Cleaqn water shortage hits South Pacific ... Tokelau and Tuvalu in trouble. Photo: Salient News

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Alex Perrottet of Pacific Media Watch

“Water, water, every where, nor any drop to drink.”

The words of Samuel Taylor Coleridge are echoing in the ears of Pacific Islanders currently as they deal with the drought.

Worst hit is the New Zealand-administered territory of Tokelau as well as Tuvalu. Read more »

Samoan Prime Minister Tuilaepa Lupesoliai Sa'ilele Malielegaoi with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard at the Pacific Islands Forum earlier this month. Tuilaepa is a prime mover of the proposed new Polynesian group. Photo: Alex Perrottet / PMC

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By John Andrews for Scoop

New Zealand may be invited to join Pacific Island countries in a ginger group promoting Polynesia’s interests.

For years the idea of a Polynesian-oriented grouping has been debated by Polynesian leaders at the annual Pacific Islands Forum summit. Now a few of them have decided to do something about it.

At the behest of Samoa’s Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sa’ilele Malielegaoi, one of the prime movers pushing for the formation of the group, five leaders met privately in the City Life Hotel on the eve of the forum summit in Auckland earlier this month. Read more »

Pacific seasonal workers in New Zealand ... key economic contribution. Photo: Cathnews

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Taberannang Korauaba

Celebrating the achievements of the recognised seasonal employment scheme may not be top of the agenda for news media – except for negative issues. But there are strong positives for the Pacific.

Examples of negative media reports have included linking the scheme to comments such as “people smuggling” abroad.

Yet there is evidence that more than 7000 Pacific people involved in the scheme have financially benefitted through “remittances”. Read more »

Fiji Prime Minister Commodore Voreqe 'Frank' Bainimarama. Photo: Scoop

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Alex Perrottet of Pacific Media Watch

In a clear display of Melanesian unity leading up to the Pacific Islands Forum, 11 Pacific nations have gathered to attend the Engaging Fiji meeting in Nadi.

Similar to last year’s meeting at Natadola before the PIF meeting in Vanuatu, Fiji has not only garnered support for its aims but leaders appear to have  agreed on a united front before attending the wider Pacific meeting in Auckland next week.

Fiji’s status is likely to be a point of discussion for the region’s leaders in Auckland, however it remains suspended from the Forum with its only representatives being the rugby players who will receive the focus of attention when the Rugby World Cup kicks off at the end of the week. Read more »

NZ Prime Minister John Key’s chairmanship of the Pacific Islands Forum ... under a cloud over criticism of the forum’s accountability and NZ’s development aid policies. Photo: Alexander Winkler/PMC

“If the the forum’s leaders had implemented half the commitments they had made, the Pacific Islands would be the best run countries on earth. Alas, in general, neither is true and the commitments are rarely kept.”  – Dr Roman Grynberg

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Alexander Winkler

While New Zealand Prime Minister John Key was talking up the importance of the Pacific Islands Forum this week, an article by a former executive criticising the organisation’s procedures and demanding more accountability from the leaders has caused ripples ahead of next month’s summit in Auckland.

The publication of an article by the forum’s former director of economic governance, Dr Roman Grynberg,  in the latest edition of Fiji-based  Islands Business magazine, has challenged the views of Key in a speech at Auckland University yesterday.

In an address about the Pacific Plan, Key emphasised the importance of sustainable economic development in the Pacific. Read more »

Oxfam launched its GROW campaign for the Pacific in Auckland. Featured in the street theatre are "trader" Tim McPoland and "farmer" Maria Vai. Photo: Glenn Welch

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Yvonne Brill

The Pacific region is at risk of falling victim to a “broken food system” with supplies being hit by environmental crises such as climate change, says Oxfam in a new global campaign.

Barry Coates, executive director of Oxfam New Zealand, said there was a growing global crisis in the world’s food system.

This view was supported by evidence from a new report released yesterday in conjunction with the launch of Oxfam’s GROW campaign. Read more »

Green MP Keith Locke watches a student-produced video at AUT's "digital fale" at the Pasifika Festival in Auckland at the weekend. Photo: Yvonne Brill/PMC

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Yvonne Brill of the Pacific Media Centre

Green MP Keith Locke says New Zealand should ‘take a stand’ and plan ahead to support climate change refugees from the Pacific.

New Zealand needs to take climate change far more seriously, he believes. A massive earthquake on Friday unleashed a 10m tsunami that battered the north-east coast of Japan, triggered a nuclear plant emergency and caused devastation as far as Hawai’i and the west coast of California.

Locke also says Pacific tertiary students should not be “penalised” by coming to New Zealand. Read more »

Cars swept away in dramatic tsunami scenes in Sendai, north-eastern Japan. Photo: RT

Pacific Scoop:
Report – By Pacific Media Watch

Many South Pacific countries and territories have lifted tsunami warnings after Japan’s catastrophic 8.9 magnitude earthquake, but Tahiti is still ordering many residents to stay ashore.

The death toll from Friday’s 8.9 magnitude earthquake reached 202 on Saturday in nine prefectures, including Tokyo, with the toll likely to rise to well over 1000 as some areas suffered devastating damage, according to the National Police Agency.

Emergencies were declared at two nuclear power plants crippled by the quake. Read more »

Top journalism graduate: Lenny Delavera of the Solomon Islands, winner of the Fiji Sun/Newsroom Tanoa Award at the University of the South Pacific prize-giving event last night. Photo: Fiji Sun

Pacific Scoop:
Report – Special correspondent in Suva

The University of the South Pacific takes its role as leading journalism educator in the region seriously – and continuously invests in learning and teaching, the annual student journalism awards event heard last night.

Outlining plans to improve facilities and further boost teaching capacity, the head of journalism at USP, Shailendra Singh, said a teaching assistant would be recruited and renovations to a broadcast lab were in the pipeline.

“This will mean more one-on-one support for students and an improved broadcasting studio,” said Singh. Read more »

Pacific Press Release |  The University of the South Pacific

The New Zealand Acting Head of Mission Mr Phillip Taula and Vice Chancellor and President of the University of the South Pacific, Professor Rajesh Chandra, have signed a Partnership Funding Agreement which confirmed New Zealand’s funding support to the USP for the 2010-2012.
Read more »