Tagata o te Moana. 2013-09-28. 17:30-18:00.

A weekly wrap-up of news, issues and current affairs from the Pacific. The programme is broadcast nationwide every Saturday evening on Radio New Zealand National and is produced by the newsroom of Radio New Zealand International. The following rundown is supplied from the broadcaster’s news system:

1. Australia's new government is facing an early test of both its asylum seeker policy and its position on West Papua.

2. An advocate [i.e. Ian Rintoul] for the hundreds of asylum seekers incarcerated in three Australian run camps on Nauru says the camps there have become a hell-hole that should be closed.

3. A political scientist [i.e. Ray Anere] says a move by Papua New Guinea's prime minister to look at taking on a federal system of government could be aimed at preventing the fragmentation of the country.

4. Papua New Guinea has long been wracked with corruption but many people have been battling to change that.

5. Fiji Airways has responded to criticism that its operations are not transparent and accountable.

6. Members of the business community in Solomon Islands say land and labour issues are hindering hopes to revive the rice industry.

7. Hope is on the horizon for the 34 million people living with HIV, thanks to a team of scientists working to eradicate the virus using the properties of a type of Samoan tree.

8. A debate on whether unexploded ordnance is a threat in Vanuatu has surfaced this week after a councillor called on the United States to clean up Second World War machinery.