RNZ Pacific

Bougainvilleans waited in long queues to cast their votes in the region's election on Friday.

Antonio Guterres is in Papua New Guinea on a four-day official state visit from 2 to 5 September.

The health department says it is the first case of a child being paralysed since an outbreak of the disease was declared in May.

The country's Health Ministry has reported 89 cases of whooping cough.

Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka met with his Indian counterpart in New Delhi this week during an official visit at the invitation of the Indian government. Video

President Hilda Heine says Cabinet has endorsed a plan to fast-track building a new parliament complex after an early morning fire on Monday that destroyed the Nitijela. Audio

Fire engulfed the Nitijela just after midnight on Monday, with firefighters risking their lives as they battled the blaze into early Tuesday morning to save the parliament complex.

Ian Ling-Stuckey says that as the country celebrates 50 years of independence, it must learn from the mistakes of its past.

A team of scientists from the University of Tasmania is doing research on the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano. Audio

Niue householders are taking part in a climate health survey involving the roofs of their houses.

Fiji's highest court began hearing a constitutional case on Monday, brought by the Fijian government regarding making changes to the supreme law of the country.

The recent move by Tonga's Legislative Assembly to pass legislation that transfers oversight of two key ministries from democratic control to the King has split opinion among Tongans.

Prime Minister James Marape said the name should be driven by a motive that reflects national unity, positive growth, and a strong partnership with Australia.

New legislation passed by Tonga's parliament could give the King Tupou VI significantly more say in the country's foreign affairs.

Schools in Samoa are closed for a third straight week due to the outbreak. Audio

Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS) are scheduled for a regional meeting on Tuesday in Geneva.

Around six percent of girls are married before the age of 15 in the country. Audio

The first approved applicants are a German family who recently sold their business and are living in Dubai, the Nauru government says.

New Zealand citizen Christopher Pryde says he is "dismayed" at FICAC's decision "to charge me in absentia". He claims there is a concerted effort to keep him out of Fiji.

The Samoan government says more than 5600 clinically diagnosed dengue cases have been recorded since January.

Pacific Islands still face tariffs from the United States, but some rates are lower than originally announced in April. Audio

The first reported case of dengue fever in Nauru was on 27 June. Audio

There are now no formal warnings in the Pacific, but the threat of tsunami waves remains possible.

The Cook Islands Meteorological Service has upgraded its earlier tsunami advisory to a tsunami warning following 8.8 magnitude quake off of Russia.

An investigation is underway in Fiji after newborn baby was found in a sanitary bin in the toilets of a university student hostel in Lautoka city.