In this bulletin:
1. ACP — OACPS must adapt to global challenges, Secretary General says
2. NEW|CALE — Final vote count confirms political deadlock in New Caledonia
3. VAN/AUST — Vanuatu to be reinstated in Australia’s 2026–27 PEV ballot with 150 places
4. UN — Middle East conflict leaves developing countries paying the price
5. PACIFIC — Further New Zealand support for Pacific fisheries
6. SOL/PNG — PM Wale, Marape advance cooperation on mining reform
7. PACNEWS BIZ — ADB approves $11 million grant to boost health services in Kiribati
8. PACNEWS BIZ — Fuel costs strain Fiji Airways operations
9. PACNEWS BIZ — Roadshow puts PNG coffee on the map for Australian specialty buyers
10. PACNEWS BIZ — FRC says valid departure ban was in place when taxpayer left Fiji
11. PACNEWS BIZ — Specialty coffee’s growth, and the price volatility behind it, create a moment for Pacific exporters
12. PACNEWS BIZ — The Pacific’s biggest export survey yet launches in July
13. PACNEWS IN FOCUS — Tonga’s prime minister on investing in climate adaptation
14. PACNEWS IN FOCUS — Perils of losing our homes
15. PACNEWS IN FOCUS — The Pacific’s export growth, and the finance question behind it
ACP – DIPLOMACY: PACNEWS PACNEWS 3: Tue 30 Jun 2026
OACPS must adapt to global challenges, Secretary General says
BRUSSELS, 30 JUNE 2026 (PACNEWS) — The Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) must strengthen its institutions, improve coordination and focus on implementation as it responds to growing global challenges, Secretary General Moussa Saleh Batraki said as the organisation marked its 51st anniversary.
In a statement marking the anniversary, Batraki said the occasion was an opportunity to reflect on the organisation’s progress since its Golden Jubilee and its continued evolution.
“We mark the 51st anniversary of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States. One year after celebrating our Golden Jubilee, this occasion invites us not only to look back with pride but also to reflect on the steps we have taken since then.
It is a moment to recognise how the OACPS continues to evolve, to renew itself, and to respond to the priorities of its Member States in a changing international environment,” he said.
Batraki said the 11th Summit of OACPS Heads of State and Government in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, had set the direction for the organisation’s next phase.
“This year has been an important one for our Organisation. The 11th Summit of OACPS Heads of State and Government, held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, gave renewed political direction to our common project.
Through the Malabo Declaration, our leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a transformed, revitalised and more effective OACPS, one that is better equipped to deliver concrete results for its peoples,” he said.
He said the organisation has remained united for more than five decades.
“For more than five decades, the OACPS has remained a family of nations united by solidarity, cooperation and a shared belief in the strength of collective action. Across Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific, our Member States have continued to stand together in support of sustainable development, peace, resilience, equity and a fairer place in the global economy,” he explained.
The Secretary General said unity has enabled the organisation to advocate on major issues affecting its members.
“This spirit of unity has always been at the heart of our Organisation. It has allowed us to speak with one voice on issues that matter deeply to our peoples, from climate action and development financing to trade, social justice, digital transformation, and the needs of small island developing states, least developed countries and landlocked developing countries,” he said.
Batraki said the current global environment requires a stronger collective response.
“Today, that unity is needed more than ever. The world around us is changing rapidly. Multilateralism is under pressure, inequalities persist, climate-related disasters are increasingly affecting our countries, and the global development landscape is becoming more complex and uncertain,” he stressed.
He said the OACPS must continue to reform to remain effective.
“In this context, the OACPS must continue to adapt. Renewal is no longer only an aspiration. It is a responsibility. It requires stronger institutions, clearer priorities, better coordination and a greater focus on implementation. It also requires sustained commitment from our Member States, particularly as we work to strengthen the financial sustainability and long-term viability of our Organisation,” he emphasised.
Batraki said the Malabo Declaration provides the framework for the organisation’s future work.
“The Malabo Declaration has given us a clear framework for this next phase. It calls on us to modernise our ways of working, deepen our Member States’ ownership, mobilise resources more effectively, and ensure that our decisions translate into concrete action.
It also reminds us that the OACPS has a vital role as a platform for dialogue, cooperation, and strategic engagement across the Global South,” he said.
Meanwhile, the OACPS Secretariat has launched its inaugural Induction Programme for newly Appointed Ambassadors, reaffirming its commitment to strengthening institutional engagement and supporting Member States in fulfilling their diplomatic mandate within the Organisation.
Held on behalf of Secretary-General Moussa Saleh Batraki, the programme was led by Susan Branker-Greene, Assistant Secretary-General for Policies and Programmes, and Katalaina Sapolu, Assistant Secretary-General for Global Operations.
The induction introduced newly appointed Ambassadors to the work of the organisation including OACPS’ mandate, institutional architecture, strategic priorities and key governance frameworks, while fostering dialogue on the Organisation’s vision for a transformed organisation…. PACNEWS
NEW|CALE – ELECTION/POLITICS: PMN PACNEWS 3: Tue 30 Jun 2026
Final vote count confirms political deadlock in New Caledonia
NOUMEA, 30 JUNE 2026 (PMN) — The French High Commission has released the final certified results of New Caledonia’s provincial elections, confirming a political deadlock that leaves neither side able to govern without support from a small centrist party.
The official figures lock in the make-up of the territory’s 54-seat Congress, which will appoint the next government and play a central role in talks with France over New Caledonia’s future.
While Sunday’s vote confirmed another strong showing for anti-independence parties in the Southern Province, the final numbers reveal a more complicated picture.
The loyalist camp will be the largest political force in Congress with 24 seats. But those seats are split between separate parties rather than a single united bloc.
