Introduction: “Response able” scholarship
Author
Nicole, Robert
A few weeks ago, the University of Canterbury welcomed one of its most prominent alumna back to
Christchurch. Professor Airini is now President and Vice-Chancellor of Thomson Rivers University
in British Colombia, Canada, the first and only Pacific Islander to hold such a position in North
America. In her response to the welcome, Professor Airini reflected on the word “responsible”,
splitting it into two to coin the phrase “response able”. Her point was to remind us that Pacific
research needs to be purposeful and useful to its constituencies. It should focus on offering solutions
to the challenges of our times.
The collection of articles in this issue contains “response able” research on a diversity of critical
themes and issues that affect and shape our region. It also signals our continued effort to pursue
and publish knowledge that cuts across and transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries. This
approach is intended to resist the artificial compartmentalisation that characterises so much of
our knowledge production and that is such a hallmark of the market-driven neoliberal academic
environment in which we operate.
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Security narratives and deep-sea mining: The case of the Pacific
Authors
Troath, Sian
Hatcher, Pascale
Ratuva, Steve
Abstract
With the energy transition and the race for critical minerals in the foreground, this paper explores how the prospect of deep-sea mining (DSM) in the Pacific is being debated in a region where strategic tensions are already heightened and security narratives are contested. Specifically, this paper sets out to analyse the literature at the intersection between the geopolitical, economic and environmental discourses, which feed into both the rise of DSM and the security narratives in the Pacific. We do this by applying techniques of corpus-assisted discourse analysis, combined with close qualitative reading, to a set of news media corpora focussed on these key issues. We then analyse this data with insights from critical political economy and security literature. We argue that the rise of DSM does intensify the existing tensions between the security narratives of the Indo-Pacific, and that of the broader human security and environmental focus of the Blue Pacific narrative. We conclude that this process risks further diverting important and timely discussions over DSM away from Pacific Islands Countries and their communities.
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The right hand does not know what the left hand is doing: Blue economy and deep-sea mining in Fiji
Authors
Kasanawaqa, Viliame
Moncada, Stefano
Vunibola, Suliasi
Raratabu, Amelia
Abstract
In March 2021, Pacific regional civil society groups launched a campaign calling on Pacific Island leaders to join the coalition which calls for a total ban on Deep-Sea Mining (DSM) within their territorial waters and in areas beyond national jurisdiction. The paper focuses on the stand that the Government of Fiji has taken on this call and more generally on its support for a ten-year moratorium at international fora. While the Fiji Government projects itself as having ambitious environmental goals, plans and policies and calling for a moratorium for DSM, it has not repealed its own national law that governs DSM. This indicates a major incoherence in the government’s policy narrative. The paper is a thematic analysis of national policies of Fiji. Building on literature from the fields of critical political economy and civil society studies, the paper is based on a desk study comprising a review of peer-reviewed and grey literature supplemented by information retrieved from the internet in regard to Fiji’s national environmental policies, the Pacific Regional Legislative and Regulatory Framework for Deep Sea Mineral Exploration and Exploitation, the International Seabed Authority (ISA), DSM companies, development agencies and Pacific governments.
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Who is a Vulagi? Unsettling settler imaginaries of ‘place’ and ‘indigeneity’ in Fiji’s post-colonial context
Authors
Rakuita, Tui
Plange, Nii K.
Abstract
The issue of who is a Vulagi1 in Fiji is imbued with a stigma that has continued to take its toll within the national psyche. This has proven problematic when it comes to initiatives aimed at nation building between indigenous communities and others who regard Fiji as home. It is the contention of this essay that the problematic aspect of Vulagi in Fiji owes its origin to the coloniality of power that currently has Fiji in its throes. This essay critically interrogates the extent to which contemporary notions of ‘place’ in Fiji are still imbricated with(in) colonised cognitive spaces by charting the evolution of the concept of Vulagi from a temporary to a permanent designation – a change that has proven to be problematic in both its application and provenance. By interrogating settler imaginaries of ‘place’, or Vanua, and indigeneity together with the ways they were radically transformed by the power-effects of settler colonialism, the essay hopes to be a clarion call for the reclamation and liberation of our colonised subjectivities.
