PINA

By Andrew Coletti At Four Shells Kava Lounge in Auckland, New Zealand, Todd and ‘Anau Mesui-Henry prepare kava in the traditional manner. The dried, powdered root of the kava plant is placed in a mesh bag, soaked in water, and squeezed to produce an opaque, brownish beverage, which is often drunk from a coconut shell. Todd explains that this...

New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters and Samoa’s Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata’afa have renewed their promise to work closely together on climate change, human and economic development, and security. Peters arrived in Samoa late Thursday night for his four-day visit to Polynesia, after visiting Tonga and the Cook Islands. He met with Mata’afa on Friday morning in Apia where...

Pukapuka-Nassau MP Tingika Elikana is the new Cook Islands Minister for Foreign Affairs, Marine Resources and Parliamentary Services. He replaces former DPM Robert Tapaitau following a corruption conviction last week. Prime Minister Mark Brown last week confirmed the Tongareva seat vacant after former deputy prime minister Robert Tapaitau’s conviction. Tapaitau, former National Environment Service (NES) director Nga Puna and Puna’s wife, Diane...

Palau, Micronesia and the Marshall Islands, which occupy a militarily strategic expanse of the western Pacific, have warned that delays to U.S financial assistance have created opportunities for “competitive political actors” in the region. Micronesian President Wesley Simina on Thursday released a letter the three countries had sent to Senate leaders, President Joe Biden and other U.S officials after funding...

Partnerships and implementation of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent (2050 Strategy), as well as the preparations for the 10th Pacific Islands Leaders Meeting (PALM10) in Tokyo this July, are on the agenda for the 5th Japan-Pacific Foreign Ministerial meeting in Suva on 12 February. The Ministerial Interim Meeting is to follow-up on previous PALM commitments and to...

U.S Congresswoman Uifa’atali Amata is an original cosponsor of the bipartisan Pacific Partnership Act, H.R. 7159, and is welcoming passage Tuesday in the House Foreign Affairs Committee. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Ed Case, D-Hawaii, would bolster U.S engagement with the Pacific Islands region, an issue which Congresswoman Amata highlights often. Speaking in support of the bill in committee, Congresswoman Amata...

Papua New Guinea must become a strong nation and stand on its own two feet, its prime minister said in a historic address to federal parliament. James Marape on Thursday became the first Pacific leader to address a joint sitting, lauding the close bonds between the near neighbours and thanking Australian governments and investors for their economic support. “Papua New Guinea...

By Sam Sachdeva With a common citizenship and currency, closely related native languages, and formal relations dating back over 120 years, there is much that binds the Cook Islands and New Zealand closely together. Yet in recent years, the small Pacific nation has increasingly sought to move out from the shadow of the Realm of New Zealand. Sporadic talk about securing fully...

A new NRL player forum has been established in response to the growing influence of Māori and Pasifika athletes, who the NRL says make up over 45 percent of players in the elite men’s competition and over 48 per cent of women competing in the NRLW. The Rugby League Players Association (RLPA) launched Māori and Pasifika player advisory body, the...

The Albanese Government is bolstering rugby league player development in Papua New Guinea with further assistance for high-performance pathways and the participation of the PNG Hunters team in the Hostplus Cup. The assistance, under the PacificAus Sports program, continues the Government’s partnership with the Queensland Rugby League (QRL) as well as its support for the development of elite PNG rugby...