The Fiji High Court has ruled that the Commission of Inquiry report into the appointment of Barbara Malimali as FICAC Commissioner, in its entirety, is null and void.

Justice Dane Tuiqereqere also found that the COI report was unlawful, and that its adverse findings were irrational and it has been quashed

It has also been found that President Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu and Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka failed to provide the applicants with natural justice.

• READ MORE: Judge rules COI report is unlawful and null and void, and President, PM and COI breached principles of natural justice
• Other COI reports

Malimali challenged the report with former Attorney-General Graham Leung, and lawyers Wylie Clarke and Laurel Vaurasi.

Local media said the judge has determined that the President, the Prime Minister and the Commission of Inquiry, breached principles of natural justice for not giving the applicants the opportunity to respond to the adverse findings against them.

Fiji Village News said Justice Tuiqereqere ruled that the work of the Commission of Inquiry after 1 February 2025, including the report, is ultra vires or unlawful.

He found that the extension of the Commission of Inquiry beyond 31 January 2025 was ineffective.

As a result, the actions of the Commissioner after that date, including the completion of his report dated 1 May 2025, were unlawful, Fiji Village News stated.

Justice Tuiqereqere has also found that adverse findings and recommendations against the applicants including Malimali, former Attorney-General Graham Leung and lawyers Wylie Clarke and Laurel Vaurasi were unlawful, including those relating to a meeting at the FICAC office on 5 September 2024.

‘Praise God for the win’
The applicants had further challenged the decision by the President, on the advice of the Prime Minister, to release the Commission of Inquiry report publicly.

Malimali and her lawyer Tanya Waqanika are on the island of Kadavu and responded to the ruling in a Facebook post, saying justice had been served.

“Praise God for the win,” Waqanika said in her post.

“It has been a hard battle fighting to clear Barbara Malimali’s name from the COI taxpayer funded $4m (and counting) crocodile hunting failed expedition.

“Barbara Malimali and me are here in my village and we just received the news that we WON our HBJ No 9/26 Judicial Review case against the Fiji Government (well, all the Respondents names are Govt representatives).

The judge also said the COI Chair, David Ashton-Lewis, should have provided a draft of the adverse findings against the applicants to them and an opportunity to respond before compiling the report.

The Commission of Inquiry was the brainchild of Rabuka.

In June, the High Court rejected the Prime Minister’s attempt to stall its ruling that the country’s former anti-corruption chief was illegally sacked.

In February, Justice Dane Tuiqereqere found that the President — on the advice of the Prime Minister — “unlawfully” dismissed Barbara Malimali, the head of FICAC

Samoa’s opposition leader, Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi has been arrested and charged with defamation towards Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt.

Local media is reporting that the charges relate to allegations made by Tuilaepa during a media conference last week.

During the conference he called the prime minister a liar and also alleged he and his government were misusing public funds.

• READ MORE: Tuilaepa charged over press conference

The Court Registrar confirmed Tuilaepa faced four charges of defamation and one charge of harassment using means of electronic communication.

He has been released on bail this morning.

A leader of the Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) and an economist, he served as the sixth prime minister of Samoa from 1998 to 2021.

Leaders of a church that owns a historic abandoned building in central Auckland have been in talks with Auckland Council about the possibility of demolishing it.

The once-grand, two-storey Carlile House in Auckland’s Grey Lynn was built in 1886 and has had many uses over its long life — including as an Anglican children’s home, and an alternative school.

But in recent decades it has fallen into ruin and the church that owns it do not have the money to restore it to its former glory.

• READ MORE: Auckland MP considers members bill to strengthen protections for historic buildings

RNZ looks at the history and future of the building as part of our Abandoned Auckland series.

Architect and Grey Lynn local Graeme Burgess looks over a barbed wire and corrugated iron fence at the historic Carlile House on Richmond road in Grey Lynn.

“Right now, because of the fence running through here it actually feels so guarded, and it’s like something that nobody can actually appreciate.”

The building was grand in size and stature, but Burgess said after years of neglect it was heart-breaking to see the state it had ended up in.

‘Slowly falling apart’
“[It’s] difficult to watch something so grand and so wonderful slowly falling apart. But there are reasons why it’s in the state that it’s in at present. And those reasons are incredibly complex.”

The United Church of Tonga, which owned the building, did not have the money to do it up.

The church did not want to be interviewed for this story, but said it was working through its options for the building, and would put forward a plan in coming months.

Auckland Council said it had been approached about the possibility of demolishing the building by the church, but as it was a Category 1 Historic Place, that was prohibited.

Graeme Burgess hoped the church and council could find a way to make use of the place.

“I would hope that’s not the discussions they’re having. I hope that the discussions they’re having would be about how the place can be retained to the greatest extent possible.”

Local artist John Reynolds, who has lived opposite Carlile House for decades, was less optimistic — given the roof of the building had partially caved in.

“At the current rate of decay, in 18 months it’ll be collapsing in on itself, if not before.”

No restoration interest
Reynolds believed the church had no interest in restoring the building, and the council had not done enough to help find a resolution.

In 2019, Auckland Council offered to buy the building, but the church declined.

At the time it was estimated re-developing it would cost $10 million to $20 million.

Reynolds would like the large property to be turned into social housing.

“It could be many houses, and it could be housing for people that needs housing. It could be a win for the community, a win for the church, and actually a win for the heritage nuts.”

Local historian Tania Mace said Carlile House was originally built with money bequeathed by early Auckland businessman Edward Costley.

‘A frugal life’
“He lived a very frugal life, he never owned his own home. In the end when he passed away he made a number of bequests and this was one of them. And the people of Auckland were shocked to find he was extremely, extremely, wealthy.”

It was originally a training facility for disadvantaged young boys to learn technical skills.

Later it was an Anglican children’s home, the headquarters of an evangelical outreach mission, an alternative school, and briefly a remand home, before eventually being bought by the United Church of Tonga in the late 1970s.

Auckland Council compliance manager Adrian Wilson said the heritage of the building should be protected by its owners, but the council had no power to compel this.

Preliminary results are starting to come in for the Cook Islands general election.

As of 10pm local time, preliminary results indicated the incumbent Prime Minister and Cook Islands Party leader Mark Brown had easily won the Takuvaine-Tutakimoa seat.

Brown had 269 votes, while the next best placed was Davina Hina Te Raurea Joan Hosking-Ashford of the Democratic Party with 103.

In other preliminary results for leaders of the main parties, Teariki Heather, the leader of the United Party won the Murienua seat with 320 votes, more than double that of the second placed Cook Islands Party candidate, Nooroa Baker.

• READ MORE: Polling booths open in Cook Islands election
• Other Cook Islands elections reports

In an upset, the Democratic Party leader Tina Browne — the opposition leader in the past term — has lost Rakahanga by just three votes to Levi Hitarahera Teinaki of the Cook Islands Party who had 24 votes.

There are 11,000 registered voters in the Cooks, and voting stations opened at 9am on Wednesday morning, Cook Islands time (11am Thursday NZT) and closed at 6pm.

There are 24 constituencies in the Cooks, 10 on the main island of Rarotonga, and the other 14 spread across the Pa Enua, or outer islands. Thirteen seats are needed for a majority to form a government.

A total of 63 candidates were confirmed for the 2026 general election, down from the 71 who contested the 2022 election. This year’s lineup includes 49 men and 14 women.

Weather delays Northern Cooks poll
With independents making up 20 per cent of candidates, should no party claim the 13 seats needed for majority, the independents could hold the power over who forms government.

There has been a delay in the Northern Cooks, as bad weather meant electoral officers were unable to get ashore in Nassau.

Officials have announced the island’s polling will be postponed to Thursday afternoon local time.

Issues front-of-mind for voters included the cost of living, water tariffs, seabed minerals and foreign relationships.

Polling is open in the Cook Islands where 11,000 registered voters will elect their leaders for the next four years.

Voting stations opened at 9am on Wednesday morning, Cook Islands time (7am Thursday NZT) and will close at 6pm.

There are 24 constituencies, 10 on the main island of Rarotonga, and the other 14 spread across the Pa Enua, or outer islands.

• READ MORE: Cost of living, water tariffs, mining on Cook Islanders’ minds ahead of election
• Other Cook Islands elections reports

Thirteen seats are needed for a majority to form a government.

A total of 63 candidates were confirmed for the 2026 general election, down from the 71 who contested the 2022 election. This year’s lineup includes 49 men and 14 women.

With independents making up 20 percent of candidates, should no party claim the 13 seats needed for majority, the independents could hold the power over who forms government.

One seat has already been won this election, with Mangaia’s Ivirua candidate Agnes Helen Armstrong running uncontested as an independent.

There has been a delay in the Northern Cooks, as bad weather meant electoral officers were unable to get ashore in Nassau.

Officials have announced the island’s polling will be postponed to Thursday afternoon local time.

The issues for voters
The local newspaper, Cook Islands News, ran a poll which found a majority (50.5 percent) of respondents across the Pa Enua and Rarotonga identified the cost of living and inflation — including fuel prices, water and power bills, housing, transportation and consumer goods — as their primary concern.

Editor Rashneel Kumar told RNZ Pacific Waves last week that global conflicts, contributing to resource restraints and costs, have a flow-on effect on local customers.

“With the Middle East conflict, obviously, we have seen a impact on small island nations, and Cook Islands is not spared as well,” he said.

“We end up the supply chain, so we do absorb a lot of additional cost — and by the time the goods land here, the prices does have an impact as well as price of energy through the increase of petrol has affected the people.

“So cost of living obviously is number one issue.”

Water tariffs, seabed minerals and foreign relationships have also been heavily debated topics of interest.

Tributes have flowed in for the renowned Solomon Islands journalist George Atkin, who has died.

As well as being a former correspondent for the then-RNZ International and ABC Pacific, Atkin was a leading figure in journalism in Solomon Islands and in the Pacific Islands region.

He was the first president of the Media Association of Solomon Islands (MASI), serving from 1985 to 1989 and was a respected member of the country’s media fraternity.

• READ MORE: Remembering a Pacific media pioneer — George Atkin Aeta’i

The veteran journalist worked for numerous mainstream media outlets such as the Solomon Star newspaper, Island Sun newspaper and the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation.

A prominent Solomon islands media figure, Robert Iroga, said Atkin was an editor, journalist, storyteller and mentor who understood the power of the pen.

“He understood that journalism was not simply about filling pages or broadcasting news. He understood that words could change policies, challenge governments, expose wrongdoing and even force leaders to resign,” Iroga said.

Some of the region’s best known names in the news media sector have also paid tribute to Atkin on social media.

A Pacific legend
Alexander Rheeney, a former editor of both PNG’s Post Courier newspaper and the Samoa Observer, said Atkin “was a legend and well respected by the media fraternity and the public”.

TVNZ’s long-time Pacific correspondent Barbara Dreaver said Atkin “leaves a legacy that will be remembered”.

RNZ Pacific manager Moera Tuilaepa-Taylor said that Atkin “was a true professional and understood all the complex layers of politics in his country”.

George Atkin died in his home village of Tawatana in Arosi 1, West Makira.

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale has announced that a review of his country’s security agreement with China has begun.

Wale has said he was only permitted to read the 2022 agreement one day before an official meeting in Canberra in May this year, shortly after he was elected prime minister.

Highlighting the lack of proper disclosure at the time of the agreement, when he was opposition leader, Wale told Parliament this must never happen again.

• READ MORE: Pacific Islands Forum fails to reach consensus on anti-missile statement against China
• Other Pacific security pact reports

As such, he has called on the current opposition leader Manasseh Sogavare, who was prime minister at the time of the China agreement, to support the review.

This comes after Sogavare alleged a lack of transparency over a new agreement that Wale’s government has signed with the United States which allows the US Coast Guard to have greater access to the Solomons.

In response, Wale said there would be ‘no more secrecy’ on agreements that bind the nation

“I call on the Leader of the Opposition to support the review, this House must support the principle that no treaty should stand without the informed consent of Parliament.

“If that is the standard, then it must apply to every agreement this country has signed and not just some,” Wale said.

Wale, who has overseen a foreign policy reset that observers note has the Solomon Islands pivoting back to the west, also stressed that China remains an important partner for his country.

He said Solomon Islands remained “friends to all and enemies to none”.

Disagreement from some China-aligned Pacific Islands countries has prevented regional countries within the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) issuing a joint statement against missile testing in the Pacific.

At their meeting in Suva on Friday, PIF foreign ministers failed to agree on a unified statement against China after it fired a nuclear-capable missile into Pacific waters last month, despite deep concern among most countries about Beijing’s actions.

It is understood there was a majority of countries represented at the meeting who wanted a clear joint regional statement condemning such missile testing in the nuclear-free Pacific.

• READ MORE: Pacific foreign ministers to discuss Solomons’ idea for regional security treaty
• No Pacific consensus on China missile test condemnation
• Other Solomon Islands reports

However, the Forum’s usual Pacific decision-making by consensus could not be met because Kiribati and Nauru were opposed to a strong statement condemning the testing.

New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters told media some Pacific nations were using the consensus system because they were more concerned with external partners’ wishes than those that belong to the Pacific Islands Forum, something he described as an “unusual view”.

“They didn’t actually lay out any reasons, apart from their disagreement, and not wishing for us to make the clear statement such as ‘we are opposed to missiles being fired into the Pacific’.

“That’s what the statement should have said, and we’re still waiting for that to get laid out.”

Some governments have pointed out that China is not the only country testing nuclear-capable missiles in the Pacific. The US regularly conducts tests into the Marshall Islands.

Peters said that testing in the Marshall Islands was done with the country’s consent.

Security agenda
The PIF Foreign Ministers Meeting was held to set the agenda for the annual Leaders’ Meeting in Palau later this month.

A Solomon Islands proposal for a regional security treaty was one of the discussion points, although it’s clear more consultation is required on the matter.

The Solomon Islands’ Foreign Affairs and External Trade Permanent Secretary George Hoa’au told RNZ Pacific that there was already a range of regional security mechanisms in the Forum fale.

“The missing part is to have a common thatched roof over them,” he said.

“The proposal for this single security treaty by Solomons is to provide an umbrella on top of what is already regional MOUs which are non-binding.”

A proposal from the Solomon Islands government for a regional security treaty is being considered by the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) foreign ministers in Suva on Friday, RNZ Pacific understands.

The treaty proposal forms a key agenda item at the day-long annual meeting — the outcomes of which help determine what will be discussed at the Forum leaders’ meeting in Palau at the end of the month.

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale, who is also PIF chair, began promoting the concept of a regional security agreement soon after he was elected leader by his country’s Parliament in May.

• READ MORE:  No Pacific consensus on China missile test condemnation
• Other Solomon Islands reports

The idea gained pace in early June after Wale visited his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese in Canberra.

In an address he delivered at the PIF headquarters in Suva last month, Wale highlighted the need for the region to consider “bold ideas that strengthen our collective security and provide greater certainty for future generations”.

He also told ABC there was “a growing consensus” among leaders he had spoken with of “gaps that such an architecture would help plug”.

However, political experts warn a collective security treaty could change regional decision-making processes and norms by introducing mandatory consultation.

Currently, decision making and policy processes on regional security through the Forum are guided by principles enshrined in regional declarations like Biketawa, Boe, and the Ocean of Peace.

This regional cooperation is not underpinned by an international legal agreement, except in certain instances like nuclear issues, which are covered by the Treaty of Rarotonga, and fisheries surveillance under the Niue Treaty.

The PIF, through its 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent, describes this type of political cooperation as the “Pacific Way”. It involves “consensus-based decision making, whilst respecting sovereignty and the principle of non-interference in national affairs”.

Converting political commitments into obligations
According to RNZ Pacific sources, those pushing for the Solomons security treaty intend to codify the existing regional security legal and policy framework, including the three declarations mentioned above.

Codification would involve setting rules that govern regional security cooperation.

Massey University Centre for Defence and Security Studies associate professor Anna Powles said the existing Forum architecture and declarations and agreements, like Biketawa, preserve sovereignty and substantial national discretion.

“The proposed treaty would convert political commitments into obligations under international law, which poses a series of questions from what obligations it creates, whether decisions remain consensual, and whether it regulates existing bilateral security partnerships.”

Dr Powles emphasised the need for governments to carefully consider what was being put on the table through the proposed agreement.

This included which decisions governments were agreeing to share, the obligations they were committing to, and whether the proposed treaty could restrict their ability to respond to national circumstances.

“Depending on what the Wale proposal contains and seeks to do, a treaty in the current geopolitical climate could risk narrowing the Pacific concept of security from the Boe Declaration, which recognises climate change as the existential threat.

“There will be concern in parts of the region that the proposed treaty could become another geopolitical instrument through which certain states seek to limit their competitors.”

Wording to be ‘critical’
Regarding shifts in the policy and decision-making processes, Dr Powles said the wording of the treaty would be critical.

“A formal collective security treaty could change regional decision-making and consensus by introducing mandatory consultation,” she said.

“Governments might be legally required to notify and consult other members about an emerging security threat, or a proposed security arrangement with an external power.”

