for the industry, i.e., Kokoda trekking companies as well as PNG airlines, hotels, transport providers, etc.

‘Since Mark Nizette was appointed as ‘Strategic Management Advisor’ for the Kokoda Initiative in 2011 there has not been a single management system or protocol introduced to improve the Kokoda tourism industry.

‘I would obviously be interested to know what ‘strategic management advice’ Mark Nizette has provided to arrest the decline in Kokoda tourism which began after the Australian government assumed responsibility for the Kokoda Trail in 2009. DFAT-Kokoda Initiative Aid Funded Projects ‘One would have thought that essential criteria for taxpayer funded aid-projects would include a cost-benefit analysis for each one, and proper consultation with the relevant stakeholders. ‘

The record tells a different story as we have modern classrooms built in villages now closed because of the lack of teachers and students. We have modern health centres without any medicine. Adventure Kokoda has had to evacuate – and pay for – children requiring emergency medical treatment because of the lack of medical supplies and expertise across the Trail at the time.

‘The Kokoda Initiative-CEPA-KTA alliance hired a helicopter to fly a delegation of officials to Agulogo in the Nauro swamp area to open a log bridge as a PR exercise, but they refused to put a sick child from Menari on a flight out of the village despite our request on behalf of the child’s parent and the local health worker – the plane departed for Port Moresby with an empty seat!

‘The construction of ‘village museums and trade centres’ in Efogi and Alola, without any consultation with trek operators or villagers, now stand as monuments to ‘thought-bubbles’ based on bureaucratic ignorance from the distant corridors of Port Moresby.

‘If they had asked trek operators they would have been advised that it was perhaps a good idea in theory but not in practice – once trekkers have sighted a few rusted weapons and mortars they don’t need to see any more. They would have learned that the appropriate places for such ‘museums’ would be Owers Corner and Kokoda which also have road access for other tourists besides trekkers. ‘

‘I led five groups across the Trail in 2019 and not a single trekker expressed any interest in visiting either ‘museum’ at Efogi or Alola.
‘Local villagers have never used them to sell their drinks, food and souvenirs – they sit in the same places they have sat for the past 30 years. They advised me they were never consulted, and they therefore do not feel they have any ownership of them.

‘The gateway to the Kokoda Trail at Ower’s Corner – which has the potential to be the most visited site in PNG – is a disgrace as you can see from these links: Owers Corner: Neglected Gateway to the Kokoda Trail.

Owers Corner: The Road to Nowhere – 80 years on!
‘The criteria for the expenditure of any future aid-funding for the Kokoda Trail should be based on:

Will the project enhance the military heritage value of the pilgrimage for the paying customer; and
Will it provide an opportunity for the local landowners to earn additional income for it.

‘I would be interested in a copy of any ‘strategic advice’ Mark Nizette may have provided for the development of aid-funded projects to honour and interpret our shared military heritage across the Kokoda; to enhance the value of the pilgrimage for Australian taxpayers; and to enhance the earning opportunities for local landowners. IIllegal Kokoda Trekking Companies ‘The Kokoda Initiative-CEPA-KTA alliance has turned a blind eye to the invasion of illegal Kokoda trekking companies since 2009 – a check of the IPA website will confirm that Adventure Kokoda is the only Australian trekking company to have fully complied with their legal obligations in PNG. ‘As a result, Adventure Kokoda has incurred a financial penalty in the region of K250,000 in compliance costs, which is the equivalent of copping a fine for doing the right thing.

‘Adventure Kokoda has not only been adversely affected by the 46 percent downturn in business since the Australian government assumed responsibility for management of the Kokoda Trail, but the company has lost millions of kina in foregone revenue due to Australian and PNG government officials turning a blind eye to the flood of illegal Kokoda trek operators.

‘One would assume that a priority of any Australian government official in a foreign country would be to ensure the laws of that country are complied with.

‘Illegal Kokoda tour operators are no different to illegal logging companies which you have publicly criticised in the past.

‘I have chronicled the failure of the Kokoda Initiative-KTA management system on this link – it is a sorry tale of mismanagement and neglect.

‘I would be interested to know what ‘strategic management advice’ Mark Nizette has provided to address the mismanagement of the Kokoda Trail during his tenure over the past 11 years, and the issue of illegal Kokoda trekking companies.

‘Database Development – Campsite Booking System:
‘The most fundamental and essential management tool in today’s business world is a database which records the contact details of all customers to allow for the management of booking systems, group trek itineraries, dissemination of information, conduct of surveys, cross-marketing, and philanthropy.

‘The Kokoda Initiative-CEPA-KTA alliance has never developed a database despite numerous urgings to do so. As a result, they do not have single contact for the 54,000 trekkers, which include some of the most wealthy and influential Australians who have trekked across it.

You might recall that I was asked to urgently raise almost K1 million to help build a TB Isolation ward at Popondetta Hospital due to an outbreak of drug-resistant TB. I raised the funds within 24 hours from one of our past trekkers and the ward was built and equipped by the Oro Community Development Project. The trekker, an extremely wealthy philanthropist, was willing to donate more to assist your people in the fight against TB, but he never received so much as a ‘thank you note’ from the hospital or any government official. He interpreted this as a lack of interest and walked away to focus on the four charities his family business supports in Africa.

‘Booking systems are the bread and butter of all business practices in any type of tourism industry – as you know one cannot rock up to an airport and expect to get a seat without booking it in advance, or a hotel room, or a bus trip, or a cruise, or a guided tour!

‘However, after 11 years in charge of Kokoda tourism it is still not possible for Kokoda trekking companies to book a campsite in advance across the Trail despite their K12 million investment in the KTA. The law of the jungle therefore prevails and leads to heated exchanges between trekking groups who arrive at sites that are not capable of providing for them.

‘Mark Nizette should be asked to provide details of any ‘strategic management advice’ he has provided in regard to the failure to implement a basic campsite booking system across the Trail.

‘Environment:
‘Kokoda tourists are also interested in flora and fauna across the Trail. Unfortunately, they are denied the opportunity to identify the vast array of tropical plants, orchids, fungi, stag horns, vines, moss colonies, and trees as there is not a single discrete environmental sign across the entire 138 km Kokoda Trail.

‘The only signs along the Trail are oversized government propaganda signs with the following information:

‘Australian Government. Kokoda Initiative. This program has been funded by the Kokoda Initiative – a partnership between the governments of Papua New Guinea and Australia. Supporting better health, education, water and sanitation in the Kokoda Track Region’.

‘These are an environmental blight on the landscape and do not provide any interpretation in Tok Pisin.

‘Sections of the environment along the Trail have been severely degraded due to the failure to utilize one-way sections at critical points. Other sections are dangerously unsafe while others become unstable due to landslides. Many of the log crossings are also dangerous. This is due to the lack of a ‘trail maintenance plan’ which would employ villagers to maintain their areas and keep them safe.

‘I would be interested in what ‘strategic management advice’ Mark Nizette has provided in this regard as there is no evidence of any sort of environmental development or preventative maintenance plan having been initiated.

‘Toilets:
Some 27,000 trekkers have trekked across Kokoda since Mark Nizette was assigned to the Kokoda Initiative in late 2011. They have paid more than K9 million in trek permit fees however the Kokoda Initiative-CEPA-KTA alliance has not built a single hygienic toilet for them to crap into.

‘Most trekkers are not able to stomach the putrid toilets they encounter and ‘go bush’ instead which is the worst environmental outcome.

‘In 2018 Mark Nizette was instrumental in donating K350,000 the KTA had collected in trek permit fees to an Australian NGO, allegedly without Board approval.

‘He claimed it was ‘undisbursed revenue,’ but his Acting CEO who had just been appointed to the position, claimed there was no money in the KTA account when he was appointed. Nobody has sought to establish the legality of the donation, who is telling the truth, or why Mark Nizette determined that donations to wealthy Australian NGOs are more important than providing such basic necessities as toilets for their paying customers.

‘I would be interested to know what ‘strategic management advice’ Mark Nizette has provided to address this issue which has been brought to his attention many times.

‘KTMA Bill:
A clandestine attempt to impose an environmental Kokoda Track Management Authority (KTMA) on your most popular tourism destination is the equivalent of a suicide note for Kokoda tourism.

‘This view is based on our collective experience with the industry over the past 32 years during which time we have led approximately 7000 tourists on more than 600 expeditions across it.

‘I find it galling that the industry we pioneered at considerable financial and personal risk is now being threatened by faceless aid-funded bureaucrats who have never led a group across it – in fact, most have not even trekked across it.

‘Whilst the proposed KTMA bill appears noble in its intent, the sting in the tail is revealed in sub-section b) on page 1:

‘the management of the Kokoda Track, the conservation and protection of the Owen Stanley Ranges, Brown River Catchment and the Kokoda Track, all for the better livelihoods of the People of the Kokoda Track region^[i], and the protection and enhancement of their homes, gardens, hunting-grounds, real property, businesses and livelihoods’.

‘According to the 2006 Rapid Assessment and Prioritisation of Protected Area Management^[ii] (RAPPAM) report the total area of the Kokoda Historical Reserve^[iii] is just 10 ha which is one of the smallest Protected Areas in PNG. According to the report many of the areas with high socio-economic importance such as Kokoda face a relatively low degree of environmental threat^[iv]

‘The international RAPPAM report does not identify ‘the Owen Stanly Ranges’ or ‘the Brown River Catchment’ as threatened areas.

‘The report noted:

‘The protected area policy environment in Papua New Guinea is characterised by a lead national government (Department of Environment and Conservation) that has been significantly weakened by repeated diminishing of resources and political influence.^[v]

‘The analyses in the forgoing sections show that the protected area system in PNG is very weak and there is a drastic need to improve management planning in PNG. The management problems: lack of funding, low staff capability, insufficient resources (manpower and financial) and infrastructure is a common situation across developing countries.^[vi]’

‘CEPA also appears to have serious governance issues.

