Yesterday SPC marks the 65th anniversary of the establishment of its Headquarters in New Caledonia. Founded in 1947 under the Canberra Agreement, SPC first had its temporary headquarters in Mosman, Sydney in Australia before moving to Noumea to the former “US Headquarters – South Pacific Base Command” used by the American military forces during the…
The head of the Pacific Islands Private Sector Organisation says business leaders need to change their thinking about competitors and work better together to increase export opportunities. Mereia Volavola says a recent meeting in Fiji funded by the European Union, highlighted the idea of forming business clusters. She says business leaders from Papua New…
Letter from Suva, by Islands Business Managing Editor, Laisa Taga. Members of the PNA (Parties to the Nauru Agreement) meet in Honiara on March 5-14 to discuss a number of important issues pertaining to their success. For instance what to do with the US$93 million—and that is how to distribute this pot of money resulting…
Vanuatu is likely to break into the Chinese tourist market in a few years from now and the Vanuatu Tourism Office (VTO) is confident that the number of Chinese tourists visiting Vanuatu will increase. The biggest number of 20 Chinese approved travel agents from Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou are currently in the country checking out…
Commercial fishery businesses in American Samoa affected by the 2009 tsunami are set to receive assistance through United States Congress funding. The US Fisheries Services has announced 75 million US dollars will be allocated to six fisheries across the United States that were declared fishery disasters by the Department of Commerce. The executive assistant…
Samoa will host the first United Nations Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Conference to be held in the Pacific region, estimated to bring over 3,000 delegates to Apia in six months time. This international Conference will be the third conference specifically focusing on issues, challenges and priorities of countries from the three SIDS regions –…
The positive outlook of the economy, which is supported by the latest Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF) retail sales and business expectation survey, is pointing towards improved prospects for consumption and investment in the coming months. This, according to the Reserve Bank of Fiji acting board chairman Robin Yarrow, meant the Fiji economy was likely…
THE government will subscribe 149.39 million shares in Oil Search Lt at A$8.20 per share, Prime Minister Peter O’Neill announced last Friday. He said this was the deal reached by the government and the oil company. O’Neill said the agreement was subject to the execution of a final document with the international banker UBS and…
New Zealand yesterday strongly reaffirms the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) as a key partner in providing high level scientific and technical services to help Pacific Islands address key development challenges. H.E. Linda Te Puni, New Zealand Consul General in New Caledonia, and Dr Colin Tukuitonga, Director-General of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community…
CUSTOMERS can now access HFC banking services following its official opening yesterday morning. HFC Bank CEO Isikeli Tikoduadua said three years of hard work had finally paid off. He said the bank was 100 per cent Fijian-owned and profits would be channelled back to the people of Fiji through its stakeholders. HFC is a joint…