Media coverage of Pacific Islands is slanted, researchers say; most venues ready for 2023 Pacific Games; New Zealand told to pause on deep-sea mining; and more.
Media covering the Pacific Islands are being told to beware of colonialist attitudes, and to consider balance when tackling the topic of climate change. Photo: 123rf / File Image
Coverage of the Pacific colonialist and paternalistic - research
International media coverage of Pacific Islands issues is increasing, but the dominant narrative tends to focus on island passivity and vulnerability, recent research says.
The data was shared at the East-West Centre's recent conference for media, in Hawaii. The organisation is a research institute aimed at promoting links between the US, Asia and the Pacific.
Media had largely taken a colonial and paternalistic approach to Pacific Island stories, the conference heard.
But Pacific Conference of Churches general secretary James Bhagwan told the conference that being vulnerable did not have to mean being a victim; he said there was strength in vulnerability, as it meant ownership of a problem.
"We need to shift that meta-narrative from victimhood to one of resilience and resistance.
"The Climate Warriors shifted the narrative by saying: 'We are not drowning, we are fighting', and I think that was the beginning of a very big shift for the media to start thinking about it from another perspective - but still, we have that focus on victimhood rather that resilience and resistance."
Former Marshall Islands president Hilda Heine earlier told the conference that a "drowning Pacific Islands" theme was being over-represented in the media, and the region's efforts in promoting resilience were too often being missed.
NZ called on to think twice on deep sea mining
New Zealand's lack of support for a moratorium to halt deep sea mining activity in the Pacific is disappointing, the Deep Sea Conservation Coalition says.
A handful of vocal Pacific nations have called for a moratorium on deep sea mining, including Fiji, Palau and Samoa.
Deep Sea Conservation Coalition regional leader Phil McCabe said it was ironic that New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern had met with Pacific leaders at the Pacific Islands Forum summit while New Zealand research agency NIWA was working with The Metals Company, who plan to mine in the Pacific.
McCabe estimated that mining in the Pacific would begin in a year.
"We're calling on New Zealand to get off their hands - pull their hands out from under themselves and support the Pacific in the growing cause for a moratorium - there's a real urgency of this issue with the activity starting within the year."
Most construction for 2023 Pacific Games is done - Solomon Islands
All major venues for the 2023 Pacific Games have been built, Solomon Islands Prime Minster Manasseh Sogavare says.
Honiara is set to host the 17th Pacific Games, from 19 November to 2 December next year.
Sogavare said the Pacific Games was more than sport and draws the region together.
Almost 90 percent of the infrastructure for the Pacific Games was already ready, including projects gifted from China, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
"I can assure the other Pacific family that we took our responsibility very seriously ... and we will also provide the best environment for people to come here to put out their potentials to win medals for their countries, Sogavare said."
The games village, was said to have cost $US21.4 million, with the project bankrolled by China, and built by a building firm from China.
Money reported missing from phone credit company in Samoa
A criminal complaint has been lodged with police in Samoa over 100,000 tala which has gone missing.
The money belonged to Interlinc Samoa, a company that distributes phone credit for a local network company.
Police commissioner Auapaau Logoitino Filipo told Radio Polynesia the complaint was filed two weeks ago, and was being referred to the Criminal Investigation Division.
The owners of the company found there was an accumulation of money stolen over a period of time, the report said.
However Filipo would not comment further, as the investigation was underway.
The company was contacted for a comment.
CNMI hotel occupancy rate up
Hotel occupancy has quadrupled in the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).
The CNMI Hotel Association released the figures, and said average occupancy rate in its members' 12 hotels averaged 41 percent for June, compared to 10 percent in June 2021.
Association chairman Ivan Quichocho said the jump was largely due to athletes arriving for the 2022 Pacific Mini Games, as well as an uptick in visitors from South Korea.
There were 23,522 room nights sold, out of 56,960 available during June 2022, though they were going a bit cheaper, at an average of $138.89, compared to $144.61 last June.
two major factors played into the four-fold jump in bookings this June compared to June year ago.
Quichocho said a year ago there were no direct flights to CNMI from South Korea, but there were 54 this June, after the Tourism Resumption Investment Plan (TRIP) was launched by the government and tourism partners.
Quichocho, who is also chairman of TRIP, and a member of the Marianas Visitors Authority board of directors, called for continued support of the tourism office's work in the coming year.
"The success of TRIP Korea can be repeated, but the MVA must be supported in order to achieve that. We still have a long ways to go to recover the economy," he said.