The French High Commission in Papeete, French Polynesia Photo: RNZI/Walter Zweifel
French Polynesia - decolonisation
French Polynesian delegations are in New York this week to attend the UN's 4th Committee on Decolonisation.
The representative of the ruling Tavini Huiraatira party, Élise Vanaa, will deliver one of the speeches as petitioner.
She hopes France's representative will engage in talks.
This year, the camp opposed to independence is also sending a delegation.
The Tapura party representative says the majority of Polynesians are not for independence.
Tonga - wealth
A study measuring wealth through a Tongan lens has been published in New Zealand's MAI Journal.
The study looks at balancing Anga Faka-Tonga, or the Tongan way of life, with financial wellbeing.
Victoria Ongolea was born in Papua New Guinea and worked in a budgeting role after migrating to New Zealand.
She said it opened her eyes to the struggle Pacific people were going through.
Her research showed that for participants, wealth could not be measured by bank balance alone.
Many believed money and wealth derived from God, and that money should be shared, not kept for personal gain.
They also expressed emotional distress over fatongia, or cultural obligations; or felt responsible for shouldering the burden of social and financial expectations.
Pacific - missile
The secretary general of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) is warning China and the US to tone down its rhetoric against each other in order to simmer tensions in the region.
It follows concerns raised by South Pacific Defence Ministers meeting in Auckland last week about China's test launch of an inter-continental ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean.
PIF secretary general Baron Waqa said China's actions are a "big no no".
Waqa attended the South Pacific Defence Minister Meeting for the first time where concerns were raised about the fight for influence by world powers.
Niue - COP29
The director of climate change and sustainability at the principal scientific and technical organisation in the Pacific has dubbed this years' UN Climate Change Conference the "year of finance".
Pacific leaders are preparing for COP29 which is set to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan next month.
The Pacific Community or SPC spokesperson, Niue's Coral Pasisi was in Fiji getting ready for COP.
She said reaching an agreement over the New Collective Quantified Goal on climate finance will be critical:
Pasisi said unlocking climate financing through a new financial target (New Collective Quantified Goal) is vital in order for the Pacific to transition as a region to a low carbon future.
She said Pacific nations contribute the least to the climate crisis, yet they are still on the front line.
Samoa - declaration
The proposed Commonwealth Ocean Declaration is expected to be adopted by member countries at the Commonwealth Heads of Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa.
Pacific ministers have been calling for collective ocean action ahead of CHOGM and COP29.
National Geographic's Pristine Seas will host a panel of experts at CHOGM to discuss the global goal to protect 30 percent of the ocean by 2030.
Panellists will assess the state of ocean protection across the Commonwealth and the Pacific's role in establishing marine protected areas.
CHOGM kicks off on 21 October.
Cook Islands - allowance
Cook Islands Members of Parliament have spent nearly half of their annual travel and allowance budget in less than three months.
The MPs have already spent just over NZ$219,000 of the NZ$450,000 allocated for travel and allowance for the 2024/25 financial year.
Cook Islands News obtained the information through an Official Information Act (OIA) request regarding MPs' travel and allowance spending.
A detailed list of spending, including the names of the Ministers and MPs who took overseas trips and the amount they spent, has not been released.
Cook Islands - mini games
The Cook Islands Sports and National Olympic Committee or CISNOC has announced that the Cook Islands will host the 13th Pacific Mini Games in 2029.
Next year's 2025 Pacific Mini Games will be held in Koror, Palau.
The 2022 games were held in the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas.
The Cook Islands has hosted this tournament twice, 1995 and 2009.
The Pacific Mini Games or PMG is a scaled down version of the Pacific Games and hosted by usually smaller countries and territories.
The PMG was first held in Solomon Islands in 1981.
Papua New Guinea - prisons
The Correctional Service Minister Joe Kuli wants immediate action to ensure prisons across the country are fully staffed.
Local media reported Kuli saying more than 200 personnel per jail are needed immediately.
A recruitment drive early this year was abandoned following widespread criticism and concerns after only 162 persons of the 3000 were accepted for training.
Funding has also been a major concern.
Kuli said work is ongoing to improve workforce capacity.
