PINA

Former rugby international and sports broadcaster Willie Los'e has died at the age of 55. Los'e - who died in South Africa where he was due to commentate the Rugby World Cup Sevens tournament - played for the New Zealand under-21 side and later captained Tonga at the 1995 Rugby World Cup, playing all three pool games. In a statement, his...

Some Pacific Island nations are bristling at the label “Indo-Pacific,” a term that is increasingly being used by larger powers – including New Zealand – but which, they say, reduces them to a security bloc rather than a grouping of countries with different views and needs. From Australia to Japan and New Zealand to the United States, the term “Indo-Pacific”...

New Zealand will invest $30 million (US$18 million) over five years to improve access to contraceptives and reproductive health services in the Pacific, Foreign Affairs Minister Nanaia Mahuta has announced. The funding will help address adolescent pregnancy rates, maternal mortality, and sexual and gender-based violence, she said during her four-day visit to Papua New Guinea. “Aotearoa New Zealand already works closely...

French Polynesia has voted a draft opinion for a temporary ban on seabed mining projects. The territory's Council for the Economy, Social, Environment and Culture had 43 members vote for the proposal, while two abstained. The council acts as a consultant in advising and recommending during the enacting of legislation's from the French Polynesian government. This is after the president of the...

Solomon Islands Opposition leader Matthew Wale has questioned the Prime Minister as to why he is rushing the Constitutional Amendment Bill 2022 to extend Parliament and for whose interest. The Prime Minister announced in Parliament last week that the Bill would not go through the Bills and Legislations Committee (BLC) and expected to be debated and voted in Parliamentary tomorrow. But...

Australia’s reinvigorated Pacific presence has taken another step forward, with the Navy activating a specialist deep-water relief and logistics vessel for deployment to the region ahead of the annual cyclone season. Australian Defence Vessel Reliant, a 102-metre-long ship with a large cargo deck, crane and helipad, is being sent into the region for up to 300 days in anticipation of...

-Tonga Police responded to a shooting incident at a residence at Ha‘ateiho that claimed the life of a seven-year-old boy last Friday. The seven-year-old male deceased was playing with his 4-year-old brother in their family vehicle where they had found a .22 rifle. When the 4-year-old got hold of the gun, he fired four shots at his seven-year-old brother, which...

Australia has made an offer to fund Solomon Islands National General Elections. In an interview with ABC RN Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the offer reflects Australia’s long-standing and historic commitment to supporting democracy and the democratic processes in Solomon Islands. “We have made an offer for assistance and it’s a matter for Solomon Islands as to whether they will...

Chairman of the Solomon Islands Parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee Peter Kenilorea Junior has slammed the Prime Minister’s response to Australia’s offer to fund the National General Elections next year. In a statement , the Opposition MP said the response by the Prime Minister in an official statement from his office only proved the Prime Minister’s real ambition; to simply hold...

Australian foreign Minister Penny Wong said she looked forward to Australian ships continuing to visit the Solomon Islands amid an exemption from a ban on foreign vessels. The Solomon Islands last week announced a moratorium on naval ships entering the nation's ports but Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare on Monday removed Australian, New Zealand and Fijian military vessels from the ban,...