Analysts say this makes it harder for them to negotiate with one voice or secure enough support to elect a president on their own.
On the other side, pro-independence parties have secured a combined 26 seats after holding onto their strong support in the Northern and Loyalty Islands provinces.
The Kanak and Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS) has been approached for comment on how it views the final result and its priorities heading into crucial talks with France next month on New Caledonia’s political future.
That leaves the four-seat Éveil Océanien (Oceanian Awakening) party in the middle.
With neither camp able to reach the 28 seats needed for an outright majority, the centrist party now holds the deciding votes that could determine who forms the next government and how major political decisions are made.
The official results also provide a clearer picture of voter participation across the territory.
Overall turnout finished at 63.7 percent, down from 66.5 percent at the last provincial election in 2019.
The detailed breakdown shows the biggest falls in turnout came in several rural areas and Kanak-majority communities while participation remained stronger in parts of Noumēa and other loyalist areas.
The vote was the first provincial election since the deadly unrest that swept across New Caledonia in 2024 following proposed changes to the electoral roll.
The publication of the final results this week now closes the electoral phase and shifts attention to the next political challenge.
The newly elected Congress must appoint a government before French and New Caledonian leaders meet in Paris next month for talks on the territory’s long-term political future.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has said all political parties have committed to returning to the negotiating table after the election.
Talks are due to begin in July and aimed at reaching an agreement on New Caledonia’s future political status “before the end of the year”.
With the numbers now officially confirmed, neither the loyalist nor the independence camp can move forward without building alliances and this places the spotlight firmly on Éveil Océanien as negotiations begin.
PMN News has contacted the FLNKS for comment on the official results and what they mean ahead of next month’s talks with France on New Caledonia’s political future. A response had not been received by the time of publication…. PACNEWS
VAN/AUST – VISA: VANUATU DAILY POST PACNEWS 3: Fri 19 Jun 2026
Vanuatu to be reinstated in Australia’s 2026–27 PEV ballot with 150 places
CANBERRA/PORT VILA, 30 JUNE 2026 (VANUATU DAILY POST) — While the Nakamal Agreement, hailed as the start of a “new beginning” elevating Vanuatu–Australia relations, did not deliver the much sought-after visa-free travel status under “Enhanced Mobility” provisions.
The Daily Post has been reliably informed that Australia has assured the Government it will now put Vanuatu back on its Pacific Engagement Visa (PEV) ballot.
The Daily Post was told a total quota of 150 was the agreed figure for Vanuatu.
This allocation is similar to the spaces allotted to Vanuatu in 2024 and 2025, before Australia removed it as an eligible country from the 2026–27 PEV ballot this month without explanation, prior to applications opening on 01 July 2026.
Vanuatu was not considered in the latest Pacific Engagement Visa scheme, which had included 11 other Pacific nations, even extending to Timor-Leste.
Australia’s Department of Home Affairs website confirms registrations for the 2026-27 programme opens Wednesday, 01 July and offers up to 3000 permanent residency places, however Ni-Vanuatu residents are ineligible.
Thousands from Vanuatu have previously applied for Australian residency through the specific visa, though just 150 from the country have been successful in each of its two years.
Nauru has also been left off the list, losing its previous 100 places, however Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands have been added with 100 and 50 places respectively.
Papua New Guinea — in comparison — has gained at least 1350 places for its residents in the scheme, the largest intake from any Pacific nation…. PACNEWS
UN – DIPLOMACY: UN NEWS CENTRE PACNEWS 3: Tue 30 Jun 2026
Middle East conflict leaves developing countries paying the price
NEW YORK, 30 JUNE 2026 (UN NEWS CENTRE) — With another weekend of strikes involving the United States and Iran, renewed diplomatic efforts on Monday have eased immediate fears of escalation, but the economic shockwaves are already taking a heavy toll on some of the world’s poorest countries.
According to the UN Development Programme (UNDP), developing economies are being forced to spend hundreds of billions of dollars shielding households from soaring energy costs, leaving less money for schools, hospitals and climate action.
Their new report, Military Escalation in the Middle East: Cushioning the Global Shock, finds that governments have relied on fossil fuel subsidies, price caps and tax rebates to protect families from higher oil prices triggered by instability in the Middle East.
While these measures provide short-term relief, they come at a steep long-term cost, the agency reports.
UNDP projects global fossil fuel subsidies will climb to US$1.1 trillion in 2026, around US$410 billion higher than in 2025 if oil prices average US$88.60 a barrel. In a more severe scenario, with prices reaching US$110 a barrel, subsidies could rise to US$1.43 trillion.
The report warns that mounting energy costs are squeezing already strained public finances across low and middle-income countries.
“Money that should be building schools, hospitals, and clean energy systems is being used simply to keep economies afloat,” said UNDP Administrator Alexander De Croo.
Many developing countries entered the latest crisis already burdened by rising debt. Nearly half of the world’s poorest countries are either in debt distress or at high risk of it, while interest payments continue to consume a growing share of government budgets.
This year, the median developing economy is expected to spend 9.5 percent of government revenue servicing debt, double the share a decade ago and the highest level in 25 years.
UNDP warns that diverting scarce public funds toward fossil fuel subsidies risks slowing progress toward the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) while locking countries into more carbon-intensive energy systems.
De Croo said developing countries should not have to sacrifice long-term development to respond to a crisis beyond their control.
“No country should have to sacrifice its future development to manage a crisis it did not create,” he said.
He called for easier access to international financing and faster investment in renewable energy, arguing that expanding clean energy would both strengthen energy security and reduce vulnerability to future geopolitical shocks.
