Latest fromPacific Islands

Covid-19: Seven new community cases detected as Fiji prepares for worst
Fiji's Government has deployed a multi-agency response to face the Covid-19 outbreak.

Samoa elections: Tempers flare as Head of State calls for second election
The caretaker and newcomer party tied on 26 seats each since last month's elections.

Kiwis snap up Cooks holidays, searches surge by 4000%
Kiwis are snapping up holidays to the Cook Islands after the travel bubble announcement.

Raro, here we come! Cook Islands bubble begins on May 17
Winter holidays are back on - and flights are already scheduled.

Hello Raro: NZ-Cooks travel bubble tipped to open on May 16
An announcement on a travel bubble with the Cook Islands is expected this afternoon.

Nationwide Fiji lockdown imminent as Covid cases climb
Officials race to screen residents in areas where Covid is thought to be spreading.

Five more Covid-19 cases confirmed in Fiji
Pacific nation has now 28 locally-transmitted Covid-19 cases.

Bubble breach: Perth lockdown traveller made it to NZ; 8 new cases in MIQ
Traveller from Perth self-isolating after trip during lockdown there via Sydney.

'Complete and utter coward': Charity founder jailed for rape
'Do you know how it feels to tell your dad that you've been raped?'

Fiji carries out mass Covid screening amid superspreader fears
A funeral attended by 500 people is a potential superspreader event, authorities say.

New report: Time to rebalance RSE visa scheme
Rising numbers of temporary migrants haven't boosted horticulture's productivity.

Expat Kiwi discovers body with Covid-19 near Vanuatu home
NZ expert says it is extremely unlikely Covid could be transferred from a dead body.

Island mystery: Covid corpse washes up in Vanuatu
The body washed up near the capital and residents are being urged to test.

Six60 to share live show with the Pacific Islands
Beloved Kiwi band, Six60 make history with their show on Saturday - in more ways than one.

Fiji lockdown: Covid community case in Nadi
As Australia and New Zealand wake to a bubble, Fiji wakes to lockdown.

Live: Tearful reunions as transtasman travel bubble opens, PM thanks Kiwis
About 400 quarantine-free weekly flights will arrive at and depart from Auckland Airport.

'Shameful stain on NZ history': Polynesian Panthers push for apology
Dawn raids caused "ongoing trauma; broken people and families", Melani Anae says.

Samoa election: Is island nation on the cusp of change?
Final count starts today to find out exactly who will govern for the next five years.

Samoa election: Final count starts; early results show tight race
Officials urge patience as the final count gets under way.

Samoa election: Accounting error has top parties tied again
Samoa's two main political parties are again head to head in the general election.

Killer to be deported on release despite 17 years in New Zealand
Esau Vailagilala will leave behind a twin brother when he is deported to Samoa.

Heather du Plessis-Allan: Ardern's treatment of Cook Islands is paternalism
OPINION: We think we know what's best for the Cook Islands. We might not.

Tribe who worshipped Prince Philip as a god now in mourning
"He left the island ages ago to go overseas, and he found the Queen of England."

Editorial: Malo lava, Pasifika!
Editorial: Pacific Island drums will echo around Mt Smart Stadium today at festival debut.

Auckland's Pasifika Festival is back - and there's a new venue
The Pasifika Festival is finally back this weekend.

Bubble clue: Air NZ ads for Rarotonga flights suggest two-way travel imminent
Air NZ's ads point to a specific start date as the Cooks' PM sends out positive signals.

'Sad beyond words': Catering company's sorrow over staffer's death in charter-boat incident
"Danielle Tamarua was a beautiful, kind and much loved member of our team."

How three New Zealand-Tongan businesses have fared against Covid
Three New Zealand-Tongan businesses have risen to the challenges of Covid.

Ardern draws flak over Cook Islands bubble delay till May
Ardern had said the Cooks' bubble was coming before April – that's now May.