New Caledonia has signed the third tranche of a French state-guaranteed loan as part of a broader economic and social restructuring package aimed at restoring public finances and supporting essential services. The agreement was signed on May 29 by French High Commissioner Jacques Billant and New Caledonia government member in charge of the economy and ...

Customs leaders from 24 Pacific administrations will gather in Fiji this week for the 28th Annual Conference of the Oceania Customs Organisation, focusing on strengthening border security, facilitating trade and supporting economic growth across the region. The conference, to be held from June 2 to 4 under Fiji's chairmanship of the Oceania Customs Org...

PNG DataCo Limited, under the leadership of Chief Executive Officer Paul Komboi, on 28 May has signed a series of strategic agreements with the Morobe Provincial Government (MPG), marking a major milestone in the province’s journey toward becoming Papua New Guinea’s leading digitally enabled sub-national government. The agreements, signed at Parliament...

Fiji has enacted its first comprehensive tourism legislation, replacing the Hotel and Guest Houses Act 1973 with a broader regulatory framework aimed at supporting the long-term growth, governance and sustainability of one of the country’s most important economic sectors. The Tourism Bill No. 10 of 2026 was passed into law on May 28, establishing the n...

The Fiji government is stepping up efforts to reduce the country’s rice import bill while strengthening food security and supporting local farmers through a series of agricultural initiatives. The government said immediate measures are being implemented to increase local rice production and reduce reliance on imported rice. These include expanding r...

Farmers from the Labuhila Coffee Farmers Association participated in a hands-on training session in Lumakanji, Guadalcanal, aimed at improving coffee production and increasing income opportunities. The training, held on May 18 and 19, was funded through the Solomon Islands Agriculture Rural Transformation (SIART) Project under the Ministry of Agricultu...

Agriculture and Livestock Development Minister Franklyn Derek Wasi has received a courtesy call from Karen Mapusua, director of the Land Resources Division at the Pacific Community, at the ministry’s headquarters in Honiara. Mapusua and her team are in Solomon Islands to support the country as it assumes the chairmanship of the Pacific Heads of Agricul...

The Fiji government has welcomed the announcement made following the Quad Foreign Ministers Meeting confirming support for the development of Fiji’s ports. The Quad comprises the United States, Australia, India and Japan. In a statement, the Fiji government said the development and modernization of the country’s port infrastructure remains a key nat...

Kalo Gold Corp. says it has completed almost half of a high-resolution airborne magnetic survey at its Vatu Aurum gold project in Fiji, as the company advances exploration targeting across the 367 square kilometre project area on Vanua Levu. The company said 2,764 line-kilometres of the planned 6,212 line-kilometre heli-magnetic survey had been complet...

Sandvik on 26 May launched AutoMine® Aura, a first-of-its-kind underground mining automation platform fully engineered for the future. The release represents the most significant evolution of AutoMine® since its introduction more than 20 years ago. AutoMine® Aura transforms every layer of the AutoMine® platform, delivering full situational awareness wi...

Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown has called for greater financial support for Pacific renewable energy transitions, describing the shift away from imported fuel as an economic security strategy rather than a climate concession. Speaking at the 59th Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank, or ADB, in Samarkand, Brown said Pacific Island count...

The Vanuatu government says it remains committed to rebuilding national carrier Air Vanuatu but warned that future financial support for the airline must be accompanied by major structural reforms to prevent further losses. The issue was raised during oral questions in the first ordinary session of the 2026 Parliament after Malekula Member of Parliamen...

The Metals Company, or TMC, says it is advancing plans for commercial-scale polymetallic nodule recovery in the Pacific Ocean following new regulatory and operational milestones linked to its deep-sea mining projects in the Clarion-Clipperton Zone. In a first quarter corporate update, TMC announced that it had signed a commercial agreement with offshor...

Fiji is strengthening its presence in global trade discussions while advancing Pacific priorities through increased engagement with international and regional trade partners, according to Minister for Foreign Affairs and External Trade Sakiasi Ditoka. Speaking in Parliament, Ditoka said Fiji participated in the 14th World Trade Organization Ministerial...

The Parliament of the Cook Islands has formally declared itself an AI-enabled legislature, becoming one of the first parliaments in the Pacific to adopt artificial intelligence tools aimed at improving transparency, efficiency and public access to parliamentary services. The initiative was supported by the United Nations Development Programme through t...

The Solomon Islands government has officially launched a five-year Japan-backed agricultural research project aimed at strengthening national food security through improved sweet potato production systems and seedling management. The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, or MALD, last week welcomed Japanese researchers and partner institut...

NADI, Fiji — Senior officials from the Republic of Korea and Pacific Islands Forum members reinforced commitments to deepen regional cooperation on climate action, maritime affairs, fisheries and economic resilience during the 8th Korea–Pacific Islands Senior Officials’ Meeting held in Nadi on May 21. The meeting brought together representatives from t...

The Pacific Tourism Organisation has selected Fiji as the host of the South Pacific Tourism Exchange, or SPTE, in 2027 following a vote by the organisation’s Board of Directors during a meeting in Nadi last week. The decision came after the board considered expressions of interest from Fiji and Tahiti Tourisme to host the Pacific region’s flagship tour...

The Government of Fiji is advancing a strategic economic reform partnership with the United States through the Millennium Challenge Corporation compact development process, with planned reforms targeting ports infrastructure and the business regulatory environment. Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka told Parliament that the recently signed agreement betwee...

The Solomon Islands government has called for stronger regional cooperation to improve aviation safety and security across the Pacific during the opening of the 22nd Pacific Aviation Safety Office, or PASO, Council Meeting and Annual General Meeting in Honiara. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Solomon Islands Minister for Communication and Aviation Fr...

The Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) and Steamships Trading Company (Steamships) are pleased to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) establishing a framework for collaboration between ABG institutions, traditional land custodians and Steamships. The MOU follows a longstanding series of consultative engagements between tra...

A livestock outreach programme conducted by the Solomon Islands Agriculture and Rural Transformation, or SIART, initiative is helping strengthen food security and improve farming practices in rural communities across Makira Province. Through activities including livestock outreach, agribusiness support and extension services, the programme aims to buil...

The Union of Hotels of New Caledonia has signed a statement of intent with the New Caledonian government to support preparations for the 14th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture, or FESTPAC, scheduled to be held in the French Pacific territory in 2028. The agreement was signed on May 21 by Mickaël Forrest and Philippe Etwiller as part of broader effor...

Papua New Guinea has strengthened its push to become a regional leader in sustainable ocean industries following the successful hosting of the inaugural 2026 Melanesian Ocean Summit at APEC Haus in Port Moresby from May 11–14. Held under the theme “Ensuring Ocean Protection with Sustainable Ocean Economies,” the four-day summit brought together Pacific...