In this bulletin:
1. PACIFIC — Pacific Islands reject missile test in ‘blue continent’
2. VAN — Vanuatu urged to strengthen defences against rising Pacific drug threat
3. COOKS — Cook Islands welcomes new Permanent residents
4. PNG — PNG-based Fijians register for upcoming election
5. PACIFIC — Pacific gray whales facing ‘catastrophic’ die-off as climate crisis hits food supply
6. VAN — VBTC receives new TV cameras from China
7. PACNEWS BIZ — Tuna Wars: Cracking down on illegal fishing
8. PACNEWS BIZ — PNG gets recognition in fisheries partnership
9. PACNEWS BIZ — Fiji must stop “fooling ourselves” and focus on a planned transition for sugar farmers: PS Finance says
10. PACNEWS BIZ — PNG included among reform leaders
11. PACNEWS BIZ — Fiji labour shortages force businesses to look overseas
12. PACNEWS BIZ — Fiji-Australia business forum set for August
13. PACNEWS IN FOCUS — You’re not anybody’s friend’: In Jude’s line of work, you can be ‘disappeared’
14. PACNEWS DIGEST — ‘Moana’ Creatives on working closely to honour Polynesian Culture and Traditions
PAC – MISSILE TEST: AFP PACNEWS 1: Mon 13 Jul 2026
Pacific Islands reject missile test in ‘blue continent’
SYDNEY, 13 JULY 2026 (AFP)—Pacific Islands denounced China’s ballistic missile test because they say it landed in the heart of their shared “blue continent”, politicians and analysts told AFP.
Even Pacific nations indebted to Beijing joined criticism of 06 July’s submarine-launched ballistic missile test, which reached far into the Pacific Ocean.
The term “blue continent” is used by Pacific Islands to describe a joint home and shared stewardship of the ocean.
The nuclear-capable missile fitted with a dummy warhead landed somewhere between Nauru, Tuvalu and the Solomon Islands, according to monitors and Pacific officials.
The reported landing spot lies amid the Pacific islands, but in one of the few patches between them that is not part of an exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
China said the missile test “was not directed at any country” and breached no international law.
But Palau President Surangel Whipps, who will host an annual meeting of Pacific leaders in August, said the missile landed “right between our EEZs”.
“We have missiles going right into the heart of the Pacific, unannounced,” he said in an interview with AFP.
China’s Pacific envoy had days earlier met with the Pacific Islands Forum, after Beijing donated US$1 million to the regional bloc, but made no mention of a looming test.
The forum’s 18 members see themselves as custodians of 20 percent of the earth’s surface, jointly managing fisheries and fighting climate change within combined EEZs spanning 25 million sq km.
The missile appeared to have landed in a “narrow corridor of international waters” between the surrounding islands’ EEZs, said the director of the Pacific Islands programme at the Lowy Institute, Oliver Nobetau.
“It begs the question, why couldn’t it have been tested to the north of the Pacific Ocean, where there is an expanse of international waters?” he said.
A dozen Pacific countries have protested against the missile test, including small nations that borrowed from China for their infrastructure, and its closest Pacific security partner, the Solomon Islands.
International maritime law expert Donald Rothwell said that while vast EEZs give island states control over ocean resources and coast guard patrols, they do not prohibit missile tests.
Ruth Cross Kwansing, a government minister in Kiribati, said the concept of a “Blue Pacific continent” is fundamental to the region, and is driving the indignation.
“What happens in any part of this ocean vibrates through all of us,” she told AFP.
“You have to shift your perspective from a map of dispersed and isolated islands to one where the ocean itself is the living fabric that binds us all together,” she said.
“Our seas are not an empty void or a buffer zone between global powers – they are our estate, our livelihood, and our identity as stewards of the sea.”
Anna Naupa, a Pacific security expert at the Australian National University, said despite colonial history fragmenting the map, the idea of a contiguous Pacific continent had re-emerged as island states amplified their collective voice on climate change.
“The Pacific upset is consistent with defending the Ocean of Peace principles,” Naupa said, referring to a declaration made by leaders in 2025 that the region stay free of nuclear weapons testing.
The short notice of the test China gave only a handful of countries was seen as disrespectful, she added.
Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape said on 06 July it should be the “last such missile test conducted in Pacific waters”, a message extended not only to China, but also to all military powers.
The United States conducted 67 nuclear detonations between 1946 and 1958 in the Marshall Islands, and continues to conduct ballistic missile tests there under a defence compact.
The Marshall Islands’ President Hilda Heine cited the weight of these historical nuclear scars in criticising China’s missile.
France and Britain also conducted Pacific nuclear tests prior to 1996.
All missile testing in the region, including China’s, will be discussed at August’s Pacific leaders meeting, said Kiribati’s Kwansing.
Many Pacific islands are “still haunted by the legacy of World War II fought in the region, as well as the long-term effects of nuclear testing”, said Nobetau.
“What strikes the fear in Pacific leaders is that it’s a clear demonstration of the reach of Chinese capabilities, but also a preview to what kinetic warfare would look like,” he said. ….PACNEWS
VAN – DRUGS FIGHT: VANUATU DAILY POST PACNEWS 1: Mon 13 Jul 2026
Vanuatu urged to strengthen defences against rising Pacific drug threat
PORT VILA, 13 JULY 2026 (VANUATU DAILY POST)—A researcher from the Australian National University (ANU) has warned that while Vanuatu is not currently a major hub for Pacific drug trafficking, the country is becoming increasingly exposed to the growing reach of transnational organised crime networks operating across the region.
Henrietta McNeill-Stowers from the Department of Pacific Affairs at ANU said criminal groups are adapting their methods and using increasingly sophisticated ways to move illicit drugs through Pacific waters, including fishing vessels, private yachts and semi-submersible vessels known as “narco-subs”.
She said the seizure of 1.6 tonnes of cocaine at Havannah Harbour earlier this year highlights the growing vulnerability of Pacific island countries to international drug trafficking routes.
Speaking on regional security challenges at the inaugural National Security Summit last week, McNeill-Stowers said the Pacific’s vast maritime space makes it difficult for authorities alone to monitor and prevent illegal activities, requiring stronger cooperation between governments, law enforcement agencies and communities.
