A leading New Zealand judge and advocate for women's rights has urged Pacific governments to put more effort into ensuring women play a full role in society.
Speaking at a conference of Pacific Women , Dame Silvia Cartwright, who is also New Zealand's former Governor-General, said that a country which doesn't make the most of its women is wasting a valuable resource.
She drew a comparison with oil reserves and asked if Pacific countries discovered oil would they let it seep away.
Earlier, the SPC's Director-General, Jimmie Rodgers, told delegates at the meeting in Noumea in New Caledonia that they had a collective responsibility to hasten the progress towards the goal of gender equality and equity.