In this bulletin:
1. PACIFIC — ‘New level of bastardry’: Australia releases NZYQ agreement with Naoero
2. SOL — Solomon Islands PM clarifies Oppositions concerns over government policy and 2027 budget
3. SOL — Opposition demands answers over foreign interference in Solomon Islands domestic politics
4. PACIFIC — Pacific leaders urged to keep Bougainville issue internal
5. NEW|CALE — New Caledonia wins French bailout as major financial crisis deepens
6. SOL — Japan partners with UNDP to strengthen inclusive elections in Solomon Islands
7. PALAU — Palau’s clean air tested as Haze carries smoke across the Pacific
8. PACNEWS BIZ — Rarotonga builds its own answer to Uber as Smartie launches Rides
9. PACNEWS BIZ — FFA receives global award recognising Pacific fisheries leadership
10. PACNEWS BIZ — Fiji Airways launches direct flights to Western Sydney
11. PACNEWS BIZ — Fiji to retain border data control
12. PACNEWS IN FOCUS — Affirmed, noted, endorsed: Pacific Islands Forum leaders in Koror
13. PACNEWS IN FOCUS — Solomon Islands treaty puts Australia’s motives in Pacific ‘contest’ with China on show
14. PACNEWS DIGEST — From ancestral wisdom to conservation action: Indigenous voices at PCNC11
15. PACNEWS DIGEST — Conservation efforts along the Pomio Coast in Papua New Guinea result in optimistic outcomes
16. PACNEWS DIGEST — Keeping Pacific communities safer through strengthened climate and weather reporting
PAC – POLITICS: RNZ PACIFIC PACNEWS 2: Wed 09 Sep 2026
‘New level of bastardry’: Australia releases NZYQ agreement with Naoero
CANBERRA, 09 SEPTEMBER 2026 (RNZ PACIFIC) — An Australian senator says the release of terms for a controversial deportation deal between Australia and Naoero (formerly Nauru) raises more questions than it answers.
The Australian government has released an agreement to deport more than 350 refugees and asylum seekers to Naoero, known as the “NZYQ cohort”.
Shrouded in secrecy, the government has been hesitant to release the deal, offering details in bite-sized pieces over the course of last year. Once such revelation came from Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke in August 2025, when he said the deal gave Naoero AU$2.5 billion (US$1.8 billion) over thirty years.
Green Party Senator David Shoebridge, who has led efforts to hold the government to account for grievances over the NZYQ affair, told RNZ Pacific the release only scratches the surface.
“The government has been far from forthright”, Shoebridge said.
“[It has] resisted and made multiple privilege claims for basic information that we have sought about not just this agreement: there’s another whole memorandum which sets up the financial arrangement … they are continuing to resist producing that document.”
Australia turned to Naoero and its long-standing offshore processing arrangements with the Pacific country to solve a problem created for it by a High Court ruling in late 2023.
A stateless man who had been in Australia for more than a decade – known anonymously as NZYQ – had sued the Federal Government for his treatment in a detention centre where he had been held indefinitely.
The court found that the government had no legal right to detain a stateless person within the country: that was the job of the judicial branch. It resulted in around 150 detained refugees being automatically freed – the “cohort”.
The deal with Naoero thus became a work-around: keep the cohort off Australian streets, without the use of detention.
The Australian Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC), which represents deportees traumatised by their experiences in offshore processing, said the deal was not worth the paper it was written on.
“The Nauru deal has been in effect for just over a year, and we have already learned about the involvement of organised crime in propping it up,” HRLC director Sanmati Verma said.
“[Australia’s] willingness to scapegoat migrants shows they have no real solutions to offer.”
As per the agreement, signed in August of last year, Naoero is under obligations that can be sidestepped only with Australia’s consultation. But as the only country contracted to process Australian detainees, Naoero may have some leverage.
Under the terms, Naoero is only able to unilaterally refuse a “proposed person” under exceptional circumstances, accepting them “without any reservation in relation to age, past offences, health conditions or other characteristics”.
If somebody is declined, it has to be due to “a serious and immediate risk to the public health or national security” of the country.
Once there, it is agreed that the person would not be detained, separated from the community, or generally restricted in movement, with the right to leave at any time. They are given work rights and an oligation to “modest” cost of living support.
Once they have received a long-stay visa, which has a 30-year term, they would become a “settled person” with a commitment from Naoero not to send or return them to another country where they would be in danger or at risk of chain refoulement.
But their status as a “settled person” depends on their having that visa, which Naoero could work with Australia to amend.
Shoebridge said if Naoero had a change of heart, this could kneecap the protections as given.
“[Deportees] are just protected as long as Nauru feels it’s in their interest to protect it,” he said.
“As soon as another Nauruan government comes in and decides they want to remove work rights, or they want to take away any obligation to provide basic sustenance, or they want to create a detention camp to put people into … it just has to give the Australian government notice and an opportunity to consult.”
He said the lack of connection that the deportees have with Naoero could make this more likely.
“The idea that we’re deporting people who we’ve found to be refugees to a country to which they have no connection, which has almost no economic capacity to to deal with them, and which gives them almost no future to hope for: this is a new level of bastardry from Australia.”
The released document reveals nothing new about the broader arrangements outside of NZYQ
Environment Minister Murray Watt wrote last week that the government had reconsidered withholding the document “due to recent events”, with it being an “action to mitigate the potential harm.”
“The Minister [Burke] is now satisfied that the public interests weigh towards releasing this document,” he wrote in a cover letter, the government having argued the opposite for months.
Officials have been scrutinised by the Senators, including Shoebridge, under an inquiry into offshore processing that kicked off earlier in the year.
It canvassed the legacy of the old Manus Island offshore detention facility in Papua New Guinea, and the long-running opaque arrangements with Naoero that continue today.
The inquiry heard testimony from traumatised detainees, who recalled the harassment and constant danger they faced in these offshore processing centres throughout the 2010s.
“It’s disastrous for their physical health, or their mental health, we’ve seen man epidemic of self-harm and tragically some people taking their lives,” Shoebridge said.
“We know what happens because past experience has told us this, and in order to deal with a political problem that the government thinks it has here, they’re willing to do that harm to yet more people.”
Australia also deports individuals to New Zealand under Section 501 of the Australian Migration Act.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters at the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders’ summit in Palau last week that that this, and the NZYQ deportations, had in no way contributed to a transnational organised crime crisis in the region.
“If people who aren’t Australian citizens commit crimes in Australia, we’re entitled to implement Australian law, just as other countries are,” he said.
“The objective here is to do everything we can, working with out partners and neighbours, to reduce crime… including with our friends,” he said…. PACNEWS
SOL – PARLIAMENT: SOLOMON STAR PACNEWS 2: Wed 09 Sep 2026
Solomon Islands PM clarifies Oppositions concerns over government policy and 2027 budget
HONIARA, 09 SEPTEMBER 2026 (SOLOMON STAR) — Prime Minister Matthew Wale has clarified concerns raised by the Leader of the Opposition over Government policy announcements, saying it was unlikely that Parliament would transact much of the policy agenda outlined in the Governor-General’s Speech during the remainder of this year.
Speaking in Parliament, Monday, the Prime Minister said the Government’s policy priorities would largely be reflected in the 2027 National Budget, which will provide the framework for implementing key programmes and policies in the next financial year.
“That’s the honest truth,” the Prime Minister said, explaining that Parliament’s attention had increasingly focused on budget-related matters.
“The main focus on the other side, the Opposition, has been on the budget, and the budget will encapsulate the policy priorities and implementation for the 2027 financial year,” he said.
The Prime Minister said he had hoped Parliament would have been able to achieve more this year, but various circumstances had made it difficult to progress some of the Government’s legislative and policy priorities.
Wale also highlighted the Mineral Resources Bill as one of the Government’s major revenue measures, saying the Government had accepted a recommendation from the Bills Committee, chaired by the Opposition, for further consultation on proposed amendments.
He said the delay could have significant financial implications for the Government.
