In this bulletin:
1. UN— IPCC chief says 1.5°C threshold near as scientists push ahead with new climate assessment
2. TOKELAU — New Zealand closes down Tokelau self-governance
3. PACIFIC — Pacific reaffirms Nuclear-Free stance as Rarotonga Treaty marks 40 Years
4. PNG — Need for majority vote on Bougainville questioned
5. PACIFIC — Ocean explorers embark on seafloor mapping expedition in Marianas region
6. PACIFIC — Territory leaders bring colonial realities to Washington ocean conservation conference
7. PACNEWS BIZ — Fish Fund supports Tonga’s first notification under the agreement on fisheries subsidies
8. PACNEWS BIZ — Fiji Airways launches direct Gold Coast route
9. PACNEWS BIZ — Regional tuna project induction workshop launches in Fiji to bolster sustainable fisheries
10. PACNEWS BIZ — Mining Amendment Bill introduced to support strategic mine redevelopment in Bougainville
11. PACNEWS BIZ — Poor governance behind Fiji’s poverty and infrastructure woes: Chaudhry
12. PACNEWS IN FOCUS — Experts say ‘bare bones’ U.S laws are unfit to regulate nascent deep-sea mining industry
13. PACNEWS DIGEST — Pacific fuel crisis exposes gap between renewable targets and delivery
14. PACNEWS DIGEST — ‘This work is about more than plastics’
UN – CLIMATE CHANGE: PACNEWS PACNEWS 2: Thu 11 Jun 2026
IPCC chief says 1.5°C threshold near as scientists push ahead with new Climate assessment
BONN, 11 JUNE 2026 (PACNEWS) — IPCC Chair Jim Skea has warned that the world is now approaching a point where exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius of global warming is “almost inevitable,” while outlining major scientific work underway for the Seventh Assessment cycle of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
Addressing the 18th Meeting of the Research Dialogue during the 64th Session of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA64) in Bonn, Skea said the IPCC’s latest assessment cycle is now well advanced, with all planned reports scoped and authors selected.
“Nearly three years into the cycle, the scientific content of all our planned reports has been agreed, and authors have been selected. We already have three reports scheduled for release next year.”
Skea said the first report expected from the cycle will be the 2027 Special Report on Climate Change and Cities, which is currently undergoing government and expert review.
“In about nine months, the IPCC will hold an approval plenary for the 2027 Special Report on Climate Change and Cities. As we meet here, the Government and Expert Review of the Second Order Draft of the Special Report and the first draft of its Summary for Policymakers is under way and will close in the first week of July,” he said.
He also highlighted progress on two methodology reports that will provide guidance to governments on measuring and reporting greenhouse gas emissions and removals.
Meanwhile, all three IPCC Working Groups are advancing their contributions to the Seventh Assessment Report, although timelines for the reports remain under discussion.
“This brings me to the Panel´s pending decision on the timelines for the three Working Group contributions to the Seventh Assessment Report. I have started consultations with the IPCC member governments, Bureau members, and the Secretariat on criteria for assessing timeline options, with a view to reaching consensus at the IPCC’s next Plenary in October,” he said.
Skea stressed that a decision on timelines is critical for the thousands of scientists contributing voluntarily to the assessment process.
“As a scientist myself and the Chair of the IPCC, I cannot overstate the importance of this decision for the scientific community gathered around IPCC. We have more than a thousand scientists from every continent and region who volunteer their time and expertise to work on IPCC reports. They deserve clarity about the duration of their voluntary commitment to the IPCC, allowing them to plan their professional and private lives accordingly,” he said.
A major part of Skea’s address focused on climate scenarios, where he sought to clarify misconceptions about the IPCC’s role.
“First, on scenarios. And let me stress from the start that there are no IPCC Scenarios. There are only published scenarios assessed by IPCC. IPCC does not conduct research and decided nearly 20 years ago not to engage in scenario development,” he said.
He said the Seventh Assessment Report will assess a broad range of scientific scenarios from multiple community databases rather than relying on a single IPCC-endorsed database.
“Importantly, there will be no single IPCC-endorsed ‘scenarios database’ to support the Seventh Assessment. Instead, authors aim to assess multiple ‘community databases’.”
Skea noted that advances in clean energy and recent emissions trends have altered expectations about future emissions pathways.
“Note that the range of emissions covered by the CMIP 7 Assessment Fast Track will be narrower than in CMIP 6. The upper end of the range is no longer considered plausible, partly due to progress in clean energy.”
“At the lower end, due to a lack of progress in reducing global emissions, many CMIP6 emission trajectories have become inconsistent with recent trends,” he said.
However, he cautioned that this does not necessarily mean uncertainty about future warming will narrow.
“However, the range of temperature responses may not narrow in the same way because of uncertainties in the physical climate system. We must be very careful to distinguish between emission scenarios and warming scenarios, a distinction not always evident in recent commentaries,” Skea said.
Turning to adaptation, Skea said climate resilience will receive greater attention in the Seventh Assessment Cycle as global temperatures continue to rise.
“It is now almost inevitable that we will soon exceed global warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, the warming level beyond which risks start to accelerate. The urgent need to enhance resilience and step up adaptation efforts is obvious.”
He said adaptation is receiving increased prominence within the new assessment.
“The word ‘adaptation’ appears in three chapter titles of the Working Group II report on impacts, adaptation and vulnerability. This is three more times than in the sixth assessment cycle. This signals clearly a new emphasis on climate action.”
Skea said the IPCC is also updating technical guidelines first developed in 1994 to improve how adaptation progress is measured and assessed.
“The update will emphasise indicators, metrics and methodologies. These should provide useful guidance on planning, including mainstreaming adaptation of a more transformational character into existing policies and practices,” he said.
The IPCC Chair also highlighted efforts to strengthen engagement with Indigenous knowledge systems and local knowledge holders.
“This Workshop, as the title suggests, addressed how IPCC could engage with Indigenous knowledge alongside local knowledge holders and practitioners, considering the effective and equitable engagement of Indigenous knowledge holders and building on experience built up in other fora, such as IPBES,” he explained.
He said workshop participants developed recommendations covering expert selection, knowledge assessment, participation, capacity building and institutional reforms, although these recommendations have not yet been endorsed by the IPCC Panel.
Skea said the Seventh Assessment Cycle is gathering momentum and will begin delivering reports next year.
“But to conclude, the IPCC Seventh Assessment cycle is now well under way and we look forward to start delivering our reports from early 2027 onwards,” he said…. PACNEWS
TOKELAU – FISHERIES/POLITICS: PACIFIC NEWSROOM PACNEWS 2: Thu 11 Jun 2026
New Zealand closes down Tokelau self-governance
WELLINGTON/NUKUNONU, 11 JUNE 2026 (PACIFIC NEWSROOM) — The New Zealand Government has quietly killed off Tokelau’s bid for increasing autonomy, minutes of a crucial regional fishing body reveal.