“The crisis has made one thing clear,” he said. “Energy security and the energy transition are no longer separate agendas. They are one and the same,” De Croo said…. PACNEWS
PACIFIC – FISHERIES: NZ GOVT PACNEWS 3: Tue 30 Jun 2026
Further New Zealand support for Pacific fisheries
WELLINGTON, 30 JUNE 2026 (NZ GOVT) — New Zealand is backing Pacific nations’ fisheries through increased funding and support to drive innovation and help generate higher returns on tuna, Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Oceans and Fisheries Minister Shane Jones say.
“The Pacific region supplies more than half of the world’s traded tuna. However, the countries in whose waters most tuna are caught do not always get a fair return on that catch,” Peters said.
“Backing the Pacific-based fish processors who link coastal communities to the global marketplace is one way New Zealand can help change that.”
Jones spoke at the opening of the 25th Forum Fisheries Committee Ministerial Meeting at Parliament this evening where he announced a funding boost for the Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA).
“This increased support from New Zealand will help the FFA combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, build capacity across member countries, and ensure the long-term sustainability and integrity of the region’s fisheries resources,” Jones said.
The FFA will also be supported to drive the Pacific Islands Tuna Ventures programme (PITVP) which is focused on “value-add” opportunities for tuna fisheries.
“New Zealand’s funding, science, technical expertise and management know-how can help deliver better returns to Pacific fishers and their families,” Peters said.
“One way to secure the future success of the sector is by helping businesses diversify production to capture higher returns from each tonne of tuna. This is the focus of the New Zealand-supported PITVP.”
The programme has already had success with projects turning previously wasted tuna by-products into pet food, fertiliser and high-value food products.
Pacific fisheries ministers are meeting in Wellington this week for the annual Forum Fisheries Committee Ministerial Meeting and the Regional Fisheries Ministerial Meeting. It is the first time in 18 years New Zealand has hosted these meetings.
Jones, who is chairing the ministerial meeting, says the funding highlights New Zealand’s commitment to the Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) as the key Pacific Island regional fisheries institution.
“As with New Zealand, fisheries provide significant income for many Pacific nations and are critical for their domestic food security.
“Fisheries span many marine boundaries and the tuna range widely, so managing them effectively and keeping their stocks healthy is a regional effort. This is why our support for the FFA is essential and why coming together in these meetings is important,” Jones said…. PACNEWS
SOL/PNG – MINING: SOL GOVT PACNEWS 3: Tue 30 Jun 2026
PM Wale, Marape advance cooperation on mining reform
HONIARA/PORT MORESBY, 30 JUNE 2026 (SOL GOVT) — Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale and Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape held a roundtable with Kumul Minerals Holdings Limited and the Minerals Resource Authority in Port Moresby recently.
The meeting allowed Solomon Islands to learn from PNG’s experience in managing its mining sector.
Prime Minister Wale said managing mineral resources remains a key priority for his government, especially the alluvial gold sector.
The Prime Minister highlighted important reforms his government is undertaking.
He said the reforms aim to bring greater structure, transparency and national benefit to the sector.
This, he said, includes plans for a dedicated export unit and, in the longer term, a national gold refinery.
“This will allow us to refine our own gold, control pricing and retain more value within our economy,” he said.
Prime Minister Wale also stressed the need for trusted partnerships across the full value chain, from extraction to processing and export.
“We want a model where all parties benefit fairly and value is retained within our economy to support national development,” he said.
Prime Minister Marape said PNG has faced major challenges in its mining sector but remains committed to better outcomes for its people.
He said landowners must be at the centre of resource policy and that equity arrangements must be clear and properly structured.
“There is often confusion between taxes, royalties, and equity.
Investors must know upfront what they will pay and what benefits will flow to landowners and the State,” he said.
Both leaders agreed that strong governance, clear laws and effective oversight are essential for the fair and sustainable management of resource wealth.
The meeting ended with an agreement for PNG mining authorities to visit Solomon Islands in the near future…. PACNEWS
PACNEWS BIZ
KIRIBATI – GRANT: ADB PACNEWS BIZ: Tue 30 Jun 2026
ADB approves $11 million grant to boost health services in Kiribati
MANILA, 30 JUNE 2026(ADB) — The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved an US$11 million grant for health initiatives in Kiribati, highlighting the critical role the Asian Development Fund (ADF) plays in supporting the country’s development priorities.
The financing will help complete the construction of the new Betio Hospital under the Climate-Resilient Health Infrastructure and Systems Project.
It will ensure that the new facility can provide modern diagnostic, surgical, and specialist services to communities in South Tarawa and patients traveling from the outer islands.
ADB’s support complements the Government of New Zealand’s financing for the hospital’s initial construction, strengthening the country’s capacity to deliver resilient health services.
“The ADF funding will improve access to resilient and quality health services for more than half of Kiribati’s population by improving health facilities, service delivery, infection control and sexual and reproductive health,” said Regional Director of ADB’s Pacific Subregional Office Azusa Sato.
“We are pleased to partner with the Government of New Zealand in this venture.”
The new, improved Betio Hospital is built on higher ground and further inland, enhancing its resilience to natural hazards and the long-term sustainability of its assets.
The hospital’s energy-efficient design and equipment will contribute to lower operating costs, while its expanded services will improve public health and well-being across Kiribati…. PACNEWS
FIJI – AIRLINE: FBC NEWS PACNEWS BIZ: Tue 30 Jun 2026
Fuel costs strain Fiji Airways operations
SUVA, 30 JUNE 2026 (FBC NEWS) — Fiji Airways is facing growing pressure as global fuel prices continue to drive up operating costs.
The government said support measures are in place but more options are being considered if the situation worsens.
Finance Minister Esrom Immanuel states the airline is dealing with a fuel-driven cost shock.
He said Fiji Airways would eventually face two difficult choices if fuel prices remain high. Those options are to increase airfares or reduce flight services.
