Latest news with #KayaSelby
Scoop
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Why Most Pacific Governments Stand With Israel
Article – RNZ Amid uncertainty in the Middle East, one thing remains clear: most Pacific governments continue to align themselves with Israel. Kaya Selby, RNZ Pacific Journalist Amid uncertainty in the Middle East, one thing remains clear: most Pacific governments continue to align themselves with Israel. Steven Ratuva, distinguished professor of Pacific Studies at Canterbury University, told RNZ that island leaders are likely to try and keep their distance, but only officially speaking. 'They'd probably feel safer that way, rather than publicly taking sides. But I think quite a few of them would probably be siding with Israel.' With Iran and Israel trading blows last week, Ratuva said that is translating into deeper divisions along religious and political lines in Pacific nations. 'People may not want to admit it, but it's manifesting itself in different ways.' Pacific support for Israel runs deep The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on 13 June calling for 'an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in the war in Gaza', passing with 142 votes, or a 73 percent majority. Among the 12 nations that voted against the resolution, alongside Israel and the United States, were Fiji, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea and Tuvalu. Among the regional community, only Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands voted for the resolution, while others abstained or were absent. Last week, Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, in an interview with The Australian, defended Israel's actions in Iran as an act of survival. 'They cannot survive if there is a big threat capability within range of Israel. Whatever [Israel] are doing now can be seen as pre-emptive, knocking it out before it's fired on you.' In February, Fiji also committed to an embassy in Jerusalem – a recognition of Israel's right to call the city their capital – mirroring Papua New Guinea in 2023. Ratuva said that deep, longstanding, religious and political ties with the West are what ground the regions ties with Israel. 'Most of the Pacific Island states have been aligned with the US since the Cold War and beyond, so the Western sphere of influence is seen as, for many of them, the place to be.' He noted the rise in Christian evangelism, which is aligned with Zionism and the global push for a Jewish homeland, in pockets throughout the Pacific, particularly in Fiji. 'Small religious organisations which have links with or model selves along the lines of the United States evangelical movement, which has been supportive of Trump, tend to militate towards supporting Israel for religious reasons.' 'And of course, religion and politics, when you mix them together, become very powerful in terms of one's positioning (in the world).' Politics or religion In Fijian society, Ratuva said that the war in Gaza has stoked tensions between the Christian majority and the Muslim minority. According to the CIA World Factbook, roughly 64.5 percent of Fijians are Christian, compared to a Muslim population of 6.3 percent. 'It's coming out very clearly, in terms of the way in which those belonging to the fundamentalist political orientation tend to make statements which are against non-Christians' Ratuva said. 'People begin to take sides…that in some ways deepens the religious divide, particularly in Fiji which is multi-ethnic and multi-religious, and where the Islamic community is relatively significant.' A statement from the Melanesian Spearhead Group Secretariat, released on Wednesday, said that the Pacific wishes to be an 'ocean of peace'. 'Leaders also reaffirmed their commitment to the Friends to All, Enemy to None Foreign Policy to guide the MSG Members' relationship with countries and Development Partners.' It bookends a summit that brought together leaders from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and other Melanesian nations, where the Middle East was discussed, according to local media. But the Pacific region had been used in a deceptive strategy as the US prepared for the strikes on Iran. On this matter, Melanesian leaders did not respond to requests for comment. The BBC reported on Monday that B-2 planes flew to Guam from Missouri as a decoy to distract from top-secret flights headed over the Atlantic to Iran. This sparked outrage from civil society leaders throughout the region, including the head of the Pacific Conference of Churches, Reverend James Bhagwan. 'This use of Pacific airspace and territory for military strikes violates the spirit of the Treaty of Rarotonga, our region's declaration for being a nuclear, free peace committed zone.' 'Our region has a memory of nuclear testing, occupation and trauma… we don't forget that when we talk about these issues.' Bhagwan told RNZ that there is no popular support for Israel's most recent actions in the Pacific. 'This is because we have international law… this includes, of course, the US strikes on Iran and perhaps, also, Israel's actions in Gaza.' 'It is not about religion, it is about people.' Bhagwan, whose organisation represents 27 member churches across 17 Pacific nations, refused to say whether he believed there was a link between christian fundamentalism and Pacific support for Israel. 'We can say that there is a religious contingency within the Pacific that does support Israel… it does not necessarily mean it's the majority view, but it is one that is seriously considered by those in power.' 'It depends on how those (politicians) consider that support they get from those particular aspects of the community.' Pacific Islanders in the region For some, the religious commitment runs so deep that they venture to Israel in a kind of pilgrimage. Ratuva told RNZ that there is a significant population of islanders in the region, many of whom may now be trapped before a ceasefire is finalised. 'There was a time when the Gaza situation began to unfold, when a number of people from Fiji, Tonga and Samoa were there for pilgrimage purposes.' 'At that time there were significant numbers, and Fiji was able to fly over there to evauate them. So this time, I'm not sure whether that might happen.' Bhagwan said that the religious ties run deep. 'They go to Jerusalem, to Bethlehem, to the Mount of Olives, to the Golan Heights, where the transfiguration took place. Fiji also is stationed in the Golan Heights as peacekeepers.' 'So there is a correlation, particularly for Pacific or for Fijian communities, on that relationship as peacekeepers in that region.'
