News Roundup

Pacific Islands News Roundup – February 12 – 18, 2026

Political Leadership and Regionalism, Peace and Security

  • Henry Puna to lead Pacific Islands Development Program in Hawaii (RNZ)
  • Population decline in FSM and RMI (Island Times)
  • Nauru president proposes changing country’s name to Naoero (RNZ)
  • Marines may stay in Okinawa as Guam’s role potentially shifts toward logistics hub (Guam Daily Post)
  • Solomon Islands eyes free trade deal with China (Island Sun)
  • PNG Among World’s Most Corrupt Nations Ahead of 2027 Poll (PNG Today)
  • At the UN, Guterres defends independence in Pacific and beyond (Tahiti Infos)
  • Overwhelming opposition to proposed removal of native-only restriction for Guam’s political status vote (Guam PDN)
  • Official documents reveal friction between NZ and Cook Islands over Russian vessels (RNZ)
  • Tonga Immigration says it has no intel on US overstayers, detainees or deportations (Matangi Tonga)
  • Lawsuit seeks emergency halt to plan to accept U.S. deportees in Palau (Island Times)
  • Police chief warns of emerging drug threat as Pacific trafficking routes pass through Tonga (Matangi Tonga)
  • Samoa Observer remains banned (PACNEWS/Savali Newspaper)
  • Fiji to restore permanent presence in Auckland – diplomat (RNZ)
  • ‘No island is too small to make an impact’: Germany builds closer ties with Tonga, seals diplomacy with Niue (Pacific Island Times)
  • Fiji recognised for justice Innovation at Commonwealth meeting (Islands Business)

People-Centered Development

  • Alingano Maisu begins six-month voyage celebrating legacy of Micronesian navigation (Island Times)
  • PNG’s population crisis: Unplanned pregnancies straining national services (NBC PNG)
  • Fiji fast-tracks needle programme as new study shows HIV cases surging at record pace (PMN)
  • Civic education adapted to Polynesia (Tahiti Infos)
  • Palau makes Ship for World Youth debut with diverse team of young leaders (Island Times)
  • Canoe culture keeps developing (Marshall Islands Journal)
  • Proposal to ease doctor shortage in Guam with foreign medical graduates gets public hearing (Guam PDN)
  • Digital Lifeline: New app helps Sāmoans abroad reclaim their heritage (PMN)
  • Micronesian veterans are finally getting attention … but we’ll wait and see (Pacific Island Times)
  • String Of ‘Devastating’ Suicides In Hawaiʻi Prisons Continues (Civil Beat)
  • Fiji wins Miss Pacific Islands 2026 (FBC)
  • PNG government apologises for Port Moresby evictions, pledges permanent relocation plan (RNZ)

Climate Change and Disasters, Ocean and Environment

  • What’s killing Guamanians? The island is tainted with 25 types of toxic chemicals (Pacific Island Times)
  • Pacific Youth Climate Solutions Gain Momentum After COP30 (Happy Eco News)
  • Vanuatu Climate Envoy Regenvanu urges nations to stand firm after US push to drop UN climate motion (ABC/Audio Report)
  • American Bar Association backing Pacific territories’ fight against deep-sea mining (Island Times)
  • Deep Sea Mining advances, but science and global rules lag behind (Pasifika Environews)
  • Tuvalu and Solomon Islands ratify the Pacific Resilience Facility Treaty (Pasifika Environews)
  • Global climate law shifts after Pacific islands push historic rulings (Pacific Island Times)
  • One of oldest Hawaiian honeycreepers discovered and then released on Big Island (Maui Now)
  • Reusable tableware in French Polynesia: a rule far from being applied everywhere (Tahiti Infos)
  • Palau Women train in giant clam farming to boost sustainability and local economies (Island Times)
  • $4.6M coral reef restoration project in American Samoa to begin in early 2026 (Talanei)

Resources and Economic Development, Technology and Connectivity

  • Papua New Guinea one step away from being blacklisted, global money laundering watchdog warns (RNZ)
  • The Chinese market is taking off again for Tahiti and its islands (Tahiti Infos)
  • Samoa considers national minimum wage (Islands Business/Samoa Observer)
  • Lawmakers push for more transparency on Green Fee fund allocations (HPR)
  • Guam Governor Leon Guerrero delivers final address, touting economic endurance, lasting changes, and future development (MBJ Guam)
  • Innovative citizenship programme is already benefiting nation: Nauru President (Island Times)
  • Palau Health Care Fund Pushes for Independence from Social Security (Island Times)
  • Solomons Ministry of Infrastructure Development secures grants from ADB for design of major road projects (Island Sun)
  • Port Vila and Santo Airports set for major revamp (Vanuatu Daily Post)
  • WTO ministerial spotlights digital trade, revenue concerns for Pacific islands (Pacific Island Times)
  • Philippine Airlines expands Palau (Islands Business)
  • Pacific Resilience Facility to strengthen sugar industry (FBC)

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.

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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