The key question would then be who or what country would be given a formal role in determining whether an issue constituted a regional security concern, she said.

“The treaty would need to establish how collective action is authorised. If consensus is retained, every member would continue to have an effective veto.

“Members could be required to notify or consult the region before entering bilateral security agreements involving foreign police, military personnel [and] bases, or strategic infrastructure.”

Dr Powles also suggested a stronger version of the treaty may be needed to achieve this, which would have the potential to “significantly reduce individual governments’ freedom of action” and “probably be the treaty’s most politically contested feature”.

“The key distinction is between consensus over adopting the treaty and decision-making after it enters into force, or if the treaty simply consolidates existing declarations, preserves consensus and makes participation in regional responses voluntary. Its principal effect would be to give existing commitments a more durable legal form.”

‘Competing priorities’ around regional security
Pacific historian and Auckland University of Technology lecturer Dr Marco de Jong highlighted the potential trade-offs around a regional security treaty.

“There are a range of competing priorities when it comes to the formulation of a treaty.

“On the one hand, it may be to codify long-standing norms and principles, which have guided regional security cooperation thus far.

“Alternatively, it might be to embed, and serve as a chapeau for, the emerging regional security architecture, which is predominantly being driven by Australia,” he said.

“Another option is that it might seek to elevate the types of confidence-building or transparency mechanisms, and strategic-trust mechanisms, which have been in bilateral agreements to the regional level.”

Dr De Jong said those scenarios meant vastly different things for the region.

“All three of those potential purposes are in tension when it comes to genuine, Pacific-led regional security.”

Both Dr De Jong and Dr Powles urged careful consideration and discussion on the treaty proposal.

“For instance, what problem does a treaty solve that existing declarations cannot?” Powles asked.

“Which provisions or obligations would be legally binding? How will the tradition and spirit of consensus be upheld? Who will pay for the operationalisation of the treaty? Where does oversight sit? Will the Pacific Islands Forum have oversight? How will disputes be resolved, and can a state withdraw?”

Following Friday’s meeting, regional leaders are due to gather in Palau for the week-long PIF Leaders’ Meeting beginning August 30.

This is expected to be one of the Forum’s largest leaders’ summits, with dialogue partners set to attend — a departure from last year where then-host Solomon Islands excluded dialogue partners.

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The US Shiprider Agreement signed by the new-look Solomon Islands government has been subject to fiery criticism in Parliament.

The opposition leader Manasseh Sogavare continues to attack the agreement which he describes as an affront to the sovereignty of Solomon Islands, but the Prime Minister Matthew Wale insists the country’s rights as a sovereign nation remain protected.

The latest exchanges came during parliamentary debate on the Governor-General’s Speech from the Throne, when the King’s representative lays out the government’s policy programme, effectively on the government’s behalf.

• READ MORE: Other Solomon Island reports

The debate included a focus on foreign policy, an area of apparent flux in the country since Wale wasted little time after being elected in May in moving to strengthen ties with Australia and the US.

These relations had been tested after Solomon Islands in 2019 ditched its longstanding diplomatic recognition of Taiwan in order to forge close links with China.

Visiting Canberra recently, Wale discussed the idea of a Pacific regional security treaty with Australia. He also visited the US and Japan where he bolstered ties.

In Washington, Wale forged a Ship Rider Agreement to allow the US Coast Guard into Solomon Islands waters, alongside local police, for joint maritime enforcement and surveillance efforts. That agreement was then signed last week in Honiara.

“Solomon Islands remains a friend to all and an enemy to none,” Wale said during the debate.

“This government has deliberately reset our foreign relations, and the visits made to our friends were necessary to restore our standing as a reliable partner to each of them — they have been rewarding.”

China relations ‘remain important’
Wale said that the proper test of foreign policy was what it delivered for Solomon Islanders, adding that by that measure he felt the reset had begun well.

“In that same vein, our relations with the People’s Republic of China remain important to our development, and this government reaffirms our continued commitment to the One China principle, the foundation on which our bilateral relations are established.

“This is settled policy for the Solomon Islands government, and it will be honoured with the same consistency we bring to all our friendships.”

From Matthew Wale’s calm tones, the debate’s energy ratcheted up several knots with a typically fiery speech by Manasseh Sogavare which lasted around an hour.

The former prime minister, under whom the Solomons made the switch to China, has been highly critical of Wale’s recent pivot to the west.

‘Open to question’
He questioned the constitutional authority and protocol surrounding the signing of the Ship Rider Agreement with the US last week, as he claims it was not signed by the minister responsible for treaties and agreements.

“A treaty signed by a person who, on the face of the standing instruments of the state, does not hold responsibility of the House of the business of government under which the treaty falls, is a treaty whose authenticity is an act of this government is is at least open to question.”

Sogavare is concerned that the Solomons is waiving certain powers to the US as the Ship Rider Agreement relates to the 1991 Status of Forces Agreement with the US, which is still in force and governs the status of American armed forces in Solomon Islands.

Status of Forces
“Under that old agreement, United States forces present under authorised duties are exempt from Solomon Islands passport and visa requirement.

“United States equipment, supplies, and government properties enter the country free of duties, taxes, and charges,” Sogavare said.

“United States military authorities may exercise criminal disciplinary jurisdiction on Solomon Island soil.

“This nation has on the face of the 1991 text, already agreed to waive its primary criminal jurisdiction, except in cases of what he termed particular importance.

“A certificate of a United States commander is sufficient proof that the conduct occurred in the course of official duty, subject only to review inside United States military chain of command.”

The opposition leader said the agreement had been forged without proper transparency or oversight by Parliament.

“The point is that the framework, substantial operational benefits, and substantial legal protection accrued to the United States while Solomon Islands applies supplies the sovereign jurisdiction gateway, bears the diplomatic consequences of any incident in our waters, and remains institutionally exposed on questions of accountability, evidence, custody, and claims.

“That is the framework this House has never debated.”

Wale has denied that the Ship Rider Agreement compromises the country’s sovereignty.

The New Zealand Greens co-leader has been kicked out of the House, after challenging what she called the Speaker’s “double standards”.

Chlöe Swarbrick says there is a specific issue with the Speaker’s treatment of the Green Party compared to the “Right Honourable Winston Peters”.

The opposition used Question Time on Tuesday to canvass both Prime Minister Christopher Luxon’s comments about small businesses, as well as his handling of Foreign Minister Winston Peters after he told Green MP Lawrence Xu-Nan to “go back to where you’ve come from” during a tirade in Parliament last week.

• READ MORE: Other Green Party reports

Peters came under scrutiny by Labour leader Chris Hipkins, questioning Prime Minister  Luxon.

At one point Hipkins suggested former prime minister Helen Clark had “quietened him down when she dumped him from Cabinet.” Peters then rose, requesting Hipkins withdraw the comments because it was a “lie”.

The Speaker, Gerry Brownlee, said he would take a look at the Hansard and “come back to the House” on the issue.

Chlöe Swarbrick then requested a point of order, seeking guidance from the Speaker on the use of the word and accusation of a “lie”.

“You have punished me — personally — multiple times for the use of that word.

“I’m seeking your guidance as to whether this rule applies universally, or there’s one rule for us and another for him” she said, pointing at Peters.

Every situation different
Brownlee said every situation was different, and he would consider the issue later.

But later in Question Time, Swarbrick asked her own questions of the prime minister regarding official advice he’d received about the impacts of AI data centre.

She continued with questions about whether the “Data Grid AI centre” would raise electricity prices, and whether the government had commissioned cost-benefit analysis on the consenting of AI data centres.

Luxon said the advice the government had had was that “it won’t put an upward pressure on electricity prices” and they were taking more advice on the issue regarding a cost-benefit analysis.

Finally, Swarbrick asked:

“How many hyperscaled AI data centres does he understand might be consented before we receive the official cost-benefit analysis and understanding of impact on our energy grid and electricity prices?”

Luxon responded saying there were “around about 60 data centres in New Zealand today” and three expected to “come on stream”.

PM heckled on data centres
During the answer, Swarbrick heckled the prime minister, asking if he knew the difference between a data centre and an AI data centre.

The Speaker interrupted, saying she had already asked her question.

“You can raise it in a different way, but don’t do it across the floor of the house,” Brownlee said.

Brownlee was about to move onto the next question, when a number of MPs raised their voices and he interjected again.

“Everyone is making far too much noise in here, and then turning around expecting me to interpret what a whole 123 people are saying — it’s ridiculous!”

Swarbrick then raised another point of order, and said “respectfully, the problem is your double standards”.

Brownlee responded by saying “the member will leave the house”.

‘Winston Peters is being treated differently to everybody else’
Speaking to reporters after she left the house, Swarbrick stood by her comments saying it was “well documented”.

She said the Greens had written to the Speaker and met with him “multiple times” about the “demonstrable fact” there was uneven standards being applied, “particularly in the context of the Green Party, and when it comes to the behaviour of the Right Honourable Winston Peters.”

Swarbrick gave the example of Peters being “allowed off the hook” for accusing the other side of lying.

“This is something which Gerry Brownlee has consistently told me that I have to stand up, withdraw, and apologise for, and a standard that he’s also applied to Labour members of the House.”

She acknowledged the Speaker had a “difficult job”, but the “baseline thing” he can do was “apply the same standards to members across this house”.

“Winston is so frequently heckling when people are asking questions.

“Winston Peters is being treated differently to everybody else, and I guess it should just be a baseline expectation that all of us in this place have that the rules should be applied fairly.”

A member of New Caledonia’s Eveil Océanien kingmaker’s party, Milakulo Tukumuli, has been elected as the new President of the territory’s “collegial” government.

He was elected by New Caledonia’s 54-member Congress during a special sitting on Friday where the 11 members of the French Pacific territory’s government were elected.

The Congress sitting directly stems from the recent provincial elections held on June 28.

• READ MORE: ‘Redresser le pays’ : la mission du 19e NC gouvernement, selon son président Milakulo Tukumuli
• Other Kanaky New Caledonia reports

Based on the principle of proportional representation, the new executive is a reflection of the recent provincial elections, as well as the “governance pact” sealed between the pro-France bloc and the small Eveil Océanien party, often dubbed the “kingmaker’s party”.

Under the pact, which already propelled pro-France candidate Virginie Ruffenach (pro-France Rassemblement party) to the chair of the Congress earlier this month, the head of Eveil Océanien (a Wallisian-based party he founded in 2019), Milakulo Tukumuli, takes the helm of New Caledonia’s government as President.

Tukumuli, 41, is the first New Caledonian government President of Wallisian heritage.

Who is in the mix?
Another prominent figure from the previous government, Christopher Gygès (Les Loyalistes party), is now the local government’s Vice-President.

Gygès previously held key economy-related portfolios and is also likely to follow-up on the implementation of a massive economic and social recovery plan mostly financed by France by way of a mix of loans and grants.

Another key figure in the new government is Alcide Ponga (Rassemblement party), who was government president under the previous administration.

Ponga’s tenure as former president was marked by a difficult period especially after the serious unrest which started in May 2024 and caused 14 dead and more than 2.2 billion euros (NZ$4.3 billion) in material damage, as well as the economic and social repercussions from massive destruction and job losses in the economic and business sector.

Ponga is also a former executive in the nickel mining sector and is highly likely to be given New Caledonia’s mining portfolio to address the sector’s worst crisis in decades.

Pro-France Philippe Blaise (Les Loyalistes party), a former vice-president of the Southern Province, is also part of the new team with experience mostly related to the economic and finance sector.

Another newcomer, pro-France Laurent Bonnefond, (Les Loyalistes party) also specialises in matters related to business and civil society initiatives.

Meanwhile, Nina Julié (pro-France Les Loyalistes party), whose pre-politics career includes experience in teaching, is one of the newcomers to government, and is widely tipped to take charge of the education sector.

On the pro-independence (UC) side, Johanito Wamytan, with an artistic and cultural background, is also part of the new government, one of a new generation of leaders brought forward by the UC-FLNKS group.

Also from the UC-FLNKS, Ernest Déméné, specialises in youth and social-related issues.

Meryl Marlier, another pro-independence new member of the government, has a background marked by agricultural, rural and farming matters.

Billy Forest is the only minister from New Caledonia’s other pro-independence party, the UNI (Union for Independence). He has a finance and budget-oriented background.

Sensitive allocation of portfolios
After the vote in Congress, on Friday morning, the local Parliament held a separate vote, at New Caledonia’s government house, for the 11 new government members to elect, in restricted committee, their President and Vice-President.

Even though the position of President was reserved for Milakulo Tukumuli, under the “governance pact” struck between the pro-France bloc and Tukumuli’s Eveil Océanien, the most difficult part of the ministerial “conclave” seems related to a formal announcement regarding the allocation of ministerial portfolios.

The announcement has not yet been made, but New Caledonia’s government has 10 days to do so.

Tukumuli is expected to deliver his general policy address at Congress in the coming days.

The finalisation of New Caledonia’s government, under previous tenures, has sometimes proved lengthy, painful and marked by 11th-hour intense negotiations between opposing camps.

On occasions, the position of President was left vacant for as long as five months (from February to July 2021) after the election of the government.

This was due to differences within the pro-independence camp before UNI’s Louis Mapou effectively took office on 8 July 2021.

On another occasion, in 2019, for similar reasons, the delay of one month was caused by divergence within the pro-independence camp regarding the appointment of vice-president.

During the installation of the previous government, in 2025, one minister who demanded more powers under his environment portfolio, also delayed the ministerial sectors’ distribution process by almost two weeks before he finally obtained what he sought.

New Zealand’s Waitangi Tribunal has found the Crown breached multiple principles of Te Tiriti o Waitangi by approving plans to repeal and weaken Treaty protections across 18 pieces of legislation, warning the changes would cause “significant prejudice” to Māori and further damage the Māori-Crown relationship.

In its report, Te Tinihanga o Ngā Mātāpono: The Urgent Report on the Treaty Principles Reform, the Tribunal found Cabinet approved the changes “on the basis of a flawed rationale and in an absence of supporting evidence”.

It found ministers made the decisions “without adequately informing” themselves of the effects the reforms would have on Māori, “prioritising coalition agreement commitments over the need to make informed policy decisions”, and “in the absence of meaningful engagement with Māori”.

• READ MORE: Te Tinihanga o Ngā Mātāpono o te Tiriti — Treaty Principles Reform

Chief Judge Dr Caren Fox said the Crown had effectively chosen political commitments over informed policy-making, saying ministers acted “in disregard for the Treaty/Tiriti partnership” and without properly understanding the effects the proposed changes would have on Māori interests.

“These reforms would be a significant constitutional regression in terms of the legislative recognition of the Treaty/te Tiriti,” she said.

The Tribunal said those decisions breached several Treaty principles, including good government and active protection, and were “inconsistent with upholding the honour of the Crown.”

The findings come after iwi leaders, constitutional experts and Māori organisations told the Tribunal the reforms were “the most wide-ranging legislative breach of Te Tiriti in modern history,” describing them as “an unrelenting assault” on Māori rights.

In February, Cabinet agreed to several amendments to Treaty/Tiriti provisions across 18 pieces of legislation, including to repeal multiple provisions and to lower the Treaty/Tiriti weighting in provisions included in the relevant statutes to no higher than “take into account”.

The Tribunal found Māori would be “significantly prejudiced” if the reforms proceed, warning they could result in poorer environmental and health outcomes, weaken Māori kaitiakitanga and tino rangatiratanga, and further damage the Māori-Crown relationship.

It also said the reforms had “seriously damaged the Māori-Crown relationship” and sent “a strong signal across the public sector that the Treaty/te Tiriti may be downgraded in decision making”.

The Tribunal recommended the government “immediately pause its reforms” until meaningful co-design with Māori has taken place.

It also recommended no Treaty provisions be repealed or downgraded, that the Crown undertake thorough engagement with Māori affected by each statute, and, if legislation proceeds to Select Committee, that Parliament undertake a more comprehensive process than a standard Select Committee inquiry.

“If the proposed reforms are enacted without meaningful co-design engagement with Māori, the Crown will breach the principles of good government and active protection. Additionally, in doing so, the Crown would fail to adequately recognise Māori tino rangatiratanga and as such be in breach of the principle of partnership. Finally, if the proposed reforms are enacted, the Crown will breach the principles of active protection, equity, and redress.”

Government position ‘unchanged’
In a statement to RNZ, Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith said the government’s position remains unchanged.

“I have received the report and will review it in due course,” he said.

“We do not agree or accept that this legislation weakens treaty obligations.”

“Over the last 30 or 40 years, Parliament has made all sorts of references to the principles of the Treaty of Waitangi. Sometimes it’s ‘honour’, or ‘have regard to’, or ‘give effect to’, or ‘take into account’.”

Goldsmith said they need “to create some consistency here, in the interests of increasing certainty and supporting compliance.

“A core foundation of our success as a nation is predictability in the law.”