‘The Minister for Environment, Conservation and Climate Change (2012-2018) has been the subject of adverse allegations by a PNG Investigations blog.

‘The Conservation Environment Protection Authority^[vii] (CEPA) has also been the subject of adverse allegations:

‘It is common knowledge within the department that more than K3 million has been spent on this unbudgeted project. CEPA Project was never budgeted for in the 2011 fiscal year! The money was raised internally by transferring money from one account to another especially from the funds allocated under developmental (PIP) budgets, projects undertaken through joint-bilateral agreements like Kokoda Track Initiatives and Coral Triangle Initiatives (CTI), and further purged from the recurrent budgets.’^[viii]

‘According to a PNG Biodiversity Report on the Kokoda Historical Track Reserve^[ix] conducted by the Secretariat Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)/Protected Area Solutions the CEPA proposal would extend the boundaries of Kokoda Trail ‘from 71 ha to 238,000 ha’ which would provide an aid-funded bonanza for foreign environment officials.

‘So while we, along with our PNG support crews are sweating across the Trail and carrying the risk of supporting your most popular tourism destination, we have government bureaucrats and a veritable army of consultants plotting to hijack the word ‘Kokoda’ to give relevance to their own agendas, and to enhance their own aid-funded careers at the expense of our shared wartime heritage.

‘So the question is: Why is the Kokoda Initiative-CEPA alliance devoting so much capital to such a small area (10 ha) with ‘high socio-economic importance . . . facing a relatively low degree of threat^[x]

‘Why are they not focusing on large areas such as Lihir, Tonda, and Bagiai, which total 623,968 ha, and which RAPPAM has identified with a higher degree of threat and a lower degree of socio-economic importance?

‘And why should your subsistence villagers across the Kokoda Trail have to bear such a significant financial loss as a result of these ideological follies?

‘I have attached a copy of my response to each section of the proposed bill .

‘I would obviously be interested to know which CEPA officials tasked Mark Nizette to develop the proposed bill, and what ‘strategic advice’ he provided as part of the process.

‘Covid:
‘The Covid pandemic offered a timely opportunity for the Kokoda Initiative-CEPA-KTA alliance to pause and review the Kokoda tourism industry by reaching out to the key stakeholders i.e., trekking companies who generate the income for Kokoda tourism, and the traditional resource custodians who own the land sacred to our shared wartime heritage.

‘A chance to call for submissions; develop a database; introduce a campsite booking system; develop a plan for each campsite across the trail; develop an environmental maintenance plan; review the licensing system for trekking companies; develop micro-business and micro-finance programs for village communities; review procedures to protect the welfare of guides and carriers; to engage an accredited military heritage architect to develop a Master Military Heritage Plan for the Trail; etc. etc.

‘To our great disappointment, when trekking resumed post-Covid, we learned that not a single action had been taken to prepare for the resumption of Kokoda tourism despite the fact that officials such as Mark Nizette and Julius Wargiral were retained on full-pay for the entire Covid period.

‘It seems they chose to write a suicide note for Kokoda tourism in the form of a KTMA bill instead.

‘I cannot begin to comprehend how a group of aid-funded bureaucrats, who have never led a group across the Kokoda Trail; who have never conducted a workshop in a village; and who have no skin in the game; could think that they know more than those who have organised and led more than 54,000 trekkers on more than 2,000 expeditions over the past 32 years.

‘Kokoda Trail Tourism Development Association (KTOA)

‘The emergence of a PNG Kokoda Trail Tourism Development Association (KTTDA) to reclaim ownership of the Kokoda Trail from the DFAT Australian Kokoda Initiative-CEPA-KTA alliance is a welcome initiative.

‘This will lead to the development of a professional business enterprise owned by landowners across the Trail for the sustainable economic benefit of the custodians of land sacred to our shared military heritage.

‘Kokoda Tourism – a PNG Perspective:
The only relevant assessment of Kokoda tourism was written by a PNG female trekker, Rashmii Bell.

‘Over the years I have offered to sponsor officials from the Australian High Commission, DFAT, Kokoda Initiative, CEPA and the KTA on our treks so they could engage with their paying customers, understand the impact of the pilgrimage on them, note how villagers have been disengaged because of a lack of micro-finance, micro-business training, and observe how professional their guides and carriers are. ‘Nobody ever accepted!

‘I then sponsored Mark Nizette’s wife, Nellie, across so she could share these experiences and report back to Mark – I assume she spoke to him about it but nothing ever happened.

‘I then invited Rashmii Bell, a PNG writer to share the experience. She was given a free license to engage with guides, carriers, villagers, trekkers and other trekking companies during her trek and report her findings without any editorial limitations.

‘As result of her experience she published the following series of articles in Keith Jackson’s blog, PNG Attitude, titled ‘Kokoda; A Trail of Woe’:

‘I am not sure if they were ever read by anybody engaged in the management of the Trail as she did not get a response and nothing changed – however her observations remain relevant.

‘Conclusion

‘The Kokoda Trail, which has the potential to be a World class pilgrimage destination of choice for high value tourists, will never achieve its potential whilst it continues to be managed within an aid-dependent 3^rd World bureaucratic framework.

‘The clandestine attempt to formally transfer responsibility for its management to CEPA would see PNG become the only nation in the World to manage its most popular tourism destination as an aid-funded environment resource for the benefit of bureaucrats, rather than as an economically sustainable tourism enterprise for the benefit of its people.

‘The solution is simply to formally transfer responsibility for the management of the Kokoda Trail from the Minister for Environment, Conservation and Climate Change and the Minister for Provincial and Local Level Government Affairs, to the Minister for Tourism Arts and Culture so it can be managed as a tourism resource on a free-enterprise basis, in accordance with his Ministerial charter.

‘I would obviously appreciate your support to facilitate the transfer of responsibility, and to support the KTTDA in their endeavours to represent landowners by establishing a management company in partnership with Oro and Central Governments.’

5 March 2023: Media Release: Call for Parliamentary Inquiry into the management collapse of the Kokoda Trail

5 March 2023: MEDIA RELEASE: Call for Parliamentary Inquiry into the management collapse of the Kokoda Trail:

‘The decline in management started after Australian Government officials shifted responsibility for the management of the Kokoda Trail from PNG Tourism to the PNG Conservation Environment Protection Authority (CEPA),’ said Lynn.

‘Since then, the Trail has been managed as a socio-environment resource rather than as a tourism enterprise.

‘When it was managed by PNG Tourism trekker numbers increased dramatically by 1440 percent from 365 per year in 2002 to 5621 in 2008.

‘Since the Australian Government assumed responsibility for the Kokoda Trail under a Joint Understanding with the PNG Government in 2009 trekker numbers have plummeted by 46 percent to around 3000 a year.

‘This has resulted in a cumulative loss of almost K45 million in foregone wages, campsite fees and local purchases for subsistence villagers across the Trail – and these were the people the DFAT funded ‘Kokoda Initiative’ has spent more than K150 million trying to ‘help’!

‘Tour operators who have paid more than K12 million for trek permit fees have no idea where their money has gone because CEPA-KTA refuse to publish annual financial reports – all we know is that it doesn’t reach the villagers it was designed to support.

‘We also know that not a single kina has been invested in a campsite – or even a toilet – to meet the needs of trekkers. ‘The DFAT

‘Kokoda Initiative’ has also failed to invest in a single battlesite memorial across the Trail since they assumed responsibility for it.

‘In 2018 they condoned a KTA ‘donation’ of K350,000 to a ‘friendly’ Australian NGO in breach of their own rules.

‘The KTA then had to move into vacant Government offices because they were unable to pay rent in the commercial office they had occupied for the previous two decades.

‘They have also turned a blind eye to the proliferation of illegal Australian tour companies who fail to comply with the PNG Investment Promotion Authority (IPA) and therefore avoid paying tax on the millions of dollars they generate in PNG.

14 March 2023: Post Courier: Juffa responds to Kokoda Track concerns

Juffa responds to Kokoda Track concerns

‘Oro Governor Gary Juffa has refuted claims that the Kokoda Track was mismanaged and assured that the trail was well managed by the respective authorities concerned.

‘Juffa in response said that Mr Lynn’s continuous attacks on PNG and Australia in regard to the Kokoda Track was disappointing.

‘He instead invited Mr Lynn to come sit down with him and address the concerns he had been raising over the years.

‘Lynn has called for a Parliamentary Inquiry into the management collapse of Australia’s most significant Pacific War icon and PNGs most popular tourism destination,

‘But Juffa told Post Courier yesterday: ‘As far as I am concerned Charlie’s request for a Parliamentary inquiry is way out of line. If he has those issues he can come and present them to us, you know, and we can address them in fact he has been presenting them to us and we have taken note of them.

We can’t respond to each and every issue that he raises because some of those issues are not pertinent or not relevant.

Yes we have issues but by and large we are resovling these issues” he said. We are working with Kokoda Initiative and Kokoda Track Authority and we are addressing those issues as they come and go.

“But if he wants to put those in writing, then he can do so, but his continuous attack on both government of Australian and Government of PNG with regards to how they managing the trail are disappointing to say the least.

“I would say that I would invite him to come to my office, sit down with myself, Governor (Rufina) Peter and explain to us what his real concerns are.

But as far as we are concerned we have a wonderful relationship with our Kokoda Initiative and Kokoda Track Authority and the Australian Government and we are doing the best we can with what we have.