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School leader profiles: Discussion of the Pacific Islands Literacy and Numeracy Assessment
Authors
Krishneel, Reddy
Noa, Michael
Alamu, Adrian
Prasad, Seema
Valentine, Salote
Abstract
This study explores the demographic characteristics of primary school leaders in the Pacific region, utilising data from the Pacific Islands Literacy and Numeracy Assessment (PILNA) 2018 and 2021 administrations. The study focuses on understanding the profile of these leaders in terms of gender, age, experience, and qualifications. It examines how these factors intersect and potentially influence educational leadership and policy implementation. The findings reveal a relatively balanced gender distribution among school leaders, with a slight trend towards increased male representation. The data also highlights a significant age disparity, with most leaders being over 50 years old and a trend towards higher academic qualifications. The study further explores the use of assessment data by school leaders and the nature of community support received by schools. The implications of these findings for policy and practice are discussed, emphasising the need for targeted leadership development programmes, strengthened school-community partnerships, and a re-evaluation of teacher performance monitoring practices. The research contributes to a deeper understanding of school leadership in the Pacific context. It provides valuable insights for policymakers and practitioners seeking to enhance educational leadership and improve regional student outcomes.
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Developing STEMM Systems Navigator roles informed by social ecological and Hawaii-Pacific wayfinding models
Authors
Glibetic, Natalija
Brockway, Catherine
Chong, Rylan
Naeole, Chrystie
Cogbill, Jolene
Flynn, Connor
Keahi, Kahoali‘i
Howard, Julia
Jansen, Chad
Baker, Jonathan
Saini, Kartik
Aporosa, S. ‘Apo’
Stokes, Alexander
Turner, Helen
Abstract
This paper describes a novel higher education Systems Navigator role designed to enhance STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine) student success and facilitate engagement between researchers and community stakeholders. These roles comprise Academic Navigators focused on Indigenous STEMM student achievement; Research Navigators dedicated to fostering undergraduate research participation; and Data/AI Navigators facilitating the engagement of students, non-traditional participants, and community and social-sector entities with data analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. We detail the conceptualization, theoretical underpinnings, and definitions of Navigator roles framed by Hawaiian wayfinding epistemology and a general Social Ecological Model (SEM), as well as SEM adaptations specific to each Navigator type. The paper presents outcomes from these initial pilot implementations, emphasizing their preliminary efficacy, lessons learned and impacts. Finally, we outline strategies for adopting, scaling and sustaining these resource-intensive roles through a structured certification curriculum. STEMM System Navigators have the potential to strengthen STEMM education and community engagement across diverse institutional contexts.
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Avocado production for nutrition security and livelihood improvement of smallholders in Fiji
Authors
Tuivanualevu, Tetalo
Leweniqila, Ilisoni
Sewabu, Waisea
Shah, Shipra
Magiri, Royford
Savou, Joeli
Vunibola, Suliasi
Abstract
Fiji has among the world’s highest rates of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) accounting for more than 80% mortality. Dietary transition from traditional locally grown food to imported food products readily available at the convenience of supermarkets is a major driver of NCDs. Avocado is globally recognised as an important fruit crop due to its high nutritive value. It contains antioxidants, anticancer, and anti-hemolytic properties which are beneficial for heart diseases, diabetes, cancer, and other NCDs. Moreover, the tourism sector has high demand for avocados, but more than 80 percent (in volume) is imported. Despite its early introduction to Fiji in the 19th century, avocado is still not popular among farmers. Though the tourism sector has high demand for avocado, most of it is imported. Local production is confined to home gardens and harvesting from the wild, which cannot meet the quality standards and ensure consistency of supply. Other key constraints are environmental conditions and climate change, unavailability of planting material, inadequate postharvest management, poor farmer interest in tree growing practices, and low awareness of the nutritive and health benefits of avocado. Agricultural diversification through the establishment of orchards and avocado based agroforestry systems can not only meet increasing demand.
