A 'significant' moment for Pacific unity? Leaders keeping ‘fingers crossed’

The future of regionalism in the Pacific will be discussed and determined today within the precincts of a luxury resort on Denarau Island in Fiji.

Pacific leaders are set to officially welcome Kiribati back into the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).

This is after the Micronesian nation's decision in July last year to pull out of the Forum.

"To reunite our countries with Micronesia. That's really one thing that we really wanted, profoundly," Jean-Christophe Bouissou, Vice President of French Polynesia said.

Now Kiribati is the star attendee at the special retreat along with almost two dozen heads of government who have jetted into Nadi this week.

The message being declared loudly and proudly is repeated earnestly by leaders - the Pacific Way is well and truly alive - and punctuated with a grand celebration on Thursday complete with traditional welcomes and performances by hosts Fiji.

"Now we are complete as a family," PIF secretary-general Henry Puna responded to RNZ Pacific, when asked about the full Forum membership being back in the fold.

When probed if the talks will result in a positive outcome when the meeting concludes, Puna's response was: "Fingers crossed, everything will ride smoothly."

But the man who has been credited for his pivotal role in mending the fracture within the region is confident it is the beginning of a new era for the Forum.

Fiji's Prime Minister and outgoing PIF chair, Sitiveni Rabuka, said he is enjoying the role of being a unifying figure in the Pacific.

"The recent challenges within our Forum Family have, for me personally, reaffirmed the need for us as Leaders, to make considered efforts to invest in the leadership potential within our region," he said in his welcome remarks following a traditional Fijian reconsiliation ceremony of matanigasau.

He said this required not just any kind of leadership but an investmet in "leadership that is contextualized, to our Pacific cultures and traditions."

"We have seen how this worked in my recent visit to Kiribati, and I pray that it will also contribute to a stronger and united Forum Family now that Fiji has performed earlier today, the traditional ceremony of matanigasau, our proven and age-old ceremony of rebuilding relationships by seeking forgiveness for wrongs that have been committed."

Rabuka, who was elected to government in December, said it feels like the "good old days when he benefited from the wisdom" of past leaders.

Now it was his time to "navigate the Pacific canoe" and pass on that knowledge to his Pacific contemporaries, he said.

"It just had to happen, and I was rightly poised at the time to make it happen," Rabuka said, reflecting on the part he played to convince Kiribati to return to the Forum.

"There had to be some face saving on Fiji's part and other regional governments that might have caused the misunderstanding," he said.

"So, somebody who was not involved in creating the misunderstanding should come in and say, 'look it is just a misunderstanding, this is what we really wanted', and we get it back."

"It is a very encouraging period in my re-venture into leadership," he added.

On top of the Kiribati issue, other big decisions will also need to be made - top of the list are those that were defined in the Suva Agreement, the document that became the saving grace to stop the entire Micronesia bloc within the Forum from breaking away completely.

Leaders expect there to be no shortage of topics to discuss as they head into their retreat behind closed doors on Friday morning at the Sheraton Resort ballroom in Nadi.

The Samoan Government, for example, wants issues concerning the Pacific labour schemes to be on the table, such as the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme and New Zealand's Recognised Seasonal Employment (RSE) scheme.

Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa told RNZ Pacific that she had asked for the issue to be included on the meeting agenda.

Fiame said they want to have an open discussion about their concerns for Pacific workers.

"I mean both Australians and New Zealand [are] here as well," she said.

"It is a scheme that the region discussed so it is equally important that at this juncture with all the issues that are arising perhaps we should revisit that in a rational way."

Meanwhile, Tuvalu's prime minister is calling on the "big brothers" of the region to support their small island neighbours and help them deal with economic and environmental challenges.

Kausea Natano said his country is facing several issues, including the impacts of climate change and sharp increases in energy costs.

He said the rising fuel prices are affecting the cost of everything else on the island.

"I think Australia and New Zealand are the big brothers of the region," he said.

"We look forward to their support and also if they could assist us, all the small island countries."