In this bulletin:
1. PACIFIC — Pacific faces “fight for our lives” from triple planetary crisis: SPREP DG
2. UN — World marks second warmest July on record
3. COOKS — Cost of living, water tariffs, mining on Cook Islanders’ minds ahead of election
4. TONGA — Tonga needs faster end-of-year reporting, Tighter budget control: US State Department
5. SOL — PM Wale pushes G7+ to strengthen peace and development role
6. FIJI — Fiji Military Forces powers raise constitutional questions
7. PNG — PNG Police minister warns of law and order risks during El Nino
8. NZ — ‘Too good to be ignored’ Pacific Fusion Fashion Show marks 10 years of changing the runway
9. PACNEWS BIZ — Fuel crisis threatens Pacific economies
10. PACNEWS BIZ — PM Marape invites Australian businesses to increase investments
11. PACNEWS BIZ — PNG Central Bank plans sector reforms
12. PACNEWS IN FOCUS — Why the Pacific Islands Forum should watch Taiwan’s East Coast
13. PACNEWS DIGEST — SPC partners with Field Ready to build local humanitarian manufacturing and repair capacity
PAC – CLIMATE CHANGE: PACNEWS PACNEWS 2: Wed 12 Aug 2026
Pacific faces “fight for our lives” from triple planetary crisis: SPREP DG
APIA, 12 AUGUST 2026 (PACNEWS)—Pacific communities face a growing threat from climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution despite contributing only 0.01 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, SPREP Director General Sefanaia Nawadra says.
Nawadra made the remarks as the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) holds its fifth Executive Board Meeting in Samoa, where members are reviewing progress and setting priorities for the year ahead.
“We live in such volatile times. The impacts of economic, political and social challenges right across the world, as well as the toll of war, is a reality we cannot escape.
“Our Pacific people and communities are not immune. But we are up against a much greater threat, forcing us into the fight for our lives.” Nawadra said.
He said Pacific communities continue to bear the brunt of the triple planetary crises despite their minimal contribution to global emissions.
“Despite contributing 0.01 percent of global emissions to the greenhouse gases that have warmed our planet, Pacific communities bear the brunt of the impacts of the triple planetary crises of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.”
Nawadra said SPREP’s role in helping Pacific countries adapt and protect their environments had become more important against this backdrop.
“Against this backdrop, SPREP’s role in supporting all our Pacific countries to adapt and survive has never been more important, to ensure a resilient Pacific environment, sustaining livelihoods and natural heritage in harmony with cultures.”
The Executive Board meeting brings together the Troika – United Kingdom as past Chair, Vanuatu as current Chair and Wallis and Futuna as incoming Chair along with Fiji representing Melanesia, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Federated States of Micronesia for Micronesia, Australia for Metropolitan Members and France for French-speaking members.
Nawadra said the meeting provides an opportunity to assess SPREP’s work over the past year, share experiences, refine priorities and agree on the organisation’s work programme and budget.
“Most importantly, it allows us to ensure that our collective efforts are delivering meaningful and lasting outcomes for our countries and communities.”
He said 2025 was a productive year for SPREP, with several major projects completed.
These included the seven-year PacWastePlus programme funded by the European Union, the Vanuatu Klaemet Infomesen blong Redy, Adapt mo Protekt (VanKIRAP) project funded by the Green Climate Fund, the GEF 6 Regional Invasives Project and the ACP Multilateral Environmental Agreements Phase 3 Project.
Nawadra said the projects met or exceeded their key objectives and deliverables.
The VanKIRAP project also delivered a weather radar system in Port Vila.
SPREP also launched the Emma Luke Regional Earth Observation Centre, named after the late Emma Luke, who advocated for Pacific leadership in earth observation.
Nawadra said the centre would serve as a regional hub for geospatial collaboration and learning.
He said SPREP also continued to support Pacific participation in major international environmental negotiations, including UNFCCC COP30 in Belem, CITES COP20 in Uzbekistan and INC-5.2 in Geneva.
With Türkiye hosting COP31 and Australia serving as President of Negotiations, Nawadra said the pre-COP would be hosted in the Pacific.
SPREP will support the Pacific Islands Forum process and work with the Forum Secretariat and Australian Government as part of the joint Pacific COP31 Secretariat.
Nawadra also highlighted new multi-year partnerships with Australia and New Zealand, including AUD24.75 million (US$17.47 million) from Australia for 2025–2031 and NZD10.5 million (US$6.17 million) from New Zealand for 2025–2029.
He acknowledged additional support from the United Kingdom, European Union, Japan, China and other development partners.
Nawadra said SPREP’s work depended on collective efforts by its members, staff, partners and communities.
“Our success is about our collective effort as SPREP Members, SPREP Staff, SPREP Community and the SPREP Family.”
He said the organisation would face a heavier workload as Pacific countries continued to deal with the impacts of the triple planetary crisis.
“Our workload will continue to get busier and heavier, as the world, continues to increasingly experience the impacts of the triple planetary crises.” he said.
