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Pacific nations

Pacific nations
Pacific nations
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Pacific nations. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
US FBI Director Kash Patel opened the bureau’s new New Zealand office in Wellington on Thursday. Photo: Getty
US-China relations

Beijing denies threat as FBI opens new office in New Zealand to ‘counter China’

FBI director Kash Patel says Wellington office shows the agency is ‘prioritising a permanent presence across all Five Eyes countries’.

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Climate change

Opinion | World Court’s ruling opens the door wider for climate justice

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Israel-Gaza war

My Take | Taiwan donation vow to Israeli settlement is cynical and foolish

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Australia

Australia, US push Pacific deterrence amid China’s security overtures

Analysts note the significance of Papua New Guinea and Fiji’s unprecedented involvement in this year’s ‘Olympics of war games’.

A servicemen wears a badge displaying the emblem of the 2025 Talisman Sabre exercise in Sydney earlier this month. Photo: AFP
France

France, New Caledonia reach ‘historic’ statehood deal; citizens to remain French

After years of deadlock and violence, France and New Caledonia agreed to create a ‘State of New Caledonia’ within France, granting residents a new nationality concept.

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Fiji

Fiji rejects idea of Chinese military bases in Pacific islands

‘If they want to come, who would welcome them?’ Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said on Wednesday. ‘Not Fiji’.

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Diplomacy

Tiny Pacific nations fear US travel bans. Why?

Tuvalu, Tonga and Vanuatu all appeared on a list of nations facing new visa curbs. A US official says Washington has ‘valid concerns’.

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A man sat in a hammock drinks coconut milk on Funafuti Atoll, Tuvalu. Photo: AFP
New Zealand

Will New Zealand’s ‘patronising’ aid freeze push Cook Islands closer to China?

The funding cut leaves the Cook Islands facing a sudden financial shortfall, prompting warnings that Wellington’s approach could backfire.

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Australia

The future of climate migration? Tuvalu’s people seek a new home in Australia

About 3,125 Tuvaluans have entered the ballot for a climate visa to live in Australia, but analysts warn of brain drain.

Climate change

A drop in the ocean? Pacific nations tap local know-how for marine conservation

Among the measures being taken are a ban on fishing and mining activities in vast marine protected areas.

Children take a canoe to school in Solomon Islands. Pacific island nations have stepped up their marine conservation plans. Photo: Shutterstock
New Zealand

Cook Islands slams ‘patronising’ New Zealand over China deals

Prime Minister Mark Brown said the agreements did not ‘compromise’ his country’s sovereignty.

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Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown. Photo: AP
New Zealand

New Zealand suspends US$11 million Cook Islands funding over China deal

Wellington urged its neighbour to ‘take concrete steps to repair the relationship and restore trust’.

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New Zealand

Classified New Zealand papers detail alarm over China’s Pacific missile test

Documents obtained under the Official Information Act reveal deep diplomatic unease about China’s ‘mischaracterisation’ of its ICBM launch.

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World Bank Group

Most Pacific island women don’t work. The World Bank wants to change that

Outdated laws and social norms keep 57 per cent of working-age women across the Pacific out of the labour force, the bank says.

A stallholder displays her wares to tourists at a market on Rarotonga in the Pacific nation of the Cook Islands earlier this month. Photo: AFP
Luxury travel

Review | Looking for a luxury eco-resort in Fiji? Try Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort

Where better to celebrate World Oceans Day than at this luxury Fijian resort, where Scuba inventor Jacques Cousteau’s son works with its owners through his Ocean Futures Society.

Known for its sustainable tourism, Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort draws eco-conscious travellers who are looking for a luxurious stay that’s filled with cultural and educational programmes. Photo: Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort
Vanuatu

Vanuatu seeks to cancel Andrew Tate’s ‘golden passport’ citizenship

A spokesman for Vanuatu’s government says there is a ‘lapse’ in Tate’s case under the citizenship-for-sale scheme.

Thailand

Vanuatu golden visas sold in Phuket put citizenship-for-sale risks in spotlight

Officials and analysts warn citizenship-for-sale schemes like Vanuatu’s can be misused to launder money and evade arrest.

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New Zealand

Rare New Zealand snail caught reproducing from its neck in eggs-citing footage

The Powelliphanta augusta snail, a threatened species endemic to New Zealand, lays only one egg a year.

A Powelliphanta augusta snail lays an egg from its neck at the Hokitika Snail Housing facility. Photo: AP
US-China relations

Opinion | Trump’s executive order to boost US deep-sea mining will force China to act

Beijing will continue to sharpen its technological edge, support multilateral governance and may set up maritime joint patrols to monitor the US.

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Diplomacy

Pacific island nations see a US pullback – will China step up?

The Pacific Islands Forum wants answers from Washington over its unmet financial pledges to the region, including US$200 million in funding.

Papua New Guinea

‘Glassman’ jailed: PNG hopes ruling can curb tribal sorcery violence

After a horrific machete killing, a landmark ruling in Papua New Guinea aims to curb deadly sorcery accusations driven by jealousy and greed.

Neighbours gather near the home of a 55-year-old mother of two in the Tsak Valley in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea after she was accused of sorcery and tortured. Photo: AFP
Climate change

Opinion | Asia can’t afford to wait for the US to wake up to its climate duty

As the US walks away again, Europe, China and others need to fill the climate reparation funding gap, not out of charity but responsibility.

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Elephants wade through flood waters to help bring relief supplies to villagers in Chiang Mai province, Thailand, on October 6, 2024. Photo: AP
Papua New Guinea

Pacific nation’s Facebook blackout tied to content ‘control’ experiment

Meta’s Facebook and Messenger remained inaccessible to users in Papua New Guinea on Tuesday, over 24 hours after mysteriously going offline.

Tourism

French Polynesian cruise shows every storm cloud has a silver lining

Cruise passengers forced off course by storms get a rare glimpse of the Marquesas Islands before the weather breaks for a postcard finish.

Kiribati

Another tiny Pacific nation courts China for deep-sea mining riches

With a seabed rich in cobalt, nickel and copper, Kiribati is seeking new partners after a previous deal with a Canadian company fell through.

Kiritimati Island, which forms part of the Republic of Kiribati. Photo: Shutterstock
Fiji

Scientists think they’ve finally figured out how iguanas got to Fiji

Most modern-day iguanas live in the Americas – thousands of miles and one giant ocean away from the collection of remote Pacific islands.

A female Lau banded iguana in Fiji. Photo: US Geological Survey/AP
New Zealand

Letters | Why China conducted naval drills in waters between Australia and New Zealand

Readers discuss Beijing’s maritime strategy, the US’ global influence, and the rise of China’s creative industry.

New Zealand

Beware China’s hold on Pacific, New Zealand spy chief warns

Security Intelligence Service head also has his eye on Cook Islands’ ties with Beijing.

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