BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

New Zealand strongly supports Australia and the Pacific to lead the agenda for the pre-Conference of the Parties (COP31st) meetings to be held in the Pacific.

Marnie Gilberts, New Zealand High Commission’s First Secretary, made the remark at the Climate Change dialogue on Tuesday at the national museum auditorium.

“New Zealand is particularly excited and strongly supports the arrangements for Australia, together with the Pacific, to lead the agenda for pre-COP31st meetings to be held in the Pacific. I acknowledge Australia for the major efforts to bring these conversations closer to home.

“This creates a really powerful opportunity to ensure Pacific perspectives, Pacific science, and Pacific community experiences are visible on the global stage,” she said.

Ms Gilberts said that it allows for greater focus on the realities facing communities across the region, including the Solomon Islands.

“From our position, we’re committed to working with Australia and the Pacific, including Solomon Islands, to help ensure COP31st, including all the pre-COP31st meetings, is successful and delivers meaningful progress,” she said.

She adds that another area where global cooperation is really essential is around climate finance.

“New Zealand is committed to delivering our obligations around climate finance.  We deliver our climate finance through what we call the International Development Cooperation Program. It is all grant-based, and it’s partner-led. So that means recognising Pacific priorities, and well over half of that goes towards adaptation efforts,” she said.

She said that over half of New Zealand’s international development cooperation is directed to the Pacific.

“For us, impact is key, whether through improved early warning systems, better climate science, stronger community resilience, or sustainable livelihoods,” Gilberts said.

For feedback, contact: [email protected]

Editor: [email protected]

Solomon duo rally support as Hekari arrive hungry to climb OFC pro league table

BY RICHARD MENANOPO

The arrival of PNG’s Hekari FC in Honiara on Tuesday has sparked local interest, with Solomon Islands representatives John Orobulu and interim head coach Jerry Allen calling on supporters to rally behind the side as they prepare for the OFC Pro League Round 4 matches this weekend.

Hekari FC became the first team to arrive for the Honiara circuit, touching down at Henderson International Airport on Tuesday afternoon ahead of what the team believes will be a crucial round in their campaign.

Solomon Islands international striker John Orobulu, who is currently signed with the Papua New Guinea club, urges local fans and families to come out and support the team when they take on their game at the field.

“For our supporters here in Solomon Islands, our families and everyone I’d like you to come and support us… coming now home… on this game”, Orobulu said during an all media-stand-in interview coordinated by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC).

The forward also hinted that he is determined to make an impact on familiar ground after scoring once earlier in the competition.

“On my home ground, yes I will score”, Orobulu confidently added when asked if he hopes to increase his goal tally during the Honiara leg.

Meanwhile, interim head coach Jerry Allen said the upcoming round is critical for the Papua New Guinea champions as they attempt to climb from the bottom of the competition standings.

“This round will be very important not only to us but the whole team. It will be strong, it will be hard, it will be tough, but we will still push”, Allen said.

Allen, who is also a Solomon Islands national, said the team expects strong backing from local supporters, especially with several Solomon Islanders involved in the squad.

“We expected our people will come out to support us… on Saturday we will be playing first, and after will be Kings so hopefully people will come out in numbers to support our boys”, he said.

He also encourages both Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea fans living in Honiara to attend the matches.

“Please, come out in numbers, support us here at the stadium. I know fans here are very passionate, and we know that PNG fans are here as well so just come and support us”.

Despite sitting at the bottom of the table, Allen said the situation has only strengthened the team’s determination to bounce back.

“Right now, we are at the bottom but that really motivates us. In this round we want to make sure we win and get points and move up”, he said.

Hekari FC will however, miss key player Ati Kepo for the opening match, but Allen believes the absence will give other players the chance to step up.

“If he is missed, we will miss him because he is one of our key players. But when we missed him previously it gave an opportunity to the boys to step up and wear his shoes as well”, he explained.

The OFC Pro League Round 4 matches will be played in Honiara this weekend, with teams battling for crucial points before the competition heads to New Zealand for the final play-off stage.

For feedback, contact: [email protected]

Editor: [email protected]

BY NED GAGAHE

Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele calls on Solomon Islanders to rally behind Solomon Kings as the team prepares for the next round of matches in the OFC Pro League.

Speaking to local media over the weekend, the Prime Minister said the team has made the country proud through its participation in the regional competition.

“We wish Solomon Kings all the best. I think they’ve done us proud representing our country in the OFC Pro League,” Manele said.

The Prime Minister said he has been quietly following the team’s matches and acknowledged their recent heavy defeat but encouraged supporters not to lose hope.

“They lost by quite a big margin in the last game, but let’s not give up. Let us continue to stand behind Solomon Kings,” he said.

Manele described football as an important unifying force in the country, saying sport plays a key role in promoting national unity and stability.

“Sports, especially football, is a unifying factor in the country and is important for unity and stability,” he added.

The Prime Minister urges citizens to turn out in numbers to support the team when the competition resumes in Honiara.

On behalf of the Government and the country, Manele wishes the team success in their upcoming matches.

The Solomon Kings are scheduled to open Round 4 against Auckland FC on Saturday, March 14 at 7:00pm at Honiara National Stadium.

The team returned home on Friday, March 6 to begin preparations for the Honiara leg of the OFC Pro League.

For feedback, contact: [email protected]

Editor: [email protected]

BY NED GAGAHE

Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele says the Government is accelerating major infrastructure and development projects as Solomon Islands moves toward its 50th Independence Anniversary in 2028.

Speaking during a press conference on Sunday, March 8, Manele said the government’s focus is on improving connectivity, economic infrastructure and essential services across the country.

