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Māori writer Pei Te Hurinui Jones's biography of a famous nineteenth-century composer was published serially in the government magazine Te Ao Hou and then in 1961 as Puhiwahine: Māori poetess. The final section of the biography is written in dramatic form: the author is interrupted at his desk by the "ghost of Goethe," who, it had been rumored, was the father of Puhiwahine's husband. Following other genealogies—especially those connected to the origins of comparative literature—we might say Goethe's ghost had already "enter[ed]" this place. In 1886, Irish scholar Hutcheson Macaulay Posnett arrived in Auckland with his freshly printed book Comparative Literature, drawing on work by, among others, Goethe. Responding to Pacific studies scholar Teresia Teaiwa's argument that "more often than not ... the Pacific is not brought to the table as an equal partner in any conversation about the nature of humanity or society," the article considers how, and on what terms, Te Hurinui's reckonings with Goethe might be held alongside Posnett's. Ultimately, drawing attention to these two very different "entries" of Goethe provides an opportunity to reckon with the current and potential relationship between comparative literature, Indigenous literary studies, and the Pacific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Education was a crucial transfer point within modern imperial projects; it was a key domain through which relationships between the state, religious institutions, various agents of reform, and Indigenous, colonised and enslaved peoples were negotiated. Exploring a range of case studies, this article highlights the multiple trajectories of colonial education in the modern British empire and the Pacific region, charting both continuities and moments of change, commonalities and divergences. Particular emphasis is placed on the centrality of evangelicalism in fashioning strong connections between education and social reform, both within the project of empire and in a range of indigenous social reform and anti-colonial movements. Within this context, the article also highlights the strong interplay between education and the construction of cultural difference, including through the changing shape of ethnological and anthropological knowledge. Exploring these questions, it is suggested, opens up fundamental questions about empire, colonialism and modernity itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Papua New Guinea (PNG) has one of the highest burdens of HIV and syphilis in pregnancy in the Asia-Pacific region. Timely and effective diagnosis can alleviate the burden of HIV and syphilis and improve maternal and newborn health. Supply-side factors related to implementation and scale up remain problematic, yet few studies have considered their impact on antenatal testing and treatment for HIV and syphilis. This study explores health service availability and readiness for antenatal HIV and/or syphilis testing and treatment in PNG.Methods: Using data from two sources, we demonstrate health service availability and readiness. Service availability is measured at a province level as the average of three indicators: infrastructure, workforce, and antenatal clinic utilization. The readiness score comprises 28 equally weighted indicators across four domains; and is estimated for 73 health facilities. Bivariate and multivariate robust linear regressions explore associations between health facility readiness and the proportion of antenatal clinic attendees tested and treated for HIV and/or syphilis.Results: Most provinces had fewer than one health facility per 10 000 population. On average, health worker density was 11 health workers per 10 000 population per province, and approximately 22% of pregnant women attended four or more antenatal clinics. Most health facilities had a composite readiness score between 51% and 75%, with urban health facilities faring better than rural ones. The multivariate regression analysis, when controlling for managing authority, catchment population, the number of clinicians employed, health facility type and residence (urban/rural) indicated a weak positive relationship between health facility readiness and the proportion of antenatal clinic attendees tested and treated for HIV and/or syphilis.Conclusion: This study adds to the limited evidence base for the Asia-Pacific region. There is a need to improve antenatal testing and treatment coverage for HIV and syphilis and reduce healthcare inequalities faced by rural and urban communities. Shortages of skilled health workers, tests, and medicines impede the provision of quality antenatal care. Improving service availability and health facility readiness are key to ensuring the effective provision of antenatal care interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the ninth biannual Pacific Region Indigenous Doctors Congress (PRIDoC) 2018 held in Hilo, Hawaii on July 12-17, 2018. Topics discussed include the Pacific and from those lands and territories connected to the Pacific; and indigenous doctors and medical students can come together to build relationships and share resources and expertise.

