PINA

By Denise Fisher After proclaiming that New Caledonians had voted to stay with France in three recent referendums, despite a massive boycott by indigenous parties of the last one, French President Emmanuel Macron’s government now faces hostility and resistance in France’s pre-eminent overseas territory. The pro- and anti-independence sides remain diametrically opposed, along ethnic lines. And, most worryingly, the long-term...

Malia Tuitupou, a volunteer working at one of the “Women Friendly Spaces” established and supported by the United Nation Population Fund (UNFPA) Pacific in Tonga, still vividly remembers the aftermath of the unprecedented natural disasters, the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption that occurred in the late afternoon of 15 January 2022 along with the subsequent tsunami, which combinedly changed...

Despite reaching the final of the World Cup, Samoa will remain a tier two nation — and International Rugby League chairman Troy Grant says that won’t change “any time soon.” Samoa’s historical win over England to reach the final sparked a debate over the international tier system, just like Tonga’s upset win over Australia in 2019. But Grant has confirmed to...

Solomon Islands nationals and nationals of other Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) countries can now get their visa on arrival when traveling to Papua New Guinea (PNG). This came after the PNG government formally declared the re-activation of Visa on Arrival (VOA) procedure. The announcement on Tuesday in Port Moresby was made by PNG’s Deputy Prime Minister & Acting Minister for Labour...

For Ursula Rakova of Carteret Islands in Bougainville, the proposed Loss and Damage finance facility agreed to at the global climate talks in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt last week, is ‘too late’ to compensate for more than 15 years of suffering endured by her people. And, she’s not waiting for world leaders to agree on how to operationalise the funding...

15 Pacific Island countries have launched the new Pacific Regional Inclusive Education Review Wednesday to ensure all children, including those living with disability and out-of-school children, have equal access to quality learning. The Review was designed to advance understanding of the situation of inclusive education in the Pacific, foster cross-country learning and sharing, as well as strengthen partnerships, planning, decision-making...

There were strong, sincere statements and lamentations for Tonga, which has been severely hit by climate change. That was how contributions from visiting Commonwealth Youth Parliamentarians flowed in Tuesday’s debate, where Tonga’s representative Kilisitina Moala took the opportunity to deliver a weeping lament that her homeland was sinking. The CYP debate in Parliament on a proposed law for Remote Workplace operations...

Fiji's Supervisor of Elections, Mohammed Saneem predicts a roughly 65 percent voter turnout on 14 December. Saneem derived this figure from the number of postal ballot application received by the Fijian Elections Office as of 3pm Wednesday. Saneem said the FEO had estimated to receive around 23, 000 postal ballot applications, but as at 3pm only 9, 017 applications were received. He...

The long-term sustainability of the world’s most important tuna stocks – those in the Western Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) – will be at risk if governments fail to implement protective management measures. In early December 2022, the 26 member states of the Western Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) will meet for crucial negotiations on harvest strategies, measures that are needed...

The Oceania Football Confederation Executive Committee has approved plans for the formation of the OFC Professional League, during the OFC Executive Committee meeting in Doha, Qatar on 19 November. A taskforce was formed in 2019 with the sole purpose of determining the viability of a professional league in the Oceania region. Since then, extensive research and analysis has been conducted...