Internet society wary of “splinternet”
An Internet advocacy organisation has warned that any fragmentation of the Internet will undermine decades of successful global Internet connectivity and has called on stakeholders in the Pacific to rally against it.
Tongan MP Hingano dies in NZ
Tongan Cabinet Minister, Viliami Manuopangai Hingano, passed away Friday, at the Auckland City Hospital in New Zealand, the Tonga Prime Minister’s Office has announced. Hingano travelled to New Zealand on 30
Opinion: Penny Wong dives deep into the audacity of the Oceanic Pacific
Nurturing relationships is paramount to break down unequal power dynamics – especially in working for women rights. By ‘Ofa-ki-Levuka (‘Ofa) Guttenbeil-Likiliki From the 1990s to the early 2000s, Oceanic writer
Qantas Airways renews license to fly to Samoa
Qantas Airways Limited has applied to Samoa’s Ministry for Works Transport and Infrastructure to fly two routes between two Australian east coast cities and Samoa. The interest shown by one of the
NZ High Court reject Pacific remittance companies plea
A judicial review of the Reserve Bank and New Zealand Finance Minister Grant Robertson’s actions around money laundering laws has failed, leaving money remitters carting bags of cash around in an attempt to keep the
Niue concerned over grounded Taiwanese ship
The Niue government is remaining tight lipped over the Taiwanese fishing vessel that ran aground on a Niue reef last week. Radio New Zealand has spoken about the incident with a government official who would like remain
Is Lau the Next Galapagos?
A huge conservation effort that could be the South Pacific's answer to the wildlife park-island of Galapagos is gaining momentum in Fiji. Under the Lau Seascape initiative, nearly 336,000 square kilometres of land and
The false Pacific dilemma of choosing between U.S. and China
For some observers, the signing of the China-Solomon Islands Treaty has opened a can of geostrategic worms for the Pacific (Australia, NZ and FICs), presenting a false dilemma that FICs ought to choose who is to be
Whispers
Lau in the spotlight A tug of war of mega proportions is underway in Suva’s corridors of power over an initiative by a group of islands in Fiji to preserve the largely pristine sea and land. Under their Lau Seascape
Fiji’s tourism comeback
But concerns remain over Pacific-wide labour shortages Travellers now want authentic and immersive vacation experiences, an analyst from international consulting firm Twenty31, told the recent Fiji Tourism Expo. Oliver
From Farm to Table to Memory
Hidden inside the golf course on Denarau is a burgeoning farm. Fiji National University graduate Shahil Ram has been managing the plot for the Marriott group for a year, and despite suffering a slight setback because of
Unplugging at Namosi Eco Retreat
Sustainability was the buzzword at the Fiji Tourism Exchange, and some of the industry’s quiet pioneers were glad to hear it. “The only way to survive the pandemic was through sustainability. The only way
Bleaching distress signal
Recently we heard that widespread coral bleaching has occurred on the Great Barrier Reef off Queensland for the fourth time in seven years. Scientists say the frequency of these bleaching events mean there’s
Micro plastics, macro problem
An estimated 150 million tonnes of plastic are circulating in our oceans, and that figure is growing by the equivalent of one-truckload every minute, the United Nations Environment Program says. Plastic pollution was a
A ‘Can Do’ Spirit For MSG and Melanesia
“In terms of the broad Melanesian Spearhead Group family, my intention is to re-institute the spirit of ‘can do’ that characterised the MSG when it was first formed in the 1980s.” That’s Leonard Louma, the new
Tonga Rebuilds
“We gave the world a bit of a shake on the 15th of January this year,” Moana Kioa from Tonga’s National Emergency Management Office (NEMO) told the Global Platform for Disaster Risk resilience in Indonesia
ICT kept us together
The recent Pacific Islands Telecommunications Association’s (PITA) annual Business Forum & Expo 2022 was what PITA Vice President and CEO of Vodafone Cook Islands, Phil Henderson called “a bit of an
An Umbilical Cord Between New Caledonia and Fiji
When the Gondwana 2 submarine cable linking New Caledonia and Fiji was landed in Suva last month, FINTEL CEO George Samisoni described it as an “umbilical cord” linking the Pacific. Samisoni said it took seven years
Telcos urged to maintain momentum of COVID-19 gains
While COVID-19 crippled economies across the globe, the telecommunications industry was among the very few sectors gifted with an unexpected windfall. Never has life been more dependent on its services than over the
Connecting the Pacific
Pacific nations require efficient, resilient connectivity to the global digital highway to participate in e-commerce and provide the services to their nation which are obtainable elsewhere in the world.
Comment: Making Sense of Multi-layered Security Frameworks
Security is a priority in the region. It has been so since 1971, when the earlier version of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) – the South Pacific Forum (SPF) first met in Wellington on 5-7 August that year. At that
Briefs
American Samoa Local inflation reached double digits in the first quarter of 2022. The rate was 11.6%, an increase from 9.7% at the end of 2021, says American Samoa’s Statistics and Analysis Division. Price rises were
Pacific youth raise concerns over debt levels
“25 years from now – my children, your grandchildren are at a risk of potential tax and financial burdens that will be crippling if nothing is done today to reduce our region’s growing debt.” This was the
