A year ago, Regional Development Minister Shane Jones took a Hercules full of media, business experts and a brass band to the remote Chatham Islands. He wanted to see for himself how its problems could be addressed, including a replacement for the islands’ unreliable, 40-year-old lifeline of a ship, the Southern Tiare. Since then, a lot has happened. Last Friday the minister announced loans for regional airlines including $17.2 million for Air C…