She said local communities have an important role in identifying and reporting suspicious activities, as fishermen, village leaders and community police are often the first to notice unusual movements at sea or within communities.
McNeill-Stowers warned that criminal networks are also using local people by leaving drugs behind as payment for assistance, creating risks of increased drug availability, addiction and the development of local markets in Pacific communities.
She called for greater regional intelligence sharing, stronger legal frameworks and increased investment in public awareness, education, rehabilitation and treatment programmes to address both the supply and demand sides of the drug problem.
The researcher said tackling the issue requires a coordinated Pacific-wide response, as organised crime groups do not operate within national borders and continue to exploit gaps between countries’ enforcement systems.
McNeill-Stowers is a Research Fellow specialising in Pacific Security, Geopolitics and Regionalism at the Department of Pacific Affairs, ANU.
Her research focuses on regional security issues across the Pacific, including the links between security and migration, transnational crime, criminal deportations, border management, citizenship and regional security cooperation….PACNEWS
COOKS – DIPLOMACY: COOK ISLANDS GOVT PACNEWS 1: Mon 13 Jul 2026
Cook Islands welcomes new Permanent residents
RAROTONGA, 13 JULY 2026 (COOK ISLANDS GOVT) —A spirit of celebration, gratitude and belonging filled the Are Karioi Nui National Auditorium Friday as the Cook Islands officially welcomed 236 new Permanent residents during a ceremony held in Rarotonga and hosted by Te Kauono Tutara e te Mana Tiaki, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration.
Surrounded by family and friends, the recipients were formally recognised for their contributions to the Cook Islands and their commitment to making this country their permanent home. Many of the recipients have lived, worked, raised families and made valuable contributions to Cook Islands communities over many years.
In his welcome remarks, Vaine Mokoroa, who represented the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration, welcomed recipients and acknowledged the journeys that had brought them to the Cook Islands.
“Whatever your story, each one of you made a choice. You chose our islands, our people, and our way of life. You have contributed your skills, your energy, and your hearts to our communities, in our workplaces, our churches, our schools and our villages. Permanent Residence is our country’s way of recognising that choice and of saying that you belong here.”
“Today, we also acknowledged two outstanding individuals whose voluntary contributions have helped preserve an important part of the Cook Islands military history. In recognition of their efforts to honour and preserve the legacy of Cook Islands veterans, Catherine Walker and Paul Morrissey were awarded honorary permanent residence of the Cook Islands”.
Following their keynote address, they were presented with their certificates Sir Tom Marsters King’s Representative, in recognition of their dedication, passion and service.
Catherine and Paul have ensured that the stories of many Cook Islands veterans are not forgotten. Their work has strengthened our connection to the past and helped preserve an important part of our national heritage for future generations.
The recipients collectively recited the Oath of Allegiance before Sir Tom Marsters King’s Representative, and were then invited individually to receive their Permanent Resident certificates from Vaine Mokoroa, Minister of Justice, Education, Youth and Sport.
On behalf of the Government and people of the Cook Islands, Vaine Mokoroa congratulated all recipients and their families on achieving this significant milestone and warmly welcomed them into the Cook Islands family.
A total of 236 Permanent Resident certificates were awarded during Friday’s ceremony.
The recipients were made up of nationals from Australia (10), Chile (1), Fiji (57), France (2), Germany (2), Indonesia (2), Italy (1), Nauru (1), New Zealand (71), Philippines (64), Samoa (5), Solomon Islands (4), South Africa (4), Switzerland (2), Tonga (2), Tuvalu (1), United Kingdom (4), United States of America (1), and Vanuatu (2)…..PACNEWS
PNG – ELECTION/POLITICS: THE NATIONAL PACNEWS 1: Mon 13 Jul 2026
PNG-based Fijians register for upcoming election
PORT MORESBY, 13 JULY 2026 (THE NATIONAL) —Fiji citizens living in Papua New Guinea are being registered and issued Voter ID cards immediately in preparation for the nation’s general election scheduled for later this year.
A team from the Fiji Elections Office in Suva was in Port Moresby for one week to register voters and issue the IDs at the same time.
High Commissioner Jackson Evans said the voter registration drive “will ensure that all Fijians are registered to vote in the next election, empowering them to exercise their democratic rights and choose a government for the future”.
Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said recently that the general election should be held between 24 December 2026, and the first week of February next year – unless Parliament legislated a delay or the Government called an earlier poll under constitutional provisions.
Meanwhile, the Papua New Guinea Civil and Identity Registry was recently challenged to improve its registration of persons under the National Identification (NID) project.
Administrative Services Minister Richard Masere said that only 40 percent of the country’s population had been registered to date.
Masere said that with at least K700 million allocated to the project’s implementation in 2014, the registry must deliver tangible results for the people.
“The PNG Civil and Identity Registry must improve its performance,” he said.
Masere directed the newly-appointed acting registrar-general Leslie Simon to ensure improvements in performance and service.
Simon announced a 100-day plan to shift the NID project from a manual system to a digital platform…PACNEWS
PAC – WHALES: THE GUARDIAN PACNEWS 1: Mon 13 Jul 2026
Pacific gray whales facing ‘catastrophic’ die-off as climate crisis hits food supply
HONOLULU, 13 JULY 2026 (THE GUARDIAN) —Climate change is driving a gray whale “catastrophic mortality event” in the Pacific Ocean as melting sea ice depletes food sources and the animals starve, environmental groups warn.
Meanwhile, a range of other issues, like ship strikes, oil spills, microplastic pollution, algal blooms and Russian harvesting are also probably contributing to the die-off that has nearly halved the whales’ estimated population. It fell from 20,000 in 2019 to fewer than 13,000 this year, and the deaths appear to be accelerating.
Environmental groups have petitioned the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) to relist the gray whale under the Endangered Species Act (ESA), which would alleviate some problems, but its approval is a long shot as the Trump administration moves to gut wildlife protections.
The whales are in “very, very serious trouble”, said Rick Steiner, an Alaska marine ecologist and chair of Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility’s (Peer’s) board of directors.
“The stranding numbers last year and this year are enormous compared to their annual average,” Steiner said. “Stranding” is the term for whales that wash up onshore.
