PINA

Niue is taking the lead to build a community of practice for National Designated Authorities (NDAs) from Pacific countries to share, learn from each other and build confidence to strengthen engagement with the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and accredited entities for climate action. Representatives from the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Niue, Palau, Republic of Marshall Islands, Solomon Islands,...

Migrant women escaping exploitative work conditions are delivering babies prematurely then being slugged with hefty medical bills, while male counterparts are sleeping in tents in parks in regional New South Wales(NSW) in Australia. A landmark report from independent NSW Anti-slavery Commissioner James Cockayne found there are an estimated 16,400 people trapped in modern slavery in NSW. The commissioner called for an...

Pacific policing and Australia’s bid to host a major climate conference are top of mind as senior Australian ministers undertake a charm offensive in the region. Defence Minister Richard Marles is travelling to Vanuatu while Pacific Minister Pat Conroy is heading to the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Marles will meet Prime Minister Charlot Salwai Tabimasmas, his deputy Matai Seremaiah...

South Pacific nations are backing the Papua New Guinea NRL bid as they eye their own aspirations to compete in elite sporting competitions in multiple codes. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday the Australian Government and ARL Commission were at the pointy end of securing a $600 million(US$405 million) funding deal for PNG to enter the competition, likely in...

Papua New Guinea is set to make history by entering the NRL competition in a $600 million (US$405 million) expansion coup for rugby league. This masthead can reveal the federal government has reached an in-principle agreement with the ARL Commission as prime minister Anthony Albanese backs a 10-year funding plan for PNG to become the NRL’s 19th team. As first revealed...

Fiji's Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has raised concerns about persistent maladministration within the Fiji Rugby Union following recent tensions involving former Flying Fijians captain Waisea Nayacalevu and the union. Rabuka says that when issues of mismanagement at last year’s World Cup first came to his attention, he recognized ongoing administrative problems within the FRU. Waisea Nayacalevu had made claims about corruption...

An incredible lift by young John Tafi in the 73kg weight category secured Samoa’s first gold at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships 2024 in Suva Fiji on Wednesday evening. John has also set a new Commonwealth and Oceania Record. His spot in the 2026 Commonwealth has also been cemented. A post made by the official Samoa Weightlifting Federation page states: “Glory goes...

The Pacific Meteorological Council (PMC) Meeting has made a return to its place of origin in Port Vila, Vanuatu for its Seventh Meeting in session, under the theme ‘At the frontline of weather climate, water and ocean action in the Pacific’. The meeting brings together Council members, development partners, CROP agencies, United Nations agencies, collaborating organisations and institutions on the...

Vanuatu has taken a bold step in the fight for environmental justice by renewing its push for the recognition of ecocide as an independent crime under the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) Rome Statute. The Pacific island nation, which first proposed the idea in 2019, is leading the global call for stronger legal mechanisms to hold accountable those responsible for the...

Cook Islands wants to be the country that is at the forefront of the seabed minerals sector, declared Prime Minister Mark Brown. At the opening cocktail event for the 52nd Underwater Minerals Conference being held at the National Auditorium, Brown said “we want to be the country that knows the most about its ocean and its deep-ocean resources”. The cocktail event...