Deep-seabed mining is creating a noisy problem for Australia — and it’s only getting louder
Given the exponential threats it poses to the marine environment, deep seabed mining is destined to become a contentious global environmental issue. The risks are significant enough to make a mockery of any
Olympic champion Adams urges Brisbane 2032 to ensure legacy for Oceania
New Zealand’s double Olympic shot put champion Dame Valerie Adams has urged organisers of the 2032 Olympics and Paralympics in Brisbane to ensure the Games benefit the entire Oceania region and not just Australia.
Pro-independence forces win elections on French Polynesia
Pro-independence forces won elections on France’s Pacific territory of French Polynesia, giving them control of affairs on the archipelagos for the next five years and opening the way to a possible referendum on
Australia would be smart to recruit soldiers in the Pacific, former Fijian British Army officer explains
Fiji has a track record of service to the British crown. Travel to Hereford, where the Special Air Service is based, and you will find a statue of Sergeant Talaiasi Labalaba, who was one of the 212 Fijians who joined
Suspended PNG Immigration Minister dismissed from office
Suspended Member for Madang and Papua New Guinea Immigration Minister, Bryan Kramer has been dismissed from office Monday by the Leadership Tribunal inquiring in to charges of misconduct in office against him. He has
Vanuatu chief urges countries to clean up climate change mess
“My people have not caused this climate change and we challenge those (countries) that have caused it to clean it up. “I thank Denmark for standing with Vanuatu at the United Nations General Assembly on its
Tax the rich, not the poor: former RBF governor Narube
Unity Party leader, Savenaca Narube, is concerned that proposed goods tax increases punishes the people for the sins of the previous government. The former Governor of the Reserve Bank of Fiji says a proposed
Blues get crucial Fijian Drua win
The Blues have kept pace with the top four with a 30-14 win over the Fijian Drua. It’s the first time the Drua have been defeated at home in 2023 as Leon McDonald’s men get their third win in a row. Both teams
Tonga earn third PacificAus Sports Netball Series title against Malawi
Tonga earned their third PacificAus Sports Netball Series title on the Gold Coast in Australia, beating Malawi by 13 goals in the final. The tournament at the Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre served as a warm up for
Fijiana Drua stun Waratahs to book place in Super W Final
The fourth-ranked Fijiana Drua scored 20 unanswered points to stun the previous unbeaten Waratahs in a rematch of last year’s final. Centre Vana Arei scored a double, including the match-winner in the 69th minute to
Movers and Shakers
Miriam Kataunati of the Kiribati Meteorological Service (KMS) is the country’s first female Oceanographer. A graduate of the University of Fiji in Environmental Science, she started work at KMS as an Acting Assistant
What’s next for New Caledonia?
25 years after the Noumea Accord Twenty-five years ago, the French government joined supporters and opponents of independence in New Caledonia to adopt the Noumea Accord – a political agreement that mapped out a
Fiji Economic Summit: Balancing inclusivity and realpolitik
The first Fiji Economic Summit in 16 years has produced a substantial list of suggestions and requests from industry, community and political participants, which they hope will inform the upcoming national budget, and
The Pacific’s nursing crisis
'An unprecedented shortage' Pacific Heads of Health have heard that the shortage of skilled nurses in the region is “unprecedented and poses a threat to the stability, accessibility and quality of essential care
Improving Pacific Islanders health in NZ and the region
The University of Auckland has opened the first-of-its-kind research centre dedicated to Pasifika health, the Te Poutoko Ora a Kiwa (Centre for Pacific and Global Health). Centre Co-Director, Dr Roannie Ng Shiu is a
UN resolution a victory for Pacific youth
The United Nations’ adoption of a resolution calling for an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the obligations of States on climate change, is a victory for the Pacific, and for a group
Project Cerulean: A vast ocean of possibility to explore
In 2018, Swire Shipping and the University of the South Pacific launched a new project to research and design a low-carbon wind powered, commercially-operated freighter to stimulate outer-island Pacific trade. Route
Opinion: Strengthening Pacific regionalism for robust globalisation
Pacific Islands Forum leaders "renewed their collective support for the ‘Leaders’ Commitments to 2050" as articulated in the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent when they met in Nadi in February. They also
Vanuatu ransomware attack a lesson for others
On 06 November 2022, a new government started its first official day in office on the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu – just as a debilitating ransomware attack shut it out of all state-run computer systems. Unable
WTO fisheries agreement awaits ratification
The Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) says members need to move faster on ratifying a fisheries agreement that would ban subsidies for illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. “We need
Fiji tuna symposium considers industry’s future
Ten years ago, Suva port was one of the region’s most preferred ports for foreign vessels fishing in the western and central Pacific ocean, says the president of the Fiji Fishing Industry Association (FFIA). Speaking
Fish surveys in your pocket
The era of filling out paper forms, mountains of paperwork, and cabinets full of documents containing fish catch surveys could be nearing an end with the increased uptake of the Ikasavea app. The Pacific Community (SPC)
Rob Ruha champions Te Reo Maori in his songs
“It’s really cool” was Maori musician, Rob Ruha’s reaction to recently topping the Pacific charts with his song Taera. “I’m a little bit overwhelmed being number one on the Pacific charts,” says