- Fiji has extended the state of natural disaster, declared after Cyclone Winston, for another 30 days to enable foreign assistance to continue its support for the recovery effort.
- The Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, Manasseh Sogavare, accepted the invitation to host the fourth summit of the Pacific Island Development Forum this year, the first to be held outside of Fiji.
- The Lowy Institute’s outgoing Melanesia Program Director, Jenny Hayward-Jones, has published a valedictory paper titled The Future of Papua New Guinea: Old Challenges for New Leaders. The paper discusses the potential for Australian aid to invest in the youth of PNG.
- Jenny also spoke on the ABC's Pacific Beat about the Paper. You can listen here.
- The New Zealand Institute for Pacific Research was launched this week, and will be based at the University of Auckland.
- The 6th Biennial Conference of the Australian Association for Pacific Studies takes place at The Cairns Institute in early April. Details, including panel topics, can be found here.
- The World Food Program and the National Disaster Centre in Papua New Guinea are using mobile phones to improve survey data on food security throughout the country.
- Sally Andrews writes on the thorny issue of land reform in Papua New Guinea.
- Women in Vanuatu are marching today to call for an end to gender-based violence in the country, following the abduction and assault of a woman who expressed her views on Facebook about elements of the tourism industry.
- The Facebook page Humans of Papua New Guinea is a great way to hear about stories and work of individuals in PNG.
- New Zealand’s horticulture and viticulture industries are increasingly relying on workers from the Pacific Islands under the Recognised Seasonal Employee scheme.
- Australia’s equivalent scheme has endured difficulties, and this piece from Richard Curtain on the DevPolicy blog looks at the lessons Australia could learn from New Zealand’s success: