Organic farmers discuss gender barriers and solutions

Puna welcomes opening of Pacific Fusion Centre in Vila

Forum Secretary General Henry Puna has welcomed the opening of the permanent offices housing – the Pacific Fusion Centre – in Port Vila, Vanuatu, yesterday. The Pacific Fusion Centre delivers training and strategic analysis against priorities identified by Pacific Islands Forum Leaders in the 2018 Boe Declaration on Regional Security. The centre is an outcome...

NZ electoral review recommends widespread changes including lowering voting age

WELLINGTON (Reuters) – New Zealand’s electoral system needs significant changes such as a lower voting age of 16 to ensure democracy is more accessible, according to a draft report release on Tuesday. The report is part of an independent review commissioned by the New Zealand government in 2021 to ensure parliamentary rules remain fit for...

Regional stakeholder consultation

The Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) will host a Regional Stakeholder Consultation at the Tokatoka Resort in Nadi next week from June 13-16. As the regional body mandated to promote and develop tourism in the Pacific, SPTO in partnership with the New Zealand Government will host a series of Regional Stakeholder Consultations to advance regional collaboration....

Australia cuts crop production forecasts as risk of El Nino rises

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Australian winter crop production is set to fall from record highs, according to the country’s agricultural department, as forecasters predict drier weather after three years of record rainfall brought on by back-to-back La Nina weather patterns. Total Australian winter crop production is forecast to fall by 34% to 44.9 million tonnes in...

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka in New Zealand

Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka is in New Zealand this week, visiting the country 25 years after he was last officially there as PM in 1998. New Zealand PM Chris Hipkins in a statement said NZ and Fiji shared a strong focus on Pacific regionalism, including upholding Pacific Islands Forum unity; resuming financial support for the University...

Marape tells Australia new security pact is delayed

Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape says a proposed security treaty with Australia has been delayed. This comes a week after PNG signed a security pact with the United States which sparked protests at universities around the country. Marape informed Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles of the delay on Monday, the PM’s office said in...

Sextortion issue in the Pacific

Preliminary findings of a yet-to-be released Transparency International survey has found sextortion – demanding sexual favours in return for public services – is a major issue in parts of the Pacific. Papua New Guinea, the Federated States of Micronesia and Solomon Islands have higher rates of sexual extortion, according to the research. Transparency International New...

The future of the Pacific hangs in the balance, says 350.org’s Alisi

When Alisi Rabukawaqa says the future of the Pacific hangs in the balance, she is speaking from experience. As a Fijian, she has witnessed the devastating impact climate change induced extreme weather events have had on the country. And as a 350 Pacific Council Elder, she knows that urgency is the battle cry, there is...

Global Expedition will allow Pacific people to tell their stories

National Geographic’s Pristine Seas initiative has launched The Global Expedition to support conservation efforts in the remote tropical Pacific. The Pristine Seas team, consisting of scientists and filmmakers, will spend five years on the specially outfitted vessel, the E/V Argo, collaborating with governments, communities and local marine scientists. Since 2008, the group has conducted 38 expeditions...

Fifteen Pasifika on NZ King’s Birthday Honours List

Paediatrician Teuila Percival heads the list of Pacific recipients in the New Zealand King’s Birthday Honours List for 2023. Dr Percival is one of at least 15 Pasifika people in New Zealand who are on the list. She is to be a Dame Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to health...

Idol winner Tongi: “It took me a long time to be proud of myself”

Iam Tongi, the 18-year-old sensation whose voice has captivated the world after winning American Idol by a landslide, becoming the first Pacific Islander to win the popular award. His performance of James Blunt’s Monsters brought tears to the eyes of celebrity judges Lionel Richie and Katy Perry, and is the most viewed American Idol video on YouTube. Tongi is from the...

New Zealand Fijians eager to meet PM Rabuka

Members of the Fijian communities in Auckland and Wellington are eager to meet Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka next week when he arrives on his first official State visit to New Zealand. Rabuka and wife Sulueti are expected to arrive in Auckland on Monday before meeting with the local Fijian community in the afternoon. They and...

Fijian Drua into Super Rugby Pacific quarters, Pasifika get first win

The Fijian Drua have made history by reaching the Super Rugby Pacific quarter-finals in only their second season with a 43-17 win over the Reds in Suva. The Mick Byrne-coached team have achieved the near impossible thanks to a Herculean second-half effort where they raced in 26 unanswered points after being held to 17-17 at...

The Samoan tatau

The traditional Samoan tattoo goes by many names, it’s called the tatau, malofie and known colloquially as the pe’a, while the traditional female tattoo is known as the malu. It holds deep cultural and historical significance in the Samoan culture. It is a traditional form of body art that has been practiced for centuries and...

Central bank to investigate BSP

The Bank of Papua New Guinea (BPNG) is set to conduct investigations into BSP once its completes the process for its core banking migration. This comes after business houses called for the central bank to investigate BSP’s failure to fix their banking system and services after the ongoing issues with their services following the rollover...

China’s snub of U.S. military leader highlights escalation risk

WASHINGTON/BEIJING (Reuters) -Brief smiles and handshakes by U.S. and Chinese military leaders at a luxury hotel in Singapore on Friday belie a deep freeze in communications between the two armed forces that is becoming a growing worry at the Pentagon. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had sought a proper meeting with his Chinese counterpart at...

New Zealand working to update surrogacy laws to make process easier

WELLINGTON (Reuters) – The New Zealand government will update the country’s surrogacy law to make the process easier and less discriminatory, New Zealand’s Justice Minister Kiri Allan said late on Tuesday. “Surrogacy has become an established method of forming a family for people unable to carry a child themselves. However, the laws that apply to...

Australia’s Indigenous recognition bill passes first hurdle

SYDNEY (Reuters) – Legislation to hold a referendum to recognise Australia’s Indigenous people in the constitution cleared its first parliamentary hurdle on Wednesday as it was passed in the House of Representatives. Australians will be asked to vote in a referendum, likely to be held between October and December, on whether they support altering the...

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