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Category Archives: Islands

Beyond Fiji: the other Pacific paradises you must visit

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March 11, 2014, 4 p.m.

From New Caledonia to French Polynesia, and the Cook Islands to Samoa, there are more holiday destinations to discover in the south Pacific beyond Aussies' beloved Fiji, writes Craig Tansley.

From New Caledonia to French Polynesia, and the Cook Islands to Samoa, there are more holiday destinations to discover in the south Pacific beyond Aussies' beloved Fiji, writes Craig Tansley.

Blue lagoons, empty white sand beaches, rugged green mountainous interiors - what's not to love about the islands of the south Pacific? There's nowhere on earth as untouched and safe. Few Australians travel beyond Fiji, but New Caledonia and Vanuatu in Melanesia, and the Cook Islands, French Polynesia and Samoa in Polynesia are the ideal south seas getaways. Aside from their comparative affordability during the time of a fluctuating Australian dollar, there's virtually no crime, locals are famously friendly, adore visiting children, and don't tout or bargain on prices. As well, the landscapes are among the most pristine on the planet. So, while there's no reason to forego Fjji, there's a whole lot to love about the islands beyond it.

THE COOK ISLANDS

The Cook Islands are made up of 15 tropical islands spread across an area of ocean the size of Western Europe ... but with barely 15,000 inhabitants. Even on its most populated island, Rarotonga (your arrival point), there are just 10,000 locals. No building is higher than the tallest coconut tree and there's not one traffic light.

Perhaps its greatest asset is that its islands are tiny, meaning visitors can access every part of each island within minutes. There's just one main road on Rarotonga which circumnavigates the island in 25 minutes (most visitors hire scooters to get around).

There are far fewer Australian visitors coming to the Cook Islands than Fiji, with many of these visitors coming to get married.

Meanwhile, just 40 minutes away by plane, Aitutaki has become one of the south Pacific's most fabled honeymoon locations. Home to probably the best lagoon in the Pacific behind Bora Bora, Aitutaki has a handful of high-end resorts. It now attracts the rich and famous, but it's still the same sleepy south-seas hideaway it always was, home to 1400 locals surviving by farming and fishing.

But that's always been the Cook Islands' strength: it takes less than 45 minutes by plane from Rarotonga to discover islands where as few as 40 tourists visit a year. The Cook Islands are a beacon for honeymooners, but they also offer an ideal escape for families.

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Beyond Fiji: the other Pacific paradises you must visit

Inspiring womens leadership in the Pacific Islands

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What will it take to inspire womens leadership in the Pacific Islands?

On gender equality it is no secret that the Pacific Islands is lagging.

The region is home to some of the worlds highest domestic violence rates. Economic empowerment of women in many countries, particularly in Melanesia, is desperately low. Women lack access to finance, land, jobs and income. In my country, Solomon Islands, there is only one woman in parliament, and there are none in Vanuatu and Federated States of Micronesia a country which has never yet seen a woman elected.

Of course the reality is always more complicated than a data sheet. I have grown up among inspiring women and have been motivated by very strong Pacific Islanders like Shamima Ali in Fiji and Ethel Sigimanu in Solomon Islands, who have battled so hard to put gender equality on the agenda.

I know in turn that there are many men who, just like me, care immensely about the issue of womens rights and gender equality: men who recognize the social and economic benefits of educating their sisters and daughters, and encouraging their wives to be active in the workforce or to start businesses themselves.

I also believe that things are changing. In many churches in the Pacific, women are increasingly given leading roles in their congregations and conducting their own services. While still very few, more Pacific women have been elected to positions in parliament in places where this has been notoriously challenging: at the last elections, we counted three in Papua New Guinea and three to the Senate in Palau.

And from my own experience at the World Bank Group, I have been proud to see women taking the lead in some of our projects. In Buni village in Solomon Islands, women told me how they came together under a crowded mango tree to outvote men on an initiative that would boost their earnings, while an overwhelming majority of community leaders reported that this same project, the Rural Development Program, had made women more vocal and active in their communities.

Of course examples like these are not enough. I want to see more women leaders more women running businesses, university departments, media outlets and political parties and speaking out in the community. I know that Pacific women are just as smart and just as dedicated as their male counterparts; they make critical decisions every day and have a huge wealth of knowledge at their fingertips.

And womens leadership matters. It matters if we want to get the best people in the top positions in our societies, rather than excluding half of all possible candidates and all that they can offer. Currently almost half of womens productive potential globally is unutilized. A Goldman Sachs study found that narrowing the gender gap in employment could, by 2020, increase per capita income in emerging markets like Solomon Islands by as much as 14 percent.

For change to happen, societies need to recognize that womens leadership is pivotal. Its an issue for governments but also for schools, universities, parents and communities, to encourage girls as well as boys to take on leadership roles. Its an issue for workplaces and businesses, to offer opportunities for women including on boards and committees. We need data on womens participation in the economy, and concrete action plans to address the barriers.

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Inspiring womens leadership in the Pacific Islands


  1. Islands