“We estimate, sir, that revenue this year is forgone probably around a billion dollars that we could have collected had we proceeded with the amendments,” the Prime Minister told Parliament.
However, he said the Government respected the Bills Committee’s decision to allow further consultations, particularly with stakeholders affected by the proposed amendments.
The Prime Minister said the Ministry responsible would use the additional period to consult stakeholders on the proposed changes.
He stressed that the further consultation would be limited in scope because many of the proposed amendments had already been part of earlier consultations undertaken before the Government settled on the current Mineral Resources Bill.
“Many of the amendments were already part of the prior consultations that happened leading up to the choices that were made that resulted in the Mineral Resources Bill,” he said.
The Prime Minister also confirmed that the Government had received petitions from landowners at Gold Ridge, with petitions presented from both sides of Parliament.
He said the Government accepted the petitions and recognised the need for further consultation to clarify the concerns raised by landowners.
“We accept those petitions and it’s good for consultations to clarify those raised issues, and it needs time,” Wale said.
His comments came as Parliament on Monday, 7 September 2026, passed Motion No. 26, a resolution under Section 103(1) of the Constitution.
The motion authorises the Minister for Finance and Treasury, Rexon Ramofafia, to issue monies from the Consolidated Fund to meet necessary public expenditure pending the coming into operation of the Appropriation Act 2027.
The motion was moved by the Finance and Treasury Minister in accordance with Section 103(1) of the Constitution.
The Prime Minister’s clarification provides an indication that while several major policies were announced in the Governor-General’s Speech from the Throne, the Government’s focus for their implementation will now be tied closely to the 2027 financial year and the national budget process…. PACNEWS
SOL – POLITICS: SBM ONLINE PACNEWS 2: Wed 09 Sep 2026
Opposition demands answers over foreign interference in Solomon Islands domestic politics
HONIARA, 09 SETEMBER 2026 (SBM ONLINE) — The Office of the Leader of the Official Opposition is deeply concerned by communications that appear to reveal an extraordinary attempt to use prospective Australian financial assistance and bilateral treaty negotiations to influence the outcome of Solomon Islands’ domestic political processes.
Messages seen by the Opposition appear to detail discussions concerning substantial new Australian financial commitments to Solomon Islands, immediately followed by an appeal for political unity to “defeat this Motion.”
If authentic and accurately understood, these communications raise serious questions about the proper boundary between legitimate development cooperation and foreign involvement in the sovereign political affairs of Solomon Islands.
The communications refer to a meeting involving Australian Minister for Pacific Island Affairs Pat Conroy and Solomon Islands Government Ministers Rick Hou and Peter Kenilorea (Jnr), and state that the parties were making progress in finalising proposed treaty arrangements.
The messages then outline what is described as approximately SBD1.64 billion (US$205.71 million) in new or additional Australian assistance between November 2026 and December 2028, including:
• SBD5 million (US$627,014) for each constituency before 31 December 2026, followed by a further SBD3 million (US$376,330) per constituency in 2027 and another SBD3 million (US$376,330) per constituency in 2028;
• approximately SBD820 million (US$102.82 million) over two years in additional funding towards free education; and
• approximately SBD275 million (US$34.48 million) over two years for visa improvements and security-related requests.
The communications further refer to approximately SBD4.1 billion (US$514.14 million) in additional support contained in a proposed treaty package from 2029, in addition to what is described as Australia’s existing annual expenditure of approximately SBD1.7 billion (US$213.26 million).
These are very substantial sums of money.
The Opposition recognises Australia’s longstanding contribution to Solomon Islands and values the relationship between our two countries. Development assistance in itself is neither improper nor unusual.
What requires immediate explanation is the apparent political context in which these commitments are being discussed.
After outlining the proposed financial package, the communication states:
“I very much hope both countries can hold steady to seize this opportunity, and lock this in ahead of the November budget session.”
More seriously, a subsequent message states:
“Reflecting on the meaningful reforms the GREAT Coalition has already begun, we need to stand together to defeat this Motion.”
That statement goes directly to a domestic parliamentary process.
A Motion of No Confidence is not a foreign-policy instrument. It is a constitutional and parliamentary mechanism belonging exclusively to the elected representatives of the people of Solomon Islands.
Whether a government survives or falls must be determined by Members of the National Parliament exercising their constitutional responsibilities according to their conscience, the interests of their constituents and the laws of Solomon Islands.
It must never be determined by the prospect of foreign funding.
The juxtaposition of billions of dollars in prospective assistance with an express call to “defeat this Motion” therefore demands an immediate and transparent explanation.
The Opposition calls on the Prime Minister and Government to disclose whether any Australian funding, constituency assistance, free-education financing, security assistance or proposed treaty package has been discussed, promised or negotiated in connection, directly or indirectly, with the Government maintaining its parliamentary numbers or defeating a Motion of No Confidence.
The Government should also disclose the proposed treaty referred to in the communications, including all draft texts, negotiating mandates, financial commitments, conditions, security obligations and implementation arrangements.
The Australian Government should likewise clarify whether the financial commitments described in these communications have been authorised or discussed by Australian Ministers and whether Australia’s diplomatic representatives have been authorised to engage Solomon Islands political leaders concerning the survival of the Government or the defeat of a Motion of No Confidence…. PACNEWS
PAC – POLITICS/DIPLOMACY: NBC PNG PACNEWS 2: Wed 09 Sep 2026
Pacific leaders urged to keep Bougainville issue internal
PORT MORESBY, 09 SEPTEMBER 2026 (NBC PNG) — Pacific Islands Forum leaders have been urged not to treat the Bougainville referendum as a regional matter, with key officials emphasising that it remains an internal political process for Papua New Guinea to resolve.
PIF Secretary General Baron Waqa said that while the 2019 Peace Agreement allows Bougainville to engage with regional bodies, it is premature for the Forum to address the referendum at a regional level.
Waqa’s comments came in response to questions about whether Bougainville’s future was raised during the leaders’ meeting, following the tabling of the referendum results in PNG’s National Parliament on 27 August. The tabling comes seven years after 97.7 percent of Bougainvilleans voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence.
“From the referendum, those haven’t been filtered through leaders at this meeting,” Waqa said. “I certainly haven’t heard discussion on it… It’s just a bit early for them to start discussing. We have a process to discuss. We don’t just get up and start discussing sovereign issues for member countries, and this will involve Papua New Guinea.”
Forum Chair and Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. reiterated that the PIF respects the sovereignty of its member states, including PNG, and said that the Pacific agenda must be driven by member nations.
“It really is a country decision to bring things forward, so we look to the Prime Minister for his leadership,” Whipps said. “We have to understand that you’re a Forum member because you’re a country, and if that happens in the future, of course, we welcome all Pacific to be part of the family. But most importantly, there’s processes, and we respect that, and we respect the sovereignty of every country.”
Prime Minister James Marape confirmed to NBC News that the matter remains before Parliament and will be addressed at an appropriate time, considering the need for careful deliberation on any historic decision.
“We have an internal process that is running,” Marape said. “At an appropriate time, if the standing and status needs elevation to the Forum, then those matters will be discussed. Forums are always an ongoing process. When the Forum is in recess, the troika leadership, chaired by the incumbent chairman, takes carriage of all administrative matters in relation to regional issues,” he said…. PACNEWS
NEW|CALE – FINANCIAL CRISIS: PMN PACNEWS 2: Wed 09 Sep 2026
New Caledonia wins French bailout as major financial crisis deepens
NOUMEA, 09 SEPTEMBER 2026 (PMN) — New Caledonia’s new president has secured an in-principal bailout of up to AU$900 million (US$649.87 million) from France.
The assistance comes as the Pacific French territory struggles to keep its pension and health systems from collapsing.
Milakulo Tukumuli travelled to Paris last week seeking urgent financial help and warned New Caledonia was on the “brink of total collapse”.