Scoop
13-06-2025
- Scoop
New Zealand's Warning About Drugs In The Pacific
Article – RNZ The report said that the Pacific serves as both a cautionary tale and a direct source of risk for New Zealand. Kaya Selby As the threat of organised crime looms large over the Pacific, New Zealand is being warned that the region serves as both a cautionary tale and a direct source of risk. This is according to a report delivered to associate police minister Casey Costello by the Ministerial Advisory Group on Transnational, Serious and Organised Crime, a group she set up in February 2025. 'The discovery of multi-tonne methamphetamine shipments in Fiji and the arrest of high-ranking officials in Tonga underscore the scale of the problem,' the report stated. 'These developments are not isolated; they are part of a broader pattern of transnational criminal infiltration that increasingly implicates New Zealand, both as a destination and as a contributor through deportations and economic ties.' The state of things According to the United Nations the Pacific has traditionally been used as a corridor for drug shipments between two production and consumption hotspots – southeast Asia and Central America. Drugs are smuggled and transitted across the Pacific Ocean in massive quantities via planes, yachts and ships. But thanks to the involvement of police and customs officials in the islands, much of that product never reaches its destination. According to the Ministerial Advisory Group Report, it instead ends up on island streets – where the ease and prevalence of this drug supply has incensed an addiction-fuelled demand, which in turn fuels a greater supply, and so on. 'While there are variations between different Pacific nations, many share common forms of corruption, including bribery, nepotism, cronyism, and political corruption. 'Drug cartels from the Americas, organised crime groups from New Zealand and Australia, as well as Asian criminal networks are all increasing their involvement in the Pacific. Fiji, in particular, has emerged as a key transit point for major drug shipments.' In January 2024, authorities in Fiji seized almost five tonnes of methamphetamine in raids on two houses in Nadi, where upon a police officer tried to scoop up crystals from the scene. Less than a month later, in Tonga, a senior Reserve Bank official was arrested after police seized 15 kilograms of meth at their home and office. More recently, in January 2025, Samoan authorities intercepted 10 kilograms of meth, which the Samoan Observer described as 'the largest known drug smuggling operation' on the island. Minister Costello said that the government's response to the recommendations will be made in due course. 'While we maintain high standards and enjoy low corruption, we can't be naïve or complacent in this space.' Is Aotearoa doing enough? As far as New Zealand is concerned, the report said the country's obligation to assist the region goes beyond a moral one. '(There is) a very practical reason to do so, as the Pacific is a front door for the physical trade in illegal goods to New Zealand.' Associate Police Minister Casey Costello told RNZ it was important New Zealand supported its economic growth and viability. 'When people are poor then the amount of money you need to corrupt someone is relatively low.' Costello said that the solution lies in 'leaning in more' on current support measures. For her, that means strengthening customs services and excise duty collection from legitimate trade, and continuing existing support measures. Currently, that consists of the provision of drug-sniffing dogs and handlers, training Pacific personnel in Aotearoa, and intelligence capacity with staff members deployed in the islands. Police Commissioner Richard Chambers told RNZ Pacific in May that island police leaders had asked for more help from New Zealand, and that they were prepared to continue current levels of assistance. Minister Costello said she has been advised that the police will increase funding for staff deployment overseas, as well as support to the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police. 'The revised amounts for the 2025/26 financial year will be reported as part of the 2025/26 supplementary estimates document.' University of Canterbury Associate Professor Jose Sousa-Santos said that the government isn't doing enough to engage with the Pacific on these issues. 'It's very much looking at the issues in the Pacific from a New Zealand-centric lens.' Pacific island nations want to be respected and trusted when they engage with the international community, and to build that means to build capacity for vetting government officials, Sousa-Santos said Right now, the world views developing nations in the Pacific with suspicion, he said. 'Currently, due to the lack of vetting security, intelligence cannot be shared and joint operations are minimal. That does not only take away the mana from Pacific neighbors, but it also compromises regional security.' 'Tsunami' of deportations expected to hurt With the United States ramping up deportations, Pacific islanders in the country are getting swept up, which the report acknowledged. 'American deportations are set to make the problem significantly worse,' it said. 'Recent initiatives focused on deportations are set to create a Pacific tsunami, with somewhere around 1,000 deportations set to occur, with 500 arriving in Fiji alone. 'The inflows of high-level criminality within small populations will always create problems, but these are exacerbated in the Pacific by cultural norms.' While exact numbers are not available yet, TVNZ reported in February that some 350 migrants from Fiji, 150 from Tonga and 57 people from Samoa, among others, have been earmarked for deportation. It was enough to draw Fiji's Prime Minister, Sitiveni Rabuka, to the US House of Representatives to raise concerns about the safety risk it poses to his country. Sean O'Niell, a senior State Department official for East Asian and Pacific affairs, told RNZ that the nations these deportees are destined for should not expect any help from the United States. 'With respect to aliens who are returning to their country of origin, as a general matter that's the responsibility of that country,' he said. 'The United States does continue to provide foreign assistance… much of that assistance might be geared towards addressing specific needs of an entire population, but I'm not aware of anything that's addressed to that now.' The report acknowledged that Pacific nations are nervous about whether they will be able to handle that influx, coupled with existing criminal deportations from Australia and New Zealand. Beyond a lack of ability to handle the population increase, Jose Sousa-Santos said that the return of criminals means the strengthening of criminal networks into the region. 'We are sending some who have been incarcerated for serious crimes. We've been able to create links to outlaw motorcycle gangs and drug importing syndicates who have been able to deal with the darker side of their community. 'When they get deported, they don't have the same support systems in place. They find it hard to reintegrate back into into the society and communities in their own countries.'