This essay provides an overview of both the accomplishments and difficulties faced by OCLC as it has expanded in the vast Asia Pacific region. It describes the organizational changes as they evolved as this previously North American collaborative organization expanded westward and details initiatives pursued in each of the Asia Pacific countries where it has operated. Finally, it examines the five major challenges yet facing OCLC in the region: the lack of bibliographic name authority files, competing classification systems, competing MARC cataloging formats, the perceived high costs associated with participating OCLC programs and services, and the need for local vernacular products in addition to those developed largely for the North American and European markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although a significant literature has arisen examining the intersections of Christianity and development in the Pacific, these themes have yet to receive the full attention they deserve. This special issue seeks to encourage further scholarship on these important themes. In this introduction we trace some of the entanglements between religion and development in Pacific history and suggest some productive future research trajectories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Warfare is often considered as a key factor in the formation complex societies, but in the Pacific archaeological evidence for inter-group conflict during political centralization is rare. Most earthwork forts in Tonga are assumed to have been built in the nineteenth century when the traditional system of rulership collapsed, yet few forts on Tongatapu have been excavated or 14C dated. A fort in the chiefly center of the ancient Tongan state was mapped with theodolite and LiDAR, and excavated. Radiocarbon and traditional history indicate the fort known as the Lapaha Kolotau was made in the fourteenth century AD at the same time that chiefly architecture was being built at an unprecedented scale at the new elite center. The construction of an earthwork fort provides the first evidence that political centralization in Tonga was likely to have been contested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chevert was built for Napoleon III's navy between 1850 and 1863. It served as a transport to supply French colonies in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its service was primarily in peacetime, never entering into battle. It entered the private merchant service in the early 1870s and in 1875 served William Macleay's scientific expedition to New Guinea, which became known as the Chevert Expedition. It subsequently re-entered the merchant service before being wrecked in a cyclone in 1880. Not yet lost to history, it served as an office and impromptu fortress in Vanuatu: firstly for the English and then for the French. Its final resting place was Port Sandwich, Malekula, Vanuatu. For a relatively small transport ship it attracted many more headlines than its weight might predict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Association of Small Island States occupies a unique role at the United Nations (UN) whereby it advocates on behalf of islands states (and those with similar geographies) on issues from climate change to development to economic initiatives and trade. As part of a larger research endeavor, interviews were conducted with the AOSIS representative (or a knowledgeable delegate) from over a dozen Pacific Small Island States (PSIS) with regard to climate change planning and preparation. This research is unique in that approximately three-quarters of the sought-after island states agreed to give anonymous, non-attributable interviews about diplomatic and sensitive topics. This particular subset of the research question focused upon how PSIS self-perceive their participation and membership in the only island-based organization at the UN level speaking on behalf of islands and whether their understandings and assessment of AOSIS merged with theoretical frameworks describing productive and fruitful multijurisdictional cooperation. The findings from the research illustrate that PSIS overwhelmingly identify AOSIS as an organization that provides a stable and cooperatively balanced organizational structure that promotes collaboration and solidarity across the Pacific. With the research questions focused on climate change in particular, respondents’ answers indicate an organization seen as successfully and effectively following many of the theoretical tenets of a collaborative- and cooperative-based type of governance, often only seen in hypothetical, literature-based examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is prompted by the recent debate on the so-called crisis in the humanities, and the related call for historians to change direction by returning to history of the longue durée. While pointing out that the ‘crisis’ is more influenced by the changing political economy of the tertiary education sector than by specific historiographical practices, I suggest that small-scale analysis remains compatible with global history approaches. Articulating a parallel examination of Pacific historiography and the Italian variant of microhistory, the article argues that the latter provides fertile stimuli for Pacific history. In particular, I maintain that integrating social analysis can serve to counterbalance the over-emphasis on cultural aspects found in much Pacific historiography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper heralds a new pedagogical model known as the Science Teachers Accelerated Programme as a platform to upgrade the qualifications of secondary school science teachers throughout the Pacific region. Based on a tripartite partnership between a higher education provider, a regional government and a cohort of science teachers, the model offers an accelerated Bachelor's degree programme to the cohort. Using this tripartite partnership model, a pilot of the Science Teachers Accelerated Programme is underway between the University of the South Pacific, the Government of Samoa and a cohort of science teachers in Samoa. The underpinning activities garnering social and academic integration are highlighted with analytics. The strengths, challenges and opportunities of the new, cohort-taught science model are presented with relevant diagnoses, interventions and adaptive works carried out in the first half of the delivery plan. While the Government of Samoa is considering the implementation of a second cycle, the University of the South Pacific is considering extending the model to other regional countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This special issue of PORTAL Journal of Multidisciplinary International Studies emerged from discussions about the need to focus research on the diversity of the Pacific and the sustainability of Pacific peoples and communities for future generations. The issue brings together articles by researchers from Australia and New Caledonia with interests in sustainability from the disciplines of linguistics, cultural studies, social science and history in and across the Pacific region. The papers are drawn primarily from presentations at a symposium on 'Pacific communities acting for sustainability,' held at the University of Wollongong in July 2016, which involved academics from Australia and New Caledonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article makes a case for alternative communication models as a means of strengthening networks both for dialogue and social action in environmental communication. It first charts the emergence of the environmental movement in the Pacific region as a consequence of 50 years of nuclear testing. This is followed by a discussion of contemporary environmental concerns facing Pacific communities and the networks of solidarity that have emerged. Participatory media provides an important platform for local communities through which they can share knowledge, create awareness and provide their own perspectives on environmental issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is devoted to the fulfillment of the concept of transnational citizenship achieved by New Zealand toward the Pacific Island countries, mainly through their constitutional relations, and the paper analyzes the fundamental question of what aspects comprise the core of the transnational aspect of this community. The aim here is to put forward the key aspects and steps in the building and development of a functioning model of transnational communities, with emphasis on the legal instrument of regional identity building, namely, the introduction and development of dual citizenship as the adaptation of the historical heritage of the colonial past (British citizenship) to the conditions of a globalized world while taking all the problems that the region faces now into account. We see transnational communities to be an important expression of contemporary globalization, as they have also been historically, as proved by New Zealand and the Pacific Island countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Few data are available on dual burden of under and over nutrition of children in the Pacific region. The objective was to examine prevalence of stunting at birth and current stunting and their relationship to obesity in US Affiliated Pacific (USAP) jurisdictions.Methods: Cross sectional survey with cluster sampling by community. 5558, 2-8 years olds were measured in 51 communities in 11 USAP jurisdictions. The main outcome measures were stunting at birth, current stunting and obesity by body mass index. Prevalences of stunting at birth, current stunting and obesity were determined, adjusting for age distribution and community clustering. Differences by among age, sex, race and jurisdiction income levels were evaluated by chi-square analysis. Relationships of stunting at birth and current stunting with obesity were examined using a hierarchical model accounting for the study design.Results: Prevalences were stunting at birth 6.8% (Standard Error, SE = 0.9%), current stunting 1.4% (SE = 0.2%) and obesity 14.03.8% (SE = 0.9%). Obesity was highest in upper middle income jurisdictions (UMIJ) at 17.5%. Stunting at birth differed by race (p = 0.0001) with highest prevalence among Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islanders (10.7%). Prevalence of stunting at birth was different by jurisdiction income level with 27.5% in lower middle income jurisdictions (LMIJ), and 22.2% in UMIJ, and 5.5% in higher than high income jurisdictions (HIJ) at 5.5% (p < 0.0001). Prevalence of current stunting was higher in LMIJ than HIJ (p = 0.001), although children with current stunting were less likely to have been stunted at birth. The association between stunting at birth and current stunting was negative (OR = 0.19, 95% CI: 0.05-0.69).Conclusions: Currently stunted children were marginally less likely to be obese than not stunted children in the USAP, where the prevalence of current stunting is low. Stunting (at birth and current) was highest in LMIJ, while UMIJ jurisdictions had the highest dual burden of malnutrition (that is the highest combination of both stunting at birth and obesity).Trial Registration: National Institutes for Health clinical trial # NCT01881373 (clinicaltrials.gov). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Th is comment reflects on the contributions to this special section on print culture and mobility in the Pacific. It focuses on the ways in which changing attitudes toward ocean-going mobility and its mass commercialisation in the fi rst half of the twentieth century encouraged new textual and visual forms of appraisal and representation of the Pacific. This, in turn, facilitated the fashioning of new mobile subjectivities, which illuminate a range of gendered and racialized aspirations being projected into the Pacific region from the white settler states around its rim. Together, the articles suggest avenues for further research on the impact of shipboard and island port encounters on forms of Australian self-presentation and engagement in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper documents and discusses a new Albian–early Cenomanian carbon isotope (δ 13 C carb and δ 13 C org ) curve from the subequatorial Eastern Pacific in Peru. Chemostratigraphic evidences for the expression of the OAE1b set and for OAE1c and OAE1d are presented. This dataset is relevant inasmuch as previous work is strongly biased towards study sites in North America (Western Interior Basin), in