Commentary

Vanuatu’s budget books, released earlier this month, reveal a fairly healthy economy. When you look at the broad strokes, that is. But they are far less revealing than they should be about the road ahead for the tiny island nation, writes Dan McGarry.

In the messy world of policy delivery, identifying vulnerability remains easier than building resilience, writes Mark Evans. A research on household vulnerability in the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu offers up insights on what governments can actually do to build resilience.

"When you are the victim of a Category Five cyclone you are firstly grateful to be alive even though everything you’ve got is destroyed or blown away." Kalafi Moala describes Tonga’s painful recovery from the worst cyclone in its recorded history.

The ability of men to act with impunity against other people, to terrorise the weak and intimidate even the strong, is a problem shared by every Pacific island nation. And yet it remains undocumented and unrecognised in large parts of Pacific societies.

The challenge facing political leaders in north Pacific countries is starting or continuing to implement minimum reforms and building momentum for ‘good governance’ that can help improve delivery of health and social services, while increasing the quality of life for citizens in these nations.