The 19 Statutes Affected by Cabinet’s February 2026 Decision are:

• The Climate Change Response Act 2002
• The Criminal Cases Review Commission Act 2019
• The Crown Pastoral Land Act 1998
• The Data and Statistics Act 2022
• The Digital Identity Services Trust Framework Act 2023
• The Education and Training Act 2020
• The Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act 2000
• The Environment Act 1986
• The Exclusive Economic Zone and Continental Shelf (Environmental Effects) Act 2012
• The Hazardous Substances and New Organisms Act 1996
• The Land Transport Management Act 2003
• The Local Government Act 2002
• The Mental Health and Wellbeing Commission Act 2020
• The Oranga Tamariki Act 1989
• The Organic Products and Production Act 2023
• The Pae Ora (Healthy Futures) Act 2022
• The Plant Variety Rights Act 2022

World Rugby has denied reports that it gave Samoa an ultimatum to sort out problems over which body governs the sport in the country, or face a ban from international competition.

This follows reports that the Samoan government was given 24 hours — until Friday — to accept a review of its decision to withdraw its support of Lakapi Samoa.

Prime Minister La’aulialemalietoa Leuatea Schmidt announced earlier this year that he was establishing a rival union to take over the role of Lakapi Samoa (the Samoa Rugby Union).

• READ MORE: Samoa face World Rugby ban over PM’s ‘political madness’, opposition warns
• Samoan government axes Lakapi Samoa

But World Rugby denies reports that it had told Samoa that failure to accept the review would result in Samoa copping a ban — it also confirmed it is involved as a mediator to resolve issues at Lakapi Samoa.

A spokesperson for World Rugby told RNZ Pacific: “We are in active and constructive dialogue with all parties and remain focused on a positive resolution.”

Yesterday, Samoa’s opposition leader Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi said that Samoa faced suspension by World Rugby because of “a dirty political move” by the government and particularly his rival, the current Prime Minister, La’auli.

Tuilaepa spoke to RNZ Pacific after the government announced that it was pulling its support of Lakapi Samoa due to “unresolved internal issues and division” at the national rugby union, and amid reports that Samoa was risking being banned from World Rugby.

RNZ Pacific has contacted Lakapi Samoa and the Samoan government’s press secretariat for a response to Tuilaepa’s comments.

Tuilaepa stepped down as long-time chairman of the Samoa Rugby Union earlier this year after his political stand-off with La’auli threatened to stall a new funding programme for the Pacific’s three top rugby unions.

La’auli had refused to sign any new agreement with the Fijian and Tongan rugby unions until Tuilaepa and his board resigned and made way for new appointments.

Fiji fiasco
The crisis surrounding Samoa rugby has shades of the political problems which caused Fiji to be banned from the World Rugby Council in 2023 over governance concerns, after the government in 2023 effectively took control of the Fiji Rugby Union (FRU).

The following year, the FRU was reinstated as a member of the governing body’s council afterb a suspension of almost 15 months.

However, the FRU has become embroiled in more problems lately, after a dispute over player payments became public.

This week, the FRU board chairman John Sanday said the union had a plan B in place to ensure Flying Fijians players don’t make “ridiculous” demands of management in future.

This follows an incident during Fiji’s recent Nations Championship stint in Europe, where they lost all three test matches to Wales, England and Scotland.

Sanday said players demanded an increase of their daily allowances from F$500 a day to $1000, but the FRU only agreed to pay F$600 per day.

That was despite the fact that players had signed contracts pre-tour.

Sanday said the players argued that the union would make a lot of money from the three games it technically “hosted” on the northern tour.

He has now revealed the FRU will review the squad’s make-up and form a standby squad ready to play for Fiji if current players don’t change their attitude.

The chairman said the FRU was now a business, which required a changed mindset.

Samoa’s opposition leader Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi says the country faces suspension by World Rugby today because of “a dirty political move” by the government.

Tuilaepa’s spoke to RNZ Pacific after the government announced that it was pulling its support of Lakapi Samoa due to “unresolved internal issues and division” at the national rugby union.

“The government does not provide the Samoa Rugby Union with any financial assistance, there are no internal issues — it’s political madness on the part of the prime minister, ” said Tuilaepa, who is a former Samoan PM and the leader of the Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP).

• READ MORE: Samoan government axes Lakapi Samoa

RNZ Pacific understands World Rugby has given the Samoan government until Friday to accept a review of its decision to withdraw recognition and financial support of the rugby union.

Failure to accept the review or respond by the deadline could result in Samoa being suspended from international rugby for four years, according to the Samoa Observer.

It added that the development follows a meeting between the Lakapi Samoa and World Rugby representatives on Thursday.

RNZ Pacific has contacted World Rugby, Lakapi Samoa and the Samoan government’s press secretariat for a response to Tuilaepa’s comments.

A World Rugby spokesperson said: “We are in active and constructive dialogue with all parties and remain focused on a positive resolution.”

‘World Rugby should not bend’
Tuilaepa, who stepped down as chairman of Lakapi Samoa in March, told RNZ Pacific he was not interested in whether the country faced suspension from international rugby.

“I was chairman [of Lakapi Samoa]. I’ve done all that is possible for the good of rugby. If the new government comes in and doesn’t support it, that’s it,” the former long-time prime minister said.

“I am not worried [about Samoa being suspended], if World Rugby wants to do that, that is the proper thing to do. Our people chose the government and therefore if our people suffer, that is what our country wants.

“World Rugby should not bend to a country where its leadership is so stupid it becomes involved in political decisions that are hurtful to the young people of our country,” he said.

Tuilaepa added: “If the majority of Samoans end up regretting that young rugby players are banned at a world level, they should go and talk to the prime minister they voted for.”

In February, Prime Minister La’aulialemalietoa (La’auli) Leuatea Schmidt said the sport had been “politicised” and the status of the game in Samoa was poor.

“At this stage, our rugby is very impoverished … we are at a level that Samoa has never been before, because of what? Because of management,” Laauli said.

‘Clear out politicians’
“We’re coming in to clear out all the politicians inside our rugby union,” he said at the time.

Tuilaepa stepped down as chairman of the Samoa Rugby Union a month later after his political stand-off with La’auli threatened to stall a new funding programme for the Pacific’s three top rugby unions.

Laauli had refused to sign any new agreement with the Fijian and Tongan rugby unions until Tuilaepa and his board resigned and made way for new appointments.

The prime minister added that his government would set up a rival union to govern the sport in the country, if the entire Lakapi Samoa board did not resign.

In June, World Rugby formally appointed Lakapi Samoa’s new chairman Afioga Namulauuli Papali’i as Samoa’s representative on the World Rugby Council.

A new Human Rights Watch (HRW) report says that the Indonesian government is silencing environmental activists and journalists in Papua region, known internationally as West Papua.

The report, titled Grabbed Land, Silenced Justice, examines how parts of Papua, in particular South Papua province, are seeing a greater military presence in service of massive national development projects.

These projects, its argues, are causing mass deforestation and displacement throughout the province, directly threatening local livelihoods. All the while, journalists and activists who speak out tend to be arrested and mistreated.

• READ MORE: Grabbed Land, Silenced Justice full HRW report
• Indonesia has ‘kidnapped’ Pesta Babi star to cover up ecocide, claims ULMWP
• Other Pesta Babi documentary reports

HRW’s Andrea Harsono, a lawyer and one of the report authors, told RNZ Pacific it is business as usual.

“More than a dozen laws in Indonesia are used to silence protests over environmental harms,” he said.

Prosecuting Indigenous leaders
“Authorities used provisions of the Plantation Law, the Mineral and Mining Law, the Job Creation Law, or the Prevention of Forest Destruction Law to prosecute all these Indigenous leaders and environmentalists.”

Harsono noted that while higher courts would typically throw these cases out, activists would be mistreated during their arrests and tied up fighting their case for months.

“Individuals can spend months, even years, appearing before various law enforcement agencies to contest groundless claims against them.”

It comes as forest fires continue to ravage South Papua, which activists say are exacerbated by the dead wood and dry land left by deforestation across million of hectares.

Every bulldozer has a soldier
South Papua has increasingly become the target of major Indonesian agricultural projects, most notably the Merauke Food and Energy Estate project, slated to cover roughly three million hectares.

The project would convert forests, wetlands, and savannas into rice fields, and sugarcane and palm oil plantations.

Harsono said that his sources on the ground in South Papua were reporting that land clearing had become increasingly militarised.

“Every bulldozer is accompanied by soldiers with semi-automatic weapons … this is the only province of the six (Papuan provinces) that exists without the armed (West Papuan pro-independence) movement against them,” he said.

“It is easier to clear the swamps and the forests in South Papua compared with the other five provinces, where resistance is higher.”

All the while, severe fire warnings are in place province-wide. According to spatial analysis from Indonesian NGO WALHI, most fire hotspots are concentrated in areas designated for the Food Estate programme, and other projects such as palm oil.

Under-reporting forest clearing
The report also posited that the Indonesian government tends to under-report forest clearing, and by extension, Papua’s vulnerability.

“West Papua has thick peatland, meaning that underneath the surface, if there is fire, the fire will keep on burning,” Harsono explained.

“There are studies after studies showing unnatural death because of respiratory problems in Sumatra and Lakimantan, there is still no study about that in West Papua.”

But Harsono said there was evidence of the impact of the large-scale environmental destruction in declining animal populations, loss of biodiversity, and downstream from that, community livelihoods.

“They used to hunt for deer, for cuscus who eat Saku trees — Saku trees are missing, sweet potatoes are missing.”

Food estate protesters targeted
The report claims that protesters against the food estate project are being actively targeted and silenced.

It points to an incident in January where police detained 11 Papuans who had protested about “risks to the customary land rights and livelihood of over 40,000 people from the Indigenous Malind, Maklew, Yei, and Khimaima communities.”

It also reported a resident in the Ngguti District saying that the military compelled his family to leave their home for protesting, while the fear of appearing against the state drove them out of their village entirely.

Recently, RNZ Pacific reported the disappearance of Yasinta Moiwend, a Merauke resident who participated in the documentary Pesta Babi (or Pig Feast) that criticised the Merauke Food and Energy Estate project.

She had also filed two lawsuits against the government over its actions in relation to the project.

However, soon after the film’s release, Moiwend’s family said she was taken suddenly to Jakarta, where HRW reports they continue to believe she had been abducted, with an attempt to coerce her silence.

Moiwend is also reported to have subsequently criticised the film.

Intimidation, physical abuse
Harsono said that authorities attempt to silence activists, through intimidation, all the way up to physical abuse.

“If you are outspoken, if you are prominent, your family members or your children are put under pressure, or your livelihood, your job is disrupted, if not you losing your job.”

Nevertheless, Harsono said he has seen no indication that activism within Papua will die down, especially among younger residents, who have no memory of life without Indonesian rule.

“If you take a look at the number of soldiers stationed in all the six provinces in West Papua, you will know that statistically, the ratio of a soldier to the population is getting lower,” he said.

“It means that the security measurement is getting higher and higher… that the resistance against this kind of rule by Indonesia is not decreasing; it is increasing.”

Newspapers in New Zealand and around the world are under increasing pressure with many businesses facing restructures, going digital or closing all together but a free newspaper on Banks Peninsula is celebrating its 150th anniversary.

The Akaroa Mail was first published on 21 July, 1876, and prints 10,000 paper copies every fortnight.

Owner and editor Michael de Hamel has been running The Akaroa Mail for the last 41 years, having started at a time when the local manual telephone exchange operator would get phone calls to him by ringing the local shops and asking if they had seen him.

• WATCH: How the Akaroa Mail kept Banks Peninsula’s memory alive for 150 years — Video

“In the early days if someone wanted me on the phone and I was walking around Akaroa, someone would dash out of a shop and say, ‘Hey Michael you’re wanted on the phone’,” he said.

De Hamel said he always aimed for stories focused on local issues and events, with the job providing constant surprises.

“I found on one occasion a World War Two German aeroplane in someone’s basement here in Akaroa, it was a training glider admittedly, rather than a full aeroplane, but nevertheless there are things that happen which constantly raise the eyebrows,” he said.

De Hamel is not the only long-lasting editor, with one of his predecessors Ethel Jacobson — one of the first female editors in New Zealand — running the paper from 1903 to 1953 after taking over from her father Howard Jacobson.

Ship arrivals
In the early days the paper would cover visitors to Akaroa in details, with reports of who had arrived by ship or who was staying at the local hotel, and cases at the Akaroa magistrates’ court.

To celebrate the 150th anniversary, the Akaroa Museum has put together an exhibition about the paper’s history.

Museum collections manager Daniel Smith said the first edition on 21 July, 1876, looked quite different to modern versions.

“There weren’t a lot of headlines. The whole page was entirely full of advertising. The second page has a column introducing the newspaper and its endeavours to follow local issues and then page three and page four were principally full of advertising as well.

“It was very much a commercial newspaper in that respect but I think that has also been its value over the years as well, it has been a really important commercial directory,” he said.

Smith said The Akaroa Mail had always played an important role in recording the goings-on and the people of Banks Peninsula.

“All the community organisations regularly get named and individuals get named. You know you are part of the community once your name has been in the Mail. It’s a really important role in that way. It is part of the glue that keeps the community together,” he said.

Document requests
Smith said researchers regularly requested to look at old council documents and he often suggested they look at the related edition of The Akaroa Mail.

“The Akaroa Mail always has a fuller record of the meetings and includes what the debate is about. You get much more context for what happened,” he said.

Auckland University of Technology head of journalism Dr Greg Treadwell said surviving 150 years was a triumph for any newspaper in New Zealand.

He said a good local newspaper could help to keep a community strong.

“I can’t say enough how important it is for a community to have a reliable verified news organ. Community news hasn’t translated to online particularly well, I’m not saying there aren’t some successful start ups and some models that will work, but news deserts are a real thing and spreading rapidly in New Zealand so if you are a community with a paper like The Akaroa Mail count yourself lucky,” he said.

People could pick up a paper copy of The Akaroa Mail at places like the library and local businesses or subscribers could get it by post.

De Hamel was pondering whether to introduce digital access but for now he was happy to continue with the support of the local advertisers offering everything from dry firewood to places to sell possum fur.

The government is again warning New Zealanders not to transit through the Middle East as US President Donald Trump threatens further military strikes on Iran.

The US President said on Wednesday said the United States would bomb Iranian civil infrastructure every time Tehran fires at ships in the Hormuz Strait.

A Safe Travel advisory issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFAT) said it advised against all non-essential transit travel through the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

• READ MORE: Trump weighs ‘massive attack’ as Iran’s FM blasts ‘mindless aggression’
• Other War on Iran reports

“The security situation in the Middle East remains highly volatile and travellers could be stranded with little warning and few options.

“Given this, we advise New Zealanders not to transit the Middle East, including through Dubai or Doha, unless their travel is absolutely essential and there are no other flight routes available through Asia or North America.”

The agency said those who decided travelling through the region was necessary should keep transit times to a minimum and be prepared for flight cancellations, delays, and airspace closures.

It also advised New Zealanders in Iran to leave as soon as possible, if it was safe to do so.

Limited flights
A limited number of flights are still operating from Khomeini International Airport in Tehran but airspace closures could occur at any time, it said.

Land routes out of Iran via Turkey and Armenia are still viable and have been successfully used by other New Zealanders to leave the country.

Anyone who could not leave Iran should follow the advice of local authorities and move to or remain in a safe place and ensure they have essential supplies such as food, water, torches, batteries or power banks and any medications.

The advisory said there were a number of steps people should take if they were at risk of drone or missile attacks:

• Know how advance warnings are communicated in the area
• Follow all local authority instructions
• Identify the nearest shelter or safest locations
• If no shelter is available, move to a basement or interior room away from windows
• Avoid any potential target locations, including military sites, airports and oil and energy infrastructure
• Keep in contact with family and friends where possible

New Zealanders who need urgent consular assistance should contact the 24/7 consular emergency line on +64 99 20 20 20.

Nauru’s government has announced plans to set up an embassy in Israel.

The government said Cabinet had endorsed the deployment of a scoping mission to Israel, to assess the diplomatic, operational, and logistical requirements to establish the embassy.

“A diplomatic presence in Israel will serve as an essential platform for advancing [Nauru’s] foreign policy priorities, promoting sustainable development, and deepening bilateral engagement with one of the region’s key partners,” the government said in a statement on Wednesday.

• READ MORE:  Pro-Palestinian activists plan protest against ‘Israeli pond’ diplomacy push in Pacific
• Fiji opens embassy in Jerusalem
• Let peace govern security – A pastoral message from the Pacific Conference of Churches
• Other Pacific and Israeli diplomacy reports

“The creation of an embassy in Israel represents a significant milestone in [Nauru’s] diplomatic outreach and underscores the nation’s dedication to expanding its global partnerships in support of national development and strategic cooperation.”

The statement did not specify which city the embassy would be established in, but Israel’s foreign minister Gideon Saar said it would be in Jerusalem.

In a translated social media post shared by Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Saar said the Nauruan embassy was expected to be the 10th embassy in Jerusalem, and the fifth since he took office, coming after he also reached an agreement with Colombia’s incoming foreign minister on a similar move.

