History
Established in 2005 by Fiji TV as a Direct-To-Home (DTH) satellite service for Fiji and the Pacific, it started with 12 channels and eventually expanded to 16 channels in 2006.
SKY Pacific currently operates on MPEG-4 platform with its encrypted signals uplinked to Intelsat 19 from its base station in Suva and delivered to households across 13 island countries in the South Pacific including American Samoa, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati (East), Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu.
However, the territories of French Polynesia (Tahiti), Tokelau, Tuvalu and Kiribati (West) were missed out from reaching after SKY Pacific migrated from Intelsat 18 to IntelSat 19 in June, 2013.
Digicel Buy-out
In September 2015, Digicel Fiji decided to buy out Sky Pacific for a mere FJD$5.75m [1] but the Fiji Government refused the buy-out due to Digicel not being owned by a local company. In March 2016, Digicel were finally given a 12-year licence to buy and operate Sky Pacific in Fiji provided that Digicel Fiji is barred from placing local advertisements and local content on Sky Pacific. Local content will only be allowed during natural disasters and to remove all the local content from their channels which meant Sky Pacific had to drop 2 channels, The Pacific Channel and Fiji One which Digicel complied with but they were allowed to add one of their own channels in TVWan to the lineup. [2]
Digicel Fiji finally took control of Sky Pacific on April 1, 2016. [3]
On September 11, 2023, Digicel Group filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. [4]
The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) is an inter-governmental organization that aims to enhance cooperation among countries and territories of Oceania, including formation of a trade bloc and regional peacekeeping operations. It was founded in 1971 as the South Pacific Forum (SPF), and changed its name in 1999 to "Pacific Islands Forum", so as to be more inclusive of the Forum's Oceania-spanning membership of both north and south Pacific island countries, including Australia. It is a United Nations General Assembly observer.
Pacific Forum Line (PFL) is a regional shipping line in Polynesia. Established in 1976 by the Pacific Islands Forum to ensure a regional shipping service, it was purchased in 2012 by the government of Samoa. It is currently operated as a joint venture with Neptune Pacific Line.
The Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC) was an inter-governmental regional organisation dedicated to providing services to promote sustainable development in the countries it serves. In 2010, its functions had been transferred to the Pacific Community (SPC) and the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), thus ending SOPAC as a separate entity. Today, SOPAC is a division of the SPC with its main office in Suva, Fiji.
The Pacific Islands Chapter of the Internet Society (PICISOC) serves the Internet Society’s purposes by serving the interests of the global Internet community through its presence in the Pacific Islands. In addition to ISOC interests, PICISOC also focuses on local issues and developments and acts as an impartial advisor to governments and the public on matters of significant interest to Pacific Island people concerning the Internet and ICT technology in general.
The Fiji Meteorological Service (FMS) is a Department of the government of Fiji responsible for providing weather forecasts and is based on the grounds of Nadi Airport in Nadi. The current director of Fiji Meteorological Service is Misaeli Funaki. Since 1985, FMS has been responsible for naming and tracking tropical cyclones in the Southwest Pacific region. Current Meteorologists working at FMS have a Graduate Diploma in Meteorology from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology.
The South Pacific Regional Trade and Economic Co-operation Agreement (SPARTECA) is a nonreciprocal trade agreement in which Australia and New Zealand offer duty-free and unrestricted access for specified products originating from the developing island member countries of the Pacific Islands Forum. The agreement was signed in 1980 in Tarawa, Kiribati, and subject to Rules of Origin regulations, designed to address the unequal trade relationships between the two groups. The textiles, clothing and footwear (TCF) industry has been a major beneficiary of SPARTECA through the preferential access to Australian and New Zealand markets. The agreement entered into force on 1 January 1981.
The South Pacific Division (SPD) of Seventh-day Adventists is a sub-entity of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, which oversees the Church's work in the South Pacific nations of Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the islands of the South Pacific. Its headquarters is in Wahroonga, Sydney, Australia.