But Nawadra said SPREP remained committed to supporting Pacific countries…..PACNEWS
UN – WEATHER WATCH: UN NEWS CENTRE PACNEWS 2: Wed 12 Aug 2026
World marks second warmest July on record
GENEVA, 12 AUGUST 2026 (UN NEWS CENTRE)—As multiple regions contend with unbearable heat, drought, wildfires and other extreme weather, the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) on Tuesday underlined the crucial need for stronger forecasts and early warning systems to protect lives and livelihoods.
The UN agency said the past month was the second warmest July on record worldwide, according to the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), a European Union initiative.
Average surface air temperatures were 1.47°C above the estimated pre-industrial baseline, and sea-surface temperatures were the highest ever recorded for the month of July.
The heat is still on in August. Although this month marks the height of the vacation season across Europe and other parts of the northern hemisphere, some workers are not getting a break, according to WMO Spokesperson Clare Nullis.
Many national meteorological and hydrological services, emergency management and response teams as well as health professionals “are really working tirelessly because of all the extreme weather that we are seeing,” she told journalists in Geneva.
“And it’s not just extreme heat,” she said. “We’re also seeing extreme rainfall, tropical cyclones. So, we’re not in holiday mode at all.”
Western Europe experienced its hottest June–July period on record and some countries, including Switzerland and France, are now facing their fourth heatwave of the summer.
“Intense drought is really biting,” said Nullis, with devastating impacts on agriculture, harvests, transport, energy and river levels. Moreover, it is combining with high temperatures to increase risk of wildfires.
The heat is not confined to Europe as Japan and the Republic of Korea recorded exceptional and record-breaking temperatures last week, as did other parts of Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.
John Kennedy, WMO’s head of climate information, said low rainfall and heat had contributed to “drought, low river levels, and increased risk of wildfires”, including low flows in major European rivers such as the Seine, Rhine and Danube.
Wildfire activity has also intensified. Nullis said that “last month saw exceptional wildfire activity across western Europe” both in terms of the area burned and emissions.
She said fire emissions data from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service show that year-to-date emissions in France are comparable to, or higher than, levels seen during the extreme fire years of 2022 and 2023.
The country is on course to have one of its most extreme fire years of the past 24 years, while fire emissions in neighbouring Spain are also well above average for this time of year.
Meanwhile in North America, fires are raging in parts of the western United States, while Canada had 591 active fires as of Monday, including 43 classified as out of control.
But as Nullis stated, “it’s not all about heat” as heavy monsoon rainfall and flooding are affecting parts of West Africa.
WMO produces a weekly Global Hydromet Scan that is provided to humanitarian agencies. The latest issue warned of heavy rainfall, risk of flash floods and landslides this week in northeast and western India, eastern Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar and some parts of Southeast Asia.
China also carried out mass evacuations ahead of the landfall of Typhoon Dolphin this past weekend – the 13th of the season – amid many recent warnings of dangerous flooding.
Kennedy said that recent extremes reflect “the combined effect of long-term warming with a persistent pattern of alternating high and low-pressure systems stretching across the northern hemisphere.”
He explained that high-pressure systems are typically associated with hotter, drier conditions because descending air warms and reduces cloud formation, thus allowing in more sunlight. These systems can also block cooler air from moving in and can last for days or even weeks.
With El Niño now established in the Pacific, WMO expects a further rise in global temperature, with the global peak typically following the El Niño peak which usually occurs between November and January.
Given these developments, WMO and its member countries are working to improve forecasts and early warnings. Nullis stressed that the Early Warnings for All initiative “remains the overriding priority.”
COOKS – ELECTION/POLITICS: RNZ PACIFIC PACNEWS 2: Wed 12 Aug 2026
Cost of living, water tariffs, mining on Cook Islanders’ minds ahead of election
RAROTONGA, 12 AUGUST 2206 (RNZ PACIFIC)—The Cook Islands goes to the polls this week for its four-yearly general election.
Like all countries in the region, the Cooks has had its fair share of challenges due to global shocks in recent years, and there’s a sense that voters are looking for some stability, particularly around the cost of living
The prime minister and leader of the Cook Islands Party, Mark Brown is in no doubt about the priority for people in this election.
He said for his party it’s about consolidating the country’s growth and economic recovery since reopening borders four years ago when the Cooks emerged the Covid pandemic.
“Now, that strong economic growth has allowed us to catch up, if you like, with pay increases that were halted or paused during the COVID period,” he said.
“It’s allowed us to increase our welfare payments, to old age pensions, child benefit, and these are all things that we’re gearing up to try and meet the challenges of cost of living.”
Water utility charges are another issue in this campaign.
The leader of the Cook Islands Democratic Party, who is also the Leader of the Opposition, Tina Browne, said if elected, her party would push to remove water use tariffs for residential and agricultural users on Rarotonga.
“And we will review the present structure of [water utility] To Tatou Vai,” she said.
“Of course, water infrastructure costs money. The real question is how that cost should fairly be met. I do not accept that another household bill should automatically be the first answer.”
