- TNP Nation
- McMasterdonia
State of the Region: End of Term Report
I find myself once again offering my end of term address and how different it is to the last one. In my concluding address of term 1, I had the privilege of addressing you all during the festive season. A time where we were able to spend time with our families, reflect upon the year, and for those so inclined attend church services to celebrate the occasion. It is an understatement to say that this is very different to the times we find ourselves in now. Many of us are facing difficulties as a result of the COVID 19 situation and the quarantines we find ourselves under. Nonetheless, I am hopeful that soon we will be able to look back on this time thankful that we pulled through in the way that we have and to remember those who were not as fortunate. I also acknowledge many members of The North Pacific who are working in priority areas and are helping to keep people safe and healthy and our communities moving.
Despite these challenges, over the past four months I have continued to deliver an executive government that is delivering positive outcomes for all areas of our community. My approach has been to always offer open and accessible government to all and positive community leadership based upon a profound respect for public service. The Executive has functioned as a collaborative and cohesive team, with all members of my team offering their considered views on a wide range of initiatives we have pursued this term. I am thankful to all Ministers, Deputy Ministers and members of the executive staff who have served in this administration.
In terms of administration, we have continued to maintain the master list of our executive staffing profile. Our Executive Staff continues to grow and I will be recognising a number of members in the later part of this report.
At the beginning of this term, we made the call to end the External Affairs and Internal Affairs committees as they were not functioning as intended. This was done following a period of consultation within the executive and with community members.
The Press Office under Former Press Secretary @Rom and Press Secretary @Nimarya have published 8 press releases. The Press Office has been a useful tool for engaging the community in the activities of the government and for working with the international press. I thank both Rom and Nimarya for their hard work and diligence in this role.
@Nessuno has also continued his long running reign on the Regional Message Board supported by the Gameside Advocates East Supple Lund, @Advancia Sizzletown, @Praetor, @Deerfenland, and @Lotion. This team has been crucial for monitoring the regional message board and for supporting and promoting events, activities and news to the public. The RMB is the first place that many in the region will see and visit and I am grateful for the continued mentorship and guidance that the GA’s offer to new nations.
The GA’s have released the following editions of the Literary Awards:
Once more, I thank Nessie and his team for their service as Gameside Advocates.
We also passed meaningful reform this term with the Military Modernisation Bill. This has allowed the North Pacific Army to undertake a new kind of offensive military operations, that will be expanded upon in the defense section. Additionally, @Pallaith led efforts to pass the AGORA Act which abolished the office of attorney general. Both of these reforms were significant and no small achievement and I thank all who supported those initiatives.
I was also fortunate to break the endorsement record previously held by Delegate @plembobria. My administration has worked tirelessly to engage with the new nations who have been brought to our shores by the Drew video and other influxes such as reddit. I believe this work is self evident to all and I hope our good fortunes with respect to endorsements will continue.
I now turn to the work of each of the individual Ministries. Given that this is the conclusion of two terms of service, I will lay out the accomplishments of term 2. You can read the report from term 1 here. I hope this will offer a comprehensive coverage of what we have done this term.
Foreign Affairs
I will say from the outset that this has been a very busy term for the Foreign Affairs team. Much of the work of the Minister and his team occurs behind closed doors and it is easy to sometimes lose perspective on what we have accomplished.
Following the election, we dealt with the Confederation of Corrupt Dictators and we prepared a comprehensive report for release to the Regional Assembly and eventually for foreign audiences. This report was a significant undertaking and followed the precedent I established with the report on the situation in The East Pacific. I hope that the Regional Assembly will come to see these reports when required as they are very useful at demonstrating the extent of our involvement and what the situation may require.
Our work on this has been widely praised across NationStates and has played no small part in the internal disruption of that region - a fall that will take some time, but is continuing to occur nonetheless. We must recognise our role in this and the future role we may be required to take in undermining that region's future.
The World Factbook Project was also unveiled and continues to be underway, which was announced by Foreign Minister Kranostav on our forum and released here. We have released entries for Equilism, Lazarus, Canada, The Communist Bloc, Osiris, The Rejected Realms, The South Pacific, Wintreath, The Democratic Socialist Assembly, 10000 Islands, Europe and Hartfelden. There are more drafts of regions waiting in the wings for publication as well. This is a substantial project and one I hope to continue to assist the Minister with in the next term of government.