Europe (Tethys) and the Pacific realm. A comparison of the carbon isotope stratigraphy obtained in Peru with published sections from the Central and Western Pacific, the Western Atlantic and Northern and Western Tethys reveals an overall good agreement supporting the global nature of the isotope patterns described here. The δ 13 C from Peru record is constrained by biostratigraphic evidence and 87 Sr/ 86 Sr isotope stratigraphy using well-preserved oyster shells. Furthermore, we document the development of a heterozoan epeiric–neritic mixed carbonate–siliciclastic ramp in the Western Platform of Peru and its corresponding sedimentary facies associations. This dataset was used to elucidate the complex interplay of climatic changes, nutrient supply, and platform drowning, leading to the following conclusions: (i) an upper Aptian–lower Albian major change from siliciclastic-dominated to carbonate sedimentation coincided with the impact of the Kilian Level, (ii) a lower Albian incipient platform drowning linked to the impact of the Paquier Level, (iii) A lower middle Albian major demise of neritic carbonate production that coincides with the Leenhardt Level, followed by middle Albian condensed sedimentation that reports prominent negative values in δ 13 C carb prior to the onset of OAE1c and (iv) finally, renewed carbonate ramp production during the upper Albian–lower Cenomanian. The data shown here represent the foundation for future work documenting the mid-Cretaceous of Peru and its implications for the palaeoceanography of the SE subequatorial Pacific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is likely to affect the pattern of disasters in the Pacific and, by extension, the organizations and systems involved in disaster response. This research focused on how immediate humanitarian health-related needs following disasters are met using the concept of adaptive capacity to investigate the resilience of organizations and the robustness of the broader system of disaster response. Four case study countries (Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa, and Vanuatu) were chosen for deeper investigation of the range of issues present in the Pacific. Key findings were that adaptive capacity was enhanced by strong informal communication and relationships as well as formal relationships, appropriate participation of traditional leaders and churches, and recognition and support for the critical role national disaster management offices play in disaster coordination. Adaptive capacity was found to be constrained by lack of clear policies for requesting international assistance, lack of coordinated disaster assessments, and limited human resources for health in disaster response. Limitations in psychosocial support and Australian medical services to meet specific needs were observed. Finally, the research revealed that both Pacific and Australian disaster-response agencies would benefit from a strengthened ‘future’ focus to better plan for uncertainty and changing risks. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Katō Tetsutarō was a suspected Japanese war criminal tried by US military commissions in Yokohama after the Second World War. He was convicted of murdering an escaped American prisoner of war, and was originally sentenced to death. In a highly unusual move, however, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers in Japan, General Douglas MacArthur, ordered a retrial, in which Katō received a sentence of 30 years. He was ultimately released in March 1958. Katō’s case provides an especially effective illustration of the tension in Allied thinking about war crimes trials between a desire for justice or vengeance, on the one hand, and recognition of the political pressures of the Cold War on the other, and of the varied forms this tension took as prosecutions progressed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Talanoa has been defined as 'talking about nothing in particular', 'chat' or 'gossip'. It is within the cultural milieu of talanoa that knowledge and emotions are shared and new knowledge is generated. Talanoa has recently been taken up by development researchers and others as a culturally appropriate research method in Pacific contexts. However, talanoa is often treated as synonymous with 'informal open-ended interviews' and tends to gloss over the deep empathic understanding required in such exchanges. Highlighting the connection between talanoa and empathy is vital in ensuring that development practitioners and researchers are implicitly aware of the political dimensions, cultural appropriacy and socio-ecological impact of their research methods. This connection is also critical in illuminating how talanoa as a method may decolonise research in the Pacific, inform the decolonisation of research in other cultural contexts, and contribute to ethical and empowering development policy and practice. We will argue for the merits of what we refer to here as 'empathic apprenticeship': an intentional, embodied, emotional, and intersubjective methodology and process between the researcher and the participant. An empathic apprenticeship has the potential to enhance shared understandings between all human beings and is essential if talanoa is intended as a decolonising research methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Asia Pacific region is the focus for the future of world tourism and thus the future catalyst for tourism research as the process of internationalization shapes academic knowledge and creation. This special issue of the Journal of Travel Research came about due to the formation of the Travel and Tourism Research Association (TTRA) Asia Pacific Chapter, in which the guest editors pondered on the present state of tourism futures writing in the region. This Special Issue uses an ontological classification to view how researchers see the future of tourism. The classification is based on