He said the country would not make it through 2027 without fresh support from Paris.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu agreed to provide between AU$600m and AU$900m (US$433.25m and US$649.87m), along with a further AU$96m (US$69.32m) to help close New Caledonia’s 2026 financial year and balance its 2027 budget.
Most of the new support is expected to be provided as grants, although the package still needs approval from the French parliament. But the final split between loans and grants is unclear.
The rescue comes more than two years after deadly riots over proposed voting reforms caused more than AU$3 billion (US$2.16 billion) in damage and brought much of the territory’s economy to a standstill.
Tukumuli has warned that more than 40,000 people could lose their pensions within months if the territory’s struggling pension scheme is not rescued.
He said New Caledonia’s healthcare system is also carrying a cumulative debt of AU$578m (US$417.38m).
The territory has already borrowed heavily through the French Development Agency, with loans for its recovery now at about AU$1.2b (US$866.53 million).
“Between 2020 and 2026, we have borrowed 1.5 billion euros [US$1.74b],” Tukumuli told the New Caledonia Congress in August.
Congress president Virginie Ruffenach said the new funding met about 90 per cent of the AU$870m (US$628.22m) requested by the territory’s delegation.
But the support comes with a condition: New Caledonia must make “urgent reforms” to cut spending.
Ruffenach said reforms already introduced had delivered savings of almost NZ$735.11m (US$430.55m) while Chamber of Commerce president David Guyenne warned further measures could mean higher taxes for households and businesses.
“I think New Caledonia is bankrupt and if we didn’t have the financial help of France then the whole social system would collapse,” Guyenne said in an ABC report.
The crisis is being felt well beyond the capital, Nouméa, where businesses and tourism have struggled to recover from the unrest.
Tour operator Gaetan Babout, who moved to New Caledonia from France 14 years ago, said his business lost between 50 and 70 per cent of its trade after the riots.
“2024 and last year were really, really hard,” Babout said in the report. “The economy has totally crashed.”
International tourism has also fallen sharply. Just 58,000 international tourists stayed in New Caledonia in 2025, less than half the 125,000 recorded in 2023 and the lowest number in 30 years.
The economic problems have also hit domestic travel. Air Calédonie filed for bankruptcy after prolonged airport blockades linked to plans to move its Nouméa operations to La Tontouta, about 50 kilometres away.
The disruption has made travel harder for people from the outer islands, with some communities effectively cut off from the mainland.
But on Lifou, about 170km east of New Caledonia’s mainland, there is a different picture.
Mou community member Andréa Gaze told the ABC island life remained largely self-reliant despite the wider economic crisis.
“Life in Lifou is better than Nouméa. There’s no pollution, we have fields to work in and the sea provides us with fish to eat,” she said.
“We don’t need much. We have our wealth right here on the island, from the sea and the land.”
Tourism is also showing signs of recovery on Lifou, helped by a new 50-room hotel and 144,000 cruise passengers visiting the island last year.
But Nouméa’s businesses say the road ahead remains uncertain…. PACNEWS
SOL – ELECTION: UNDP PACNEWS 2: Wed 09 Sep 2026
Japan partners with UNDP to strengthen inclusive elections in Solomon Islands
HONIARA, 09 SEPTEMBER 2026 (UNDP) — The Government of Japan has provided JPY 430 million (US$3 million) to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to support the Solomon Islands Democratic Governance and Electoral Assistance Project (SIDGEAP).
Implemented in partnership with the Solomon Islands Electoral Commission (SIEC) and the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties (ORPP), the project supports national efforts to strengthen electoral institutions and prepare for inclusive, transparent and credible elections.
The contribution was formalised at a signing ceremony held at the Embassy of Japan in Honiara, attended by Keiichi Higuchi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Solomon Islands, Munkhtuya Altangerel, UNDP Resident Representative for the Pacific Office, and Jasper Highwood Anisi, Chief Electoral Officer of the Solomon Islands Electoral Commission. The event was facilitated by Solomon Kalu, Programme Specialist, Inclusive Governance & Economic Growth, UNDP Solomon Islands, who moderated the proceedings.
This contribution marks a significant milestone in bilateral cooperation, reaffirming Japan’s commitment to democratic governance and inclusive development in Solomon Islands. It expands the group of development partners supporting the UNDP led programme, joining Australia and the United Kingdom, and building on the support provided by the European Union in the previous electoral cycle. The new partnership reflects Japan’s global foreign policy priorities of human security and a Free and Open Indo Pacific and builds on its longstanding collaboration with UNDP in areas including governance, resilience, and community safety.
Keiichi Higuchi said: “Indispensable to any stable democracy is an election that is free, inclusive, and fair. The 2024 Joint Elections, successfully delivered by the Solomon Islands Electoral Commission (SIEC), earned praise for their transparency and credibility. Building on that achievement, Japan is partnering with UNDP and SIEC to strengthen facilities, provide technical training, and expand civic education. These measures will ensure that future elections, including the 2028 General Elections, are transparent, inclusive, and trusted by all citizens.”
Altangerel stated: “We deeply value Japan’s generous support, which builds on the lessons of the 2024 Joint Elections and positions Solomon Islands to advance institutional, legal, and operational readiness well ahead of polling day. Together, we are committed to accountable institutions and inclusive participation led and owned by Solomon Islanders.”
Anisi added, “Japan’s support, together with UNDP through SIDGEAP, builds on the credibility of past elections and positions us to deliver future by‑elections and the 2028 General Elections with even greater transparency and inclusiveness. Guided by our Strategic Plan, we are embedding reforms and innovations that will ensure women, youth, and persons with disabilities are not only participants but leaders in shaping the democratic future of Solomon Islands.”
Looking beyond 2028, the partnership between Japan, UNDP, will continue to support nationally led efforts to strengthen and electoral institutions, promote inclusive participation and build public confidence in electoral processes…. PACNEWS
PALAU – CLEAN AIR TEST: ISLAND TIMES PACNEWS 2: Wed 09 Sep 2026
Palau’s clean air tested as haze carries smoke across the Pacific
KOROR, 09 SEPTEMBER 2026 (ISLAND TIMES) — The haze hanging over Palau in recent weeks is an unusual sight in a country scientists describe as having some of the cleanest air on Earth — and new measurements are helping explain where the pollution came from.
Researchers at the Palau Atmospheric Observatory say the recent haze is linked to smoke and other pollutants transported thousands of miles from fires in Australia, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, with unusually dry conditions allowing the pollution to survive the journey to Palau.
The findings were presented during the first Climate Talks in Palau, organised by the German Embassy in Manila in cooperation with Germany’s Alfred Wegener Institute and Palauan partners. The event highlighted a decade of atmospheric research at the observatory, which began operations in 2016 on the Palau Community College campus.
Professor Markus Rex of the Alfred Wegener Institute said Palau sits in a particularly important location for understanding global climate processes.
The tropical Western Pacific is the western center of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation, one of the world’s most influential patterns of climate variability, Rex said.
He also emphasised a striking contrast: Palau and the surrounding tropical Western Pacific normally have exceptionally clean air.
“Palau and the tropical West Pacific have the cleanest air worldwide,” Rex said, explaining that the region serves as a benchmark for studying atmospheric chemistry in an environment with relatively little human-generated pollution.
The observatory’s decade of measurements, however, has also documented how pollution can occasionally reach Palau from distant regions.
Researchers recently began measuring black carbon, or soot, in Palau. The measurements provide a direct way to detect pollution associated with combustion, including wildfires.
At a rural monitoring site in Babeldaob, researchers recorded a baseline black carbon level of about 40 nanograms per cubic meter. When the instrument was moved to the observatory’s site near a road in Koror, measurements rose sharply.
The monthly average was about four times the Babeldaob baseline in June, six times higher in July and 14 times higher in August.
After accounting for a brief decline associated with rainfall, researchers said the August measurements reached as much as 22 times the Babeldaob baseline.
Researchers then traced the air masses arriving over Palau and found that the air measured on Aug. 20 had traveled from the eastern and northern coasts of Australia, across Indonesia and Papua New Guinea before reaching Palau from the southwest.
