Support for Pacific stance at Bonn climate round; The Pacific ballot: A ticket to a new life in NZ; Warning that Fiji's Budget fails to reduce the cost of living; Growing concern over Marshall Islands nuclear dome; Tonga asks for community help to turn around drug problem; Tokelau plots site for airstrip after helicopter controversy; Remote Vanuatu journo goes above and beyond to tell stories; Global Fund seeking billions to continue health aid; UN urges better care from Australia on World Refugee Day

New Zealand authorities are investigating a Samoan church with links to a cryptocurrency labelled a scam; the announcment by Papua New Guinea's new prime minister that he wants to review the laws governing the country's resources has caused some concern among investors in the sector; the 11 ministers chosen by Congress as New Caledonia's government fail to agree on who should be president; Manus Island refugees could escape Papua New Guinea once they're awarded compensation by its courts, their lawyer says; a coral bleaching around the French Polynesian islands of Tahiti and Mo'orea is being described as the most devastating seen in years; there are signs that a serious drug use problem in Tonga is getting worse; the Pacific Conference of Churches has welcomed a study by New Zealand academics urging churches to do more to help stop violence against women in Samoa; a marine ecologist from New Zealand says lessons learnt from the 2011 Rena oil spill in New Zealand can be applied to help deal with the Solomon Islands' environmental disaster in Rennell

Papua New Guinea's prime minister has vowed to reconstruct the nation in his first major speech; Police on Papua New Guinea's Manus Island have called for the government to intervene as the number of refugees attempting suicide continues to rise; Rejected claims ignite fresh controversy over French nuclear test compensation; Traditional marine conservation practices in the Pacific could be key to more successful commercial practices; A Fijian family may yet have their day in a European court in what's being seen as a landmark case in the fight against climate change; New Zealand's deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters has just completed his second Pacific visit of the year, touting the success of his "Pacific Reset" policy; New Zealand's headline event on the Pacific cultural calendar got underway in Auckland this week.

Papua New Guinea's new prime minister says he's under no illusions about the enormity of his task; Following the change of prime minister in Papua New Guinea, there's been a renewed call for reserved seats for women in parliament; A range of initiatives for Pacific people were announced in the New Zealand Budget on Thursday; Economic and climate resilience were key focus points of a meeting between the New Zealand and Cook Island government last week; A plane has been buzzing over Tuvalu's atolls and lagoons harvesting information to help the country cope with rising seas and cyclones; Making it easier for women to get involved in formal employment and starting businesses is being touted as one of the key -- and easiest -- ways to improve Pacific livelihoods; The head of the Regional Environment Programme's waste management says the old Pacific ways of grow, eat and throw, are no longer appropriate in the 21st century, and; A gaming event, a talk on the art of tatau and dance theatre have woven in Gagana Samoa for this week's celebrations of New Zealand's third most spoken language.

The Quake-hit East New Britain province of PNG is still seeking help for flooding impacts; A US Pacific meeting in Washington DC was light on climate change but heavy on China; Alternative PM role up for grabs again in PNG ahead of possible no confidence motion; Vanuatu's PM says he is pleased with NZ's renewed committment to climate action; Time is running out for Bougainville's indepdence referendum preparation; Pacific Mamas drape Auckland Town hall with a gift of love; And Kingz and Tomorrow people were among the biggest winners at this year's Pacific Music Awards.

Tagata o te Moana 18 May 2019.

Papua New Guinea's prime minister Peter O'Neill has used his mastery of parliamentary proceedings to frustrate the opposition's attempts to remove him. Bolstered by recent defections from government, the opposition has lodged a motion of no confidence against the prime minister, but Mr O'Neill has bought himself time to consolidate; Chinese development in the Federated States of Micronesia is facing pushback from locals in Yap state; The Solomon Islands health ministry says it is still struggling to achieve universal health coverage for its citizens; Samoa's Deputy Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa is in New Zealand to talk about the Pacific response to climate change at this week's Just Transition Summit in Taranaki which aims to help plot New Zealand's course to a low-emissions economy; Climate change will be the key matter up for discussion when the United Nations Secretary General travels to the Pacific this week; Cook Islands marine conservationist wins prestigious global environmental prize; The former president of Nauru, Sprent Dabwido, has died at the age of 46, and; Commemorations have been held in New Caledonia to mark the 30th anniversary of the assassination of the pro-independence leader Jean-Marie Tjibaou.

Arrests of unionists in Fiji; NZ's Samoan community falls victim to scam; Jail sentence for Polish man in Papua decried by advocates; Papua New Guinea's prime minister battling increasing odds for political survival; Organ harvesting kidnappers in PNG 'highly unlikely'; Colonial exploitation of Banaba on show in New Zealand; Passport sales booming in Vanuatu; Capturing the lives of members of a diverse youth orchestra in Porirua in pictures.

An expert on politics in Melanesia says the recent unrest in Solomon Islands is linked to a lack of options for change; The Papua New Guinea government reiterates its committment to establishing an independent commission against corruption; The Fiji Military's record on torture is under scrutiny as the country looks to comply with International Conventions; There are fresh concerns in Samoa over the cryptocurrency OneCoin; And a social media campaign has been launched to counter mis-information about vaccines in the Pacific.

Another minster resigns from the PNG government; Search for dead in PNG Highlands landslide continues; Solomons poised for election of new PM; Veteran Norfolk tent protestor happy to keep going; PNG's government under pressure over gas developments; WHO warns of health dangers from betel nut and tobacco; Veteran Norfolk tent protestor happy to keep going; Adventists accuse Fiji Govt of underhand tactics; Is Amelia Earhart's plane in the waters of Bougainville?