South Pacific

How are Australia’s neighbours faring in the Covid pandemic?

Vaccination rates are rising in much of south-east Asia and the Pacific after recent outbreaks, but some of the largest countries are falling behind

Josh Nicholas

29, Sep, 2021 @5:30 PM

Even as New Zealand battles Covid, trust in government bucks global trend

With a nationwide lockdown and some of the world’s strictest restrictions, Jacinda Ardern is counting on her people’s goodwill again

Tess McClure in Christchurch

30, Aug, 2021 @4:21 AM

The house that can withstand a cyclone: how traditional dwellings are making a comeback in Vanuatu

Since Cyclone Pam devastated Vanuatu, locals are returning to the saeklon haos, made from vines, palm fronds and grasses

Jon Letman

08, Aug, 2021 @8:00 PM

Want a new life in Vanuatu? Take the lift to the 23rd floor of a skyscraper in Hong Kong

The Pacific Resource Group in Hong Kong facilitated the applications of more than 650 people for passports through the Vanuatu Contribution Program last year

Ilaria Maria Sala in Hong Kong

15, Jul, 2021 @5:47 AM

Ex-bikie and missing property magnate among Australian names granted Vanuatu citizenship

Marco Coffen and Zhou Xiang Huang on list of those who bought passports from the Pacific nation in 2020

Kate Lyons and Euan Ward

14, Jul, 2021 @11:04 PM

Who’s buying Vanuatu’s passports? Crypto moguls, wanted men and even a prime minister

The revelations from a Guardian investigation cast new light on the world of ‘golden passports’

Euan Ward and Kate Lyons

14, Jul, 2021 @11:04 PM

Citizenship for sale: fugitives, politicians and disgraced businesspeople buying Vanuatu passports

Revealed: more than 2,000 people, including individuals sought by police, have purchased passports, and with them visa-free access to the EU and UK

Euan Ward and Kate Lyons

14, Jul, 2021 @11:03 PM

Precarious moment: Vanuatu court to rule on prime minister’s fate

Verdict on Bob Loughman’s parliamentary boycott is uncharted political territory for the Pacific island nation

Tess Newton Cain

08, Jul, 2021 @3:12 AM

Australia denies using ‘plants’ to undermine China’s Covid vaccine rollout in Pacific

Canberra says allegation Australia is ‘working in the shadows’ to sabotage emergency use of Chinese vaccines in Papua New Guinea ‘absolutely not’ true

Daniel Hurst Foreign affairs and defence correspondent

06, Jul, 2021 @5:03 AM

Marise Payne says net zero is government’s ‘broad position’ as she plays down Nationals’ climate revolt

Foreign affairs minister says net zero emissions target preferable by 2050 even as Liberals’ coalition partner shoots down idea

Paul Karp

20, Jun, 2021 @2:37 AM

Why the world’s most fertile fishing ground is facing a ‘unique and dire’ threat

China’s Pacific fishing fleet has grown by 500% since 2012 and is taking huge quantities of tuna

Michael Field

13, Jun, 2021 @8:00 PM

The $3bn bargain: how China dominates Pacific mining, logging and fishing

China received more than half of all seafood, wood, and minerals exported from the region in 2019. Experts warn this is creating ‘enormous challenges for sustainable development’