Otis Whinney

Weekly Pacific Politics with Otis Whinney DON’T MINE THE MOANA? A FINAL WORD ON OUR CLIMATE CONUNDRUM On September 26, Greenpeace activists occupied an Earth Sciences New Zealand-owned ship named Tangaroa. One was dressed as President of the USA Donald Trump, while the rest waved various signs carrying messages opposing seabed mining in the Pacific. By early afternoon, Police had removed them without much hassle. Spokesperson Juressa Lee stated that the ship had been used to survey deep sea...

Weekly Pacific Politics with Otis Whinney THE PANGUNA DILLEMA The newest country in the world could be dropping very soon, thanks to some major progress in the independence process for the island of Bougainville. The island nation waged a war of secession against Papua New Guinea after the sabotage of a massive copper mine on the island led to a harsh response from the PNG Defence Force. The mine in question is the Panguna mine, which was a huge money maker for PNG and one they were not keen...

Weekly Pacific Politics with Otis Whinney I have to start today’s piece with an apology to our dear Prime Minister, Christopher Luxon. Last time around, I claimed that he would not be attending the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) this year, but it turns out he did in fact make himself present. Luxon flew over and spent the last 36 hours in Palau, just in time for the hand shaking and photo ops that closed the gathering out. If Luxon wins this year's election, he will have the opportunity to make...