There's a good chance you have never heard of the Secretariat of the Pacific Community. Below, in another of my interviews from Tuesday's Lowy Institute Pacific Islands and the World Conference is the SPC's Director-General, Jimmie Rodgers to explain all about its work, and the challenges the region faces.
I was particularly interested in Dr Rodgers' response to the last question, in which he makes a comparison between the Pacific island states and the countries of the Carribean. It prompted a question in my mind (probably also sparked by the Rugby World Cup, which is due to kick off in Auckland on Friday): has anyone has ever proposed a supra-national Pacific islands rugby team along the lines of the West Indies cricket team?
It would make for a pretty strong team and there would be some economic and social spin-offs, so why hasn't it happened? Are the rivalries between these countries too strong to allow for this kind of arrangement?
Photo by Flickr user M+MD.
