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
Leila Parina
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
Vee’s Organic Farms: Down to earth, still atop the world
The story could have ended with a flight attendant being told she would never walk or talk again, simply being grounded, but Vitila Vuniwaqa hopes to inspire others with chapters in which she
The Drua does not sink
‘Sega ni dau dromu na Drua’, meaning ‘The Drua does not sink’, were the words that echoed through the Fijiana Drua camp this season, carrying them all the way to the Super W title. Short and simple they may be,
Sweet message in the music
South Auckland reggae artist, Sweet and Irie’s song Ban the Burn may be some 15 years old, but its message is as powerful and important today. Ban the Burn, which warns against meth use, was first recorded in 2006,
Movers and Shakers
Jane Waetara is Solomon Islands’ new Permanent Representative to the United Nations and High Commissioner to Canada after officially tendering an early resignation as the nation’s first female Chief Electoral
MSG, Indonesia dialogue on Regional Security Strategy
The Indonesian National Police (INP) is hosting the 4th Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) Regional Security Strategy (RSS) Working Group (WG) from June 6 to 10, 2022 in Bali, Indonesia. The event is attended by delegates
Pacific netball remain resilient through COVID
Netball playing nations in the Pacific are looking forward to finally playing international Tests again after COVID-19 forced them into a hiatus more than two years ago. Financial restraints and small player pools have
NCDs cannot be ignored says Tonga PM
Tongan Prime Minister Hu’akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni has called for a collective effort to tackle the leading cause of death and disability in Tonga – heart disease, diabetes and some cancers – in a
Second submarine fibre optic cable laid in Palau
Belau Submarine Cable Corporation (BSCC) celebrated the next segment of the second submarine cable project laying from Ngardmau State port in Palau this week. The Strider, a specialised cable-laying vessel, started the
Samoa launches survey results on political attitudes
A pioneering survey of popular political attitudes in the Pacific – the Pacific Attitudes Survey (PAS) Samoa – is being launched this week. The PAS gauges the views of ordinary Samoan citizens on a range of
Palau’s Ngchesar State endorses oil refinery plant
Palau’s Ngchesar State Government recently endorsed a proposal to build a deep-water petroleum refinery plant and port in Ngchesar State. The presentation by Belau LLC to the House of Delegates in
Comment: Tonga Finance Minister warns of a ‘shrinking economy’
Tonga’s economy is in trouble, says Tonga Wires. The economic contraction during two years of border restrictions, has been accelerated by January’s devastating Hunga volcanic eruption and tsunamis, followed
