One afternoon last year, we sat in a village hall in Fiji chatting to residents about traditional ways of forecasting tropical cyclones. One man mentioned a black-winged storm bird known as “manumanunicagi” that glides above the land only when a cyclone is forming out to sea. As the conversation continued, residents named at least 11 Read more
New Zealand Volunteer Services Abroad (VSA) workers are volunteering to support training opportunities for detainees as they reintegrate into society. The husband and wife team Rob Wait and Katy Buess are putting their Invercargill-based business on hold in April to return to Vanuatu and continue their VSA work. Skills for life From leading building and Read more
The United Nations General Assembly has adopted a Vanuatu-led resolution to protect the rights of current and future generations from the adverse effects of climate change. Vanuatu’s efforts eventually saw over 150 countries sponsor the resolution to the United Nations. New Zealand was among the core group of 17 countries that helped draft the Vanuatu-led Read more
Small island states are losing their patience with big polluting nations as they suffer the devastating impacts of climate change. Without significant movement at the forthcoming COP27 climate talks in Egypt, a pivotal vote at the next UN general assembly meeting, brought by the tiny Pacific islands of Vanuatu, could open the floodgates to international Read more
Vanuatu has become the first Pacific Small Island Developing State to declare it is facing a climate emergency. In a Twitter post, the leader of the opposition Ralph Regenvanu announced parliament passed a 17-point resolution declaring a climate emergency on Friday. Mr Regenvanu said under Point 1 of the resolution, “The Parliament declares that a Read more
The relationship Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand (CANZ) has developed through long-term communication and close cooperation with the Diocese of Port Vila has enabled to provide quick and effective cyclone relief after Harold hit Vanuatu. The possibility of introducing COVID-19 in the Pacific has complicated efforts to provide efforts to get support on the ground in Read more
77-year-old Br Charles ‘Charlie’ Randle is planning a bike ride of 500+ kilometres as part of his recovery programme after having a second knee replacement. His bike trip will also be raising money for the education of kindergarten children in two communities in Vanuatu. The Society of Mary looks after primary schools in the communities Read more
The people of Vanuatu showed their love for President Baldwin Lonsdale who died on 17 June by turning out in their thousands for his funeral and procession to the airport. His sudden death was as a result of a heart attack. He was 67. Lonsdale, who served as president from 22 September 2014 until he Read more
On Monday Cyclone Donna spiked at category 5 with winds sustained at 215km/h and gusting 260km/h, making it the strongest ever May cyclone recorded in the entire Southern Hemisphere. Climate scientist Jim Salinger said Donna’s lateness and intensity is a direct result of a changing climate. He said late cyclones such as Donna were rare, Read more
What struck me most about the situation was the resilience of the people”, says Mark Mitchell. Mitchell is the Humanitarian Programmes Coordinator for Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand. “Despite all they have gone through they are simply getting on with the business of rebuilding their homes and livelihoods.” Mitchell has been in Vanuatu, as part of Read more