For the United Party, ‘free water for all’ is one of its main campaign points.
Leader Teariki Heather said his party would remove residential water tariffs should they form government.
‘Absolutely, we will revoke whatever legislation is against that for the water tariffs,” he told RNZ Pacific.
His party’s position is “water is a basic human right” and families shouldn’t receive more bills during a cost-of-living crisis.
“On top of electricity, on top of this water tariff, the increase in cost in that, government should absorb that.
“Budget of the government is really looking at priority areas, especially this one.
“I believe that the government can assist and accommodate for the people of the Cook Islands at this particular time.”
But Mark Brown pointed out infrastructure maintenance isn’t free.
“The question is not whether water should be free. The question is actually who’s going to pay for it, because we’ve upgraded all of our water intakes, 10 of them, around the island in the hills of Rarotonga, and they all need to be maintained,” he said.
Brown said households receive 38,000 litres free of charge per month, while churches, schools and agricultural spaces have no limit restrictions. Charges are currently only being imposed on commercial users.
“Most of these are, of course, in the tourism industry with hotels, Airbnbs, resorts, that sort of thing, and it’s only fair that they contribute to the upkeep and maintenance of our water systems.”
Progressive Party leader Te Tuhi Kelly said the free allocation for households is more than enough.
“If you can’t manage that 38,000 litres, there’s something quite wrong there because that’s a lot of water, a huge amount of water, but if you go over that, I’m sorry, but you should be paying for that.”
But he also thinks there are other ways government could cover water infrastructure costs.
“The water that we get from God is free; we don’t pay for that. But God never put in place a delivery system for us. We have to do that ourselves. Someone has to pay for that.
‘Now, whilst I’m for user pays, I think there is probably a number of other options that we can look at.”
Another issue Cook Islanders are thinking about is whether the country should continue the current government’s direction towards more seabed mining activity.
Teariki Heather said he will push for a referendum on seabed mining if the United Party comes to power.
While he acknowledged that exploration activities underway are potentially encouraging for generating long-term wealth in the country, he said it’s so critical to protect the future health of the country, that the question of whether to progress seabed mining should be put to the people.
“But the one that we will do is put a referendum to ask the people of this country, whether this yes or no, so it’s up to the people of this country [to] actually decide. That’s number one that [we] will put out [to] a referendum when elected to be government.”
Tina Browne agreed that a referendum is the way to go, even if science proves there would be no negative environmental impact.
“Extraction should only be considered if the evidence demonstrates that it can be done safely and in the genuine interests of the Cook Islands people. Before extraction occurs, our policy is that Cook Islanders should have the final say through a referendum.”
But Te Tuhi Kelly said there is simply not enough scientific information to make a call yet.
“We’re neither for, nor we’re against it.
“The issue for us as a party is that the science doesn’t provide me with any enthusiasm. It’s young. The data is not there.”
Mark Brown reiterated that the Cook Islands is only conducting exploration and research currently.
“It’s important that we gain the knowledge and understanding of our deep sea before we make any decisions on whether we move to extraction or the harvesting of minerals.”
When asked if the Cook Islands Party would consider a referendum, Brown said the science needs to be complete first.
“Well, it’s a serious question, and again, letting people decide – first we must be able to provide the facts.
“We need to know the facts before we can make a decision, and that’s why it’s important that we conduct the exploration and research phase now thoroughly, in a way that ensures that, when we do ask questions of our people, our people are fully informed”
The country’s relationship with New Zealand is a lingering issue too, at least in the eyes of the big parties.
This relationship came under strain after Wellington suspended some funding as a consequence of a deal that Brown’s government forged with China early last year.
Funding has been recently restored, and both governments say the relationship is back on track.
But Teariki Heather suggests there is a lot of work still to do to restore the healthy relationship
“New Zealand is a special one for us, and what we have discussed for this one, soon as becoming government, soon as forming the government, we make a trip, to show New Zealand how deep this relationship is.”
Tina Browne also believes the relationship is all-important and needs nurturing.
“The Cook Islands should have constructive relationships with New Zealand, China, Australia, the United States, and our Pacific neighbours. We do not strengthen ourselves by unnecessarily choosing between friends.”
But Mark Brown sees the situation as proof that the Cook Islands are able to “stand on their own two feet”.
“We have diplomatic relations with over 70 countries around the world, including some of the biggest economies around the world. We have a foreign policy that is an independent foreign policy for the benefit of Cook Islanders.
“The fact that we can negotiate with large international countries, and the fact that we signed off on our new security and defence agreement with New Zealand on our own standing, and our own footing, on our terms, is something that people now respect for the Cook Islands and the government, the stand that we’ve taken.”
Issues can be talked about all day, but it doesn’t mean much without connecting to voters.
All of the parties realise that having a good ground game, engaging with people in their community, is the key to success.
Te Tuhi Kelly said this is particularly the case with young people
“There are a lot of kids [who] don’t want to go to those political rallies because they find them boring. So what do you do if you want to get them into politics? You take politics to them.