They show that while Tokelau was earning about US$8 million per year — roughly 46 percent of its NZ$30 million (IS$17.38 million) annual budget – New Zealand now wanted to take over management of Tokelau’s exclusive economic zone.
The three‑atoll Aotearoa New Zealand territory, home to around 1,600 people, is now poised to lose as much as two‑thirds of its government revenue after being excluded from the Vessel Day Scheme (VDS) operated by the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA).
The PNA is an alliance of eight Pacific nations — Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Tuvalu. Tokelau had been a participating party until earlier this year.
In Wellington, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade — which oversees Tokelau’s administration — confirmed the termination in a statement to Pacific Newsroom: “New Zealand understands from Tokelau that its participation in the PNA Vessel Day Scheme was terminated in February 2026. We also understand that the Government of Tokelau is trying to reverse this decision as a matter of priority. New Zealand stands ready to support Tokelau.”
In fact, it looks as if New Zealand is quietly resuming colonial governance of the colony.
Tokelau’s plight was revealed at a PNA special meeting on 27 Novemberlast year in Manila. Tokelau attended and its further participation was considered as an “urgent issue”.
Papers presented at the Manila meeting showed that beginning in 2013, New Zealand was allowing Tokelau “increased autonomy in their fisheries management with a view for Tokelau to move towards economic independence,” the minutes say.
“New Zealand has now changed its position and has taken over the management of Tokelau’s fisheries. Tokelau’s latest update in their letter to Parties was that New Zealand’s position was not likely to change, which meant that Tokelau could no longer operate as it used to.”
Discussions at Manila included expressions of regret at Tokelau’s situation with New Zealand.
“Certain parties were already experiencing the effects of this in their dealings with Tokelau which were now proving difficult; past activities done in the past, such as trading of days were now proving difficult to undertake with Tokelau.”
All this meant was PNA arrangements would no longer be viable for Tokelau.
“It was a big step back for Tokelau noting they’ve benefited enormously from their participation in the PNA VDS, and it’s obviously a bad call for New Zealand but there was not much to be done except to consider the recommendations for a way forward,” minutes noted.
The meeting expressed sadness at losing Tokelau as a colleague and longtime participant to PNA, “but acceptance that there was little that can be done about it, considering Tokelau’s status as a non-self-governing territory of New Zealand.”
Under the VDS, PNA members sell tuna purse‑seine vessels the right to fish in their exclusive economic zones. A single vessel day typically sells for between US$8,000 and US$10,000, and the scheme collectively generates around US$500 million annually for its members.
Tokelau has never publicly disclosed its VDS income, but with an allocation of 1,000 vessel days, available pricing indicates Tokelau earned about US$8 million per year — roughly 46 percent of its NZ$30 million (US$17.38 million) annual budget.
On 01 June, while visiting Samoa, New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters met with Tokelau Ulu (head of government) Alapati Tavite and other Tokelauan leaders.
Posting on X, Peters said: “The Minister remarked on the deep significance of this year for our relationship, with 2026 marking the centenary of New Zealand’s administration of Tokelau. We are proud to stand beside Tokelau as its primary partner… a responsibility to which we remain seriously committed.”
The new hardline attitude toward Tokelau raises questions whether another United Nations supervised referendum will be held again.
Two previous referendums saw Tokelau narrow vote in favour of staying with New Zealand…. PACNEWS
PAC – NUKE TREATY: PACNEWS PACNEWS 2: Thu 11 Jun 2026
Pacific reaffirms Nuclear-Free stance as Rarotonga Treaty marks 40 Years
SUVA, 11 JUNE 2026 (PACNEWS) — Pacific Island countries have reaffirmed their commitment to a nuclear-free region as the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty, widely known as the Rarotonga Treaty, marks 40 years since its entry into force.
The 4th Meeting of the Consultative Committee of the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone Treaty was held on 9 June at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat in Suva in a hybrid format, bringing together States Parties and Observers to review implementation of the landmark agreement and discuss future priorities.
The meeting was chaired by Solomon Islands High Commissioner to Fiji, Joseph Ma’ahanua.
According to the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, the anniversary provides an opportunity for the region to reflect on the significance of the treaty and its role in maintaining peace and security across the Pacific.
“This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Treaty’s entry into force, providing an important opportunity to reflect on its enduring significance.”
The Secretariat said the treaty remains a defining expression of Pacific regional values and cooperation.
“The Treaty remains more than a legal commitment; it reflects our collective Pacific identity grounded in peace, environmental stewardship, and a shared responsibility for safeguarding our Blue Pacific Continent.”
The Rarotonga Treaty, which established the South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone, continues to serve as one of the region’s key security frameworks amid ongoing global and regional nuclear concerns.
“At a time of evolving global and regional nuclear challenges, the Rarotonga Treaty continues to serve as a cornerstone of the Pacific’s commitment to a nuclear-free Blue Pacific and to international peace and security.”
Forum officials said the Consultative Committee remains an important mechanism for implementing the treaty and strengthening cooperation among member countries.
“As the Treaty continues to guide regional cooperation on nuclear non-proliferation and security, the Consultative Committee remains central to its implementation, providing a vital platform for dialogue, coordination, and collective action among States Parties.”
Discussions during the meeting focused on advancing implementation of the treaty, preparations for a Second Meeting of States Parties, and plans to commemorate the treaty’s 40th anniversary in December 2026.
Delegates also reviewed ongoing regional advocacy efforts and cooperation on nuclear-related issues affecting the Pacific.
“Discussions at the meeting focused on advancing implementation of the Treaty, preparations for a Second Meeting of States Parties and the Treaty’s 40th anniversary commemoration in December 2026, as well as ongoing regional advocacy and cooperation on nuclear-related issues.”
The meeting comes as Pacific leaders continue to advocate internationally on nuclear legacy issues, non-proliferation, and the protection of the Blue Pacific Continent from nuclear threats…. PACNEWS
PNG – POLITICS/INDEPENDENCE STUGGLE: THE NATIONAL PACNEWS 2: Thu 11 Jun 2026
Need for majority vote on Bougainville questioned
PORT MORESBY/BUKA, 11 JUNE 2026 (THE NATIONAL) — The Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) has questioned why the two-thirds majority of MPs needed to ratify the referendum result has been changed to a three-quarters majority.
ABG Vice-President and Attorney-General Ezikiel Masatt said the three-quarters absolute majority vote, endorsed by the PNG Parliament after the sessional order was tabled by Bougainville Affairs Minister Manasseh Makiba, was “unilaterally crafted”.
