ACT elects David Pocock as first independent senator
Former Australian rugby union star David Pocock has made history, becoming the first independent senator for a territory. This morning, the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) confirmed he had unseated former ACT
Rugby League star Justin Olam re-commits with Storm
Papua New Guinea international Justin Olam has extended his contract with renowned NRL club, theMelbourne Storm. The re-signing is for the next 4 years, keeping him in Melbourne until at least the end of the 2026
Sovereignty talks at Defence Summit in Singapore
Country leaders present at a defence summit in Singapore on Monday have made their stance clear on sovereignty. Inia Seruiratu, Fiji’s Minister for Defence, National Security and Policing highlighted that Fiji values
Cook Islands election set for August 1st
Cook Islands elections will be held on August 1st. Queen’s Representative Sir Tom Marsters dissolved Parliament yesterday, and announced the polling date. Prime Minister Mark Brown will lead Cook Islands Party
We have no choice but to fight for our future
“The threat of nuclear weapons is an existential crisis and we feel the weight that this places on us for our future,” says Bedi Racule. “It can be really hard to face these things, but we have no choice but to
Internet society wary of “splinternet”
An Internet advocacy organisation has warned that any fragmentation of the Internet will undermine decades of successful global Internet connectivity and has called on stakeholders in the Pacific to rally against it.
Tongan MP Hingano dies in NZ
Tongan Cabinet Minister, Viliami Manuopangai Hingano, passed away Friday, at the Auckland City Hospital in New Zealand, the Tonga Prime Minister’s Office has announced. Hingano travelled to New Zealand on 30
Opinion: Penny Wong dives deep into the audacity of the Oceanic Pacific
Nurturing relationships is paramount to break down unequal power dynamics – especially in working for women rights. By ‘Ofa-ki-Levuka (‘Ofa) Guttenbeil-Likiliki From the 1990s to the early 2000s, Oceanic writer
Qantas Airways renews license to fly to Samoa
Qantas Airways Limited has applied to Samoa’s Ministry for Works Transport and Infrastructure to fly two routes between two Australian east coast cities and Samoa. The interest shown by one of the
A call for more collaborative, science and grassroot involvement in oceans management
World Oceans Day saw a flurry of activity in Fiji’s capital, Suva, as people gathered to celebrate the ocean as an integral part of their lives. It coincided with a two-day Pacific Oceans Alliance meeting that
NZ High Court reject Pacific remittance companies plea
A judicial review of the Reserve Bank and New Zealand Finance Minister Grant Robertson’s actions around money laundering laws has failed, leaving money remitters carting bags of cash around in an attempt to keep the
Niue concerned over grounded Taiwanese ship
The Niue government is remaining tight lipped over the Taiwanese fishing vessel that ran aground on a Niue reef last week. Radio New Zealand has spoken about the incident with a government official who would like remain
The false Pacific dilemma of choosing between U.S. and China
For some observers, the signing of the China-Solomon Islands Treaty has opened a can of geostrategic worms for the Pacific (Australia, NZ and FICs), presenting a false dilemma that FICs ought to choose who is to be
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
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
PNG’s booming horticulture industry worth K3 billion
Papua New Guinea’s horticulture and fresh produce industry is estimated to be worth more than K3 billion (US$854 million) but there is potential for expansion, Fresh Produce Development Agency general manager Mark
Oceans vision laid out at oceans meeting
What kind of ocean would we like to pass to our future generations? What would it take to do so? Are we doing enough? This was the challenge raised by Pacific Ocean Commissioner and Pacific Islands Forum Secretary