“We are working with all the government organizations involved, I mean look there can be improvements but the efforts are being made to attend to those concerns that Charlie is raising or has been raising for some time.”

Our emails over the past decade indicate that Governor Juffa either had a bout of severe amnesia at the time or, as the leaked email between himself and Mark Nizette on 1 April 2021 suggests, he had been seduced by the lure of benefits associated with AusAID funding.

Mark Nizette – Charlie Lynn Relationship

When Mark Nizette was assigned as ‘Strategic Advisor’ to the Kokoda Initiative in 2011 we were enthusiastic about the appointment. Our biggest frustration at the time was trying to get Canberra officials to understand the significance of the Kokoda pilgrimage for Australian trekkers; the reality and risks of operating a Kokoda tourism business in PNG; and the complexities of the Melanesian Way.

On 26 December 2013 I wrote in my blog:

‘The appointment of Mark Nizette to head up the Kokoda Initiative and his relationship with the Secretary of the Department of Conservation, James Sabi, has arrested the decline and restored trust in the protection of the wartime integrity of the trail. Mark lived in PNG as a child, is fluent in Tok Pisin and has a strong empathy with Melanesian culture. He has previously worked at the Australian War Memorial and is currently studying for a Doctorate in Anthropology. We can only hope that his posting to the Kokoda Initiative extends beyond the 75th anniversary of the War in the Pacific in 2017.’

Over the years I tried to keep Nizette informed. I reported to him after I came off my treks to brief him on my observations along the trail, submitted numerous reports to him, kept him posted via numerous email exchanges and participated in numerous forums and workshops.

I even went to the extent of sponsoring his wife, Penelope Marshall, on a trek with me in the hope she could relay the frustrations we were experiencing with the dysfunctional management system at the time.

The lead-up to the 75^th anniversary of the Kokoda campaign in 2017 was a pivotal moment for me as I knew it would be the last opportunity we would have to share a significant commemoration with surviving veterans.

I reflected on the fact that Prime Minister Bob Hawke committed to accompanying 75 veterans to commemorate the landings of our troops at Anzac Cove on the Gallipoli peninsula.

But on the 75^th anniversary of the Kokoda campaign in 2017 the Government failed to send a single veteran to the Anzac Dawn Service at Bomana War Cemetery which was Australian territory in 1942. Neither the Prime Minister nor the Governor-General attended the service.

I began to wonder about the quality of the ‘advice’ they were receiving from their ‘advisors’ in PNG.

I came to the realization I was being fed platitudes by the same advisors who failed to acknowledge our suggestions for improving the value of the Kokoda pilgrimage or to respond to emails expressing our concerns regarding the extent of the dysfunctional management system they were overseeing.

When I checked Nizette’s credentials from the Australian War Memorial I found they were misleading. His association with the Memorial was related to a thesis he wrote for his Master’s Degree at the University of Canberra in 1983, titled: ‘The theory and technology of early colour photographic processes including antipodean heliochromes housed in the Australian War Memorial’.

I therefore decided to use our social media platforms to highlight the issues linked to the deception surrounding the restoration of significant military heritage sites across the Kokoda Trail and the dysfunction of the management system under Nizette’s watch.

Soon after I began to receive what I construed to be ‘warning letters’ from PNG officials.

On 31 March 2017, Ms Kumaras Kalim, Director, Sustainable Environment Programs in CEPA wrote:

‘ I write to you with my most serious concerns of your continual criticism of the Government of Papua New Guinea as it works alongside the Australian Government to implement the outcomes of the Kokoda Initiative.

‘The Kokoda Initiative is a joint and equal partnership between our two Governments, designed to protect the Kokoda Track and surrounding region with respect to its military heritage, its cultural heritage and its significant environmental values . .

‘Finally, while you are our guest in PNG conducting business here, I would appreciate you to behave appropriately and not damage the good work that is being unde1taken by the partners of the Kokoda Initiative, and especially the Governments of Australia and Papua New Guinea.

‘I thought this was an interesting intervention because I could not recall ever meeting Mrs Kalim or being aware of any previous interest she might have had in pilgrimage tourism.

I then learned that she worked with Mark Nizette in CEPA.On 29 October 2018 I received another ‘warning’ letter’ – this time from the Minister for Environment, Conservation and Climate Change, John Pundari MP:

‘I write to you with my most serious concerns of your continual criticism of the Government of Papua New Guinea as it works alongside the Australian Government to implement the outcomes of the Kokoda Initiative. The Kokoda Initiative is a joint and equal partnership between our two Governments, designed to protect the Kokoda Track and surrounding region with respect to its military heritage, its cultural heritage and its significant environmental values . . .

‘I trust you will consider my remarks before making any further public statements. Such open and constant criticism of the PNG Government as it implements the Kokoda Initiative in partnership with the Australian Government only serves to divide communities rather than to unite them behind what is a very productive and significant joint partnership.’

Mark Nizette worked directly to Minister Pundari as his Strategic Management Advisor for the Kokoda Initiative and Secretary to his Ministerial Kokoda Initiative Committee. The first paragraph is identical to the letter I received from Mrs. Kumaras Kalim and similar in content and tone. I assumed they were drafted by the same author.

Mark Nizette’s Web of Influence

By 2018 the dysfunctional state of the Kokoda Track Authority (KTA) was a matter of record.

The management system put in place by Canberra officials in 2009 had collapsed. Neither the CEO nor the Board were qualified for their roles. The CEO had gone rogue and the system was riddled with nepotism and corruption.

In April 2018 the Australian High Commission advised the CEO had resigned and reported that Minister Pundari:

‘urged the KTA Board to move quickly to appoint a temporary CEO and that a permanent replacement would be recruited following a review into the KTA’.

Soon after Enage’s departure Nizette relocated himself back into the KTA office. His influence increased significantly with the departure of James Enage; the demise of the KTA Board of Directors in April 2018; his appointment as Secretary of the Kokoda Initiative Committee (KIC); and his official role as the Strategic Management Advisor to the DFAT Kokoda Initiative.

It seems Nizette soon learned his influence over Abel would be minimal due to his personal integrity and strong character. Nizette then neglected to arrange any follow-up meetings with him.

I was also aware that Mr. Glenn Armstrong, former General Manager of the Post Courier; former General Manager of EMTV; and former marketing manager for Air Niugini, would also be interested in the position.

I submitted Armstrong’s CV to Nizette for consideration. I followed up a few weeks later but Nizette did not respond and Armstrong was never contacted for an interview despite his success record in management, marketing and his interest in military history..

The KTA Review was published by TRC Consultants on 4 July 2018 however Minister Pundari’s directive that a permanent CEO should be appointed was conveniently ignored. It is likely that he might have been distracted by other issues as reported in PNGBLOGS on 21 August 2018:

‘There is a total lack of leadership in CEPA at current.

‘The Managing Director has been operating out of Stanley Hotel all of this year to afraid to sack any CEPA staff as they all have dirt on him, the Deputy Managing Director is absent from work for weeks on end and forever lobbying on the corridors of Waigani for The Managing Director’s position (as if he can even do the Managing Director’s Job – let alone being totally incompetent in doing his own).

Directors from the EP Department are forever taking bribes (in total awareness to the Managing Director and Deputy Managing Director) – which include 90% of officers in there, and trips offloading their officers who should actually go to do the work,

Conservation directors are still traveling the world on fact finding missions – and consuming all monies intended for projects. They have been fact finding for 10 years now! The Kokoda project money is all consumed in CEPA through meetings at Dixie bungalows – John Pundari’s business. AusAID should seriously investigate the AusAID appointed Kokoda manager in CEPA, he is seriously compromised.’

The ‘AusAID appointed manager’ the blog refers to was Mark Nizette!

The apparent dysfunction in CEPA allowed Nizette free reign to implement his agenda as he reportedly divided his time between his two offices at CEPA and the KTA which allowed him to keep his hands on the levers of both.

Kokoda tour companies were then advised that Mr. Julius Wargirai, Deputy Secretary of the Department of Provincial and Local Level Government Affairs (DPLLGA) was appointed KTA CEO in an acting capacity in November 2018. It was reported his appointment was influenced by the fact he could stay on the DPLLGA payroll and would therefore not be a liability to the KTA budget.

This contradicted Minister Pundari’s directive that a ‘temporary CEO be appointed until the KTA Review was completed. The need for a ‘temporary CEO’ was negated by the fact that the KTA Review had been published three months earlier on 4 July 2018. According to the Minister’s directive an executive search for a permanent CEO should have been initiated.

Of more concern to those calling for some order in the management of Kokoda tourism was the fact that Julius Wargari was a career bureaucrat with no qualifications or experience in commercial business management, military heritage, pilgrimage tourism, trekking, or commemoration.

He was therefore completely reliant on Mark Nizette for advice and direction. It was reported that Nizette instructed Wargirai that he was to sight all incoming and outgoing correspondence at the office.

Mark Nizette’s National Executive Council Deception

Nizette’s failure to consider two qualified individuals for the KTA CEO position, Andrew Abel CSM ML or Glenn Armstrong’ over the past seven years suggest his strategy was based on engaging a compliant CEO who did not have the expertise to question his clandestine agenda to have the Kokoda Trail managed as an aid-funded environment park rather than as a commercial tourism enterprise.

This was evident after it was revealed that National Executive Council (NEC Decision 123/2019 of 27 May 2019) endorsed Julius Wargiral’s appointment to:

‘oversee the transition to the new Kokoda Track Management Authority, and the development of the Kokoda Track Tourism Master Plan’ and directed that ‘the acting Chief Executive Officer of KTA will report to the Minister for Inter-Government Relations, pending the establishment of the proposed legislation, and the abolishment of the existing Proclamations’.

