MSC YACHT CLUB TO MAKE ITS WORLD CRUISE DEBUT IN 2027 WITH NEWLY REFURBISHED MSC MAGNIFICA

Guests who book the MSC World Cruise 2027 on MSC Magnifica will be the first to experience a world cruise with the MSC Yacht Club, the line’s exclusive ‘ship within a ship’ concept Newly enhanced MSC Magnifica to also feature upgraded MSC Aurea...

Ocean of Peace – aspiration to maintain status quo

BY JOHN HOUANIHAU The Ocean of Peace serves as an acknowledgment for the Pacific region to uphold the existing conditions. Tingika Elikana, Cook Islands Minister of Foreign Affairs and Immigration made this statement during a side event at the...

PIF leaders plant special trees to mark their attendance at PNG’s 50th Independence Anniversary

Leaders from Pacific Island countries this morning joined Prime Minister Hon. James Marape in a tree-planting ceremony to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Independence of Papua New Guinea. The tree planting was done in the gardens of the...

Adam Pearse: Why New Zealand must learn from the Solomon Islands as Pacific forum host

Seeing how a warming climate and natural disasters eat away at the land reinforces the need for aid and demands real accountability for emissions-heavy practices. Hearing of thousands of unexploded bombs buried just centimetres under the earth,...

Pacific ‘realistic’ on call for Australia to stop fossil fuels

Fiji’s Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, has signalled a more “realistic” tone from the Pacific over Australian coal mining and gas production, saying fossil fuel industries and exports cannot be shut down immediately despite the impact on climate...

Drones and balloons cause wave of panic in Nato countries

At Munich airport, staff spent two nights laying out hundreds of camp beds and air mattresses for passengers whose bank holiday flights had been cancelled. More than 700 miles away to the northeast, hundreds of people were grounded at Vilnius...

Pacific Growth to Accelerate in 2025 on Resource Strength — ADB

Economic growth in the Pacific is expected to pick up next year, buoyed by strong resource output in Papua New Guinea (PNG), according to the Asian Development Outlook (ADO) September 2025, released on 6 October by the Asian Development Bank...

Remote islands lead in Cooks national tuna management plan consultation

Cook Islands Ministry of Marine Resources (MMR) officials began an eight-week national tuna management plan consultation this week, with the first round of sessions happening in the most remote parts of the nation – te pa enua Tokerau. The...

The Pacific Humanitarian Warehousing Program (PHWP) Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL) Journey: What are we doing differently?

The Pacific Humanitarian Warehousing Program (PHWP), being implemented across 15 participating countries1, provided a rare opportunity to reimagine how MERL can meaningfully contribute to ensuring sovereign warehouse storage and response...

Experts gather in Singapore to discuss healthcare emissions cut

Experts gather in Singapore to discuss healthcare emissions cut September 19, 2025 | Friday | News A new coalition of Asia-Pacific countries, backed by WHO Globally, 5% of total climate emissions come from the healthcare sector, contributing to...

FASANOC | Kaiwai builds credentials

Former Fiji women’s cricket captain Ruci Kaiwai is attending the ICC 100 per cent Cricket Future Leaders Level 2 Workshop at Albert Park, Suva, from 4–7 September. She is representing Fiji in a cohort of coaches from 10 countries: Fiji, Papua New...

SI, Cooks reaffirm bilateral connections

Prime Minister (PM) Jeremiah Manele, met with the Prime Minister of the Cook Islands, Hon. Mark Brown, Wednesday morning on the margins of the 54th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Honiara. The meeting provided an opportunity for the two...

With global powers barred, can Pacific nations find unity at their annual summit?

It’s been a testing time for Pacific regional unity. So far this year, there have been rifts between Cook Islands and New Zealand over security arrangements with China; New Caledonia and France over independence for the French territory; and among...

Airai State launches collaborative review of PAN Management Plan with Capacity building focus

Airai State, Palau – September 19, 2025 – Airai State officially launched the Working Group for the review and revision of its Protected Area Network (PAN) Management Plan today at the Airai State Office. This initiative marks a critical step...

Deep-sea mining threatens Pacific futures

SUVA (ISLANDS BUSINESS) — Pacific nations must unite against deep-sea mining, Cook Islands youth leader Alana Matamaru Smith said at a recent regional meeting. And she has warned the Sixth Forum of Ministers and Environment Authorities of Asia...

Nelson landlord loses bid to end fixed-term tenancy early after domestic violence trauma claim

The woman said her PTSD was exacerbated by her having autism and, in order to heal properly, she required the “familiar and safe” environment of her own home, which she had renovated to limit sensory stimulation and meet her special needs. What...

The Pacific Tourism Organisation Hosts Two-Week Research Training for PNGTPA to Strengthen Tourism Data Capacity

From 16 to 30 September 2025, the Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) hosted a two-week research training program for the Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority (PNGTPA), aimed at strengthening PNGTPA’s capacity to manage and deliver...

Fairness of children’s book funded by deep sea mining company questioned

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — A children's book exploring the idea of deep sea nodules was paid for by a charity established and funded by a Cook Islands seabed mining company. "I know of a treasure. It's ancient and old. A treasure of marvels and...

New Zealand: Lean Into A Role Bridging Superpowers, Small Islands

Latest stories Hegseth 'warrior ethos' mistakes military might for true security The Ukrainian university that is flourishing in wartime Indonesia charting a win-win way through US-China AI rivalry New Zealand is well-positioned to champion those...

Micronesia’s exit from the Pacific Islands Forum

By Graeme Dobell The slow-motion crash of Micronesia’s break with the Pacific Islands Forum has reached the one-year mark. Back on 8 February 2021, the Micronesia five—the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru and...