two dimensions: truth claim (or not) and explanatory claim (or not). Thus, four entities are formed: prediction, prognosis, science fiction, and utopia/dystopia. Seventy percent of articles published are based upon an entity of prognosis or prediction in which authors claim truthfulness, whereas a minority of the articles are classified as science fiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While scientific evidence in support of climate change is growing, awareness and education about its effects, especially among vulnerable communities, is lacking, due to language and cultural barriers. Communities are unlikely to respond to government policies promoting mitigation and adaptation strategies without an improved perception of climate change risk at a local level. Mapping the flow of information between decision makers and citizens is an important part of this process. This article broadly explores the communication channels that are being used for awareness and knowledge sharing in the Pacific. At its core, the article discusses a way in which participatory media has been piloted to enable community discussion about issues around climate change in the Pacific Islands. The 'bottom-up' approach encourages participation of marginalised groups such as women, youth, and people with disabilities who bring diverse perspectives in content creation. This discursive space enables citizens to share knowledge and acquire better understanding of the impacts on livelihood and culture. However, a strong community network and consistent mentoring support are prerequisites for participatory media to have long term benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The academic literature on climate change communications is growing. However, the majority of this literature focuses on the issue of climate change mitigation in a developed country context, and there is little published material regarding communication in a developing country and adaptation context. Similarly, despite community-based approaches to climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction increasing in the Pacific Islands region, there is very limited guidance on how to effectively communicate climate change in a way that enhances people's resilience. This paper documents the experiences of organisations, including local and international non-government and faith-based organisations, governments, regional technical organisations and donor agencies in communicating climate change for adaptation in the Pacific region. Three key climate change communication challenges are highlighted and suggestions made for overcoming them based on results from interviews, a focus group discussion and an online forum. Finally, recommendations are made for good practice guidance in climate change communication that is empowering and culturally relevant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Great Barrier Reef is one of the world's premier tourist destinations. It is promoted and marketed to tourists as part of an idealised Pacific island paradise. While the gardens and decor of island resorts mimic those of resorts elsewhere in the Pacific, the way in which Indigenous people are represented is markedly different. This paper presents an analysis of historic tourist ephemera to suggest that Australian Aboriginal people are largely invisible at the Great Barrier Reef, despite their role in establishing the tourism industry. It suggests that ambiguities of Aboriginal presence, in labour and performance, are a product of tourism ideals and colonial race relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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There is a profound lack of awareness among younger generations about Japan's prewar engagement with the Pacific Islands, let alone other colonial sites, yet arguably, this amnesia is not a spontaneous phenomenon. Forgetting about Micronesia and erasing it from the Japanese mass consciousness was a project in which both Japanese and American postwar forces were complicit. Focusing on stories of Japanese amnesia and selective memory in the Marshall Islands, I explore the Marshallese notion of "closing the sea," how U.S. power has long been a mediating factor in why Japanese forget their Pacific past, and also why Marshall Islanders remember it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community-based climate change projects in the Pacific typically seek to raise the awareness of locals about the consequences of climate change and changing weather patterns. A key concern is that such activities might be done in an ad hoc manner, with little consideration of local relevance, audience and the integration of local experiences and knowledge. Drawing on the results gleaned from an interactive focus group with 10 climate change practitioners working in the region, this exploratory study investigates why raising awareness about climate change remains crucial, and importantly, how such activities might be done in a more relevant, meaningful and empowering way at the community level in the Pacific. This commentary argues that it is essential for communities to make local sense of climate change, particularly in an ever-changing world where knowledge is continuously expanding and changing. Initial findings suggest that making local sense of and raising awareness about climate change readily comes about with due consideration of approach, audience and context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reviews the evolution of tourism; it is focused mainly on Costa Rica's Pacific geographical area. It is a comparative analysis between geographical areas, between provinces and between types of tourist services. The study focuses on the period 1997 to 2009 and used information of the Costa Rican Tourism Institute and the National System of Conservation. Research is conducted to know the development of tourism in the Costa