“And what you do is you use a medium that they’ve grown up with, and it’s a thing called social media.”
The polls open at 8am Wednesday 12 August, local time (Thursday 13 August New Zealand time).
The preliminary count for each constituency is expected to be released throughout the same night…. PACNEWS
TONGA – DIPLOMACY: PACNEWS PACNEWS 2: Wed 12 Aug 2026
Tonga needs faster end-of-year reporting, Tighter budget control: US State Department
NUKU’ALOFA/WASHINGTON, 12 AUGUST 2026 (PACNEWS)—The Tongan government has made significant fiscal information available to the public but needs to improve the timeliness of its financial reporting and ensure actual spending and revenue more closely match approved budgets, according to the 2026 U.S Fiscal Transparency Report.
The U.S State Department report found that Tonga made its executive budget proposal and enacted budget widely and easily accessible to the public, including online, during the review period.
However, the government failed to release its end-of-year financial report within a timely period.
The report said Tonga’s budget documents were generally reliable and prepared in line with international standards.
The government also made information on public debt obligations publicly available, including major debt held by state-owned enterprises.
It disclosed allocations to and earnings from state-owned enterprises and off-budget accounts.
However, the report identified a significant gap between Tonga’s approved budget and its actual budget execution.
“However, budget execution deviated significantly from budget projections and the government did not release a revised budget,” the report said.
The report gave a positive assessment of Tonga’s supreme audit institution, saying it met international standards for independence, published substantive audit reports and had access to the entire executed budget.
Tonga also published accessible information on public procurement contracts.
The U.S State Department identified two key steps Tonga could take to strengthen fiscal transparency.
It recommended that Tonga make its end-of-year financial report publicly available within a reasonable period and ensure actual government revenues and expenditures reasonably correspond with those approved in the enacted budget.
The findings form part of the *2026 Fiscal Transparency Report, which assesses the availability and reliability of government budget information and the transparency of public finances…..PACNEWS
SOL – DIPLOMACY: SOL GOVT PACNEWS 2: Wed 12 Aug 2026
PM Wale pushes G7+ to strengthen peace and development role
HONIARA, 12 AUGUST 2026 (SOL GOVT) —Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale has called for the G7+ to strengthen its role in peacebuilding, mediation, economic development and international advocacy while ensuring the organisation builds its capacity gradually.
Wale made the call during a meeting with the G7+ Secretariat in Honiara, where discussions focused on strengthening Solomon Islands’ leadership of the organisation and expanding its international role.
G7+ General Secretary Dr Helder da Costa congratulated Solomon Islands on assuming the chairmanship and praised Wale’s leadership during his international engagements.
Da Costa outlined opportunities for Solomon Islands to use its chairmanship to advance the interests of G7+ members, including through greater engagement with the United Nations and strengthening the organisation’s observer status.
Wale welcomed the engagement and said Solomon Islands could benefit significantly from greater cooperation and experience-sharing among G7+ members.
He also reflected on Solomon Islands’ experience with conflict, peacebuilding and transitional justice.
The Prime Minister stressed the need for the G7+ to gradually build its capacity and credibility rather than taking on more responsibilities than it can manage.
He said the organisation could become an important platform for countries facing conflict and political challenges to resolve differences through dialogue rather than violence.
Wale also highlighted Solomon Islands’ interest in learning from Timor-Leste’s experience in managing natural resource revenues, including through its sovereign wealth fund.
He said the experience would be relevant as Solomon Islands considers how its mineral and natural resources can contribute to long-term national development.
Da Costa welcomed Solomon Islands’ priorities and expressed confidence that its chairmanship could strengthen the G7+’s international visibility, peer-to-peer cooperation and role as an “agent of peace.”
The meeting concluded with both sides reaffirming their commitment to work closely together throughout Solomon Islands’ G7+ chairmanship.
Solomon Islands is expected to host high-level G7+ meetings in New York later this year on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly……PACNEWS
FIJI – MILITARY POWERS: FIJI SUN PACNEWS 2: Wed 12 Aug 2026
Fiji Military Forces powers raise constitutional questions
SUVA, 12 AUGUST 2026 (FIJI SUN)—A University of the South Pacific (USP) academic says Section 131 of Fiji’s 2013 Constitution deserves special attention because its wording could give the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) “supra-constitutional authority” over elected governments.
Associate Professor Sandra Tarte made the comments during the launch of two Dialogue Fiji publications on Fiji’s constitutions in Suva.
She said the section, which gives the RFMF “overall responsibility” for the “security, defence and well-being of Fiji and all Fijians”, was an area not fully covered in the new comparative guides and deserved special attention.
Quoting former Professor Stewart Firth, she said Fiji had long been described as a “democracy by military permission”.
Tarte recalled being a journalist at Islands Business magazine in May 1987 and attending the first press conference called by then-Lieutenant Colonel Sitiveni Rabuka after he seized Parliament.