The gray whales, which travel from Baja California to Alaska to feed each year, came close to extinction in the 1970s, but rebounded following robust conservation efforts. They were delisted from the ESA in 1994, which Steiner called a “colossal mistake”.
The estimates are most dire for 2025 and 2026 – somewhere from 2,500 to 8,000 whales are estimated to have died in this timeframe, which meets the criteria for a “catastrophic mortality event”.
Determining an exact number is difficult because marine biologists can only count the whales that are stranded. The average annual number of gray whale strandings from 2006 to 2023 was 43, but rose to 179 in 2025. Through the first half of this year, 146 whale carcasses have been directly counted.
Scientific literature estimates the ratio between unobserved, or sunk, mortalities offshore and observed mortalities onshore for gray whales is between 7-to-1 and 25-to-1.
The whales that wash up are emaciated, Steiner said, and the scientific consensus is that they are starving due to a loss of access to food sources that is driven by the dramatic reduction in sea ice around Alaska due to climate change.
While the whales have been resilient in the past, evidence points to a dire situation, said David Weller, a Noaa marine biologist, in an agency release.
“The environment may now be changing at a pace or in ways that is testing the time-honored ability of the population to rapidly rebound while it adjusts to a new ecological regime,” Weller said.
Some of the stranded cetaceans show signs of being struck by ships and their propellers, and Indigenous populations in Russia hunt the whales, killing up to 40 annually. The groups claim the hunt is for subsistence, but the whale meat is actually fed to livestock, Steiner said.
Also, the Trump administration is increasing oil drilling in the region, which creates more pollution and threats.
State and federal governments can act, Steiner said. A Noaa response to the petition to relist the gray whales under the ESA is due in about a month, and, if the Trump administration ignores it, or rejects the request, then Peer will sue, Steiner said. The second Trump administration has so far not listed an animal on the endangered or threatened list, and it has taken unprecedented steps to try to dismantle the ESA.
Steiner said the science was so clear on the issue, and the whales were “immensely” popular in the US west, so he is hopeful that the gray whale will be the administration’s first listing.
“The gray whales are in dire straits, so hopefully they see that and this can be the first one they list,” Steiner said.
California has ship speed reduction zones in areas known to have higher gray whale concentrations, and, though the program is voluntary, many ships do reduce their speed, and some station spotters to look out for whales, Steiner said. Those have reduced whale ship strike deaths in the region by about 50%.
Oregon, Washington and Alaska have not implemented similar programs because of shipping industry opposition, Steiner said, but advocates are pushing for action.
“If you lose thousands of whales in two years – that should concern everyone,” Steiner said.
VAN – MEDIA: VBTC PACNEWS 1: Mon 13 Jul 2026
VBTC receives new TV cameras from China
PORT VILA, 13 JULY 2026 (VBTC)—China has continued its support for Vanuatu’s media sector with the donation of three television cameras to the Vanuatu Broadcasting and Television Corporation (VBTC).
Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Vanuatu, Li Minggang, said the donation was an important implementation of the outcomes of then Prime Minister Charlot Salwai’s visit to China in 2024.
During that visit, China Media Group (CMG) and VBTC signed a Memorandum of Cooperation, reaffirming their shared commitment to expanding collaboration between the two media organisations.
To implement the Memorandum, CMG procured a batch of high-quality camera equipment in China at the request of the Vanuatu side.
“It is a pleasure to see the equipment has now arrived and is being officially handed over today,” Ambassador Li said.
He said that over the past 44 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China has developed its relationship with Vanuatu based on mutual respect, equality, friendship and win-win cooperation.
Ambassador Li said that as good friends, good partners and good brothers, China and Vanuatu have continued to deepen their friendly cooperation, setting an example of mutual respect, solidarity and cooperation among developing countries.
“Media cooperation has long been an important part of our bilateral relationship, helping strengthen mutual understanding between our peoples and promote cultural and people-to-people exchanges. China has provided numerous training and exchange opportunities for Vanuatu media professionals, including those from VBTC, to support local media capacity building,” he said.
He said Vanuatu media organisations have maintained the principles of fairness, independence and objectivity by reporting facts responsibly, addressing misinformation and helping the public gain a better understanding of issues.
Li said China was encouraged by the relationship between the two countries and believed the friendship between Vanuatu and China would continue to grow through practical cooperation.
He said professional reporting by media organisations has played an important role in helping people in Vanuatu better understand China, adding that this provides confidence in the future development of bilateral relations between the two countries…PACNEWS
PACNEWS BIZ
PAC – TUNA INDUSTRY: SBS PACNEWS BIZ: Mon 13 Jul 2026
Tuna Wars: Cracking down on illegal fishing
HONIARA, 13 JULY 2026 (SBS)—It’s all systems go at the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency in Solomon Islands.
Around a long table, fisheries, maritime and law enforcement personnel from 10 Pacific countries – including support from Australia, New Zealand, France and the .US- have congregated to protect the lifeblood of this region.
This is Allan Rahari, the Interim Deputy Director General of the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency and the Director of Fisheries Operations.
“The tuna fisheries in the region is a backbone to a lot of our Pacific Island countries. In fact, for some of our Pacific Island countries, tuna revenue generated from the tuna is the only economic return for them to support schools and hospitals.”
In a bid to stop overfishing – the Forum Fisheries Agency coordinates multiple sting operations annually.
This Operation is titled Tui Moana.
Commander Khan Beaumont is an officer in the Royal Australian Navy serving as a Surveillance Operations Officer with the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency in Solomon Islands.
“What we try and look for is vessels that are operating outside the normal fishing patterns who are trying to disguise who they are … There’s also activities where it happens with the registered fleet whereby they misreport their catch. So we match up catch and log declared logs when they come offshore to see if there’s any discrepancies. And we also pay very particular attention to transshipments on the high seas.”
This Operation casts a wide net – providing information to island nations about activity in their Exclusive Economic Zones – areas of the Pacific in which marine resources are managed by sovereign entities.
“Some countries have catch limits. Other countries it’s just per license. One member state, you pay a set license fee and you can catch as much fish as you want. The tuna fishery alone is worth 1.5 billion US to our membership and of course the fishery of that value obviously attracts nefarious actors. Approximately 300 million US disappears in illegal activity each year.”