Rican Pacific with respect to other geographic areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to understand the relationship between the European Union's (EU) intent in development policy and how effectively it communicates this to third countries (countries outside of its borders), this analysis explores the relationship between EU 'normative' political discourse and the international news media, and how this intersection may lead to the construction of a specific social reality. Using both qualitative and quantitative content analysis to explore textual imagery of the EU in the print news media, this paper presents a case study of the Pacific geo-political region in order to further theoretical conceptions of the EU's role as a political and development leader in the world [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While children are universal, recognising and giving practical effect to their rights is not. Compliance with international obligations under the UNCRC imposes considerable demands on small developing nations, such as those found in the south Pacific region, where children make up over a third of the total population of many island states. Focussing on criminal and family law this paper considers how the local courts are engaging with the Convention and the challenges which arise in plural legal systems characterised by lack of legal reform and lack of resources, in which the contemporary experience of traditional social ordering may value children but not necessarily see them as right holders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is an important cause of cardiac morbidity and mortality globally, particularly in the Pacific region. Susceptibility to RHD is thought to be due to genetic factors that are influenced by environmental factors, such as crowding and poverty. However, there are few data relating to these environmental factors in the Pacific region. We conducted a case-control study of 80 cases of RHD with age- and sex-matched controls in Fiji using a questionnaire to investigate associations of RHD with a number of environmental factors. There was a trend toward increased risk of RHD in association with poor-quality housing and lower socioeconomic status, but only one factor, maternal unemployment, reached statistical significance (OR 2.6, 95% confidence interval 1.2-5.8). Regarding crowding, little difference was observed between the two groups. Although our data do not allow firm conclusions, they do suggest that further studies of socioeconomic factors and RHD in the Pacific are warranted. They also suggest that genetic studies would provide an insight into susceptibility to RHD in this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Policies targeting obesogenic environments and behaviours are critical to counter rising obesity rates and lifestyle-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Policies are likely to be most effective and enduring when they are based on the best available evidence. Evidence-informed policy making is especially challenging in countries with limited resources. The Pacific TROPIC (Translational Research for Obesity Prevention in Communities) project aims to implement and evaluate a tailored knowledge-brokering approach to evidence-informed policy making to address obesity in Fiji, a Pacific nation challenged by increasingly high rates of obesity and concomitant NCDs. Methods: The TROPIC project draws on the concept of 'knowledge exchange' between policy developers (individuals; organisations) and researchers to deliver a knowledge broking programme that maps policy environments, conducts workshops on evidence-informed policy making, supports the development of evidence-informed policy briefs, and embeds evidence-informed policy making into organisational culture. Recruitment of government and nongovernment organisational representatives will be based on potential to: develop policies relevant to obesity, reach broad audiences, and commit to resourcing staff and building a culture that supports evidence-informed policy development. Workshops will increase awareness of both obesity and policy cycles, as well as develop participants' skills in accessing, assessing and applying relevant evidence to policy briefs. The knowledge-broking team will then support participants to: 1) develop evidence-informed policy briefs that are both commensurate with national and organisational plans and also informed by evidence from the Pacific Obesity Prevention in Communities project and elsewhere; and 2) collaborate with participating organisations to embed evidence-informed policy making structures and processes. This knowledge broking initiative will be evaluated via data from semi-structured interviews, a validated self-assessment tool, process diaries and outputs. Discussion: Public health interventions have rarely targeted evidence-informed policy making structures and processes to reduce obesity and NCDs. This study will empirically advance understanding of knowledge broking processes to extend evidence-informed policy making skills and develop a suite of national obesity-related policies that can potentially improve population health outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recently announced shift in the global military strategy of the United States involves an increase in the presence of the U.S. Armed Forces in the Pacific. Drawing from propositions of the system-maintenance role of local media, this study examines how the Pacific Daily News (PDN), a newspaper on the Western Pacific island of Guam, covers a U.S. military buildup, and the extent to which such coverage influences residents' opinions. A content analysis revealed the PDN reported more frequently on the military buildup's economic benefits, and less on its potential risks. A representative survey showed that reading the PDN influenced residents' support for the buildup and endorsement