He warns that either decision would affect tourism and the wider economy.
Immanuel said Government and industry have agreed on a temporary support package to avoid that outcome.
The package includes a five per cent industry contribution and a planned $200 million (US$100 million) Government guarantee for Fiji Airways.
He said the airline carries the bulk of Fiji’s international visitors and remains critical to the tourism sector.
Permanent Secretary for Finance Shiri Goundar said fuel was the airline’s largest operating cost.
“Given that it is such a critical strategic asset for the country, there’s been a lot of thinking and discussions happening behind the scenes. There’s a lot of other options that’s been discussed.”
Goundar said the support package was designed to keep flights operating while limiting the impact on passengers.
He also explained that the government is also working with the Fiji National Provident Fund and the Fiji Development Bank to strengthen support for the airline.
However, Goundar says officials are already preparing for the possibility that the crisis could continue.
He said Fiji Airways is a strategic national asset and discussions are underway on additional measures if fuel prices remain elevated.
The government says the current support is temporary.
Its priority, according to the PS is to keep Fiji Airways operating, protect tourism and minimise the impact of ongoing global fuel volatility…. PACNEWS
AUST – COFFEE INDUSTRY: PTI AUSTRALIA PACNEWS BIZ: Tue 30 Jun 2026
Roadshow puts PNG coffee on the map for Australian specialty buyers
SYDNEY, 30 JUNE 2026 (PTI AUSTRALIA) — A multi-city roadshow has given Papua New Guinea coffee a stronger introduction to Australian specialty buyers, building on its reputation as one of the freshest origins available to the market.
Held across Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney in May 2026, the programme delivered its first confirmed commercial result, with 70 bags sold at a value of approximately AUD$70,000 (US$48,000). The roadshow’s real significance lies in the relationships it opened up between PNG exporters and Australian buyers who are now engaging with the coffee directly.
PNG sits just four kilometres from Australia at its closest point, with the mainland-to-mainland distance spanning roughly 150 kilometres. That makes it Australia’s largest trading partner in the Pacific and its closest regional neighbour, as well as the Pacific’s primary coffee supplier. Recognition in the Australian specialty market has not kept pace with either of those facts and closing that gap was the explicit purpose behind the roadshow.
The roadshow, organised by Pacific Trade Invest (PTI) Australia in partnership with InterAmerican Coffee, brought together buyers from across the Australian coffee industry — roasters and café owners among them – through a series of curated cupping sessions held in Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney.
Joeri Kalwij of New Guinea Highlands Coffee Exports joined the sessions to speak directly to sourcing, quality and origin practices on the ground in PNG. That combination gave Australian buyers direct access to both the coffee and the person closest to how it’s grown and processed, a level of engagement that’s often missing from more conventional trade formats.
Daniel Vella, General Manager of InterAmerican Coffee Australia, said the roadshow gave buyers a chance to experience firsthand what the company has argued for years: that PNG’s freshness gives it a genuine advantage over competing origins.
“PNG is the freshest possible coffee we can get. Roasters, cafés and consumers all value freshness and vibrancy in the cup, and some origins carry an age risk simply due to distance or seasonality. PNG is nearby and available almost all year round, with a fly-crop on top of the main harvest. Short sea freight, around 10 to 20 days to our east coast, combined with how our partners on the ground manage the coffee before it ships, means PNG is effectively Australia’s local coffee source.”
PTI Australia Trade Commissioner Tim Martin said the roadshow reflected the strength of the relationship between PTI and InterAmerican Coffee in bringing PNG’s offering to Australian buyers.
“PNG is right on our doorstep, and yet most Australian buyers have had very little direct exposure to its coffee as its own origin. This roadshow gave exporters and buyers real time together to taste and talk through the coffee. That kind of engagement is what underpins strong coffee trade over the long term. The sales are a good early sign, but the conversations that are still continuing are what interest us most.”
PNG-grown arabica from highland regions including Wahgi Valley and Kainantu is well regarded for its quality, and roadshows like this one give PNG growers and exporters a genuine opportunity to deepen their connection with the Australian coffee industry. Events of this kind also play an important role in building visibility for PNG coffee in market, helping to challenge preconceived ideas about what PNG coffee is and what it’s capable of.
The response from this roadshow reflects that shift already taking hold, with several buyers who had previously been offered PNG coffee through other channels going on to buy this time. PTI Australia and InterAmerican Coffee see this as the first step rather than the end point, with further conversations from the Melbourne and Sydney legs continuing in the weeks ahead, and further commercial outcomes expected to follow as those relationships develop…. PACNEWS
FIJI – TRAVEL BAN: FIJI TIMES PACNEWS BIZ: Tue 30 Jun 2026
FRC says valid departure ban was in place when taxpayer left Fiji
SUVA, 30 JUNE 2026 (FIJI TIMES) — The Fiji Revenue and Customs Service (FRCS) has maintained that a valid Departure Prohibition Order (DPO) was in force when a taxpayer left Fiji on14 April, despite the individual being served with the order hours before departing the country.
In a statement, FRCS outlined a timeline of events, saying the original DPO was issued on 26 March under Section 31 of the Tax Administration Act 2009 against Company A and transmitted to the Department of Immigration for implementation through the Integrated Border Management System (IBMS).
FRCS said that following further compliance activities and legal review, it prepared and signed a revised set of DPO documents on13 April to administratively transfer the prohibition order from Company A to Company B.
The authority said this involved revoking the original DPO and immediately issuing a new one to ensure the departure prohibition remained “legally valid, active and enforceable” under the correct legal entity.
According to FRCS, the revised DPO documentation was sent to the Department of Immigration at 9.57am on 14 April.
