CoveragePost
January 20, 2026
ANALYSIS: By Anna Kapil and Stephen Howes It is well known that the people of Bougainville want independence. In the 2019 referendum, 98.3 percent of them voted for it. And in 2025, Ishmael Touroma, a strong advocate of independence, was re-elected to the position of President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, further confirmation of ... <a title="Most UPNG students don’t want independence for Bougainville, new survey shows" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2026/01/20/most-upng-students-dont-want-independence-for-bougainville-new-survey-shows/" aria-label="Read more about Most UPNG students don’t want independence for Bougainville, new survey shows">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
June 12, 2025
By Don Wiseman, RNZ Pacific senior journalist Reports in Papua New Guinea say the governments of Bougainville and PNG have agreed to table the 2019 independence referendum results in Parliament. While discussions are ongoing, some degree of consensus has been reached during the talks, being held at Burnham Military Camp, just outside of Christchurch in ... <a title="Progress reported out of Bougainville independence talks at Burnham" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2025/06/12/progress-reported-out-of-bougainville-independence-talks-at-burnham/" aria-label="Read more about Progress reported out of Bougainville independence talks at Burnham">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
March 22, 2025
By Leah Lowonbu, Stefan Armbruster and Harlyne Joku of BenarNews The Pacific’s peak diplomatic bodies have signalled they are ready to engage with Papua New Guinea’s Autonomous Government of Bougainville as mediation begins on the delayed ratification of its successful 2019 independence referendum. PNG and Bougainville’s leaders met in the capital Port Moresby this week ... <a title="Top Pacific diplomats ready for direct talks on Bougainville independence" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2025/03/22/top-pacific-diplomats-ready-for-direct-talks-on-bougainville-independence/" aria-label="Read more about Top Pacific diplomats ready for direct talks on Bougainville independence">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
December 9, 2024
By Stefan Armbruster in Brisbane The first large-scale environmental impact assessment of Rio Tinto’s abandoned Panguna mine in Papua New Guinea has found local communities face life-threatening risks from its legacy. The independent study was initiated after frustrated landowners in PNG’s Autonomous Region of Bougainville took their longstanding grievances against Rio Tinto to the Australian ... <a title="Panguna human rights report fuels Bougainville demands for Rio Tinto-funded mine clean-up" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2024/12/09/panguna-human-rights-report-fuels-bougainville-demands-for-rio-tinto-funded-mine-clean-up/" aria-label="Read more about Panguna human rights report fuels Bougainville demands for Rio Tinto-funded mine clean-up">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
August 1, 2023
PNG Post-Courier Bougainville President Ishmael Toroama has called on Prime Minister James Marape to spell out “clearly and honestly” his fears about Bougainville obtaining independence from Papua New Guinea. Toroama made this call over the PNG government’s delay of the referendum ratification process, which has been stalled beyond the required period for Parliament to give ... <a title="‘What are you afraid of?’ Toroama asks PNG about independence vote" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2023/08/01/what-are-you-afraid-of-toroama-asks-png-about-independence-vote/" aria-label="Read more about ‘What are you afraid of?’ Toroama asks PNG about independence vote">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
July 4, 2023
RNZ Pacific Papua New Guinea’s Minister of Bougainville Affairs, Manasseh Makiba, believes an absolute majority is needed for the vote on the Bougainville referendum because it involves changing the constitution. Makiba told Parliament last month that two thirds of MPs would need to support the independence push, drawing the ire of Bougainville’s Minister of Independence ... <a title="Minister dismisses Bougainville criticism over independence vote" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2023/07/04/minister-dismisses-bougainville-criticism-over-independence-vote/" aria-label="Read more about Minister dismisses Bougainville criticism over independence vote">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
April 4, 2023
Asia Pacific Report Bougainville President Ishmael Toroama today condemned a visiting Papua New Guinean member of Parliament for “mocking” the autonomous region’s independence aspirations during a drunken exchange in Buka last week, saying that he must “atone for his blunder”. A video of Ijivitari MP David Arore allegedly abusing security guards and airport staff while ... <a title="Bougainville president slams ‘mocking’ by drunken MP over independence" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2023/04/04/bougainville-president-slams-mocking-by-drunken-mp-over-independence/" aria-label="Read more about Bougainville president slams ‘mocking’ by drunken MP over independence">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
January 12, 2023
RNZ Pacific The autonomous government in the Papua New Guinea region of Bougainville is finally organising byelections next month in two seats that have been without representation for many months. The elections, in Nissan and Haku constituencies, will be held on February 22, with nominations set to close tomorrow. The Nissan seat has been vacant ... <a title="Bougainville to hold two long-delayed byelections due to deaths of members" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2023/01/12/bougainville-to-hold-two-long-delayed-byelections-due-to-deaths-of-members/" aria-label="Read more about Bougainville to hold two long-delayed byelections due to deaths of members">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
October 29, 2022
RNZ Pacific The Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) wants to delay the next meeting of the Joint Supervisory Body with the Papua New Guinea government, claiming Port Moresby is “dragging the chain” on drawing up critical constitutional regulations.. The key focus of the ABG is on achieving independence by 2027 by the latest. This latest dispute ... <a title="Bougainville says PNG ‘dragging chain’ over independence issue" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2022/10/29/bougainville-says-png-dragging-chain-over-independence-issue/" aria-label="Read more about Bougainville says PNG ‘dragging chain’ over independence issue">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
February 20, 2022
Last week the Bougainville Autonomous Government announced an agreement had been reach with Panguna landowners to reopen the island’s controversial gold and copper mine. Once the backbone of the Papua New Guinea economy, Panguna has been idle since the civil war began more than 30 years ago — a war the mine was at least ... <a title="PNG faces dilemma over ‘momentous’ decision to reopen Bougainville’s Panguna mine" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2022/02/20/png-faces-dilemma-over-momentous-decision-to-reopen-bougainvilles-panguna-mine/" aria-label="Read more about PNG faces dilemma over ‘momentous’ decision to reopen Bougainville’s Panguna mine">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
February 16, 2022
By Gorethy Kenneth in Port Moresby The dormant Bougainville Copper Limited share value has more than doubled overnight on the Australian Stock Exchange following a resolution to reopen the rich but controversial Panguna copper mine. Landowners from the mine area and the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) signed a joint resolution last Friday to reopen the ... <a title="Panguna share value doubles overnight after landowners opt to reopen mine" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2022/02/16/panguna-share-value-doubles-overnight-after-landowners-opt-to-reopen-mine/" aria-label="Read more about Panguna share value doubles overnight after landowners opt to reopen mine">Read more</a>
CoveragePost
January 12, 2022
By Gorethy Kenneth in Port Moresby Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare has appealed to his fellow Solomon Islanders at the western border not to allow Bougainvilleans into the country. In his nation’s address last Friday, Sogavare recapped the country’s first covid-19 case recorded from a Shortland islander, dropped off by four Bougainvilleans in Shortland, ... <a title="‘Don’t enter Solomon Islands’ pleads Sogavare with Bougainvilleans" class="read-more" href="https://eveningreport.nz/2022/01/12/dont-enter-solomon-islands-pleads-sogavare-with-bougainvilleans/" aria-label="Read more about ‘Don’t enter Solomon Islands’ pleads Sogavare with Bougainvilleans">Read more</a>