The directive, to have Wargirai report to the Minister for Inter-Government relations rather than the Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, was framed without any prior consultation with the Board of the Tourism Promotion Authority or other key stakeholders.

NEC was deceived by the proponent of the directive, assumed to be submitted by Nizette’s Minister for Environment, Conservation and Climate Change, as neither the Minister for Provincial and Local Government nor Julius Wargirai have any qualifications or experience in tourism.

They also appear to have been misled regarding Wargirai’s engagement in an ‘Acting’ capacity; his lack of any qualifications or expertise in tourism; and the fact that the development of a ‘Kokoda Track Tourism Master Plan falls within the charter of the Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture.

This left the management of the Kokoda Trail in the hands of the Kokoda Initiative Committee within CEPA which was controlled by its Secretary, Mark Nizette!

It’s also a matter of record that the Minister for Provincial and Local Level Government Affairs does not have the resources to effectively meet its current responsibilities within its charter.

This was reflected in a 2004 discussion paper ‘Horses for Courses: Special Purpose Authorities for Local-Level Governance in Papua New Guinea’, Dr Colin Filer^[vii] was prophetic in his musings about the future effectiveness of Special Purpose Authorities at the Local Government Level in PNG:

‘Anyone who has recently visited the Department of Provincial and Local Government Affairs in PNG will know that it is a mere shadow of the once mighty Department of District Administration, and that its capacity to manage the establishment of more SPAs must certainly be questioned’.

Dr Filer’s observations accord with my experience where I visited the Department twice in 2019. Each time all the offices were empty with files stacked up on desks but no people. It took some time to find an employee on each occasion. They were obviously unable to offer any assistance.

Mark Nizette has obviously used the authority of the NEC decision to covertly divert Wargirai from his primary role of managing the Kokoda Trail. This is apparent in the fact that no action has been taken to develop campsites, toilets, finances, or any other form of management control since he was appointed. He has failed to implement a single management protocol; has failed to publish regular newsletters; and has never published a financial report.

The dysfunction of the KTA has been chronicled on this blog.

In my opinion its primary purpose now is to act as a foil to cover the failures of the DFAT-Kokoda Initiative which are also a matter of record. This was illustrated in an answer to Question No. 1943 provided by DFAT at the Australian Senate Estimates hearings in 2012:

1) The Australian Government does not collect statistics on Kokoda Track trek permits. The administration of trek permits is the responsibility of the Papua New Guinean Kokoda Track Authority, a Special Purposes Authority of the Kokoda and Koiari Local-level Governments. The Kokoda Track Authority is established under the relevant Papua New Guinea legislation and is not responsible to the Australian Government. The question should be directed to the Papua New Guinea Government.’

The reality is that it is not possible to direct questions to the Papua New Guinea Government as neither of the two departments responsible for the Trail (Provincial and Local Level Government Affairs and Environment Conservation and Climate Change) have any expertise in commercial business management, military heritage, pilgrimage tourism, trekking or commemoration; none, apart from Mark Nizette, have ever trekked it across it to seek to understand the industry and the needs of village communities.

They also know they can stonewall any queries they receive without any form of reprisal.

The Tourism Promotion Authority (TPA), the responsible government agency for international tourism, was effectively sidelined after Canberra officials took control in 2009 and seem unwilling to deal themselves back into the game.

It is therefore easy to conclude that KTA now exists as a PNG firewall to protect the DFAT Kokoda Initiative, and Canberra officials such as Mark Nizette, from scrutiny which provides them with an opportunity to subtly blame PNG for their own aid-funded failures.

Mark Nizette’s Clandestine Strategy for the Kokoda Trail

Soon after Mark Nizette had settled back into the KTA office the PNG National Newspaper reported on 27 February 2019 that ‘Legislation for new entity to manage Kokoda underway’.

It was an innocuous article that didn’t raise any eyebrows at the time due to the ongoing dysfunction within the KTA.

The article advised that the Review of the KTA had been completed and draft legislation was underway.

2019 was a tumultuous year for Kokoda tour companies as it was clear that Julius Wargirai was out of his depth and unable to manage the industry.

The Covid pandemic and closure of the Trail over the following three years offered him an opportunity to engage with tour companies, review the operation of the industry, call for submissions, analyse finances, publish financial reports etc.

Australian officials, including Mark Nizette, were relocated to Canberra and also offered an opportunity for them to review the reasons why trekker numbers had plummeted by 42 percent under their watch since 2009.

At this stage Kokoda tour companies were unaware of the outcome of NEC Decision 123/2019 which directed Julius Wargirai to ‘to oversee the transition to a new Kokoda Track Management Authority’ and report to the Minister for Provincial and Local Government.

In the meantime Mark Nizette’s clandestine strategy to establish an aid-funded ‘environment empire’ with the development of a draft Bill to establish a national ‘Kokoda Track Management Authority’ (KTMA) was exposed in an email leaked by Andrew Abel in early April 2021.

From: Mark Nizette <mark.nizette@gmail.com>
To: Gary Juffa <Gvjuffa@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, 1 Apr. 2021, 11:47 am
Subject: KTMA Draft Bill and Discussion Paper

‘Gary,
A’ttached is the latest version of the KTMA draft bill, and a draft discussion paper I’m working on, and a draft covering brief for you and the other members of the KIC.

‘There are some key policy issues we require guidance on and then your approval to get this draft out to the communities and the other stakeholders (e.g. tour operators).

‘We will then finalise it for final KIC approval and then go through the channels to get it to Parliament for the three readings.

‘Would love to have this in place before the end of 2021 so we can start 2022 with the KTMA.

‘Your help would be most appreciated, as I’m finding it difficult to step people through the process (being so far away).

‘However, Julius and Dr Moutu have been very helpful. (CEPA has been more absent – just between you and me). Happy to discuss the content and the process of going forward from here. I think Martin Brash could assist.

‘Please note that nothing is set in stone yet, with the bill, or my discussion papers etc. We need KIC clearance/discussion and feedback/direction.
m.
‘Mark Nizette, MBE
Kokoda Initiative Strategic Advisor PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Nizette’s proposed Bill sought to expand Canberra’s influence by redefining the Kokoda Trail as a ‘Kokoda Corridor’ and extending its boundaries far beyond its gazetted area to include Sirinumu Dam on the south coast, a large chunk of the Owen Stanley Ranges, and the northern beach-heads of Buna and Gona.

His proposal would ensure the careers of a new generation of aid-funded bureaucrats and consultants with yet another layer of environmental legislation.

It would enshrine the Conservation Environment Protection Authority (CEPA) as the responsible agency to permanently manage the Kokoda Trail as an environment park for the career benefit of foreign officials rather than as a commercial tourism enterprise for the economic benefit of traditional landowners across the Trail.

Nizette went into damage control as soon as the leak of his email to Oro Provincial Governor Gary Juffa was exposed. He denied he was the author of the proposed Bill however, according to the Word document and pdf metadata:

The author of the ‘Issues Brief KTMA Draft Legislation’ signed by Mr. Julius Wargiral, is ‘Mark Nizette’.
The author of the ‘KTMA Bill “Zero Draft” Discussion Paper February 2022’ is ‘Mark Nizette’.
The author of the ‘KTMA Discussion Paper, March 2021’, is ‘Mark Nizette’.
The author of the ‘Kokoda Track Management Authority Bill 2021’ is ‘Mark Nizette’.

Nizette tried to deflect responsibility for the bill by claiming ‘the first draft was completed by former PNG Supreme Court judge Brian Brunton’. This was a bit disingenuous as he failed to mention who provided the instructions to Brian Brunton for the drafting of the bill.

One of the authors involved in the 2006 Rapid Assessment and Prioritisation of Protected Area Management and 2018 Assessment for the Management Effectiveness for Papua New Guinea’s Protected Areas is Mr James Sabi, BSc, Manager, Terrestrial Ecosystems in CEPA.

Mr Sabi works in the same area as Mark Nizette and is obviously aware of the environmental challenges relating to large geographical areas such as Lihir, Tonda and Bagai.

One can assume that Nizette’s earlier reference to CEPA being ‘more absent’ from his KTMA bill was because PNG managers such as James Sabi are more concerned with high-risk environmentally threatened areas totaling 623,968 hectares than they are with a miniscule area of just 11 hectares with a ‘low degree of threat’ and a ‘high socio-economic value’ for its people and to their livelihoods.

Given that the Bill was drafted in secret without any consultation with key stakeholders such as the Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, the Tourism Promotion Authority (TPA), the relevant Provincial and Local-Level Governments, Kokoda tour operators, or traditional landowner groups across the Trail it surely goes beyond the charter of a ‘foreign advisor’ and could be construed to be a form of ‘foreign interference’ in PNG.

An analysis of Nizette’s proposal for a ‘Kokoda Track Management Authority’ can be viewed on this link: Environment Bill for Kokoda – a Suicide Note for Pilgrimage Tourism!

Dubious engagement of Australia’s National Military Heritage Advisor

DFAT advertised for a National Military Heritage Advisor for PNG in response to our continued calls for a Military Heritage Master Plan to identify, interpret and honour our wartime heritage along the Kokoda Trail.

They adopted a deceptive bureaucratic strategy straight out of the ‘Yes Minister’ playbook by advertising the position during the peak holiday period from 19 December 2016 to 8 January 2017.

To further ‘control the process’ the advertisement was shared with only a small number of selected universities and institutions including:

‘the Army Museum of WA, Darwin Military Museum, Army Museum of NSW, Army Museum of South Australia, and through local and international networks by NMAG, KTA, CEPA and Kokoda Initiative staff’.