It said Immigration confirmed in writing at 11am that the revised DPO had “been actioned”, with a further confirmation at 11.35am stating that the order relating to Company B had been successfully activated within the immigration system.
FRCS said the taxpayer was personally served with the revised Departure Prohibition Order at approximately 2pm on the same day and acknowledged receipt by signing the notice.
However, despite these actions, the taxpayer departed Fiji at 11.55pm that evening.
“FRCS wishes to reiterate that at all times, according to the documentation issued by FRCS to the Ministry of Immigration, an active DPO was always in place,” the authority said.
FRCS has requested the Department of Immigration to conduct a comprehensive review of the matter, including a full audit trail of actions undertaken within the Integrated Border Management System, to establish the sequence of events and determine how the taxpayer was able to leave Fiji despite the existence of a valid Departure Prohibition Order.
“FRCS remains committed to protecting the integrity of Fiji’s tax system and will continue working closely with the Department of Immigration and other law enforcement agencies to strengthen inter-agency enforcement processes,” the statement said.
The authority added that as the matter remains under active investigation, it would be inappropriate to comment further until the investigation is complete…. PACNEWS
PAC – COFFEE INDUSTRY: PTI AUSTRALIA PACNEWS BIZ: Tue 30 Jun 2026
Specialty coffee’s growth, and the price volatility behind it, create a moment for Pacific exporters
SYDNEY, 30 JUNE 2026 (PTI AUSTRALIA) — Specialty coffee, broadly defined as traceable, high-scoring, single-origin beans, has become a growth engine for the global coffee industry.
The global specialty coffee market is valued at around US$111.5 billion in 2025, with projected growth of roughly 10.8 percent a year through to 2033 – more than double the pace of the broader commodity market.
In mature markets like Australia, the UK, Japan and the US, a growing share of coffee drinkers now actively seek out single-origin beans and are willing to pay for them.
That growth hasn’t been smooth. Arabica futures climbed more than 70 percent through 2024 and briefly topped US$4.40 a pound in February 2025, a record high driven by drought in Brazil and a sustained downturn in Vietnam’s harvest.
Prices have since begun to ease, with 2026 forecasts pointing to a moderate pullback, though levels remain well above 2020–2023 norms. For producers, that’s meant stronger returns where supply has reached the market, alongside buyers paying closer attention to quality and consistency than before. Volatility has rewarded the origins that can offer both, and few origins are better placed to benefit than the Pacific’s.
Papua New Guinea remains the Pacific’s dominant coffee producer by every measure that matters. Coffee is grown almost entirely by smallholder farmers, with as many as 400,000 growers cultivating arabica across the highlands – Eastern Highlands, Western Highlands, Simbu, Jiwaka.
While PNG’s overall volume is modest by global standards, its standing in the specialty trade is long-established and well earned. PNG coffee carries a flavour identity that’s distinct: earthy, full-bodied, often with stone fruit or herbal complexity.
Estates like Sigri and Kongo are long-recognised benchmarks in the specialty trade, and the wider opportunity sits in the highland’s smallholder supply chain, where the quality in the cherry is real and the next step is building consistency in how it reaches the cup.
Beyond PNG, the broader Pacific brings real diversity to the specialty conversation.
Vanuatu produces high-quality arabica that’s found a niche following among specialty buyers. Fiji offers something different again: rather than cultivated plantations, its coffee is largely wild-growing, found by farmers in forested areas and harvested directly – a point of real interest to specialty buyers.
Australian roastery ONA Coffee has recently begun direct sourcing from wild-growing Arabica and Liberica in Fiji’s Ra Province, working with local farmers to build out processing infrastructure, while Fiji’s own South Pacific Coffee Company sources and roasts domestically grown beans for the local market.
The Solomon Islands also has an emerging sector with real promise still ahead of it, while smaller-scale producers elsewhere in the region continue to build the foundations needed to enter the specialty trade in their own right.
What unites these origins is geographic identity and small-farm character – qualities that hold their value regardless of where commodity prices sit. Together, they’re a reminder that the Pacific’s coffee story extends well beyond any single origin, even if recognition in key markets hasn’t always caught up with that diversity.
Australia is the clearest example. As PNG’s largest coffee export market, Australia has long been a major buyer of Pacific coffee, but historically that relationship has run through blending rather than recognition – PNG coffee adding body and consistency to other roasters’ blends, valued by the trade without always being named to the consumer.
As Australia’s specialty scene has matured, there’s a real opening to build on that foundation: Australian drinkers who already buy single-origin Ethiopian or Colombian coffee are equally capable of choosing PNG Highlands or Vanuatu Arabica, given consistent quality and a clear story. Proximity helps here too – for Australian buyers, the Pacific isn’t a distant origin; it’s the near abroad.
Three things make 2026 a particularly relevant moment. Specialty roasters across Australia, Japan and the U.S are actively diversifying their origin portfolios after recent supply shocks exposed the risk of relying too heavily on one or two regions.
Traceability – digital tracking, certification, cooperative data – is becoming standard practice rather than a bonus feature, and producers building that now will be well placed as it does. And current prices, while easing, remain strong enough to fund the kind of investment in processing and quality systems that pays off long after this cycle softens.
None of this requires a single grand move. It’s built through steady investment in processing, consistent quality, and relationships with buyers who value provenance as much as volume – the kind of work Pacific producers and cooperatives are already well placed to do, with the market more ready than ever to meet them there…. PACNEWS
PAC – EXPORT SURVEY: PTI AUSTRALIA PACNEWS BIZ: Tue 30 Jun 2026
The Pacific’s biggest export survey yet launches in July
SYDNEY, 30 JUNE 2026 (PTI AUSTRALIA) — For over a decade, the Pacific Islands Export Survey has stood as the Pacific’s longest-running and most comprehensive measure of private sector sentiment – the principal evidence base through which the region’s exporters communicate their realities to governments, financiers and development partners.