Satellite observations of fires along the route supported the connection between the transported air and regional wildfire activity.
The findings demonstrate how events occurring far beyond Palau can affect the island nation’s atmosphere.
Under normal conditions, trade winds bring air toward Palau from the east, across the vast Pacific Ocean, where there is relatively little human activity. Rainfall along the route also helps remove pollution particles before the air reaches Palau.
But when wind patterns shift, air can arrive from the southwest after passing over areas with extensive wildfire activity and other pollution sources.
That appears to be what happened during the recent haze episode.
Scientists say the situation is particularly important as the Pacific moves toward an exceptionally strong El Niño.
Justus Notholt, a professor at the University of Bremen, said sea-surface temperatures in the central Pacific were already more than 2 degrees Celsius above normal in the latest measurements presented at the event.
Researchers are studying whether the developing El Niño could amplify pollution and greenhouse gas emissions across the region.
El Niño changes atmospheric and ocean conditions, contributing to dryness in some areas. Dry conditions can increase wildfire activity, producing smoke, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and other pollutants that can be transported over long distances.
Notholt said observations from previous El Niño events indicate that global warming may make these effects more pronounced, with higher and longer-lasting carbon dioxide levels associated with increased terrestrial emissions from fires.
The researchers are using measurements from Palau, satellite observations, ocean data and vegetation models to understand how El Niño affects carbon dioxide emissions.
Palau’s exceptionally clean air makes it more than a local environmental asset. Scientists say it provides a rare baseline for measuring how the global atmosphere is changing.
Ground-level ozone concentrations around Palau are typically about 20 parts per billion — roughly half the levels observed in some locations in Germany, according to the presentation.
Researchers also described a broader “clean air pool” across the tropical Western Pacific, with Palau near its center.
The low pollution levels make it possible to detect changes that might be difficult to distinguish in heavily polluted environments.
But there is a paradox.
Because Palau has very low levels of hydroxyl radicals, a key chemical component that helps break down pollutants, some pollutants that enter the region can remain in the atmosphere longer.
Researchers estimated that sulfur dioxide, for example, can persist for nearly a month around Palau compared with about a week under normal tropical conditions. Methane and other atmospheric compounds can also have longer lifetimes in the region.
That means an area with exceptionally clean air can nevertheless be particularly vulnerable when pollution arrives.
The consequences extend beyond Palau.
The tropical Western Pacific is one of the major regions where air rises from the lower atmosphere into the stratosphere, where the ozone layer is located. Once there, air spreads globally and can influence atmospheric chemistry far beyond the Pacific.
The Palau Atmospheric Observatory uses high-altitude weather balloons, ground-based instruments and other equipment to monitor ozone, greenhouse gases, aerosols, black carbon and other atmospheric compounds.
Researchers have launched ozone-measuring balloons roughly every two weeks for the past decade, reaching altitudes of about 35 kilometers.
The data are shared through international scientific networks, helping researchers understand atmospheric circulation, climate variability and long-term climate change.
For Palau, the research also has an important policy dimension.
President Surangel Whipps Jr. has said the observatory helps Palau better understand and protect its environment while strengthening the country’s position in international climate negotiations.
German officials echoed that point, describing the observatory as an example of scientific cooperation between Palau and Germany and a contribution to global climate research.
As Palau confronts an unusual haze over an island nation renowned for clean air, scientists say the episode underscores a larger reality: air pollution does not respect national borders, and climate-driven changes in one part of the world can affect communities thousands of miles away.
For Palau, the observatory provides a front-row seat — and the scientific evidence needed to understand what is happening in the atmosphere above the Pacific…. PACNEWS
PACNEWS BIZ
COOKS – DEVELOPMENT: SMARTIE PACNEWS BIZ: Wed 09 Sep 2026
Rarotonga builds its own answer to Uber as Smartie launches Rides
RAROTONGA, 09 SEPTEMBER 2026 (SMARTIE) — A technology platform developed in Rarotonga is taking another major step towards becoming the Pacific’s home-grown super app, with Smartie today announcing the official launch of Smartie Rides.
The new service allows locals and visitors to request and book a ride directly through the Smartie app, bringing the kind of convenient, app-based transport experience made familiar internationally by platforms such as Uber and Grab to the Cook Islands.
Smartie founder and CEO Brett Baudinet says the launch is about much more than transport.
“People tend to assume technology like this has to come from Silicon Valley, Sydney or Singapore. We’ve built Smartie right here in Rarotonga,” says Baudinet.
“We’re a small island, but that doesn’t mean we should have small ambitions. Smartie Rides gives people the kind of technology and convenience they now expect internationally, while keeping the platform, the opportunity and much of the economic benefit local.”
A more affordable way to get around Rarotonga
Smartie Rides is designed to address one of the biggest frustrations associated with getting around the island: the cost and inconvenience of arranging transport.
Traditional taxi transport in Rarotonga can be perceived as expensive, particularly for regular or shorter trips. For visitors, transport costs can quickly add up during a holiday, while for locals, the cost can be enough to discourage people from using a taxi at all.
Smartie Rides provides a more affordable and convenient alternative, allowing users to open the app and request a ride in just a few taps.
“There is a real gap between what people have become used to overseas and what has traditionally been available here,” says Baudinet.
“Visitors are used to opening an app, requesting a ride and knowing they can get where they need to go quickly and easily. We want to bring that same level of convenience to Rarotonga, at a price that makes people comfortable using it.”
Making the safer choice easier
Baudinet says affordability is particularly important when it comes to helping locals get home safely after a night out.
“One of the things we really want to change is the idea that getting a ride home is too expensive or too difficult,” he says.
“If the choice is between driving your own car or paying for transport that feels unaffordable, people can make the wrong decision. We want Smartie Rides to make the better choice an easy one.”
“A safe ride home shouldn’t feel like a luxury. Open the app, request a ride and get home safely.”
Smartie Rides takes off with visitors
Smartie Rides is already gaining strong momentum following its soft launch, with visitors quickly embracing the service.
Baudinet says users have been especially positive about the ride experience, competitive rates and the convenience of having multiple services available through one app.
“The response from visitors has been fantastic,” he says.
“They’re telling us how easy Rides is to use, how good the rates are, and how much they like having services such as Rides and food delivery all in one app.”
“What’s been really exciting is that once they start using Smartie, they begin to see the bigger picture. They’re using Rides, they’re ordering food, and they’re already telling us they’re excited for Tours to launch as well.”
“For travellers, that convenience really matters. They don’t want to download multiple apps, search for different providers or learn a new system every time they need something. Smartie gives them one place to do it all.”
Baudinet says the response is also validating Smartie’s broader super-app model.
“When people try one service, then start using others and ask us what’s coming next, that’s a pretty strong signal that the idea is resonating.”
Built in Rarotonga, for the Pacific
Smartie already offers food delivery, with Smartie Tours preparing to launch this month. Together with Smartie’s payment technology, the platform is being developed around one simple idea: giving people access to multiple everyday services through one app.
“Food was the beginning. Rides take us into a completely new category, and Tours comes next,” says Baudinet.
“Our vision has always been bigger than one service. We believe there is an opportunity to build world-class technology in the Pacific, for the Pacific, and ultimately take that technology into other island markets.”
“The Pacific is often expected to wait for global technology companies to decide a market is large enough to be interesting. We think there’s another option: build it ourselves.”
Smartie Rides also creates flexible earning opportunities for local drivers and supports the local economy by keeping more of the service ecosystem within the Cook Islands.
Smartie Rides is available now through the Smartie app on iOS and Android.
Download the app: https://link.smartie.com/l/O92D6psa …. PACNEWS
PAC – FISHERIES: FFA PACNEWS BIZ: Wed 09 Sep 2026
FFA receives global award recognising Pacific fisheries leadership
ROME, 09 SEPTEMBER 2026 (FFA) — The Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) has received the Margarita Lizárraga Medal from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), recognising the collective leadership of Pacific Island countries in responsible fisheries management.
