New Zealand

Kiribati president Anote Tong made the call at the Pacific Islands Forum — which started in Port Moresby on Monday — where Pacific nations have gathered to form a united position to take to the Paris COP21 meeting in December.

“What we are talking about is survival, it's not about economic development... it's not politics, it's survival,” Tong said.

Tong said Australia and New Zealand should use their relative regional power to advocate for smaller countries.

Researchers from the Australian National University surveyed Australians about their opinions of foreign aid and what they expect from their aid programme.

One of the authors, Terence Wood, says in a nutshell, the research found most Australians support the government giving aid, even though many don't actually know how much Australia gives or where.

However, he says the public is also fairly comfortable with the amount of money given being reduced - but not to the Pacific.

He says leaders need to push for Australia and New Zealand to support calls by the Pacific Islands on environmental damages to land and sea by climate change.

Polye also says leaders must discuss solutions to sea level rise, sinking islands, shortage of food and clean water and many more.

“There are challenges posed by climate change we cannot control, as a result our women and children are suffering,’” he says.

Polye says Pacific island leaders should consider a carbon trading scheme and a green fund scheme for pacific islands.

The issue will likely dominate this week’s Pacific Islands Forum leaders’ summit in Port Moresby, ahead of the United Nations climate change conference in Paris later in the year.

Pacific leaders want the world to work on restricting the global warming temperature rise to 1.5C, fearing a 2C target will risk the survival of many tiny islands.

Natural disaster recovery will be fresh on their minds. The summit starts on Monday, six months after Cyclone Pam, which flattened much of Vanuatu and caused heavy flooding on Tuvalu, Kiribati and the Marshall Islands.

In a statement it further accuses New Zealand of attempting to undermine the island's national sovereignty and interfering in its domestic affairs.

The Nauru Justice Minister, David Adeang, claims the move is based on misinformation from Opposition MP Roland Kun and his wife, who he says have been lobbying the New Zealand Government.

He says any suggestion the Nauru justice system is not independent or that the rule of law is not being upheld is completely wrong and offensive to the country's judges.

Sci-News reports that nearly 20 fragments of pottery were discovered at a remote site in the Bismarck Range of Madang Province.

According to the team led by Dylan Gaffney from New Zealand's University of Otago, one of the fragments is at least 3,000 years old, several hundred years older than the previous oldest known pottery in New Guinea.

The small and fragmented sherds reportedly resemble the Lapita plain-ware pottery style associated with the Austronesian colonisation of neighbouring Western Pacific.

Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama says the PIDF has never been stronger and will sign a Suva Declaration, described as a common position on climate change, to take to a global meeting in Paris.

Jenny Hayward-Jones from the Lowy Institute says if the Pacific Islands Forum was to try to do a similar declaration, there could be confusion about which reflected the region.

Hayward-Jones says the timing of the PIDF move, a few days out from the Port Moresby meeting, makes a strong political statement.

The Ala Mo'ui: Pathways to Pacific Health and Wellbeing plan was launched to identify why there is a gap in health outcomes between Pacific Islanders and other New Zealanders, and to address the disparity.

Associate Health Minister Peseta Sam Lotu-Iiga says Pacific Islanders are showing better figures in accessing care from a nurse or doctor compared to the total New Zealand population.

But he says too many Pacific Islanders are affected by diabetes, childhood tooth decay and childhood obesity.

Puna is in New Zealand as an official guest of the Government to celebrate the 50th anniversary of self government in free association with New Zealand.

He says because Cook Islanders, as New Zealand citizens, are free to travel to New Zealand and Australia, they can't be stopped from travelling.

These include terrorism financing, money laundering and trade in illicit goods and services.

Research carried out in eight member countries indicates that legitimate use of virtual currencies is widespread across a spectrum of different industries ranging from selling handbags in Nigeria to providing plumbing services in New Zealand. But findings also demonstrate an absence of legal and regulatory frameworks is increasing the threat of criminal exploitation.