“I can still recall my shock and disbelief when hearing the coup leader calmly pronounce that he was abrogating the 1970 constitution,” she said. “It seemed impossible and yet it wasn’t.”
Tarte said Fiji had had fewer than three elected governments under each constitution since independence, calling it “a record” and “not one to be proud of”.
None of Fiji’s constitutions, she said, had “withstood the test of time – the test of turmoil, of elections and of authoritarian dictate”.
She quoted Distinguished Professor Steven Ratuva’s foreword describing Fiji as having reached a state of “constitutional fatigue” from repeatedly rewriting its rules, often “against our will”.
Tarte said the guides also showed Fiji’s shift from ethnic-based electoral rolls to a common roll, as well as the changing role of the Great Council of Chiefs (Bose Levu Vakaturaga) across the three constitutional frameworks.
She said understanding this history was vital to building trust ahead of any future constitutional review…..PACNEWS
PNG – ELNINO: NBC PNG NEWS PACNEWS 2: Wed 12 Aug 2026
PNG Police minister warns of law and order risks during El Nino
PORT MORESBY, 12 AUGUST 2026 (NBC PNG NEWS)—Papua New Guinea Police Minister Sir John Pundari has sounded a strong warning as Papua New Guinea braces for what experts say could be the most severe El Nino in the nation’s history.
Minister Pundari said that while the government is preparing for widespread drought, water shortages, and other impacts, the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC) will play a critical role in maintaining law and order during this period.
“The RPNGC is coordinating with the PNG Defence Force (PNGDF), disaster authorities, and provincial governments to ensure security during the crisis.
“Strict orders have been issued for police to crack down on any exploitation of the El Nino disaster for personal or criminal gain. Anyone who exploits the misery of another human being is a disgrace, and they will face charges for any crimes they commit,” Sir John said.
He has assured the public that police will be on high alert for civil disorder and criminal activity linked to resource scarcity.
With the support from the government, the RPNGC is planning ahead to ensure resources are distributed fairly and communities remain resilient.
The police minister is urging communities to take note of the following impacts of El Nino and prepare in advance:
• Severe drought and delayed wet season
• Water rationing and intermittent supply
• Power shortages in hydro dependent regions
• Heat stress driving demand for cooling in cities
• Settlement pressures where water is already scarce
• Social tensions linked to resource scarcity
• Bushfires and vegetation die off
• Air quality deterioration from dust and smoke
Police throughout the country have been directed to work closely with community leaders to minimise El Niño-related crimes. …. PACNEWS
NZ – PACIFIC FASHION: PMN PACNEWS 2: Wed 12 Aug 2026
‘Too good to be ignored’ Pacific Fusion Fashion Show marks 10 years of changing the runway
AUCKLAND, 12 AUGUST 2026 (PMN)—For a decade, the Pacific Fusion Fashion Show (PFFS) has been building a space where Pacific designers, models and stories can take centre stage without having to leave their culture at the door.
Now, as the Auckland-based showcase marks its 10th anniversary next week, founder Nora Swann says the platform has grown from an idea for a dedicated Pacific arm of New Zealand Fashion Week (NZFW) into a movement that has earned its place in the wider industry.
PFFS returns to Tāmaki Makaurau’s Shed 10 on 21 August as part of New Zealand Fashion Week.
Swann says the journey began because Pacific fashion needed a platform of its own.
“At the time, there wasn’t a platform that allowed Pacific stories to be told for the Pacific fashion community,” Swann said in an interview on Pacific Days.
“So we worked towards building the brand and building the trust from the community as well as the mainstream community.
“It’s been a lot of hard work. It has paid off. I do take my role seriously with what I do and who I represent.”
For Swann, that responsibility has always meant putting culture at the centre of the work while creating opportunities for the next generation.
She says PFFS has been shaped by the knowledge of experienced fashion professionals and cultural values they bring to the industry.
“I think it really helps when my team and experts that we work with have extensive experience in fashion, because then everyone who comes through are learning from the best,” Swann says. “These experts also have strong cultural values, which is really important to me.
This year’s theme, Legacy – A heritage of strength, a future of promise, reflects that focus – honouring Pacific ancestors while creating space for new ideas and the next generation of Pasifika fashion.
Swann says PFFS faced logistical challenges during its early shows in Ōtara and Papatoetoe as well as funding gaps across the creative sector.
She later established the Dressed in Confidence programme to help Pasifika creatives build practical skills and move through mainstream industries while staying connected to who they are.
“I’ve always found that a lot of our people want to break and make it into mainstream fashion,” she says.
“But it’s so important that we still hold our culture close to our hearts, because it’s so easy to be strayed by mainstream ideologies, which conflict with who we are as Pacific people.”
Over the past decade, PFFS has built a reputation for its Pacific identity, high standards, and growing reach.
Swann says models who have also walked runways in Milan and New York have praised the platform.
She says a turning point came during the Covid-19 pandemic when PFFS continued despite the difficult conditions.
