Reaching Beyond Disciplinary Borders
Introduction
Author
Nicole, Robert
Abstract
As we come to the end of another year and ponder on the excitement and prospects of moving into the second quarter of the 21st Century, a journal like ours offers opportunities for scholars of greater Oceania to share the insights of their research, to push themselves to think critically about the issues that we face as a region, and to offer creative and strategic propositions about how we might better serve the communities that have made our ocean their home. True to its core vision, this issue of Pacific Dynamics covers a wide range of perspectives from across the disciplinary spectrum. The first article reflects our continuing preoccupation with climate change. The second examines how large powers and island states are using ports in their various geopolitical manoeuvrings. The health of Pacific communities is the subject of two further articles with a special focus on diabetes. We also cross the colonial linguistic divide to welcome an article about the status of Polynesian languages spoken in French Polynesia. Another article investigates the state of Papua New Guinea’s national museum and art gallery while another is about land literacy among iTaukei in Fiji. The issue ends with a review of the recently published book, Remembering Epeli Hau’ofa: His Life and Legacy.
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The Global Environment Facility (GEF) Trust Fund in the Pacific: Effectiveness and Shortcomings
Author
Sale, Emma
Abstract
This paper highlights the effectiveness and shortcomings of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Trust Fund in the Pacific. It focuses on the five recent funding cycles GEF-4 to GEF-8, spanning over two decades from 2006 to 2026. It draws from documented evidence, lived/worked experiences, and an analysis of available literature covering the period 2007 to 2023. The paper draws heavily on the author’s analyses of GEF data and is based on over two decades of development work experience in the Pacific region, which covers climate change and climate financing. The paper highlights how the collective efforts of the Pacific, as a region, can be optimized to effect much-needed changes within the GEF Trust Fund. These changes reflect a number of perceived weaknesses in the Facility including the slow-paced evolution of the GEF Trust Fund, the lack of scholarly research on climate change mitigation, and other issues pertaining to equity, and the lack of meaningful operationalization of the GEF Trust Fund. The paper concludes with a number of propositions including shifting from early wins and being a participant-controlled mechanism, to being people-centered and prioritizing local environmental benefits with dual impact on social protection.
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The Geopolitics of Deep Sea Ports in the Pacific
Authors
Naidu, Vijay
Lutu, Vasemaca
Asi, Claire
Abstract
This paper examines the growing geopolitical contestation in the Pacific over funding deep-water port development and accessing terrestrial and marine resources including minerals, military safe harbours, and shipping lanes. China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and its funding of deep-water ports as part of the Maritime Silk Road (MSRI), have seemingly endangered the historical role and influence of certain western countries, engendering strategic responses by the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. Bilateral and multilateral diplomacy, aid, technical assistance, and loans for major infrastructural development feature in this competition. This paper is based on research on the experiences of four Pacific Island Countries (PICs),1 namely Cook Islands, Tonga, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu. For Pacific Small Islands Developing States (PSIDS), donor funding and technical assistance are welcomed, but the inherent geopolitical and resource interests associated with deep-water port resourcing is a major challenge. The heightened contestation has given PSIDS unprecedented leverage in negotiating infrastructural and development aid. It is argued that patronising attitudes in official statements and media commentaries are not conducive to cordial relationships with PICs (Blades 2021) nor are grand geopolitical strategies formulated in foreign capitals with no consultation with PSIDS’ governments (Hawkins 2023).
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Type 2 Diabetes in Different Pacific Groups in Aotearoa New Zealand – Characteristics and Medication Use
Authors
Chepulis, Lynne
Papa, Valentina
Mustafa, Sara
Rodrigues, Mark
Paul, Ryan
Aporosa, Apo
Crosswell, Rebekah
Vaka, Sione
Abstract
Pacific peoples are disproportionately affected by type 2 diabetes (T2D) in Aotearoa New Zealand (ANZ). However, little is known about the burden of disease in different Pacific ethnic groups. Thus, this study aims to explore T2D characteristics and medication use in different island groups of Pacific individuals in ANZ. Primary care clinical and demographic data was collected for Pacific patients with T2D aged ≥ 18 years from primary health organisations across Auckland and Waikato (n = 302 practices; February 2021 – July 2022). Most recent clinical measures (HbA1c, cholesterol, blood pressure) and diabetes medication use were recorded and compared between ethnic groups. Data was available for 10,414 Pacific patients, including 4031 Samoan, 2033 Tongan, 1513 Cook Island Māori, 1463 Fijian, 797 Niuean and 98 Tokelauan adults. HbA1c levels were highest in Tongan patients and lowest in Fijian patients (P < 0.001 vs other groups); and Cook Island Māori and Samoan patients had a higher proportion of patients with cardiovascular/renal disease than other ethnic groups. Metformin use was comparable across ethnic groups, but SGLT2i/GLP1RA prescribing was lowest in Fijian patients (36.6% vs 39.9%-48.8%; P < 0.001). The use of medications for cholesterol and blood pressure were comparable across groups. The study finds that there are distinct differences in the characteristics and medication use of Pacific patients with T2D. Care must be taken to not always review Pacific people as a collective group, but rather to explore their clinical and demographical differences with the aim of tailoring care to each ethnic group as required.