Scoop
22-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
Budget 2025: Pasifika Community Braces For Impact
Kaya Selby Experts and leaders in the Pasifika community are bracing for the impact of tightened government spending. With the government injecting less new money in this year's Budget, savings from elsewhere are expected to pay for new projects. Finance Minister Nicola Willis will deliver her second Budget on Thursday. She said the Budget "is about prioritising your taxpayer money carefully and ensuring that we're actually nourishing the growth that ultimately delivers the jobs and living standards we all depend on". However, Tongan community leader Pakilau Manase Lua hopes for the best, but doesn't expect it. "If I were a betting person, I think, given the record of this government, they're going to rob the poor to benefit those that possibly are okay and better off." Pakilau said that his community wanted to see more equity measures, but the government's recent pay equity changes undermine that. "They didn't even give pay equity opportunities for women," he said. "I've got a mother and daughters and sisters that would benefit from that. It's very sad to see our most vulnerable and our most treasured workers not being honored by at least pay equity for women." There are fears that the government's savings drive could include the Ministry for Pacific Peoples (MPP), which saw its overall funding decrease by $26 million, or 22 percent, in Budget 2024. ECG Consulting's Ralph Ekila is a service provider for MPP's Pacific Business Village programme. Through that funding he is able to provide strategy, engagement and planning services to small businesses that would otherwise be unable to afford it. Based on last year's budget, Ekila is concerned that non-core services such as business support will be axed. "The hope is that whatever has been invested in right now at least remains... targeted services around Pacific health, education, and programmes within other agencies were lost." Ekila said that the more MPP was cut, the less effective it would be in terms of its service delivery. "The fear I have is that they get lost in the system and that the previous approaches have not worked. Hence, the reason why there has been an evolution in the development of ethnic, specific, targeted approaches. "It's the reason why we're starting to shift the dial, but to get to this point now, we'll either make the dial freeze or go backwards." Lua said he hoped that, in the long run, equity would not be forgotten about. "The true mark of a true civilization is how you treat your most vulnerable. Right now, we're not doing very well." Pacific Peoples Minister Shane Reti declined a pre-Budget interview with RNZ Pacific but has agreed to go on the record next week.
RNZ News
21-05-2025
- Business
- RNZ News
Mixed feelings among Pasifika about Budget 2025
Pacific politics 26 minutes ago The Pasifika community is bracing for what is expected to be tightened government spending. From community support at home to aid for the wider region, Pasifika are hoping for the best, but many of those working in the community are feeling pessimistic about what Budget Day has in store for them. Kaya Selby has more.
Scoop
08-05-2025
- Scoop
NZ Police Chief Pledges Ongoing Support For Fiji And Samoa
Kaya Selby New Zealand's top cop has reassured the leaders of Fiji and Samoa that he has their back, as a regionwide drug crisis rolls on. Police Commissioner Richard Chambers visited his counterparts in the two island nations last week to discuss drug trafficking, customs, intelligence sharing, and corruption. Chambers said his primary commitment was that the Pacific Detector Dog Programme (PDDP), which provides trained detector dogs to the Pacific and trains handlers, would continue. New Zealand Police announced that they have recently graduated nine new detector dog handlers, many from Pacific Island nations who are now headed home. He said that New Zealand's drug detection dog training service is among the best in the world. "That resource that we put in to train, not only dogs but handlers in both countries, is very well received." The PDDP has funded detection across Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, and the Cook Islands since 2018. So far, the government has spent around NZ$3.5 million on the project. However, funding for the project was scheduled to end at the beginning of this month. A spokesperson for MFAT told RNZ Pacific that "phase one of the programme is coming to a close", but that "MFAT and New Zealand Police are currently in discussions over the next phase of support." Chambers did not say how many more dogs or trainers New Zealand could offer the region. "The next step of work we do will be to quantify that. Likewise, one of the things we talked about is how can both countries at some stage maybe even stand on their own two feet." Chambers also has a detective sergeant stationed in Fiji to train local police for investigative work, and staff members in Suva and Apia working on intelligence gathering and sharing. Another topic of discussion was corruption, which Chambers warned could creep in anywhere. "It's not just about police though, it's any person or official in a role of authority that may present a barrier to an organised criminal group." "We need to be open and honest and talk about these issues, officials need to be very alert to the influence of corruption." Chambers would not comment on corruption in the Samoan or Fijian police forces.
