Pacific Waves

In Pacific Waves today: Niue announces official results of its referendum; New Australian visa seems a resounding success; Rat eradication project gets underway in the Cooks

In Pacific Waves today: Pacific leaders join tangi for Kiingi Tuheitia; Starlink in the final stages to set up operation in the Pacific; Major rat eradication project underway in the Cooks; Fiji and Tonga rugby team mark centennial milestone

In Pacific Waves today: PNG parliament meets and again a vote of no confidence is coming; Chaos in Guam over delay in school re-openings; China's reaction at PIF summit not 'surprising' - academic.

In Pacific Waves today the Pacific Islands Forum has submitted to China's demand to remove the mention of Taiwan from the final communique of the leaders' summit; The Samoan community in Aotearoa gathered in Mangere, Auckland to discuss the Samoa citizenship bill; Guam nuclear test survivors seek justice.

Pacific leaders remember Māori King; Corruption is rife within Fiji police force - academic; Pacific Music Awards marks 20th anniversary.

The deep sea mining company leading the global push to mine the seafloor in international waters says it could start as early as 2026; Pacific policing, regional security, climate change and the New Caledonia crisis were the main talking points for regional leaders heading into their retreat on Neiafu in Tonga's Vava'u island group on Thursday; The United States Deputy Secretary of State says they have listened carefully to countries in the region in their efforts to boost their diplomatic footprint; Both the Papua New Guinea and Indonesia Governments have been censured by an international media watchdog after a journalist was banned from attending the arrival in Port Moresby of Indonesia's President-elect Prabowo Subianto.

The wife of the driver killed in a horror crash on State Highway 1 in Ramarama on Monday says she was supposed to have been in the vehicle; Leaders of the Melanesian Spearhead Group met on the sidelines of the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders' summit in Tonga; In Kiribati with all the MPs elected the focus now is on the first sitting of parliament and the election of the Speaker.

The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has issued an SOS to 'save our seas'; French Polynesia's President says France made three mistakes which lead to the perfect storm in New Caledonia; The Papua New Guinea province of Morobe has been inundated over the past several months, culminating in severe flooding that has taken lives; In Guam the battle for land rights continue ahead of proposed long-range missile testing in December.

Despite pouring rain and an earthquake the 53rd Pacific Islands Forum leaders summit is officially underway in Tonga; The Tonga government is being urged to prioritise educating people in the kingdom about the importance of recycling; RNZ Pacific senior sports journalist Iliesa Tora spoke to stakeholders about some of the ongoing issues with the labour mobility scheme in the Bay of Plenty.

An expert in Pacific politics says regional leaders will have their dance cards full at the Forum summit in Tonga next week; Papua New Guinea dance sensations WANSQUAD have returned home after winning the World Hip Hop Championship; Pacific workers participating in the Recognised Seasonal Employers (RSE) in the Bay of Plenty want an annual sports d ay as part of their calendar.

The French Ambassador to the Pacific hits back at New Caledonia congress president Roch Wamytan saying New Caledonia is not France; The new Kiribati Parliament will include five women MPs for the first time and we talanoa to one of the newly elected members Ruth Cross Kwansing; Independent research commissioned by New Zealand police into bias has found being Maori, Pasifika, male or mentally ill puts people at higher risk of force being used.

The Pacific Islands Forum leaders summit is just days away from opening in Nuku'alofa in Tonga, and frantic efforts are still needed to ensure visitors are housed; More than 300 leaders representing nations throughout the Pacific have paid tribute to Kiingi Tuuheitia at Koroneihana celebrations hosted at Tuurangawaewae Marae; St Vincent de Paul organisations in New Zealand are sending a container load of clothing, household untensils and medical goods to their sister organisation in Tonga.

Plans for a high level Pacific Islands Forum mission to New Caledonia have become messy with the French High Commission in Noumea...and the local government at loggerheads over who should be organising the visit and welcoming the delegation; Two young Pacific researchers have teamed up with the South Auckland community to take on rheumatic fever and gout which are two of the major health issues facing Māori and Pacific people; The expanded Pacific Nations Cup series will get underway in Fiji and Canada this weekend with the likes of Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Canada, USA and Japan.

Voters in Kiribati are awaiting the final results of the runoff round of elections on Monday; Residents in Fiji's capital Suva say the loss of family values is to blame for a growing methamphetamine crisis giving the country a bad name; The Asian Development Banks is forecasting Pacific economies will continue to grow this year and next year but building resilience is still important.

Preliminary election results in Kiribati are showing close contests for constituencies in and around the capital Tarawa, but the opposite in outer island electorates; Leaders in the Pacific are seeking freer movement of people within the region; An all-female Pacific-crewed research vessel which set sail from Aotearoa last month has arrived in Tonga.