Movers and Shakers
The Pacific Community (SPC) has appointed a new Micronesia Director based in Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia. William Kostka has decades of environmental, community and development expertise across the North
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Fiji’s national living treasure: Dr Dick Watling
Dr Dick Watling believes that for conservation programmes to be successful, they must “place resource owners and their needs and aspirations at their centre and train people to implement them.” Dr Watling makes his
The long, hard road to climate finance
It’s the classic Catch-22. Pacific and other small island developing states desperately need to access climate finance to survive the growing impacts of climate change. That much is well known. And the
Two-headed Monster, or Myth?
As the United States of America’s westernmost territory, Guam employs the unofficial but frequently used motto, "Where America's Day Begins", referring to the island's proximity to the International Date Line. A
Whose rule is it?
One month short of its first anniversary, Fiji’s three-party governing coalition is in disarray. Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has topped off a series of bungled appointments by recanting on a major Cabinet reshuffle
Strengthening the Pacific’s nukes-free zone
A challenge for leaders in Rarotonga In August 1985, the Pacific Islands Forum held its annual summit in Cook Islands and adopted the Treaty of Rarotonga for a South Pacific Nuclear Free Zone (SPNFZ). Created at the
Whispers
DJ Albo On his recent trip to the United States, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was hosted at a state dinner in the White House. Some bright spark proposed that the 1970s band, The B-52s, perform at the
Pacific prepares for El Niño
As the Pacific approaches its cyclone season, Pacific Island countries are also preparing themselves for warmer and wetter conditions caused by an El Niño. In July, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Water shocks impact the food chain
“We often think of buckets for food security. But in the Pacific, it means water security,” said Dave Hebblethwaite, the Pacific Community’s Water Security and Governance Coordinator. To illustrate his
Tuvalu’s floating solar panels
In Funafuti, a small pond bordered by pig pens is now home to an innovative renewable energy pilot program, floating solar panels. Tuvalu Energy Corporation General Manager, Mafalu Lotolua says the project is a response
OTEC: Challenging the status quo
The proponents of Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) are hoping that the technology will finally get a foothold in the Pacific, following their recent mission to Fiji. A Regional Energy and Transport Ministers’
Trends in food and beverage manufacturing
A global view Consumer concerns over cost, health and environmental sustainability are driving innovation in the global food and beverage manufacturing sector. Supply chains are being influenced by shortages of raw
From Samoa with alofa
“Our vision is to take Samoa products to the world,” says Nathan Wilson, Director of Wilex Samoa. “That was the founder, my father Tangaloa Eddie Wilson’s vision, to create a gateway for the Samoan people to get
Supporting Pacific cacao farmers
“We are chocolate and cacao manufacturers, but we call ourselves community cultural development practitioners which is what we all studied, none study chocolate making. The more beans we move, the more money goes into
Briefs
American Samoa American Samoa's new entry system for Samoan citizens went into effect on October 19. In September, the American Samoa Department of Legal Affairs proposed a change allowing Samoan citizens to travel to
Movers and Shakers
Tonga’s Minister for Health, Dr Saia Ma’u Piukala has been nominated as the next World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for the Western Pacific. His candidacy was successful at the WHO Regional Committee
COP28: Boiling Point
It’s taken 70 years but some of the life is slowly coming back around Bikini atoll, ravaged by the United States’ nuclear tests in the Marshall Islands immediately after World War Two. For a team from the
Opinion: Regenerate forests and save humanity
“The era of global boiling has arrived,” UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, recently warned. It looks as if the climate change tipping point has been activated and all hands are required on deck to mitigate the
Chinese grifters tie up UN, Marshalls in scam
The stakes could scarcely have been higher for Hilda Heine, the former president of the Marshall Islands. For years, her remote archipelago nation of just 40,000 people was best known to the world — if known at all
Fiji rugby want more. Will they get it?
Fiji rugby finds itself at a pivotal juncture in its storied 110-year history. In recent years, the nation's beloved sport has been making a steady drive towards international success, each successive phase taking
Whispers
Confused, changing tunes So, in boycotting US President Joe Biden's annual summit with Pacific leaders in Washington DC late September, Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare wasn't the only one hitting the headlines after