Masatt, also the ABG Minister for Bougainville Independence Mission, said: “A constitutional amendment requires two-thirds majority. They just made it hard with a three-quarters majority.
“Like the debacle last Tuesday, today’s event confirms that there is a government strategy to poison the waters and make it impossible to come close to reach the voting threshold.
“The Government strategy now reduces Melanesian Agreement (MA) Framework to nothing but an academic exercise.
“The Melanesian Agreement Framework was doomed to fail if not earlier, then definitely now.
“I question the Bougainville MP ministers sitting in the National Executive Council meeting: what’s going through your mind?
“Do you see what we on the outside see?
“This means your colourful statements were nothing but smokescreen and diversions for the ultimate Government position not to grant Independence.”
Abau MP Sir Puka Temu raised a point of order on the three-quarters absolute majority vote, arguing that proper consultations were bypassed before the sessional order was voted on.
“The issue of Bougainville is not a small matter,” he said.
“The sessional order says that the motion must be supported by a three-quarters absolute majority.
“Where did this come from?
“Constitutional amendments require two-thirds majority.”
Speaker Job Pomat clarified that the proper process was followed for the sessional order to be tabled in Parliament.
“Parliament has approved the sessional order based on all the consultations conducted,” he said.
“When the minister (Makiba) presents the report, which is the time to debate.”
Meanwhile, Masatt reiterated the words of ABG President Ishmael Toroama that “Bougainville independence is non-negotiable”, and negotiations would continue in good faith.
“In the next round of discussions set for late this month, ABG will present the final Bougainville position,” he said.
“The Government can accept it or reject it.
“Bougainville MPs can make their lifetime career choices whether or not to support the Bougainville position.
“The Prime Minister’s (James Marape) proposal to ratify on the anniversary of the Bougainville Peace Agreement now takes on the appearance of a sick joke, disrespecting the lives of those lost before, during and after the crisis,” he said…. PACNEWS
PAC – OCEAN EXPEDITION: PACIFIC ISLAND TIMES PACNEWS 2: Thu 11 Jun 2026
Ocean explorers embark on seafloor mapping expedition in Marianas region
SAIPAN, 11 JUNE 2026 (PACIFIC ISLAND TIMES) — The Ocean Exploration Trust (OET) today launches its two-week seabed mapping expedition around the Mariana Islands, the first of five trips scheduled this year to examine the region’s uncharted ocean floor, which the Trump administration seeks to lease for critical mineral extraction.
OET said the expeditions aim to “fill critical gaps in ocean knowledge” by studying the deep ocean’s habitats, biodiversity, bathymetry and geological formations, including marine critical minerals and the environments where they are found.
“We have an enormous amount left to learn about the ocean and an open, growing scientific foundation of knowledge is what will allow informed and responsible decisions to be made about the ocean and the resources within it,” said Allison Fundis, OET president and COO.
The mapping expeditions, which will also cover Wake Island and Hawaiia, are primarily sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration through the Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute.
OET will use E/V Nautilus, its mapping sonars, ROV systems and other exploration technologies provided by NOAA Ocean Exploration Cooperative Institute and other researchers.
The E/V Nautilus expeditions will be streamed live on NautilusLive.org, a 24-hour platform that invites transparent participation in ocean exploration.
“For 18 years, OET’s approach has been the same: explore the deep sea responsibly and transparently, invite curious audiences into the process of discovery and archive the data we collect openly, so that researchers, resource managers, policy makers and the public all have equal access,” Fundis said.
E/V Nautilus will begin the 2026 season with a seafloor mapping expedition from Hawaii to Guam, where the team will support subsequent expeditions exploring deep-sea habitats around the Mariana Islands.
This will be the first operational deployment of the newly installed state-of-the-art Kongsberg EM304 mapping system.
This technology investment, executed in partnership with the University of New Hampshire Centre for Coastal Ocean Mapping and Kongsberg, will enable the team to expand its mapping and exploration capabilities to depths never before reached.
This expedition will focus on exploring the Mariana region, one of the most tectonically and volcanically dynamic locations on the planet, marked by Earth’s deepest oceanic trench, some of the most active submarine volcanoes, and some of the oldest seafloor.
This 23-day expedition will utilise the ROV, mapping and telepresence systems of E/V Nautilus in combination with the autonomous underwater vehicle Sentry to explore poorly known deep-sea habitats, including abyssal plain habitats, seamounts and other deep-sea areas offshore the Mariana Islands that support resource management and science priorities.
The team will focus on the southeasternmost portion of the U.S. waters around the CNMI.
The second expedition to the Mariana region will focus on abyssal plain habitats in the northeasternmost portion of the CNMI. On this expedition, the team will also deploy a high-frequency acoustic recording package from the NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Centre to support cetacean monitoring in the region.
Located roughly midway between the Hawaiian and Mariana Islands, Wake Island is one of the most isolated land masses on Earth.
While there have been some recent expeditions to this remote region, the vast majority of the 407,241 square kilometers of seafloor surrounding Wake remains unmapped and uncharacterised, representing one of the most poorly surveyed areas under U.S jurisdiction.
This 30-day expedition will utilize the ROV, mapping, and telepresence systems of E/V Nautilus to collect critical baseline information across this largely unexplored region, with a focus on exploring poorly known deep-sea habitats in the Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument and the Wake Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, including abyssal plain habitats, unexplored seamounts and potential maritime heritage sites associated with the Battle of Wake Island.
The final expedition brings E/V Nautilus back to the Hawaiian Islands. While nearshore waters surrounding the islands have been relatively well surveyed, many offshore areas remain completely unexplored, hindering efforts to effectively manage the resources of this unique region.
This 20-day expedition will start and end in Honolulu, and utilise the ROV, mapping, and telepresence systems of E/V Nautilus to survey previously unsurveyed deep seafloor around the Hawaiian Islands, with a focus on unexplored ridges and seamounts in the eastern portion of the Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary and abyssal plain habitats southwest of the Main Hawaiian Islands.
On this expedition, the team will also deploy a recently developed benthic lander and low-light camera system from the University of Hawaiʻi to support deep-sea coral monitoring…. PACNEWS
PAC – OCEAN CONSERVATION: PASQUINES PACNEWS 2: Thu 11 Jun 2026
Territory leaders bring colonial realities to Washington ocean conservation conference
WASHINGTION, 11 JUNE 2206 (PASQUINES) — Over 400 ocean policy and environmental justice advocates gathered in Washington, for Upwell 2026: A Wave of Ocean Justice, a two-day conference that placed the experiences of U.S territory communities at the centre of ocean conservation discussions.
Leaders from Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, and Puerto Rico used the gathering to highlight the realities of colonial rule and unilateral federal decision-making, bringing territorial perspectives to a field where they have historically been excluded.
