Results for Pacific Islands

Miss Heilala Sitita Va'enuku will represent Tonga at the upcoming Miss Pacific Islands Competition, that will be held in Nauru, from 28 January to 4 February.

A state of emergency has been declared in Papua New Guinea by Prime Minister James Marape, after at least 16 people died in violent riots on Wednesday, that left shops and businesses burned and looted.

A Pacific health advocate, Sir Collin Tukuitonga from Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland has been made a Fellow by the International Science Council (ISC). Sir Collin joins over 100 Fellows from around the world, were appointed yesterday, 19 December. The Fellowship is the highest honour that can be conferred on an individual by the International Science Council (ISC).

At the Nature Plenary of the World Climate Action Summit, at COP28, on 2 December, Tonga's Prime Minister Hon. Hu’akavameiliku introduced, to world leaders, the region's ‘Unlocking Blue Pacific Prosperity’ initiative, to rejuvenate and protect the Blue Pacific Continent for future generations. Pacific leaders are making a direct appeal to global partners to actively join the Pacific to turn the tide for the benefit of the Pacific region and the planet.

Dr. Sione Vailala Matoto has been reappointed as the new Chief Executive Officer for the Ministry of Fisheries (MOF).

A team of New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel, accompanied by two Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) NH90 helicopters, has landed in Honiara to assist the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) as the nation gets ready to host the 17th Pacific Games.

Ahead of the signing of the Samoa Agreement in Apia next week Tonga's Prime Minister Hon. Hu’akavameiliku met with the Secretary General of the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) HE Mr. Georges Rebelo Chikoti, in Rarotonga, Cook Islands. The Samoa Agreement to be signed by the European Union and its Member States, and the 79 Member States of OACPS, on 15 November 2023 in Samoa, is the first comprehensive partnership agreement between the OACPS and EU to be signed in the Pacific.

The impacts of sea level rise and climate events on development were a common concern for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) attending the 52nd Pacific Leaders Meeting in the Cook Islands this week. Attending the Forum is HE Mr Dennis Francis, the new President of the UN General Assembly, who held a bilateral meeting with Tonga's Prime Minister on important issues for Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

Tonga's delegation, led by the Prime Minister Hon. Hu'akavameiliku, arrived in the Cook Islands on 3 November for the 52nd Pacific Islands Forum meeting to be held from 6-10 November. The 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent and climate change is high on the agenda. The Forum Secretary General Henry Puna said that the Pacific priorities and messages would be taken to the annual COP negotiations in UAE at the end of November.