PINA

How did the season go for Moana Pasifika? Well, they lost their first 13 games, ahead of Saturday night’s win against the Waratahs, have had poor crowds, their coach Aaron Mauger is leaving early and best player Levi Aumua is jumping ship. You don’t need Picasso to paint a picture of what it’s been like. At first glance it does...

By Pita Ligaiula in Seoul Forum Chair and Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown says the sustainability of Pacific fisheries is compromised by the impacts of climate change, marine pollution and illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. In his remarks at the opening plenary of the Korea Cooperation on Oceans and Fisheries (KICCOF) this week in Busan, Brown said fisheries is...

Solomon Islands expressed reservations on an element of the outcome Declaration of the Korea-Pacific Islands Forum Summit in particular the reference to competing Strategy to the 2050 Strategy of the Blue Pacific Continent adopted by Pacific Leaders in 2022, in Suva, Fiji. The 2050 Strategy is the region’s collective voice and blue print in addressing the region’s challenges. It is...

By Pita Ligaiula in Seoul The Korea – Pacific Islands Summit shares the view that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) nuclear and missile programmes are a direct and serious threat to international peace and security. In the 2023 Korea-Pacific Islands Leaders’ Declaration issued after Monday’s Summit the Leaders emphasised that denuclearsation of the DPRK is essential for a...

The first Korea-Pacific Islands Summit was held in Seoul, the Republic of Korea (ROK) on 29 May 2023. The Summit was co-chaired by President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea and Prime Minister Mark Brown of the Cook Islands, the Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) and attended by Pacific Islands Forum Leaders and representatives. The...

By Pita Ligaiula in Seoul Cook Islands Prime Minister and Forum Chair Mark Brown says preparation are well underway for the upcoming Forum Leaders meeting in November. Brown told Pacific journalists in Seoul, the Forum Leaders Meeting is a significant event for the Cook Islands and the region. “All I can say is preparations are underway. We are ready to host...

By Pita Ligaiula in Seoul Cook Islands Prime Minister and Forum Chair Mark Brown is of the view the 2050 Pacific Strategy for Blue Pacific continent and Indo Pacific strategy will benefit both the region and its development partners. Brown told Pacific media every country has its own sovereign rights to be able to develop its own strategies. “I think we've...

By Pita Ligaiula in Seoul Forum chair and Cook Islands Prime Minister says he is expecting a report by end of June from an independent panel of global experts on nuclear issues in their consultations with Japan over its intentions to discharge treated nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean. Pacific nations are relying on the panel to provide independent technical advice...

By Pita Ligaiula in Seoul The Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) and Cook Islands Prime Minister has told the Korea – Pacific Islands Summit Monday the region wants to work with partners that have genuine interest in the Pacific. In his opening remarks at the Blue House in Korea’s capital Seoul, Brown said as Leaders of the Pacific Islands...

By Pita Ligaiula in Seoul South Korea has declared that it supports the 2050 strategy for the Blue Pacific continent after the one-day Korea-Pacific Islands Summit that wraps up Monday. Forum Chair and Cook Islands Prime Minister has paid tribute to the President of South Korea Yoon Suk Yeo for convening the inaugural Summit with Pacific leaders. “It really is an...