In Pacific Waves today: The Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea James Marape has easily defeated a vote of no confidence brought by the opposition; There has been a major political shift in New Caledonia's congress amid ongoing unrest in the troubled French territory; The involvement of former New Zealand Governor General Sir Jerry Mataparae in leading the Bougainville Peace Monitoring Group is the key factor in him being brought in as a moderator to try and solve an impasse over the region's push for independence; And then there were eight! NRL finals week 1 kicks off on Friday night in Penrith.

Go to this episode on rnz.co.nz for more details