of the buildup's economic benefits, but not its risks. Implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As we approach the 2015 date by which the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) are to be achieved, there is increasing scrutiny as to the progress towards their achievement. The MDGs were intended to be global targets and not necessarily to be assessed at the country level. In other words, countries were to contribute to the global targets but not be held to account against them, as they were originally conceived. In practice though, countries are assessed against the global MDG targets. It is appropriate that continuing interest be paid to the achievement of the MDGs, however it is also necessary that the global community now start to turn its attention to what framework for addressing the world's development needs beyond the MDG timeframe following 2015. The ‘poverty landscape’ has changed significantly in the last decade – partly as a result of the international community's focus on the MDGs – and so it is necessary that a new approach to poverty alleviation reflect this changed reality. This paper introduces a range of papers presented at an international conference on the MDGs that critically analyse the current MDGs and pose questions as to how should we follow the MDGs beyond 2015. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Regionalism is a common development strategy in the Pacific region. Through it, numerous services are delivered to countries, communities and organisations. While some see regionalism as an effective and efficient strategy for the Pacific region, others point to its dismal performance. Using the experience of the Rethinking Pacific Education Initiative for and by Pacific Peoples (RPEIPP) as a regional strategy, this paper explores regional service delivery and offers a plausible way of re- framing service and delivery for conceptualizing Pacific regional strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Pacific is a major recipient of EU assistance under the Cotonou Agreement and target for EU development actions (including the reinforcement of democracy and human rights). Positioning its inquiry within the diffusion theory, this study focuses on one of the Union's 'normative' profiles communicated externally, namely the EU's international performance as a promoter of democracy, rule of law and human rights. This paper considers a particular case study, namely the EU's metaphorical imagery in media discourses in Fiji, a South Pacific state experiencing an ongoing democratic crisis. These external media framings of the EU are then compared with the auto-images the Union has about itself when interacting with the Pacific. The conclusions indicated a mismatch in external and internal EU imagery potentially ripe with miscommunication and counterproductive for EU-Pacific relations in general (and EU-Fiji relations in particular). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research at the Chelechol ra Orrak site in Palau, Micronesia suggested that fishing may have declined prehistorically over the past two thousand years. Here we discuss the analysis of an additional suite of archaeofish remains recovered from the site that significantly expands the size of the previous assemblage, providing a more robust interpretation of prehistoric fishing in the archipelago. Results indicate that although all phases of occupation show diverse and relatively equitable exploitation of fish taxa, there are statistically significant changes in fishing over time when feeding guild (general ecological niche) is considered. In addition, the number of fish remains declines by an order of magnitude between early (1400-1240 BP) and later (1290-720 BP and 500-0 BP) occupation phases. Although various factors may be responsible for this dramatic decrease, it is generally correlated with settlement changes and possible increasing agricultural production in Palau. Thus, a decline in the overall importance of fishing may account for the changes observed in the archaeofish assemblage over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A referee analysis method for the detection and quantification of Pacific ciguatoxins in fish flesh has recently been established by the public health analytical laboratory for the State of Queensland, Australia. Fifty-six fish samples were analysed, which included 10 fillets purchased as negative controls. P-CTX-1 was identified in 27 samples, and P-CTX-2 and P-CTX-3 were found in 26 of those samples. The range of P-CTX-1 concentrations was 0.04–11.4μg/kg fish flesh; coefficient of variation from 90 replicate analyses was 7.4%. A liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS) method utilising a rapid methanol extraction and clean-up is reliable and reproducible, with the detection limit at 0.03μg/kg fish flesh. Some matrix effects are evident, with fish oil content a likely signal suppression factor. Species identification of samples by DNA sequence analysis revealed some evidence of fish substitution or inadvertent misidentification, which may have implications for the management and prevention of ciguatera poisoning. Blinded inspection of case notes from suspect ciguatera poisoning cases showed that reporting of ciguatera-related paraesthesias was highly predictable for the presence of ciguatoxins in analysed fish, with 13 of 14 expected cases having consumed fish that contained P-CTX-1 (p <0.001, Fishers Exact Test). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For many Polynesians migration is still framed within a particular spatial context, although on an enlarged scale – one that we have termed the New Polynesian Triangle. With its apexes in the North American continent to the east, Australia in the west and New Zealand in the south, this New Polynesian Triangle encompasses a particular field through which ongoing Polynesian migration and movement continues to occur. Movement within this New Polynesian Triangle is both multidimensional and multidirectional. While it is the movement of economic resources, particularly remittances, that has captured the interest of many agencies operating in the region, we argue that such economic flows are integrally linked with other flows – of goods, ideas, skills and culture – to form a single dynamic system of movement. Importantly, such flows are not uni-directional (from ‘rich’ to ‘poor’ countries) as was assumed in times past. In developing ideas on the New Polynesian Triangle, we wish to move away from the dominant Western discourse of the Pacific Ocean as a barrier to development and movement and towards the reclamation of the ocean as a conduit and source of connection and movement for Pacific peoples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reflects upon how gendered approaches to climate-change adaptation can be strengthened in the Pacific region. The article looks at what has been learnt in the region, surveys some examples of best practice in gender-responsive programming, identifies the challenges we face on our journey, and suggests future directions. It is a collaborative effort, comprising input from a number of agencies who have been proactive in the areas of gender, climate change, and disaster risk-reduction in the Pacific Region, including: the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement in the Pacific region; the UNDP Pacific Centre; and World Wildlife Fund's (WWF) Fiji Country Programme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long the poor relative to film sound, television sound has often found itself written off, or not written about at all (see Negus and Street 2002). Despite the seminal work of Tagg (1979) few others have taken up the baton of television sound studies. Indeed, even within television studies proper there has been little attention paid to sound—in much the same way as sound was ignored in film studies for decades and decades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a perception in much of the Pacific that environmental issues are going off the agenda. There may be many reasons, with over-governance, over-commitment, too much money, too little money, lack of indigenous community involvement, misunderstanding of local needs being just some of the ones given. Some feel that such a failure of environmental governance could lead to a type of anarchy or 'panarchy', but such a belief ignores positive instances of indigenous communities taking control, alone or in tandem with appropriate experts, demonstrating that national and local community projects can have very successful outcomes. More shared understanding of local knowledge and a willingness to engage by donors, communities and regional organizations could, if factored into Pacific environmental management, lead to more productive outcomes. These possibilities are outlined with reference to examples from environmental projects in Fiji and the Republic of the Marshall Islands that demonstrate the range of indigenous community and national responses to large-scale environmental projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the recent incursion by China (meaning both Beijing and Taipei) into the Caribbean and Pacific. The general contours of Chinese trade and investment are discussed to provide a background context for a more specific exploration of Chinese aid, especially to small islands across the two regions. A review of recent literature primarily from Western sources reveals that the main strategic use of aid by Beijing (People's Republic of China - PRC) has been to support the demands of its growing economy but secondarily to isolate Taiwan (Republic of China - ROC) diplomatically. This conclusion, illustrated with several case vignettes, is based on the focus of Chinese aid on those islands retaining diplomatic links with Taipei as well as on the political manoeuvreing this Cross-Strait rivalry has spawned. The paper further suggests that the types of projects Beijing and Taipei have funded, like those of their Western counterparts before them (Australia, Japan, United States), yield limited long-term island development gains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the Asia and Pacific region is characterised by vast diversity, the region as a whole warrants attention. There have been great achievements in recent years in promoting economic growth, building social security and reducing poverty, but giant challenges remain, nine of which are identified. Five resemble problems prevalent in Europe 60 years ago: want; squalor; underemployment; poor education; and bad health. The four others, inequitable growth, discrimination, corruption, and ageing populations lessen the effectiveness of policies targeted on the other five. A fourfold responsive strategy is sketched that includes mechanisms to extend formal sector employment, expand coverage of social security within the formal sector and to the informal sector, and to establish and sustain social safety nets for those otherwise excluded from social protection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the EU's development policy in relation to the Pacific members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific group (ACP). It considers the particular characteristics and challenges faced by these island economies before turning to their trade relations with the EU and the Community's aid programme. It considers both the regional assistance programme and the particular experience of Fiji, the largest economy of the South Pacific. Finally, it attempts to draw some more general conclusions as to the effectiveness of EU aid administration and to identify those issues that remain to be addressed including monitoring, performance criteria, deconcentration and policy coherence. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]