“We still went ahead and had a show during Covid when things were really tough and we were getting more opportunities. So I knew that people were watching us,” she says.
“Our confidence as a community was built, which allowed us to do what we do naturally in different spaces. It actually got to a stage where we were just too good to be ignored.”
The 2026 showcase will feature 52 models, mostly of Pasifika heritage, celebrating body diversity, alongside 14 designers. Six of which are international labels from across Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia……PACNEWS
PACNEWS BIZ
PAC – FUEL CRISIS: FBC NEWS PACNEWS BIZ: Wed 12 Aug 2026
Fuel crisis threatens Pacific economies
SUVA, 12 AUGUST 2026 (FBC NEWS)—Pacific leaders are stepping up regional efforts to prepare for a prolonged fuel crisis, as the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran continues to threaten fuel supplies and drive up costs.
Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Baron Waqa said the fuel crisis remains a priority for Forum leaders, with a regional response mechanism already approved to help countries deal with the impact.
Waqa said Pacific countries have little control over the conflict and its effects, but can work together to strengthen their response, including through cooperation on fuel procurement.
He said the impact goes beyond fuel prices, warning that prolonged instability could increase inflation.
“The issue will remain as long as the fight goes on, right? It’s not just about fuel prices. It’s about transportation costs. It’s about inflation, the cost of goods on the shelf in the supermarket and how we afford our livelihoods and getting all these together.”
Waqa said the longer the conflict continues, the greater the pressure will be on Pacific economies and household livelihoods.
Forum deputy Secretary General Esala Nayasi said leaders are now preparing for the 55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ Meeting in Palau, where further discussions on the issue will take place.
“Leaders are continuing discussions on how Pacific countries can support each other and better manage the economic fallout from the crisis,’ he said…. PACNEWS
PNG – INVESTMENT: THE NATIONAL PACNEWS BIZ: Wed 12 Aug 2026
PM Marape invites Australian businesses to increase investments
BRISBANE, 12 AUGUST 2026 (THE NATIONAL) — Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape has called on Australian businesses to increase their investment in Papua New Guinea as it enters a decade of economic expansion, major resource projects and infrastructure development.
Marape told the Business Advantage PNG Investment Conference in Brisbane that Australian companies already operating in PNG should expand, while encouraging prospective investors to enter the market now.
“If you’re already in PNG, get entrenched,” he said.
“If you’re wanting to come to PNG, come now.
“The next 10-year window might close on you.”
Marape thanked Business Advantage International executive chairman Andrew Wilkins and his team for continuing to provide an important platform connecting Papua New Guinea to Australian and international investors.
Marape said the Australia-PNG relationship extended far beyond Independence in 1975 and had been built over generations through churches, business, Government and people-to-people connections.
“Our history is deep,” he said.
“We have depth of relationship – people to people through churches, social activities and sport, business to business, and government to government.”
Marape said this long relationship must now be translated into a stronger economic partnership.
He recalled the challenge given to his generation by founding Prime Minister Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare to achieve economic independence.
“For what use is political independence if we don’t have the economy to sustain our country?” he said.
Marape said the Government’s economic philosophy was based on growing the economy while ensuring PNG received a fair return from its natural resources without undermining investors’ legitimate returns.
“We want Papua New Guinea to be a place where all investors – local and international – make a fair return on their investments as our country moves into the next 50 years,” he said.
Marape said the National Budget had exceeded K30 billion (US$6.7 billion), compared to around K300 million (US$67 million) in 1975.
He said an important feature of recent economic performance was increasing activity outside the traditional mining and petroleum sectors.
“We are starting to see the diversification focus coming to fruition,” he said…..PACNEWS
PNG – BANK: THE NATIONAL PACNEWS BIZ: Wed 12 Aug 2026
PNG Central Bank plans sector reforms
BRISBANE, 12 AUGUST 2026 (THE NATIONAL)–Papua New Guinea Central Bank is planning financial sector reforms to maintain economic stability, expand financial inclusion, restore Kina convertibility and strengthen the country’s financial system, says bank governor Elizabeth Genia.
Genia told the PNG investment conference in Brisbane that price and financial stability remained the foundation on which economic growth, financial inclusion and reform must be built.
She said that social and economic objectives could not be achieved without stability.
“Without stability, we cannot fulfil any wider social or economic objective,” she said.
“That is true for individuals and it is equally true for families, communities, businesses and the nation as a whole.”
Section 7 of the Central Banking Act outlines price stability as the bank’s primary objective.
This is followed by secondary objectives including financial stability, sustainable medium-term economic growth and the development of PNG’s financial system.
Genia said Papua New Guinea, as a small and relatively open economy, remained exposed to movements in food, fuel, freight and commodity prices as well as weather conditions.
Headline inflation was forecast at around 4 percent in 2026, while underlying measures were forecast at or just below that level in 2027 and 2028.
“The convergence of the three measures gives us greater confidence in the inflation outlook over the medium term,” Genia said.
“But we never can be complacent.”
