Tagata o te Moana

We speak with our correspondent in Tonga about the election of the new prime minister Siaosi Sovaleni; There are mixed reactions in New Caledonia to a controversial independence referendum facilitated by France; And a Pacific survivor of historic abuse in state care wants the New Zealand government to act quickly to bring healing to survivors; All that and more coming up on Tagata O Te Moana.

The Solomon Islands government appears intact ahead of an imending vote of no confidence; Fiji awaiting genomic sequencing results from Australia on possible Omicron variant cases; West Papuans mark 60 years fighting for self-determination; All that and more coming up on Tagata O Te Moana.

Lawlessness persists in Solomons as Australian troops touchdown and the opposition leader calls for the PM to step down; The Tongan government is sticking to its decision not to facilitate anymore repatriation flights this year despite pleas from stranded RSE workers; Pacific nations are gearing up for a huge boost after the latest change to World Rugby's eligibility rules; All that and more coming up on Tagata O Te Moana.

Twelve new MPs have been elected to Tonga's 26 member parliament; Pacific civil society leaders deeply disappointed in the outcomes of COP26 continue to call for radical climate action; Fiji is set to shorten its nationwide curfew hours as the country reopens for tourists; All that and more on Tagata O Te Moana.

The promise of a muscular approach to ensuring that pledges made in the global climate crisis response are kept; Fiji Borders reopen, govt targets 80,000 visitors in 60 days; Preparations are in full swing for the reopening of the Cook Islands travel bubble with NZ in two months; Tongans go to the polls Thursday next week; America Samoa reports a new Covid case; New Caledonia's pro-independence parties double down on referendum boycott; and French Polynesia wins the right to host the 2027 Pacific Games.

The Pacific delegates at COP26 are united in their message - global warming must be limited to within 1.5 degrees. New Zealand Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta has unveiled the government's Pacific Resilience strategy, updating the Pacific Reset from three years ago. Pasifika in Christchurch are frustrated that the city council has disregarded the voices of the region's Pacific community involving a major project.

World leaders urged to prioritise the survival of humanity over economic growth at COP26; Armed conflict in West Papua has caused a fresh influx of displaced people into PNG; Also, France ups its security presence for New Caledonia's independence referendum; And New Zealand's one way Pacific travel bubble is welcomed ahead of the festive season; All that and more on Tagata O Te Moana.

Experts are warning the pandemic could undo a decades worth of development gains in the Pacific; Pacific Islands Forum welcomes New Zealand's climate aid boost heading into COP26; Also,relief in New Zealand as RSE workers start returning for the summer harvest; All that and more coming up on Tagata O Te Moana.

Is China changing the way it wins over Pacific states?; Cook Islands businesses welcome the start of repatriations from NZ; First RSE workers exempted from MIQ arrive in New Zealand; all that and more Pacific stories coming up on Tagata o Te moana.

We check in on what Pacific leaders have been saing at the UN General Assembly in New York; Papua New Guinea is preparing for a four-week lockdown due to an outbreak of the Covid-19 delta variant; Also Pacific health experts are questioning the government's decision to bring Auckland out of alert level 4; And later in the program we hear about the latest signings for the Super Rugby Pacific side the Fijian Drua.

A resolution is reached in Samoa after a week of political drama that saw opposition MPs banned from parliament; Australia's new security pact with the US and the UK has touched a nerve at the heart of Pacific regionalism. Also Fiji's remote outer islands are on high alert as the Covid-19 outbreak reaches their shores; We hear about global support for a moratorium on seabed mining...and later on in the program; More than 360 Cook Islanders stranded in New Zealand will not be able to fly home until Auckland drops to alert level two.

Fiji's remote communities put on high-alert as Covid-19 spreads; Govt pledges $26m to support Pasifika community in lockdown; Also, more political drama in Vanuatu as the President pardons three former prime ministers; And later on in the program we talk about the newest Super Rugby sides Moana Pasifika and the Fijian Drua who are on the search for players.

The Pacific's coral reef systems and coastal fisheries are set for extinction if wealthy nations don't drastically and immediately cut greenhouse gas emissions; Promising signs in Papua New Guinea's Hela Province as warlords laydown their guns; Fiji's Secretary of Health accepts the new travel restrictions from Fiji to New Zealand, agreeing the outbreak there is out of control; Palau is seeing a steady increase in visitors and settling into their new normal after achieving herd immunity against Covid-19; Special debate held in New Zealand's Parliament to remember and condemn the 1970s Dawn Raids; The coach of the Fiji women's sevens team has been inundated with messages and phone calls from prospective players since their bronze medal win at the Tokyo Olympics.

The chair of the Pacific Islands Forum opens leaders summit with an apology to Micronesian leaders most of whom boycotted the meeting; Fiji democracy under strain during twin crises, locals question silence from regional leaders; Samoa's new prime minister says her cancelling of a major port project that was to be funded by China will not hinder bilateral relations; Pacific countries welcome easier access to New Zealand's Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme;France quashes a Chinese-funded project to build the Pacific's largest fish farm; A new book looks at the migration journey and lives of twelve Cook Islands women in Tokoroa

Samoa's first woman prime minister believes the political crisis, which blocked her transition to power, has caused longstanding damage to Samoa's democracy; The political tussle amid a worsening Covid-19 crisis continues in Fiji; Fiji's former health minister says the nation's health system is collapsing under the pressure of the pandemic; West Papua's struggle to contain Covid-19 are being hampered by indigenous communities' mistrust in Indonesian authorities; New Caledonia's pro-independence groups boosted by the reelection of congress president Roch Wamytan; A Tokelauan/Maori survivor shares his experiences of extensive abuse and differential treatment whilst in state care and in the care of the Salvation Army; We hear from Fiji Sevens coach Gareth Baber talking about defending Fiji's Olympic Champions status.