FAO Director-General Dr QU Dongyu presented the medal to FFA Director-General Noan David Pakop during the opening of the 37th Session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI37) at FAO Headquarters in Rome.
José Luis Delgado, Representative of Mexico, whose government supports the award, attended the presentation.
The Margarita Lizárraga Medal is awarded biennially to a person or organisation that has served with distinction in applying the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries.
Accepting the award on behalf of FFA Members and the Secretariat, Pakop said the recognition belonged first and foremost to the Agency’s 17 Members.
“For more than four decades, they have demonstrated what can be achieved when Pacific nations stand together, share responsibility and act collectively to safeguard their sovereign fisheries resources,” the FFA Director-General acknowledged.
“This award also belongs to the generations of Pacific fisheries leaders, officials, scientists, observers, enforcement officers and communities who have worked tirelessly to make sure that our ocean continues to sustain our people.”
Pakop also acknowledged the contribution of past and present FFA Secretariat staff, whose technical expertise and commitment have supported the Agency’s work with its members.
The Pacific is home to the largest tuna fishery globally. The fishery supports national economies, food security and livelihoods and remains closely connected to the cultures and identity of Pacific people.
Through regional cooperation and backed by sustained investment in fisheries data, science, monitoring and enforcement, FFA Members have helped keep the Pacific region’s major tuna stocks healthy.
Pakop recognised the contributions of the Pacific Community (SPC) as the region’s fisheries science provider and the partnership of the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) and the Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA).
Over its 47-year history, FFA has supported its members to develop cooperative approaches to tuna fisheries management, strengthen monitoring, control and surveillance, combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and uphold their sovereign rights over fisheries resources.
The FFA Director-General said the medal recognised past achievements but also highlighted the work that remains ahead.
“Climate change, economic pressures, emerging technologies and increasingly complex maritime threats require us to remain vigilant and united,” he said.
“FFA accepts this honour with humility and renewed determination. We remain committed to working with FAO, our regional partners and the wider international community in support of sustainable fisheries and the wellbeing of our people.”
Pakop added he hoped the recognition would strengthen international commitment to protecting oceans and fisheries and advancing the principles of the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries.
“On behalf of the FFA Membership and Secretariat, I extend our sincere appreciation to the Committee and FAO for this distinguished honour,” he said.
“Iumi tugeda – together we can.”
The FAO established the Margarita Lizárraga Medal in honour of Dr Margarita Lizárraga, a Mexican fisheries specialist who played a central role in promoting the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. The medal is presented biennially to an individual or organisation that has served with distinction in applying the Code…. PACNEWS
PAC – AIRLINE: FIJI SUN PACNEWS BIZ: Wed 09 Sep 2026
Fiji Airways launches direct flights to Western Sydney
SUVA, 09 SEPTEMBER 2026 (FIJI SUN) — Fiji Airways will launch direct flights between Nadi and Western Sydney International Airport from 19 March 2027, opening a new Australian gateway for Fijian travellers and the tourism industry.
The national airline will operate three flights a week on Mondays, Fridays and Sundays using Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, adding more than 53,000 seats annually between the two destinations.
Fiji Airways is the first international carrier to announce services between Fiji and Western Sydney International Airport.
The expansion comes as Fiji recorded more than one million visitor arrivals over a 12-month period for the first time, while July recorded the destination’s highest-ever monthly arrivals.
Fiji Airways managing director and chief executive officer Paul Scurrah said the Nadi-Western Sydney route was a natural next step for the airline.
“It is one of the fastest-growing regions in New South Wales, and a direct route there means easier, more affordable access for Australians looking to holiday in Fiji – which means more visitors, more jobs and more opportunities for our tourism industry. It’s also home to one of the largest Fijian communities outside Fiji, so this route is about more than just tourism – it’s about making it easier for our people to stay connected to family and friends, and for Fiji to keep growing as a destination the world wants to visit.”
The service will complement Fiji Airways’ existing twice-daily flights between Nadi and Kingsford Smith Airport.
Following the launch of the Western Sydney service, Fiji Airways will operate up to three flights a day between Fiji and the Greater Sydney region.
The schedule will also provide connections through Nadi to other destinations in Fiji, as well as Tonga, Samoa and other destinations on the airline’s network.
“Australia is our largest source market, and this new direct service further strengthens connectivity, creating new opportunities for tourism, trade and business travel while making Fiji more accessible than ever.”
Western Sydney Airport chief executive officer Simon Hickey welcomed the announcement.
“We’re excited to have Fiji Airways join Western Sydney International as the countdown continues to welcome our inaugural passengers in less than 60 days’ time. Western Sydney is one of the most diverse and rapidly growing regions in the nation, which includes more than 70 per cent of our global city’s Fijian population. We’re delighted to be delivering a new, seamless service for them to connect with family and friends, while also giving tourists more choice and flexibility to visit Fiji and explore everything the warm, welcoming leisure destination has to offer.”
Fiji Airways is offering introductory return fares from Fiji to Western Sydney starting at $899 (US$449.50), with the sale running from 9 to 23 September.
The travel period is from 19 March to 5 August 2027, on selected dates and subject to availability.
Business class return fares start at $3,299 (US$1649.50).
The Nadi-Western Sydney flight, FJ991, is scheduled to depart Nadi at 7.10pm and arrive at 10.55pm.
The return flight, FJ990, will depart Western Sydney at 11.55pm and arrive in Nadi at 4.55am the following day.
Flight times may vary during daylight saving time…. PACNEWS
FIJI – IMMIGRATION DATA: FIJI SUN PACNEWS BIZ: Wed 09 Sep 2026
Fiji to retain border data control
SUVA, 09 SEPTEMBER 2026 (FIJI SUN) — Australia will have no “backdoor” access to Fiji’s immigration data when the country’s new border management system goes live next year, the Ministry of Immigration has assured.
Permanent Secretary for Immigration Aliki Salusalu said Fiji would fully own and operate the Migration Enforcement and Response Intelligence Tool (MERIT), which is being introduced through Fiji’s partnership with Australia.
Questions were raised over whether strengthening Fiji’s border management system would require the country to integrate its passport, visa and entry databases with Australian border tracking networks.
Salusalu said the system would be built and handed over to the Fiji Government for operation by the Ministry of Immigration.
“It will be a fully closed system. When they hand over the system to us, it will be fully owned by the Fiji Government. We’ll operate it within the premises of the Ministry of Immigration and there will be no linkages in terms of the information as part of the Privacy Act,” he said.
He said there would also be no “backdoor” access to the system.
“The information sharing for us is not really that they’re going to be looking into our system and there will be no backdoor to the system for anyone that can access the system without our knowledge.”
Through the Vuvale Partnership, the ministry is adopting MERIT to replace the Integrated Border Management System (IBMS).
Salusalu said the existing IBMS had limitations, including delays in addressing border issues because of the time difference with its support team in Sri Lanka.
He said MERIT would provide more timely support because Fiji and its support team would be operating in the same time zone.
“The new MERIT system, we are on the same time zone and the support will be quite timely in terms of addressing issues at the border.”
The ministry is expected to go live with the MERIT system in January 2027…. PACNEWS
PACNEWS In Focus
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
Affirmed, noted, endorsed: Pacific Islands Forum leaders in Koror
By Tess Newton Cain and Stefan Armbruster
KOROR, 09 SEPTEMBER 2026 (DEVPOLICY.ORG) — With a Chinese ballistic missile test in July as prelude, the familiar China-Taiwan tensions and preparations for the Pacific pre-COP in October and COP31 the following month, the annual Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting (PIFLM) returned to Palau for the first time in 12 years, and north of the equator for the first time since Pohnpei in 2016.
Preparations for the 55th PIFLM were still underway as delegates arrived in Koror. An expected 2,000 people soon choked the town as motorcades shuttled VIPs between hotels and venues.