The 2026 edition has just closed its largest response in the series’ history, drawn from across all 16 Forum Island Countries. The scale of engagement reflects the growing standing of the survey as the authoritative barometer of Pacific private sector performance and signals the depth of insight that will be released in full this July.
This year’s findings arrive at a particularly volatile moment for global trade. Shifting trade policy settings out of the United States, ongoing supply chain realignment, and accelerating technological change are reshaping the conditions under which Pacific exporters compete – often more rapidly than policy or investment settings can adjust. Against that backdrop, a longitudinal evidence base of this scale carries particular weight: it allows the region to respond to trend and pattern, rather than to anecdote, at precisely the moment Pacific exporters need a credible, evidence-led case for their place in global markets.
PTI Network Acting General Manager Glynis Miller says the survey’s role extends well beyond measurement.
“This survey is one of the clearest tools we have for understanding what Pacific businesses need to connect meaningfully with global markets, and for identifying where the region’s business enabling environment requires strengthening. The data doesn’t just describe the private sector, it provides insights that can then direct where investment, policy reform and support are best targeted. That’s particularly critical this year, given how quickly global conditions are shifting around our exporters. We see this survey as core to PTI’s role as an advocate for the Pacific private sector on the world stage, and we hope its findings translate directly into a stronger, more resilient operating environment for the businesses we serve.”
PTI Australia Trade Commissioner Tim Martin says the early findings affirm what Pacific exporters have consistently communicated to PTI: “These results tell us that Pacific exporters are not waiting for conditions to improve. They are diversifying their markets, embracing new technologies and finding ways to compete globally. The financing gap remains a serious concern, and one we intend to pursue with partners across the region. But the underlying confidence in this sector is real, and it is backed by the data.”
Early indications point to a private sector adapting with pace – particularly in digital trade and emerging technology adoption – even as access to finance becomes more constrained than at any point recorded by the survey.
For the first time, the series will also be released as a full suite of country- and industry-specific reports. Fiji, PNG, Vanuatu and Tonga will each receive a dedicated country report, alongside a thematic report covering the Micronesian regional bloc, and further thematic reports on Agriculture, Manufacturing and Tourism – reflecting the markets and sectors where response rates were robust enough to support deeper, standalone analysis. It represents the most expansive edition of the survey in its history, and PTI looks forward to extending this level of granular reporting further across the region as participation continues to grow.
That shift is particularly significant this year. As global trade conditions move quickly and unevenly across markets, a single regional figure risks obscuring distinct realities on the ground in specific markets. Country and sector-specific findings provide governments, exporters and decision-makers with sharper, more actionable evidence – strengthening the case for investment, market access and a stronger business enabling environment across the region.
The full Pacific Islands Export Survey 2026 series will be released in late July…. 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
Tonga’s prime minister on investing in climate adaptation
By Atharva Deshmukh
NUKU’LOFA, 30 JUNE 2026 (NETZERO INVESTOR) — Few countries are as vulnerable to climate change as the Kingdom of Tonga.
The Pacific Island nation comprises roughly 170 islands, of which 36 are inhabited by just over 100,000 people. Most of whom, live along the coastlines.
Tonga faces severe near-term risks from rising sea levels, extreme weather and changing rainfall patterns. For Tonga’s communities and infrastructure, the risk of coastal submergence is among the highest in the world.
In response, the government has set out a plan to redesign infrastructure, enhance disaster response and invest in climate resilience. Tonga is, therefore, a country at the forefront of climate adaptation.
In this interview with Net Zero Investor, Tonga’s Prime Minister Lord Fakafanua – elected to office in December 2025 – shares his views on climate resilience and investing in climate adaptation.
Your political journey began at a young age. A member of parliament at 24 years of age. At one point, the youngest speaker in the world. At 40, you are now one of the youngest prime ministers in the world. As a young leader of a Pacific island country, how has climate change shaped your political journey?
Climate change is not a new phenomenon. It’s something I grew up around and has had scientific consensus since the 1980s. Being a small island developing state, we are at the forefront of the effects of climate change. So, it was really a no-brainer for development plans and proposals for the future that we ensure we are still around.
Adapting to climate change and mitigating climate change has rightfully been adopted by Pacific Island countries as our premier security challenge.
Investors often speak about the urgency and necessity of investing in climate adaptation. What does adaptation mean to you and your vision for Tonga?
The response to climate change is two pronged. There’s mitigation and there’s adaptation. Mitigation is where a lot of investment in happening right now.
Adaptation is a lot more difficult. It is about learning to live with the changing climate and new weather conditions. That means we have to build sea walls or relocate people, which are both very expensive. It also means looking at nature-based solutions – replanting mangrove forests or trees – and investing in food technology so that crops are more resilient.
In order to prepare our people for climate change, we also need to have resilient infrastructure. That means relocating to higher locations and having building codes that can weather intense tropical cyclones. That is something our economy is already burdened with heavily given that infrastructure through to 2030 is at a US$1.4bn deficit.
Tonga’s climate change policy lists resilience as a goal to be achieved by 2035. As part of those efforts, what is the significance of the Tonga Sustainable Economic Corridors and Urban Resilience Project which focuses on connectivity and emergency response? [the World Bank has approved US$40m in grant financing for the project. The ADB and the Tongan government are contributing US$80m and US$25m respectively]
It really helps empower the whole theme of resilience through flood, drainage and water supply systems. It sounds boring but these are really the brick-and-mortar foundations of Tonga’s economic empowering.