The following serious flaws were evident in this process:

It is highly unlikely that people qualified for such a significant wartime heritage project would be scanning the pages of these bodies during the peak Christmas holiday period;
To send it to ‘army museums’ and neglect the Australian War Memorial was disingenuous because these are run by volunteers with a local perspective – they are closed over official holiday periods; and
Mark Nizette and other DFAT staff in PNG were aware that there are professional military historians with an interest in the Kokoda Trail but they chose not to advise them of the position, nor was the custodian of our military heritage, the Australian War Memorial.

Nizette also knew that Lieutenant Colonel Rowan Tracey had served with the PNG Defence Force, was fluent in Tok Pisin, had first trekked Kokoda in the 1980s – and around 50 time since then. Colonel Tracey is regarded as Australia’s foremost military history expert on the Kokoda campaign because of his knowledge of strategy, tactics and ‘ground’. He has been invited as a guest speaker on the Kokoda campaign at an international conference on Kokoda at the Australian War Memorial and is the author of the official history of the 2^nd Division AIF.

The Third Secretary (Kokoda) at the Australian High Commission in Port Moresby, Mr Tom Battams, also advised that:

‘The Australian Government is strongly encouraging NMAG to quickly establish an advisory body of military heritage experts and tour operators to ensure the views and interests of operators are reflected in the final Military Heritage Strategy. We urge trekking operators to contribute constructively to this body to give it every chance to succeed.’

This simply does not wash. The Australian Government had been in charge of the Kokoda Trail for a decade since 2009 and we had been calling for a master plan to be established before and since then.

Our requests were repeatedly ignored. So one has to question the motives behind the sudden rush to ‘quickly establish an advisory body of military heritage experts . . .’

The successful candidate was an American anthropologist, Dr Andrew Connelly whose thesis for his master’s degree in anthropology was:

‘Counting Coconuts: Patrol Reports from the Trobriand Islands. Part 1: 1907-1934’.His thesis for his doctorate was‘Ambivalent Empire” Indigenous and Colonial Historicities in the Trobriand Islands, 1832-1941’.

Dr Connelly does not have any qualifications relating to military heritage – his main advantage seemed to be his relationship with an unofficial ‘DFAT Insiders Club’ in Port Moresby.

Soon after Dr. Connolly published a Kokoda Track Military Heritage Management Plan for the National Museum and Art Gallery (NMAG) along with fellow anthropologist Greg Bablis in 2018.

No accredited military historians were involved in the development of their plan which advised that it would recognise the prominent roles of Japan and the USA in PNG’s war history, as well as the place of other nations, including the UK, India, Fiji, China, Korea, Taiwan, etc.

If the anthropologists had consulted Lieutenant Colonel Rowan Tracey they would have learned that Japan certainly had a prominent role in the war – they started it!

Colonel Tracey would also have advised them that the ‘USA, UK, India, Fiji, China, Korea, Taiwan, etc’ were not involved in the Kokoda campaign!

The report is destined to gather dust on NMAG shelves as it is irrelevant to both Kokoda pilgrimage tourism and the military heritage of the Trail.

The recruiting process which led to the engagement of an American anthropologist, without any military heritage credentials, as Australia’s National Military Heritage Advisor is questionable in view of the fact that well-credentialled Australian military historians expert in the Kokoda campaign were shrewdly bypassed. The exclusion of the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) and the Australian War Memorial (AWM) from the process was disingenuous.

It is doubtful whether the recruiting process that led to an unqualified American anthropologist as Australia’s National Military Heritage Advisor in PNG on a lucrative six-figure salary would pass the scrutiny of governance watchdogs in Australia.

Dubious Review of Kokoda Track Authority

Towards the end of 2017 the management system put in place by Australian officials was so dysfunctional Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill, called for a review of the Kokoda Track Authority (KTA). The PNG Government was cash-strapped at the time and did not have the funds for such a review. The Kokoda Initiative was therefore tasked to fund it.

Rather than use the opportunity to make a pitch to a major consultancy firm for an objective review they used a bureaucratic sleight of hand process to review themselves.

The task was allocated to Minister Pundari. It is assumed he would have passed it onto his Ministerial ‘Kokoda Initiative Committee’, who then have crafted Terms of Reference to review their surrogate, the KTA. They then ensured it would be a superficial review by engaging one of their former KTA officials as a consultant to conduct it.[5]

The integrity of the review was further compromised by the fact that the consultant did not join any treks to obtain objective feedback from trekkers, nor did he consult with any village-based landowner communities along the trail. The review therefore failed to reflect the reality of the pilgrimage and could best be described as yet another ‘desktop study’ at arms-length from reality.

On 25 August 2018 Michael Pender, an accredited Military Heritage architect who designed the Isurava Memorial, responded to the review of the KTA by the Kokoda Initiative:

‘In the last 15 years central PNG government has struggled to foster the Track’s development as a sustainable tourism resource. Equally, the Kokoda Initiative aid ($65M since 2008) to the region appears to have delivered limited sustainable economic benefit. I understand that landowners remain disenfranchised; trekking remains largely unregulated, visitor numbers by international standards are low, the tourism potential untapped. The KTA as a poorly funded manager of this dysfunctional environment has itself fallen naturally into dysfunction.

He advised that the review:

‘offers little to government as a practical policy map of a future Kokoda Track that delivers demonstrable sustainable benefit. In this sense the TRC Tourism KTA report fails to address a key aspect of the Terms of Reference.’

I spent a couple of hours with the review team immediate after I came off the Trail but nothing I presented (based on my 16 years’ experience leading groups across the Trail) was reflected in his final report which basically recommended a continuation of the status quo. The option of managing Kokoda tourism as a commercial enterprise for the economic benefit of traditional landowner communities was not considered.

Following is an email I sent to the Kokoda Initiative, the Australian High Commission, and the DFAT-PNG Governance Facility on 29 March 2018 regarding my concerns over the KTA Review. I did not receive a response.

To: Mark Nizette, Kokoda Initiative; Alan McCagh, PNG Governance Facility
Tom Battams, Australian High Commission

Dear Mark, Alan and Tom,
I’m not sure of the Chain of Command on this issue so I will address it to each of you.

The Kokoda Tour Operators Association (KTOA) have posted the following on their Facebook Page:

‘A reviewer has been selected and it is hoped this company would commence its review at the beginning of May and be able to present its findings and recommendations within a number of weeks.

‘The Kokoda Initiative review will commence at the completion of the KTA review to ensure a more efficient and effective delivery of services.

‘Towards the second half of this year it is envisage that the Kokoda Stakeholders forum will be re-introduced allowing all NGO,s Landowner Associations, Porter Associations, Village Communities, Trekking companies and all interested parties to communicate and discuss opportunities, challenges and priorities for all Stake Holders and communities on the track.

‘Regular forums, workshops and on the ground meetings will ensure all stakeholders can contribute and be heard in the distribution and priority of services across the track.’

Given the KTOA only represents 11 of the 36 licensed trek operators why has this information not been distributed to the remaining 25?

I am concerned that ‘Kokoda Stakeholder’ forums would even be considered during the review process because I am not aware of a single outcome from any one of these forums since they were introduced by Rod Hillman in 2009 – I have attached a summary of outcomes from the Hillman era of management from 2009-2012.

‘I am also concerned at the apparent corruption of process in regard to the conduct of the most recent tour operator forums in Port Moresby and Cairns. Adventure Kokoda invested approximately $10,000 to attend each of these forums.

As you can see from the attached ‘2017 Post-season TOF Meeting minutes’ distributed by the KTA the following motions were unanimously agreed to by the 63 participants at the meeting:

Reduce the maximum weight of backpacks carried by PNG guides and porters to 18 kg;
Increase the minimum daily rate of pay for PNG guides and porters to K70 per day;
Every PNG guide and carrier to be paid a ‘walk-home allowance’ of K250 each; and
Every Kokoda tour operator to provide each PNG guide and carrier with a head-torch, a sleeping bag, a sleeping mat and a shirt with the name of the company they are trekking for on it.

Something then ‘happened’ at the Cairns Tour Operators Forum which was attended by a number of members from the Kokoda Tour Operators Association because the minutes of the Port Moresby forum were not tabled or discussed.

I can only assume that the KTA representatives were either persuaded or bullied into not tabling them.

My emails to the KTA requesting clarification on this issue have been ignored.

Of more concern however is the fact that the minutes of the meeting were taken by an Australian Government official but have never been distributed. Why?

Emails to the KTA regarding the status of the minutes and the outcomes of the Port Moresby forum have also been ignored.

As a result we are about to start the 2018 trekking season without a single action being taken to address the dysfunction of the KTA whilst the KTA Review process is being undertaken.

I note that the reviewer will ‘commence its review at the beginning of May and be able to present its findings and recommendations within a number of weeks’ as advised by the KTOA.

This does not seem to allow much time for consultation with trek operators – particularly the 25 that don’t belong to the KTOA; Local Level and Provincial Government officials; and each landowner group across the trail.

My most serious concern is related to the fact that we are about to begin the 2018 trekking season without any management system in place as a result of the complete dysfunction of the KTA. The people we are therefore supposed to protect and empower i.e. the local guides and carriers will continue to be exploited by being overloaded, underpaid and poorly equipped. Local campsite owners will be short-changed and local village communities will continue to be spectators to the passing parade of trekkers.

The paying customers we lead across the trail will not have a single hygienic toilet to use and we are not able to ensure that the campsites we have booked will not be occupied when we arrive. Those who trek with PNG companies will not have any Public Liability Insurance cover and we know there are at least nine unlicensed operators leading groups across the trail.

The corruption of process within the KTA will continue unabated – no accounting for monies received; no disbursements to local communities; no annual reports; no financial statements; no distribution of information via newsletters; no effective ranger system; etc. etc. etc.