Attendance speculation dominated the early part of the week. The leaders of Fiji, Kiribati, New Caledonia, Samoa and Vanuatu were absent, and barely anyone mentioned that New Zealand’s Christopher Luxon, chair from 2027, only planned to attend the retreat. Kiribati, close to Beijing, sent the Director of Foreign Service and former ambassador to China, David Teaabo, but he was not in the room for the retreat, where the missile response was thrashed out, and Kiribati was initially omitted from acknowledgements at the closing session, which Teaabo called “protocol-wise … not good”. Matthew Wale, Prime Minister of Solomon Islands and outgoing PIF chair, added to the drama met on arrival on the evening of Saturday 29 August by journalists asking about a no-confidence motion lodged in Honiara that day, he flew home in the early hours of Sunday. (The motion was withdrawn on 7 September.)
Invited back were the Forum’s 21 dialogue partners, excluded from last year’s meeting in Honiara over China-Taiwan tensions, along with the sole “development partner”, Taiwan. At the opening ceremony, China’s envoy Qian Bo and Taiwan’s foreign minister Lin Chia-lung were seated in the same room.
The week culminated in the communiqué, 76 paragraphs under headings tracking the thematic areas of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent. Leaders endorsed “revised Communiqué drafting procedures”, but the document is increasingly flabby and lacks forward momentum: “reaffirmed” appears 38 times and “endorsed” 20; “agreed” 14 times, twice only in principle; “tasked” once.
Leaders agreed on the placement of partners in the two “partnership streams” created by last year’s Leaders Policy on Partnerships, the communiqué’s only words on the subject. As the Secretariat explains it, Tier 1 “strategic partners” keep leader-level access, while Tier 2 “sectoral partners” engage only at ministerial level on specific issues, with placements reviewed after a year. Secretary General Baron Waqa will now write to the countries concerned. The communiqué does not name them, but the ABC and SBS report that the 13 strategic partners are China, the United States, Japan, France, India, Indonesia, Germany, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Canada, Singapore, South Korea and the United Arab Emirates. That leaves in the second stream Türkiye, the host of COP31, and Thailand, whose prime minister is coming to the pre-COP, and six others. Their reactions will be watched closely.
The Belau Declaration for Urgent and Inclusive Climate Action to Keep 1.5°C Within Reach was issued the day after a sobering UNEP report confirmed that the target will be overshot, as the declaration itself concedes. It restates the Pacific position more strongly for the pre-COP and COP31 but sets out no pathway for returning the issue to centre stage globally; that job is deferred to the leaders’ meeting in Tuvalu that sits alongside the pre-COP proper, which Fiji co-hosts.
After Australia failed to secure a Pacific COP31, the consolation prize of a pre-meeting had been sold as a chance for world leaders to see Pacific climate impacts firsthand. Fiji’s foreign minister, Sakiasi Ditoka, revealed that the leaders of Antigua and Barbuda, Cabo Verde, Thailand, Maldives and Timor-Leste would come, along with a handful of ministers. Leaders do not usually attend pre-COPs, but the media presented the low turnout as a major embarrassment.
For some, Australia’s own contribution remains the sticking point. Vanuatu’s Climate Change Minister, Ralph Regenvanu, was typically forthright, telling the media that Australia was “not doing enough” and must end fossil fuel expansion. He spoke on the day Australia’s new environmental regulator approved an extension of the BHP Mitsubishi Alliance’s Saraji coal mine to 2055, its first coal approval since it began operating on 1 July, and by the Climate Council’s count the 37th fossil fuel project approved since Labor took office in 2022.
The Chinese missile, fired from a submarine, crossed the exclusive economic zones of several Forum members, including the Federated States of Micronesia, Naoero (formerly Nauru) and Kiribati, before coming down near the Kiribati-Tuvalu boundary. Leaders “registered concern” and called for at least 24 hours’ notice of future tests from all states, presumably including the United States, though neither China nor the U.S is named. But with Kiribati absent from the retreat and Naoero’s president, David Adeang, dissociating his country from the paragraph in a footnote, the consensus was undermined. Naoero, which switched recognition to Beijing in 2024, was the sole formal dissenter among the 18 members.
There was some movement on West Papua. Prodded by the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG), the PIF agreed to facilitate a dialogue with Indonesia and a mission of “interested Leaders”, destination unstated, in consultation with the MSG Secretariat, reporting back in 2027. The Forum’s envoys, appointed in 2023, Fiji’s Sitiveni Rabuka and PNG’s James Marape, are to press Indonesia on the long-sought visit by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the invitation for which was originally extended by Indonesia in 2018 but still not granted. The MSG wants the visit by 31 December 2026, when Indonesia’s presidency of the UN Human Rights Council ends, or it will review Indonesia’s associate member status at its 2027 summit.
Leaders also approved terms of reference for a Renewable Energy Commissioner, first agreed in 2023, to sit within the Pacific Community (SPC) with dual reporting to SPC and the Forum Secretariat, funded by an initial A$1.89 million (US$1.36 million) from Australia. Once appointed, the commissioner is to advocate for investment in renewables and coordinate the push towards 100 percent renewables, cutting dependence on imported diesel.
AI and digital sovereignty formally joined the regional agenda with the endorsement of the Pacific Digital and Artificial Intelligence Technology Principles, “the Pacific’s first collective regional position on artificial intelligence”, which will inform a governance framework in 2027.
The Pacific Pact on Gender and Climate Action is also new, committing governments to strengthen women’s representation in climate delegations, ministerial portfolios and governance bodies. Asked at the final press conference how that would happen with only one female leader among the Forum’s 18 members (Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine), after some confused looks, PIF chair Surangel Whipps said Palau is traditionally a matrilineal society where the women “decide who’s chief“, and predicted that “a new woman president is not far away”. (When Whipps invoked the influence of leaders’ wives, Luxon said, “That’s not the same, mate”.)
The closing press conference also exposed issues yet to reach the leaders’ agenda, none of them in the communiqué: a growing HIV crisis, which civil society groups complained was left off the health agenda; the future of Bougainville as it moves towards independence from Papua New Guinea; and the ambitions of Guam and American Samoa, associate members since 2024, for full membership despite their status as U.S territories.
The next PIFLM will be held in New Zealand in 2027, and the one after that in Naoero, the missile-testing dissenter, followed by Marshall Islands in 2029, Vanuatu in 2030 and French Polynesia in 2031. Whether the intervening 12 months produce action on the commitments made in Koror, or another communiqué heavy on reaffirming and light on tasking, remains to be seen…. PACNEWS
Dr Tess Newton Cain is an Associate of the Development Policy Centre and an adjunct Associate Professor at the Griffith Asia Institute.
Stefan Armbruster is an award-winning journalist with 30+ year’s experience covering Australia and the Pacific. Formerly Head of News (Pacific) at RFA/BenarNews and SBS correspondent; previously with BBC, ABC, Dow Jones and CNBC.
PACNEWS In Focus
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
ANALYSIS: Solomon Islands treaty puts Australia’s motives in Pacific ‘contest’ with China on show
HONIARA, 09 SEPTEMBER 2026 (ABC) — In Solomon Islands’ capital Honiara, the roadside billboards are a little different.
The nation’s number one rice brand Solrice is everywhere, advertising its latest deals. And Telekom, the biggest mobile phone provider, takes almost every second spot, talking about its “outrageous” data plans.
But curiously, another entity dominates the local billboard scene: the Australian government.
About a dozen big white Australian government billboards are scattered in prime positions off the capital’s main road, promoting in English and Solomon Islands pijin all the wonderful things Australia has done for the country.
Bin sapotim yufala longtaem (We’ve been supporting you for a long time), one of the billboards shouts. Nambawan patna long sekiuriti (Your number one security partner), proclaims another.
Looking like they’ve been created in Microsoft Paint by the office intern, they’re rather uninspiring; you can just imagine Todd Sampson on The Gruen Transfer rolling his eyes at the sight of them.
The billboards started popping up en masse a few years back in the aftermath of 2019’s “The Switch”, when Solomon Islands kicked Taiwan out of the country and embraced China, later signing a controversial security pact with Beijing.