For distributions, we have done the following releases:
- TNL Issue 30
- Statement on the Confederation of Corrupt Dictators operations against TNP
- TNS Issue XIV
- TNS Issue XV
- TNS Issue XVI
- TNS Issue XVII
Additionally, we released a statement on the occupation of Slatos.
Minister @TlomzKrano also negotiated with Lazarus to establish The Incorporated Rum Pact that is currently before the Regional Assembly here. This is a positive step in the future of our relations with Lazarus and I look forward to seeing it ratified by the Regional Assembly.
Finally, I am pleased to announce that @Vivanco will be joining the Senior Diplomats and will continue to play a positive role in the senior leadership of the Ministry in the future. I thank @Vivanco for his service as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and as an Ambassador.
Finally, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also been playing a proactive role in supporting the undertakings of the NPA in our exception operations and the Ministry of Culture in the collaboration for our interregional events.
I would like to thank @TlomzKrano for his work this term. We have worked particularly closely on a number of these initiatives and I am thankful for his efforts.
Defence
The Ministry of Defence and the North Pacific Army has done a tremendous job under Minister of Defence @Trondstorm and his team. It has been clear to all to see within the North Pacific Army that Trondstorm’s leadership has been fantastic and he has had an excellent working relationship with Deputy Minister @Rom and the rest of the High Command.
At the time of writing, the NPA has undertaken 63 operations (with the 64th presently underway). This includes 45 training operations and 17 major operations. This surpasses the record set in our first term of office and is a testament to the hard work of the NPA Officers and Leadership this term. Our success is also demonstrated by the fact that on average, the NPA has had 11 updaters ready to jump at update with a moments notice from their commander. This once again demonstrates that The North Pacific Army is the greatest military power in the world at present and is something we as a community can be truly proud of.
Here are some key operations I believe are particularly worthy of recognition:
- The defense of Stargate against an invasion by Slatos;
- The Targeting of CCD Embassy regions in response to their unwarranted act of aggression against The North Pacific;
- The North Pacific Army was also able to snipe the refound of The Union of Axis Powers , a fascist region;
- The NPA participated in a large coalition effort that resulted in the successful liberation of Cheddar.;
- The Slatos occupation in collaboration with our allies;
- The NPA also participated in large tag raiding operation with The Black Hawks, Lily, 3 Guys and JTF. It was during this operation that we also seized the region of Opstan;
- The refounding of Itaque Sanctus Defensus by General @BluieGamer (a region subject to Chapter 7.6 exceptions);
- The refounding of Hitler’s Alliance to prevent its use by fascists;
- The refounding of Imperial Coalition of Nations to prevent its use by fascists (also subject to Chapter 7.6 exceptions);
- The liberation of the Commonwealth of Crowns (a former embassy partner of The North Pacific);
- A World Assembly Blockade Run that targeted a poorly written resolution by a fascist;
- The refound of Republican Army (also targeted by Chapter 7.6 exceptions); and
- A World Assembly Blockade Run that targeted “Repeal: Reproductive Freedoms”.
I have only highlighted a few operations. There are also a large number of training operations (starting from here) that have been undertaken this term, overseen by various officers and High Command.
We also completed the Call to serve series that features NPA Generals to help recruit for the NPA. Minister Trondstorm also announced the NPA Card rewards program which has been very successful in providing further incentives for card farmers to participate in the NPA.
Finally after a thorough vetting process, @BluieGamer and @Bobberino joined the High Command as Generals of The North Pacific Army. I thank them both for answering the call to serve. Finally I thank @Trondstorm for his outstanding leadership of the NPA this term.
Thank you @Trondstorm for your diligence and hard work this term. I know that you do not seek or desire praise, but your work has not gone unrecognised. I wish you all the best for your busy time ahead.
Home Affairs
As acknowledged in my mid term address, the Ministry experienced change from @BluieGamer as Minister to @Xagill as Minister. Xagill appointed @Nimarya and subsequently @9003 as Deputy Ministers. Both Deputy Ministers have been doing a phenomenal job in supporting the Minister’s efforts in the Ministry.
The Mentor Program has continued to function well with new members joining the mentor team. Each day, @Nimarya has been publishing the list of new forum registrants and new citizens to be contacted by the mentors directly. This has continued to follow the strong precedent established during the first term of office.
