Informal Session: Kava in Australasia
Organizers: Grant McCall and Shane G. Aporosa

The kava panel, held during the afternoon of the third day of the conference, started with an isevusevu presentation by the panel convenors. This traditional offering of kava acknowledged authority figures and thanked those present including the five who subsequently presented papers. The isevusevu was reciprocated by Sekove Degei from the Fiji Affairs Board, who later presented a paper on the relationship between kava and the Fijian Methodist Church. Other topics included the kava trade and its sustainability (Pollock), the preliminary findings of a comparative study investigating kava consumption and its impacts on an indigenous Fijian and an Indo-Fijian village (Newlands), the contemporary use of kava within non-traditional settings (McCall), and the impact that daily kava consumption by teachers is having on education delivery in Fiji (Aporosa). The panel was well attended and papers generated a large amount of discussion, which continued around the kava bowl until the early hours of the following day. Due to some material currently being in post, and other research still in its preliminary stages, no plans have been made at this stage regarding publication. The panel will reconvene as "Kava: The Golden Shrub" at the Pacific History Association (PHA) Conference at the University of the South Pacific in Suva (8-13 December 2008) as this venue is believed to be the most appropriate considering theme, locality and participant accessibility. Those interested in participating at "Kava: The Golden Shrub" are encouraged to contact either Grant McCall or S. Aporosa. Abstract deadline is 1 July 2008.