Fiji and Papua New Guinea are among several countries which have diplomatic missions in Jerusalem rather than Tel Aviv, which is controversial due to the sensitive nature of a territorial dispute between Israelis and Palestinians, who both claim Jerusalem as their capital.

Fiji embassy in Jerusalem
Fiji opened its embassy in Jerusalem in September 2025.

Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka said earlier last year that establishing an embassy was “not a blanket endorsement of another country’s policies; it is a bridge that allows Fiji to work directly with partners”.

Fiji also reaffirmed its support for a peaceful two-state solution “where both Israelis and Palestinians can live in dignity and security”.

In March this year, Fiji’s human rights watchdog warned that the country’s pro-Israel foreign policy and diplomatic engagement worked against its international obligations and could be enabling “genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity” in Gaza.

Israel has also opened its permanent diplomatic base in Suva.

In January, Saar said that Samoa would open an embassy in Jerusalem this year.

Samoan Prime Minister La’aulialemalietoa (La’auli) Leuatea Schmidt said he instructed Samoa’s foreign ministry to begin preparations for the embassy’s opening by the end of the year, according to a recording of the speech posted on the Samoan government’s Facebook page.

PNG ‘violation’ of international law
When PNG opened its Israeli embassy in Jerusalem in 2023, the Palestinian Authority called it an “aggression” and a “violation” of international law.

PNG Prime Minister James Marape said at the time the move had deep religious significance.

“Many nations choose not to open their embassies in Jerusalem, but we made the conscious choice,” he said.

“This has been the universal capital of the nation and people of Israel.

“For us to call ourselves Christian, paying respect to God will not be possible without recognising that Jerusalem is the universal capital of the people and nation of Israel.”

The United States, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo and Paraguay also have embassies in Jerusalem.

The Israeli government has a formal policy of offering incentives to countries willing to open embassies in Jerusalem, including financial support for relocation and setup costs.

Concern is mounting for up to 27 people missing at sea in Papua New Guinea’s Islands region.

Bad weather has hampered the search for the crew on at least two boats who were registered as missing on Saturday.

The incident involved several staff of the East New Britain Provincial Health Authority and their families and friends — totalling 27 people including 11 children.

• READ MORE: An NBC update on the 27 missing at sea in PNG

They were reportedly voyaging on two boats from Pangpang Island in the Duke of York group to Kokopo, the capital of East New Britain, a journey of around 20 km.

The East New Britain Provincial Disaster Committee said that on Saturday afternoon, the capsised vessels were reported, and a search was immediately initiated.

It said that on Saturday night, two survivors, who were described as skippers, were reported to have gone ashore on the mainland at Baii Village, Kombiu, which is north of where their journey to Kokopo would have taken them.

Police reportedly retrieved the pair and took them to Kokopo Police Station, where they were kept and interviewed as part of the ongoing response.

NBC reports update
The national broadcaster NBC reported on the update given by the chairman of East New Britain’s Disaster Committee, Levi Mano, before a concerned crowd in windy conditions in Kokopo.

He said a number of agencies have been involved in the search, including police, a helicopter courtesy of National Government through the National Disaster Office and Maritime Safety Authority, and numerous local sea vessels.

Eventually on Monday one of the boats was spotted far to the north drifting upturned with no apparent sign of people off the west coast of Namatanai, in neighbouring New Ireland Province.

Levi Mano said that rough seas and bad weather hampered both sea and air search efforts, causing a temporary pause to the search operation.

Gazelle MP Jelta Wong told RNZ Pacific the aerial search resumed Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Mano said authorities were doing what they could in tough conditions across a wide region.

He emphasised to the crowd that police were involved as the search operation required “all agencies” to be engaged.

The East New Britain government has urged all travellers to check weather and sea conditions before going out to sea, and to take precautions.

It said difficult weather has been compounded by particularly strong winds as a result of the ongoing El Niño weather patterns.

Fiji’s government is working on a “Diaspora Policy” focused on ensuring Fijians around the globe play a key role in the country’s economic development.

The country’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade Sakiasi Ditoka has just been to New Zealand, where he met with investors and the Fijian business diaspora.

Ditoka told RNZ Pacific the increasing interest from the diaspora across New Zealand, Australia, the United States and Europe is positive for the island nation.

• READ MORE: Diaspora policy to strengthen ties with Fijians overseas – Qereqeretabua

He said every effort is being made to ensure that interests are safeguarded and served for the mutual benefit of Fiji and her diaspora investors.

He also confirmed a diaspora policy is being finalised and will be sent to Cabinet for approval soon.

“It’s [diaspora policy] vital. It’s very important for Fiji that we engage with our diaspora. In fact, as we speak, the diaspora policy is being finalised. It’s going through the the final processes of being passed through Cabinet,” he told RNZ Pacific in Auckland on Saturday.

The policy is going through the development sub-committee level, which means that senior officials are now having a look at it before it is escalated to Cabinet for sign-off.

Wide-ranging policy
He said the policy is wide-ranging, but the central theme is “the diaspora community is very, very important to Fiji”.

Ditoka said the levels of investment members of the Fijian diaspora are putting back into the country keep increasing and help propel its economy. It includes overseas remittances, with an ever-increasing number of Fijians moving overseas for work, including sports contracts, the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme in New Zealand and the PALM Scheme in Australia.

The Fijian diaspora serves as the second-largest foreign exchange earner for Fiji’s economy. Personal remittances sent by the diaspora officially surpassed the $1 billion threshold between January to September 2025.

According to The Fiji Times, a total of 1134 Fiji residents departed the country for employment purposes in June 2026 based on the latest figures released by the Fiji Bureau of Statistics.

Employment was the third-largest reason for overseas travel, accounting for 7.9 percent of all resident departures.

The figures show that 407 people left for overseas employment for periods of less than three months, while 318 departed for between three and 12 months.

A further 409 residents left Fiji for employment periods ranging from one to five years.

F$1 billion milestone
Ditoka said the Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF) recorded overseas remittances first crossed the F$1 billion milestone in 2022, and have consistently remained above this mark.

The RBF said driven by extensive out-migration and regional labour programmes, remittances have outpaced traditional sectors, like sugar and garment manufacturing, and serve as one of Fiji’s largest sources of foreign exchange, trailing only behind tourism.

More than 60 percent of these financial inflows originate from the Fijian diaspora and seasonal workers living in Australia, the US and New Zealand.

Ditoka said military personnel serving in the United Kingdom, as well as Fiji rugby players all over Europe have also contributed a lot to the remittance figures.

“It’s a marvellous thing to behold, so I encourage our diaspora to keep coming back to Fiji,” he said.

“There are many, some of them who have decided to come and settle back in Fiji, even though they’ve made their lives here in New Zealand and some in Canada, in the US and in Australia.

“Some of them have decided that if they retire, they retire back in Fiji, and we encourage them to keep doing that.”

He said discussions over the past few months have also raised the critical importance of ensuring that systems are changed to be more effective and efficient — which is something he and his ministry is working on.

“As far as the importance of diaspora is to Fiji, they are very important part of Fiji’s economic investment plan, and we continue to engage with them and try to help them in in their plans in investing and working with Fiji,” he said.

Ditoka said there have been “many choke points and blockages” raised with the government in its discussions with the diaspora in Aotearoa.

“So, those are the things I’ve committed to as minister, as well as the permanent secretary who I came with here, to go and work on to make sure that their plans to come back to Fiji is not stopped or slowed down by inefficiencies [and] ineffectiveness of systems and processes that we can work on.”

Duavata partnership
Ditoka and his Permanent Secretary Dr Raijieli Taga were joined by Fiji’s High Commissioner to New Zealand, Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, and members of the Fiji Trade Mission in Auckland in meetings in the past week.

It included the signing of a refreshed Duavata Partnership with New Zealand.

Ditoka said the Duavata Partnership (2026-2030) he signed with his New Zealand counterpart Winston Peters was a milestone in the two countries’ bilateral relationship.

He said the agreement was an important step in advancing one of Fiji’s closest relationship and builds on the success of the first agreement that was first signed in March 2022.

Ditoka said the continued growth in bilateral trade, which had reached F$1.9 billion, would be boosted by the agreement, especially as both governments work on achieving F$2 billion in two-way trade by 2030.

“The signing of the refreshed agreement comes at a critical juncture for regional diplomacy and both our nations have reiterated our dedication to the Pacific Islands Forum’s 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent and the Ocean of Peace, emphasising that bilateral cooperation under the Duavata Partnership will continue to bolster wider regional solidarity, peace, and sustainable development,” he said.

“We look forward to improving and in increasing all the current things that we’re doing in our relations, as well as other issues where it’s concerned the RSE programme, as well as trade and investment, and what we can do to improve the facilities that are needed to support the work that they do.”

Ways and means talks
Ditoka and his team also met with the New Zealand Fiji Business Council with discussions focusing on ways and means that the Fiji government can help and assist both current and potential investors.

It was followed by attending the ‘Pacific Trade Invest’ and the ‘Future for investment and trade partnerships’ meetings.

He stated the “Future for investment and trade partnerships” meeting was an eye-opener as it featured small to medium-sized economies like New Zealand, Singapore, UAE, Norway, Brunei, Malaysia, Thailand and Rwanda.

“Similar issues. So I think we’ve got our our list full from the things that we need to go and do back when we return to Fiji,” he said.

“For me, that was very important because it’s just going to help us expand our investment footprint back in Fiji, as well as the the mutual benefits that it’ll create for both our two nations

“Looking at the way the current international rules-based order seems to have not worked so well, we believe that we can find a way forward. Also, looking at the World Trade Organisation and how there are concerns that there’s so much inertia in the work that needs to be progressed, but some have stalled for over a decade, some more than that.

“We believe that the plurilateral arrangements such as these will probably pave the way forward for nations such as Fiji to to improve its economic position. Fiji is aiming, in its national development plan, to be a high income country by 2050, and we believe these kinds of relationships and partnerships with our international partners will help us on how to get on the right path, to get to where we want to go.”

Trade office reopening
Meanwhile, Fiji will reopen its Trade and Consular office in Auckland in early October.

Ditoka said that was a critical part of the plan to serve the diaspora better.

“The New Zealand diaspora is one of the most important of the diaspora communities of Fiji abroad, and as far as New Zealand is concerned, about 70 percent of the diaspora community live in the Auckland and surrounding areas,” he said.

“It’s important for us to have this consulate and trade commission set up to help assist in the things that they want to do.

“It’s a very important part of Fiji’s footprint in New Zealand and in helping to get the mutually beneficial relationship of the diaspora and Fiji up and running again.”

Fiji police say a man in his 50s has been taken into custody after he “allegedly issued a threat on social media” to remove the country’s 2013 Constitution or “burn the nation’s capital”.

In a statement on Monday, police added that investigations were continuing.

“The suspect in his 50s was questioned by investigators from the Cybercrime Division at the Criminal Investigations Department Headquarters on Sunday 19 July 2026, and remains in custody,” the statement read.

• READ MORE: Man in custody for alleged social media threat to burn Suva and remove Constitution

This comes as the Fiji government’s dual and parallel constitutional review and truth and reconciliation processes are underway.

Fijian social media users have been warned that “inciteful posts or the practice of sharing such posts” can result in them being prosecuted under Fiji’s criminal laws for offences such as urging political violence, criminal intimidation and malicious acts.

“While respecting one’s freedom of expression and speech, it must be practised with responsibility, as abuse and the breach of the law will not be condoned,” police said in an earlier statement on the issue on Sunday.

All Blacks captain Ardie Savea jetted out to Samoa on Sunday morning, hours after leading his team to a 40-21 win over Ireland at Eden Park.

The former Rongotai College First XV captain and head boy touched down at Faleolo International Airport less than 24 hours after ensuring the All Blacks’ record at Eden Park remained intact. The All Blacks have lost at the ground since 1994.

Savea and his wife, Saskia, are in Samoa with their three children and will travel on to Fiji before returning to rejoin the All Blacks squad for the upcoming tour of South Africa.

• READ MORE: Nations Championship Team of the Week:

Samoa Observer reported the family was met by Krista Liu of local car rental company Lulu, where they had arranged a vehicle for their stay. They were accompanied by Savea’s parents.

Savea is originally from Suimu village.

The tough looseman is part of the new All Blacks management and leadership team, that has now recorded a clean sheet in their first Test series of 2026.

Having created history in New Zealand because of their Pasifika heritage, head coach Dave Rennie and his team won three out of three in the first leg of the Nations Championship.

Cook Islander
Rennie, whose mother is from the Cook Islands, is the first with Pasifika heritage to be head coach of the All Blacks.

He has Fa’alogo Tana Umaga, who is of Samoan origin and the first Pasifika to be captain of the premier New Zealand side, as one of his assistants.

Savea is part of the 12 players in the current squad who have Pasifika heritage as well.

The side have recorded wins over France, Italy and Ireland in their first three home matches.

While there were some questions around how the side performed against both France and Italy, Rennie believes Saturday night’s win over Ireland in front of more than 48,000 fans in Auckland showed promise of what the team can do moving forward.

Although it was a was a tense start to the match, with both teams having periods on attack, it was the All Blacks who were the most enterprising and they were rewarded with the first try, with lock Patrick Tuipulotu scoring near the posts after several phases.

Savea said post-match he was proud of the team’s performance against Ireland, and applauded the squad as a whole, especially those who did not get game time, for pushing the players at trainings.

‘Control what we can’
“I think for us we only can control what we can control, and that’s our preparation,” he said. “We knew what was at stake and the best way to prepare for them was how we turned up each day and prepared.”

“Thought the lads prepared well, especially our guys that didn’t get a chance. They really pushed us to the limit at trainings and when you get that and then we get a performance like that tonight, just proud of everyone in the squad.”

Savea scored a try in the clash, showing his power when he picked up from the base of a scrum, following a penalty option, and bulldozed his way to the line despite tacklers hanging on to him.

Aumua: We’re always ready’
Tough hooker Asafo Aumua was thrust into the game earlier than planned, when Cody Taylor had to leave the field in the first spell through injury.

Aumua said captain Savea had always reminded the players that as an All Black they have to be ready for the call all the time, which he said was a practical lesson for him on Saturday.

“It was tough,” he said at the post-match conference. “Obviously, didn’t expect to come on there early, but as All Blacks, Ardie always says we’re always ready. So, yeah, just happy to get the win.

“Focusing on the next job, obviously a lineout and just took it moment by moment.”

Aumua was one of the six try-scorers in the match, getting that shortly after he took the field.

“I looked at the big screen my eyes were open, but I could just see black. I did definitely put it down. I just didn’t know if it was on the line or not.”

He said the message from Savea was for the team to keep going, keep the ball moving and keep the opposition guessing.

“Just try and keep keep the ball moving, keep it alive, try not to give the opposition rest. It’s pretty hard fitness-wise.”

Coach Rennie happy
Rennie said post-match the players had put in the hard work and that was beginning to show.

It was a big jump from the close two point 34-32 win over France at the One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch in the first game.

But as the first three wins wrapped up the first international calendar for the year Rennie and his team were also looking forward to the seven-match tour of South Africa, including three tests against the Springboks in South Africa and a fourth in the United States.

The reigning world champions will host matches in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Johannesburg again in Baltimore.

“They’re such a good side, Ireland, as we saw tonight,” Rennie admitted at the post-match conference after the Eden Park dust had settled.

“We asked a lot of questions of them and they defended really well for big parts. If you give them access into your end of the field, they can hurt you, but I thought the balance of the game was really good tonight.

“We looked after the ball really well. Our big men carried and went a little bit more direct and [we had] smarter kicking that created opportunities for us.”

Rennie said the team defended well, especially on their line as Ireland had them on the backfoot time and time again during the match.

Ireland had arrived in New Zealand with two good wins under their belt – beating Australia 33-31 and Japan 36-20 in their first two Nations Championship tests.

“They came here with a lot of confidence,” Rennie said.

“They have won a series here last time and they are a very experienced squad who have played a lot of footy together. We’re quite a new group. These guys played the Six Nations a few months ago.

“I would have taken a one-point win, but I thought we were pretty clinical when it mattered. A lot of the hard work that we’ve been putting in, on and off the field, we saw it on the park today.”

Assistant Blair confident
All Blacks attack coach and one of Rennie’s assistants, Mike Blair said he’s confident they can make history against the Springboks.

New Zealand ran in six tries off the back of some high-tempo and expansive rugby.

“Still some bits that we can do better, definitely,” he told journalists after the game.

“It sounds strange to say when you put 40 points on the board, but some really pleasing stuff, some good ball movement, some good decision making.

“Once we get into the 22, I think we’ve got some growth there. You need variety. You’ve got to have the ability to play through a team, but also to manipulate a team.”

South Africa have also won three first three matches in the series, beating Six Nations teams England, Scotland and Wales.

But Blair is confident the All Blacks can win the upcoming four-test series against the World Champions, which starts next month, if they keep growing and stay consistent.

Rennie will announce the 44-member tour squad next week, with at least 10 more players added to the current squad.

