It’s the first time the Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture, which starts Thursday, will be held in Hawaii.  The Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture is the world’s largest celebration of indigenous Pacific Islanders. It occurs every four years, bringing together artists, cultural practitioners, scholars and officials from 28 countries, territories and cultural groups […] The post Opinion: FestPAC: Protecting Oceania and charting future voyages  appeared first on Islands Business ..read more

Tonga Development Bank says it is taking legal action against Tonga Police following a police search of the bank’s premises on Friday 24 May, where Police were acting on a complaint regarding an alleged breach of the Banking Act.  TDB Management, in an unsigned statement said “TDB has files legal proceedings against the Police on […] The post Tonga Development Bank claims Police warrant to search bank was unlawful appeared first on Islands Business ..read more

Vanuatu deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Matai Seremaiah, has announced that Fiji Airways is interested in connecting Port Vila to Tanna and Port Vila to Santo flights via an ATR, ensuring continued connectivity within the nation.  He revealed this during a press conference held by the Ministerial Taskforce, appointed by Prime Minister […] The post Fiji Airways interested in reviving Port Vila, Tanna and Santo flights appeared first on Islands Business ..read more

Nearly 200 people have lost their jobs as liquidators restructure Air Vanuatu to reduce the embattled airline’s operating costs.  Approximately 170 staff members have been made redundant as liquidators try to “prepare the business for sale or recapitalisation”  The airline employed 441 people prior to the liquidation, which began on 09 May.  The affected staff […] The post Air Vanuatu to lose 170 staff as liquidators try to save embattled airline appeared first on Islands Business ..read more

“We don’t have a place to stay, and we barely eat and drink. We have nothing left,” said a survivor of the landslide in Papua New Guinea’s Enga Province. Twenty-year-old Frida Yeahkal, a community member whose face was covered in mud said, “All we are asking for is for a safe place to settle in. […] The post Survivors of PNG landslide :“The stones from the mountain keep falling, we are afraid more could be killed, we don’t sleep at night” appeared first on Islands Business ..read more

Fiji faces a critical mental health crisis, with rising drug abuse cases being one of several contributing factors. Social and economic challenges, along with limited access to mental health services, are also believed to play a significant role. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has recently reported that nearly 200 million people are […] The post Opinion: Silent epidemic: The devastating impact of drugs on Fiji’s health and wellbeing appeared first on Islands Business ..read more

New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon will travel to Niue and Fiji this week (04-07 June) as New Zealand continues to sharpen its focus and engagement in the Pacific. It will be Luxon’s first visit to the region as Prime Minister.  “Niue and Fiji are two of New Zealand’s closest friends in the Pacific. The […] The post New Zealand PM Luxon heads to Niue and Fiji this week appeared first on Islands Business ..read more

French Olympic surfer, Vahine Fierro, became the first Frenchwoman to win the women’s Tahiti Pro on the waves of Teahupo’o on Wednesday, just two months before the Olympic surfing events to be held on the French Pacific island. Nearly 16,000 kilometres from the French capital, the French Pacific island, despite much previous controversy due to […] The post French surfer Fierro crowned in Tahiti Surf Event ahead of Paris 2024 appeared first on Islands Business ..read more

The Hawaii DLNR Division of Forestry and Wildlife worked with the Albizia Project to cut down more than 1,000 invasive trees — mostly albizia, macaranga, and gunpowder trees — that will be used to make 28 hale for the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture, the world’s largest celebration of indigenous Pacific Islanders.  The […] The post More than 1,000 invasive trees harvested to build village for the Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture appeared first on Islands Business ..read more

Eileen Cikamatana had to wait for her Olympic debut and now she plans to make it count.  The Fijian-born star will join Jacqueline Nichele and Kyle Bruce in Australia’s weightlifting team for Paris.  All are 24 and all will be at their first Olympics, with the biggest focus on Cikamatana.  She has won gold at […] The post Eileen Cikamatana aims to end weightlifting medal drought in Paris  appeared first on Islands Business ..read more