The conference opened with a panel on decolonising ocean conservation, moderated by Dr Frances Colon, senior fellow at the Centre for American Progress. Panelists included Dr Adi Martínez-Román, co-director of Right to Democracy; Dr Austin Shelton, director of the University of Guam Centre of Island Sustainability; Dr Steven Mana’oakamai Johnson, assistant professor at Cornell University from the Northern Mariana Islands; and Representative Jose “Che” Perez Cordero (NPP, D) of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives.
The panel examined what emerging environmental conservation practitioners can learn from territory communities and how to integrate Indigenous and local expertise into decision-making.
Panelists emphasised that meaningful conservation must begin with the people who live in territorial communities, given that they face unique environmental challenges and economic pressures while lacking democratic representation to influence decision-makers.
“As a result of the colonial legal framework, the people of the territories face the environmental consequences of imposed unilateral decisions,” Martínez-Román said.
“Yet local and Indigenous communities in the territories continue to create—through solidarity and coalition building—innovative solutions to their unique challenges. This community-led work in U.S territories can provide a lesson to everyone dedicated to ocean conservation work.”
A second panel addressed deep-sea mining and featured Sabrina Suluai-Mahuka, founder of American Samoa-based environmental organisation Finafinau and Right to Democracy Advocacy Fellow; JV Lankilde, associate at Earthjustice from American Samoa; and Angelo Villagomez, senior fellow at the Centre for American Progress from the Northern Mariana Islands, who co-led the conference.
Together, the organisations represented at the conference helped submit tens of thousands of comments and letters in opposition to the imposition of deep-sea mining.
“The U.S territories are home to 30 percent of all U.S oceans, so it is fitting that the people who live there and call our islands home should be in ocean conferences in Washington, DC, where a lot of decisions are made on our behalf,” stated Villagomez.
Dr Suluai-Mahuka also delivered the conference’s keynote address, centrring the perspective of Pacific Island communities.
“Governments derive their legitimacy from the consent of the governed, not the other way around. We spoke in testimony, in public comments, in village meetings, on fishing boats, along shorelines. And still we are told to trust the process. But trust is not built by speeding up decisions after communities raise concerns.
Trust is built when power listens and listening requires changing course when those words tell you no,” Suluai-Mahuka said.
Guam artist Gillian Dueñas was also featured at the conference.
Martínez-Román said Right to Democracy planned to brief Congress on how the imposition of deep-sea mining and other unilateral federal policies violates the principle of consent of the governed.
“Over the last year, Right to Democracy has worked alongside our community partners across the territories to ensure the voices of our communities are heard at the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management at the Department of Interior and in the halls of Congress,” Martínez-Román said…. PACNEWS
PACNEWS BIZ
TONGA – FISHERIES: WTO PACNEWS BIZ: Thu 11 Jun 2026
Fish Fund supports Tonga’s first notification under the agreement on fisheries subsidies
GENEVA/NUKU’ALOFA, 11 JUNE 2206 (WTO) — The WTO Fish Fund has marked an important milestone with the submission to the WTO of the first-ever fisheries subsidy notification made possible through support from the Fund.
The submission on 03 June by Tonga under the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies has additional significance given the developing Pacific region’s exposure to the effects of harmful fisheries subsidies.
The notification was prepared during a workshop held from 20 to 22 May in Nuku’alofa, Tonga, as part of a project funded by the Fish Fund, and contributes to Tonga’s implementation of the Agreement.
Under the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, a WTO member party to the Agreement is required to notify, among others, its membership of any Regional Fisheries Management Organsation or Arrangement (RFMO/A), including information about the areas and species under the competence of the RFMO/A, the status of managed fish stocks, the conservation and management measures under the RFMO/A, and any lists of vessels and/or operators the RFMO/A has determined have engaged in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
The workshop in Nuku’alofa brought together key government officials and laid the foundation for inter-governmental coordination on notifications.
WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said: “Transparency is at the heart of turning the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies into tangible benefits for the world’s oceans and the people who depend on them. Tonga’s notification is an encouraging example of how the WTO Fish Fund is helping to develop and least-developed members build the capacity needed to implement the Agreement and contribute to more sustainable fisheries.”
Tonga deposited its instrument of acceptance of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies on 15 September 2025 and is currently benefitting from a Fish Fund project preparation grant to support implementation. The grant will conclude in September 2026 with the delivery of a needs assessment and a proposal for further targeted support.
The CEO for the Ministry of Fisheries from the government of Tonga, Sione Vailala Matoto, said: “The submission of Tonga’s first notification under the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies marks an important milestone in our implementation efforts. We are grateful for the support of the WTO Funding Mechanism, the “Fish Fund”, which enabled Tonga to conduct a national workshop and develop Tonga’s first fisheries subsidy inventory, strengthening our capacity to meet our WTO obligations and promote sustainable fisheries management.”
The Fish Fund was established under Article 7 of the Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies to provide targeted technical assistance and capacity-building to help developing and LDC members implement the Agreement.
Housed at the WTO, the Fund operates in cooperation with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Bank Group.
The Fund’s second call for proposals closed on 8 May and newly approved grants are expected to be announced in July 2026. To date, total contributions and commitments to the WTO Fish Fund from 18 members have reached CHF 15.7 million, equivalent to more than USD$20 million.
The contributing members are Australia, Canada, the European Union, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Liechtenstein, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom…. PACNEWS
FIJI – AIRLINE: PACNEWS PACNEWS BIZ: Thu 11 Jun 2026
Fiji Airways launches direct Gold Coast route
NADI, 11 JUNE 2026 (PACNEWS) — Fiji Airways has launched its inaugural direct service between Nadi and Australia’s Gold Coast, a move expected to boost tourism, business opportunities and economic ties between the two countries.
The first FJ981 flight departed today from Nadi International Airport, with Fiji Airports joining the national carrier in celebrating the launch of the new route.
“An exciting morning at Bonunaqwele, home of Nadi International Airport!” Fiji Airports said.
“Fiji Airports was proud to support national carrier, Fiji Airways as it launched its inaugural FJ981 direct service between Nadi and the Gold Coast today.”
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka attended the launch and described the new service as an important opportunity for Fiji’s economy and its national airline.
Rabuka joined the celebrations, highlighting the new route as a significant economic opportunity for both the national airline and Fiji and expands economic bond between the two countries.
The new direct connection is expected to strengthen travel links between Fiji and Australia while increasing visitor arrivals.
“The service is expected to bring thousands more visitors to our shores each year, creating opportunities for tourism, local businesses, jobs, and communities throughout Fiji,” Fiji Airports said.