“It’s going to be a big step up for us, so we’re going to have to evolve and improve again,” Blair added.

In other Nations Championship matches at the weekend, Australia managed their first win, a 57-10 win over Italy in Perth on Saturday night.

France beat Japan 42-15, South Africa thrashed Wales 43-0 while England beat Argentina 31-24.

Pacific trio lose again
Meanwhile, Fiji, Samoa and Tonga all lost their games at the weekend.

Fiji led Scotland 17-7 at halftime, following tries from captain Tevita Ikanivere, Selesitino Ravutaumada and Elia Canakaivata.

But Scottish side came back hard in the second spell and scored three of their own tries to win 33-17.

Flying Fijians head coach Senirusi Seruvakula said it was another tough loss, following earlier defeats at the hands of Wales and England.

He said despite preparing well during the week their bench could not function as planned.

“It showed in the first half. Our bench was not good, they did not come and lift the game and that’s what the last 20 minutes showed.

“[Scotland’s] bench was good and they carried the momentum of the game until the end and they never let down their pace.”

Fiji finished the Nations Championship without a win.

Leads given away
Samoa and Tonga also gave away leads in their matches to lose in their World Rugby Nations Cup matches.

Manu Samoa led Romania 17-14 at halftime, but ended up losing by a point in Uruguay.

The Miracle Fai’ilagi captained team scored tries through Alamanda Motuga, Abraham Papali’i, Iakopo Petelo-Mapu and Fai’ilagi himself.

Romania scored five tries, one including that from Fiji-born Iliesa Lesumaitaiti Tiqe in the first half.

Tonga also suffered the same fate against Portugal, going down 32-28 to Portugal in Canada.

The Tongans managed tries through Otunuku Jr Pauta, Taniela Filimone, Telusa Veainu and captain Solomone Kata.

Portugal scored five tries, including a double to Raffaele Storti.

Both Samoa and Tonga had won a game each and lost two on the road out of their three matches.

The second round of both the Nations Cup and the Nations Championship will be held in November.

Other Nations Cup results:
Hong Kong bt Uruguay 42-40
Georgia bt Chile 49-22
USA bt Spain 29-22
Canada bt Zimbabwe 23-19

The government says it had no influence over $200,000 in funding for a documentary ahead of Fiji’s election about a Fijian cabinet minister facing down a scandal.

The Ministry of Pacific Peoples funded the film Algorithm of Shame: In the Village, Everybody Knows was released in May, and tackles the impacts of social media in closely connected communities.

Marketing describes it as a “powerful Pacific-led documentary set in Fiji that exposes the devastating impact of online shaming in the age of social media, where algorithms reward outrage, humiliation, and exposure without care or accountability”.

• READ MORE: Algorithm of Shame, Fijian documentary focuses on the effects of social media from a Pacific lens
• Other cyberbullying reports

The film focuses on two people: trans woman Rhonda who lost her friend to online abuse, and Fijian politician Lynda Tabuya.

The film’s release just ahead of the Fijian election — set for sometime between August and February, with no firm date yet confirmed — could be seen as softening the image of Tabuya ahead of her potential re-election.

Given the New Zealand taxpayer funding, it is vulnerable to accusations of political interference by another government.

However, the film’s executive producer Tuki Laumea told RNZ the New Zealand government had “no editorial control over this documentary”.

“It is incorrect to say this film is about Minister Lynda Tabuya. Minister Tabuya appears in approximately 15 percent of the film,” he told RNZ.

‘Highly topical issue’
“The film is about the highly topical issue of social media harm in Pacific communities, including its impact on young people, its links to suicide and several other serious issues related to online harm.”

“This film was shown three times on Mai TV in Fiji in May and early June. It was not made widely available online and is currently unavailable to view anywhere in the world, including Fiji and New Zealand. No wide public release date has been set.”

Tabuya, the former Minister for Women, Children and Social Protection, was consigned to the back benches over a leaked video of her dancing naked that went viral on Christmas Eve 2024.

She had been pushing to ban porn sites in Fiji, but was dismissed as a minister on Boxing Day by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka.

Fiji police later described the video leak as an invasion of privacy, and Tabuya herself said it was made for her ex-husband and that her phone was stolen and hacked.

The police cybercrime unit — acting on a complaint Tabuya had laid — eventually identified two suspects in the leak, and Rabuka welcomed her back to Cabinet in August as Minister of Information — a role he previously held himself.

He said at the time she was “well-suited to spearhead the government’s public relations machinery through the Ministry of Information” with her “personality and her accessibility to the press and the media people”.

Independently produced
In a statement, the Ministry for Pacific Peoples pushed back on questions about whether the funding could be seen as electoral interference, softening the image of a foreign Cabinet Minister beset by scandal.

A spokesperson for the ministry said the documentary was independently produced through the Moana Reo Media Fund, administered by Pacific Media Network.

“The decision to fund the documentary makers $200,000 was made independently of the ministry through an established funding process, which means editorial content of funded projects was not influenced by the New Zealand government in any way and cannot be seen as electoral interference,” a spokesperson said.

“The documentary focuses on the broader social impacts of online harm, cyberbullying and digital shaming, which are issues affecting communities globally.”

Similarly, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said the documentary was “independently produced and independently selected through an established funding process”.

“The government does not influence the editorial content of funded projects. This is not a New Zealand government commentary on Fijian political matters,” a spokesperson said.

Pacific Peoples Minister Paul Goldsmith said in a statement: “The Moana Reo Media Fund was funded under the previous Labour government. It is administered by the Pacific Media Network, which operates purposely at arm’s length of the ministry and ministers.”

Public interest documentary
Foreign Minister Winston Peters declined to comment.

Laumea, a filmmaker for two decades, is the co-director and co-producer of the “independently produced public-interest documentary about the impact of social media harm in Pacific communities.”

“This film received public funding, as does public-interest journalism across New Zealand and the Pacific, including RNZ and Pasifika TV through PCBL.”

“The minister is among several voices in this film, including a religious leader, a lawyer, students, advocacy groups, a counsellor, the Online Safety Commission, community leaders, a male survivor and a trans rights activist.

“Minister Tabuya is in a unique position to contribute to this conversation because of her very specific and public experience of online abuse,” Laumea said.

As geopolitical tensions increase in the Pacific region and numerous security alliances are rapidly forged, questions are being raised over whether the Ocean of Peace concept is being hijacked.

The Ocean of Peace Declaration was made last year by members of the Pacific Islands Forum, recognising the role of civil society in peacebuilding.

However, the emphasis of the initiative seems to have quickly shifted.

• READ MORE: Jeremy Rose: The nuclear-free Pacific and hypersonic hypocrisy
• Other Ocean of Peace reports

Australia and Fiji take the lead
Australia last week signed the Vuvale Union and Ocean of Peace Alliance treaties with Fiji, the latest in a series of regional pacts Canberra has forged with Pacific Islands countries.

“The Vuvale Union and the Ocean of Peace Alliance have a really strong regional component,” Australia’s High Commissioner in Suva, Peter Roberts said in a post on X.

He said the new treaties underlined Fiji’s position as a regional leader.

“I think we’ve all seen during this fuel crisis how important Fiji is as a hub. And we’ve seen on security matters how important Fiji is as a regional leader, including through Prime Minister Rabuka’s vision for the Ocean of Peace.”

According to Roberts, the treaties empower Australia and Fiji to support the Pacific region in efforts against security threats such as transnational crime, cyber crime and illegal fishing.

“Including in this Fiji and Australia supporting the establishment of the Ocean of Peace Centre, in close cooperation with the Pacific islands Forum. So you’ll see Australia and Fiji standing together in support of the stability and prosperity of the region.”

Value for money
The Vuvale Union is backed by around A$1 billion in funding for Fiji by Australia over a decade, while Australia is also funding the Ocean of Peace Centre to the tune of around A$22 million.

Geopolitical commentator Dr Connor Graham from the Lowy Institute said Australia sees great value for money in these arrangements.

He said Australia was driven by the aim of keeping China out of Pacific waters and maintaining its position as the dominant security partner in the region.

“I’d note as well, a billion dollars over 10 years is a lot of money. But it’s relatively small fries in terms of defence, and the rest of the defence budget and militarisation. So I think this sort of defence through diplomacy is quite a cost effective use of money.”

While Canberra notches a big diplomatic win, regional civil society has been left wondering where it all leaves the Ocean of Peace Declaration.

Shift away from peacebuilding?
The declaration came together off the back of significant engagement with — and made provision for the leadership of — Pacific civil society in peacebuilding, especially women and Indigenous communities.

“This meaningful inclusion was celebrated and consultation followed on the premise of institutional support for conflict prevention and mediation initiatives grounded in culture, like those that were so successful with the Bougainville conflict, or in bringing Kiribati back into the Forum,” Pacific historian and AUT lecturer Dr Marco de Jong said.

But now, with the signing of the Ocean of Peace Alliance and plans to establish the Centre, the language has shifted from being about conflict prevention, peacebuidling and mediation towards deterrence, and the countering of China through military means.

It coincides with the plan of the Australian-led Joint Heads of Pacific Security to insert itself into the Pacific Islands Forum-led regional security architecture, and to advance a regional deployment framework

Joey Tau, the coordinator of the Pacific Network on Globalisation and the chair of the Pacific Regional NGO Organisations Alliance, said that as civil society, they welcomed the original Ocean of Peace initiative

“But our main concern is that we hope such a declaration is not coopted or used as a strategy to advance external security and military interest of external parties.”

He said the Ocean of Peace concept should be something that draws from existing regional priorities and responds to legacy issues for the Pacific.

These include self-determination problems in West Papua and Kanaky New Caledonia; the planetary biodiversity crisis; exploitation of ocean resources; nuclear testing and new threats of nuclearisation in the region.

“One, the Rarotonga Treaty, which declares our region is a nuclear-free region, and secondly, other initiatives as such, need to be informed by the Pacific. And when I say Pacific, Pacific peoples.

“With the proposal of a peace institute, I think it needs further consultation. It needs to be informed by Pacific people, and one that is not determined by external parties.”

Women and peacebuilding
Pacific Women Mediators Network coordinator of political engagement Sharon Bhagwan-Rolls is concerned about the lack of focus on peacebuilding in how the Ocean of Peace initiative is being developed.

“For us, demilitarisation is at the top of the agenda,” she told RNZ Pacific.

“You can’t talk about peace with simply saying that it is the absence of violence or conflict. We have to talk about peacebuilding in the operationalisation of the Ocean of Peace Declaration, and that has been clear for us from the start.”

She said it was important not to see peace building as simply a regional security agenda.

“It is critical that the future or the operationalisation of the Ocean of Peace Declaration through the Pacific Islands Forum needs a stronger focus on peace building in practice, not simply from seeing peace through a traditional security or militarised lens, but through a civilian lens, through a civil society lens, through a people-centered lens.”

“It’s important that we don’t just see peacebuilding as simply a regional security agenda,” Bhagwan-Rolls said.

“We feel that there is a need in forging alliances to also support the forging of peace-building alliances and not just security alliances, and that peace cannot just simply stand as a word of inaction, but we talk about transformative peace.”

As far as the Ocean of Peace Centre is concerned, Dr de Jong said its ultimate purpose had not been made clear, leading to speculation within regional civil society.

“Certainly, regional civil society asked for a peace centre, but maybe they got a military base instead,” he said.

“This has, in effect, shifted the focus of the Declaration itself towards deterrence, and the countering of China through military means.”

Things are moving fast
Regional civil society is also concerned that the Ocean of Peace initiative is being dominated by Australia and Fiji — not necessarily with Pacific regional buy-in

Tau said that to declare something as regional required wider consultation, not just an agreement between two countries.

“Anything of a peace regional peace institute or anything further along those lines needs proper consultation,” he told RNZ Pacific.

“So I must caution: what stems from a bilateral agreement should not very much impact the regional steps. We have to caution ourselves around that, it calls for wider consultation, and I think that that is the proper process of informing policy.”

Bhagwan-Rolls said they would continue as a civil society peace building network, and as a feminist peacebuilding network, to bring attention to the priority issues from their members and communities right across twenty Pacific Island countries and non-independent states.

She called on the foreign ministers of the Pacific Islands Forum to ensure things don’t move too hastily and that substantive consultation with civil society peacebuilders takes place.

Mahendra Chaudhry — a former Fiji prime minister removed from power and held hostage during the 2000 coup — wants George Speight to name those behind the racist takeover.

The 84-year-old Labour Party leader, who became Fiji’s first prime minister of Indian heritage in 1999, made the comment after Speight — the coup frontman — appeared before the Constitutional Review Commission last week.

Speight emerged into the political limelight in a formal suit and glasses, after spending 24 years in a maximum security jail for treason. The ex-convict has called on the perpetrators of the country’s past political upheavals to own up, saying “if you want redemption, you have to confess”.

• READ MORE:  Former coup leader re-enters Fiji political debate with challenge to immunity and national identity
• Fiji will remain unstable while Indigenous people are economically sidelined, says ex-coup convict
• Other Fiji coup reports

However, Chaudhry told RNZ Pacific it is up to Speight to name the co-conspirators involved in the failed takeover.

“He has the answers, he knows, because he’s always been regarded as the frontman. There were people who were behind him but they remain unidentified to this day,” Chaudhry said.

“He has himself said that those who were associated with him are roaming around freely.”

Need for closure
The veteran politician said many Fijians still want to know who the masterminds were behind the coup.

“He [Speight] can help bring about closure to the whole episode because it still remains open, people don’t said know really who was behind the coup,” he said.

“Only he and [Josefa] Nata know, but they are hesitant, they are reluctant to name them.”

Nata, who was a public relations man at the time, became one of the faces of the coup along with Speight, and has admitted he played a key role as a negotiator.

Fiji has been rocked by four coups since gaining independence in 1970. The first two, in May and September 1987, were led by then-military lieutenant-colonel Sitiveni Rabuka, who is the current prime minister.

In 1999, Chaudhry was sworn in as the country’s first Indo-Fijian prime minister, but the Labour Party leader’s election stoked racial tension in Fiji.

A year later, Speight led rebel soldiers from the military’s Counter-Revolutionary Warfare Unit in an armed takeover of the then-coalition government. Chaudhry and his government were held hostage for 56 days.

He later pleaded guilty to treason and received the death penalty, which was later commuted to life imprisonment. However, he was granted a presidential pardon and released from prison on 19 September 2024.

‘Bigger issue at stake’
Nata, who also spent 24 years in jail for treason before his release in December 2023, has declined to name those who orchestrated the coup “for the sake of the families involved”.

However Chaudhry said there was a bigger issue at stake.

“The families would have supported these people when they were involved in the coup, whether they deserve sympathy I don’t know,” he said.

“It’s a question of the other people, they should be thinking about those who really suffered the pain and anguish of the coup.”

Chaudhry has his own views about who the perpetrators are but said no-one would believe him.

“We know that it was our parliamentary opposition who were involved in the coup because they wanted to get back into power,” Chaudhry said.

“So it was them and their associates, but I cannot name them.”

Rabuka did not serve as the leader of the opposition after the 1999 election, before he resigned to chair the country’s highest indigenous body, the Great Council of Chiefs (GCC).

“We know that the GCC, in meetings which were held subsequent to the coup, were in support of [the 2000 coup],” Chaudhry said.

Chaudhry defends Labour govt
Meanwhile, Speight told the commission during his submission that the events and policies that unfolded during the Chaudhry-led government’s first year in office ultimately led to his actions.

Responding on Wednesday, Chaudhry told RNZ Pacific that Speight’s explanation had no factual basis.

“It is clear that his opinion was not shared by the majority of Fiji citizens at the time,” he said.

He cited a Tebbutt-Times poll conducted in December 1999, which showed his approval rating at 62 percent and a disapproval rating of 15 percent.

He said an editorial in The Fiji Times at the time described the result as “a remarkable performance — and a ringing endorsement by the public of his performance as prime minister”, adding that it was the highest rating ever recorded in a Tebbutt-Times poll.

Chaudhry said that in just one year in office, the coalition government had introduced a series of socio-economic reforms, including removing VAT from a range of staple food items, while achieving a record 9.6 percent economic growth rate and strong business and investor confidence.

Race-fuelled coup
He argued that the campaign against his government in the lead-up to the coup was fuelled by racial politics rather than public dissatisfaction.

“It is well-recorded that the anti-Chaudhry agitation whipped up over the next few months [before the coup] came from ethno-nationalist propaganda and deliberate disinformation spread by the opposition and others, some of whom were driven by greed,” he said.

“Race was used as a weapon to fuel emotions and discredit the government.”

Chaudhry said this was why the Fiji Labour Party urged the commission during its submission to consider constitutional and legislative safeguards to prevent the exploitation of ethnicity for political gain.

Speight has never apologised to Chaudhry in person or asked him for forgiveness.

When asked if he was prepared to forgive Speight, Chaudhry replied: “I can’t answer that”.

Vanuatu will escalate a decades-long dispute with France over two uninhabited islands to international arbitrators.

Talks between the two countries left everything to be desired on June 30, with neither country budging on its claim of sovereignty.