Some operators changing out the vessel’s flag to evade regulations or obscure ownership.
“Quite often you’ll see vessels will jump flags to flags that have weak enforcement of national law because it’s only the flag state of the vessel that can ultimately hold that vessel to account.”
Satellite monitoring is a major tool used to help identify illegal operators.
Squadron leader Ashley Wilson is the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s Forum Fisheries Agency planning and liaison officer.
ASH: “The Pacific Ocean is massive, 30 and a half million square kilometers. So without space-based technology, it would be like trying to find a needle in haystack.
So we’re seeing the big picture, where the concentration of fishing effort is going. To be licensed to fish they are using vessel monitoring systems to transmit.The satellite surveillance then allows us to see who’s not transmitting. What vessels can we see out on the water that are dark effectively. So those are the ones that we really focus on.”
REPORTER: “Are you seeing any patterns in illegal fishing?”
ASH: “Fishers may fish within an economic exclusion zone, within a country’s boundaries, and then we see them migrate out to these high seas pocket areas to transship their catch and that becomes an indicator to us of uneconomic behavior. They don’t sit within an exclusion zone of any particular country, governance in those areas is weaker and that’s where the unauthorized, unregulated catch is lost.”
This information is then sent to the tarmac, where two aircraft owned by the Fisheries Forum Agency are rearing to be deployed.
Steve Masika is the aerial surveillance planning officer for the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency.
STEVE: “Aerial surveillance, I see that as a force multiplier. You have surface assets that are out there, they have limited range. There are specific areas in the Pacific, where more illegal fishing is happening and that is bordering with Indonesia, Philippines and that area and some boats, no markings at all. They are flying no flags, no call sign, we could really say it’s a stateless boat.
REPORTER: What red flags are you looking out for?
STEVE: “That ‘s a big one. Compliance issues with markings on boats, sometimes we see by-catch. Say for example, we’re flying over a boat, have a shot on the deck and we see shark fins drying on deck. It could be a perfectly legal thing that they’re doing, but there are rules around harvesting of sharks.”
As part of Operation Tui Moana, Australian defence force personnel were also stationed in Cook Islands and Tonga, providing patrol boats and also Spartan aircraft to assist with conducting surveillance.
This is Bryce Geoghegan, Flight Lieutenant for the Australian Defence Force.
“It’s about building those relationships with our partner nations in the Pacific. And just ensuring that we can assist with stability and providing that extra reach. It seems to be working as great deterrence.”
Operation Tui Moana concluded at the end of May,
Successfully identifying four vessels of interest, resulting in two apprehensions linked to suspected fisheries-related offences…..PACNEWS
PNG – FISHERIES: THE NATIONAL PACNEWS BIZ: Mon 13 Jul 2026
PNG gets recognition in fisheries partnership
PORT MORESBY, 13 JULY 2026 (THE NATIONAL) —The Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) value its partnership with Papua New Guinea in the sustainable management and economic development of the Pacific’s tuna resources.
PNA chief executive officer Dr Saangalofa Clark, who recently paid a courtesy call on National Fisheries Authority managing director Justin Ilakini, said: “Papua New Guinea has been a steadfast partner and leader in the PNA.
“Our collaboration continues to demonstrate what Pacific solidarity can achieve in protecting our tuna resources while delivering greater economic benefits for our people.”
The meeting provided an opportunity for both leaders to reflect on their collaboration and to reaffirm their shared commitment to the sustainable management and economic development of the Pacific’s tuna resources.
Clark acknowledged PNG’s leadership in the PNA in driving regional fisheries initiatives, strengthening cooperation among member countries, and promoting sustainable fisheries management.
Ilakini said the partnership had been instrumental in advancing sustainable fisheries management and securing greater value from tuna resources.
He acknowledged achievements under her tenure, including progress on the East New Britain initiative, regional economic assessments, the continued success of the vessel day scheme, and commercial initiatives that have enhanced the value of Pacific tuna resources for PNA member countries…PACNEWS
FIJI – SUGAr INDUSTRY: FIJI TIMES PACNEWS BIZ: Mon 13 Jul 2026
Fiji must stop “fooling ourselves” and focus on a planned transition for sugar farmers: PS Finance says
NADI, 13 JULY 2026 (FIJI TIMES) —The Permanent Secretary for Finance, Shiri Gounder, has warned that Fiji should stop believing the sugar industry can be restored to its former glory, saying it could cost taxpayers more than $1 billion (US$500 million) with little prospect of success.
Speaking at the Dialogue Fiji National Budget Forum in Nadi, Gounder said the country needed to have an honest conversation about the industry’s future and the continued use of public funds to keep it afloat.
“We should stop fooling ourselves about reviving this industry because we can’t. It’s going to cost a billion dollars if we try, and if we realise after spending a billion dollars that we can’t revive the industry, it’s taxpayer money down the drain,” he said.
Gounder said, as the custodian of taxpayer funds, the Ministry of Finance had a responsibility to assess whether continued investment in the sugar industry represented the best use of public money.
“I know this is a very, very sensitive issue, and I’ll need to very carefully choose my words. But as the Permanent Secretary for Finance, leading a ministry that is the custodian of taxpayer funds, I think it’s time for us to rethink the sugar industry.”
He said the financial realities facing cane farmers also needed to be acknowledged, arguing that many growers were producing such low volumes that the returns were no longer attractive.
“Nobody is interested and should not be interested in sugar farming because there’s no returns. I think we need a frank discussion on this.”
His comments came in response to remarks by Fiji Sugar Corporation Chief Executive Officer Bhan Singh, who said the corporation was considering major operational restructuring, including the possibility of replacing Viti Levu’s two existing sugar mills with a single new mill.
Gounder questioned how such a project could be funded, given FSC’s financial position.
“We are running an insolvent FSC, which has taken significant amounts of taxpayers’ money in the form of debt guarantees.”
He said Government had already written off $200 million(US$100 million) in FSC debt and continued to repay other loans on the corporation’s behalf, including borrowings from the Exim Bank of India and the Fiji National Provident Fund after FSC defaulted.
“Should we build a new mill? Where’s the money to build the new mill? FSC, if it’s an insolvent entity, does not have the money to build the mill. Should the taxpayers put in more money to build the mill for an industry that’s dying a natural death? I don’t think so.”