This is the system that the Australian Government put in place so surely there is a responsibility from somebody in Government to take some urgent action to provide an interim management system until the KTA review process is complete and a new system – hopefully one that allows the Kokoda trekking industry to be run as a business rather that a government bureaucracy, is implemented.

Can you therefore please advise why the motions agreed to at the PNG Tour Operators Forum in Port Moresby were not tabled for discussion at the Cairns Tour Operators Forum the following week and when the minutes of Cairns forum will be distributed to those operators who invested a significant amount of time and money to attend.

I would also like an assurance that any information regarding progress of the KTA review is distributed to all licensed trek operators.

Best regards,
Charlie

The KTA Review was completed almost seven (7) years ago on 4 July 2018 – there have been no changes, no improvements, and no outcomes from it – as we predicted!

Dubious Kokoda Follies Under Mark Nizette’s Watch

The primary motivation for the 65,000 Australians who have trekked across the Kokoda Trail over the past two decades is related to the the Kokoda campaign.

Significant heritage sites across the 138 km Trail include Owers Corner, Imita Ridge, Ioribaiwa Ridge, Brigade Hill, Mission Ridge, Lake Myola, Templeton’s Crossing, Eora Creek, Isurava, Deniki and Kokoda.

These sites have been carefully avoided and starved of funding under Nizette’s watch as Strategic Management Advisor. Accredited military heritage consultants have been bypassed in favour of archaeologists, anthropologists, environmentalists and social engineers.

Extent Heritage, for example, seems to have ‘favoured consultant’ status under the Kokoda Initiative. Some of their known projects include:

The ‘Lost’ Battleifeld

In 2010 the Kokoda Initiative reacted to a report of the discovery of a ‘lost battlefield’. But rather than engage the Department of Veterans Affairs which is responsible for both the Australian War Memorial and the Unrecovered War Casualties Unit – or any of the genuine military historians who lead treks across the Trail – they used an inner-circle of mates, consultants, and compliant eco-tour operators as their ‘experts’.

The site was originally referred to as a ‘Lost Battlefield’. After they were advised the site had never been ‘lost’ they rebadged it as the ‘Etoa Battlefield’ as it is supposedly the local indigenous name of the feature. There are no military historical references to any ‘Etoa Battlefield’ and no Battle Honour was ever proclaimed in that name – it therefore does not have any military historical resonance.

Instead of accepting these military facts they doubled down and continued to invest significant amounts of taxpayer funds in trying to justify their folly.

A military historian would have revealed that the ‘ground of tactical importance’ at Eora Creek would have included the existing track and the northern feature which dominates the creek overlooking the wartime (now abandoned) village pad of Eora which trekkers have been visiting, and sometimes camping at, for more than 50 years.

In October 1942, the Australian 16th Brigade was allocated the task of attacking the Japanese defensive position at Eora Creek. The 2/1st and 2/2nd Battalions attacked on the main axis of the track and the 2/3rd Battalion probed the right flank of the Japanese position and then attacked from the west, forcing the enemy to withdraw from the ‘ground of tactical importance’ after four days of bitter fighting.

The western flank of the Japanese position is not visited by trekkers because itineraries do not allow for it. The same applies to Australian positions on Mission Ridge, Ioribaiwa Ridge and the north-western sector of the Isurava battlefield. None of these battlesites have ever been claimed to have been ‘lost’ – they are all well known to those who specialise in the wartime history of the Kokoda campaign which includes authoritative military historians such as Lieutenant Colonel Tracey, Frank Taylor, Gary Traynor, Nick Anderson from the Army History Unit, and Susan Ramage, author of ‘Kokoda Secret’.

The area claimed to be a ‘lost battlefield‘ is most likely a Japanese medical aid post which was located immediately to the rear of the main Japanese defensive position to treat their wounded.

This did not deter the throng of aid-seekers from cashing in on the discovery.

Gary Traynor is a former Assistant Curator at the Australian War Memorial and an experienced tour leader for military history expeditions to Kokoda, Gallipoli, Western Front & Thai Burma Railway. He has led treks across Kokoda for many years and is also the originator of ‘Medals Gone Missing’ where he devotes countless hours in recovering lost medals for veterans’ families.

Traynor recently posted a response to the ABC rehash of the DFAT funded propaganda film on Dr Moutu’s fictional ‘Etoa’ battlefield in early 2020.

‘I recall when the documentary was first aired so many years ago, that Brian Freeman and Peter Cosgrove were filmed with two rusty, relic machine guns. The story was insinuating that these two weapons were found on the “Lost Battlefield”.‘

I immediately recognised both relic guns as having been removed from the privately owned museum at Alola Village. One of the guns was a Bren, but the other was a stand out …… it was a Type 92 machinegun, which was a Japanese copy under licence of the British Lewis gun usually mounted in aircraft (often seen on British WW1 fighters as the Lewis mounted on the top wing that was on a rail and pulled down from the top wing for reloading).

This particular Japanese Type 92 had been recovered by the original owner of the museum, from the Japanese G4M bomber wreck on the high ridge between Isurava Battlefield and modern Isurava. So, a minor misrepresentation of the truth.’

Gary Traynor’s view was verified after the consultant archaeologists, after carefully scraping beneath a half-buried helmet, discovered a skull wrapped in plastic which the owner from Alola village had forgot to remove after he relocated from his village to the site!

Lieutenant-Colonel Rowan Tracey, a Sword of Honour recipient from the Royal Military College, served with the PNG Defence Force during his army career and is fluent in ‘Tok Pisin’. He has been trekking Kokoda for 35 years and discussed the campaign from a PNG perspective with many of the village elders who have since passed on.

He has also discussed the campaign with Kokoda veterans who have also passed on and has an extensive library of published papers and books on the campaign. He has been invited to address international conferences at the Royal United Services Institute and the Australian War Memorial.

According to the late Major-General Gordon Maitland, Tracey is Australia’s leading exponent of the history of the Kokoda campaign because of his understanding of ‘ground‘ from a military perspective.

According to Lieutenant Colonel Tracey:

‘The extent of the battlefield at Eora Creek which the Japanese defended in their withdrawal to the northern coast of Papua in 1942 is well recorded and not “forgotten”.Many books portray the fighting there in detail, including an authoritative description in a publication by the Australian Army History Unit.

Therefore, it is hard to understand why the battle is characterized in this way and described under a new name by the ABC. There are many other military sites on the Kokoda Trail which are more demanding of investigation than Eora Creek and receive no attention.’

In 1992 Kokoda historian, Frank Taylor, installed a plaque with the following inscription, at Eora Creek on the 50th anniversary of the Kokoda campaign:

The Japanese made the whole area a major defensive position during their retreat. The tired Japanese resisted determined frontal attacks by fresh Australian troops from 22 October for over a week. Australians advancing on the west bank of Eora Creek overcame the enemy eventually and when almost encircled, the Japanese hastily abandoned their positions retreating to Oivi and Goiari. Eora Creek village once the centre of much of the heavy fighting now lies abandoned. The crashing, haunting noise of the fast-flowing creek below brings vividly to mind the turmoil of battle, and the men who fought here so long ago.’

The position is most likely an A Echelon area at the rear of the main Japanese defensive position at Eora Creek.

The Kokoda Initiative engaged Extent Heritage advisors who specialise in archaeological assessment, management planning, research, and interpretation for the project.

The archaeologist in charge of the ‘discovery’, Dr Matthew Kelly, admitted they adopted the term ‘lost battlefield’ because ‘it was a catchy title to get people’s attention’.

The location of the site is off the main Trail and will therefore not generate any interest from trekkers or any income for the landowners. It is therefore destined to be reclaimed by the jungle and forgotten at great expense to the Australian taxpayer.

More detail on the site can be viewed on this link:

The fallacy of the ‘Lost Battlefield’.

The Kokoda Initiative should be required to provide a copy of the cost-benefit analysis regarding the impact the site would have on Kokoda tourism prior to committing taxpayer funds to it.

Blamey’s Garden

Extent Heritage was first engaged to conduct archaeological research on Blamey’s Garden at Hombrum Bluff. The project was first conceived by General Sir Thomas Blamey as a respite centre for troops in 1942 but it was never completed. The site is in a remote isolated area and has no relevance to the Kokoda Trail.

Not a single tourist has visited the site since Extent Heritage completed their archaeological research on the site.

The Kokoda Initiative should be required to provide a copy of the cost-benefit analysis regarding the impact the site would have on Kokoda tourism prior to committing taxpayer funds to it.

Blamey’s Garden

The Kokoda ‘Track’

Extent Heritage were then engaged to undertake ‘archaeological surveys and site recording on the iconic Kokoda Track, Papua New Guinea’. According to their work they ‘identified over three hundred sites illustrating its World War II history, including weapon pits and battlefield artefacts’. They prepared a conservation management plan to guide the future management of the site.

The 11 sites that attract Australians to trek across the Kokoda Trail were already well known and have been visited by trekkers for more than 30 years before Extent Heritage ‘identified’ them – they are at are Owers Corner, Imita Ridge, Ioribaiwa Ridge, Brigade Hill, Mission Ridge, Lake Myola, Templeton’s Crossing, Eora Creek, Isurava, Deniki, and Kokoda.

The remaining 289 sites were obviously ‘identified’ to future-proof consultancy work for Extent Heritage.

Australian army officers and their PNG counterparts have the expertise to conduct a ‘military appreciation’ of each site. This would then provide a basis for a heritage architect to develop an interpretation plan to commemorate each one.

These sites are not ‘archaeological’ sites – they are military heritage sites and should be treated as such.

archaeological surveys and site recording on the iconic Kokoda Track, Papua New Guinea’.