Part of it is a large investment in a bridge. The bridge will help ensure urban migration is supported. It will cut commute time from town to the airport in half, so it adds efficiency to how much petroleum we’re consuming. The bridge also enables us to evacuate more efficiently in the event of a tsunami.
In terms of investing in climate adaptation, what would you say are the biggest challenges for Tonga and the wider Pacific Islands region?
Part of the challenge we’re facing is to ensure that Tonga has an investment market and an economy conducive for growth. We need to develop our back offices.
We have to have necessary regulations, backstops and investment protections in place. It is also important to recognise that we have a unique land tenure system that protects the rights of the Tongan people. For some investors that might be unwieldly to understand but we do have leases available for investors. You can lease up to 99 years and as an investment vehicle that should be sufficient to alleviate a lot of concerns.
We are speaking at a time when the world is facing its second fossil fuel price shock within the span of a few years. Do you see the energy transition as a way of building energy security for Tonga?
Absolutely. Decarbonising and insulating ourselves from external shocks is part and parcel of our energy ambitions. It’s not only good for the climate, but also for the economy.
From renewable energy, we’ll be able to desalinate water, enable more industries, more tourism, larger hotels, small manufacturing and also data centres. If renewable energy is at a competitive price, AI data centres could be set up in Tonga. In enabling fronter markets and new technologies, we are technology agnostic. As long as we have enough baseload power to substitute diesel generation in Tonga, we can sprinkle our energy mix with renewable energy on top of that.
For institutional investors, adaptation and resilience are becoming immediate concerns. As a leader at the forefront of climate risk, do you have a message for these investors?
Look beyond the obvious. A lot of investors will see Tonga as an exotic and small market. I think you need to look at this from an impact perspective. Whether the investment is at $100m or $500m or a billion, the impact you’re realising at that level is quite high. Our government has been around for five months now and we’re looking to open Tonga up for institutional investment.
If you want to make a difference, Tonga will welcome your investment…. 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
By Cheryl Bera
HONIARA, 30 JUNE 2206 (WANSOLWARA NEWS) — The relocation of the A’ama tribe due to the impact of climate change reflects the perils of losing one’s treasured homes.
In April 2014, after over two weeks of slow-moving tropical depression, that later became Cyclone Ita, Solomon Islands experienced flash flooding across the country and particularly in the capital city Honiara, leaving at least 23 people killed and around 50,000 people affected.
Known to locals as Koa Hill, the A’ama tribe resided along the Mataniko Riverbank and into the sloped hill just a few kilometres from China Town, one of Honiara’s central business districts. Their settlement lacks basic services such as road access or proper drainage system which makes them ill equipped for severe weather conditions.
The community was forced to flee their homes along the river bank during the devastating flash floods in 2014, leaving behind permanent homes and belongings as they escaped to safety to higher grounds. It claimed four lives and destroyed the home of 100 families along river bank that was prone to floods and landslides. They were later relocated to April Valley in 2015.
Their plight is replicative of many communities across the South Pacific island nation that are prone to climate change, making adaptation inevitable in the communities.
In an effort to rehabilitate the victims, the government then led by Gordon Darcy allocated April Valley in East Honiara as the relocation site. The land was surveyed and subdivided into individual plots to be transferred to the affected families.
After 11 years, the 300 people of the A’ama tribe are now settling well into their new homes at April Valley, according to the government, but this process is not executed as planned says local community members.
Anglican priest, Father Seth Oirii who is one of the victims and the very first settlers in April Valley shared his experience on the challenges they faced when moving in, after living in two different evacuation centres.
“Our first challenge here at April Valley is dealing with the surrounding communities who used the land to do their gardening,” he told Wansolwara.
Despite the arguments with the surrounding communities, Fr Oirii and others started building tents as their temporary homes. Water, road access, education, health and sanitation are the major problems. “We are from different ethnic backgrounds so we are settling according to where we come from,” he said.
Joy Mauriota, who is among the very first women settlers, reflected on how water was so hard to find compared to living under a tent. “I looked around and saw a creek nearby, it gave us a bad smell so I started digging the ground to find water”, she said.
The well is used for cooking, washing and swimming while they continue to dig other wells that can be suitable for drinking as there were no other options left for them.
As a mother looking after her children and being a housewife, Blandina Alice explained how she struggled with the access to health services. A hundred dollars is not enough to get to the health clinic at that time and babies and pregnant mothers are the most affected ones.
“Road access is so difficult without a proper road infrastructure and it takes about two hours to get to the main road, building materials and other heavy items had to be carried a long distance,” she said.
A case study on April Valley Relocation Initiative, emphasised that almost a third of the 10.72 hectares of the identified land is sloping. The area has a lower flooding risk than the Mataniko riverside, but lacks any pre-existing infrastructure such as electricity, water and roads, resulting in serious limitations to long term adaptation.
As mentioned in the study, community members confirmed that the land is fertile; however, the lack of urban development will make it vulnerable to disasters such as flooding, soil erosion and waterlogging in rainy seasons.
Chief Michael Fa’abona said “the lower grounds may be suitable for farming but given the lack of a drainage system during the rainy season it collects a pool of water which is not favourable for cropping.”
There is also no financial assistance from the Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Agriculture to support them in their relocation process. While 277 plots of land are allocated to the settlers in April Valley, the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Survey is yet to transfer the lands title. This remains a major concern to the residents.
After the devastating flood 11 years ago, the regional news network Pacific Media Voices (PMV) put a face to loss and damage in the Solomon Islands and visited April Valley recently. PMV was initiated at the 7th Pacific Media Summit in Niue in 2024, to provide news with a Pacific peoples’ perspective to the region and beyond.
The programme was part of a media training programme by the Media Association of Solomon Islands (MASI) facilitated by the Secretariat of the Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) to train the media to understand the climate induced ‘Loss and Damage Reporting’.
