a piece on the recent PNG/Bougainville drought and the challenge to get relief to some of the world's most remote islands and atolls. with contributions and photos from CARE Australia

t.co/CZhTtnPlUH

so sad

Minnows Fiji prepare for date with World Cup destiny By their own admission they're a long shot, but the Bula Boys are giving it everything this month as they attempt one of the biggest shocks in FIFA World Cup history.For the first time, FIFA has affor...

Interview with Rob Sherman, the ex-Australia & NZ technical director and now Fiji coach on the challenges minnow nations face
nit.com.au/13-03-2025/1...

Stalwart's shot at World Cup history with New Caledonia Either Tahiti or New Caledonia will have a shot at the biggest boilover in FIFA World Cup history...

Sydney FC striker Jaushua Sotirio's late-career defection from Australia to New Caledonia
www.canberratimes.com.au/story/892118...

Fiji Bula Boys hold 'life-changing' World Cup dream For the first time, FIFA has granted the Oceania confederation a confirmed place at the tournament.

A feature on Fiji's path through qualification and their attempts to lure more eligible players to represent the Bula Boys
www.1news.co.nz/2025/03/20/f...

New Zealand deny New Caledonia to reach 2026 World Cup Michael Boxall scored his first goal for New Zealand when his country needed it the most, helping sending the All Whites to the 2026 World Cup

New Zealand 3-0 New Caledonia match report (not sure why the big G credits Reuters here...)
www.theguardian.com/football/202...

The true impact of New Zealand's fast lane to FIFA World Cup New Zealand have booked their spot in next year's World Cup, benefiting from a major change to qualification that has knock-on effects throughout Oceania.

Did New Zealand enjoy the easiest World Cup qualification of all-time? (Not quite, but for decades)

sportnation.nz/article/the-...

NZ call for fresh Soccer Ashes clash with Australia The Soccer Ashes - the re-ignited rivalry between the Socceroos and All Whites - would be the perfect way to tune up for a World Cup, New Zealand Football say.

NZ Football want to re-ignite Soccer Ashes clash with Australia after qualifying for 2026 World Cup
aapnews.aap.com.au/glance/news/...

reporting thread on Oceania FIFA World Cup qualification over the past fortnight... 🇳🇿 🇫🇯 ⚽ 🇵🇫 🇳🇨

In US talks, a cautious NZ is keeping its head down New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters has capped a week of talks in New York and Washington...

A piece today on Winston Peters' diplomatic tour of New York and DC. The foreign minister has let on very little, and that's deliberate.
www.canberratimes.com.au/story/892057...

Opinion | Musk Said No One Has Died Since Aid Was Cut. That Isn’t True. (Gift Article) A journey through the front lines of global poverty shows that when the world’s richest men slash aid for the world’s poorest children, the result is sickness, starvation and death.

Of course we knew USAID cuts would kill many, many innocent and poor people, despite what Trump & Musk say. This piece suggests more than one million this year alone due to cuts in HIV treatment. The gut punch is that medicines cost 12 cents a day.

www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Adding this to top of my thread. I agree this is so important, it is helpful and it's healing. Coming off today's beautiful Unity Hui

Guy who doesn’t even respond to the mothers of his children: reply to my email or you’re fired

pretty direct messaging from the new Vanuatu PM

Chinese navy off Australia's coast a 'wake-up call' Australia and New Zealand are working together to monitor a Chinese naval task group which has been labelled...

Collins told AAP she wanted to head to US to meet Hegseth in coming months, that would likely be after Peters travels to meet Rubio. (No reprise of their double-act, sadly)

Our write-up of China's naval adventure:
www.northweststar.com.au/story/889846...

وزيرة دفاع نيوزيلندا للجزيرة نت: المحيط الهادي قد يكون منطقة صراع تحدثت وزيرة دفاع نيوزيلندا جوديث كولينز -في مقابلة مع الجزيرة نت- عن الإنفاق الدفاعي والوضع الأمني في منطقة المحيطين الهندي والهادي، فضلا عن حلف شمال الأطلسي وعلاقة بلادها مع واشنطن وبكين.

Collins also gave an interview to Al Jazeera, she blamed Labour for defence attrition:
"It was to do with the way that the previous government had used defense to run COVID lockdowns and managed isolation facilities. So we lost a lot of people through that."

www.aljazeera.net/politics/202...

On the JD Vance speech she saw in Munich, Collins said she "agreed with a quite a lot of what he said about democracy and freedom of speech". Her main takeaway from Munich was the need to up defence spending. (This will obviously be happening through the Defence Capability Review and May budget.)

"(NZ) were the pretty much the only people that I'm aware of that got told. Certainly a lot of the Pacific nations, that ICBM (missile), which could be nuclear-capable, what they got told was nothing until after it was happened." Collins on ZB

Also said China's intercontinental missile test last October did Beijing reputational damage in the Pacific.

"The consequence that I saw was that a lot of Pacific nations that had only seen the really great side of China, which is economic growth ... suddenly felt very disrespected." cont...

On Russia aggression: "I think they got away with (the 2014 annexation of) Crimea, and they saw a moment of what they seemed as weakness in the West, and they thought they'd do it again and take over Ukraine in 10 days.

Will they get away with the ground invasion?
"We certainly hope not."

On Monday, PM Chris Luxon said he was "open" to New Zealand sending a peacekeeping force to Ukraine. Yesterday, Collins told AAP this:
"NZ and Australia have spent a lot of time, and particularly men's lives, defending democracy in Europe, and we don't want to have to do it again."

New Zealand distances itself from Trump on Ukraine Defence Minister Judith Collins says Ukraine President is not a dictator, nor did he start the war with...

Fascinating media round from NZ Defence Minister Judith Collins in last 24 hours. Beginning with Trump's deranged comments on Zelenskyy, NZ's approach to proposed Russia-Ukraine peace talks:

www.canberratimes.com.au/story/889836...

seven days to put it in writing

and now we only have a week to submit on this. what gives!

wonderful turn of phrase from Samoa opposition leader Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi that should enter the global political lexicon (from the Samoa Observer 📰)

Earthquake-struck Vanuatu needs aid, tourism help Vanuatu is used to dealing with ferocious cyclones but the 7.3-magnitude earthquake which rumbled Efate island and Port...

a final story from Port Vila: a longer piece on the long recovery to come from the earthquake. ni-Vanuatu are used to dealing with cyclones but this disaster is something else entirely

www.canberratimes.com.au/story/886968...

Coalition govt likely in Vanuatu, where women struggle Vanuatu has just one female MP and seven women candidates among the 217 running for office in this...

update to this story: a fresh coalition looms with voters again spreading preferences widely. Gloria Julia King may lose her seat according to unofficial results in circulation. However, another woman may win: Marie Louise Milne in Port Vila.
www.canberratimes.com.au/story/886869...

Women face uphill battle in Vanuatu politics Vanuatu has just one female MP and seven women candidates among the 217 running for office in this...

Vanuatu elects fewer female MPs than basically anywhere on the planet: just six in 45 years. I spoke with the only woman MP of the last parliament, Gloria Julia King, on the struggles women face getting selected and elected.
www.thesenior.com.au/story/886869...

Earthquake doesn't derail Vanuatu's snap election Vanuatu is set for its fifth prime minister in just over two years, as voting gets underway in...

An election day report - now the wait begins for results. Polling day has passed without reports of major incidents (so far) - a few grumbles about voting tweaks like needing ID & long lines. Which would be a triumph given the recent earthquake.
www.northweststar.com.au/story/886768...