Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Cook Islands has enacted seabed minerals harvesting regulations despite concerns about the lack of 'meaningful consultation' and the premature nature of the legislation, given that the exploration phase is still ongoing.

The Seabed Minerals (Minerals Harvesting and Other Mining) Regulations 2024 (MH Regulations) were passed last week, the Cook Islands Seabed Minerals Authority (SBMA) confirmed in a statement on Friday.

SBMA says the adoption of these regulations is a crucial step in establishing a comprehensive legal framework, providing all stakeholders with clarity and certainty regarding the country's legal regime for seabed minerals governance.

The regulations were passed "after four years of development and two rounds of public consultations".

However, Alanna Smith, the director of environment group Te Ipukarea Society, questioned the consultations, saying "in reality, there were none."

"A consultation process is a collaborative approach where parties actively engage in open dialogue and exchange of information to reach a mutually beneficial decision," Smith said.

"It involves listening, understanding, and considering each other's perspectives before making a final determination. None of that happened in the passing of these very premature regulations."

"We were again invited to submit on the second draft. You would have thought by now we would have realized that this was not intended to be meaningful consultation, but just a box ticking exercise by Government. However, we were too gullible, and fell for it a second time. We again submitted substantive comments, including opinions from two New Zealand based legal experts."

Smith said again, none of the substantive comments were incorporated into the final regulations as passed.

FRENCH POLYNESIA DECOLONIZATION

French Polynesian delegations are in New York this week to attend the UN's 4th Committee on Decolonization.

The representative of the ruling Tavini Huiraatira party, Élise Vanaa, will deliver one of the speeches as petitioner.

She hopes France's representative will engage in talks.

This year, the camp opposed to independence is also sending a delegation.

The Tapura party representative says the majority of Polynesians are not for independence.

WEALTH THRU A TONGAN LENS

A study measuring wealth through a Tongan lens has been published in New Zealand's MAI Journal.

The study looks at balancing Anga Faka-Tonga, or the Tongan way of life, with financial wellbeing.

Victoria Ongolea was born in Papua New Guinea and worked in a budgeting role after migrating to New Zealand.

She said it opened her eyes to the struggle Pacific people were going through.

Her research showed that for participants, wealth could not be measured by bank balance alone.

Many believed money and wealth derived from God, and that money should be shared, not kept for personal gain.

They also expressed emotional distress over fatongia, or cultural obligations; or felt responsible for shouldering the burden of social and financial expectations.

TONE DOWN THE RHETORIC

The secretary general of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) is warning China and the US to tone down its rhetoric against each other in order to simmer tensions in the region.

It follows concerns raised by South Pacific Defence Ministers meeting in Auckland last week about China's test launch of an inter-continental ballistic missile into the Pacific Ocean.

PIF secretary general Baron Waqa said China's actions are a "big no no".

Waqa attended the South Pacific Defence Minister Meeting for the first time where concerns were raised about the fight for influence by world powers.

THE "YEAR OF FINANCE"

The director of climate change and sustainability at the principal scientific and technical organization in the Pacific has dubbed this years' UN Climate Change Conference the "year of finance".

Pacific leaders are preparing for COP29 which is set to be held in Baku, Azerbaijan next month.

The Pacific Community or SPC spokesperson, Niue's Coral Pasisi was in Fiji getting ready for COP.

She said reaching an agreement over the New Collective Quantified Goal on climate finance will be critical:

Pasisi said unlocking climate financing through a new financial target (New Collective Quantified Goal) is vital in order for the Pacific to transition as a region to a low carbon future.

She said Pacific nations contribute the least to the climate crisis, yet they are still on the front line.

MP ALLOWANCES

Cook Islands Members of Parliament have spent nearly half of their annual travel and allowance budget in less than three months.

The MPs have already spent just over NZ$219,000 of the NZ$450,000 allocated for travel and allowance for the 2024/25 financial year.

Cook Islands News obtained the information through an Official Information Act (OIA) request regarding MPs' travel and allowance spending.

A detailed list of spending, including the names of the Ministers and MPs who took overseas trips and the amount they spent, has not been released.

PNG PRISONS

The Correctional Service Minister Joe Kuli wants immediate action to ensure prisons across the country are fully staffed.

Local media reported Kuli saying more than 200 personnel per jail are needed immediately.

A recruitment drive early this year was abandoned following widespread criticism and concerns after only 162 persons of the 3000 were accepted for training.

Funding has also been a major concern.

Kuli said work is ongoing to improve workforce capacity.

(Source: RNZ Pacific)