He highlighted several ongoing projects which he said reflect the commitment of the Government for National Unity and Transformation (GNUT) to deliver development in all provinces.

Last month, the Government opened the Noro Township Road Improvement Project in Noro, providing 10 kilometres of climate-resilient road to support trade in Western Province.

Bridge replacement works are also underway in Malaita Province, including Kolofe and Su’u Harbour bridges, while airfields in Santa Cruz and Suavanao are being upgraded.

Mr Manele said in agriculture, the government is implementing the Solomon Islands Agriculture and Rural Transformation project through the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development.

The $125 million initiative, supported by the World Bank and government funding, aims to transition farmers from subsistence to agribusiness and has engaged nearly 100 Agribusiness Producer Organisations in Guadalcanal, Malaita and Makira-Ulawa Provinces.

Manele said digital connectivity is also expanding, with 80 towers already commissioned under the Solomon Islands National Broadband Infrastructure Project and all 141 towers expected to be completed by August.

In health, the Government recently held the groundbreaking for the $22.6 million rehabilitation of Taro Hospital and launched the Nila Isolation Unit.

The Prime Minister also confirmed government funding for early works at Bina Harbour, which is planned to become a regional hub for the country’s blue economy.

“These projects show our commitment to ensure no community is left behind as we approach our 50th Independence anniversary,” Manele said.

For feedback, contact: [email protected]

Editor: [email protected]

By RODRICK DESURI 

Auki 

A new fisheries complex has been proposed for Malaita Province, and the tender for construction should be out this month.

The two-story building is worth around $30 million and will come under the IDA World Bank loan for SIG.

Malaita Provincial Deputy Secretary, Peter Herehura said plans for the building were finalised last week after a successful meeting between the fisheries officers from the Ministry of Fisheries and the Malaita Provincial Government.

He said the building will accommodate 35 fisheries officers, including the provincial fisheries officers and the office of the Bina Harbour project.

He said the building can host events and conferences, catering up to about 55 people.

“We had a successful meeting with the fisheries officers Friday last week. The meeting was mainly to allow an extension area in front of the plot for a car park.

“Also, the Malaita Provincial Government has agreed, and the provincial planning development board has acknowledged that the area should be added to the main plot for the building,” he said.

Meanwhile, he said the tender for the construction of the building will be out on March 20.

He said that the building plan, survey, and geotechnical studies have already been completed.

“So far, the plan has already been set, and the survey and geotechnical studies for the building have been conducted,” he said.

He said that the FMC construction company will supervise and monitor any contractor that will construct the complex building.

He also added that the actual construction of the complex building should begin in June this year.

For feedback, contact: [email protected]

Editor: [email protected]

BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

The Solomon Islands Law Reform Commission (LRC) believes it is a time the country moves from reaction to proactive laws.

Augustine Basia, Law Reform Senior Legal Officer told Bills and Legislation Committee (BLC) during the inquiry into the dangerous amendment Bill 2025.

He said that current approach in the dangerous drugs legislation is largely reactive, responding to incidents after they happen rather than anticipating and preventing them.

“Looking back at previous amendments to the Act’s schedule, there have been a few occasions where new rules were introduced to include substances that were not previously listed. For example, the methamphetamine was added to the Act’s schedule through legal notice in 1988. This inclusion was purely about updating the list of controlled substances rather than addressing an actual drug problem, because none existed at that time,” Mr Basia said.

He said they believe the time has come for our laws to move forward, move beyond reaction, and be proactive at how we legislate, or what we termed as future-proofing our drugs legislation.

“Right now, our legal framework only criminalises substances if they are on a list,” he said.

“How it works is that list may be hundreds of pages long, but if one new emerging harmful substance happens to be left of it, we then find ourselves back here again, debating, amending clauses, and gazetting new rules. This cycle continues. For our current issues, if we address the meth problem with severe penalties today, but then a new drug or harmful substance emerges in the year 2028, we will have to repeat this entire process again,” Basia added.

He said that the drug trade is highly lucrative, and the people involved are constantly innovating and are getting smarter.

“Through chemical changes, or what they termed as chemical tweaking, they create new substances that mimic the effects of existing drugs, but fall outside the legal list. This is exactly what happened recently when methamphetamine was seized.

“The authorities confiscated everything and made arrests, but yet the law was silent and unclear, resulting in confusion and release of the alleged offenders. These gaps are the inevitable result of a list-based system,” Basia said.

For feedback, contact: [email protected]

Editor: [email protected]

BY SAMIE WAIKORI

North Malaita Constituency (NMC) has provided livelihood support to 15 households in Ward seven (7), as part of its ongoing community development initiatives.

According to Mr William Abuinao, the assistance demonstrates NMC’s commitment to empower rural households through projects that aim to improve income and living standards.

The 15 households received livelihood packages to support piggery, fisheries, poultry farming, and water supply initiatives.

These projects are designed to strengthen household income, enhance food security, and promote sustainable economic activities within the community.

“The support reflects the constituency’s ongoing efforts to invest directly in families and encourage self-reliance through practical and productive ventures,” the report stated.

By focusing on small-scale, community-based projects, the program aims to create lasting economic opportunities at the household level.

During the distribution, MP Daniel Waneoroa and members of the constituency office urged recipients to use the support responsibly.

They emphasized that the success of these projects depends on proper management, commitment, and dedication from each household.

“Use this support wisely to improve your livelihoods and create better opportunities for your families,” MP Waneoroa encouraged.

North Malaita Constituency remains committed to promoting livelihood activities that contribute to sustainable development and improve the quality of life for its residents.

Similar assistance has also been delivered to communities in Wards eight (8) and nine (9).

For feedback, contact: [email protected]

Editor: [email protected]