While acknowledging the industry’s historical importance and the livelihoods it continues to support, Gounder stressed that Government could not ignore competing priorities.
He said around $100 million (US$50 million) is already allocated each year to support cane prices, in addition to other subsidies provided to the industry.
“When we are allocating funds, we have to decide how much should we provide for the sugar industry, how much should we provide for yaqona, how much should we provide for dalo. We need to put that money into cocoa.”
Gounder said billions of dollars that could be required to revive the sugar industry would instead be needed to improve hospitals, roads, drainage systems and wastewater infrastructure.
“What do we need that billions for? To fix our hospitals, our roads, our wastewater infrastructure, our drainage and every other thing.”
He said the greatest concern should be for cane farmers themselves, many of whom had been given unrealistic expectations about the industry’s future.
“I feel really sorry for the farmers because of the false hopes and false promises that have been given. Unfortunately, they are the ones struggling today because of these false hopes and false promises.”
Gounder said the best path forward was a carefully managed transition that would help farmers diversify into more profitable agricultural activities while gradually reducing dependence on sugar.
“In the interest of the farmers, we need a planned intervention, which means we need to diversify and, at some point in time, exit the industry,” he said…. PACNEWS
PNG – REFORM: THE NATIONAL PACNEWS BIZ: Mon 13 Jul 2026
PNG included among reform leaders
PORT MORESBY, 13 JULY 2026 (THE NATIONAL) —Papua New Guinea has been included in the Pacific’s reform leaders in foreign investment, following amendments to the Investment Promotion Act in 2023, according to the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
ADB consultant Jarrod Harrington told the PNG business regulators summit on Wednesday in Lae that the reforms moved PNG to a system for approving foreign enterprise certificates.
“With the changes in 2023, PNG did join this group with some very substantive reforms to the way that it assesses incoming foreign direct investment,” he said.
Harrington said that in PNG, a corporation needed a foreign enterprise certificate (FEC) if it had more than 50 percent foreign ownership.
The 2023 Act also introduced “reserved” and “restricted” activities.
Reserved activities are excluded from foreign investment and applications are automatically rejected.
Restricted activities allow foreign investment if minimum terms are met, but none exists yet.
He added that under the new system, approval could be expected if an applicant provided the required biographic, character and activity information.
It replaces the older system where regulators made subjective decisions on whether investment was in the interest of this country.
Harrington compared PNG to Fiji, the Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu, stating that Fiji went further in 2021 by removing FECs entirely….PACNEWS
FIJI – BUSINESS: FIJI SUN PACNEWS BIZ: Mon 13 Jul 2026
Fiji labour shortages force businesses to look overseas
SUVA, 13 JULY 2026 (FIJI SUN) —Businesses in Fiji are struggling to find skilled workers and are being forced to import foreign labour.
This was highlighted by Fiji Australia Business Council (FABC) President Himen Chandra during the council’s Joint Business Forum media launch on Friday.
Chandra said workforce shortages remained one of the most serious problems facing the private sector.
“One of the serious issues at the moment is labour mobility and workforce,” he said.
“We as businesses face a lot of issues in terms of employing the right skills and in terms of getting the right people in the right job.”
He said many businesses had turned to importing foreign workers to fill the gap, but this had proven difficult.
“That has been a hurdle. So we are working with the ministry in terms of ensuring how we can ease in terms of the supply chain,” Chandra said.
He said capacity building and training locals for the global workforce would also be discussed during the forum, with academics expected to join the conversation.
Executive member Glenis Yee, from Munro Leys, said the council was already working with the Australian High Commission on the issue.
“We’re working with the Australian High Commission to address this issue. So we’re looking at digital innovation, future skills, what we can do to prepare our workforce,” Ms Yee said.
She encouraged businesses to attend the forum, to be held at the Grand Pacific Hotel from August 27 to 29, to take part in the discussion….PACNEWS
FIJI – BUSINESS FORUM: FIJI SUN PACNEWS BIZ: Mon 13 Jul 2026
Fiji-Australia business forum set for August
SUVA, 13 JULY 2026 (FIJI SUN) —Business leaders, investors and government representatives from Fiji, Australia and the wider Pacific can now register for the 2026 Fiji-Australia and Australia-Fiji Business Councils Joint Business Forum, to be held at the Grand Pacific Hotel in Suva from 27 to 29 August.
The Fiji Australia Business Council (FABC) launched the event at the ADB Boardroom, FHL Tower, Suva, under the theme “Strategy for a Shifting Landscape.”
FABC President Himen Chandra said the forum, held every two years alternating between Fiji and Australia, would look at opportunities linked to the elevated Fiji-Australia Vuvale Union.
“With the relationship between Australia and Fiji, I think this is probably at its peak,” Chandra said, referring to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit to Suva earlier last week.
FABC vice president Saud Minam, from the Asian Development Bank, said about 50 businesses had already registered since the campaign began a few days ago.
“We still got about a month, month and a half to go, which basically means that we are expecting a massive crowd,” Minam said.
He said 90 percent of speakers, both local and international, had been confirmed, with the full programme to be released closer to the event.
The forum will also spotlight business opportunities tied to the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“Brisbane is our backyard,” said executive member Glenis Yee, from Munro Leys.
“There will be a lot of world attention on Australia and the Olympics, so it is something that Fiji could piggyback on.”
Chandra said a dedicated forum segment would explore Olympic-linked opportunities for the private sector.
The forum runs from an opening dinner on 27 August to a half-day closing session on 29 August …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
You’re not anybody’s friend’: In Jude’s line of work, you can be ‘disappeared’
The Pacific tuna fishery supplies more than half of the world’s catch. But its abundance has made it a target for illegal fishing.
By Jennifer Scherer, Ronald Toito’ona.
HONIARA, 13 JULY 2026 (SBS)—Former fisheries observer Jude Piruku loves the expansive feeling of staring out at the limitless blue of the Pacific Ocean.
For 10 years, he was stationed aboard commercial fishing vessels, weathering salty air and harsh conditions to capture scientific data, monitor catch and ensure compliance with licensing agreements.
“You’ve got a lot of time on your hands to think, and imagine, and look at the endless horizon,” Piruku tells SBS News.