The Gold Coast route expands Fiji Airways’ Australian network and is expected to support the growth of Fiji’s tourism sector, one of the country’s key economic drivers.
The launch comes as Fiji continues efforts to increase visitor numbers and strengthen international connectivity through expanded air services and tourism partnerships…. PACNEWS
PAC – FISHERIES: FIJI FISHERIES MINISTRY PACNEWS BIZ: Thu 11 Jun 2026
Regional Tuna project induction workshop launches in Fiji to bolster sustainable fisheries
SUVA,11 JUNE 2026 (FIJI FISHERIES MINISTRY) — A crucial step toward reinforcing regional fisheries management is underway in Fiji as the Pacific Community (SPC) hosts its Regional Tuna Project Component A, Activity 1 Induction Workshop.
Running from 01 0 12 June 2026, the comprehensive 10-day event brings together fisheries experts from across Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia to streamline project operations and enhance sustainable local fishing practices.
The primary goal of the induction workshop is to align regional Fisheries and Livelihoods Advisers on core Regional Tuna project objectives, reporting metrics, and monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) frameworks.
Beyond project alignment, regional participants are undergoing mandatory operations training spearheaded by Conservation International, alongside vital sessions on Gender, Environmental, and Social Safeguards mandated under the Green Climate Fund (GCF).
From Theory to High Seas: A Hands-On Agenda
The workshop’s rigorous schedule bridges administrative oversight with heavy practical fieldwork. The initial days, hosted at the SPC Nabua campus, establish foundational knowledge in project indicators, communications, and introductory Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) concepts.
As the workshop progresses, the focus shifts directly to technical and marine operations in collaboration with the Ministry of Fisheries (MoF).
Key practical milestones mapped across the training schedule include:
• FAD Technology & Mapping: Participants are utilising specialised FAD calculators, managing data through QGIS mapping software, and planning structural layouts for FAD anchor positions.
• Vessel Operations: Teams are training in small boat fishing operations and testing essential technical hardware, such as echo sounders.
• FAD construction: Operating out of the Ministry of Fisheries Office in Lami and venturing out to sea, technicians and advisers are engaging in hands-on FAD construction, rigging fishing gear, and undertaking live marine site surveys. Two submersible and two surfaces will be fabricated during the workshop.
The latter half of the workshop culminates in weather-dependent sea trials dedicated to actual FAD deployment and practical fishing techniques.
By uniting regional knowledge with local Fijian technical expertise, the initiative sets a collaborative standard designed to secure long-term oceanic livelihoods and sustainable tuna fishery resources across the Pacific…. PACNEWS
B/VILLE – MINING: THE NATIONAL PACNEWS BIZ: Thu 11 Jun 2026
Mining Amendment Bill introduced to support strategic mine redevelopment in Bougainville
BUKA, 11 JUNE 2026 (THE NATIONAL) — The Bougainville Mining (Amendment) Bill 2026 was introduced in Parliament this week by the ABG President and Minister responsible for Mining and Petroleum, Ishmael Toroama.
The Bill seeks to amend the Bougainville Mining Act 2015 to establish a special and exceptional legal framework for the orderly and accelerated redevelopment of a previously operating large-scale mine where the Bougainville Executive Council determines such redevelopment is in Bougainville’s national and public interest.
President Toroama said the existing Mining Act was primarily designed for new mining projects progressing through the conventional exploration-to-development pathway and did not adequately address the unique circumstances of redeveloping a previously operating large-scale mine.
“The existing provisions of the Bougainville Mining Act 2015 contemplates a sequential process commencing with greenfield exploration to prospect discovery, to resource definition, to feasibility assessment, to mine development and commercial production and finally to formal closure and redevelopment,” he said.
He stressed that the proposed amendments do not remove or dilute the core principles, protections and overall architecture of the Bougainville Mining Act, including landowner rights, compensation, benefit sharing and environmental protections.
The Bill would also provide for customary landowners to receive a prescribed percentage of free, non-dilutable equity in an eligible mining lease holder. This represents a significant strengthening of landowner participation and ensures that landowners become direct co-owners of the redevelopment project.
“Landowner rights, compensation rights, local content participation and benefit sharing rights and royalties are preserved. Landowner equity participation is preserved and strengthened,” President Toroama stressed, adding that environmental protections and approval, the mineral resource forum process, community consultation and agreement requirements remain mandatory.
“This Bill is about economic self-reliance. It is about responsible resource development, strengthening Bougainville ownership of strategic mineral assets and ensuring that landowners participate as true partners in development,” Toroama said.
The Bill proposes a new statutory pathway that would apply only in exceptional circumstances involving the redevelopment of a previously operating large-scale mine.
The proposed amendments would apply only in exceptional circumstances where:
• A previously operating large-scale mine exists;
• An established mineral deposit exists;
• Legacy issues remain unresolved;
• Redevelopment is necessary for Bougainville’s economic future and fiscal self-reliance; and
• The BEC is satisfied that redevelopment is in the national and public interest.
The Bougainville Mining (Amendment) Bill 2026 was read for the first time and will proceed through the remaining stages of the parliamentary process before being considered for passage and enactment…. PACNEWS
FIJI – ECONOMY: FIJI SUN PACNEWS BIZ: Thu 11 Jun 2026
Poor governance behind Fiji’s poverty and infrastructure woes: Chaudhry
SUVA, 11 JUNE 2026 (FIJI SUN) — Former Prime Minister and Finance Minister Mahendra Chaudhry says Fiji’s persistent poverty, deteriorating infrastructure and struggling public services are the result of decades of poor governance, despite successive governments producing development plans.
Speaking during a panel discussion at the Dialogue Fiji State of the Economy forum in Suva Wednesday, Chaudhry questioned the effectiveness of national development strategies, saying their outcomes had failed to match their promises.
“We’ve had development plans and if all these development plans had succeeded, we would have been in utopia by now,” Chaudhry said.
“So, plan is one thing, but have they achieved their intended purpose? No.”
Chaudhry pointed to rising poverty levels, deteriorating roads, water supply issues and shortcomings in the health sector as evidence that long-standing problems remained unresolved.
“Why has poverty increased? Why do we have crumbling infrastructure in the country? Why are our roads in this condition? Why are we having constant water supply problems? Why are our medical facilities not improving?
“These are problems which have been there for 20-25 years, really.
“We’re still struggling with that. So having a plan is one thing, whether it’s working or not working is another.”
Chaudhry said the failure of development plans stemmed from weak leadership and ineffective governments.
“And I think we all know that these plans haven’t worked, because we haven’t had good governments in this country.
“That’s the long and short of it. So, one should not place too much reliance on these plans. I think we need to be a working government, good governance.”
