Inside the battle for top job that will decide the future of deep-sea mining
Marking a pivotal moment for the fate of the barely known ecosystems on the ocean floor, 168 nations will decide this week who will head the International Seabed Authority
Parts of Tonga without internet after cables damaged and Starlink ordered to cease operations
The island networks of Vava’u and Haʻapai were cut more than two weeks ago following damage to the undersea cable
Mapped: the vast network of security deals spanning the Pacific, and what it means
Guardian analysis shows web of agreements between Pacific countries and Australia, US and China, as experts raise concerns over rising militarisation
June 2024
‘Woke mumbo jumbo’: Sydney barrister says he will lobby King of Tonga in fight against Newington College coed shift
Exclusive: Dallas Morgan sends impassioned email to old boys updating them on ‘embarrassing saga’ and telling them to ‘never give up’
Tongan Olympic kitefoiler JJ Rice dies in diving accident at age of 18
JJ Rice, who had been chosen to represent Tonga at the Paris Olympics, has died in a diving accident. He was 18
For years the best-known Tongan on Australian TV was played by Chris Lilley. At last Pasifika artists are being recognised
Winnie Dunn
It’s an honour to be the first Tongan writer to publish a novel in Australia – but why did it take so long for our mob to get here?
November 2023
Finding my siblings helped me feel whole, when so much of me was described as ‘half’
When she was little, Paulina Fusitu’a was warned to be careful who she married – she had a half brother out there somewhere. Then a photograph came in the mail
September 2023
Pacific project
Biden pledges more aid to Pacific islands to counter growing Chinese influence
Pacific project
Biden seeks to win over Pacific leaders as Solomon Islands turns back on talks
August 2023
Pacific project
Hoodies sell out in Tonga as El Niño brings wintry chill
Pacific project
China’s hospital ship visits Tonga amid growing competition in the Pacific
July 2023
Pacific project
Pacific pulling power: western leaders rush to region in effort to counter China
Week of visits by Emmanuel Macron, Antony Blinken and Lloyd Austin underlines concerns over Beijing’s growing influence
Pacific project
Antony Blinken calls China’s behaviour in the Pacific ‘problematic’ on visit to Tonga
US secretary of state says China’s investments need to be transparent as Washington and Beijing jostle for influence in the region
From Rita Ora to Daryl Maguire via Margaret Court: the curious links and unsung lives of Australia’s honorary consuls
It’s generally a low-profile job, especially when you are representing San Marino. But occasionally honorary consuls burst into the spotlight
May 2023
US set to open Tonga embassy in May as Pacific push ramps up
Top east Asia diplomat says Washington also in talks with Vanuatu and Kiribati on proposed embassies, amid concerns about China’s presence in region
April 2023
Tonga volcano explosion equalled most powerful ever US nuclear test
Scientists calculate 2022 eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano released 1,000 times more energy than Hiroshima bomb
January 2023
Pacific project
‘Is there going to be another tsunami?’: Tonga in limbo a year after volcano eruption
The eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai caused devastation across the Pacific island nation that remains ongoing a year later
November 2022
China holds talks on policing with Pacific island officials
Two countries said their police chiefs were unable to attend video meeting chaired by Chinese and Solomon Islands ministers
July 2022
Man hospitalised without Medicare after being set ablaze shows precarity of Pacific Island fruit pickers
The Pacific project
Smiles and unity at the Pacific Islands Forum mask tough questions shelved for another day
