Transcript
WALTER ZWEIFEL: Hao is a huge atoll with a lagoon of several hundred square kilometres that the Chinese company wants to use for some of its enclosures. Hao also has land that has become available after the French military closed its base used for the nuclear weapons tests. And crucially, the atoll has three-kilometre runway which according to the project will allow to export fresh fish straight to China. Hao is near other atolls in the Tuamotus but it's about 1,000 kilometres from Papeete, which has French Polynesia's only other airport that can handle large planes.
KOROI HAWKINS: Why has the project been changed?
WZ: No explanation has been given. However, the change is to make more but smaller enclosures, that is 78 instead of 57. The farm will cover about 33 hectares of the atoll. The proposed change needs approval and according to the public broadcaster, this will put construction work back to probably September. So far, it has been the French Polynesian government which spent time and money to clean up the area for the Chinese investors. According to a consultant 240 containers are due to arrive in Hao in April to start building as soon as the papers are sorted.
KH: How significant will this farm be?
WZ: It is hard to say as the numbers keep changing. If the plant gets built according to the latest plans it will amount to an investment of $US320 million. There will first be a new power plant, then processing facilities and accommodation for hundreds of specialists and workers. In 2015, when Tahiti Nui Ocean Foods held an inauguration ceremony for the project its bosses promised to invest $US1.5 billion and employ about 10,000 people. There are high hopes that locals can benefit by getting work. The Chinese consul in Papeete has said that when Chinese businesses invest abroad, they respect the principle of using local resources and hiring local people.
KH: Yet so far nobody has been hired?
WZ: With the delays, high hopes are being dashed. The mayor of Hao says some people feel let down and they treat him as if he was a liar. There is unhappiness in Papeete that dockers don't seem to get any work because the containers will be sent directly to Hao. The government also feels uncomfortable that the project is no further. After all, it made huge concessions to get it off the ground. The Chinese company has for example been exempted from tax for 30 years for the importation of fuel and building materials. In social media, there is a lot of criticism and distrust after the delays and changes. The opposition doubts that the fish farm will be viable, citing economic but also environmental reasons.