He said Fiji needed leaders who were genuinely committed to serving the nation rather than pursuing personal interests.
“We are sincere about serving the people and serving the nation, and that’s what’s lacking in this country. That’s what’s lacking.
“There’s too much talk.
“There are a lot of insincere people saying one thing, doing another. There is no honesty in governance. That is the truth about it.”
Chaudhry said meaningful progress would require a new generation of leaders focused on national development.
“I think we’ve got to get rid of these people in leadership, bring in a new lot of people who are genuine and committed to Fiji and who love their country.
“Only then we will get somewhere,” he said…. PACNEWS
PACNEWS In Focus
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
Experts say ‘bare bones’ U.S laws are unfit to regulate nascent deep-sea mining industry
By Elizabeth Claire Alberts
WASHINGTON, 11 JUNE 2026 (MONGABAY) — The deep-sea mining industry could launch in the near future in U.S federal waters. Yet legal experts and former government officials warn that the regulations that would govern this industry are outdated and lack important oversight provisions.
In April 2025, the Trump administration signaled its intention to enter the global race to mine the deep sea when it released an executive order calling for the development of the industry. Following the administration’s direction, in April 2026 the U.S Department of the Interior (DOI) announced its plans to hold a series of seabed lease sales over the course of this year and into early next. The first one is slated for August in American Samoa, with subsequent lease sales planned for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) and Alaska. If these go forward, they could mark the first commercial lease processes for deep-sea mining anywhere in the world.
Critics say deep-sea mining could cause large-scale and irreversible damage to the marine environment, and some governments in areas slated for leasing have even taken steps to ban deep-sea mining. In 2024, the governor of American Samoa enacted a moratorium on seabed mining from its territorial waters, which extend 3 nautical miles (5.6 kilometers) from its shorelines. And this month, the governor of Guam, a self-governing territory that shares its exclusive economic zone with the CNMI, signed a bill into law that banned deep-sea mining in its nearshore waters and prohibited the use of its port, a vital hub for the Western Pacific region, for seabed mining activities. Opponents also argue that the U.S government is rushing the process to initiate these lease sales.
Supporters of the industry, including representatives from deep-sea mining companies, say it would be minimally invasive and procure critical minerals, and that development is proceeding at an appropriate pace.
Tony Romeo, the CEO of a newly formed deep-sea mining company based in South Carolina called Eco Minerals, pointed out that the U.S has been developing its interest in the deep-sea mining industry since the 1980s. “From an industry perspective, this has been such a slow process,” he told Mongabay.
“At some point somebody’s got to flip the switch and say, ‘Either let’s do this, or we’re not,’” Romeo added. “And that’s what’s happened. Somebody said, ‘All right, we can go ahead now.’”
Romeo said his company is interested in mining in all three areas the U.S plans to auction and could begin commercial extraction within the next two to three years.
But as the industry inches closer to reality, experts say the U.S government’s regulatory framework for mining in federal waters is failing to keep pace. For instance, they note that existing regulations include few requirements for environmental safeguards, financial accountability, or proof that companies can safely operate in the deep ocean.
‘They’re very bare bones’
The deep-sea mining industry’s ambitions extend beyond U.S waters. Historically, much of the focus has been on the seabed in international waters. There, the industry is overseen by the multilateral UN-affiliated International Seabed Authority (ISA), which has already issued 31 exploration contracts. Yet questions remain about the rules that would govern commercial deep-sea mining, in areas both within and beyond national jurisdiction.
The ISA has been working since 2014 to finalise a mining code for commercial deep-sea mining, but the regulations remain unfinished. Major sticking points include establishing environmental standards, determining how benefits from seabed resources would be distributed, and deciding whether the rules should apply to all forms of deep-sea mining or mainly to polymetallic nodule extraction.
The U.S, however, is moving ahead under long-established domestic legal frameworks. In international waters, it relies on the Deep Seabed Hard Mineral Resources Act (DSHMRA), a 1982 law created as an interim measure ahead of the implementation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). In federal waters, any future seabed mineral extraction would be governed by the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA), a 1953 law that regulates offshore resource development on the U.S. outer continental shelf and includes provisions for offshore mineral prospecting.
The U.S outer continental shelf refers to all submerged lands, subsoils and seabed that extend from the nation’s shorelines, and covers approximately 1.3 billion hectares (3.2 billion acres), an area about 40 percent bigger than the land mass of the U.S. (In 2023, the U.S expanded the boundaries of the U.S continental shelf by 100 million hectares, or nearly 250 million acres.)
While marine minerals were referenced in the original 1953 version of OCSLA, the law was primarily drafted with oil and gas development in mind, rather than deep-sea mining, according to Elizabeth Klein, who served as the director of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) from 2023 to 2025 and is now a Washington, D.C.-based attorney. During her tenure at BOEM, the U.S agency currently overseeing deep-sea mining in federal waters, efforts were underway to modernize the rules, though the process was not completed, Klein said.
“They’re very bare bones,” Klein said about the existing regulations.
“I would describe them as a ‘skeletal structure’ … and they largely focus on that lease sale process and the process to get a permit to actually develop a project. What they don’t include are provisions that speak to what requirements we might expect of a company engaged in this type of activity.”
Klein said the current regulations lack provisions requiring companies to demonstrate their fitness to operate, or “financial assurance” requirements outlining responsibility in the event of environmental damage or bankruptcy. They also lack “specificity around how we will ensure environmental protection,” she said. Klein added that similar shortcomings exist in regulations governing other industries overseen by BOEM, including oil and gas.
Beyond the regulations, Klein said she doesn’t believe BOEM has personnel who are “steeped in knowledge about the technical aspects of deep-sea mining” and that it’s “unclear what the agency is currently doing to build that expertise.”
As Mongabay previously reported, a spokesperson for BOEM said the DOI would ensure that “appropriate resources and expertise are in place to meet all statutory and regulatory responsibilities.” The agency didn’t, however, respond to Mongabay’s questions about the provisions of the regulations or staff expertise.
‘Definitely not modernisation’
In February, BOEM published a series of proposed “administrative revisions” to the OCSLA regulatory framework in the Federal Register. In a press release announcing the proposals, BOEM described them as an effort to “eliminate unnecessary provisions, revise others for clarity, and facilitate timely prospecting, leasing, and operations.”
Klein described many of the proposed revisions as “underwhelming procedural or ministerial changes.” She also drew attention to one proposed cut, to do away with what she described as an “important initial notification step and opportunity for communities to weigh in” on the potential environmental impacts of deep-sea mining.
“These changes are really only going to sow more opposition and deepen the lack of trust that communities already have to deep-sea mining activities,” she said. “Typically, those conditions lead to a more challenging, less streamlined environment for projects.”
