An update on the “good governance coup”: political will and corruption in Fiji

In 2006 Fiji’s current prime minister, Frank Bainimarama, seized power from a government that had been elected only seven months earlier. Named the “good governance coup”, the takeover was justified by concerns

Read More

We Say: Disunity, fear and personal attacks

When Fiji emerges from the December 14 elections, the nation will have a government it truly deserves.  The new parliament will be a house which mirrors the Fijian people, their hopes and aspirations. It will also

Read More

Development, Indigeneity and existing tables

For real and collective development, we must stop insisting on localising strategies, frameworks, tools, or whatever else our Pacific communities keep getting fed with, because it worked somewhere else. We require

Read More

Opinion: Declaration on U.S.-Pacific Partnership abrogates established order

The United States signed the Declaration on U.S.-Pacific Partnership with fourteen Pacific Island Countries (PICs) in Washington on 29 September 2022. Of the sixteen PICs, members of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF),

Read More

Why Western Central Pacific Ocean Tuna Fisheries’ certification is under threat

Approximately half of the world’s tuna catch comes from the Western Central Pacific Ocean. However, the long-term sustainability of these important stocks could be at risk if governments cannot agree joint strategies

Read More

Opinion: The “polycrisis” and global devt finance: options and dilemmas

With a worsening hunger crisis spurred by food and fuel inflation, war in Europe, slowing global growth and rising debt distress, ongoing COVID-related supply chain disruptions, an unfolding climate change reckoning,

Read More

Small island, big ocean: Niue makes its entire EEZ a marine park

When Niueans are babies, their parents traditionally take them down to the seashore and throw them in the water so they learn to swim, Mona Ainu’u told Mongabay. That’s more important in Niue than most places. The

Read More

Blandness Debilitates Regionalism

It has been a bugbear for me for some time. However, over the years, I have learned that I was not the only one being stressed by this. Others, many in fact, have been equally perturbed by this tendency for the Pacific

Read More

Opinion: Bribe or gift … which one is it?

Much has been written and even more has been talked about on the “coconut wireless” in recent years about attempted bribes and other forms of corruption throughout these islands. Money and all-expenses-paid trips to

Read More

Where the buck stops: aid in Fiji

In the most aid-dependent region in the world, Fiji ranks consistently among the Pacific’s top five recipients of development financing. According to the newly released 2022 edition of the Lowy Institute Pacific Aid

Read More

Overcoming suspicion: reconciliation for Australia and Bougainville

The angry reaction to Richard Marles’ comments should be a warning to Canberra about the need to settle past grievances.  During a visit to Papua New Guinea earlier this month by Australia’s Deputy Prime

Read More

Opinion: Labor reduces but does not eliminate Coalition aid cuts

This year’s aid budget (2022-23) has been increased from $4.55 billion under the Coalition to $4.65 billion under Labor. There are bigger increases in the forward estimate years (2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26),

Read More

Newsletter
Nauru-Airlines
Hydroflux