Abstract The Pacific Islands have the lowest level of female parliamentary representation of any region in the world, and electoral trends point to the very slow pace of change. There are 19 male members of parliament to every one female member in the region, compared to four to one globally. This reflects a range of...

Overview This discussion paper results from a speech prepared for the keynote address at the 2016 State of the Pacific Conference, held at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra, Australia, 13–15 September. In it Dr Aqorau discusses the state of regional cooperative affairs in the Pacific Islands, particularly with respect to fisheries, through his...

Abstract The notion of ‘organised crime’ typically conjures up images of criminal gangs. Some mafia and bikie gangs do operate in parts of the Pacific and have featured in local and international media. However, we argue that understanding the threat of organised crime in the Pacific requires moving away from this popular perception. We suggest...

Sovereign Funds (SFs) are often the largest single asset owner and investor in the Pacific Islands, and the income stream from these funds can also be a large part of fiscal revenues.

The purpose of the evaluation is to deliver an evidence base that can guide New Zealand government decisions regarding improvements to be made to the Tonga Programme, identify lessons to apply to ongoing and future work in Tonga, contribute to informing the future strategic direction, and assess the achievements of the Tonga Programme.