Pacific Islands News Roundup – February 26 – March 4, 2026

Political Leadership and Regionalism, Peace and Security

• Baules Responds to U.S. Entry Ban, Rejects Corruption Claims and Defends Senate’s Oversight Role (Island Times)
  
• Pro-independence camp nixes French Senate-adopted ‘State of New Caledonia’ (Pacific Island Times)
  
• ‘We’re not interested in being guinea pigs out here;” Guam bucks US plans to accelerate deep-sea mining (Pacific Island Times)
  
• US Visa Restrictions leave 60 Tongan students stranded despite scholarship offers (Matangi Tonga)
  
• Sea level rise could redefine sovereignty, but Pacific leaders are pushing back (Pasifika Environews)
  
• A lack of direction and purpose could cause proposed Tokelau referendum to flounder (ABC/Audio Report)
  
• Include PNG in evacuation plans in Middle East, Marape requests (National PNG)
  
• Whistleblower claims and airport arrest: Fiji critic’s case escalates anti-corruption crisis (PMN)
  
• NZ Customs Minister says aid to the Pacific should eventually end and become investment (PMN)
  
• US military expansion in the Marianas enters new phase (RNZ)
  
• Tuvaluan legal scholars explore constitutional reform and storytelling at Auckland law event (PMN)
  
• Fiji Law Society raises alarm over President’s inaction on Judicial Services Commission advice (Fiji Times)
  
• Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu governments issue advisories amid US-Israeli strikes on Iran (RNZ)
  
• ‘Global instability is not abstract for us:’ How the Gulf crisis becomes a personal matter for Guam and CNMI (Pacific Island Times)
  
• Dr Aqorau warns Middle East conflict will hit Pacific, calls for ‘Ocean of Peace’ (Post Courier)
  
• Visa overstays soar in Fiji (FBC)

People-Centered Development

• Palau Senate Unanimously Passes Education Reform Bill to Restore National Testing and Strengthen Palauan Language (Island Times)
  
• Cook Islands to pilot world-first eye health survey in the Pacific (Cook Islands News)
  
• Palau Families Battle High Costs for Food Security, Jodean Says: ‘Plant Now for the Future Harvest’ (Island Times)
  
• Guam delegate proposes return of ‘excess lands’ to original owners (Pacific Island Times)
  
• $540m health upgrade: World Bank reveals major Fiji hospital and clinic projects (Fiji Times)
  
• Ciguatera fish poisoning outbreak in Vanuatu (Vanuatu Daily Post)
  
• Cook Islands leads Pacific with world-first digital registry (Cook Islands News)
  
• Women Drive Cocoa Agribusiness Success In Solomon Islands’ Malaita Province (In-depth Solomons)
  
• Celebrating ‘Olelo Hawaii: The Native Hawaiian Language is thriving on Kauai and Niihau (The Garden Island)
  
• Japan provides US$4.2m polio lifeline to Papua New Guinea (RNZ)
  
• Recovery efforts continue in Fiji as schools remain closed following Cyclone Urmil (PMN)
  
• Hawaii: French Polynesia strengthens its partnerships for audiovisual and youth (France Info)

Climate Change and Disasters, Ocean and Environment

• Pacific nations would be paid only thousands for deep sea mining, while mining companies set to make billions, new research reveals (Pasifika Environews/Greenpeace)
  
• Japan is considering burying nuclear waste on uninhabited Pacific island (Tahiti Infos)
  
• Tahiti surpasses 50% renewable energy (Tahiti Infos)
  
• Pacific to host key COP31 climate events (Islands Business)
  
• ‘We all got poisoned’: Yigo residents air concern as dieldrin claims against GovGuam near 300 (Guam PDN)
  
• US builds ties with Tonga on deep-sea mining study (Pacific Island Times)
  
• Marshall Islands nuclear legacy threatens Pacific communities decades later (Te Ao Maori News)
  
• How Can We Unlock Climate Progress in Difficult Times? Leading Experts Weigh In (World Resources Institute)
  
• AI-powered whale spotting tool teams up with Matson shipping (HPR/Audio Report)
  
• Solomon Islands Marks World Wildlife Day with Focus on Medicinal Plants and Conservation (SIBC)

Resources and Economic Development, Technology and Connectivity

• ‘A global energy crisis’: Fuel price hike looms for Pacific amid Middle East conflict (RNZ)
  
• New Caledonia: Congress amends its mining code to facilitate the reopening of a factory (Tahiti Infos)
  
• ‘I don’t want to travel anymore’: Samoa government urged to reconsider airport fee hike (RNZ)
  
• Bougainville government takes control of copper assets (Islands Business)
  
• Tonga PM signs subsea geothermal MoU with US firm at Pacific summit (Talanoa O’ Tonga)
  
• It’s up to Samoa: Australia Foreign Affairs Minister Wong on labour mobility (Samoa Observer)
  
• US Army Corps of Engineers to take more active role in Micronesia (Marianas Business Journal)
  
• Airport: Guam-Cebu flights cancelled due to few passengers (Guam PDN)
  
• Luganville, Vanuatu Begins Town Beautification Plan (VBTC)
  
• Private sector key to sustainable growth, says Vanuatu representative at Hawaii Summit (Vanuatu Daily Post)
  
• PNG Deputy Prime Minister Rosso calls for stronger US investment presence in PNG (PNG Today)

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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