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Cultural Thinking, Communal Motivation and Diabetes Mitigation: A Study of the Indigenous Fijian (iTaukei) Community in Aotearoa/New Zealand
Authors
Vakamacawai, Esala
Vunibola, Suliasi
Ratuva, Steven
Abstract
The incidence of diabetes (Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus) amongst the diaspora Indigenous Fijians (iTaukei) in Aotearoa/New Zealand is increasing at an alarming rate and seems to replicate the situation in Fiji. This paper argues that beyond the medical and clinical methods of mitigation, there is a need to think innovatively about alternative approaches based on understanding people’s perceptions of diabetes and using this to transform behaviour using community-centred approaches. The idea is to address some of the social and cultural variables which impact on their health condition. This paper uses the tarakoro ethnographic approach to examine community narratives on diabetes as well as suggest ways of addressing diabetes through behavioural change using community motivation in the form of the solesolevaki cultural approach. Changes in diet and other forms of lifestyle as a result of socio-economic and cultural transformation, have impacted on the Fijian diaspora community. How much do people know about diabetes and how can this knowledge be translated into transformative action? Knowledge is a powerful tool of personal and societal change which can be used to inform health and wellbeing mitigation approaches at the community level. In this regard, the paper examines the level of understanding, perceptions, and narratives of diabetes amongst the iTaukei community living in Aotearoa/New Zealand and how these can form the basis for developing a community-based health strategy to induce behavioural change based on indigenous knowledge and community motivation as a platform for collective action.
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Language use and attitudes in French Polynesia with a focus on higher education students
Author
Bissoonauth-Bedford, Anu
Abstract
This paper examines language use and attitudes in French Polynesia where French comes in contact with Tahitian, a lingua franca, and other indigenous Polynesian languages. Preliminary results from a pilot study among university students in Tahiti reveal that whilst five distinct Polynesian languages were present in the grandparents’ generations, they have been replaced by French and Tahitian in the home environment, thus suggesting a shift from other Polynesian languages towards Tahitian and French across two generations. Paradoxically, Polynesian languages are valued as a cultural heritage that needs to be maintained, but younger generations of Polynesians are viewed as ‘not making the effort’ to sustain their ancestral languages. French as the dominant language is seen as having a bright future, and as part of Tahitian culture, while English, although the dominant language in the Pacific region, is for most a foreign language. The relationship between French, Tahitian and other Polynesian languages is one of triglossia (Charpentier and François 2015, 101), where French has the highest status followed by Tahitian with the other Polynesian languages lagging behind. This article gives an overview of the social history and language situation in French Polynesia, with a focus on Tahiti. It then describes the methodology and data collected in situ. The conclusion explores implications of recent favourable language policies of local governments and the future of multilingualism for French Polynesia in the Pacific region.
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Threats to Heritage Collections in Papua New Guinea: A Preliminary Case Study on ‘Cause-Risk-Effect’ in Preventive Conservation Issues at Papua New Guinea’s National Museum and Art Galle
Authors
Tulupul, Stalen Jethro
Toshiya, Matsui
Ondirari, Kevin
Kazumu, Kuramitsu
Yoshiko, Honda
Abstract
Different museums have different systems for addressing problems associated with agents of deterioration. There are guidelines from regional and international governing bodies, such as the Pacific Islands Museums Association (PIMA) and the International Council of Museums (ICOM), on maintaining museum collections. The guidelines are based on many knowledge contributions to heritage conservation and preservation over time. However, the ‘governing bodies’ do not directly handle the museum collections within the museums’ custody, and therefore, it is their (museums’) responsibility to develop systems that are practical in their capacity to achieve their goals. This case study presents the context of the situation at the and addresses possible threats from problems that are likely to influence conservation efforts. The article includes an illustration of case studies on three agents of deterioration (incorrect relative humidity, incorrect temperature, and pests) and the widespread presence of mould within the building. The analysis of the ‘cause-risk-effect’ attributes threats to systems breakdowns and situations such as lack of proper policy guidelines and deficiency in knowledge capacity, that put the museum collections at risk.
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Land Law Literacy and Its Impacts on iTaukei Land Governance and Political Affiliation
Author
Sakai, Sevanaia
Abstract
Empirical research on land tenure in Fiji has rarely paid attention to the fact that the iTaukei knowledge of their land rights is not only a sine qua non (prerequisite) in their ability to enforce these rights but will also affect their attitude towards land reforms, political party affiliation, ethnic relations, investment, governance, and management. Issues relating to land ownership, in the main, reflect the socio-political configuration of iTaukei society, including their status as the first people in a heterogeneous society fashioned during the colonial period. This article is based on a PhD dissertation. It focuses on native land literacy (or lack of it) and its implications on customary land governance and political affiliations. Apart from the literature on customary land tenure in Fiji, this study uses mixed-methods research by engaging the hermeneutic paradigms and operationalizing a bundle of predominantly qualitative methods tailored specifically to suit the iTaukei context in the village of Narewa in Nadi. The findings of this empirical study will fill a significant void in the literature and provide evidence of the impact of land law literacy on individual and village land governance and on resources that are owned collectively. It will also contribute to discussions about how land insecurity influences political party choices among iTaukei affiliations.
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Book Review: Remembering Epeli Hau’ofa: His Life and Legacy
Author
Nicole, Robert