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The Future of Pacific Tourism: Strengthening sustainable tourism development by prioritising local people and places
Authors
Scheyvens, Regina
Movono, Apisalome
Auckram, Sophie
Abstract
Many small island states, such as those in the Pacific Ocean, are highly dependent on revenue from international tourism. Thus, shocks to the tourism sector, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, hit very hard. Cognisant of the devastating economic losses faced by tourism-dependent island states during the coronavirus pandemic, our research sought out the views of local communities in terms of their thoughts on best paths for future development. We did this deliberately because governments and industry bodies tend to dominate decision-making about post-crisis recovery, often favouring a return to business-as-usual as quickly as possible. By contrast, many scholars have advocated for alternative, more regenerative approaches. As it is those ‘on the ground’ who bear the consequences of decisions that are made, this research highlights voices of people living in four tourism-dependent Pacific Island Countries. Data collection included surveys and interviews, and we report here on what some of the qualitative data revealed. Our findings show that while people’s aspirations for future tourism varied somewhat, there were some key themes that many raised: enhanced employee wellbeing and rights, greater local control over tourism, support for local ownership of tourism enterprises, care for the environment, and, beyond tourism, support for people’s involvement in diverse livelihood and cultural activities. Achieving this vision would require policy shifts and policy coherence across sectors to support development that is socially inclusive and protects the natural environment. We argue that such an approach could ensure greater resilience in the face of future shocks and disasters which will inevitably continue to challenge island states.
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It’s always sunny in the Nederends: Excrement is gay matter or “Poop is Funny”
Author
Subramani, Anurag
Abstract
Carnival as a particular mode of literary expression first came into prominence in the writings of the Russian literary critic Mikhail Bakhtin. Bakhtin introduces the concept in Problems of Dostoevsky’s Poetics but it is in Rabelais and his World where he undertakes a detailed analysis of the concept of carnival using what he considers to be the greatest expression of a carnivalised text, François Rabelais’ Gargantua and Pantagruel. Though he also mentions the works of William Shakespeare and Miquel de Cervantes as literary expressions of carnival, for Bakhtin, the European medieval folk culture of carnival with its ambivalence, its articulation of a multiplicity of voices and perspectives, its reliance on scatological and earthy humour (grotesque realism), its suspension of hierarchy, its violation of conventions and its uncrowning of authority and all that was revered, found its greatest literary expression in Rabelais’ Gargantua and Pantagruel. For Baktin, Rabelais was able to mine the folk culture of carnival of the European Middle Ages with all its comic possibilities and irreverent attitudes towards theology and create a text both witty and polyphonous and one that was a commentary on the time in which he lived. Bakhtin’s suggestion of Gargantua and Pantagruel carrying the spirit of carnival and uncrowning accepted canons and styles could well apply to Epeli Hau‘ofa’s witty and irreverent Kisses in the Nederends. In the novel, Hau‘ofa celebrates the activities of the lower bodily stratum and satirises and uncrowns all that is scared and official.
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Arguing Bougainville’s 2019 referendum for independence
Author
Kolova, Steven
Abstract
This paper examines the key features of four legal documents to demonstrate that the conduct of the Bougainville referendum in 2019 fulfilled all necessary legal requirements. While some disputes persist and have implications for the independence of Bougainville, the article demonstrates that the legal and procedural arguments are so strong that they render independence for Bougainville inevitable.
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Book review Nicole George. (2025). Between Rights and Rightfulness: Gender and violence in the Pacific Islands
Author
Batterbury, Simon
This book is a comparative study of an underreported issue: violence against women in the Pacific, with a focus on New Caledonia, Bougainville and Fiji. George’s major message, developed from many years of fieldwork and engagement with feminist movements, is that we cannot rely on the state alone to reduce levels of exposure to violence experienced by women in the Pacific. In this respect, if women are currently suffering aggression and violence in the domestic sphere, then decolonization and new state formations established across the Pacific in recent decades have been disappointing. The notable strengthening of women’s political representation in many Pacific nations has not resolved these issues in households and communities.
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