Lake Myola

In 2016 Extent Heritage was engaged to conduct an archaeological surface survey of the Myola Basin and its immediate surroundings. The project met multiple objectives, including ‘its contribution to the quantum of knowledge that may be used to prepare a future World Heritage nomination of the Owen Stanley Ranges, Brown River Catchment, and the Kokoda Track region.’

In 2015 the Kokoda Initiative received a report from the late Mr Peter Hitchcock AM (an international expert on World Heritage and forest conservation) and Dr Jennifer Gabriel – an anthropologist at James Cook University. They concluded that the Kokoda Trail did not meet the criteria for a World Heritage Listing.

It therefore begs the question as to why the Kokoda Initiative invested taxpayer funds in a study that was deemed to be irrelevant by an expert report the previous year – and why they continued to ignore the 11 sites relevant to the 65,000 Australians who have trekked across it over the past two decades.

Lake Myola has the potential to be developed as a military heritage site capable of providing significant economic benefits for the landowners from Naduri village.

The Kokoda Initiative should be required to provide a cost-benefit on the consultancy they provided to Extent Heritage.

Lake Myola

Other Kokoda Initiative military heritage follies include:

Interpretive Panels at Owers Corner

The tender for the design, development and construction of interpretative panels for Owers Corner was awarded to ‘The Interpretative Design Company’ based in Coffs Harbour.

According to their website the contract was ‘for the provision of interpretive services to the Australian Government Kokoda Initiative Taskforce’.

There is no record of this company having any previous experience or empathy with Papua New Guinea which is evident in their opening statement^[viii]:

‘With our first trip to PNG set for November 2015 and a deadline of ANZAC Day 2016 we had to hit the ground running.

‘Port Moresby is a confronting city and rated as one of the most violent places on the planet. It accosts the senses with its obvious social inequity. When the security agency describes recent events of rape and brutal assaults you cannot help but experience fear.’

This is a patronising insult to their host country and reflects an appalling level of ignorance about the progressive advancement of Port Moresby in recent years.

They also indicated they have no knowledge of historical wartime interpretation:

‘Researching and writing for this project was both stimulating and challenging. As there was no clear objective, other than some signage at Owers’ Corner that would portray the WWII experiences of the people of PNG, we had to start from scratch in workshops and engaging with the local communities.’

If there was ‘no clear objective’ in the tender document, ‘other than some signage at Owers Corner’ then surely the bureaucrats who developed and approved the tender should have been sacked.

The statement that ‘we had to start from scratch in workshops with engaging the local communities’ beggars belief. The Australian War Memorial is the custodian of Australia’s wartime history. They should have been consulted to provide the research material required to ensure that any such work was completed in accordance with the Principles of Commemoration.

The local community was not involved in the process. When I completed my Anzac trek at Owers Corner on 24 April 2016 I was approached by a local landowner who had a query about ‘somebody from the Kokoda Initiative coming to build something’ the following week’. He was never consulted and knew nothing about it. I was unable to provide him with any information as we were also unaware of it.

They missed their deadline of Anzac Day, 2016.

A review of the information on the panels revealed that they had expunged the word ‘mateship’ and replaced it with ‘friendship’. The panels had to be removed and redesigned when this became publicly known. The information regarding the PNG ‘fuzzy-wuzzy angels’ is pure patronising drivel and historically incorrect.

Village Community Museums & Trade Centres

The establishment of village community museums at Efogi and Alola seem to be the product of a well-intentioned but misguided ‘thought-bubble’ by the National Military Heritage Advisory Group. There was no consultation with local landowners (despite claims to the contrary on the NMAG website) and no consultation with trek operators to evaluate the potential acceptance of such a concept amongst the paying customers i.e. trekkers. No consideration was given to a cost-benefit assessment of the project. No retail training has been provided to the villagers.

Neither site has any wartime significance as both villages were relocated to their current sites post-1945.

I have led three treks across the trail since April – neither of the ‘museums’ were open when we arrived; there were no items for sale; and trekkers did not express any interest in wanting to visit them. At Alola the villagers sit where they have always sat to sell fruit, drinks and bilums.

Trekkers are interested in viewing military artefacts insitu where they have been undisturbed – the mortar position at Eora Creek is a good example. Once they have seen these mortars, grenades and old boots insitu they are not interested in seeing them again in a hut during the remainder of their trek. They are also tired when they arrive at these locations and are therefore more interested in having a meal or preparing their campsite.

These misguided developments illustrate the need for a Master Plan designed to meet the needs of paying customers, i.e. trekkers and local village communities.

Money spent on the construction of these two museums would have funded the establishment of hygienic toilets and Koiari trek houses at campsites across the trail. This would be a much better investment because it would meet the needs of trekkers and inevitably lead to an increase numbers.

The approval process for these community museums would also have difficulty passing any credible governance test in Australia.

Mark Nizette should be requested to provide details of the ‘Strategic Management Advice’ he provided to the relevant authorities as part of the approval process for each of these projects along with a ‘cost-benefit analysis’ for each one.

Unlawful revocation of Adventure Kokoda Tour Operator’s License

On Saturday, 15 April 2023 the Acting CEO engaged an armed police contingent and went to Owers Corner to prevent any further Adventure Kokoda trek groups from departing.

All cheques were dated 11 April 2023 as part of normal logistic planning and preparation for the Anzac trekking period.

The payments were in accordance with Section 9 of the Koiari and Kokoda Local Level Government Trek Permit Law 2005 which state:

‘A trekker without permit shall be required to return to the office of the Kokoda Track Authority or approved licensee or authorized agent or officer of the Authority and make arrangement for payment of such permit, plus any imposed penalty.’

No penalty was levied by the Acting CEO for Charlie Lynn’s group which had departed the previous day when he accepted the cheque for his trek permits.

On Monday morning (17 April 2023) our Adventure Kokoda Logistics Manager, Mr. Tau Maguli, visited the KTA office and received official receipts for all payments.

Receipts were received for all additional payments made to campsite owners during my trek.

The Minister, who is Chairman of a Kokoda Initiative Committee (KIC)^[6] advised:

‘The committee heard very disturbing reports from the Acting CEO of the KTA, Mr. Julius Wargirai, that on four occasions recently Adventure Kokoda deliberately attempted to evade payment of trekking permit fees to the KTA as required under PNG law.’

It seems Mr. Wargari neglected to advise the Minister and/or his Kokoda Initiative Committee that Adventure Kokoda had paid all trek fees owing directly to him the previous week in accordance with the provisions of the Koiari and Kokoda Local Level Government Trek Permit Law 2005. The Minister continued:

‘The Committee further heard that a trekking group arrived at Owers Corner on Friday 14ᵗʰ this month without any application for permits, or any notification to the KTA. Mr. Lynn announced to the KTA ranger that they would trek to Kokoda without the lawful KTA trekking permits. Despite being previously warned in writing by the CEO, and again advised by the KTA ranger at Owers Corner, Mr. Lynn lead the trek onto the Kokoda Track after continual refusals to pay KTA trekking permit fees.

The Minister further advised:

‘This action was attempted again over the next three days by the same company, resulting in more than 100 tourists trekking without a valid permit from KTA. It is reported that cheques were eventually paid to the KTA after the groups had commenced trekking.’

This is simply not true. The Minister, and/or the Kokoda Initiative Committee, was obviously misled by Mr. Wargari who had received cheques for all trek permits due for the Anzac trekking period at Owers Corner on 15 April 2003, and at the TropicAir terminal the following day on 16 April 2003.

Mr. Wargari’s KTA office staff provided receipts for all payments by Adventure Kokoda on Monday, 17 April 2023 however, according to our Adventure Kokoda bank statements the cheques were not deposited into the KTA bank account for a further two months – until 13 June 2023!

The Minister should now seek to ascertain why Mr. Wargari withheld these cheques for two months before depositing them in the KTA bank account – and why he misled his Ministerial committee.

The Minister should also be asked why he did not seek an explanation from Adventure Kokoda prior to eliminating the company they have taken 32 years to build, at the stroke of his pen.

He should also be made aware that Charlie Lynn’s trek group paid K12,425 to the KTA for trek permits on behalf of his 36 trekkers, plus an additional K14,870 to landowners for campsite fees and further development – a total of K27,295. Despite this there was not a single hygienic toilet across the entire Trail and the section adjacent to the Brown River remains dangerously unsafe – see attachments below.

We then engaged our lawyers in Port Moresby to take out an injunction against the Minister’s cancellation of our tour operator’s license.

On 22 November 2023 the National Court found:

the Kokoda Initiative Committee of 21 April 2023 to consider the proposal to cancel Adventure Kokoda’s Commercial Tour Operator’s Licence was invalid;
Minister Kilepa’s decision to cancel Adventure Kokoda’s Commercial Tour Operator’s License was invalid;
Minister Kilepa and Acting CEO Julius Wargari were to take all steps necessary to restore Adventure Kokoda’s Commercial Tour Operator’s License; and
Adventure Kokoda were awarded costs against the Kokoda Initiative and the KTA.