“You get to travel a lot, see different places, meet different people.
“Regardless of being an observer, once you step on board the vessel, you’re a fisherman … because all the risk that is exposed to a fisherman is also exposed to you.”
In the Pacific, purse seine vessels — which use a large net to trap schools of fish species, such as skipjack and yellowfin tuna — dominate the commercial fishing industry. Most Pacific nations require these vessels to have 100 percent observer coverage, while longline vessels, which deploy kilometres of baited hooks, have lower requirements and rely on other methods like electronic monitoring.
Being an observer is considered a dangerous job — logging and verifying catch volume as well as reporting breaches at sea can at times conflict with the commercial interests of the crew.
For this reason, the sense of freedom Piruku feels while on the open seas also comes with waves of vulnerability and isolation.
“Onboard a vessel, as an observer, you are the eyes and ears of a country and you’re not anybody’s friend. You’re seen as an outsider,” he says.
“On one of my trips on a Chinese longliner, I was obstructed from doing my job by the captain and it was reported.
“Compliance incidents that I’ve reported include fishing off a FAD [fish aggregating device], a purse seine vessel setting on whales associated with fish schools [and] shark finning.”
A fish aggregating device (FAD) is a floating object designed to act as an artificial reef, enticing small baitfish that then attract larger, high-value fish stocks. There are strict commercial fishing regulations in the Pacific that govern FAD fishing, including closure periods and logbook reporting requirements.
Piruku has worked on both vessel types and describes the position observers hold among crew as, at times, precarious.
I had the fear of getting thrown overboard, the fear of getting murdered, the fear of the boat sinking.
“Anything can happen to you while you are at sea, so I think once you get to know the crew, after a few weeks, that fear settles down.”
Piruku left his role as an observer in 2019: the long stints at sea left him wanting to spend more time with his young family. SBS News approached multiple current observers to speak about their experiences aboard commercial fishing vessels, but many were afraid to speak publicly due to fear of retribution.
This investigation uncovers what’s fuelling that fear — a spate of disturbing fatalities and disappearances at sea.
At least 14 observers ‘disappeared’
According to the Association for Professional Observers, since 2015, at least 14 fisheries observers have gone missing or died at sea — some under what human rights groups identify as suspicious circumstances.
One of those is the case of I-Kiribati observer, Eritara Aati Kaierua, who died aboard a Taiwanese-flagged vessel, the Win Far 636, in 2020.
In his final email to his wife and children, he tells them: “Fish is a little scarce, or maybe this location is not fertile. We are now fishing in Papua New Guinea, and we are still here.”
Just two weeks later, he was found dead in his cabin.
United Kingdom-based NGO Human Rights at Sea launched an independent case review into the investigation in 2021, which reported that Kaierua had disclosed to his sister at other stages of his career that he had felt threatened, and had been offered a bribe on a different vessel.
“The first coroner who actually saw the body had highlighted in the official and publicly available reports that Eritara died from a blunt force trauma to the head,” David Hammond, former UK military seafarer, English barrister and Human Rights at Sea founder, tells SBS News.
The NGO concludes the investigation into Kaierua’s death was flawed from the beginning, raising several questions, including why the original murder investigation opened by Kiribati authorities was rolled back, why the vessel was released from detention when it still constituted a crime scene, and why some evidence, such as food containers, wasn’t preserved for forensic testing.
Hammond says there were subsequent instructions from Kiribati authorities and the company that owned the vessel to conduct another review.
“That second, and in fact, the third review from independent coroners, which did it remotely, did not see the body, changed the findings to death by natural causes,” he says.
“Eritara was 40 at the time and … was fit to do his work, had been signed off to do his work and was an experienced seafarer.”
The natural cause attributed was hypertension — commonly known as high blood pressure.
Human Rights at Sea also obtained CCTV from the vessel, which shows Eritara’s final moments.
“CCTV from the vessel, which we meticulously went through frame by frame … also highlighted masked crew carrying his body along the corridor outside his cabin,” Hammond says.
Six years on, the NGO is still advocating for answers on behalf of Eritara’s family.
“He had constant communication with his family, but he had raised issues of concern as to being there on his own, but also what he was seeing,” Hammond says.
“He had a logbook, and that logbook was eventually found to be incomplete with sections removed, which was one of the 26 unexplained and outstanding questions that we highlighted from our investigation and to this day still remain outstanding.”
SBS News has contacted Kiribati authorities for comment, including the Ministry of Fisheries and Ocean Resources, the police, the attorney-general’s office and the office of the president, but did not receive a response.
SBS News has been unable to contact the owner of Win Far 636, Kuo Hsiung Fishery Co. Ltd, to put further questions to them.
‘Always a lot of risk’
It’s cases like these that have made many observers wary, though some industrial changes have been made to improve safety measures. Piruku now works mostly on land as an assistant for the observer program at the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) headquarters in Honiara, Solomon Islands.
“When I first read about [Eritara’s] case in 2020, I lost hope,” he says.
“For me, as an observer and then [the thought of] losing my life at sea [and] nothing has been done for me, I’d lose hope.
“But that has improved, we now have the observer compensation scheme.
“Within seven days, your family gets compensated if you lose a life. If you lose an eye or lose a limb, you get compensated.”
Allan Rahari is the director of fisheries operations with the FFA, and says unreported fishing is the “biggest risk” to the Pacific region.
“They’re catching fish, they’re licensed, but they’re not reporting their catch accurately. So instead of reporting say 10 tonnes, they’re probably reporting nine tonnes of fish,” he tells SBS News.
“On a fishing vessel, there’s always a lot of risk, and so … there is a strong requirement for observers to be well looked after when they’re actually out on fishing vessels conducting their work.”
Rahari says security technology has been increasingly rolled out to ensure the guardians of the ocean ecosystem are also protected.
“Some of the safety tools include the personal locator beacons … in the event that, for some reason, they fall overboard, those beacons can be activated.
“Also, they do have safety devices on them. So, when they are harassed when on fishing vessels by the crew, they can press the devices that will send out an SOS message to national fish administrations.”
According to the Solomon Islands Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources, electronic monitoring technology tools like GPS, video cameras and sensors are increasingly being installed on commercial fishing vessels to support verification of observer reporting and adherence to the rules.