The Matthew and Hunter Islands have been controlled by France for decades, even after Vanuatu became independent.

• READ MORE: Ben Bohane: Umaenupne and Umaeneg – isles of the Resting God
• Other Matthew and Hunter reports

But Vanuatu says it will never truly be independent without its Umaenupne and Umaeneag islands, sacred to the Aneityum people.

This impasse became the undoing of “intense” and “heated” talks, as Deputy Prime Minister Johnny Koanapo told reporters on Friday, two weeks after the June meeting.

He said that the sovereignty question would need to be laid to rest by a third party.

“Since independence Vanuatu continues to fight for international recognition that Matthew and Hunter, Umaenupne and Umaeneag, has always belonged to the people of Vanuatu, to our children,” Koanapo said.

Negotiations came up short
He noted that previous negotiations — mediated by Australia in 2018 and the United Kingdom in 2019 — had also come up short.

“Now what remains is for Vanuatu to pursue other legal options available under international law.”

“Let international law, let the International Court of Justice or any arbitration for that matter decide on this … to us what France has done is an insult to us all.”

For Toney Tevi, acting director of the Department of Ocean and Maritime Boundaries, compromise was impossible.

“If you try and say it belongs to France, then I don’t know where Paris is,” he told RNZ Pacific.

“I know it’s Vanuatu’s … it’s a colonial concept when you try and understand, because for us it’s not an ‘understanding’, it’s a part of us.”

Tevi said the impasse amounts to an unsurprising attempt by France to assert colonial power.

‘Thief always a thief’
“Colonisers will always be colonisers, that’s not something that comes as a surprise. A thief will always be a thief, and he enjoys being a thief.”

“No matter how best you can tell him that a thief is a bad person, as long as he’s got a possession, he feels like he’s doing something right.”

“The moment I try and understand how they think, then I am going to start to think like a colonizer.”

The two islands lie south of Vanuatu and east of the French territory of New Caledonia.

With ownership of the islands, either country would have an extra 350,000 sq km added to its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), according to the ABC.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said in a statement that areas of cooperation were also discussed, reiterating its position regarding French sovereignty.

Cash set aside to host the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in New Zealand next year may fall short of what the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) expected it to cost.

RNZ Pacific has received a document from MFAT under the Official Information Act (OIA) that puts potential operating costs at $30 million over two years, as of March.

Budget 2026 set aside $20 million over that time to host PIF.

• READ MORE: Other PIF reports

This is noted as a specific fiscal risk in MFAT’s submission, but was not disclosed in Treasury’s Budget Economic and Fiscal Update.

An MFAT spokesperson said that due to “subsequent work to clarify expectations and scope, and to tighten cost estimates”, they now expected the budget to cover it.

When asked specifically how $10m had been “tightened” out, they did not provide a response.

In the submission, MFAT noted that they have been instructed by the Prime Minister to host the forum “in a manner that burnishes our Pacific credentials [and] strengthens our region.”

‘Significant responsibility’
It also called it a “significant responsibility” that comes with “elevated expectations from the Forum membership.”

Next year will be the first time that New Zealand has hosted PIF in 16 years.

The 2026 summit will be hosted by Palau from August 30 to September 4.

The Papua New Guinea Correctional Service (PNGCS) has confirmed three prisoners have been killed in the Western Highlands Province while attempting an escape.

The inmates, who scaled the fence at Baisu Prison, were shot dead, while five others were critically injured on Sunday afternoon.

Two other escapees remain at large.

• READ MORE: PNG prison break leaves three dead, two still on the run in Western Highlands

PNGCS Deputy Commissioner David Suagu told RNZ Pacific that attempted prison escapes are typical during this time of year.

“It’s almost the same across the country … it happens randomly,” he said.

“We expect a high rate of escape, especially towards the later part of the year, and that is something that we are working towards addressing.”

He said infrastructure at Baisu Correctional Institution Services is in a state of despair, which likely made the escape possible.

“It’s in a deteriorating state, so consequently [they went] straight over the fence.”

Kerevat prison break
Suagu could not confirm whether the escapees were being held in remand, as has been widely reported by local media.

Local media has also reported last week that 38 inmates broke out of Kerevat prison in East New Britain province and were still at large.

According to a release from the Australian High Commission in Port Moresby in March, Baisu’s perimeter fencing “has been affected by rust, cracking concrete, unstable soil and frequent waterlogging,” and is in the process of being replaced with Australia’s help.

According to the World Prison Brief, Papua New Guinea’s prison population was at 5373 as of mid-2023.

Samoa’s opposition leader Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi claims government plans to investigate him and two senior members of Parliament for treason and defamation have stalled due to a lack of evidence.

The ruling Faatuatua i le Atu Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) Party has appointed a parliamentary committee to scrutinise the conduct of Tuilaepa, who is the Human Rights Protection Party’s (HRPP) leader, his deputy Fonotoe Lauofo Pierre Meredith and the secretary Lealailepule Rimoni Aiafi.

A spokesperson at Samoa’s Legislative Assembly told RNZ Pacific that the inquiry was due to begin today, however Tuilaepa said it was deferred.

• READ MORE: 3 Senior Opposition MPs to be investigated for treason

“A lot of these accusations are all bullshit,” he said, adding that Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa (Laauli) Leuatea Schmidt was the one “pushing” the investigation.

“Now we’ll just wait … the prime minister has been too fast in making accusations without proof,” he said.

The government’s press secretariat declined to answer questions posed by RNZ Pacific.

Tuilaepa claims that during a recent meeting there was a reference made to 100 instances where they think that what the three said impacted on the good name of the prime minister and the current administration.

Asked for proof
He said that when asked for the proof behind the accusations, the meeting was postponed.

“That is why when the prime minister tried to get the previous Attorney-General (Sua Hellene Wallwork) to lay the accusations against us she told them it was a waste of time and would be an embarrassment to the government,” he claimed.

Laauli has repeatedly claimed that the three senior MPs made defamatory statements about the government and engaged in “treasonous” conduct following the general election in 2021.

Samoa was plunged into an unprecedented constitutional and political crisis after the FAST won the election five years ago.

FAST sought to form a government, but Tuilaepa, who had been the prime minister since 1998, appeared unwilling at the time to let go of power.

According to statements made in Parliament, the latest allegations relate to public accusations against the FAST-led government and continued attacks against the prime minister and the cabinet via the media, parliamentary exchanges and social media.

Laauli reportedly told Parliament there were more than 200 pieces of evidence to support the allegations, including media reports and public statements.

“The government is headed by a prime minister who is trying all kinds of baseless accusations to get us into trouble,” he said.

“We have explained the current situation to the people, so it does not look good for the government.”

Stemmed from motion
The inquiry reportedly stemmed from a motion moved by Laauli during Parliament’s April sitting, when numerous allegations and supporting documents were submitted to the speaker Mulipola Aloitalua Mulipola for a ruling.

Mulipola has declined to answer a series of questions from RNZ Pacific about the inquiry.

Tuilaepa said attempts by the opposition to get written confirmation from Mulipola outlining the allegations and the terms of reference had failed.

“We don’t really know if the allegations relate to (the political impasse), we keep referring to the lies that have been told ever since that time, and that has irritated the PM,” he said.

“I think at the time [of the 2021 general election] it did not seem to matter, but it matters now that he is PM.”

During parliamentary debate earlier this year, Tuilaepa allegedly accused Laauli of lying, while Lealailepule had allegedly warned the prime minister that his term in the top job would be “short-lived”.

The parliamentary committee has been given eight terms of reference, which include examining whether they three breached parliamentary privilege and legal protections; assessing whether there was any conduct unbecoming of an MP; and reviewing how laws dating back to 1960 apply, involving parliamentary powers and privileges.

It will also determine the impact of the alleged conduct on parliamentary standards, investigate whether any laws or standing orders were breached and consider the consequences for any MP found to have breached parliamentary rules or protections.

The committee is expected to make recommendations on how Parliament should respond and has until 20 October to submit its report.

Deputy speaker Afamasaga Leone Mati Masame is chairing the committee, with opposition MP Faumuina Opapo Oeti acting as the deputy chair.

Pro-France Virginie Ruffenach has been elected as the new New Caledonia Congress President (Speaker) under a “governance” coalition struck on Thursday between the pro-France bloc and “kingmakers” Eveil Océanien party.

During a vote that followed New Caledonia’s provincial elections held on June 28, Ruffenach secured 28 of the 54 votes in the French Pacific territory’s territorial assembly.

Her opponent, Dominique Fochi, supported by the pro-independence bloc “Kanaky for All”, received 26 votes.

• READ MORE: Horse-trading in New Caledonia over provincial presidency elections
• Other Kanaky New Caledonia politics reports

The pro-France bloc, consisting of Rassemblement, Les Loyalistes and Génération NC, for a total of 24 seats in the House, announced a governance deal had been struck with Eveil Océanien — which has four seats — to form a majority.

Ruffenach takes over from Veylma Falaeo (from Eveil Océanien), who had held the presidency since 2024 and had become the first woman to hold this position after being elected in August 2024.

In her first speech following her election, Ruffenach stressed she intended to make New Caledonia’s Congress a place for “exchange” and “dignified debates”.

“[New Caledonians] are expecting something else than struggles … They expect mutual respect and efficiency,” she said.

“They expect us to be worthy of the history we are writing together. We have inherited an exceptional land as well as a complex history. We cannot change the past, but we have the responsibility to build the future”.

“I wish we can find the courage to overcome what is opposing us to preserve what brings us together. And this is our attachment to New Caledonia, our will to serve its inhabitants and our duty to serve future generations”.

Pro-independence camp reassured
In a special address to the pro-independence camp, she said they can be assured of “all my consideration”.

“I have the utmost respect for those who hold different beliefs than mine and I am mindful that everyone should express themselves freely.

“Our beliefs differ deeply on New Caledonia’s political future, this is a reality. But this reality doesn’t prevent us from respecting each other, listen to each other and work together when the general interest demands it.”

She said some of her main priorities would be to “rebuild our economic tools, mend the social fabric, work to reduce inequalities and restore confidence”.

New Caledonia’s Congress, following the French territory’s provincial elections, is now made up of 5 groups. They include the Kanaky NC (19 seats, pro-independence), Les Loyalistes (18, pro-France), Rassemblement (6 seats, pro-France), Union Nationale pour l’Indépendance (UNI, 7 seats, pro-independence) and Eveil Océanien (4 seats).

Votes were continuing on Friday in New Caledonia’s Congress inaugural session to elect the institution’s bureau, including vice-presidents.

Selecting Congress committees
Debates are expected to continue on Saturday for the same administrative reasons and to elect the Congress’s various committees.

Under the “governance” agreement struck this week between the pro-France camp and Eveil Océanien, it is planned that Eveil Océanien leader Milakulo Tukumuli will be appointed as New Caledonia’s next “collegial” government President.

The coalition agreement, however, does not include long-term political projects such as New Caledonia’s institutional future, which is to be addressed during talks between New Caledonia’s political parties and the French government, at a date yet to be determined.

Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr says countries of the wider Pacific region need to work together to reduce geopolitical tensions and the risk of nuclear conflict.

This comes after China’s test launch of a nuclear-capable ballistic missile with a dummy warhead into the South Pacific on Monday.

Beijing said the test was “consistent with international law and customary international practice and is not directed at any specific country or target”.

• READ MORE: Pacific at a crossroads amid growing geopolitical tension, says former leaders’ group
• ‘Stop firing missiles in our ocean’ – Pacific reacts to China test
• Jeremy Rose: The nuclear-free Pacific and hypersonic hypocrisy
• NZ accuses China of going against peace and stability of Pacific
• RIMPAC 2026: Part 1 – World’s biggest naval games a dress rehearsal for the coming ‘war on China’
• Missile test in South Pacific ‘routine’ and ‘consistent with international law’, China insists
• Other RIMPAC reports

Whipps spoke to RNZ Pacific about his country’s concerns over China’s actions and how Palau wants a more collaborative and transparent approach to international affairs in the Pacific.

(The transcript has been edited for brevity and clarity.)

JOHNNY BLADES: Big news this week in the South Pacific with the test missile launch by China, a nuclear-capable missile test. What are your thoughts about that?

SURANGEL WHIPPS JNR: Well, first of all, Palau was unfortunately in war during the Second World War, a site of one of the bloodiest battles ever. And when the people of Palau passed their Constitution, which today is Constitution Day, 46 years ago, one of the parts of the Constitution was a nuclear-free constitution, and I think that just goes to our ambition to preserve peace and never get into the situation that we were in the Second World War.

So when China acts in very opaque or secretive launches like this, it raises anxiety, fears, and causes great concern for all of us that live on these islands that want to live in peace and harmony, and that was demonstrated last year in Honiara [at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF)], when we all signed the Pacific Ocean of Peace Declaration.

The missile really went right into the heart of the Pacific, crossing over all of us in the Pacific. Of course, Palau is very close to China, so anything that comes across comes near us. We know in 2024, they launched a missile, they didn’t inform us, this one is launched — they didn’t inform us, and these types of behaviours really go against long standing treaties.

There’s the Hague Code of Conduct, which 145 states subscribe to, about voluntary pre-launch notifications — they didn’t follow that, so this is where we are in very concerning times with these types of activities.

We ask China to act and follow international treaties, respect sovereignty. We understand every country has a way to defend themselves, but at the same time they wouldn’t be allowed to put other countries in harm’s way, and that’s why it’s important that we follow law that we’ve established and treaties that we’ve established.

JB: Is Palau also concerned about the missile tests that the US regularly holds in the Pacific?

SWJ: Well, the US has a base in the Marshall Islands, they follow protocols and inform countries that are in their vicinity about what’s going on. So I think we all understand that countries have to defend themselves, but the reason why we have these protocols is to ensure that we’re all informed and there’s a transparent process.

What is the purpose of this testing? It seems to us that now we’re on a rapid buildup of nuclear capability, which the world was working toward reducing. So we definitely need to work together to bring tensions down and reduce nuclear risk for our ocean.

JB: Were you just saying earlier that China didn’t inform your government before its missile test, because I know it did inform some of the regional countries, at least?

SWJ: Yes, it did not inform us, and [this] also occurred in 2024 where we weren’t informed. We also raised concerns then. Based on where they’re launching them from in China and ending up in the Pacific, they come over our area, and they could easily sway and end up on our islands, that’s of course our concern.

We feel that it’s important that we’re transparent and we’re informed. Interestingly, Chen Bo, the special envoy for China, he was in Fiji when we were having [Forum Troika meeting]. He did not mention to anybody there that they were doing these tests, and this was just a few days before the launch.

You would think that a high official from the Chinese government, who saw me there and met with me, and wanted to talk about issues instead of what they were doing, was quite odd.

JB: Your country is in an interesting position being one of the countries in the region that recognises Taiwan diplomatically, but I note you’ve sort of talked about being open to all partners, and with the Pacific Islands Forum summit coming up in your country, I think you’ve given the nod for China to also join the summit. Is that your approach, kind of like open to all?

SWJ: We have to understand that, first of all, the Pacific Island Leaders Forum that’s being hosted in Palau is a Pacific Island leaders forum, so that means it follows what the Pacific Island leaders agreed to. We all respect the other sovereignty. Yes, I have diplomatic relations with Taiwan. We don’t have diplomatic relations with China, but this is a Pacific Island Forum and under the Pacific Island Forum, China is a dialogue partner, Taiwan is a development partner, both countries contribute to the Pacific Islands Forum. So as partners, as I’ve always said, everyone is welcome.

Now, I’ve also made it very clear that there’s meetings for dialogue partners, there’s meetings for develop partners. These are separate meetings. The only time that Taiwan wasn’t allowed to a Pacific Island Forum meeting was in Solomon Islands, but that wasn’t just Taiwan, it was all all partners were told they weren’t allowed to come.

What I consistently said is that in Palau, of course, everybody is welcome to participate according to all the ways that we participate in all other forums. That’s why China, as a dialogue partner, will come and participate as a developed partner. We don’t have a bilateral relationship, but I guess I’d say through the Forum we have a relationship, and that relationship is respected and valued, just like all relationships that we have with our partner.

The Forum is an opportunity to bring partners in and say, ‘How are you here to help promote the 2050 strategy? Are you here to help promote peace and security?’ I think at the Forum it’s important to bring China, and maybe they can share how they are promoting peace and security for us all in this blue Pacific, which is for us, we feel threatened and concerned and disappointed about their recent actions.

JB: Many Pacific leaders are making clear that Pacific Islands countries want peace. I’m just wondering, with all the geopolitical kind of competition, is it unhelpful that Australia, for instance, is very busy signing these sort of defence and security treaties with various Pacific countries? Does it effectively ratchet up the tension when we need it to be going down?

SWJ: I believe that we should be working with partners to preserve peace and prosperity and freedom. Australia signing declarations with partners, like monument partners that share the same values that respect rule of law, freedom, and democracy is important.

Building alliances to me to ensure a free and open Indo-Pacific that promotes peace that we all want. Palau has, of course, a Compact of Free Association with the United States. It’s very clear our relationship is fine. And the United States has a working relationship with Australia. So these all work together to ensure deterrence, because we all also believe in that if you want peace, you have to be prepared to deter.

JB: Do you think everyone needs to work together a bit more in the wider Pacific, including China and the US, in the Pacific Islands region. Does it need to be more collaborative?

SWJ: I think that’s always the goal — to be able to communicate clearly, so we know what everybody’s intentions are, operate in a transparent manner, and that’s why there’s all these treaties to work toward that area that we can trust each other and that we can work together to promote peace.

Unfortunately, for us in Palau, you would like to see China moving in that direction, but for Palau, that hasn’t been the case. China continues to disrespect our EEZ (exclusive economic zone) again, another research vessel in our area, and maybe it was, who knows, maybe it was here to travel the metal, that missile that was flying over.

But this is why dialogue, transparency, builds trust, cooperation, and reduces tensions, and that’s what I think where it needs to start from.

Unfortunately China acts in manners that bully; for example, they didn’t spend time talking to me about the missile that they’re going to launch. They spent time lecturing me, totally disrespecting Palau, and telling us how to run the Pacific Island Forum, when the Forum has clear rules, the members of all group, too, and trying to tell us how we should run the Pacific Island Forum.

If we don’t do it their way and deny certain countries from coming, then therefore, retaliate. I mean, what kind of language is that? And so that’s deeply concerning to us. Then a few days later, launching a missile just goes to show that they don’t respect our sovereignty. They act in a way to bully us and you are saying things like, ‘well, you’re just a country, we’re a big country’.

Obviously, we know we’re a small country, but we’re still a sovereign country, and our sovereignty should be respected, and also the integrity of the PIF should be respected, and it’s unfortunate they try to bully and and and do what they do.

We all want peace, we want to promote peace and trust and cooperation, and that’s the goal, and that’s why they’re allowed to come to Palau, because is is about us working together in partnership.

JB: Do you think the Pacific Islands Forum that’s coming up in your country will be dominated by this dynamic, this tension of geopolitics, and possibly about dominated by defence discussions?

SWJ: I hope not. This conference should be about building resilience in the Pacific, working toward the 2050 Strategy. How do we have 100 percent renewable Pacific? How do we manage our ocean sustainably, and ask for investment to come into the Pacific, to help us develop fisheires and develop tourism, and the importance of protection of biodiversity so that we can really build a sustainable future, not just for the Pacific, but for the planet, because we believe that a healthy oceans and [give us a] planet.

The biggest security for us is an issue that should be talked about is sea-level rise, storms, the impacts of climate change, not these other geopolitical tensions, which, if anything, we should work to reduce, not inflame. I hope that by having everybody in Palau, we reduce those tensions, not increase them.

A group of former Pacific prime ministers, presidents and senior diplomats has warned that Pacific Islands countries are at a crossroads as geopolitical competition reshapes the region.

This comes after China fired a test nuclear-capable missile in the South Pacific on Monday, and amid Australia’s busy campaign of signing security treaties with Pacific countries.

The Pacific Elders Voice group warns that growing geopolitical competition in the Pacific is threatening the future of regionalism and the sovereignty of island nations.

• READ MORE: ‘Stop firing missiles in our ocean’ – Pacific reacts to China test
• Jeremy Rose: The nuclear-free Pacific and hypersonic hypocrisy
• NZ accuses China of going against peace and stability of Pacific
• RIMPAC 2026: Part 1 – World’s biggest naval games a dress rehearsal for the coming ‘war on China’
• Missile test in South Pacific ‘routine’ and ‘consistent with international law’, China insists
• Other RIMPAC reports

It also warns that larger neighbours are reframing the Pacific region’s vulnerabilities — including climate change, economic dependence and geographic isolation — as opportunities for external influence.

Security agenda
Things are moving fast, too fast in the eyes of many Pacific Islands leaders who are concerned about militarisation of their region.

As well as the spate of treaties Canberra has been pursuing, a number of security and defence initiatives have recently begun including on regional responses to maritime threats and defence force integration between some regional countries adjacent to the Pacific Islands Forum.

But the Pacific Elders Voice group’s chairman, Anote Tong, who is a former president of Kiribati, told RNZ Pacific that the focus of the region was being steered away from the core issues confronting Pacific Islanders.

“We’ve got to make sure that we don’t create this proliferation of different institutions, which then detract away from the focus of what it is that we at Pacific Islands countries regard as the highest priority security consideration,” he said.

“So it’s about making sure that all of these are aligned to what the Forum as the prime body which should be allocating these priorities, that they’re all in alignment with the Forum priorities.”

The Pacific Elders said that its concern was not with cooperation:

“The Pacific has always been strongest when it acts collectively. Our concern is with forms of cooperation that weaken Pacific authority, diminish accountability, or turn vulnerability into permission for external influence.”

Different interests
Tong acknowledged that geopolitical tensions are currently high, and that at such times Pacific countries come under huge pressure.

“I know from my own experience that there’s been times when we’ve gone along, even though an issue has no direct relevance to us, and because why, because it is important to maintain solidarity in the region,” he said.

“I think if we present ourselves as being solid, then that is a source of strength, and I think we have demonstrated this on international issues where we have come together as a region that actually influenced the international agenda.

“One example is on climate change, and of course, also on the ocean, the relevance of the ocean as a key international item on the agenda.”

But the way it is going, Pacific Islanders feel increasingly deserted by Australia and New Zealand on the climate crisis, Tong said.

“I, for one, have made that very clear in my interactions with the Australian government. New Zealand has changed its position recently, because climate change has the potential and the real capacity to destroy the future of our future generations.

“So that is the prime security issue, but that’s not important, we are at odds with our larger neighbours on this issue.”

‘Act together as equals’
In their statement, the Pacific Elders Voice said that the Pacific Forum’s Ocean of Peace initiative depended on sovereign Pacific nations working together as equals through transparent, accountable institutions that reflect shared Pacific values and priorities.

Tong said it was crucial for regionalism, and the sovereignty of Pacific Island nations, that they work together.

“The recent [Chinese missile] test — what does that say? How do we respond to that, or if we should respond at all? These are the questions.

“But I think what the whole point is that let’s all keep it together, so that it goes through one channel, so that they’re all being kept in the one place, because otherwise we could be going at a tangent to our primary objectives as a region.”

The Pacific Elders said that “true regional security will never be achieved by concentrating authority or allowing vulnerability to determine whose voice carries greatest weight.

“It will be achieved by strengthening the capacity of sovereign Pacific nations to act together, as equals, in pursuit of our shared future.”

Tonga has become the 179th state to ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).

The ratification was formalised on Tuesday at a ceremony at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

Tonga’s Permanent Representative to the UN Viliami Va’inga Tōnē said this was just a legal formality but a statement of who they were and what they stood for.

• READ MORE: China warns Australia over military alliance with Fiji that promises to ‘act to meet the common danger’
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“The Pacific has felt the pain of nuclear testing. Ratifying the CTBT is our contribution to ensuring that no one, anywhere, has to go through that again,” he said.

The Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organisation (CTBTO) said the ratification reflects Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa ʻUlukalala’s strong commitment to international peace and security.

Robert Floyd, CTBTO executive secretary, said Tonga’s ratification was “a meaningful contribution to the global effort to ban nuclear test explosions for good”.

Tonga is also a party to the Treaty of Rarotonga, which established the South Pacific Nuclear-Free Zone in 1985, and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

Verification regime
The CTBTO works to build up the verification regime of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) in preparation for the treaty’s entry into force, as well as promoting the treaty.

The CTBTO said with Tonga’s signature and ratification, the treaty now counts 188 state signatories and 179 ratifying states.

This comes amid outcry over China testing a nuclear-capable missile with a dummy warhead in the Pacific.

Regional governments were notified by China shortly before it launched the test, on the same day that Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese went to Fiji to sign new treaties related to security and defence.

Australia and New Zealand accused China of undermining the peace and stability of the region, and of going against the values of Pacific Island countries as enshrined in the Pacific Forum’s Ocean of Peace initiative.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said the launch was consistent with international law and customary international practice and was not directed at any specific country or target.

The new US Ambassador to New Zealand is introducing Donald Trump’s agenda of “disruption” to the Pacific.

Jared Novelly arrived in Wellington last week, and is expected to travel to Niue, the Cook Islands and Samoa within the next month to present his credentials.

A businessman and sports team owner, he told a group of reporters on Friday that the Cook Islands, with its seabed riches and its permissiveness for US exploration, was “either 1a or 1b on my priority list”.

• READ MORE: New US ambassador would like chance to work on New Zealand’s nuclear policy
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“I’m going to spend quite a lot of time in the Cooks,” Novelly said.

“Take something like cobalt … 90 percent of it is refined in China, and they control that resource … it just so happens that the Cook Islands is one of the richest, most vastest resources of that in their EEZ on the seabed floor.”

But after more than a decade of US exploration in the Cooks, and new agreements from the beginning of the year, Novelly stopped short of saying whether he would push for exploration licences.

“It’s something that I think is very potentially transformative for the Cook Islands … but I don’t make Cook Island laws,” he said.

“I can introduce them to US companies that can help, and I will definitely do that if allowed.”

‘Friend’ for US businesses
It was at his Senate confirmation hearing in March where Novelly promised that “all US businesses will have a friend in the Ambassador’s office” in Wellington.

At that hearing, he thanked the Cook Islands for their openness to “take our long-standing relationship to the next level”, while praising Samoa for their increased caution in taking on debt with China.

In Wellington, he said that he would promote that cautionary message for all Pacific nations.

“China has made no bones about it, they want a base in the Pacific.”

“The responsible thing for me to do as a good friend to Pacific Islands that I speak to is make sure that they realise that there can be strings attached … that they know what a debt trap is.”

Novelly praised his boss, who he “has a lot in common” with, for being a “disruptor.”

The United States has disrupted about $25 billion in global foreign aid, and in its place, is pushing a “trade over aid” platform that promotes free market reforms in third world countries.

‘Different ways’
Novelly said that “just like we talked about disruption, we’re gonna look at different ways to do things”.

“Because remittances are so important in a lot of these Pacific Island countries, and the fees on that are so high. I want to look to try and see how I can reduce those.

“There’s the ‘teach a man to fish versus give them a fish’ thing.”

Indonesia has defended the high number of military personnel it has deployed to West Papua, which dwarfs the size of deployments to other parts of the republic.

But under Indonesian president Subianto Prabowo, a former military strongman, militarisation of Papua is changing gears and being shaped by a type of warfare that includes drone technology.

Recent research reported by Project Multatuli, says that 56,517 Indonesian military forces are deployed in Papua — at least six times more military per capita than any other region in Indonesia.

• READ MORE: A lopsided war: 83,000 soldiers and police powering Indonesia’s violent agenda in Papua
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The figures also note that Indonesia’s military far outnumbers the amount of Papuan pro-independence fighters, estimated at 1438 members of various disparate, small groups with only 361 firearms.

The research figures come amid ongoing violent incidents related to a long running conflict between Indonesia’s security forces and the West Papua National Liberation Army, or armed factions of the OPM Free West Papua Movement.

The Indonesian Embassy in New Zealand said not all the numbers were active combatants or personnel directed to fight Papuan resistance forces.

It said the assignment of military doctors, medics, and territorial development divisions was part of efforts to provide for communities in Papua.

‘Providing security, health’
“Continuing the expansion of provinces in Papua, previously from two to six, there will be obviously the need to provide security, health, and the capability to adapt to the new administration structure, with also the assignment to guard and maintain the land and maritime borders with our neighbouring countries,” a statement from the Embassy said.

Andreas Harsono of Human Rights Watch Indonesia said that under the country’s new President, Prabowo Subianto, there has been an escalation of military sent to Papua, with at least an extra battalion each year being deployed.

“The Prabowo administration is to increase the figure up to 42 battalions by 2029. Today, Papua has around 56,000 Indonesian soldiers. The ratio is one soldier per 100 civilians in Papua.

“It is much higher than the national ratio in Indonesia — one soldier per 696 civilians.”

The purpose of the huge military deployment is working hand in glove with a gradual change in demographics in Papua, whereby Papuans are becoming a minority in many districts, and with an increase in development projects backed by the Indonesian state.

“It obviously is more than securing the area and to protect the population, but to grab lands to clear forests and to occupy this vast land,” Harsono said.

“The biggest detachments is in South Papua Province, including Merauke and Boeven Digoel regencies, where the Indonesian government is clearing nearly three million hectares of land and swamps, starting to produce what President Prabowo said to be the ‘food and energy estate’.”

New type of warfare
Meanwhile, Papuans are not only seeing more military personnel in their homeland these days — they are witnessing a new type of warfare and technology being used by the Indonesian military.

“Military units, usually equipped with drones, are dispatched in areas where the Papuan militants operate. These units patrol their respective areas with foot soldiers and drone units also armed with grenades and other explosives attached to the drone.”

Indonesia’s military also works together with a large Indonesian police presence in Papua — the research figures showed there are 26,660 police deployed in Papua region.

Additionally, countless officers from the State Intelligence Agency, who are scattered through the region, work in tandem with the security forces to protect the interests of the Indonesian state.

It was physical, a bloody battle befitting the start of the new Nations Championship competition.

In the end the All Blacks hung on to win 34-32 at the new One New Zealand Stadium in Christchurch in front of almost 30,000 fans.

That marked the start of the Dave Rennie coaching era, one that has a lot of Pasifika connections.

• READ MORE: Dave Rennie’s All Blacks beat France 34-32 in thrilling Nations Championship Test
• Other Nations Rugby Championship reports

Of Cook Islands heritage through his mother, Rennie had assistant Fa’alogo Tana Umaga, the first All Blacks captain of Pasifika heritage in his corner.

And the duo had Ardie Savea leading the team on the field.

Savea, who ended the game with a boot mark cut on his right eyebrow, is the second Pasifika heritage player to be leading the former world champs after Umaga.

Together with the coaches and seven other players of Pasifika heritage, Savea marked his captaincy with a win.

Three debutants
Three debutants got their first taste of Test rugby, prop Xavier Numia, winger Fehi Fineanganofo and lock Jamie Hannah.

Fineanganofo told the media post-match it was an emotional and nervous moment for him, before he got on to the show.

He vomited at halftime, just thinking about what the next half would bring.

The 23-year-old said hearing his family cheering him on and getting his first touch of the ball were surreal moments he will remember.

“At halftime, I was in the toilet spewing. I felt better after,” he said.

“I was sitting on the bench and nearly vomiting. I was like, I’m not even on the field yet, I can’t imagine what it’ll be like when I am on the field.

“I was still in shock, and then once I had my first touch of the ball, all the nerves just went, and I just realised I was in it.

“Happy to represent my family.”

Tongan heritage
The Tongan heritage winger said France was a tough opponent and thanked the players for helping him through his first Test.

“They couldn’t stop crying, and I was just trying to keep strong and not cry outside. I’ll cry back in the changing room,” he laughed.

While the ball came his way for just two carries, the winger made 13 metres with the ball and beat a tackle with those few touches, while making all three of his tackles.

He described the French team as “strong” and “physical”, attributes the All Blacks were expecting from the visitors.

“It was a huge step-up [from Super Rugby]. The boys helped me out, and I found my footing,” he reflected.

“It was really physical. I was stuck in the middle, so I just had to put my head down and get to work. We did a great job to seal the deal.”

He was garlanded with lolly necklaces, gifted by his family, who he said were emotional and crying when they met up after the game.

Battle ready
The All Blacks scored five tries, two each to Cam Roigard and Will Jordan. Pete Lakai added the other.

The lights went dim and the focus was on the two teams as they faced each other up in the middle, between the two 10 metre lines.

Warriors decked in their battle outfits, ready for the 80 minutes of battle ahead.

Savea’s men wore All Black, topped off with orange boots with yellow heels.

The visitors had white jerseys and white shorts, and their red socks.

France kicked off.

And they went into attack straight away.

They went right, came back to the middle and then ran right.

Misread numbers
Damian McKenzie misread the French numbers and  winger Damian Penaud went over for the first points in the game.

Captain and halfback Maxime Lucu converted and the visitors led 7-0 after one minute and 23 seconds.

All Blacks flyhalf Reuben Love was shown the yellow card after he hit France’s Max Spring in the jaw with his shoulder tackle.

Luckily he was only given 10 minutes off the field.

But in that space the All Blacks did score, winger Will Jordan diving over in the corner, after a quick tap by captain Savea set up attack close to the French line.

France came back and Lucu added three points through a penalty in front after the All Blacks were penalised inside the 22.

Then it was flanker Peter Lakai who got on the scoreboard after another good Savea drive, which saw the ball travel right with quick hands.

Lakai went through the gap, exchanged passes with Caleb Clarke before taking the final pass and ran in. Love converted and the All Blacks were back in front 12-10 in the 20th minute.

Lucu claimed another penalty to give his team a 13-12 lead but the All Blacks had the final say in the first half, halfback Cam Roigard dummying his way from the base of a ruck, running in to touch down in the 39th minute.