The changes are “definitely not modernisation” and there are no indications that the government is undertaking a process to modernize and strengthen the regulations, Klein said.
Other proposed changes included shortening the review timeline for lease requests from 45 days to 28 days and deleting a provision that commands BOEM to “evaluate the potential of proposed prospecting or scientific research activities for adverse impact on the environment to determine the need for mitigation measures.” In its proposal, BOEM called this provision “superfluous” since BOEM has the “statutory obligation and responsibility to evaluate all applications on a technical and environmental basis regardless of this provision.”
Bobbi-Jo Dobush, an environmental lawyer and independent ocean conservation consultant based in California, said she disagreed with BOEM’s view that its proposed changes are simply administrative. Rather, she said she viewed them as a “substantive policy change.”
“They’re cutting out all of these underlying protections and checks and balances,” Dobush told Mongabay.
The BOEM spokesperson said the proposed revisions to the OCSLA regulations aim to “advance exploration and development of critical minerals essential to national security, economic competitiveness and technological progress,” as aligned with executive orders that call to “unleash” America’s offshore critical minerals and resources and energy production. However, the agency did not respond to Mongabay’s questions about the alleged potential shortfalls in regulating the nascent industry.
‘A lease is extremely durable’
If the lease sales do proceed as planned, Dobush said it would be difficult for the government to rescind a lease once a company has one in hand, should future administrations decide to constrain deep-sea mining.
“A lease is extremely durable, extremely hard for the government to get back,” Dobush said. Moreover, she said taxpayers would be footing the bill for any cancelled leases. Currently, the Trump administration is working to cancel offshore wind leases, with the U.S government reimbursing companies nearly US$900 million.
BOEM did not reply to Mongabay’s questions about the challenges of withdrawing a lease.
Robin Craig, a professor of law at the University of Kansas and an expert on ocean and coastal law, identified another emerging risk: that the alignment of deep-sea mining with the strategic pursuit of critical minerals could enable exemptions from U.S environmental laws.
A special cabinet known as the Endangered Species Committee, nicknamed the “God Squad,” recently granted an exemption from the Endangered Species Act for oil and gas development in the Gulf of Mexico for national security purposes. This removes protections for the critically endangered Rice’s whale (Balaenoptera ricei), a species with fewer than 50 individuals that is endemic to the gulf, heightening its risk of extinction. Craig said she believes the government could grant the deep-sea mining industry similar exemptions in the future.
BOEM did not reply to Mongabay’s questions about these potential exemptions for the deep-sea mining industry.
“The minute you say, ‘critical minerals’ you’re potentially invoking national security,” Craig said. “And by classifying these deep seabed mining operations as the search for critical minerals, BOEM is positioning these activities to potentially get one of those God Squad determinations as well.
“That’s what I’m worried about,” she said…. PACNEWS
Elizabeth Claire Alberts is a senior staff writer for Mongabay and was a 2024-2025 fellow with the Pulitzer Centre’s Ocean Reporting Network
PACNEWS In Focus
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
Pacific fuel crisis exposes gap between renewable targets and delivery
By Axel Melkonian
SYDNEY, 11 JUNE 2026 (DEVPOLICY.ORG) — The surge in global oil prices following the U.S-Iran conflict has exposed the extent of Pacific economies’ vulnerability to fuel supply shocks. At its peak, prices climbed to over US$118 per barrel, placing immediate pressure on the region. In Fiji and Solomon Islands, reserves fell to as little as 20 days remaining, while in Papua New Guinea rising fuel costs sharply increased transport and service prices. The result was inflation and heightened risks for vital sectors such as tourism.
These events highlight a structural reality: Pacific countries must accelerate their transition to renewable energy. Although most Pacific governments have adopted renewable energy targets, dependence on imported fuel has largely persisted. Without scaling up investment and implementation, vulnerability to global shocks will continue.
Oil accounts for roughly 80 percent of total energy supply across the Pacific, with most of it being imported. In some island systems, imported diesel supplies more than 90 percent of electricity generation. This dependence is economically burdensome, with fuel spending accounting for between 5 percent and 15 percent of the GDP in individual economies. Limited storage capacity compounds the problem, leaving many countries with only short buffers against supply chain disruptions.
Despite this vulnerability, regional progress to move away from fossil fuels has been uneven. There are notable success stories. Tokelau, once fully dependent on diesel, now generates around 75 percent of its electricity from solar on three atolls and has reduced diesel imports by 80 percent. In Niue, solar generation and battery storage now supply 38 percent of the country’s electricity, with plans to increase this to 80 percent. These cases show that renewable energy can substantially reduce reliance on diesel when national generation, storage and grid infrastructure are planned and developed together.
However, across the Pacific collective progress has been slower and less consistent, with renewables still accounting for only 17 percent of total energy supply. This is despite many countries setting ambitious targets, including achieving 100 percent renewable electricity within the next decade.
For most Pacific countries, the primary constraint lies in the high upfront cost of renewable infrastructure and the technical requirements needed to integrate it into existing diesel-based systems. Renewable energy deployment requires more than generation capacity alone; solar and wind must be supported by battery storage, stable grids and ongoing technical expertise. These systems are costly to implement at scale, with solar installations often exceeding US$1,000 per kilowatt and storage significantly increasing total project costs.
While external development funding has grown, it is often delivered through multiple small, stand-alone projects. Australia’s AUD$75 million (US$53.8 million) REnew Pacific initiative, for example, focuses largely on off-grid and community-scale installations, improving local access but leaving national grids reliant on diesel. The Asian Development Bank’s Pacific Renewable Energy Investment Facility is spread across more than 11 countries and multiple co-financiers, which can make it more difficult to support coordinated, large-scale upgrades.
A more effective response requires stronger regional coordination and system-level approaches that link generation, storage and grid infrastructure into a single functioning network, rather than a collection of discrete projects. This need is already recognised in the Framework for Resilient Development in the Pacific, which promotes coordinated investment, shared procurement and capacity building through mechanisms such as the Pacific Resilience Partnership. The Pacific Regional Energy and Transport Ministers’ Meeting have similarly emphasised regional collaboration, financing and coordinated planning as central to accelerating energy transitions.
Yet these measures have not translated into coordinated investment at the national level. Instead, development financing remains dispersed across numerous donor-funded projects, typically delivered as individual initiatives. Under this model, investments are implemented at a scale too limited to significantly displace diesel generation. Consistent with this, a 2024 report found that most donor-funded renewable energy projects had little measurable impact on system-wide energy transition outcomes in the Pacific region.
The contrast is evident in cases where investment has been coordinated. In the Cook Islands, grid-scale solar deployment on Rarotonga has been paired with battery storage to manage supply, stabilise the grid and reduce reliance on diesel, allowing renewable generation to be used as a primary source of supply rather than simply supplementing diesel generation.
