PINA

Ilaoa &To'omata have flown under the radar but see themselves as dark horses for the Oceania Champions League qualifying tournament starting in Apia Samoa on Saturday. The American Samoan champions are competing in an OFC Champions League competition for the first time having played 20 matches and going unbeaten with 17 wins and three draws. Coach Steffany Godinet says only five...

The decision on whether Fiji Opposition Leader Voreqe Bainimarama will remain as a Member of Parliament hangs in the balance. Today, outside Parliament, senior members of the party opted not to comment about who will lead the party in Parliament should Bainimarama lose his seat in Parliament through a suspension. Inia Seruiratu, a former Minister and Leader in the previous government...

By Joyetter Feagaimaali’i Samoa’s police chief wants the Pacific island country’s government to repeal a criminal libel law that has been criticised as a tool for harassing the media and a waste of police resources. Initially repealed in 2013, the law was reinstated in 2017 by the government of Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi after local media and anonymous social media accounts...

A new visa will allow up to 3,000 people from the Pacific region to migrate to Australia as permanent residents each year, under a scheme modelled on a New Zealand immigration programme. The Pacific Engagement Visa has a two-step application process, under which applicants must first register in a ballot and pay a fee of $25(US$17). “In the second stage, applicants...

Fiji’s Prime Minister and Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), Sitiveni Rabuka is preparing to mark a milestone moment in regionalism, as he welcomes Leaders to Fiji next week for the Pacific Islands Forum Special Leaders Retreat. Continuing the theme of “Reflection, Renewal, Celebration”, the Special Leaders Retreat will be held from 23-24 February 2023 in Denarau, Nadi and...

The Government of Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare, is committed to assisting the national broadcaster, the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation (SIBC) set up a national television service in time for the Pacific Games to be hosted in Honiara in November this year. Prime Minister Sogavare made the commitment during a meeting with the SIBC Board, and Management at the Office of...

Australia will build a new national security hub for Vanuatu and beef up its economic support for the Pacific island nation's key sectors. In a joint statement released after a meeting in Canberra, Vanuatu Prime Minister Alatoi Ishmael Kalsakau endorsed Australia's bid to host the climate forum COP31 in 2026 in partnership with Pacific nations. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told his...

The Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Henry Puna is visiting Tonga for a series of high level consultations to strengthen visibility and engagement for regional priorities in 2023, across a range of sectors. SG Puna has met with the Foreign Minister Fekitamoeloa 'Utoikamanu, Crown Prince Tupouto'a Ulukalala, and the Prime Minister of Tonga, Hu'akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni and was hosted to...

New Zealand’s climate change minister has made a furious speech excoriating parliament for lost decades of “bickering” over the climate crisis, as Cyclone Gabrielle devastates the country. “As I stand here today, I struggle to find words to express what I am thinking and feeling about this particular crisis,” James Shaw told parliament on Tuesday. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt...

A year wiser and no longer rookies, Moana Pasifika are realistically expecting to finish higher up in Super Rugby Pacific 2023. The Pacific team finished bottom of the table in their debut season in 2022 with two wins - against the Hurricanes (24-19) and the Brumbies (32-22) against 12 defeats. Many of their earlier matches were postponed due to covid-19,...