Pacific Trade Invest New Zealand Welcomes New Trade Development Manager

Pacific Trade Invest New Zealand (PTI NZ) is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr Rohan Lord as Trade Development Manager. Mr Lord joins PTI NZ, the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat’s (PIFS) trade and investment

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Cook Islands ratifies PACER Plus

The Pacific Agreement on Closer Economic Relations Plus (PACER Plus) is to come into force with the Cook Islands ratifying the agreement this week. Cook Islands is the eighth signatory to PACER Plus, joining Australia,

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Re-negotiated PACER Plus for post-Covid-19 Pacific regionalism

Globalism is being threatened in the post-Covid-19 global order. However, there is still ample common sense around to counter such a threat. Those engaged are still at an early stage in their coordinated countermove.

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Delving into PICTA

In the last issue of Islands Business, I discussed the abysmal state of the Pacific Island Countries Trade Agreement (PICTA) and concluded that there was indifference in the way signatory countries have regarded and

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Figuring Out PIF’s Support for the Multilateral Trading System

The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Trade Ministers met in February in Suva. Their key outcome on the World Trade Organization (WTO) was: “there is support for the multilateral trading system and the opportunity therein

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Pacific Trade Invest: 40 years in the Pacific

By Caleb Jarvis As a young boy growing up in Papua New Guinea (PNG), every Saturday Dad would drive up a windy road that overlooked 2-Mile settlement in Port Moresby, where people went about their daily lives. Looking

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Australian study to scope more trade with Fiji

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison will be at this year’s Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting in Tuvalu, and Foreign Minister Marise Payne says she is keen to get to Papua New Guinea soon “to  visit our

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Advancing regional integration

Writing about the future of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in this magazine last month, I concluded: “Economic union will come in due course when we deepen regional integration, specifically regional

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Sailing into known waters

Swire boosts import-export services A NEW shipping service combined with the upgrade of liner networks will open up key markets in the Asia-Pacific region. Swire Shipping General Manager, James Woodrow, said Asian

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PACER setback

Trade agreement no closer to a Plus in economic cooperation relations for the Pacific  JUNE 14, this year, marked the signing ceremony of the Pacific Agreement for Closer Economic Relations (PACER-plus) Trade

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Chocolicious

How a 1-week contest inspired farmers and boosted Solomons cocoa exports TEN new farmers emerged as finalists at this year’s Solomon Islands Chocolate Week – a sign that more cocoa producers are becoming

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PNG agro products take limelight at Australia-PNG trade show

The 33rd Australia Papua New Guinea Business Forum and Trade Expo was a bonus for local agricultural and handicraft producers seeking to promote their products and expand their networks. With support from the Pacific

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Pods of gold

New flavour offer for choco industry as Vanuatu cashes in ON Malo Island in Vanuatu, Moli Lui observed in silence as the formalities of greetings and introductions took place to welcome a trade delegation of

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Melanesia’s new single market economy

THE Melanesian countries in the Pacific dominate the economic landscape in the region and with that vantage point; they are on the verge of formalising a new free trade agreement to operate in a single market economy

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Kava ban

Suspect exports under scrutiny as Fiji prepares to stop two-day kava FIJI will soon ban the importation of the suspect two-day kava variety from Vanuatu to safeguard the quality of its kava exports to the global

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Can of worms

Dispute over tinned meat FED up with constant bullying and a continued trade imbalance with its Melanesian neighbour, Papua New Guinea has threatened to ban imports from Fiji. It’s a reaction to Fiji shutting out

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The dark side of the trade deal

Pacific nations can open up markets without help of our big brothers THE Pacific Network on Globalisation has been vocal on its opposition to the PACER-Plus trade agreement. It has been at the forefront of civil

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Pacific islands to bear costs of PACER-Plus

PACIFIC island governments must retain their right to regulate to protect their national development interests as sovereign states, argues a report commissioned by the Pacific Network on Globalisation (PANG) on the

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Copy of Minister defends PACER Plus Regional deal in sight

WITH a month to go before regional governments sign a broad trade agreement with Australia and New Zealand, there are niggling doubts over whether every country will support the deal. Fiji and Papua New Guinea have

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Minister defends PACER Plus Regional deal in sight

WITH a month to go before regional governments sign a broad trade agreement with Australia and New Zealand, there are niggling doubts over whether every country will support the deal. Fiji and Papua New Guinea have

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Will PACER Plus go ahead without largest economy?

PNG key to trade deal THE big question after PACER Plus talks in Brisbane this month will be simple – Do Pacific nations intend to carry on with this regional agreement without Papua New Guinea? On the first day

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