The fragmented delivery of sustainability projects also raises costs. When implemented under this approach, equipment is often procured in lower volumes, limiting opportunities for bulk purchasing and driving up expenses. Greater coordination, particularly through pooled procurement, would allow countries to combine demand for solar panels, batteries and grid equipment, enabling purchases at scale. Pooling demand in this way can reduce equipment costs and improve supply reliability.
At the same time, moving towards a more sustainable energy system will require greater investment in local technical expertise. Building domestic skills in installation, maintenance and system management will help ensure these systems operate reliably over the long term, strengthening energy resilience across Pacific countries. Programs such as the Pacific Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency in Tonga are already supporting this effort by training local engineers and technicians for the renewable energy sector.
Energy planning must also reflect the geographic constraints of the Pacific. Limited land area restricts the scale of renewable infrastructure and reduces the viability of large grid-based systems. As a result, decentralised solutions are critical for accelerating the transition to sustainable energy. Solar mini grids offer a practical pathway for outer islands where extending national grids is not feasible. This approach is already being implemented in Tonga, where renewable energy deployment in outer islands focuses on solar-powered mini-grids supported by battery storage. By targeting areas beyond the main grid, the project avoids the need for costly and time-consuming grid expansion, allowing renewable systems to be installed more quickly.
Reliance on imported fuel remains a structural vulnerability across the Pacific and continues to expose economies to global shocks. Recent price spikes have demonstrated how quickly these disruptions can affect the region. While renewable energy targets are already in place, progress will depend on shifting from project-based delivery to coordinated investment at scale, supported by local technical capacity and decentralised solutions suited to Pacific geography. Together, these measures can accelerate the transition to renewable energy while reducing costs and strengthening long-term energy security…PACNEWS
Axel Melkonian is a lawyer in private practice, a public officer of the Samoan Community Culture Arts & Language Association and secretary of St Andrews Congregational Church Balmain, a Pasifika church.
PACNEWS DIGEST
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
‘This work is about more than plastics’
RAROTONGA, 11 JUNE 2026 (GEF) — Melina Tuiravakai is a Plastics Officer with the Cook Islands’ National Environment Services. In a GEF Voices interview, she shared life lessons from her efforts to tackle pollution and support practical solutions that provide sustainable alternatives to plastics in her country, which can serve as a model for the wider Pacific region.
What does your work entail?
In my role with the Cook Islands’ National Environment Services, I contribute to advancing solutions that minimise waste, promote resource efficiency, and support sustainable alternatives to single-use plastics. A key part of my work is shifting mind-sets, practices encouraging communities and the private sector to transition towards more sustainable, circular systems.
I also serve as Co-Convener of the Indigenous Peoples Advisory Group Pacific and as an Executive Member of Au Vaine, a Cook Islands Indigenous women’s civil society organisation. Through these roles, I advocate for inclusive, community-led solutions that place women, youth, and Indigenous voices at the centre of environmental action.
Why is plastic pollution a big issue for the Cook Islands?
In the Cook Islands, where the health of our land, air, sky, ocean, and communities is deeply interconnected, addressing plastic pollution is both an environmental priority and an opportunity for transformation. For me, this work is about more than plastics, it is about rethinking systems, restoring balance, and empowering communities and private sectors to lead change.
Through Plastic Reboot – Cook Islands, we are working to reduce single-use plastics, particularly from the food and beverage sector, while supporting enabling environments for reuse systems and other circular solutions. The project also strengthens policies, supports private sector and community action, and improves data to guide decision-making on plastics.
How did you get into this line of work?
My journey on my vaka (ocean voyaging canoe) into this work has been shaped by both experience and purpose. Growing up in the Pacific and later returning home to the Cook Islands, I witnessed first-hand how environmental challenges, particularly plastic pollution, are affecting our communities, land, oceans, and ecosystems.
I further strengthened this path through my studies, completing a Bachelor of Arts in Pacific Islands Studies, which deepened my understanding of our region, cultures, and the importance of indigenous knowledge in addressing modern challenges.
I began working with NGOs and civil society, supporting grassroots initiatives and building experience across areas such as climate adaptation, technology, business development, grassroots enterprise, and water security. These experiences grounded me in community-led approaches and strengthened my commitment to sustainable development.
My work is rooted in community, culture, and long-term sustainability, bringing together local knowledge and practical innovation to create meaningful and lasting change.
Is there a GEF-funded project or programme that is close to your heart?
Yes, Plastic Reboot – Cook Islands is very close to my heart, as it aligns directly with my work and passion for addressing plastic pollution in the Cook Islands and Pacific region. What makes this project especially meaningful is its practical and inclusive approach, working with communities, businesses, and government to create real, lasting change. For me, it represents an opportunity to transform how we use and manage plastics, while building a more sustainable and circular future for our islands.
What life lessons has your job taught you?
My work has taught me that real change starts with the mana (power) of people, especially when communities are empowered to lead solutions that reflect their values and knowledge. Addressing plastic pollution is not just a technical challenge, but a cultural and behavioral one that requires patience, collaboration, and trust.
I have also learned the importance of thinking long-term. The decisions we make today about how we use and manage plastics will directly shape the future for the next generation. This work has reinforced for me that we are not just solving today’s problems – we are creating systems, habits, and knowledge that our children and future generations will inherit. That responsibility continues to guide everything I do.
The state of the global environment is concerning. What gives you hope?
Being part of a global initiative gives me confidence that real change is possible. Plastic Reboot involves governments, businesses, and communities across 15 countries, all working to move beyond awareness into action. For me, hope comes from knowing that we are not working alone and that together, we are building a future where plastic no longer harms our environment.
But my greatest source of hope is the next generation. As a mother to my 13-year-old son, this work is deeply personal. It is about the future he will inherit, the health of our Ipukarea (country), land, environment, air we breathe, oceans, lagoon that is our food basket, the strength of our communities, and the values we pass on.
Seeing young people becoming more aware, engaged, and willing to lead gives me confidence that we are moving in the right direction. It reminds me that the work we do today is not just for now, but for a future where our children can thrive in a cleaner, more sustainable world with zero single-use plastics.
What advice would you give someone interested in a career like yours?
Work hard, stay curious, and never stop learning. Take the time to understand your environment your land, your ocean, and the systems that support life in your community.
Just as importantly, learn from your Indigenous culture and traditions. There is deep knowledge in the ways our ancestors lived, managed resources, and respected nature.
A career in this field is not just about science or policy, it is about people, culture, and responsibility. If you are passionate, committed, and willing to learn from both modern knowledge and traditional wisdom, you can play a meaningful role in shaping a more sustainable future…. PACNEWS