We have also continued with the survey and census program. We released the Gameside Advocates Survey and the results here. We have also recently released the Forum Experience Survey, with results almost ready for release.
For our recruitment efforts, we have conducted the following lists:
- List 1 - New foundings for the forum
- List 2 - New foundings for the forum
- List 3: Issue Answerers for the executive staff
- List 4: Rewards for Endorse Your Heart Out
- List 5: New foundings for the forum
- List 6: RMB posters for discord
- List 7: WA voters for Ministry and Endotarting
- List 8: Issue Answerers for the Executive Staff
- List 9: RMB Posters for Executive Staff
- List 10: WA Voters for Ministry and Endotarting
- List 11: New foundings for the forum
- List 12: WA voters for citizenship
- List 13: Issue Answerers for WA and Executive Staff
- List 14: New Foundings for the Forum
- List 15: New Foundings for the Forum
- List 16: New Foundings for the Forum (Drew Crew Special)
- List 17: Issue Answerers for Executive Staff
In summary, this means that 17 lists have been generated this term and 4755 rows of nations have been contacted. This is an incredible amount of work by our Home Affairs team. I would like to thank Minister @Rocketdog, Deputy Ministers @Nimarya and @9003, and all nations involved in this undertaking for their excellent work.
World Assembly Affairs
The Ministry of World Assembly Affairs has released 37 Information for Voters telegrams since the start of the term. Minister @Gorundu and his team have worked very hard to get this information out to voters in order to maximise our vote in the World Assembly.
In addition, we have also moved to have our position on a particular resolution supported by WALL on 14 occasions. I won’t summarise them all here, but it is clear that this is substantially more engagement than previous terms and I hope we can continue to build upon this in the next term of government.
The Heroes of The North program is also presently underway with the research phase complete on two proposals. This program has real potential and once more I hope it will continue in some form in the new administration.
Lastly, I am pleased to announce that @Gorundu, @Morover, and @Bormiar will be joining the Senior WA Consultants team to continue to provide senior leadership to the Ministry of World Assembly Affairs into the future.
I’d like to thank Gorundu and his team for their hard work and their passion on matters of the World Assembly. It really is appreciated and the debates on WA resolutions help to keep the game interesting and engaging, so thank you. It has been great to work with you @Gorundu and I am confident that you have a bright future ahead of you in The North Pacific.
Radio
The Ministry of Radio experienced a change from Minister @El Fiji Grande to Minister @Dreadton. Dreadton really hit the ground running this term and has produced a heap of great new content for the Ministry. In addition, Dreadton accomplished a very difficult feat of getting me to agree to do an interview on voice chat!
The Ministry has produced the following videos this term:
- NPA General Series: Interview with Darcania
- NPA General Series: Interview with Malphe
- NPA General Series: Interview with QuietDad
- NBS Special: Vivanco The Last AG
- NBS: January General Edition
- TNPU: Wonderess Speaks on the Soul
- NBS Security Council Special: An Interview with El Fiji Grande
- NBS Security Council Special: An interview with Lord Nessie
- NBS Security Council Special: An Interview with Sundred
- Rocketdog Town Hall
- Prydania Town Hall
- Yuno Town Hall
- Praetor Town Hall
- Mall Town Hall
- Radio Revolution [Pacific Con]
The Ministry has also been publishing video analytics that demonstrate an increase in viewership in relation to tutorial videos previously published by El Fiji Grande and that the NPA General series also represented a trebling in the number of viewers for NBS broadcasts.
The Ministry of Radio has accomplished a lot this term, particularly for a Ministry that is still relatively new. The coverage of the election was particularly interesting and resulted in a great deal of people participating in the process. The Ministry is also continuing to host interviews with key members of the Pacifics throughout the Pacific Con, so stay tuned for those updates.
Thank you @Dreadton for your excellent work this term. You are to be commended.
Communications
The Ministry of Communications has experienced the most change of all the ministries and I swear it is not because I simply like replacing Ministers! The term started with @Marcus Antonius, then had @Artemis, and finally @Bobberino. Despite the constant change, the Ministry has published the following publications:
- The Northern Lights - Issue 30
- The North Star - Issue XIV
- The North Star - Issue XV
- The North Star - Issue XVI
- The North Star - Issue XVII
Unfortunately we were not able to release a second edition of TNL, despite two articles being ready for release. It has proven difficult to hold authors accountable to their commitments. I do believe that the Ministry requires some reform in this area, each of the campaigns touch on this in some form.