2019 Annual Review of the DFAT ‘Kokoda Initiative Partnership’

2019 Kokoda Initiative Annual Report – A Betrayal of our Kokoda Legacy

ATTACHMENT 1

Attachment 1: Irregular Transfer of Trek Permit Fees to Australian NGO

ATTACHMENT 2

Attachment 2: Factors Relevant to the Kokoda Initiative Committee Meeting No. 01/2023

The Minister for Provincial and Local Level Government proclaimed the Kokoda Track (Special Purpose) Authority (KTA) in 2003.
A KTA Management Committee (Board) appointed by the Minister was ‘charged with the strategic direction of the KTA, forward planning and issues management’[ix] and sworn in on 9 December 2004.
The Minister instructed the KTA Management Committee (Board) to report to the Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture’[x] for matters regarding the management of the Kokoda Trail.
In 2015 the Minister for Environment, Conservation and Climate Change established a ‘Kokoda Initiative Committee (KIC) as an advisory body comprising the following members:
Mr Gunther Joku CEPA (CHAIRMAN)
Dr Andrew Moutu NMAG
Mr Jacob Areman DNPM
Mr Jerry Agus TPA
Mr James Enage KTA
Mr Isaac Matia AHC
Ms Kay Kalim CEPA
Mr Mathias Jack KTCSC
Mr Phillip Batia KTCSC
Mr Gei Raga CPA
Mr Dickson Guina DPLGA
Mr Mark Nizette KI Secretariat
According to the PNG-Australia Joint Declaration on the Preservation of the Kokoda Track Region of 10 September 2015, the Kokoda Initiative Committee was established with representation from Papua New Guinea and Australia to ‘provide guidance and direction on the activities to be funded by the Papua New Guinea and Australian Governments under this declaration.’[xi]
This resulted in a situation where the KTA Board of Directors were charged with the ‘strategic direction of the KTA’ under the auspices of the Minister for Tourism Arts and Culture while the KIC controlled the funding under the auspices of the Conservation Environment Protection Authority (CEPA).
The KIC has no legal jurisdiction over the management of the Kokoda Trail as this remained with the Minister for Provincial and Local Level Government – it is chaired by the Minister for Environment, Conservation and Climate Change and seems to be an informal amalgam of Government Ministers, officials, and observers.
A review of KIC meetings indicates it has no formal structure for the tabling, discussion, or approval of motions – it is not known if it has a formal constitution.
The KTA Management Committee (Board) appointed by the Minister for Provincial and Local Level Government did not have the expertise, resources, or support to operate effectively and was disbanded in early 2018 – its role was usurped by the KIC.
No members of the KIC have ever trekked across the Kokoda Trail with a professional pilgrimage group and are therefore unaware of the realities of Kokoda tourism – apart from the Secretary who trekked with a small eco-trekking company in 2004.
There is no record of the KIC meeting in the lead-up to the peak 2023 Anzac trekking period to discuss the condition of the Trail, safety, campsites, welfare of guides and porters, income earning opportunities for villagers, or the adequacy of toilets to meet the needs of trekkers.
Meeting No 1/2023 was called to discuss the revocation of the Adventure Kokoda Tour Operator’s License for an alleged breach of ‘PNG Law’ regarding the payment of trek permit fees.
Members were not advised by the Acting CEO of the KTA that Adventure Kokoda had paid for all trek permit fees owing in accordance with the ‘Koiari and Local Level Government Kokoda Track Trek Permit Laws 2005’ one week prior to KIC Meeting 1/2023.
They were also unaware that the KTA Commercial Tour Operators License Conditions 2012[xii] include a clause referring to the cancellation of a licence for a serious breach of the Licensing Conditions, but they do not define what a ‘serious breach’ constitutes.
A proposed update of the conditions in 2014 defined a ‘serious breach’ and provided for a penalty which ‘could lead a Tour Operators licence being rescinded for one year’,
The issue of ‘Licensing Conditions’ was included on the agenda of the KTA Tour Operator Forum in Brisbane on 17-18 March 2015. According to the Minutes of the forum it was resolved that the KTA would:
1. circulate current licensing conditions to licensed trek operators for review and comment.
1. consolidate comments and circulate a draft paper for review three (3) months prior to the next forum.

There is no record of the KTA taking any further action on these resolutions.
KIC Minutes 1/2023 do not record any form of declaration from the DFAT Strategic Management Advisor and Secretary to the KIC that he had issued a ‘Concerns Notice’ for a defamation action against a director of the company, Charlie Lynn and therefore had a Conflict of Interest.
There is no clear indication who chaired the meeting. Minister Kilepa was listed as the Chair but the record of the meeting indicates that Governor Juffa assumed control of it.
During the conduct of the meeting both Governor Juffa agreed with the CEO of the Tourism Promotion Authority, Mr. Eric Mossman, who suggested that the KIC ‘might consider suspending the license rather than cancelling it.’
Governor Juffa also agreed with Minister Isi Leonard that Adventure Kokoda’s license should be cancelled immediately.
It was finally ‘agreed’ that ‘Mr. Wargirai would prepare a letter for signature by the Chair of the KIC to the CEO of Adventure Kokoda stating their support for the CEO’s action that the tour operator’s license was to be cancelled or suspended immediately (according to the advice from the CEO).’
The Minutes did not record whether the issue was put to a vote or who supported it.
The Minutes were not signed by the Secretary.

It is not known if the Minutes were approved as a true and accurate record at the following KIC

[1] This is a self-serving statement as the KTA has not published an annual financial report since Australian Government officials assumed responsibility for the Kokoda Trail in 2008. As a result, Kokoda trek operators, who generate the income that sustains the KTA via trek permit fees, have no idea where the money goes.

[2] Legal responsibility for the management of the Kokoda Trail rests with the Minister for Provincial and Local Level Government Affairs. The Kokoda Initiative Committee is an environmental advisory committee established by the Minister for Environment, Conservation and Climate Change.

[3] Email from Charlie Lynn to Mark Nizette and juffa@theeducatedsavage.com of 30 April 2015

[4] Email from Charlie Lynn to Governor Gary Juffa cc. Jerry Agus CEO TPA. Governor Robert Agarobe; Governor Powes Parkop; Andrew Abel, TPA Board of 28 September 2018

[5] These assumptions are based on the fact that there is no other official within the Kokoda Initiative or CEPA with the detailed understanding of the Kokoda tourism to draft detailed Terms of Reference.

[6] Legal responsibility for the management of the Kokoda Trail rests with the Minister for Provincial and Local Level Government Affairs. The Kokoda Initiative Committee is an environmental advisory committee established by the Minister for Environment, Conservation and Climate Change.

[i] KTA Newsletter. January 2006. No 2

[ii] The Kokoda Track Foundation was established and funded by Charlie Lynn who was the Founding Chairman. The objective was to protect the wartime heritage of the Kokoda Trail through the development of a Strategic Plan which was completed and presented to the PNG Prime Minister, Sir Michael Somare, in 2006. Lynn resigned from the Board after this as they wanted to move towards philanthropy rather than our shared military heritage. As a result, they changed their name to ‘KTF’ and replaced the logo which was based on George Silk’s famous photo of the ‘fuzzy-wuzzy angel escorting a wounded digger with a butterfly.

[iii] https://dfat.gov.au/about-us/publications/Documents/annual-review-of-the-papua-new-guinea-australia-governance-partnership-2019.pdf

[iv] https://dfat.gov.au/about-us/publications/Documents/annual-review-of-the-papua-new-guinea–australia-governance-partnership-2019.pdf

[v] Email from Charlie Lynn to Mark Nizette and juffa@theeducatedsavage.com

[i] The ‘Kokoda Track Region’ has not been officially proclaimed – it is an invention of Australian environment officials who wish to extend their sphere of influence from the 10 ha identified in the RAPPAM Report to 238,000 ha between Sirinumu Dam on the South Coast to Buna and Gona on the North Coast and a large portion of the Owen Stanley Ranges identified in the PNG Biodiversity Report for the Kokoda Track Historical Reserve – this provide them the opportunity to extend their aid-funded influence far beyond the gazetted boundaries of the Kokoda Trail.

[ii] The 2006 RAPPAM assessment in PNG was jointly coordinated by WWF and the Papua New Guinea Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) and involved a range of other agencies including the PNG Forest Authority, The Nature Conservancy, Research and Conservation Foundation, Village Development Trust and Conservation International.

[iii] The Kokoda Historical Track Reserve is located in Central and Oro Provinces and is 96km in length (straight line), but within a 20m corridor (10m each side of the track). The track runs from Owers’ Corner on the southern side of the Owen Stanley Ranges, across the mountains to the Kokoda plateau in the Yodda Valley. SPREP/Protected Area Solutions Report. P.2

[iv] Rapid Assessment and Prioritization of Protected Area Management p.29

[v] Ibid. p.31

[vi] Ibid. p.32

[vii] PNG Blogs – CEPA is a Scapegoat

[viii] Conservation Environment Protection Authority (CEPA) Bill is a Scapegoat!

[ix] Kokoda Historical Track Reserve

[x] Rapid Assessment and Prioritization of Protected Area Management p.29

[vi] Colin Filer holds a Ph.D. in Social Anthropology from the University of Cambridge. He has taught at the Universities of Glasgow and Papua New Guinea, and was Projects Manager for the University of Papua New Guinea’s consulting company from 1991 to 1994, when he left the University to join the PNG National Research Institute as Head of the Social and Environmental Studies Division. Since 2001, he has been the Convenor of the Resource Management in Asia-Pacific Program at the Australian National University’s Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies.

[vii] Colin Filer holds a Ph.D. in Social Anthropology from the University of Cambridge. He has taught at the Universities of Glasgow and Papua New Guinea, and was Projects Manager for the University of Papua New Guinea’s consulting company from 1991 to 1994, when he left the University to join the PNG National Research Institute as Head of the Social and Environmental Studies Division. Since 2001, he has been the Convenor of the Resource Management in Asia-Pacific Program at the Australian National University’s Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies.

[viii] http://interpretivedesign.com.au/interpretive/signage/historical-heritage/kokoda-track-war-history-signage/

[ix] https://www.kokodatrackauthority.org/kokoda-track-authority/organisation-chart

[x] Ibid

[xi] https://www.dfat.gov.au/sites/default/files/preservation-of-the-kokoda-track-region-declaration.pdf