A new chapter for Pacific ocean governance
The new Pacific Ocean Commissioner, Dr Filimon Manoni says the support expressed for his office and appointment from Pacific Islands regional agencies, is good news for ocean governance, and for him personally. The
Unified Pacific is the game changer, says senior UN executive
An Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations has urged a key gathering of finance ministers from across the Pacific to form a “unified and strengthened Pacific” as a game changer in the struggle against the
Cook Islands PM asks partners to get serious about debt and climate financing as economic ministers meet
Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown says if the region’s donor partners are serious about helping Pacific economies grow and recover, they “have to be serious about looking at changing the rules around financing,
AI and the Pacific
Beyond the hype Meet Joe, Vodafone Fiji's champion customer service officer. Joe is a chatbot, powered by Artificial Intelligence, a 24/7 assistant that was first launched by the company in 2019. Joe has been hard
New FinTech uses AI for loan services
A new Fiji FinTech company is pioneering technology that’s designed to streamline the lending process through the use of artificial intelligence. ThirdRoc’s platform will allow lenders, such as early partner
AI: A multiverse of opportunities for the Pacific
Semi Tukana is the founder of two tech companies, the Software Factory which he started in 2000, and more recently Sole, a FinTech platform created to “empower people to develop sustainable capital generation.” The
The beauty, and power of bilas
Australian Museum highlights PNG culture In the darkened spaces of the Australian Museum in Sydney, birdsong and chanting voices echo. Rounding a corner, you are surrounded by the illuminated faces of Papua New Guinean
Superpower legacy: How the US continues to test nuclear victims
It is not often that Pacific church leaders must confront the fact that their people have been used for half a century as guinea pigs to further the military interests of a global superpower. And when the realisation
COFA agreement still elusive
The Marshall Islands has called on Washington to pay full compensation for the health, environmental and cultural damage caused by 67 nuclear tests carried out by the American government. Kenneth Kedi, Speaker of the
Young right a historical wrong
A 2019 Columbia University study showed that some areas of the Marshall Islands are 10 times more radioactive than Chernobyl and Fukushima despite decades of clean-up efforts by the United States. Yet, few young
Water: PWWA talks resilience
The resilience of the Pacific’s water services is not just about climate proofing existing and future infrastructure, but also ensuring the appropriate technology is being put in, and that there are the right people
Water: Reaching the SDG-6 benchmark
Monitoring by United Nations agencies indicates that only 55% of people in the Pacific have access to safe water and only 30% to adequate sanitation. The gap between urban and rural areas is wide, and compared to the
Water: Making WASH aid work
What needs to change if Pacific Island nations are to get anywhere near their water and sanitation hygiene (WASH) targets under the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030? For the Regional Systems Strengthening Technical
Obituary: David Harrison Gilmour 1931-2023
A business pioneer who transformed tourism and started an iconic Fijian business died in New York last month. Now he is being remembered by a new generation of businesspeople. Canadian entrepreneur David Harrison
Whispers
Trouble in the air (1) A Pacific airline is flying through a rough patch with its CEO receiving orders to leave by the end of the month. Earlier this year he dismissed two Fijian executives who promptly sued the
Small Island, Big Song
What's next for this globe-spanning project? It is a heartfelt embodying of the unadulterated musical essence of the “small islands” – the people at the frontline of the Climate Crisis - capturing the cultural
Briefs
American SamoaThe neighbour of an American Samoa House Representative was arrested over allegations of threats to burn down the Representative's house and shoot his family. It was alleged after further investigations
Movers and Shakers
Ewen McDonald is Australia's inaugural Special Envoy for the Pacific and Regional Affairs and the next High Commissioner to Fiji. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the role reflects the Albanese Government's commitment
Flying Fijians win Pacific Nations Cup
The Fiji Water Flying Fijians claimed their third consecutive Pacific Nations Cup, beating Japan 35 – 12 at Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium in Japan last night. In doing so Fiji is also taking home the Lipovitan
Fiji Budget 2023-2024: A wrap
Fiji’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Biman Prasad, today presented a deficit budget in Fiji’s parliament. With a projected revenue of $3.7 billion, and expenditure of $4.3 billion, the
Fiji Budget: Reactions from the House
While the formal budget debate on the budget in Parliament commences on July 10, some MPS and stakeholders have given their initial responses to the Budget. Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said the budget is “the
Fiji Budget: ‘It’s a tough but fair budget’ says Finance Minister
Presenting government’s Fiji Budget 2023-2024 to parliament this morning, Finance Minister Biman Prasad said the fiscal deficit of $639 million dollars was “higher than I personally wanted.” Prasad said