Energy poverty and access to electricity in the Pacific
Energy poverty is widespread in the Pacific. It is estimated that 70 per cent of households in the region don’t have access to electricity and 85 per cent don’t have access to clean cooking energy
Tokelau conference on rogue fishing
Experts to review strategy on MCS, IUU Officials for the Pacific’s leading forum for high-level fisheries dialogue, the Forum Fisheries Committee head to Tokelau this month for an in-depth look at current and
Data holds the key, says SPTO
Regional tourism body, the South Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) wants tourism data to be accurate and made available on a timely
That was too soon a deadline, bosso
Exactly a decade ago to the day, on April 18, 2004, when I emailed my first ever Views from Auckland column to Laisa for the May 2004 issue of this magazine, little did I imagine that my tenth anniversary column would
Samoa
Ruling HRPP bows to growing pressure After several months of debate, secret meetings and petitions, the decision came down to the Samoan Minister of Finance, Faumuina Tiatia Faaolatane Liuga for him to heed the calls to
Pressure on Communal Ownership
The story goes that when a western visitor new to the Pacific asked an islander why individual property ownership was so hard, the islander asked a counter question that left the visitor scratching his head. “Can
Logging industry cleans up its act in Solomon Islands
‘Cowboy’ operators worry registered firms In a world that’s becoming increasingly environmentally-friendly, logging is a dirty word. So much so that even commercial banks, conscious of the growing
Gloomy outlook for the Pacific
Rapid strides in pharmacology and the medical sciences in the latter half of the twentieth century has seen the near total elimination of several diseases and ailments. Many of these had taken a heavy toll on vast human
Banking woes continue to plague Nauru
Uncertainties force banking downgrade Uncertainties in initial assessments on Nauru Island were behind the Bendigo and Adelaide Bank’s decision not to establish full commercial operations or a community bank as
Growth for whom?
No political system has succeeded in eradicating inequality at any time in the history of humankind. Whether it is the many monarchies of the past couple of millennia, dictatorships of the past and present centuries,
Chinese yuan, PNG kina open new market of riches
It’s become the Pacific’s 2nd largest donor A new wave of splurge spending by Chinese in the Pacific and Papua New Guinea’s incredible leap into high economic drive with a mid-year opening of LNG
Whispers
Fire without the engine …. Residents of Port Vila are up in arms about the absence of the familiar red fire engines when it comes to attending to fire calls in the Vanuatu capital. The engine is reportedly parked
Parties to Nauru Agreement loses CEO
The Pacific is losing one of its most prolific tuna negotiators who has been instrumental in negotiating greater returns for tropical purse seine fishery. Parties to Nauru Agreement (PNA) Chief Executive Officer Dr
Senator Brett Mason
Australian Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs firms up relations with Fiji After her first meeting with Fiji’s leader Frank Bainimarama in Suva in February, Australia’s Foreign
Greenpeace to operate by
Greenpeace’s closure of its Pacific Office in Fiji last month has ignited fears that the global environmental group no longer considers the region a priority. Greenpeace campaigner Duncan Williams has confirmed
Island Biodiversity
Since its establishment the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) has worked to raise awareness on environment issues across the region and help empower others to do the same. Through our
Will Japan stop killing our whales?
A world court slapped a moratorium on Japanese from slaughtering whales in the Antarctic in April but the country’s whale enthusiasts have no plans to stop their hobby in the northwest Pacific. Shortly after the
New hope for Pacific migrants
On one hand it is cautioning recipient countries in the Pacific to be wary of aid cuts from this year and on the other, the Abbott government is offering an olive branch to semi-skilled workers from around the region to
Pacific NGOs up in arms
Greenpeace’s closure in Suva adds to an already growing concern amongst Non-Government Organisations in the region that their services are not appreciated. At last year’s Western and Central Pacific
Pacific exporters pick up branding, supply chain skills
The importance of branding, cost-effective packaging, dealing with logistics and effective supply chain management were topics discussed at a workshop for exporters from Fiji and the Pacific last month. More than 80
A nameless deadly storm
23 dead, 50 still missing in flash flooding in Honiara I t left as quickly as it came. And despite it being nameless, the storm that whipped up flash floodings on April 2 had left a swathe of destruction in its
Inaugural Pacific business survey launched
Exporters of goods and services from the Pacific Islands were invited last month to share their views on business confidence, the investment climate and export trends. The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and
Patrick Beni – the 10 year-old hero who lost it all
Ten year-old Patrick Beni was home that fatal Wednesday morning. Like other children of his age, he did not go to school due to the inclement weather, with non-stop rain almost all weekend. His mother was asleep in her
