PINA

Cook Islands’ exclusive access to New Zealand’s tourism market is over and the country has to once again compete with the biggest rival in the Pacific. Just over a week ago New Zealand got rid of its isolation requirements for fully vaccinated New Zealanders, opening the door to Fiji and other destinations that will once again compete for Kiwi tourists. Owner...

The world’s countries are currently negotiating a new agreement to protect marine life and govern impacts of activities in the high seas. These discussions will define the future of a vast stretch of ocean previously seen by many as ‘out of sight, out of mind’. Around 64 percent of the ocean’s surface (over 45 percent of the globe in total) falls...

Australian Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Zed Seselja has thanked Fiji for the robust and principled international position on Russia’s unjustified invasion of Ukraine. Seselja also acknowledges the collective position of the Pacific Islands Forum in response to this crisis, during the opening of the Blackrock facility in Nadi, Monday. “The challenges to the rules‑based international order have been...

Two parties of New Caledonia's pro-independence FLNKS movement have restated their intention to attain the territory's decolonisation from France after last December's referendum in which a majority opted to stay with France. The two parties, Palika and the Caledonian Union, held their first key meetings since the plebiscite over the weekend after the Covid-19 outbreak forced the cancellation of their...

By David Marchese “We’re on the front of the front lines of vulnerability,” says Tina Stege. She would know: Stege is the climate envoy for the Marshall Islands, a country of roughly 60,000 people spread mostly among coral atolls halfway between Hawaii and Australia that is facing an imminent existential threat from climate change. In the Marshalls, sea-level rise...

Super Rugby continues to be marred by Covid-19 outbreaks with 1News able to reveal cases have been confirmed in the Highlanders squad. Highlanders high performance manager Greg O'Brien confirmed on Monday the southern franchise has cases in the team but would not disclose the exact figure. It comes after the Highlanders travelled to Auckland last week where they lost to the...

More than 40 communities in Fiji are at risk of being erased by the rising seas, says Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama. Prime Minister Bainimarama said the banks of Fiji's 45 rivers are breaking on a near-monthly basis under the strain of persistently record-breaking rains. Bainimarama while at the opening of the Blackrock Camp in Nadi said Fiji has been faced...

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama today announced the official opening of the redeveloped Blackrock Peacekeeping and Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Camp in Nadi, Fiji. Prime Minister Morrison said Australia was proud to call Fiji our partner, our friend and our family, and that Blackrock stood as testament to the strength of the bilateral relationship. “The...

The Australian Defence Force’s Peace Operations Training Centre will be working with the Republic of Fiji Military Forces next month to deliver the very first joint training course at Blackrock in Nadi. Australia's Minister for International Development Zed Seselja said the Blackrock Camp will be a facility that will provide a benefit to the region, under Fiji's leadership. Seselja said Australia...

An independent panel of global experts on nuclear issues are supporting Pacific nations in their consultations with Japan over its intentions to discharge treated nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean. The global experts are Dr Ken Buesseler, Senior Scientist and Oceanographer of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; Dr Arjun Makhijani, President of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research; Dr...