Fr Oirii pointed out to visiting journalists that the flash floods not only claimed four lives, destroyed 100 permanent homes, it also swept away belongings worth millions of dollars.
“For two to three years, our children did not attend school because they were traumatised,” he told local newspaper Solomon Star. “After three years, parents slowly started sending their children to Juniper Tree School, which was closer to them.”
He says that families have gradually rebuilt their lives, with many semi-permanent houses now standing in the settlement, and the villagers now have access to Solomon Water Services, unlike in the past when they depended on boreholes.
However, Fr Oiril says one of their major concerns is securing land titles from the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Survey for the plots they currently occupy. 277 plots at April Valley were allocated by the Ministry of Lands to victims displaced by the 2014 flash floods.
Solomon Island’s Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Disaster Management and Meteorology, David Hirisia argues, “this is a national development challenge, a growing economic burden and a human crisis: not just an environmental concern. These stories can transform the statistics into human narratives so that the world understands the dimensions of climate change.”
A Board member of MASI, Ednal Palmer told Wansolwara that there is a need to “amplify and advocate the needs of the re-settlers with clarity and determination moving forward…. PACNEWS
* Cheryl Bera is a journalism student at the University of the South Pacific (USP) in Fiji.
PACNEWS In Focus
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
The Pacific’s export growth, and the finance question behind it
Opinion by Tim Martin, Trade Commissioner, PTI Australia
SYDNEY, 30 JUNE 2026 (PTI AUSTRALIA) —A month ago I was in Suva for the Pacific Islands Forum Trade Officials Meeting, discussing what Pacific businesses need to convert readiness into revenue. A fortnight later, the same conversation continued in Canberra with DFAT and business councils, focused on how Australia engages commercially with the region. Different settings, same reality: engagement only works if there is a capable, capitalised and resilient Pacific private sector ready to partner.
PTI’s 2026 Pacific Islands Export Survey, the largest direct-to-exporter dataset in the region, shows where these businesses already stand. With the full reports due for public release in July, early findings show that almost half of exporters now sell exclusively outside the Pacific, up from 28 per cent two years ago. This is a move that takes deliberate investment – in compliance, in logistics, in meeting quality standards few businesses bother with unless they intend to compete in tougher markets for the long haul. Yet, significant advantages remain untapped on the ground; while 92 per cent of exporters are eligible under regional Free Trade Agreements, only 27 per cent currently utilise them, often due to the sheer cost of compliance. These are Pacific businesses choosing to compete harder, not just trade more.
The survey’s answer to what they need next is clear: capital. Seventy per cent of exporters now describe access to finance as difficult, up from 55 per cent in 2020, the highest level since tracking began in 2014. This stands out in a survey where other constraints, from logistics to marketing capability, have eased since 2024. Pacific businesses are becoming more capable of competing internationally at precisely the moment it appears hardest to fund that growth. The burden falls most heavily on businesses that have outgrown microfinance but can’t yet meet the collateral and documentation requirements mainstream lenders demand – the ‘missing middle’ that development finance has historically struggled to reach.
Much of the gap comes down to a mismatch between mainstream lending models and the realities of Pacific economies. Across much of the region, land is held under customary or communal tenure rather than individual freehold title, which means it often can’t be offered as loan collateral the way a bank expects — a structural barrier that lands hardest on agricultural exporters, many of them exactly the businesses this survey tracks. Layered on top are the more familiar constraints: thin credit histories, limited formal financial statements, and an equity market that’s scarce across the board. The exporter trying to finance a processing facility faces the exact same structural wall as the village fisherman whose consistent cash flow sits hidden inside informal ledgers, leaving them with no financial identity a traditional bank can recognise.
The data above shows it’s far from solved, but the groundwork to fix it is now visibly underway. In Fiji, the Reserve Bank has taken the problem on directly, both through its Pacific Innovation Hub’s work testing digital and diaspora-finance tools, and through the Access to Business Funding Act passed in March 2025, opening new financing pathways for the small businesses traditional lending has long left behind.
The region has spent two decades building microfinance models that work. South Pacific Business Development’s network has disbursed more than 373,000 loans worth over US$352 million to women micro-entrepreneurs across Samoa, Tonga, Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu – evidence that a finance model built around small, repeat lending without traditional collateral can hold up at scale, across very different Pacific markets. What’s needed now is the equivalent for the missing middle: patient capital, structured for businesses that have outgrown that tier but aren’t yet bankable by conventional standards. Extending that model upward is itself a capital question, which is why PTI backed SPBD’s pitch to investors at the Impact Investment Summit Asia Pacific in Sydney this past March.
That’s the role PTI actually plays shaping the pathway from export readiness through to commercial deals. We work alongside Pacific businesses to close that same capital gap in practical terms – building the documentation, track record and operational systems buyers and financiers expect – then work with them to reach investors and buyers, covering the cost of events like the Impact Investment Summit and Fine Food Australia that most couldn’t otherwise afford and connecting our own networks directly to where they’re needed. We sit close enough to both exporters and buyers to have a clear view of what’s commercially viable and focus our support on de-risking early engagement – helping businesses meet market expectations and catalysing private capital where it’s most likely to follow.
Pacific exporters have already made their case. They’re choosing to compete in markets far more competitive than their own backyard, and doing it deliberately, not by accident. This survey is the evidence. What’s still unresolved is whether the work already underway – RBF’s reforms, SPBD’s lending model, and others – get backed with enough capital and pace to close the gap outright, rather than narrowing it by inches each year. The challenge and opportunity now are to match that ambition with capital at scale. If that happens, we should start to see that 70 per cent figure move in the right direction…. PACNEWS
