New Zealand at higher than normal risk for cyclones from November to April season

New Caledonia, Vanuatu and northern New Zealand are at a normal to elevated risk of tropical cyclones. Fiji is forecast to see normal activity, while the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Tuvalu, Tokelau, and Wallis and Futuna are expected...

Solomon Islanders Call for Sustainable, Community-Driven Tourism

The Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO), in partnership with Tourism Solomons (TSO) and Solomon Islands Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MCT), has released the results of the 2024 Community Attitude Survey (CAS)—the first nationwide study of its...

Unprecedented pressure and resilience in Pacific media sector, new research reveals

Despite progress in the Pacific’s media sector, new research reveals it remains fragile due to digital disruption and continued loss of advertising revenue following the COVID-19 pandemic. The State of the Media: Pacific research study involved...

Auckland family plead for compassion amid proposed deportation to Tonga

Tina Veaila said the family had visited Tonga only once, briefly, when the children were young, and New Zealand is all her boys know. “My boys grew up here [in New Zealand]. They want to be here with their friends. They want to go to school, and I...

Half of Australian children, adolescents might be overweight by 2050: research

SYDNEY, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Half of Australian children and adolescents aged five to 24 are forecast to be obese or overweight by 2050, with a third expected to fall into the obesity category, according to new research published on Tuesday, the...

Minister welcomes geohazards community of scientists, experts and researchers to Samoa

Opening Remarks by the Hon. Toeolesulusulu Cedric Pose Salesa Schuster, Minister of Natural Resources, Lands and Environment. Regional Technical Workshop on Science and Partnerships for Geohazard Resilience in the Pacific • Reverend • Director of...

Tonga visitor survey finds “People and culture” most appealing aspect

Tongan culture, friendly locals, natural sites and plentiful BBQ, were listed among the “most appealing aspects” of Tonga in a survey of international visitors released by the Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) this week. The international...

Tonga joins Sentinel Asia, boosting disaster preparedness and response

The National Disaster Risk Management Office (NDRMO) has announced Tonga’s official membership in Sentinel Asia as of September 19th. This milestone makes Tonga the second Pacific Joint Project Team (JPT) member, alongside the SPC and Fiji’s NDMO,...

Scientists Are Crafting Fake Whale Poop and Dumping It in the Ocean

A sperm whale swims away, leaving a cloud of feces. Blue Planet Archive/Alamy In the 20th century, people’s demand for whale blubber and baleen drove industrial whalers to kill roughly three million whales—a whopping 99 percent of the world’s...

Scientists Identify Seismic Trigger Before 2022 Tonga Eruption; Insight Could Improve Tsunami Warnings

A seismic wave detected shortly before the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai eruption in January 2022 could help scientists predict future volcanic activity in remote ocean areas. A study published by the American Geophysical Union suggests that the...

Tonga Power welcomes new CEO

Tonga Power Limited (TPL) has appointed Mr. Scott Westbury as its new Chief Executive Officer, a role set to improve the company’s commitment to delivering reliable and sustainable energy in Tonga. Mr. Westbury brings a strong background in the...

Tonga eruption equivalent to hundreds of Hiroshimas: NASA

The Tonga volcanic eruption unleashed explosive forces that dwarfed the power of the Hiroshima atomic bomb, NASA scientists have said, as survivors on Monday described how the devastating Pacific blast “messed up our brains”. The NASA Earth...

Earth is warming faster. Scientists are closing in on why

Gavin Schmidt, a leading climate modeller and the boss of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Science (GISS) in New York City, is not noted for his humility. Nevertheless, writing in Nature, a journal, in March 2024, he confessed to being humbled...

Tonga have secured a dramatic 25-24 victory over the Kiwis to advance to the Pacific Cup Championship

It was a match that had it all! A field goal from Isaiya Katoa with four minutes on the clock secured Tonga a dramatic 25-24 victory over the Kiwis. They now advance to the Pacific Cup final against the Kangaroos and resigns the defending...

This week brings a bumper harvest of brand new books

Some weeks in the books world, a headliner or emergent theme happily suggests itself right away. This is not one of those weeks. Below, you'll find quite a variety: memoir, comics journalism and speculative fiction, horror and humor, in climates...

Exhibition reimagines Tongan cultural practices

Queer Tongan-Australian artist Adriana Māhanga Lear launches her ‘Fafangu: To Awaken’ exhibition at the Māngere Arts Centre on Saturday. The exhibition is part of Lear’s PhD research, which explores Tongan concepts around sound, death, and...

Tongan fitness guru boosts Pacific health outcomes

A fitness programme combining medical knowledge and fitness is supporting health gains for Pacific communities. Personal trainer Motekiai Tangi was pleased to see the success from Fitness Sci-Tec, a collaboration with medical and fitness...

NZ scientist of Tongan descent is Otago University deputy VC

The University of Otago has appointed Professor Dianne Sika-Paotonu as its inaugural Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Pacific), marking a historic milestone for Pasifika representation in academia. Professor Sika-Paotonu, a New Zealand immunologist and...

A Fiery New Island Is Rising From the Ocean – And Scientists Are Watching

Satellite image of Home Reef captured by Landsat 8 on February 2, 2025. Satellite image of Home Reef captured by Landsat 9 on November 22, 2024. A fiery force beneath the ocean is reshaping Tonga’s Home Reef, growing an island through eruptions...

Dengue outbreak declared in Tonga

The Asian tiger mosquito is one of the vectors responsible for transmitting dengue fever. Photo: SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY The Tongan government has declared a dengue fever outbreak in the Kingdom. In a statement on Wednesday, the country's health...