Love’s conversion gave the home side a 19-13 lead at halftime.

Second half
The All Blacks were penalised early for a tackle without the ball from the restart and after some good entertaining French flair rugby, the visitors were over the line, via Wallis and Futuna native Yoram Moefana, in the 46th minute. Lucu converted and France were back in the lead at 20-19.

The lead changed hands again when Roigard finished off an All Blacks move that saw the ball go from  Quinn Tupaea to Jordie Barrett, who slipped the inside pass to Roogard to finish off.

Xavier Numia entered for his debut game and France were over again through Théo Attissogbé.

Then it was Fehi Fineanganofo’s turn to make his debut and Jordan finished off with his second try, getting the ball from Luke Jacobsen out wide.

France did come back with another try of their own through flyhalf Matthieu Jalibert but the All Blacks played the time down and ended with their first win.

Rennie says it could be better
Coach Rennie told the media after the game it was a relief to have won his first test as coach but added it could have been better.

He praised the team’s attitude and attack, but knows they will need to be more clinical.

“I love the mindset, just got to be a lot more accurate,” he said.

“We constantly got our nose in front and then gave them an opportunity and they were good enough to take it. Their short passing game was excellent and we just probably lacked a little bit of line speed on the inside to apply a bit more pressure, but no lack of effort.”

“We just need more time, more reps. We scrambled really well at times but we’ve just got to get off the line and apply a lot more pressure, get two in the tackle more often to give them slow ball so we can reset and get off the line and do it again.

“We spent a bit of time on it over the last few days, we just need a lot more and it’ll make a massive difference. I love the effort, I love the optimism. I thought we were able to play with a really high tempo, a lightning quick ball, almost 85 percent, which is just outrageous.”

France were missing several first choice players but they did not show that, taking the game to their hosts right throughout the 80 minutes.

Lakai’s take
Flanker Lakai, playing at number six for the first time in his Test career, said they expected France to be tough and physical, adding the All Blacks will get better after working on some areas of their game.

“Obviously, you know, few things to work on, but you know we’re happy to start our campaign off of a win here in Christchurch and we’re looking forward to next week now,” he told the media post-match.

“We scored some brilliant tries, but we also let in a few soft ones as well. So, just like I said, it’s just polishing. We’ve been together for a week, so I guess it’s just building combinations, and we’ll take our learnings from this week and hopefully apply them next week.

“We expected them to play play quick, especially around the ruck. They obviously came down the middle and scored a few soft tries, but we’ll review that come Monday, and yeah, hopefully be better.”

Captain Savea paid tribute to the debutants.

“I thought the guys that played their first Test were outstanding,” Savea said.

“They came on and did their job, had a few good carries. I’m just really pleased for them and their families.”

The All Blacks play Italy next in Wellington on Saturday.

Other Nations Championship results:
Meanwhile, in other results:

Wales beat Fiji 39-24
South Africa beat England 45-21
Japan beat Italy 27-10
Ireland beat Australia 33-31
Scotland beat Argentina 47-38

New Caledonia’s newly-elected three provincial assemblies — Northern, Southern and the Loyalty Islands — have elected their respective presidents following the elections held on June 28 in the French Pacific territory.

The make-up of the three provinces and their respective majorities were already known since the poll on Sunday.

The election of the three presidents was therefore supposed to reflect what came out of the ballots.

• READ MORE: Official results confirmed for New Caledonia’s provincial elections
• Pro-French, pro-independence blocs remain in New Caledonia election
• Other Kanaky New Caledonia reports

In New Caledonia’s affluent and most populated Southern province, a united front of pro-France parties (Loyalistes-Rassemblement) has already secured an overwhelming majority of 28 of the 40 seats.

On the province’s inaugural sitting and the election of a chair, group leader Sonia Backès, who is also the incumbent President of the province, thus received 28 of the 40 votes.

There was no other candidate.

Following the Speaker’s election, bureau members such as the Vice-President (Gil Brial) and second and third Vice-President (Brieuc Frogier and Loïc Basset-Creugnet) came from the same “Strong and United” front.

But in the Northern Province, things were more complicated: the showdown was between incumbent President and UNI (Union Nationale pour l’Indépendance) leader and founder of the PALIKA party (Kanak Liberation Party) Paul Néaoutyine who was challenged by Pascal Sawa (from Union Calédonienne-FLNKS).

In the newly-elected assembly seat quota, they were neck-to-neck with 10 seats for Sawa and nine for Néaoutyine.

Néaoutyine, 74, has been President of the Northern province since 1999 and is also the Mayor of the small town of Poindimié.

Protest walk-out
Even though Sawa had a narrow advantage of one seat, it was Néaoutyine who received the most votes for a new presidential mandate (12 votes), thanks to the last minute support from other parties represented in the Assembly (including “Let’s Act Together for the North”, and Loyalistes-Rassemblement’s pro-France group headed by Vanessa Wacapo).

At the results’ announcement, Sawa’s UC-FLNKS group walked out of the sitting, leaving the matter of electing bureau members to later — on Tuesday, July 7.

Sawa said he was “indignant” and he condemned what he called a de facto “new alliance between UNI and the Loyalist pro-France” which, he said, was a show of “disrespect for the ballot results”.

Néaoutyine denied he had struck any alliance with any party.

In the smallest of the three provinces, the Loyalty Islands, the UC-FLNKS component of the pro-independence camp, the two leaders of last Sunday’s elections results, Mickaël Forrest and his sister, Omayra Naisseline (Indigenous Nation, affiliated to UC-FLNKS), were running for the Speaker’s chair.

All women vice-presidents
Forrest was elected President (with eight of the nine votes) and Naisseline has been elected first Vice-President.

The other positions of vice-presidents were all allocated to women (Wali Wahetra [Palika îles], Marguerite Piaa [UC-FLNKS]).

For all of New Caledonia’s three provincial assemblies, the total of newly-elected members is 76.

They will sit in the provincial assemblies for the next five years.

And a portion of those will also sit in the territorial Congress.

But the Presidential process does not end there.

On Friday, July 10, the territorial Congress of New Caledonia (54 seats) will also hold its inaugural sitting to elect its Speaker.

Heavy horse-trading underway ahead of Congress sitting
As a result of the provincial elections, the Congress now and once again hosts only relative majorities and heavy horse-trading is already underway between all parties represented.

The pro-France Strong and United alliance can count on 24 of the 54 seats — not enough to rule on their own.

The same goes for the pro-independence bloc, which has won 26 seats, still not enough for an absolute majority.

The pro-independence bloc consists of UC-FLNKS (10 seats), FLNKS (6 seats), UNI (6 seats), Dynamique autochtone (Indigenous Dynamics, 3 seats) and Palika (1 seat).

But the pro-independence bloc is not entirely united.

Within this group, it remains to be seen how UNI-PALIKA will position itself vis-à-vis UC-FLNKS and its affiliates.

This comes especially after the support provided by pro-France members of the Northern province regarding the Friday election of Paul Néaoutyine.

The two groups have long experienced differences, especially on the sensitive subject of how to approach New Caledonia’s sovereignty.

While UC-FLNKS favours a speedy full independence and accession to full sovereignty, UNI-PALIKA is prefers a status of independence in gradual association with France.

The issue crystallised even more during and after the May 2024 civil unrest and riots (which caused 14 dead and over 2.2 billion euros (NZ$4.4 billion) in material damage) with UNI PALIKA condemning any violent action.

‘Kingmaker’ Eveil Océanien ‘ready to talk with everyone’
Centre party Eveil Océanien (EO) now has four seats which once again places it in the position of “kingmaker”.

Over the past mandate (2019-2026), Eveil Océanien has struck alliances first with FLNKS, then later (2024) with the pro-France bloc, allowing it to tke the seat of Congress President.

EO leader Milakulo Tukumuli told local media as part of the negotiation process with other parties, he was “ready to talk with everyone”.

He said instead of the term “kingmaker”, he preferred to regard his party as a “majorities builder”.

After the election of a new Congress President (to replace incumbent Veylma Falaeo from Eveil Océanien) and the election of bureau executives, the local parliament has two weeks (before July 25 at the latest) to determine the number of cabinet members (which could be between 5 and 11) and then (before July 31) to allocate portfolios of the new “collegial” (proportionally representative) government of New Caledonia.

They would also choose the President and Vice-President of the government of New Caledonia.

In view of the tight schedule during the next few weeks, the option once expressed by French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu to reconvene New Caledonia’s politicians for talks on the French territory’s future straight after the provincial election has become elusive.

Instead, Rassemblement leader Virginie Ruffenach told public radio NC La Première on Friday, that it was more realistic such talks would be more likely to happen at the end of August or in September.

Later than that, French national politics would be largely constrained and dominated by the Presidential campaign in France.

Meanwhile, it was confirmed earlier this week that the French Presidential elections will take place on April 16 (first round) and 2 May 2027 (second round).

Fears of yet another escalation in military conflict in Indonesia’s Papua region have risen after an American pilot flying a small aircraft into a remote airstrip in Highland Papua province was killed by West Papuan militants.

The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB) has claimed responsibility for killing Nicholas F Gosselin after he landed a small aircraft in remote Sobaham District, Yahukimo Regency, on Thursday.

Gosselin had just flown seven passengers to Yahukimo from Wamena, Highland Papua’s major town, in an aircraft which belonged to a small Indonesian airline, PT AMA. The militants also burned the plane.

• READ MORE: Indonesian military says it has recovered body of American pilot killed by rebels in Papua
• Kiwi pilot kidnapping in West Papua leads to police raids in Australia
• Other West Papua resistance reports

The TPNPB has repeatedly warned foreigners not to fly into the region if they were working with Indonesia’s military, which they are fighting for independence.

Eneko Bahabol, a human rights defender with the Papua Council of Churches who works in this remote region, said the other people on board were local Papuan villagers. He said they were understood to have escaped without injury.

He said it was widely known that Indonesia’s military relied on small airlines to fly into remote airstrips in Papua’s interior, where its larger aircraft could not land.

“We have seen the call from the TPNPB not to transport military personnel. We have followed this in every one of their releases, but we see that the companies and the pilots do not listen to it, and this applies to all pilots transporting military personnel,” Bahabol said.

However, this is not the first case of the TPNPB burning planes which have flown into the Highlands region, nor of targeting pilots.

In February 2023, the TPNPB kidnapped a New Zealand pilot, Phillip Mehrtens, after he landed a small plane belonging to commercial airline Susi Air in Nduga Regency of Highland Papua. They freed him 19 months later.

The Indonesian military has reportedly denied that the AMA plane attacked on Thursday was used to carry troops.

Fears of more violence
Bahabol said civilians in Sobaham’s Balinggama village have fled to neighbouring districts because they were afraid there would be a military operation in response to the attack.

Jakarta has been increasing its troop deployments to the Papua region and now has at least six times more military per capita in Papua than any other region in Indonesia.

This comes amid an upsurge in violent incidents in recent months in Highland Papua related to the long running conflict between Indonesia’s security forces and the TPNPB which have left many civilians dead or injured, and displaced thousands.

Bahabol said on behalf of the Papua Council of Churches, he urged both Indonesia’s military and the West Papuan militants to step back from violent conflict.

“Stop the military operations because they do not solve the problem. I ask both parties to stop the conflict and pursue a dignified dialogue through international mechanisms,” he said.

Bahabol also urged a pause in “the use of civilian aircraft for military purposes”.

Meanwhile, he said it was expected that the pilot’s body could be evacuated on Friday, depending on the weather, and the ability of Indonesian military and police to access the airstrip area.

Killing ‘a message to US’
A spokesperson for the TPNPB, Sebby Sambom, said the killing was a message to the United States which brokered the 1962 New York Agreement which paved the way for the former Dutch New Guinea to fall under Indonesian control in the 1960s, without genuine consultation with Papuans.

“We also convey to the United States of American government, through its embassy in Indonesia and to UN member states, that the shooting of the American pilot is pay for a mistake by the Indonesian, United States of America, Dutch government,” Sambom said.

He said the message was also directed at the United Nations “for failing to address the root causes of the conflict in Papua between the Indonesian military and the West Papua National Liberation Army, which has been ongoing for 64 years”.

A spokesperson for the US State Department told RNZ Pacific they were aware that Indonesian authorities were investigating the reported death.

The spokesperson said they were in touch with the authorities and the man’s family, and were closely tracking developments, but had no further comment.

After an American man, Rick Spier, was violently killed in Papua in 2002 in a shooting attack that was investigated by the FBI, the US suspended some military assistance to Indonesia.

Global aid forecasts have small island developing states “among the hardest hit individually” as aid spending reaches new lows.

The OECD, which tracks their wealthy member states’ Overseas Development Assistance (ODA), is projecting a 6.9 percent drop this year. Last year, it was 23.3 percent.

In a report, it noted this would make for the lowest global ODA level since 2014, with health spending down to pre-pandemic levels.

• READ MORE: Pacific at risk as global aid falls to lowest level in a decade – report
• Other Pacific aid reports

“Most reductions come from a small number of the largest providers,” the report noted, referring to European countries, and the United States.

“Many highly aid-dependent countries rely on a small number of providers, increasing vulnerability to shocks.”

It was also noted that five of the fifteen recipient countries with the largest cuts are small island developing states. Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) will have lost 36.6 percent of aid between 2024 and 2026; Asian and Pacific states will have lost 33.4 percent.

“A single provider accounts for most ODA in several LDCs and small island developing states (SIDS), such as the United States in Marshall Islands and Micronesia, or Australia and New Zealand in Tonga and Tuvalu,” it read.

“In these countries especially, a shift in aid could therefore spill over quickly into broader macroeconomic and societal stress.”

Globally, health spending is projected to fall by between 29 and 46 percent in that two-year timeframe, with aid for public health and the control of communicable diseases the hardest hit.

Aid targeting malaria falls by 59.6 percent, tuberculosis by 57.2 percent, other infectious-disease control by 40.4 percent.

Delivery models need to change – ChildFund NZ
Humanitarian aid is projected to fall by 40.3 percent, while government and civil society falls by 39.8 percent. Aid from multilateral institutions falls by 31 percent.

For Josie Pagani, CEO of ChildFund NZ, these are the most dangerous trends from a Pacific perspective.

“That’s for when you’re in a crisis, like we’ve just seen in Venezuela, or in the Middle East,” she said.

“That is going to have a very direct impact on the ability for countries to respond, or charities like ChildFund to respond directly to a crisis.”

Pagani said it created both a need and an incentive to make the way that aid was delivered more efficient, and more effective.

This, she said, would address a core issue around public perception — where aid was viewed as useless or unnecessary, and so it was deprioritised.

“Across the Pacific, there are sorts of dinosaur aid projects scattered around… water tanks with logos on them… [but] there are five million people in the Pacific who still don’t have access to running clean drinking water.”

“You can’t solve that by a tank here and a tank there, you’ve got to look at it systemically.”

Unchanged aid budgets
She also noted that unchanged aid budgets from Australia and New Zealand could insulate the Pacific from wider multilateral grant cutbacks.

Australia and New Zealand, in their respective budgets from May, kept their aid allocations roughly the same. New Zealand brought over NZ$160 million forward to this year from unspent cash in the previous two years.

Meanwhile, the Trump Administration is lobbying United Nations member states for its “Trade Over Aid” policy, which would prioritise aid spending for “free market reforms” in poor countries.

Explosive activity has picked up in recent days at Bougainville’s Mt Bagana volcano.

Papua New Guinea’s Rabaul Volcanological Observatory declared a Stage 1 Alert for Bagana amid its most notable upsurge in activity for two years.

The observatory’s principal geodetic surveyor, Steve Saunders, said activity at the volcano had been ongoing for several years, but last week the activity increased.

• READ MORE: Lack of monitoring meant PNG volcano was missed by agency
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• More than 7000 people in Bougainville need temporary accommodation after eruption
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“There was a large eruption, it was basically the dome collapsing down the east flank. It was very spectacular but it was in uninhabited areas so didn’t really cause much of a problem.

Noting continuous lava activity at the summit, Saunders said there was “a red glow and rocks rolling down the side every few weeks”.

“There was some dust downwind etc, but it looked worse than it was.”

Social media comments about the volcano indicated dust issues impacting crops to the south in Torokina, on Bougainville’s east coast.

PNG’s National Information Centre said the Department of Community Government and District Affairs Disaster Office were in touch with Torokina and other areas impacted, and monitoring the situation.

Pumice issue
Meanwhile, in another part of PNG’s Islands region, Manus Province, Saunders said big rafts of pumice from an active submarine volcano in the Bismarck Sea had started to disperse.

Since May, pumice created by the so-called Titan Ridge volcano had been carried by tides and currents into Manus Island’s south coast, impacting sea life and marine traffic.

However, Saunders said there was little pumice being produced by the volcano now as its activity has abated in the past week or two, and that pumice rafts around Manus Island had now mostly washed away with currents and winds.

But locals in Manus have told RNZ Pacific that pumice is still a problem, and that pumice has also increasingly the province’s smaller, outer islands.