“We install the cameras on board, so they record 24-hour operations of the activities on board,” Charlyn Golu, deputy director of the offshore division for the Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources in Solomon Islands, tells SBS News.
It’s kind of reducing the illegal activities; knowing that the crews on board will be on cameras might reduce the risk of doing illegal activities as well.
The ‘backbone’ of the Pacific
The global tuna industry is valued at about US$40 billion (AUD$58 billion) a year, and the Pacific fishery supplies more than 50 percent of this market.
“The tuna fisheries in the region [are] a backbone to a lot of our Pacific Island countries,” Rahari says.
“In fact, for some of our Pacific Island countries, tuna revenue is the only economic return for them to support schools and hospitals and so forth.”
According to the 2026 United Nations State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture report, fishery stocks in the Western Central Pacific are hovering on the edge of biological sustainability, at 55.1 percent. These waters surround countries that comprise Melanesia and Micronesia.
Species groups presented in the data include highly migratory tunas, billfish and sharks, as well as Atlantic and Pacific salmon. The World Food and Agriculture Organisation also cautions that there is a risk of discrepancies in the data collected across regions due to contributors’ poor reporting rates.
While fisheries observers play a vital role in protecting ocean sustainability, they are not a silver bullet for curtailing criminal operators.
The Forum Fisheries Agency coordinates multiple operations annually, targeting illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. In May, Operation Tui Moana — translating in some Polynesian languages to ‘King of the Sea’ — brought together fisheries, maritime and law enforcement personnel from 10 countries bordering or with territories in the Pacific, including Australia, New Zealand, France and the United States.
SBS News was invited to participate in the operation: to observe how information is gathered and then provided to island nations about activity in their Exclusive Economic Zones — areas of the Pacific in which marine resources are managed by sovereign entities. The operation, run out of Solomon Islands’ capital, Honiara, also monitored the high seas.
Commander Khan Beaumont, a surveillance operations officer with the FFA, tells SBS News some countries are subject to catch limits, while others will pay a licence fee for unrestricted fishing.
“One member state, you pay a set licence fee, and you can catch as much fish as you want,” he says.
“The tuna fishery alone is worth U$S1.5 billion to our membership, and of course, the fishery of that value obviously attracts nefarious actors. Approximately US$300 million disappears in illegal activity each year.”
Beaumont says there are many bypass tactics to be aware of, including ‘flag hopping’, an illegal maritime tactic in which a commercial fishing vessel routinely re-registers under different countries’ flags to evade regulations or obscure ownership.
“Quite often you’ll see vessels will jump flags to flags that have weak enforcement of national law because it’s only the flag state of the vessel that can ultimately hold that vessel to account,” Beaumont says.
“What we try and look for is vessels that are operating outside the normal fishing patterns who are trying to disguise who they are.
“There’s also activities where it happens with the registered fleet whereby they misreport their catch … And we also pay very particular attention to transshipments on the high seas.”
Transshipment in this context involves transferring fish from one boat to another — allowing vessels to remain in fishing grounds without needing to return to port. While it is often legal, this method is frequently associated with ‘fish laundering’ because overfishing can be more easily hidden far from oversight.
Satellite monitoring is another tool used to help identify illegal operators. SBS News visited the fisheries forum observation centre in Honiara, which is decked out with technology to track vessels at sea. Squadron leader Ashley Wilson, the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s Forum Fisheries Agency planning and liaison officer, describes it as the “nerve centre”.
“The Pacific Ocean is massive, 30.5 million square kilometres. So, without space-based technology, it would be like trying to find a needle in haystack,” Wilson tells SBS News.
“Fishers may fish within an economic exclusion zone, within a country’s boundaries, and then we see them migrate out to these high seas pocket areas to transship their catch and that becomes an indicator to us of uneconomic behaviour.
“They don’t sit within an exclusion zone of any particular country and governance in those areas is weaker and that’s where the unauthorised, unregulated catch is lost.”
To be licensed to fish in the Pacific, commercial fishing vessels are required to continuously run a satellite-based tracking transmitter to ensure they can be located.
“The satellite surveillance then allows us to see who’s not transmitting,” Wilson explains.
“What vessels can we see out on the water that are dark effectively. So those are the ones that we really focus on.”
Patterns in illegal fishing
During Operation Tui Moana, patrol boats and aircraft were also deployed to collect and send real-time data.
Steve Masika, an aerial surveillance planning officer for the FFA, sees air surveillance as a “force multiplier”.
“There are specific areas in the Pacific … where more illegal fishing is happening and that is bordering with Indonesia, Philippines and that area and some boats, no markings at all,” he told SBS News.
They’re flying no flags, no call sign, nothing at all … We could really say that it’s a stateless boat.
Reflecting on compliance breaches he’s seen, Masika exhales heavily.
“That’s a big one — compliance issues with markings on boats, names not written properly, licence numbers not displayed, not flying flags,” he says.
“Sometimes we see bycatch. Say, for example, we’re flying over a boat, have a shot on the deck, and we see shark fins drying on the deck. It could be a perfectly legal thing that they’re doing, but there are rules around harvesting of sharks.”
To assist Operation Tui Moana, Australian Defence Force personnel were also stationed in the Cook Islands and Tonga, providing patrol boats and Spartan aircraft.
“It’s about building those relationships with our partner nations in the Pacific,” Flight Lieutenant Bryce Geoghegan says.
“And just ensuring that we can assist with stability and providing that extra reach.
“It seems to be working as great deterrence.”
Operation Tui Moana concluded at the end of May, successfully identifying four vessels of interest, resulting in two apprehensions linked to suspected fisheries-related offences.
Exploitation risks remain
According to a 2023 report by the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, an estimated 62 percent of Australia’s edible seafood is imported, the vast majority coming from Asia and New Zealand.
Hammond wants consumers to think about supply chains.
“When we see fish being sold and seafood being sold in supermarkets, you see the likes of accreditation ticks for sustainability,” Hammond says.
“But those ticks and those marks, which we as consumers would take as an assurance by default that there’s been no abuse within the supply of that seafood, cannot be assured, and there is a yawning gap globally for this.”
In Kiribati, Eritara Aati Kaierua’s family, including his wife and four children, are still waiting for closure, wishing he could come home.
