In-depth Solomons

19/12/2025

Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele has officiated the groundbreaking for the rehabilitation of Berth 1 at Honiara International Port, marking a major step in strengthening Solomon Islands’ maritime gateway.

The Solomon Islands Ports Authority says the project will boost efficiency, safety and capacity as container volumes continue to rise, while supporting long-term economic growth.

Funded through the ADB-backed Land and Maritime Connectivity Project, the upgraded berth is expected to be completed by the end of 2027.

https://indepthsolomons.com.sb/honiara-port-upgrade-begins-as-solomon-ports-breaks-ground-on-berth-1-rehabilitation/

19/12/2025

🇦🇺🤝🇸🇧 𝐅𝐑𝐎𝐌 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐔𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐍 𝐇𝐈𝐆𝐇 𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐒𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐑'𝐒 𝐃𝐄𝐒𝐊 | FAREWELL SOLOMON ISLANDS – OUR PARTNERSHIP HAS NEVER BEEN STRONGER

Outgoing Australian High Commissioner to Solomon Islands, His Excellency Rod Hilton, reflects on three years of deepening partnership as he concludes his posting, saying Australia–Solomon Islands relations have never been stronger.

In his farewell column, Hilton highlights major achievements across infrastructure, health, education, gender equality, security and people-to-people links, all built on the principle of working side by side.

He thanked Solomon Islanders for their friendship and reaffirmed Australia’s long-term commitment to supporting the country’s development and resilience.

https://indepthsolomons.com.sb/farewell-solomon-islands-our-partnership-has-never-been-stronger/

17/12/2025

𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐞𝐚𝐬: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐊𝐀𝐖𝐀𝐊𝐈 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐎𝐜𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞

Joanna Maru and her children waded carefully into Wagina's shallow, warm waters, where the morning sun caught the gentle sway of the seaweed lines.

These fragile, rippling strands are more than just plants; they are threads of hope, carrying the weight of her family's survival and her community's future. “We make money from seaweed and support our families at the same time, but yields are not what they used to be,” she says....

Read more: https://indepthsolomons.com.sb/threads-of-hope-in-troubled-seas-how-kawaki-women-are-defending-their-ocean-and-their-future/

15/12/2025

Pacific Workers Stay Silent to Keep Their Jobs in Australia

Brisbane, AAP - Pacific workers who flock to Australia on temporary visas are too afraid of losing their jobs to fight for better pay and working conditions. More than 31,000 workers from 10 island nations have signed up for the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme to work across the country in roles employers cannot fill. Regarded as one of Australia's flagship development programs for the Pacific, employees fill jobs in industries such as agriculture, meat processing and aged care while also providing workers with desperately needed income to send home....

Brisbane, AAP – Pacific workers who flock to Australia on temporary visas are too afraid of losing their jobs to fight for better pay and working conditions. More than 31,000…

15/12/2025

‘Full of Life’: Youngest Victim of Bondi Attack Mourned

Sydney, AAP - A 10-year-old girl, Jewish community leaders and a former police officer are among 15 people killed in a mass shooting that targeted a Hanukkah festival at Bondi Beach. Another 42 were injured in the Sunday evening attack carried out by Naveed Akram, 24, and his 50-year-old father Sajid Akram. It's the nation's deadliest shooting since the Port Arthur massacre in 1996....

Sydney, AAP – A 10-year-old girl, Jewish community leaders and a former police officer are among 15 people killed in a mass shooting that targeted a Hanukkah festival at Bondi Beach. Another…

15/12/2025

Opposition Leader Matthew Wale has warned that Solomon Islands must guard its minerals sector “jealously”, stressing that non-renewable resources must be managed in the national interest.

He cautioned against repeating the mistakes of the forestry sector, where wealth was concentrated among a few while communities saw little long-term benefit.

Wale said strong state involvement, potential SOEs and a well-designed sovereign wealth fund are critical to ensuring mining delivers sustainable and inclusive development for Solomon Islanders.

by Georgina Maka’a The mining sector has the potential to become a major pillar of Solomon Islands’ economy, so it must be guarded “jealously”, Opposition leader Matthew Wale says. Speaking…

15/12/2025

𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗠 𝗢𝗡𝗘 𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗖𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗨𝗟𝗧𝗦 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗡𝗢𝗪 𝗢𝗨𝗧

The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development (MEHRD), Dr Franco Rodie, has approved the release of the Year 6 to Year 7 (Form 1) placement results for the 2026 academic year.

