Tagata o te Moana for 29 September 2018

The Minister of Foreign Affairs says the importance of the Pacific to New Zealand's security and well-being should not be underestimated; The Pacific Islands have continued to draw the world's attention to their plight from climate change at the United Nations General Assembly this week; An investigation into allegations of corruption in Tokelau has been prevented by a backlog of unaudited government accounts; The non-government group, Jubilee Australia, wants Bougainvilleans to discard any plans to re-start the Panguna mine, which was at the centre of the civil war; The royal visit to Fiji next month has raised eyebrows coming within weeks of Fiji's general election; A delegation from the regional technical organisation the SPC or Pacific Community, has traveled to Germany with the hope of sparking a biogas inittiatives in the region; A medical trial in Solomon Islands has found it's possible to safely treat large populations for trachoma and scabies simultaneously, and; Enormous funding demands could trip up a proposed Pacific-based Super Rugby team before it gets off the ground.