Despite spending billions in aid over the past decade on a range of transformative projects, Australia found, with a combative leader at the helm in the form of firebrand Manasseh Sogavare, gaining any traction in the country was hard graft. The billboards are a case in point.
But it turns out Australia didn’t need bland roadside advertising to push its narrative in Solomon Islands. Canberra just needed a change in leader.
In his three months as Solomon Islands prime minister, Matthew Wale has performed a full directional diplomatic twist for Solomon Islands, the type of an Olympic gymnast would be proud of.
From years of panic in Canberra that China could even build a military base in the country, the ABC Monday revealed that Australia had reached in-principle agreement with Solomon Islands on a sweeping new treaty, with Canberra committing almost a billion dollars to the Pacific nation.
It came just days after Wale fended off a surprise no-confidence motion, forcing him to abruptly leave the Pacific Islands Forum in Palau to save his job (and in all likelihood the treaty itself).
New Zealand’s foreign affairs minister Winston Peters even suggested he was “highly suspicious” about whether foreign interference (insert China) had played a part in it all.
Pacific leader heads home before PIF to face no-confidence motion
A man in thick black rimmed glasses, and a suit and blue tie, seated in front of a phone camera.
Solomon Islands PM and outgoing Pacific Islands Forum chair Matthew Wale makes shock departure from the PIF leaders meeting to deal with looming leadership challenge back home.
But leaving all the James Bond spy stuff for a second, a billion dollars is a lot of money, particularly as political parties such as One Nation pledge to reduce foreign aid and spending in the region.
So, it begs the question, is the Albanese government’s multi-billion push in the Pacific worth it?
“Well, if you look at the overall defence budget of around $60 billion (US$43.31 billion) annually, this [the treaty] is a massive return on investment,” Pacific Islands programme director at the Lowy Institute, Oliver Nobetau, said.
“I think what’s more surprising is that Pacific Island countries haven’t asked for more.”
What Australia will get in return in the treaty has not yet been revealed, but Nobetau said the “likely” scenario would be language that cemented Australia as being the security partner of choice to eventually “shut out” countries such as China.
Solomon Islands still has a security pact with China, which Nobetau said would not be “suddenly cut off”.
“Australia will need to demonstrate over time that it can be that security partner pragmatically,” he said. “And over time it would want to push a shift towards it, rather than shutting the door on China.”
A web of treaty(s)
The treaty with Solomon Islands comes on the back of a wave of activity in the region, with the Australian government spending billions to shore up support to become the region’s number one security partner, in what it describes as its “permanent contest” with China.
Treaties or agreements with Papua New Guinea (PukPuk Treaty), Fiji (Vuvale Union and the Ocean of Peace Alliance) and Vanuatu (the Nakamal Agreement) have been inked.
Then there’s the Falepili Union with Tuvalu (signed in 2023) the Nauru-Australia Treaty (2024), and Canberra is also in discussions with Tonga on the Kaume ‘ a Ofi agreement.
Looking at a map, it’s now pretty much a web of treaties across the Pacific. It’s a map no doubt Beijing will be looking at with contempt.
But with its relentless push in the Pacific, its undeniable security focus and constant narrative around China, another question must be posed: Is this being well received by Pacific Islanders?
“I think Australia has got better at listening,” Nobetau said.
“You can’t bulldoze these agreements through and you have to listen to exactly what it is that Pacific Island countries want.”
‘Whatever it takes’
Back in Solomon Islands, the devil will be in the detail when the full treaty is made public.
But in what one commentator said showed Australia was willing to do “whatever it takes” to get the treaty over the line, we know Australia is committing $68 million (US$49.12 million) for what it called MPs’ “development priorities”.
These “development priorities” are loosely defined but appear to resemble the controversial constituency development funds — money given to MPs to essentially use at their discretion.
With so much scrutiny brought on China when it made a similar move, the microscope should rightly be put on this money to make sure it is used appropriately.
That pool of money is no doubt being offered to win favour from potentially sceptical local MPs and their voters, who still question Australia’s motives in the country.
And on that, if there is one topic that will undoubtedly help Australia in its quest to win favour, it is visas.
The leaked texts accessed by the ABC reveal a large sum of money for unspecified “visa improvements”, a long-held bugbear of the Pacific community.
I was in Solomon Islands last month and an old friend brought this up.
He told me the Albanese government talks about the “Pacific family” as they force Pacific Islanders through a long-winded and expensive process just to come and visit Australia.
“That’s what you do to family?” he said “That’s like making your uncle or auntie fill in a form, pay $200 (US$144.47) and wait 30 days before being allowed in the house for Christmas lunch.”
Either way, with the treaty looking like it will be signed in the coming weeks, one thing’s for sure: those billboards in Honiara will need an upgrade soon…. PACNEWS
PACNEWS DIGEST
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
From ancestral wisdom to conservation action: Indigenous voices at PCNC11
NOUMEA, 09 SEPTEMBER 2026 (SPREP) — Bringing together indigenous leaders, cultural practitioners and conservation advocates from Kiribati, New Caledonia and Palau, at the 11th Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas (PCNC11), the Indigenous Voices: Nature Conservation Perspectives and Practices plenary session challenged participants. They were encouraged to think beyond conventional conservation models and explore how ancestral knowledge, spirituality, customary governance and cultural identity can help shape the future of nature conservation.
Held on the traditional lands of New Caledonia’s customary guardians, the session began with an acknowledgement of the Indigenous custodians who welcomed delegates and shared their land, food and hospitality. Participants were reminded that conservation in the Pacific begins with relationships with place, with communities, with ancestors and with nature itself.
The interactive session was facilitated by Simione Sevudredre, a principal administrator on culture and language at the Ministry of iTaukei Affairs in Fiji and a prominent cultural advisor who advocates for traditional governance rooted in the land and its people.
“The intent of this is not simply a conference session but a “community of practice”, bringing together people connected by a shared responsibility to care for the natural world”, commented Sevudredre.
Participants were reminded that many indigenous conservation practices are preserved not through formal management plans, but through oral traditions, language and cultural practice. These systems continue to influence how communities interact with land, sea and resources today.
A highlight of the plenary was the presentation of the Vision Kanak de l’Océan (VKO), an initiative led by New Caledonia’s Customary Senate and customary authorities to place Indigenous knowledge and customary governance at the centre of marine conservation and policy development.
Developed over four years, the initiative seeks to ensure that Kanak perspectives are recognised not merely as cultural contributions but as legitimate and essential approaches to ocean stewardship.
“Humans are not above nature, nor beside it. We are part of it”, commented Senator Jean-Yves Poedi of the Customary Senate.
“The Kanak vision of the ocean is not based on ownership, but on responsibility. People are not separate from nature. We are part of it, and our role is to maintain balance between the human, natural and spiritual worlds,” added Senator Ludovic Boula.
Throughout the plenary, speakers repeatedly challenged delegates to reconsider what conservation means in a Pacific context. Participants were encouraged to “look back”, remember, recognise, reset and reimagine” conservation through Indigenous wisdom. The consistent message was that conservation is not only about protecting species or ecosystems. It is also about maintaining the cultural systems that guide sustainable relationships with those ecosystems.
An inspiring presentation came from Reverend Billy Wetewea who serves as the General Secretary of the Église Protestante de Kanaky Nouvelle-Calédonie (EPKNC), the Protestant Church of Kanaky New Caledonia. Reverend Wetewea shared a Pacific worldview structured around three interconnected symbols, the canoe, the traditional house and the ancestor.
“The canoe represents unity across Oceania, connecting islands and peoples through shared journeys and collective purpose.”
“The traditional house symbolises the diversity of cultures that together form a strong and balanced community and the ancestor represents continuity, reminding participants that present-day actions are connected to both past generations and those yet to come.”
Lolita Gibbons-Decherong, the Programme Manager for the Conservation and Protected Areas Programme at the Palau Conservation Society (PCS) shared how traditional values continue to underpin conservation efforts in Palau, where substantial areas of both marine and terrestrial environments are now protected and increasingly supported through sustainable financing mechanisms.
