Commentary: Trump’s Mineral Policy Offers Strategic Opportunity in the Pacific

by Wyatt J. Greco In an April 2025 executive order, President Trump affirmed that offshore critical minerals are key to creating supply chains that do not depend on adversaries like the People’s Republic of China. While US leadership on deep-sea...

NFIP activists, advocates to open nuclear-free Pacific exhibition

Asia Pacific Report Nuclear-free and independent Pacific advocates are treating Aucklanders to a lively week-long exhibition dedicated to the struggle for nuclear justice in the region. It will be opened today by the opposition Labour Party’s...

Trump’s Mineral Policy Offers Strategic Opportunity in the Pacific

Credit: FOX Sunday Morning Futures screenshot A seabed mining agreement with the island nation of Nauru would reduce China’s influence while establishing America as an industry authority This story originally was published by Real Clear Wire. By...

Faith, family, and flight: A Pacific engineer’s sky-high calling

A young Sāmoan-Cook Islands woman from Avondale, West Auckland, says her faith and career in mechanics bring hope to remote communities. Elisa Niovara currently serves with the Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), a Christian humanitarian...

MEDIA BRIEFING: Major Pacific climate report launched at COP29

Funder: This research was funded by Aotearoa New Zealand’s International Development Cooperation Programme — Ngā Hoe Tuputupu-mai-tawhiti. The views expressed in this research and associated publication are those of the authors, and are...

Analysis: Trump’s Mineral Policy Offers an Important Strategic Opportunity in the Pacific

by Wyatt J. Greco In an April 2025 executive order, President Trump affirmed that offshore critical minerals are key to creating supply chains that do not depend on adversaries like the People’s Republic of China. While US leadership on deep-sea...

Guam: Forever a Colony?

What’s taking so long? It’s been close to 500 years that Guam has been flying a foreign flag, and still there’s been no serious effort to shake loose and walk its own path. Decolonization peaked years ago - soon after World War II when long-time...

Environmental risk weighs heavily on the possible rewards of deep sea mining 

Many industry stakeholders and policymakers view deep sea mining (DSM) as a panacea for securing sufficient supplies of critical minerals, which are needed for clean energy and defense technologies. In March, the White House issued an executive...

Dr Paul R P Allsworth: The passport saga and the rising dragon

Constitutional arrangement between the realm member states, Niue, the Cook Islands and Tokelau and our realm parent, New Zealand. PAUL ALLSWORTH/25031308 The Cook Islands passport saga with New Zealand and the Comprehensive Partnership Agreement...

Unknown dangers of deep sea mining

DEEP sea mining can be done in the domestic ocean boundaries and also at the international waters. The ocean waters know no boundaries and freely flow from one country zone to anther zone. Ocean waters are highly mobile and due to strong current...

Letter: Profit over protection?

Dear Editor, Unfortunately, I was not in Mauke for Moana Minerals tour, but my husband and friends were. They have shared their thoughts and fears, and after watching the community meeting on video and reading Andrew’s letter to the editor, I...

Pacific Islands News Roundup – June 20 – June 26, 2025 

Editor’s Note: We are undergoing a web host migration process and may need to make necessary modifications to our format and frequency over the next several weeks. Thank you in advance for your understanding. Political Leadership and Regionalism,...

Hands-on livestock training held at Kumoi Farms

THE CNMI Department of Lands and Natural Resources, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community, and Australia’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry or ADAFF are training residents of Guam, Palau, and the CNMI in animal husbandry and...

US seeking deep-sea miners interested in leasing American Samoa's seabed

The U.S. is soliciting interest from prospective companies to lease American Samoa's seabed for deep-sea mining, amid a petition launched by advocacy groups seeking to halt the plan. There are only a few days left for the public to comment on the...

North Sea 'Very Unprotected' Against Russia—NATO Admiral

The North Sea is "very unprotected" and vulnerable to possible Russian sabotage attempts on critical undersea infrastructure NATO nations heavily rely on, according to a senior Dutch military official. Moscow's presence in the North Sea has...

Pacific leaders call for peace amid Middle East tensions as Melanesia eyes regional solidarity

Pacific leaders have voiced their worries about the ongoing political unrest around the world, especially the conflicts involving Iran, Israel, and the United States. The concerns were shared during a meeting of the Melanesian Spearhead Group...

Call to action for reo Māori

Poutoko Manava o te Reo Māori (Language Advisor) Raemaki Karati expressed disappointment at the lack of public and departmental support at this year’s Epetoma o te Reo Māori (Māori Language Week). MELINA ETCHES/25070711 Despite low public turnout,...

Letter: Intersection of faith and environment

Whilst visiting family in Christchurch recently, Andrew and I learned the focus of this year’s World Day of Prayer is for the Cook Islands. Friends visited to ask us to sing the Lord’s Prayer in Cook Islands Maori for them to play at their...

Top diplomat slams expats in NZ who 'lie' about bad treatment in South Africa

Johnny Sexwale, South African High Commissioner to New Zealand, Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa and Vanuatu, arrives in Apia on 24 October 2024. Photo: RICK RYCROFT South African migrants should stop "bashing" and badmouthing their home country when...

Struggling with How to Plan a Trip? These Companies Will Help

A trip is exciting. Not so exciting? The actual planning phase — especially if it's to a location you're not familiar with at all. Sure, you can do research online and ask your friends for recommendations, but there is a ton of information to sift...