Pacific Waves

The Government of Bougainville in Papua New Guinea says it is struggling to respond to a major earthquake that hit the east and south of the main island last month.

Bougainville quake response hampered by lack of funds; Work is still being done to get emergency supplies and help to Solomon Islanders affected by a major earthquake two months ago; SPC lauds Tuvalu over human rights focus; More efforts are to be made to get more women into the PNG parliament in the national elections coming up in the middle of the year; Boxer Joseph Parker gets a gong in Samoa.

Tuvalu leads the way in the Pacific by establishing a national human rights plan.

The New Zealand Samoa boxer, the WBO heavyweight champion, Lupesoli'ai Laaulialemalietoa Joseph Parker, has been given Samoa's highest honour.

Work is still being done to get emergency supplies and help to Solomon Islanders affected by a major earthquake two months ago; it is just months before Papua New Guineans go to the polls but just 3 of the 111 MPs in the current parliament are women, and there are hopes this figure can be improved; Fiji is defending its decision to forcibly deport an Iranian asylum seeker, amid accusations that it has bungled an important human rights opportunity;The Marshall Islands Government has emphasised its commitment to fighting human trafficking; in sport, the coach of Hekari United's biggest rival says it was wrong for them to undermine the Papua New Guinea Football Association and called for the rival factions to come together.

Provincial governments and aid organisations are still working to provide emergency supplies and assistance to people in Solomon Islands who were affected by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in December.

It is just months before Papua New Guineans go to the polls to elect a new 111 seat parliament and there are renewed efforts to get women into the Parliament. 5thne.

Fiji is defending its decision to forcibly deport an Iranian asylum seeker, amid accusations that it has bungled an important human rights opportunity;The Marshall Islands Government has emphasised its commitment to fighting human trafficking; a survey of the New Zealand NGOs that provide international aid shows they are facing tough headwinds; Tonga's government has doubled the earnings goals for the tourism sector in the hope that it will play a bigger part in building a strong economy. in sport, the coach of Hekari United's biggest rival says it was wrong for them to undermine the Papua New Guinea Football Association and called for the rival factions to come together.

Fiji is defending its deportation of Iranian asylum seeker back to Papua New Guinea, saying it was following the law.

The Marshall Islands Government has emphasised its commitment to fighting human trafficking.