“Our efforts in Palau have protected 70 percent of its inshore areas, with 40 percent under sustainable financing and 19 percent of land, of which 6 percent is sustainably financed and our Mangrove protection remains limited at less than 10 percent.”
“The North Star is really our traditional value, that’s where everything emanates from. We celebrate our traditional values. We try to underpin the values in every action we take, within the responsibilities that we have to do as Pacific Islanders to protect our ocean, our land and ensure that we have some remaining for our children.”
A traditional Palauan chant offered at the conclusion of the presentation symbolised unity, collective responsibility and a shared commitment to protecting the Pacific environment for future generations. As the session concluded, speakers collectively challenged participants to rethink how conservation success is measured rather than focusing solely on protected areas or biodiversity targets, delegates were encouraged to consider broader questions about governance, authority and equity.
“The question is not only how much nature we will conserve by 2032. The question is whether our cultures, communities and customary institutions will be stronger stewards than they are today,” concluded Sevudredre.
As discussions continued throughout PCNC11, the messages shared by Indigenous leaders reinforced one of the conference’s central themes, that lasting conservation outcomes will only be achieved when traditional knowledge, customary governance, science and policy work together…. PACNEWS
PACNEWS DIGEST
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
Conservation efforts along the Pomio Coast in Papua New Guinea result in optimistic outcomes
PORT MORESBY, 09 SEPTEMBER 2026 (SPREP) — Positive impacts are being made through the Forest to Turtle project in Papua New Guinea that protects and conserves endangered sea turtles. Supported by WWF-Belgium, WWF-Pacific and the government of Papua New Guinea, the project takes place in Pomio District in New Britain PNG.
Having both an inland, and coastal focus, the project works with the Malai Youth Organisation of over 30 youth to carry out conservation efforts along a 5km stretch along the Pomio coast. Building the capacity of young people to undertake sea turtle monitoring, tagging and build awareness across their community as to the ecosystem value of leatherback turtles, has since led to successful outcomes.
“For the last season I have seen a change in our diet with our people leaving the turtle eggs alone and numbers have increased,” said Glen Sonai Nowi, President of Malai Youth.
“Through this conservation programme we have seen good changes happen. We have worked hard, and it’s an honour to do this conservation work for the future of our youth, our community and our generations to come.”
Nowi, along with the Malai Youth, have learnt how to tag turtles for satellite tracking, collect and record data as well as undertaking night patrols to protect the turtles. They also collect waste and help ensure its as easy as possible for turtles to lay eggs and return back to the water with very little threat.
While focussing on leatherback turtles, the programme has also embraced other species of sea turtles along the Pomio coast such as the Green Turtle and the Olive Ridley Turtle.
“In doing this work I have learnt new skills and have also learnt much about the sea turtle species. It’s my first time to show conservation leadership with our youth – we have all learnt so much. It’s nice to see these positive changes happening from our efforts,” said Nowi.
Starting in 2024, the WWF-Belgium funding for phase two starts this year for the next three years. The inland component of the Forest to Turtle Project focuses on building local livelihoods through conservation efforts in coffee farming in Pomio, through establishing market access and providing support for processing coffee.
All community-led initiatives, the conservation efforts along the coast are being shared at the 11th Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas this week.
“We’ve included all communities in doing this conservation programme while supporting livelihood efforts,” said Samuel Taluesina, the community and youth engagement officer for the project.
“We’ve worked with the youth to lead the turtle monitoring initiative instilling ownership and building sustainability for the work to continue once the project ends. This has seen them learn how to collect data from turtle nesting, satellite tagging as well as overall protection and conservation of the turtle nesting areas along the coast.”
As for the success of the conservation efforts which are community led in Pomio, Taluesina commends the work of the Malai youth.
“In working with the communities over the past two years we have seen an increase in numbers through the data we are collecting, showing more turtles are coming up to nest along the coastline. We’ve also pegged many leatherback turtles and are now seeing an increase in other turtles as well. Through the work of the Malai Youth we are seeing that this project is a success for us all,” said Taluesina…. PACNEWS
PACNEWS DIGEST
The views expressed in PACNEWS are those of agencies contributing articles and do not necessarily those of PINA and/or PACNEWS
Keeping Pacific communities safer through strengthened climate and weather reporting
NUKU’ALOFA, 09 SEPTEMBER 2026 (SPREP) — The Pacific media plays an important role in keeping communities safe from climate and weather events such as tropical cyclones, flooding, droughts, and El Niño and La Niña by communicating vital weather and climate information and stories to people right across the region, including those in the last mile.
This was the impetus behind the organisation of the Pacific Media Mana Class, held ahead of the eighth meeting of the Pacific Meteorological Council (PMC-8) in Nuku’alofa this week.
Twelve journalists and journalism students, together with six science communications officers from Pacific National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHSs) in Fiji, Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu, were selected to participate in the two-day Mana Class. Following the training, participants will form the Pacific Media team, providing coverage of PMC-8 and the Ministerial meeting that follows next week.
The Pacific Media Mana Class is a joint partnership between the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the Pacific Community (SPC), through the Climate and Oceans Support Programme in the Pacific (COSPPac). The initiative aims to strengthen the capacity of Pacific journalists to report on weather and climate issues accurately, effectively and in ways that are relevant to Pacific communities.
COSPPac is an Australia- and New Zealand-funded programme that supports Pacific NMHSs to deliver useful and usable climate and ocean information services, helping Pacific peoples build resilience to the impacts of climate change and disasters.
The Deputy High Commissioner of Australia to Tonga, Jane Livesey, and a representative of the New Zealand High Commission joined the Government of Tonga, SPREP and SPC to officially open the Media Mana Class.
Livesey said Australia was proud to support the initiative through COSPPac alongside New Zealand.
“Australia is proud to support this initiative through COSPPac alongside New Zealand.”
She added that Australia recognises the critical role of trusted media in helping communities prepare for and respond to increasing climate- and weather-related risks.
“Your reporting helps connect expert knowledge with everyday decision-making. It helps ensure that important regional discussions are accessible to Pacific communities and that Pacific voices, experiences and perspectives are heard.”
Esther Shaw, representative of the New Zealand High Commission in Tonga, said the Media Mana Class represents an important investment in Pacific capability, leadership and storytelling.
“The strength of the Pacific has always come from sharing knowledge, building relationships, and working together. New Zealand remains committed to working alongside Pacific countries to strengthen resilience, support climate action and empower Pacific voices,” Shaw said.
The Director of Tonga Meteorological Services, Laitia Fifita, welcomed the journalists to the Kingdom of Tonga and stressed the importance of initiatives such as the Pacific Media Mana Class in strengthening the relationship between Pacific NMHSs and the media.
“The media is a voice that empowers our people. It is also the same voice that protects the lives and livelihoods of our Pacific people,” Director Laitia said.
“We, at the Met Service, need the media to help us in the work that we do. While we provide science, forecasts and early warnings to advise our people, the stories that the media write add value to the work that we do.”
Salesa Nihmei, Director of SPREP’s Climate Science and Information Programme, reaffirmed SPREP’s commitment to strengthening weather and climate services across the Pacific, while ensuring that communication of this information is strengthened alongside the science.
“It has been more than a decade since SPREP committed to building the capacity of our Pacific journalists and also our Pacific Meteorological staff, to ensure that weather and climate information is communicated effectively and accurately.”
Nihmei said the partnership between Pacific NMHSs, regional agencies such as SPC and SPREP, and the media is critical to ensuring that scientific information reaches the people who need it most.
“The partnership between Pacific NMHSs, regional agencies such as SPC and SPREP, and the media is important, because while we have the science, observations, forecasts, and warnings, it is the media that helps us get that information to the last mile,” Nihmei said.
“This week, we invite you to join our canoe, to sit in our meetings and to be part of our discussions. We welcome you to our Pacific met community,” he concluded…. PACNEWS
