Author: TMC Palau

The coalition government has deferred the local government elections. Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka says after careful consideration with the Cabinet, he has decided to defer the local government elections to a date to be determined after the upcoming General Election. Rabuka says this was not an easy decision, as restoring elected local governments has been a core promise of the coalition government. “The previous administration had repeatedly promised municipal elections but had failed to amend a single law or prepare the ground. But this government has taken concrete, serious steps forward. We have advanced amendments to the relevant laws and…

NZ entomologist Trevor Jackson in New Caledonia’s Southern Province tracking the invasive coconut rhinoceros beetle. Photo: NC la 1ère New Zealand world-class entomologist Trevor Jackson has just completed a mission in New Caledonia to help local authorities fight against the invasive coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB). The invasive species (Oryctes rhinoceros) has appeared in the French Pacific territory over the past few years. The beetle damages the palms by boring into the palm stem and feeding on the sap. If the beetle continues to spread, it is estimated the Pacific could lose at least NZ$237 million per annum by 2040 as…

source: AAP An orchestra board member and ex-government minister says he was surprised to learn a pianist’s upcoming concert had been cancelled over Gaza comments. A leading orchestra’s directors were caught off guard by a “reputation shredding” decision to cancel a pianist’s concert over his onstage comments about the war in Gaza, a court has been told. Melbourne Symphony Orchestra board member Martin Foley, who led Victoria’s response to COVID-19 as state health minister before retiring from politics in 2022, gave evidence to Jayson Gillham’s unfair dismissal case on Wednesday. Gillham introduced a composition piece at an August 2024 concert…

Fiji is preparing to release new national data on intimate partner violence, with early findings already revealing critical insights into the experiences and realities faced by women and girls across the country. The Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre has confirmed the completion of fieldwork for Fiji’s second national prevalence study on intimate partner violence, conducted in partnership with the Fiji Bureau of Statistics and Australia-based Equality Institute Australia. The study explores the prevalence, incidence, and public attitudes toward intimate partner violence and is expected to provide updated national data more than a decade after Fiji’s landmark 2011 research on women’s health…

At the end of April 2026, Cyclones Maila and Vaianu were active across the South Pacific at the same time, hitting Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Fiji and stretching weather services and emergency teams thin as they tried to manage both events at once. This is what Pacific women are living through. The storms themselves usually pass within hours. For some women, the danger does not. Evacuation centres have become a familiar refuge in the Pacific, and a familiar danger. Families sleep side by side on classroom floors. Privacy disappears and tensions rise. For a woman experiencing violence,…

The Commonwealth Public Utilities Commission voted 3-1 last week to raise the FAC from 24.5 cents per kilowatt/hour to 44.489 cents per kilowatt/hour effective 15 May. Photo: RNZ Pacific / Mark Rabago Businesses in the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) are bracing for higher operating costs after regulators approved a sharp increase in the public utility provider’s fuel surcharge. The Saipan Chamber of Commerce is warning the near-doubling of the Commonwealth Utilities Corporation’s (CUC) Fuel Adjustment Charge (FAC) could ripple through the economy and force some businesses to scale back operations. The Commonwealth Public Utilities Commission voted 3-1 last week to…

Minister for Finance Esrom Immanuel has confirmed that the government is not planning to introduce a mini-budget at this stage, despite earlier comments by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka suggesting one was being considered. While responding to questions on the nature of the upcoming budget and what would determine whether it would be classified as a mini-budget or a full national budget, Immanuel says a mini-budget would only be necessary if there was an urgent need or emergency situation. “Mini-budget if something is needed urgently or an emergency happens. But currently we are not facing that emergency.”Article continues after advertisement He…

Located around 125 kilometres southeast of PNG’s Manus Island, the volcano has emitted a large steam plume since earlier this month. Photo: VolcanoDiscovery A scientist monitoring a submarine volcano that has erupted in Papua New Guinea waters says there’s little way of knowing whether it could blow big. The volcano’s activity has been described as rare and unusual, and coastal communities living around PNG’s Bismarck Sea have been advised to be on heightened alert in the region for potential tsunamis Located around 125 kilometres southeast of PNG’s Manus Island, the volcano has emitted a large steam plume since earlier this…

[Photo: BULA FLIGHTS/ FACEBOOK] Six months after launching Fiji’s first locally built digital flight booking platform, Bula Flights is transforming the way Fijians plan and manage travel. The company marked its six months of its operations, highlighting rapid growth, increased customer engagement, and plans to expand across the Pacific and Australia. Operations Director Sheenam Narayan says the aim was to make travel planning easier for Fijians. “Bula Flights has been successful in simplifying travel planning for thousands of Fijians by providing convenient access to domestic and international travel.”Article continues after advertisement The company also revealed plans to expand its services…

Cricket PNG said the team produced a dominant campaign throughout the qualifier. Photo: Cricket East Asia-Pacific The PNG Barramundis finished top of the table and were crowned league champions of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific (EAP) sub-regional qualifier in Japan this week. Three wins from four matches in the Super Six stage saw the Papua New Guineans secure eight points to finish ahead of Japan, which also claimed three wins in the series when the competition ended on Monday evening. The Barramundis finished ahead of the hosts on net run rate, with an impressive net run rate…