Johnny Blades
Dateline Pacific evening edition for 31 January 2019
Worker restrictions put construction at risk on Guam; Fiji non-resident landowners remain in limbo; An economist says Papua New Guinea's economic statistics have been deliberately corrupted to paint a… Audio
PNG MP hails coal-fired power
The MP for Lae in Papua New Guinea says coal looms as the best energy source for the city's immediate term future. Audio
Dateline Pacific morning edition for 30 January 2019
Doctors in Papua New Guinea have reacted angrily to the health minister's insistence that there's no crisis in the health system; Police in Papua New Guinea's Milne Bay province are struggling to… Audio
PNG prison escapee taps into public discontent with police in Alotau
Police in Papua New Guinea's Milne Bay province are struggling to contain spiralling lawlessness and violent unrest linked to a criminal gang led by the notorious prison escapee, Tommy Baker. Audio
Bougainvilleans expectations for independence high
A Port Moresby-based Bougainvillean with a background in IT says there is much work to do for Bougainville to go it alone, but says Papua New Guinea cannot ignore an emphatic vote for independence. Audio
Efforts intensify to stop invasive pest in Solomons
Efforts are intensifying to stop the spread of the invasive coconut rhinoceros beetle in Solomon Islands. A New Zealand scientist says damage to palms in the Solomons from a new variant of the beetle… Audio
PNG police in the headlines for wrong reasons again
Papua New Guinea's speaker of parliament says he wants policemen and security forces who trashed the Parliament after the APEC meeting to escape punishment. It's opened up some divisions within… Audio
PNG speaker wants Parliament vandals to escape punishment
Papua New Guinea's speaker of parliament says he wants policemen and security forces who trashed the Parliament after the APEC meeting to escape punishment. Johnny Blades from RNZ Pacific explains why… Audio
Dateline Pacific evening edition for 24 January 2019
Australian TV in the Pacific not what is needed - lobby group; Proposed coal plant in PNG yet to get full backing; Scheme hopes to raise quality of leadership in Pacific fisheries; New media cadetship… Audio
Proposed coal plant in PNG yet to get full backing
It remains unclear whether Papua New Guinea's government or the country's main electricity provider will throw their full support in behind a major proposed coal development in the country by… Audio
PNG opposition eyes chance to remove PM
Papua New Guinea's opposition is hoping to have a vote of no-confidence in prime minister Peter O'Neill in parliament next month. Audio
Concern for villages amid conflict in Papuan Highlands
The United Liberation Movement for West Papua says it's deeply concerned about the welfare of innocent civillians in Papua's central Highlands where a large military operation is underway in pursuit… Audio
More drought struggles for PNG's South Fly district
People in Papua New Guinea's drought-stricken South Fly district need to be vigilant to get through the next couple of months with little water, the local MP says. Audio
Dateline Pacific evening edition for 18 December 2018
Quakes follow eruption on Vanuatu's Ambrym; Pacific anti-violence initiatives seen as global model; Fiji election rules finally being tested; New Caledonia talks in Paris echo divisions; Bougainville… Audio
Fiji election rules finally being tested
Having Fiji's electoral system being tested in court will benefit the country, according to an academic. Audio
PNG's fraud squad says Paraka case not over yet
The head of Papua New Guinea's police fraud squad says the case against the lawyer Paul Paraka is not over yet. A ruling by a senior committal court magistrate this week meant that 27 charges of… Audio