Fiame prevails: “It’s a new day”
By Samantha Magick “Can I offer my deepest gratitude to you, the people of Samoa, and in particular acknowledge the dignity with which you have waited with patience and forbearance, peacefully and respectfully, for
2021
‘Tiny’ but tasty: Aelan’s global success
By Samantha Magick Vanuatu chocolate maker, Aelan hopes to launch a regional chocolate and cacao competition this year as a way of promoting high-quality chocolate from across the Pacific Islands region. “We're
A note from the editor
After more than two months and infinite patience on the part of voters, Samoa finally has a new Prime Minister, Fiame Naomi Mata'afa. We’re yet to see what Fiame’s ascendancy will mean for regional
Virtual leadership- a new norm?
By Dennis Rounds During times of national crisis, people look to their government for political leadership, meaningful financial and welfare assistance, and general reassurance. The COVID-19 pandemic might not be a war
Fiji real estate: A buyer’s market
By Samantha Magick The pandemic has flattened Fiji’s real estate industry, with the Reserve Bank reporting that commercial bank lending to real estate had plummeted 31.3% (or F$24million) for the year ending March
Pleass Global: Celebrating 25 years of innovation
Sponsored From supplying Fiji cinemas with frozen soft drinks 25 years ago, Pleass Global Limited has grown into a diverse company that is looking to new markets, new products and new opportunities. Co-founders
Inclusivity is expedient for PACER Plus
I wrote: ‘Re-Negotiated PACER Plus for Post-Covid-19 Pacific Regionalism’ for the July 2020 Island Business issue. This was pitched particularly at strengthening Pacific regionalism (Pacific Islands Forum) as a
Mia Kami: Harnessing the power of music to decolonise the mind
By Rowena Singh “Performing is more than just me standing up and singing a song in front of people; it is a chance for me to share a vision and a mission,” says Tonga’s Mia Kami. Kami’s original songs are full
“We are lagging behind quite poorly”
By Samantha Magick In 2020 as shops and markets all over the world were forced to close due to the coronavirus, people shopped from home, with e-commerce seeing exponential growth in many markets. And the trend will
“We can’t just sit back and wait for the tourists to come”
By Samantha Magick Banz Kofi’s online business was transformed when owner Patrick Killoran negotiated a significant reduction in freight rates. Last year during COVID, while regular sales out of the company’s
Now is the time for an independent Pacific think tank
By Dr Anthony Bergin and Dr Transform Aqorau Good foreign policy, diplomacy and sound national security in the Pacific Islands doesn’t just require solid ideas and good plans. It needs robust evidence of what works
View from the West: High and dry in “new normal” Fiji
Here, in what some call the “burning West”, a pub with no beer is to some parched human throats what a dry river is to a herd of thirsty cattle. Due to COVID lockdowns, Fijians walked for close to two months in the
Behind the story: The prodigal son returns
Ruben Vulawalu returned to his village of Drue, Kadavu after 20 years for his story, Between a rock and a hard place on page 34. He writes about the experience of seeing the devastation caused by Keni and Cyclone
We Say: COVID awareness needs to speak our languages
By Samisoni Pareti When I suggested to a friend on Facebook that we should host a live session on the social media platform about COVID-19 and vaccinations, I absolutely had no idea what we were getting into. Seven days
How did my husband die?
By Bernadette H. Carreon The Parties to the Nauru Agreement ( PNA) has described them as the "eyes of the sea," who help provide critical data to ensure the sustainability of tuna stocks. But while fisheries observers
Can electronic monitoring improve observer safety and security?
While collectively, Pacific fishing nations do not appear to be in a rush to send fisheries observers back to sea unless their environment is safe, some national programs have continued to deploy observers on fishing
The Forum after Dame Meg
Nic Maclellan As Henry Puna takes the reins at the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat, Dame Meg Taylor has ended her term as Secretary General after more than six years in the job. In an interview with Islands Business
“When we stand together,we have the greatest voice”
Leaving her post after six years as Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum, Dame Meg Taylor spoke with Islands Business correspondent Nic Maclellan about the state of Pacific regionalism. Here are excerpts from
Coping with COVID in PNG
By early June, Papua New Guinea’s COVID-19 cases stood at 15,938 and 15,088 of that number have recovered. There have been 162 deaths, and so at the time of reporting, there were 688 active cases. So how is the PNG
Little light on power sale
By Netani Rika With Fiji caught in the darkness of a descending cloud of COVID-19, its government has pushed through the sale of a large portion of the national energy company to a Japanese consortium. In its initial
Being a consultant in the Pacific
By Ken Katafono We are going through extraordinary times. It hasn’t been lost on me that we’ve been fortunate during this time to continue to work and have a demand for our skills and experience. So, I thought I’d
UN States seek teeth and sting in the corruption fight
From the office of the Pacific Anti-Corruption Journalists' Network in Suva Transnational crime syndicates including those that work in the underworld market of money laundering would have been anxious over moves in the
Pacific unity against corruption: The Teieniwa vision
Gathering in Tarawa, Kiribati from 4 to 5 February 2020 with the President of Kiribati as the Chair, we, the Prime Minister of Samoa, Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, Vice President of Kiribati, Ministers from the