News
This page collects stories on developments throughout the Pacific in promoting women in politics. Because many news sites in the Pacific archive their stories after a period of time, we have replicated the stories in full on this page, to keep an archive on efforts and article in the region. We thank all Pacific news colleagues for their contributions in sharing stories on women in politics. If you have a story we have missed, please send it to the PacWIP team on pacwip@gmail.com.
Tonga’s ‘Akosita Lavuavu wins Vava‘u By-Election, and becomes only female MP
19th July, 2016
NUKU‘ALOFA, Tonga (Matangi Tonga, July 15, 2016) – ‘Akosita Havili Lavulavu(31) is the new Vava’u number 16 People’s Representative to the Tonga Legislative Assembly winning a By-election with 39.4% of the votes yesterday, Thursday 14 July. With 754 votes ‘Akosita becomes the only woman representative in the Legislative Assembly. A Director of ‘Unuaki ‘o Tonga Royal Institute in Nuku’alofa, ‘ Akosita was the first “Miss Face of Tonga” in...
Tonga: Women Make History in Local Government elections
05th July, 2016
The Local Government elections took place on Wednesday 29 June of which 18 women stood as candidates for District and Town Officer Positions. Since March during International Women’s Day, the Women’s Division of the Ministry of Internal Affairs together with key stakeholders of the civil society under the International Women’s Day National Planning Committee held...
Boosting women’s political participation as Pacific delegates explore options
05th July, 2016
The various options Pacific island jurisdictions have taken to increase the numbers of women in parliaments and representative bodies was the topic of discussion at a regional conference held in Port Moresby this week. Roy Trivedy, United Nations Resident Coordinator and United Nations Development Programme Resident Representative noted, “each Pacific country will approach this issue in their own...
Pacific Women MPs come together to create long-term support networks
05th July, 2016
Women Members of Parliament from Fiji, Niue, Samoa, Tuvalu and a candidate from the 2014 Tongan election, have come together in Wellington with New Zealand Members of Parliament to participate in the first Pacific Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians Mentoring Programme. The Programme pairs an experienced New Zealand women Member of Parliament, with her Pacific counterpart for a long-term mentoring relationship. Over the...
The Fight For Women To Be Heard In Vanuatu
05th July, 2016
A proposal to set a quota for women in Vanuatu’s parliament has split opinion. As Yasmine Bjornum discovered, many believe the challenges faced by Ni-Vanuatu women run much deeper. Vanuatu is home to 260,000 people across 83 islands. It’s culturally diverse with more than 100 languages spoken. When Vanuatu secured independence in 1980, it was a natural transition...
Hon. Fiame Naomi Mata’afa selected as Samoa’s Deputy Prime Minister
08th March, 2016
Fiame Naomi Mataafa, the daughter of the first prime minister of Samoa, has been picked to be the country’s new deputy prime minister. It’s the highest executive position that a woman has ever reached in the history of Samoa’s government. Her selection was made at a meeting of the Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP) after voters went...
Being Hilda Heine
29th February, 2016
Koror — “It kinda happened,” Republic of Marshall Islands President Hilda Heinesaid of her recent election to the top political post. Admittedly surprised by the election result, the soft-spoken petite woman said the presidency was far from her mind. “I didn’t really work for it or targeted it. I was at the right place at the right time. When...
24 women candidates stand for 2016 Samoa elections
15th February, 2016
Samoa’s Electoral Commissioner’s office has released the names of 171 candidates contesting next months general election. A Radio New Zealand correspondent says 24 of the candidates are women, and it’s the first election since independence in 1962 that a huge number of women have registered to run. The last election in 2011 saw only 11 women candidates...
Aspiring female candidate wants more women in Nauru election
02nd February, 2016
An aspiring female candidate in Nauru says she’s hopeful that with the UN’s help, more women will be standing in the election this year. UN Women have recently run a series of workshops in Nauru, aiming to increase women’s participation in politics. Bridget Grace spoke with Ann Hubert about why she’s considering making the leap into politics for...
Dr. Hilda Heine elected first female Pacific leader as President of Marshall Islands
28th January, 2016
The Marshall Islands parliament has elected a new president, Dr Hilda Heine, the first female leader of any independent Pacific island nation. Her election follows a period of unprecedented politicking which culminated on Tuesday in a no-confidence motion which ousted 44-year-old Casten Nemra just one week after he was inaugurated. A former education minister, Dr Heine was the sole presidential candidate when...
Women ready for Parliament in Samoa
21st January, 2016
Female candidates contesting the General Elections in March enjoyed a taste of Parliament yesterday. The occasion was a Mock Parliament, which was facilitated by the Speaker of the House, La’auli Leuatea Schmidt. Organised by U.N.D.P and U.N Women in partnership with the Office of the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, the idea was to give the candidates a taste...
Is diverse political representation possible in Vanuatu?
21st January, 2016
Vanuatu’s national elections give citizens the opportunity to shape the nation’s future through their choice of political representation. Electoral boundaries and the total number of constituencies have shifted over the years in response to demographic changes. A recent media report suggested that electorates will be again be modified sometime before 2020. Today, there are 52 seats in the national parliament,...