PINA

Exhausted Moana Pasifika players have been left praying and rejoicing after resisting a fierce fightback to hang on for an historic 39-36 Super Rugby Pacific win over Fijian Drua. Down to 13 men for much of the last 15 minutes, Tana Umaga's entire Pasifika outfit dropped to their knees in triumph and relief after denying the Drua an improbable comeback...

New Zealand lobbied France’s territories in the Pacific to respond to news of a controversial security pact between China and the Solomon Islands that set off alarm in Western capitals, newly released documents reveal. Within days of a draft version of the security pact leaking online in March 2022, representatives of New Zealand, Australia and France were meeting to discuss...

This week the ABC hosted the inaugural Pacific Australia Media Leaders Meeting in Ultimo, Sydney, Australia. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Managing Director David Anderson and PINA (Pacific Islands News Association) President and National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) PNG Managing Director Kora Nou hosted 27 CEOs, MDs and Editors from media houses in 12 countries across the Pacific. Australian attendees included...

Tonga's nobles are collectively calling on the Prime Minister Hu'akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni to resign his defence portfolio as Minister of His Majesty's Armed Forces, and to respect the decision of King Tupou VI, who has withdrawn his consent to three ministerial appointments. The Nobles' Representatives told parliament Thursday that the PM's response (a refusal) to the King had stirred concern...

The One Pacific are this week reviewing the outcomes of the world’s largest climate change negotiations platform and preparing for the next steps on the 2024 journey through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) negotiations. The UNFCCC’s 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates last year was the biggest of its kind, with...

In the peaceful water of the Pacific, beneath the gentle sway of the tides lies a hidden world crucial to the health of our oceans: seagrasses. Dr Shalini Singh, Assistant Professor in Fisheries, College of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry at Fiji National University (FNU) sheds light on the often-overlooked wonders of these underwater meadows and their pivotal role in our...

As the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC13) nears its conclusion, Pacific Island countries have been calling on the biggest subsidisers to halt subsidies to overcapacity and overfishing, and to pledge to lower bad subsidies in future, this week. The world’s biggest subsidisers provide US$20 billion a year to their own fleets to empty the seas of fish. As these countries deplete...

The 13th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC13) has been extended by one day, until Friday 1 March, in order to facilitate outcomes on the main issues at stake. Following the consultations by WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala with the MC13 Chair, Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, and the Minister Facilitators, delegations were informed that MC13 will be extended, with the closing...

Vanuatu's Referendum Act, CAP 297 of 2006, has never been implemented since its development. In 2023, Parliament introduced proposed amendments to the Constitution, including Article 17 and the insertion of Articles 17A and 17B, requiring a national referendum as per Article 86 of the Constitution. According to the article 86 of the Constitution, a national referendum is required if a constitutional...

The French Senate on Tuesday voted by a large majority (307 in favour and 34 against) the postponement of New Caledonia's crucial provincial elections later this year. This takes the shape of an “organic law” effectively changing the timeframe for New Caledonia's elections for its three provinces from mid-May to “15 December at the latest”. Another related issue, that would this...