Genia said the El Niño weather pattern was re-emerging and was already affecting mining operations and domestic food production.
“These are areas we monitor closely,” she said.
She also noted that headline inflation fell sharply during 2024 and briefly moved into negative territory, coinciding with a substantial fall in non-tradable inflation.
Genia said the exchange rate, rather than the Kina Facility Rate, had in recent years acted as the nominal anchor for inflation, with the gradual depreciation of the kina playing a stronger role in anchoring prices.
The longer-term objective was for the KFR to become a more effective monetary policy instrument.
“In recent years, the exchange rate rather than the Kina Facility Rate has been our nominal anchor for inflation,” she said.
“Our longer-term objective is for the KFR to become a more effective monetary policy instrument,” she said….PACNEWS
PACNEWS In Focus
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
Why the Pacific Islands Forum should watch Taiwan’s East Coast
Domingo I-Kwei Yang
SUVA/TAIPEI, 12 AUGUST 2026 (THE DIPLOMAT) —Ahead of the 55th Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), scheduled to take place 30 August 30 to 04 September in Palau, Pacific Island leaders failed to reach consensus on a joint statement criticising China’s submarine-based ballistic missile testing in the Pacific.
The split reflects intensifying great-power competition and divergent threat perceptions between external powers and Pacific governments. Yet China’s growing military activities have clearly heightened concerns among forum members.
Besides missile testing, another less visible source of pressure lies in the growing normalisation of Chinese naval and coast guard activity in the waters east of Taiwan, a development the PIF has yet to fully connect to its own maritime interests. This maritime gateway east of Taiwan leads directly into the exclusive economic zones that the forum seeks to protect and deserves greater attention from Pacific Island states.
Rather than a distant flashpoint, the waters east of Taiwan form the northern hinge of the same maritime arc that runs through Micronesia and Melanesia, linked by overlapping sea lines of communication and interconnected ocean current systems. This deep-water gateway to the Blue Pacific is increasingly being trespassed and pressured by Chinese government vessels.
Beijing appears to be using unresolved maritime boundary negotiations involving Japan and the Philippines as justification for expanding coast guard patrols and deploying more research and survey vessels east of Taiwan. Many of these platforms are converted former naval vessels, underscoring the increasingly blurred line between maritime law enforcement and strategic power projection. By increasing the frequency and persistence of deployments along Taiwan’s Pacific coast, Beijing appears to be seeking to normalize a sustained Chinese maritime security presence in the Blue Pacific waters.
This expansion is unfolding alongside a broader rise in Chinese naval activity in the Western Pacific. Since 2025, the Liaoning and Shandong carrier strike groups have conducted operations and flight exercises beyond the first island chain. With China’s third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, reaching full operational capability, Beijing is moving closer to sustaining a regular carrier presence in the Western Pacific.
The growing presence of coast guard, research, survey, and naval vessels east of Taiwan suggests that China is gradually extending its maritime operating space from the Taiwan Strait into Taiwan’s Pacific approaches.
For Pacific Island countries, this expanding presence should not be viewed simply as an extension of cross-strait tensions. It could increase uncertainty along commercial shipping routes, raise maritime insurance premiums, lengthen transit times, and complicate the movement of energy, food, and other essential imports through the corridor linking Northeast Asia with Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and the wider Pacific.
Even without an armed conflict, heightened tensions or more frequent military exercises could generate delays, rerouting, and higher transportation costs for states that are highly dependent on this maritime corridor. China’s expanding naval reach east of Taiwan therefore has implications well beyond Taiwan, intersecting directly with the maritime trade routes and supply chains on which Pacific Island countries depend.
The PIF’s diplomatic motto of being “friends to all and enemies to none” should not be mistaken for strategic insulation, particularly as the maritime status quo east of Taiwan is being reshaped by China’s growing presence and expanding military activity. In a worst-case Taiwan contingency, Beijing could seek to push through the Taiwan–Philippines–Melanesia corridor and constrain U.S and allied access to the Western Pacific, regardless of whether any PIF member is involved in the conflict.
For Pacific Island states, preserving free, open, and non-militarized sea lines of communication across the Western Pacific is therefore a vital interest and it should be articulated clearly before shifts in the regional balance of power become more difficult to reverse. The PIF’s “Ocean of Peace” framing should recognise the waters east of Taiwan as part of the same interconnected Pacific maritime space, rather than a separate area.
The Blue Pacific is a Pacific-led regional identity, not a corridor encompassing Taiwan’s east coast, and the argument here is not to redefine that identity. Rather, it is to recognise that the waters east of Taiwan sit within a strategically integrated maritime space stretching from Northeast Asia, through Micronesia and Melanesia, to Polynesia, where developments at one end can directly affect access, connectivity, and security at the other. Recognising this interdependence is a matter of practical maritime awareness, not a request that Pacific states reframe their own identity or take sides in cross-strait politics.
What is at stake is neither alignment with one great power against another nor a choice between alignment and non-alignment. The more fundamental interest is preserving a maritime space in which all actors can navigate freely and maintain economic and commercial access without coercion, intimidation, or militarization.