The small island nation controls one of the world’s largest Exclusive Economic Zones, and the fisheries industry comprises more than half of the country’s Gross Domestic Product.
According to the 2025 Organised Crime Index, this reliance on its fishery makes the country vulnerable to crimes associated with illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. Hammond says the risks posed to the fisheries workforce should be examined more carefully.
“The world is entitled to fundamental human and labour rights,” Hammond says.
“There should be no difference when they are working at sea and therefore that comes to the issue of accountability and transparency.
“The biggest issue that we come up against is a lack of enforcement … without enforcement, we have no deterrent effect, and without deterrent effect, we get into a cycle of impunity.” ……PACNEWS
This story was supported by the Pulitzer Centre.
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The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
‘Moana’ Creatives on working closely to honour Polynesian Culture and Traditions
By Jazz Tangcay
LOS ANGELES, 13 JULY 2026 (MARIANAS VARIETY) —Dwayne Johnson can finally rejoice. At the premiere of Disney’s live-action “Moana,” the star said that, growing up, he didn’t see himself represented in the media. “‘Indiana Jones’ inspired me.
When I was 8 years old watching Harrison Ford, I was like, ‘I want to be that guy,’ but that guy didn’t look like me.” And so, as the film hits screens this weekend, Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander audiences, Johnson, and the film’s cast and creatives are finally finding much to celebrate.
It’s been a decade since the story about wayfarer Moana first sailed into theaters. The 2016 animation featured cultural touchstones nodding to Polynesian culture and folklore, and those moments resonated with audiences. The live-action feature brings it all to life. Aspects such as traditional Māori tribal tattoos, known as Tā moko, the rich expression of history through dance, and generations of Polynesian traditions are the beating heart of Thomas Kail’s adaptation. That left the film’s cast and creatives feeling a sense of pride at seeing their culture represented on screen.
To ensure that the representation was done with respect and authenticity, countless artisans, consultants, experts, advisors, and department heads worked closely with the Cultural Trust. Among those experts were Dr. Grant Muāgututiʻa (Lead Consultant, Cultural Trust), Tiana Nonosina Liufau (Choreographer, Associate Producer, Cultural Trust) and Opetaia Foaʻi (Songwriter).
Drawing from her cultural background, Liufau aimed to create movement that felt unique and authentic. She worked with dancers from across the Pacific Islands, embedding traditional moves from the Samoan and Tongan regions, such as the Ori Tahiti (a Tahitian dance), the Siva Samoa (the traditional dance of Samoa), and much more to represent the early foundations of Polynesian dance. “It wasn’t that we were looking for one specialized island form,” she says. It was about incorporating song and dance from all the islands and fusing those movements effortlessly into the musical numbers.
Another important element for her was crafting choreography so that the dancers’ faces could be seen. “There are so many Polynesian dancers throughout the world. I wanted to make sure that our community and people saw themselves on the screen.”
Lead consultant Muāgututiʻa, who spearheaded the team, wanted to ensure the tradition of respect within the culture was accurately reflected. The village sequences were discussed in detail. How people spoke and interacted — especially within the council of the chiefs — mattered. Moana’s mannerisms were also important to get right. Muāgututiʻa says, “With Moana, it was about how she walks in, addresses her father, how she serves her elders; we wanted to make sure we got it right so when people watch the film, they can say, ‘Yes, that’s exactly how we would do it,’ and that it would resonate with them.”
Grant also found the moments when the cast spoke Samoan important to cultural representation. “That was very meaningful for me to make sure that they got the pronunciation spot-on. The words were simple yet meaningful in the siva tau (a traditional Samoan war dance or challenge). That scene, and when they were on top of the mountain citing lyrics that and then that, that on the mountain top, when they were citing lyrics that Opetaia wrote, they’re saying it in the right way, and all of that coming together was, was pretty special.”
Foaʻi is no stranger to the world of “Moana,” having written music for “Moana,” “Moana 2” and now the live-action Moana. Songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda calls the Tokelauan-Tuvaluan composer, musician, and singer the “secret sauce” to the authenticity of the film’s music.
Aside from translating and re-orchestrating Miranda’s original song, “Along the Way” in Tokelauan, he explains, the film’s first song needed to have a punch, so he wrote “Tulou Tagaloa.” “I knew it had to be in Samoan to punch it home. That’s my work. My work is trying to respect the history of our ancestors and match the songs to those times as a respect for them.”
And while critics of the film debate the live-action coming too soon, the cast of the film feel otherwise, and that this has been a longtime coming for Polynesian representation.
Like the film’s heroine, who ventures beyond her island to forge her own path, Owen, who worked as a member of the Maori Theater Company and starred in the Kevin Costner-produced film “Rapa Nui,” finally saw herself and her people in “Moana.” She points out, “Every single person on that screen is of Polynesian descent.”
Among the people Owen credits are Kail and Johnson. She says, “We all know that this legacy would not exist without a megastar. Dwayne is so passionate about his Samoan heritage and has taken this on board to open that big door for all of us to come through. I acknowledge Dwayne and, of course, our star, Catherine. We all rode on her wings.”
Frankie Adams, who plays Sina, also saw herself and her culture through the film. The Pacific Islander dance moves made her emotional. Adams says, “My mom was a big part of the cultural groups growing up. My sisters and I did Samoan dances throughout our childhood, so that was quite nostalgic for me to revisit that.”
Tui reprises his role as Moana’s headstrong father, Chief Tui. He admits he was nervous about translating the film to live-action. “We had so much riding on our shoulders,” he says. But once he saw the island, the casting, and heard the music, he felt an immense sense of pride. “We gave it a crack, and that our fight, our families, and the shoulders of ancestors that we’ve stood on are proud of that.” He adds, “I feel like I’m with some really good storytellers and powerful women and men, and we all come together to tell our stories.”
Grant reflects on the premiere, which kicked off with a troupe of Polynesian dancers onstage at the Hollywood Bowl. He says, “I think that’s just so powerful and something that I didn’t have growing up, and so I hope that our young Pacific Islanders and Polynesian kids will feel that walking away from the film, inspired, empowered, and open to embracing their language and their culture and their music and just who they are.”….PACNEWS
