Independent Analysis and Reportage
Asia Pacific Report
By Johnny Blades of RNZ Pacific Papua New Guinea’s prime minister has urged the nation to appreciate the gravity of the decision on Bougainville that Parliament is to debate this week. The PNG Parliament resumed on Tuesday and from Thursday MPs will debate whether to ratify the 97.7 percent vote by Bougainvilleans for independence in
RNZ Larger audiences across radio and digital platforms have combined with stronger trust in RNZ than other outlets, new data suggest. RNZ’s results in the closely watched GfK radio survey were released on Tuesday morning. After a fall in the first survey of the year, RNZ National bounced back up to 509,200 listeners. Commercial talk
By Johnny Blades of RNZ Pacific Papua New Guinea’s Central Province is feeling the brunt of prolonged drought caused by the El Niño weather phase. Central and the National Capital District which is located within it, is extremely dry, its communities struggling with damaged crops and water sources in short supply. Port Moresby communities meanwhile
By Talaia Mika of RNZ Pacific There will be “no more Manu Samoa” if the government does not accept a proposed World Rugby review of Lakapi Samoa (Samoa Rugby Union) and the country is subsequently sanctioned. That is the warning from Lakapi Samoa CEO Seumanu Douglas Ngau Chun. “If we get to that point, then
COMMENTARY: By David Robie, editor of Asia Pacific Report Some years ago when I headed the Pacific Media Centre that I founded at Auckland University of Technology, we ran a postgraduate internship programme at the China Daily in Beijing. It was part of a professional development exposure platform that also included Jakarta in Indonesia and
The Israel lobby wrote itself a dictionary. Governments adopted it, regulators enforced it and police made arrests under it. Then it met a judge who required evidence, and it collapsed in an afternoon. Andrew Brown on Australia’s Fagan judgment for Michael West Media. COMMENTARY: By Andrew Brown Justice Desmond Fagan’s Supreme Court decision in the
Pacific Media Watch Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned and highlighted recent attacks and obstructions committed by the Israeli military against Palestinian journalists reporting from the occupied West Bank. In a statement, RSF says this targeted violence is aimed at preventing media professionals from doing their jobs. It also condemned the documented violence by extremist
By Kaya Selby of RNZ Pacific A whale-watching boat carrying several New Zealand Anglican Church delegates capsized and sank in Tonga on Saturday. RNZ Pacific understands several passengers were briefly hospitalised, but there were no serious injuries. Paramedics from New South Wales, who were in the country for a Rotary International training event, led the
The CSG is not legally police. Yet NSW Premier Chris Minns wants its armed guards patrolling public events despite senior police warning of favouritism and social fracture. One question exposes it all: would he ever permit an armed Muslim security force? Andrew Brown reports for Michael West Media. COMMENTARY: By Andrew Brown NSW Police examined
Democracy Now! ANJALI KAMAT: This is Democracy Now!, I’m Anjali Kamat. We turn to the occupied West Bank, where Israeli settlers are continuing to lay siege on homes in the village of Qusra, south of Nablus. The siege has attracted international attention, in part because one of the homes is owned by a Palestinian American.
The “insidious fallout” of Australia’s Bondi Royal Commission is upon us. Before the Commission has even reported, the “slippery slope to eroding our freedoms has begun”, writes Jeffrey Loewenstein for Michael West Media. COMMENTARY: By Jeffrey Loewenstein As Australia’s Royal Commission into Antisemitism grinds through its 9th and final “Hearing Block”, one is now able
By Rashneel Kumar, editor of the Cook Islands News The 2026 general election was a vote for stability, says political analyst William Numanga, as preliminary results placed the governing Cook Islands Party (CIP) on track to secure a fifth consecutive term. The Mark Brown-led CIP has secured 12 seats following the preliminary count, while independent