Doug Dingwall

China has handed over a massive newly-built presidential palace to Vanuatu days before the Pacific nation's prime minister is expected to visit Beijing.

Blessed with pristine lagoons and coral reefs, New Caledonia was hoping to attract more Australian tourists. After civil unrest struck, businesses are now thinking about survival.

A new wave of unrest has hit New Caledonia amid warnings the decision to send seven activists charged over deadly riots to France has mobilised pro-independence supporters.

Vanuatu has backed changes in a referendum aiming to end political instability that saw the Pacific nation elect three prime ministers in a month.

The first Pacific Engagement Visas will be granted in late 2024. Experts and community leaders welcome the scheme, but say the government needs to manage it carefully.

The landslide that struck Papua New Guinea's Enga province came without apparent warning and while people slept. But can landslides be predicted? The answer could help prevent future deaths.

They've travelled far from home to help their families in Fiji, but this group of PALM workers spends their Saturdays off cooking in Brisbane for Australians struggling with the cost of living.

Tetepare was once home to tribes of people, before it was abruptly deserted about 200 years ago. Now, descendants are protecting it from logging and climate change.

Air Vanuatu's collapse has raised questions about the future of aviation in the Pacific. While experts say the problems are vast, there are glimmers of hope for the region's airlines.

Experts and observers say the discord in New Caledonia has built amid a deepening economic divide and a prolonged stalemate over the future of its status as a French territory. 

The federal government says Australia's intake of migrants will fall sharply — halving in two years — as it overhauls the migration system and moves to reduce pressures caused by population growth.

Many people deported to Tonga arrive with few connections to the country — a trend experts say is fuelling the country's drug problem. But a group of returnees are using their own experiences to help others find their feet in the Pacific country.

Ernst & Young confirms it has taken control of the airline after the Vanuatu government appointed it as voluntary liquidator of the company. 

Australian tourists are stranded in Vanuatu after the country's national airline cancelled international flights for four days, while the Vanuatu government considers putting it into voluntary administration.

It comes after Bainimarama's conviction over his role in influencing a police investigation into funding of the region's biggest university.

Former foreign minister and diplomat Jeremiah Manele has been elected as the new prime minister of Solomon Islands — and he's expected to maintain close ties with China.

Demand for Pacific Island seasonal workers is falling after a post-COVID boom in numbers, and some say one reason is changes requiring labourers receive at least 30 hours of work each week.

Pacific Island nations are looking abroad for workers, and taking control of labour mobility schemes at home, as they look to address labour shortages hitting employers. But experts say it's too early to say whether they're succeeding.

Nearly 1,500 Pacific ancestors are held in 13 museums and universities across Australia — but for the most part, the institutions are not repatriating remains and some believe there are cases that "might prove impossible".

Charlie Lynn led trekkers across the rugged Kokoda Track for three decades — but after one trip last year, he decided the mountainous trail had fallen too far into disrepair for him to return.

In Samoa, churches spend millions building cathedrals to connect communities to God. But as debts and poverty skyrocket, many are questioning the price tag.

The Jewel casino once stood at the turquoise shores of Vanuatu's Iririki Island — until its new owners shut it down. Their reason? "The house always wins."

King tides are not new in Tuvalu, but February's reached areas that had not been flooded before, forcing some Tuvaluans to question how much time they had left in their home country.

The magnitude-6.9 earthquake has shaken villages along the Sepik River that which were already battling a flood disaster.

The eyes of the Tongan public will this week settle on a remote island in the Pacific nation's north, where a meeting of the king with his advisers could determine the government's future.