Vanuatu

The report, named Raising Pasifika: Strengthening Government Finances to Enhance Human Capital in the Pacific is a public expenditure review for Kiribati, Nauru, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

According to RNZ Pacific, the report's executive summary says the Covid-19 shock, combined with overlapping shocks from natural disasters and global inflation, risks reversing a decade of progress in building human capital across the Pacific.

The draw was finalised in Port Vila, Vanuatu yesterday.

The tournament will see ten nations from across the Pacific competing, with New Zealand defending the title they won in 2019, defeating New Caledonia in the final in Cook Islands.

Tahiti, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Cook Islands are also participating in the tournament which will be held from June 21 to July 8.

The draw was conducted by OFC Head of Competitions, Chris Kemp, OFC President, Lambert Matlock and host President of Fiji Football Federation, Rajesh Patel.

Home side Ifira Black Bird will play their group B matches in the capital and have been joined by Hekari United of Papua New Guinea, AS Pirae of Tahiti and Tiga Sport of New Caledonia.

Fiji's Suva are in group A with defending champion New Zealand's Auckland City, Solomon Warriors and Lupe Ole Solaga of Samoa who topped a qualifying section played in Apia.

RNZ Pacific reports the two highest placed teams from each group will advance to the semi-finals. 

The draw will take place at 1pm NZT at the OFC Home of Football – Te Kahu o Kiwa in Auckland, New Zealand.

OFC Competitions Director Chris Kemp will conduct proceedings.

There is no seeding system for this edition of the OFC Champions League so teams will be drawn from a single pot and will be drawn into two groups of four, Group A and Group B with matches to be played in Port Vila and Luganville.

The Government is also assisting Tongan students currently studying in Vanuatu by providing additional allowance to cope with additional expenses due to the cyclones.

A statement from the PM’s Office said the Government had received financial assistance from the Government of Vanuatu following the Hunga-Tonga-Hunga-Ha’apai events in 2022 and the Tongan diaspora in Vanuatu also remitted financial assistance channeled through the Ministry of Finance following the HTHH events.

The Solomon Islands and Vanuatu will open on July 1, with Samoa and the Federated States of Micronesia a month later on August 1.

Vanuatu Prime Minister Bob Loughman Weibur has asked Tongan Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni to sign an air services agreement.

Loughman said such an agreement could come into effect in a “post Covid” world.

Vanuatu's Covid travel restrictions will be lifted on 1 July.

Weibur said the proposal would entail a “a win-win for our national airlines and governments, post-COVID.”

Such an agreement would allow Air Vanuatu to ensure that fares between the two Island nations, Australia and New Zealand would remain stable.

The revised competition format, which was adapted in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce travel requirements on teams, is split into two phases.

Stage one will determine which clubs contest stage two, which will be an eight-team centralised finals tournament scheduled for August this year.

Fiji, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu will stage home and away playoffs – involving the champion and runner up from their respective national league – through June, from which each winner will secure qualification to the finals tournament.

Super typhoons, the withdrawal of government support and Covid-19 have disrupted the event which will now take place from June 17-25. It was originally due to be held in May/June 2021.

The hosts and Fiji lead the delegations with 125 athletes apiece.

Solomon Islands has 117 athletes while New Caledonia has 109. The smallest delegations are Norfolk Island and American Samoa with three each.

The 20 Pacific nations and territories attending and their number of athletes are:

It's Vanuatu's first appearance in the competition since 2010.

In Group A, Tonga have been drawn with the Cook Islands and Samoa.

Hosts Fiji are in Group C where they face New Caledonia and Solomon Islands.

The nine-team competition is being held from July 13-30.

The competition winner then goes into a ten-team inter-continental tournament to find three qualifiers for the Women's World Cup finals being hosted by New Zealand and Australia in 2023.

New Zealand, as co-hosts, are exempt from the qualifying tournament.