News Roundup

Pacific Islands News Roundup – March 12 – 18, 2026

Political Leadership and Regionalism, Peace and Security

  • Helen Clark: The Cook Islands-New Zealand standoff ‘concerning but not beyond repair’ (PMN)
  • Samoan leader calls out great power ‘bullying’ as hosts NZ prime minister (PACNEWS)
  • Solomon Islands foreign minister quits and moves to topple PM (PMN)
  • NZ, Samoa vow to combat flow of drugs through Pacific ‘super highway’ (RNZ)
  • New Zealand pledges $30m support as PM Luxon visits Tonga (Talanoa O’ Tonga)
  • NZ cuts visa fees for Pacific (Islands Business)
  • Matai title debacle was a miscommunication says Luxon (Samoa Observer)
  • Niue sets 02 May election date as Assembly to be dissolved (PACNEWS)
  • The Supreme Court takes up a Guam munitions case with high stakes for CHamoru lands (Grist)
  • PNG PM Marape boasts of strong economic growth as GDP set to pass K130 billion (Papua New Guinea Today)
  • Papua New Guinea launches foreign policy blueprint amid rapid global change (RNZ)
  • Military exercises planned for June and July in Guam (MBJ Guam)
  • Fiji Parliament Approves University Reform Bill Amid Opposition Objections (Mai TV)
  • Local elections in New Caledonia: Radicals lead in the first round (Tahiti Infos)
  • Neighbor Islands Could See A Rare Political Win In The Legislature (Civil Beat)

People-Centered Development

  • Visa Ban Forces Tonga Football Team to Turn to Diaspora Players in the U.S. (The New Atoll)
  • ‘He Gave Everything To Save Nothing’: Firefighter’s Family Wants Change (Civil Beat)
  • Harvard-led study traces Palau ancestry back nearly 3,000 years (Pacific Island Times)
  • Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine wants more action on drugs (RNZ)
  • Fiji’s sexual assault stats reveal alarming trend (Islands Business)
  • HIV cases could reach 9,000 – Fiji Assistant Health Minister tells Parliament (Fiji Times)
  • ‘This is our whenua’: Pasifika Festival brings together culture and colour (RNZ)
  • PNG’s Marape pushes for end to polygamy (Islands Business)
  • Families Want Playground Access. They Could Get A Criminal Record Instead (Civil Beat)
  • North Malaita rural communities walk 8km to reach health services (Island Sun)
  • Palau Retirees Push ‘Community Bridge’ to Bolster Elder Care Without Uprooting Traditions (Island Times)

Climate Change and Disasters, Ocean and Environment

  • Vanuatu’s barefoot volcanologist makes his mark (ABC/Audio Report)
  • UN experts ‘gravely concerned’ about attempts to block Vanuatu’s climate resolution (RNZ)
  • Cracks appear in Runit Dome amid sea level rise in Marshall Islands (ABC)
  • North Shore Oʻahu Farmers Search For Answers In The Kona Storm Wreckage (Civil Beat)
  • Regional agency heads meet over environment issues (Islands Business)
  • FSM advances disaster readiness with its first sovereign humanitarian warehouse in Palikir (Islands Business)
  • Invasive species threaten unique forests (Cook Islands News)
  • PISFCC Director warns ICJ climate ruling alone won’t protect vulnerable communities (Pasifika Environews)
  • Palau President warns Guam, CNMI about deep-sea mining: ‘Don’t hurt your brother’ (Island Times)
  • Social media ‘has changed who becomes visible during a disaster’ in Fiji, researcher says (RNZ)
  • Health issues increased as Ambae volcanic activity continues (Vanuatu Daily Post)
  • Feral cats and rats now ‘everywhere’ on Tinian, as military-backed conservation expands across Marianas (RNZ)

Resources and Economic Development, Technology and Connectivity

  • Pacific Island governments warn against panic buying as Middle East conflict threatens fuel supply (RNZ)
  • Gas cartel? Attorney general to launch probe into ‘coordinated’ gas price hike on Guam (Pacific Island Times)
  • ‘Relief is crucial’: White House considering temporarily waiving Jones Act (Pacific Daily News)
  • Marshall Islands digital currency debuts this month in limited form (RNZ)
  • Mokulele parent company plans to use all-electric aircraft interisland (HPR)
  • Air NZ fuel crisis cancels travel for tens of thousands; stark warning for Tonga (Kaniva Tonga)
  • Airfield blockades in New Caledonia: Air Calédonie places half of its employees on furlough (Tahiti Infos)
  • Fiji tourism earnings hit $2.81 billion in 2025 (Fiji Times)
  • Leon Guerrero wraps up ‘whirlwind tour’ trade mission to Taiwan (Marianas Business Journal)
  • Seaweed farming attracts more Malaita communities in SI (Island Sun)
  • Vanuatu-New Caledonia trade vessel start operations next month (Vanuatu Business Review)
  • Guam AI task force holds first meeting, regulation recommendations due within 2 years (Guam PDN)

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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