Why Australia should be watching New Zealand and Cook Islands closely
By Professor Joanne Wallis and Salote Tagivakatini
Australia’s reliance on bilateral security agreements as a counter to China’s growing influence in the Pacific is proving short-sighted, as Cook Islands’ engagement with Beijing demonstrates. To secure enduring regional partnerships, Australia must prioritise long-term relationship-building and Pacific-led regionalism over transactional agreements and reactionary diplomacy
The news that Cook Islands signed a “comprehensive strategic...
Not enough tournaments for Manusina 7s
Not enough tournaments and a limited pool of players are headaches in selecting a formidable Manusina 7s team for the upcoming Challenger Series in Cape Town, South Africa said Manusina 7s head coach Filoi Eneliko.
Eneliko said she has faith in the squad of local and overseas-based players.
“The hardest part of the selection is not enough pool of players to...
Fiji Pearls goes down to Samoa in opening match f the PacificAus Sports Series
The Fiji Pearls side went down 54-45 to Samoa Monday in their opening match of the PacificAus Sports Series in Australia.
Samoa took the lead early in the first quarter, where they dominated and has more possession to the Fiji Pearls, before ending the quarter with 15-8.
Samoa came out firing once again in the second quarter, with their impressive passing,...
Australia to boot violent offenders in Nauru visa deal
Three violent offenders will be deported from Australia after being granted long-term visas by Nauru in a deal human rights activists have slammed as “Trumpian”.
The Nauruans approached the federal government in a bid to strike a deal to take released immigration detainees, known as the NZYQ cohort, off Australia's hands.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed 30-year visas have been...
Uncertainty as Cook Islands PM returns from China deal
Questions remain unanswered regarding the freshly-inked Cook Islands agreement with China, raising the ire of the Cook Islands public, political opposition, and New Zealand officials.
Cook lslands Prime Minister Mark Brown is due to return from China this afternoon, following a week-long state visit where he signed a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement.
Opposition MP Teariki Heather says there is a nervous...
NZ set to formalise its say over Pacific nations’ security
New Zealand is considering the use of specific ‘strategic trust’ or national security clauses in agreements with Pacific Island nations, in an effort to counter China’s growing influence in the region.
Newsroom understands the Government is considering how to formalise – or codify – what it previously thought to be well-understood security responsibilities with its Pacific Island partners.
One of the...
Nauru to take non-citizen NZYQ cohort freed from immigration detention
Nauru will offer visas to members of the NZYQ cohort of non-citizens released into the Australian community following a High Court decision, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has revealed.
Burke said the Nauruan government had approached Australia to offer a resolution for the cohort, many of whom have a history of violent offending.
“When somebody has come and treated Australians in...
Fiji PM Rabuka calls for global action on climate change
Fiji's Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has warned of the growing threat of stronger, more frequent cyclones, calling for global action on climate change.
He acknowledges Fiji’s progress but challenged other nations to do more, stressing that inaction elsewhere still puts the region at risk.
Speaking at the 61st Munich Security Conference, Rabuka urged world leaders to prioritise the climate crisis, highlighting...
Cook Islands signs partnership deal with China
The Cook Islands said on Saturday that it signed a comprehensive strategic partnership deal with China, a move expected to raise concerns in New Zealand with which it has constitutional ties.
Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown and Chinese Premier Li Qiang signed the deal in Harbin, the capital of northeast China's Heilongjiang province, Brown's office said in a statement.
“This...
‘Clandestine’ Cook Islands-China deal ‘damaged’ NZ relationship, says Clark
Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark maintains that Cook Islands, a realm of New Zealand, should have consulted Wellington before signing a “partnership” deal with China.
“ seems to have signed behind the backs of his own people as well as of New Zealand,” Clark told RNZ Pacific.
Brown said the deal with China complements, not replaces, the relationship with...