Halo, Talofa and Bula Vinaka
This is how we welcome people into our Pasifika families in the beautiful islands of Vanuatu, Tuvalu and Fiji and it will be the welcome that will be provided to the Rainbow Warrior when she lands on the shores of the Pacific Islands next week.
In a monumental step towards preserving the world's oceans, the United Nations (UN) has officially adopted the historic UN Ocean Treaty. This crucial agreement, which was unanimously agreed upon in March 2023, serves as a powerful legal instrument to protect marine ecosystems. Following months of meticulous legal scrutiny and translation into all official UN languages, governments are now encouraged to sign and ratify the treaty, marking the commencement of vital efforts to safeguard our oceans.
Shark Bay, located at the most westerly point of Australia, is one of a handful of marine World Heritage sites across the globe. It’s home to some of the planet’s most extraordinary creatures, including the oldest lifeforms on Earth, as well as dugongs, turtles and, of course, sharks.
Often described as the Galapagos Islands of the Indian Ocean, there are few places in Australia wilder than the remote Houtman Abrolhos Islands, a marine archipelago of 210 islands off the coast of Geraldton, Western Australia.
Most tourists who visit Perth make it out to Rottnest Island to visit the cute quokkas and marvel at the island’s lonely wind turbine, which once attracted the wrath of former Prime Minister Tony Abbott. But just beyond Rottnest lies a much less-explored region - Perth Canyon, one of the best places in the world to spot the endangered blue whale, the largest animal on the planet.
The fate of our oceans is being decided this month at the United Nations. Countries are meeting to finalise a new Global Ocean Treaty. A strong Treaty will make it possible to create vast ocean sanctuaries on the high seas. This is a vital step on the road to 30x30, 30% of the oceans protected by 2030.