The announcement was made on Monday, 15 December 2025, in accordance with the Year 6 to Year 7 Placement Guidelines (2019).

A total of 13,101 students have been placed for Year 7 in 2026, comprising 6,633 females and 6,468 males, drawn from 742 primary schools, including extension schools, throughout the country. This represents a 10 per cent increase compared to the 2024 Year 7 placement figures.

Students have been placed based on their choices and school clusters into 365 secondary schools, including Community High Schools, Provincial Secondary Schools, and National Secondary Schools.

MEHRD has advised that primary schools which did not submit their 2025 Class Application and Ranking Forms will have their students placed in their designated Community High Schools.

Parents and guardians are encouraged to contact the respective education providers or schools to confirm their children’s Year 7 placement or visit the MEHRD website to see their children’s placement results.

Dr Rodie said the Ministry was pleased to record a 100 per cent transition rate from Year 6 to Year 7, reflecting the collective efforts of teachers, parents, and education stakeholders.

The Ministry acknowledged all Year 6 primary school teachers nationwide for their dedication to continuous classroom assessment throughout 2025, ensuring learners were properly assessed and their academic progress effectively monitored. Parents and guardians were also commended for their ongoing support of their children’s education.

Click Here For Official Results 👇

https://indepthsolomons.com.sb/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Year-7-official-and-approved-placement-2026.pdf

15/12/2025

Opposition Leader Matthew Wale has accused the Government for National Unity and Transformation (GNUT) of underperforming in Parliament, citing weak legislative output, poor ministerial discipline and excessive overseas travel.

He warned that ongoing political instability and competing vested interests have fractured the government and contributed to what he described as a growing culture of “state capture.”

While welcoming Prime Minister Jeremiah Manele’s pledge of a busier 2026 legislative agenda, Wale said urgent political and governance reforms were needed to restore stability and protect the national interest.

https://indepthsolomons.com.sb/wale-says-gnut-underperformed-in-parliament-warns-of-state-capture/

15/12/2025

Man Wrestles Shooter to Ground, Praised as Hero

Sydney, AAP - A man seen wrestling and disarming one of the gunmen who opened fire at a crowd at Bondi Beach has been identified as a local fruit shop owner. Ahmed Al Ahmed, a 43-year-old from the Sutherland Shire, has been hailed a hero after ripping the gun from the hands of one gunman before he was shot twice by another shooter from a nearby bridge....

Sydney, AAP – A man seen wrestling and disarming one of the gunmen who opened fire at a crowd at Bondi Beach has been identified as a local fruit shop…

15/12/2025

Terrorist Shooting Shattered Night of ‘Peace And Joy’

Sydney, AAP - With its glistening water, dramatic sunsets and curve of white sand, Bondi Beach is an Australian landmark always bustling with groups of families, friends and tourists. So when gunshots rang out from Archer Park, a pleasant grassy patch with a playground, many witnesses first mistook the noise for festive Sunday night fireworks. Hundreds had gathered for the Chanukah by the Sea event to celebrate the start of the Hannukah Jewish festival, an occasion NSW Premier Chris Minns said should have been "a night of peace and joy"....

Sydney, AAP – With its glistening water, dramatic sunsets and curve of white sand, Bondi Beach is an Australian landmark always bustling with groups of families, friends and tourists. So…

15/12/2025

Bondi Terror: 16 Dead, Including Child in Mass Shooting

Sydney, AAP - A child is one of at least 16 people killed in a terrorist attack at one of the world's most famous beaches. Hundreds of people had gathered at Bondi Beach in Sydney for an event to celebrate the first day of Hanukkah, when gunmen opened fire. At least 16 people are dead and 38 others injured in a terrorist attack authorities say was designed to target the Jewish community....

Sydney, AAP – A child is one of at least 16 people killed in a terrorist attack at one of the world’s most famous beaches. Hundreds of people had gathered…

12/12/2025

The Vaimatesa Savings and Producer Group in Nukukaisi is earning impressive returns from cocoa production with support from the SIART Project.

Community members are now running a thriving agribusiness that boosts household income and strengthens their village savings network.

Their success shows how targeted rural investment can transform livelihoods across Makira/Ulawa Province.

https://indepthsolomons.com.sb/nukukaisi-cocoa-group-reaps-big-returns-from-siart-support-strengthening-rural-livelihoods/