I would like to thank @Bobberino for taking the reins for the final month of the term and for his diligence in getting the latest release completed.
Culture
The Ministry of Culture has had an incredibly busy term under the leadership of Minister @Prydania. The Ministry plays a crucial role in delivering a wide range of events designed to appeal to various demographics and groupings of our region.
We once again held the Message in a Bottle event that spread good vibes to nations of the region.
We held the “Endorse Your Heart out Event” and prepared ideas for RMB advertisements and all of the graphics and awards for these events were designed by @Prydania, with the scripts thanks to @r3naissanc3r. This resulted in a new all time record with TNP reaching 315,000 endorsements, exceeding our previous record despite having fewer WA nations. 441 advertising posts for the event were made, with 50,000 additional endorsements exchanged thanks to the efforts of our community activism. 90 legendary and 820 epic cards were given to nations who participated in this event.
Themed Thursdays returned to our discord server with the following awards offered:
- Marvel Heroes (Winner:Rom)
- Lovers/Couples (Winner: Yalkan and Darcania)
- Pokemon Day (Winner: Sarah)
- Canada Day (Winner: Esplandia
- 80’s (Winner: Dreadton and Icekrieg)
We hosted the Security Council Week. This event also involved the Ministry of Radio that published a number of interviews with willing Security Councillors. This event was a significant success that resulted in 182 new Keepers of the North (growing from 676 to 858). The average endorsements of Security Council members also increased from 923 to 1142. 889 nations also received 1071 cards for their participation in the event, which was the largest card give away in the history of The North Pacific.
We also hosted the Paradoxical’20 event with Europeia and The East Pacific. This event was an opportunity for writers, roleplayers, artists and gamers to come together and have fun/make new friends, with a lottery at the end offered to winners of various activities.
The Cards Guild under the leadership of Guildmaster @Praetor has also done incredible work this term. It is clear to all that The Cards Guild has proven itself to be a self-sustaining and lasting institution of The North Pacific. The passion of its members is also self-evident. Praetor has done an excellent job in bringing new members of The North Pacific cards community into the wider community and in attracting other leading figures from across NationStates to our community. I thank @Praetor for his continuous hard work in The Cards Guild.
Finally, the Ministry of Culture has been involved in the planning of the Pacific Con - a pan pacific event that is currently underway.
I would like to thank @Prydania for his efforts as Minister of Culture, and in particular acknowledge his Deputies @Syrixia and @Highton who have both done tremendous work this term.
Conclusion
In summary, I am very proud of the work we have been able to complete this term. Both in my first election campaign and in my last, I have offered an optimistic and ambitious vision for our region. We have not been able to complete everything that we had set out to do, but nonetheless, we have accomplished a lot through hard work, determination and teamwork.
I hope that all members of the community have felt to be a part of this work to improve our region. That you have been able to see the fruits of our labour. That it is clear that under my leadership, The North pacific has been a proactive and assertive voice on the world stage - a voice that is unapologetic about defending our interests and our home region.
I would like to personally thank the Vice Delegate @Artemis for his continuous support and advice to me and to the Executive Council. Thank you. It has been an honour to serve along side you.
I also thank the Executive Council, @TlomzKrano, @Rocketdog, @Dreadton, @Trondstorm, @Gorundu, @Bobberino, @Prydania, my staff Chief of Staff @Pallaith and Press Secretary @Nimarya for all the work you have done this term.
It would also be remiss of me to not thank all Deputy Ministers and members of the executive staff. Our community would truly not be where it is today without the work and dedication of every member of our staff. This resourcing that is constantly nurtured by successive Delegates is a testament to our success and is the source of the envy other regions feel towards us. Thank you.
It has been a tremendous honour to serve as Delegate of The North Pacific once again. In all that I have done, I have worked tirelessly to represent the interests of our diverse community and to serve the public to the best of my ability. That will not change by me leaving office. I believe I have left the office and the executive in an incredibly strong position. I am optimistic about our future as a region and the opportunities for us on the world stage.
Thank you all for your support, now and always.
Yours,
Delegate of The North Pacific
