Whispers
Priceless fence There’s a fence being built around a Pacific institute of learning. Students and staff raised FJ$170,000 to build the fence two years ago. Only last month did work on this barrier actually begin. News
Pacific Islands
China returns to Pacific with aid and influence push, report shows
China has regained its place as the second-biggest bilateral donor to the Pacific Islands, displacing the United States and targeting its spending to win influence, a Lowy Institute report on aid to the region found.
Air New Zealand announces a significant increase in their flight capacity to the Pacific Islands
Air New Zealand has announced a significant increase in their flight capacity to the Pacific Islands. From November 2024 to March 2025, adding tens of thousands of seats to the Pacific destinations, marking a 9
The future of deep sea mining hinges on a contentious election
The Pacific island nation of Kiribati is playing an outsize role in an election that will determine whether companies can begin strip-mining the world’s oceans for critical metals. Bloomberg reports that Leticia
Fiji replaces Vanuatu as top PALM sending country
The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme has been transformed over the last five years. In June 2019, there were 5,886 PALM visa holders in Australia. Five years later, in May 2024, there were 32,513, an
Pacific children left behind and vulnerable due to regional labour mobility schemes
Pacific Islands children are being left behind by their parents, who are taking up opportunities presented by regional labour mobility schemes, increasing concerns about child abuse. This was a key issue brought up at
Niue Premier Dalton Tagelagi opens first honorary Consul office in Japan
The Pacific nation of Niue has opened its first honorary consul in Japan. The announcement was made by Niue Premier, Dalton Tagelagi in Tokyo. “I am currently in Japan to attend the PALM 10 meeting and to open
PALM preview: fisheries research vessels and Fukushima
The government plans to provide one fisheries research vessel free of charge to each of the four Pacific Island nations of Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu, it has been learned. Prime
‘No place for political violence in the U.S.’
Guam leaders today joined the nation in condemning the shooting at former president Donald Trump at his rally in Pennsylvania. “There is no room for violence in politics–no matter where you stand on the
Shadowy exotic pet trade thrives in Pacific island nation
The Pacific’s Solomon Islands has become a key player in the global live animal trade, with foreign collectors sourcing exotic species including some subject to trade bans, an AFP investigation has found.
Opinion: FestPAC: Protecting Oceania and charting future voyages
It’s the first time the Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture, which starts Thursday, will be held in Hawaii. The Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture is the world’s largest celebration of indigenous Pacific
Opinion: How integrating traditional leadership will impact Pacific Islands governance and diplomacy
Pacific Island nations have declared a campaign to move toward recognition of indigenous and traditional leaders in policy development. While it may appear an unconventional move in the Pacific’s contemporary context
Pacific Islands Forum calls for global support at SIDS4 Conference
Head of delegation for the Pacific Islands Forum, Sione Tekiteki has addressed the Fourth International Conference on Small Island Developing States(SIDS4) in Antigua and Barbuda, highlighting the resilience and
Australian Foreign minister Wong to lead bipartisan trip to Tuvalu
Australian Foreign minister Penny Wong and opposition counterpart Simon Birmingham will travel to Tuvalu for talks on security and climate change. The foreign minister will lead the second bipartisan Pacific visit of
Solomon Airlines considers supporting Air Vanuatu
THE new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Solomon Airlines, Sean Te’o, said they are considering a collaboration with Air Vanuatu to train Air Vanuatu’s cabin crew members to work on Solomon Airlines A320 aircraft.
Opinion: Australia’s superannuation rules leave Pacific workers out of pocket
The government must reconsider its tax on the Pacific’s poorest. More than 40,000 Pacific Islanders working in Australia are being unfairly taxed on superannuation contributions – enforced savings payments that they
Palau receives Ancestral remains in repatriation ceremony
In a ceremony on 25 March the University of Göttingen and the State Ethnographic Collections of Saxony in Germany repatriated human remains of 10 individuals to Palau. The remains originated from the Hamburg South
Fishermen Sound Alarm: US Government Policies Threaten Way of Life in US Pacific Islands
“We are affected by decisions today—we lose our fishery, culture, way of life.” HONOLULU (22 March 2024) Amidst mounting concerns and resounding frustration, the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council
U.S. passes deal to fund Pacific Islands pacts after delays
The U.S. Congress has passed legislation that will fund key U.S. agreements with Pacific Island nations, in an outcome that will spark relief across the Indo-Pacific after previous delays undermined efforts to counter
Study finds Pacific accounts for nine of the 10 most obese countries in the world, Cook Islands grapples with highest childhood obesity rates in the world
Study finds Pacific accounts for nine of the 10 most obese countries in the world New analysis published in the Lancet has found that Pacific island countries account for nine out of 10 of the top countries in the world
Pacific Islands nations should consider debt-for-nature deals to lower borrowing costs, IMF says
Pacific Islands nations most at risk from rising seas should consider novel debt-for-nature deals as high debt levels across the region make traditional loans unsustainable, a senior International Monetary Fund official
Pacific Islands push for more university students in Australia
Going to university in Australia could become simpler for Pacific Islanders if they are considered domestic students. The high commissioner for Samoa, Hinauri Petana, told federal politicians the crippling cost of
Japan to host Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting in July; plans to offer Climate support, counter China’s Influence
The Japanese government has begun final arrangements to host the Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM) in mid-July, inviting the leaders of all 18 Pacific Island Forum (PIF) members to Tokyo. At the summit, Japan