Issue 1

Welcome to Issue One of Pacific Business Review, an edition that captures a region setting its course with purpose — protecting its oceans, building resilience into infrastructure, celebrating business excellence and modernising the systems that underpin economic growth.

We open with the launch of the Pacific Ocean Initiative, a timely and far-reaching commitment to safeguarding coastal and marine biodiversity. For Pacific economies, the ocean is both heritage and future — central to livelihoods, food security and sustainable development. This initiative reflects a growing regional resolve to align environmental stewardship with long-term economic opportunity.

Infrastructure resilience is another defining focus of this issue. In Resilience by Design: Realising the Pacific Infrastructure Principles, we explore how governments, financiers and industry are translating policy into practice. From climate adaptation to inclusive design, the emphasis is shifting decisively toward infrastructure that is built not just to serve today, but to endure tomorrow.

Business leadership and enterprise were on full display in Suva, where more than 700 guests gathered for Fiji’s 33rd Prime Minister’s International Business Awards. The evening celebrated innovation, resilience and excellence across sectors, reaffirming the private sector’s critical role in driving growth, employment and regional confidence amid global uncertainty.

We also examine reform efforts in New Caledonia, where moves to boost economic attractiveness and modernise business administration signal a clear intent to streamline processes, improve regulatory certainty and foster a more competitive investment environment. These changes echo a broader regional push to make it easier to do business while maintaining transparency and trust.

Together, these stories reflect a Pacific region thinking strategically about its future — balancing growth with sustainability, ambition with resilience, and reform with opportunity. As always, Pacific Business Review is proud to provide a platform for informed dialogue on the issues shaping business and policy across Oceania.

Thank you for reading, and welcome to the first issue of 2026.