Pacific Trade Invest, formerly known as the Pacific Islands Trade and Investment Commission (PITIC), is the leading trade and investment facilitation organisation in the Pacific Islands region with a specific focus on export facilitation, investment and tourism promotion.
Oceania is, to the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China, a stage for continuous diplomatic competition. The PRC dictates that no state can have diplomatic relations with both the PRC and the ROC. As of 2024, eleven states in Oceania have diplomatic relations with the PRC, and three have diplomatic relations with the ROC. These numbers fluctuate as Pacific Island nations re-evaluate their foreign policies, and occasionally shift diplomatic recognition between Beijing and Taipei. The issue of which "Chinese" government to recognize has become a central theme in the elections of numerous Pacific island nations, and has led to several votes of no-confidence.
The Pacific Regional Workshop on Leadership Development was held in Lami, near Suva, in 2005. The Workshop was prepared by the Governance Program at the University of the South Pacific, with financial assistance from NZ Aid. Approximately 60 Participants from more than 14 Pacific countries, having considered the challenges of leadership facing the Pacific region in a variety of sectors, crafted a statement calling the region's leaders to be more attentive to the needs of Pacific People. The statement reads:
"We the delegates of the Pacific Regional Workshop on Leadership Development held July 7–9, 2005 in Suva, have listened to the many ‘Voices from the Pacific’ and discussed many leadership issues in various sectors. We acknowledge and applaud many good leaders who seek to serve the people in all aspects of our societies. Equally, the detrimental effects of poor leadership are of concern to all of us. Recalling the Pacific Vision adopted by the Pacific Leaders in Auckland on 6th April 2004, we firmly believe :
Further, we respectfully ask the Pacific Forum Leaders to hear our support for the ‘Pacific Vision’ and our call for their endorsement by supporting and investing in culturally appropriate leadership development initiatives that will help make the ‘Pacific Vision’ a reality. Kiribati, FSM, Samoa, Nauru, PNG, Fiji, Solomons, Tonga, Vanuatu, Palau, Marshall Islands, Cook Islands,Tuvalu, Niue, Tokelau."
ʻOta ʻika is a Oceanian dish consisting of raw fish marinated in citrus juice and coconut milk. The Tongan, Tahitian, and Samoan variants are essentially identical in that the raw fish is briefly marinated in lemon or lime juice until the surface of the flesh becomes opaque. The fish is then mixed with coconut milk and diced vegetables. This is the national dish of Tonga.
The following outline is provided as an overview and topical guide to Oceania.
The Oceania Table Tennis Federation (OTTF) is a table tennis organization founded on 1 June 1977, recognized by International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) as its continental federation in Oceania. Discussions began at the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships held in Melbourne, 1975. Seven foundation members were New Zealand, Australia, Guam, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, New Caledonia and Tahiti.
The Episcopal Conference of the Pacific (CEPAC) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church that includes the bishops of several islands in Oceania. The CEPAC is a member of the Federation of Catholic Bishops' Conferences of Oceania, FCBCO.
Athletics competitions at the 1979 South Pacific Games were held in Suva, Fiji, between August 29 - September 8, 1979.
Athletics competitions at the 2007 Pacific Games were held at the Apia Park in Apia, Samoa, between September 3–8, 2007. A total of 45 events were contested, 23 by men and 22 by women. This year 6 games records were set.
Athletics competitions at the 2009 Pacific Mini Games were held at the Bank of the Cook Islands National Stadium in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, between September 22–26, 2009.
The 1997 South Pacific Mini Games were held at Pago Pago in American Samoa from 11 to 22 August 1997. It was the fifth edition of the South Pacific Mini Games. It was much larger than previous editions, with an almost doubling of the number of medals awarded compared to the 1993 South Pacific Mini Games. The impressive performances by Nauru in weightlifting continued in Pago Pago, with the tiny nation finishing on top of the unofficial medal table after winning 33 gold.
The 1979 South Pacific Games, held at Suva in Fiji from 28 August to 8 September 1979, was the sixth edition of the South Pacific Games.