Even if PIF members cannot agree on specific issues, such as China’s ballistic missile testing, they should still be able to forge a broader agreement on preserving a free, open, peaceful, and resilient Blue Pacific maritime corridor. That means the Ocean of Peace framework should be able to cover the waters east of Taiwan as a critical component of the broader Blue Pacific maritime domain. The forum could extend information sharing on vessel movements and coast guard activity to this corridor, providing Pacific Island states earlier warning of disruptions to the shipping lanes their economies depend on.
Such an arrangement could provide a common foundation for the PIF to work with willing Pacific partners on maritime domain awareness, infrastructure resilience, and the security of regional sea lines of communication. Rather than requiring consensus on the behavior of any particular major power, this approach would anchor cooperation in a shared interest in an integrated Pacific maritime space that remains open, accessible, and resilient to coercion and disruption…..PACNEWS
PACNEWS DIGEST
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
SPC partners with Field Ready to build local humanitarian manufacturing and repair capacity
SUVA, 12 AUGUST 2026 (SPC)—When a magnitude 7.3 earthquake hit Vanuatu in 2024, it cut off safe water for 7,000 people in Mele Village within seconds.
Field Ready and local partners were on the ground within weeks, using local materials and mobile toolkits, and within a month had a permanent backup water system running. No shipping containers idling at port, no days lost to customs paperwork.
For Field Ready and the Pacific Community (SPC), that wasn’t a lucky exception. It was proof of concept, and it’s the thinking behind a new partnership the two organisations are now piloting across four Pacific countries.
In March 2026, SPC formalised a grant agreement with Field Ready through the Pacific Humanitarian Warehousing Programme (PHWP) to strengthen local manufacturing and repair capacity in Fiji, Samoa, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands. The premise is that when disaster strikes, the people and equipment needed to produce context-specific, critical supplies should already be there, trained and ready, not on their way from overseas.
The centrepiece is the mobile makerspace (MMS), a trailer-mounted workshop designed and built by Field Ready to drive straight into a disaster zone. Within hours of arriving, it can install replacement or emergency toilets, patch a broken water pipe system including 3D printing replacement connectors, or make a handwashing station, all on site. Each unit gives trained local engineers and partner responders access to hand tools, power tools, a 3D printer, a plastic welder, and some include a machine to make rainwater guttering. The units are self-powered by solar panels and generators.
No two countries or deployments are identical. Rather than making an identical MMS for every country, Field Ready first works with the local disaster agencies to study their main needs, what a place already has, what’s missing, and what communities can realistically keep running once the organisation leaves. The design of each MMS and the tools inside reflect that co-design groundwork. Field Ready’s role is to support and strengthen existing national frontline responders, and local partnership runs through every stage, from design and training to disaster response and recovery.
Fiji already has a mobile makerspace running. Samoa’s is next, expected in August 2026. Vanuatu will follow in late 2026 and the Solomon Islands in early 2027. Field Ready’s regional engineers then train national frontline responders on the job, during deployments to vulnerable communities. Every unit travels with a Field Ready senior engineer and is designed to reach the outer islands and remote communities usually hit hardest and reached last.
Alongside localisation, the partnership also focuses on gender equality, disability and social inclusion, and greener supply chains. In Fiji, Field Ready is working with the Pacific Disability Forum to grow the existing Assistive Technology Workshop on Brown Street in Suva into a regional hub for repairing and adapting assistive devices, piloting a circular model built around repair and refurbishment rather than importing new equipment. Training is designed to reach women and people with disabilities as technicians and users, not just as intended beneficiaries.
“Strengthening local manufacturing and repair capacity is central to our vision for a more resilient Pacific,” said George Beck, who manages the PHWP for SPC.
“This partnership with Field Ready puts the tools and the skills directly in the hands of Pacific people, so that when disaster strikes, the response can come from within the region.”
Kat Sellers, Field Ready’s Executive Director, put it in similar terms: the aim is to stop relying on global logistics chains that can take days or weeks to reach people in need.
“By making it local, we shift the reliance on global logistics toward sustainable, community-led solutions,” she said.
Field Ready grew out of a similar frustration. Its founders met in 2012 at a Silicon Valley innovation programme, united by a sense that aid delivery was too slow and too centralised.
The organisation ran its first field test the following year in Haiti, where a small team used 3D printers to produce medical devices still needed years after the 2010 earthquake. Since then, it has carried the same approach into disaster- and conflict-affected settings including Nepal, Kenya, South Sudan and Syria. Field Ready has worked in more than 20 countries. It is currently active in the Pacific, Syria, Türkiye and Somalia, with its strongest presence in the Pacific, where it is registered as a non-profit in Fiji, Vanuatu and Samoa.
Across the four Pacific countries, the partnership aims to train around 100 local technicians to operate, maintain and eventually pass on the skills behind each makerspace, so the capacity stays in communities long after Field Ready’s engineers have moved on…..PACNEWS
