Opinion: Tonga MP Piukaka’s rhetoric about the King hand picking Noble MPs is a serious threat to our half-cooked democracy
Member of Parliament Piveni Piukala’s proposal to revoke Tonga’s current nobility electoral system to allow the king to hand pick them for Parliament would be a fatal blow to Tonga’s fragile democracy. It flies in
Opinion: Mobile internet prices falling in Papua New Guinea
After years of high prices for mobile data in Papua New Guinea, consumers are now able to access lower prices that represent better value. We have been monitoring mobile internet prices in PNG since the start of 2020.
Opinion: The Rabuka government: a first-third assessment
Ice hockey is, almost uniquely, a game played over three thirds. You won’t find much ice hockey in tropical Fiji, but its speed and brutality certainly find parallels in the world of Fijian politics. The Sitiveni
Opinion: Micronesia in the Headlines
The rise of China and its role in the region is driving U.S. “re-engagement” with the island Pacific. In the case of those Micronesian states who have Compacts of Free Association with the United States (COFA), the
Opinion: Question for PNG foreign minister Tkatchenko – what does the defence pact mean for West Papua?
Papua New Guinea and Indonesia have formally ratified a defence agreement a decade after its initial signing. PNG’s Foreign Minister Justin Tkatchenko and the Indonesian ambassador to the Pacific nation,
Secrets in the canopy: scientists discover 8 striking new bee species in the Pacific
After a decade searching for new species of bees in forests of the Pacific Islands, all we had to do was look up. We soon found eight new species of masked bees in the forest canopy: six in Fiji, one in French
Opinion: What can the Pacific learn from the EU Parliament vote against Norway’s decision to advance deep-sea mining
On February the 7th, the European Union (EU) Parliament voted against Norway’s recent decision to advance deep-sea mining in the Arctic by reaffirming its moratorium position and called for the European Commission and
Opinion: Science says Tuvalu will drown within decades; the reality is worse
Tuvalu, a picturesque island nation nestled in the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean, is currently grappling with a relentless onslaught of storm surges and towering waves, wreaking havoc on coastal communities. While
Opinion: Behind the shine of the Pacific Games lurks poor governance and corruption
Running with the baton as part of the relay in the lead-up to the Pacific Games, I felt so proud of my country. Proud of the young people who volunteered in whatever way they could to make the event successful.
Opinion: Health service coverage: Asia and the Pacific swap places
According to the World Health Organization, Universal Health Coverage (UHC) requires that all people receive the promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative, and palliative health services they need and can afford.
Te Ipukarea Society: Deep seabed mining and the emerging risk to our tuna fisheries
Last week saw the Cook Islands host one of the most significant meetings with respect to the shared tuna stocks in the region. That was the annual session of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission,
COP28: Celebrating the Crumbs
After 28 years of international climate negotiations, the COP summit finally reached an agreement to transition away from fossil fuels. The mention of fossil fuels is in itself a breakthrough. But it is low-hanging
Opinion: A PNG-Australia security framework: not a treaty but solid nonetheless
On 7 December 2023, the prime ministers of Australia and Papua New Guinea signed an historic security agreement in Canberra. It has taken approximately three years to conclude since both countries signed the
Opinion: Basic but essential: Vanuatu’s proposed political integrity legislation
Vanuatu has had three different prime ministers since 4 September, and weathered several court challenges as politicians and parties battled for parliamentary supremacy. Vanuatu’s citizens have expressed their
Opinion: Can the Commonwealth save paradise?
As Foreign Minister of Ghana, I do get around a fair bit. Often, I’m immersed in briefing papers on flights, with little to no time for looking out the window to take in the aerial sights on the approach to
Opinion: Tuvalu’s parliament debates the Falepili Union
Over the week of 20 November 2023, Tuvalu held its last parliamentary session under the Natano government, which was elected in 2019 and officially dissolved on 27 November. Elections for the new parliament will be held
Opinion: Australia-Tuvalu ‘Falepili’
The Australia-Tuvalu ‘Falepili’ strategy is bullish and most alarming. The initiative was never consulted with the people of Tuvalu, nor was it ever raised in Parliament. It is not a climate change response. It is
Opinion: Australia should listen to PNG not the IMF
In late 2021, following the first phase of a review of the 2000 Central Banking Act (CBA) by an independent advisory group, the Papua New Guinea parliament unanimously amended the CBA. Among other things, the amendments
Opinion: What the U.S. should do better in its engagement with the Pacific
At the U.S. Institute of Peace’s Interorganisational Global Forum on security cooperation in the Pacific islands in September, the U.S. emphasised a ‘whole-of-government effort’ in engaging with the region that
Uniting a nation: The 2023 Pacific Games and the power of sports in fostering national unity and pride
The opening ceremony of the 2023 Pacific Games was an event of unparalleled magnificence, a moment in time that will be etched in the memories of all who were present. For those of us fortunate enough to be in the
Opinion: New data to inform big decisions around Pacific labour mobility
There has been much discussion about how the rapidly expanding labour mobility programmes in Australia and New Zealand have affected lives in the Pacific. Many have pointed to the significant economic benefits to
Opinion: NZ wants more seasonal workers – but Pacific nations no longer want to be the ‘outposts’ that ‘grow’ them
The three party leaders currently negotiating to form New Zealand’s next government might have their differences, but they seem to agree on one thing: the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme needs to expand. New
Opinion: A long-term fund to lift the Porgera mining curse
The last three decades of gold mining in Porgera (1989-2019) have been wasted, with little to show in terms of the socio-economic conditions of the landowners and people of Porgera-Paiela district in Enga Province,