News Roundup

Pacific Islands News Roundup – December 5 – 11, 2025 

Political Leadership and Regionalism, Peace and Security

  • Kanak pro-independence leader Christian Téin back in New Caledonia (RNZ)
  • Bougainville peace process enters final stage as leaders agree on 2026 roadmap (NBC PNG)
  • Gagged: media rules emerge in Samoa (Samoa Observer)
  • Lack of human rights institutions in some Pacific Islands a concern, global watchdog warns (RNZ)
  • New Zealand funding pause forces Cook Islands into early budget overhaul (Cook Islands News)
  • Former Guam delegate urges Micronesian unity to leverage US military expansion (RNZ)
  • ‘Anti-corruption’: Veto override weighed for bill restoring senators’ control of GovGuam leases over 15 years (Guam PDN)
  • ‘The only path’: Bill would let all voters choose Guam’s political status (Guam PDN)
  • Dialogue Fiji slams Referendum Bill as “one of the most draconian in history” (Fiji Times)
  • Vanuatu–PNG justice pact sets path for closer cooperation (Vanuatu Daily Post)
  • Fiji-US strengthen ties for economic growth (Islands Business)
  • HRPPs’ application to activate 10% quota for women MPs “Premature” says Samoa AG (Talamua)
  • Policy shift: CNMI governor inclined to revisit China market (Pacific Island Times)

People-Centered Development

  • From Survivor to National Leader: Afu Lia Billy’s Fight to End Gender-Based Violence (In-depth Solomons)
  • Guam Housing and Urban Renewal Authority Warned Department of War on Housing Policy Exacerbating High Rents, Homelessness (Kandit News)
  • Hawaiʻi immigration detention hotline reports over 200 calls for assistance this year (HPR)
  • Sāmoan researcher blends traditional knowledge and science to fight diabetes (PMN)
  • Fiji pushes forward on disability inclusion (FBC)
  • Building Bridges: Solomon Islands Students Find Support Through China Scholars Association (Sunday Isles)
  • Vanuatu teachers strike may roll into third year if government won’t pay – union (RNZ)
  • Study links scabies to rheumatic heart disease in Tongan children (RNZ)
  • Melvira Kazuma Breaks Barriers as Youngest Legislator in Ngchesar State, Vows to Drive Change (Island Times)
  • Top 2: Pacific dominates Miss France pageant (RNZ)
  • He Spent Funds Meant For Native Hawaiians On Polo And Porsches. The Federal Government Failed To Stop Him (Civil Beat)

Climate Change and Disasters, Ocean and Environment

  • Former Kiribati President Anote Tong on climate: ‘Our fate has already been decided’ (RNZ)
  • Am Samoa secures landmark victory, securing long-term future of the albacore fishery (Samoa News)
  • Calls to strengthen Fiji’s early warning system after sudden floods (FBC)
  • Solomon Islands to address EU Deforestation rules within existing trade framework: PM (Island Sun)
  • Vanuatu expands efforts to combat CRB with project extension (Vanuatu Daily Post)
  • Vanuatu to host first Pacific Innovation Forum on Climate & Environment in 2026 (Vanuatu Daily Post)
  • ADB approves US$80 million grant to boost urban resilience on Tongatapu (Talanoa O’ Tonga)
  • Reviving Fiji’s Garden Island, Taveuni’s Journey from Degradation to Renewal (SPREP)
  • Guam EPA warns of 11 polluted beaches (Guam PDN)
  • Beyond Beaches: Story of the Pacific’s hidden geology comes to life (PMN)
  • From Mangroves to Ancient Corals, Palau’s Youth Find Purpose in Nature (Island Times)
  • Kauaʻi grant aims to elevate sustainable tourism, cultural preservation efforts (HPR)

Resources and Economic Development, Technology and Connectivity

  • Pacific trade pact PACER Plus extended for five more years (RNZ)
  • High risk of economic losses from Cook Islands nodule extraction and sales – new study reveals (PACNEWS/Greenpeace)
  • CNMI stands to gain nothing economically from deep sea mining in federal waters (RNZ)
  • Palau’s Shift to E-Passports Gains Momentum With New Technical Review (Island Times)
  • Bangladesh workers to fill sugar labour gap in Fiji (FBC)
  • UK supercharges Fiji’s sugar exports (FBC)
  • PALM workers face job loss and visa uncertainty in Australia (FBC)
  • Island to Global Program pushes Ni-Vanuatu SMEs toward export markets (Vanuatu Business Review)
  • Solomon Islands PM defends credibility of 2026 Budget, rejects ‘alarmist’ debt claims (Island Sun)
  • China-Tonga agriculture course rounds off with 2000+ students trained (Talanoa O’ Tonga)
  • Philippine Airlines will launch new flights to three of the islands in Micronesia in the coming weeks (Marianas Business Journal)
  • New death certification training closes gaps in Vanuatu’s national health data (Vanuatu Daily Post)

Disclaimer:

The PIR seeks to include news coverage from news outlets across the Pacific, representing a diversity of coverage in the region. Please note that the inclusion of article links does not represent PIR or PIDP endorsement of the information presented in the articles.

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The Pacific Islands Report (PIR) is a project of the Pacific Islands Development Program (PIDP) at the East-West Center and the Center for Pacific Islands Studies (CPIS) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

This non-exhaustive news roundup, featuring open-access information, is organized with the thematic areas of the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent and its implementation plan.

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