The Pacific is often discussed only when a cyclone strikes, a security agreement is signed or a major power competes for influence. Yet the region is home to diverse nations with their own governments, cultures, economies and ambitions.

Australians regularly follow events in Europe, the United States and the Middle East.

Many know far less about countries much closer to home.

Papua New Guinea lies immediately to Australia’s north. New Caledonia is closer to Brisbane than New Zealand is. Fiji, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Samoa, Tonga and numerous other Pacific communities are linked to Australia and New Zealand through migration, trade, defence, sport, education and family.

Yet the Pacific is still too often treated as a distant collection of small islands.

The Pacific is not one place

The region includes independent countries, territories and states in free association with larger nations.

It stretches across Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia.

Papua New Guinea has a population measured in millions, hundreds of languages and considerable mineral and energy resources.

Nauru and Tuvalu have populations comparable to a small Australian town.

Fiji is an important regional centre for aviation, education, diplomacy and business. New Caledonia and French Polynesia remain connected constitutionally to France. The Cook Islands and Niue govern themselves in free association with New Zealand.

These differences matter.

A policy suitable for one Pacific country may be irrelevant or unwelcome in another.

Economies shaped by geography

Distance creates high costs.

Many Pacific nations depend heavily on imported fuel, machinery, manufactured goods and food. Small domestic markets can make it difficult to develop industries at scale.

Economic strengths include:

• Tourism
• Agriculture
• Fisheries
• Forestry
• Mining
• Remittances
• International development funding
• Labour-mobility programs
• Digital and professional services

Exclusive economic zones give Pacific countries rights over enormous maritime areas, even where their land area is small.

The ocean is therefore an economic asset, a source of food and a demanding enforcement responsibility.

Illegal and unreported fishing can take revenue and resources from countries without the surveillance capacity to patrol their waters continuously.

The strategic contest

China, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, France, Japan and other countries are increasing their engagement across the Pacific.

They offer infrastructure, finance, policing, military cooperation, climate programs and diplomatic support.

Pacific governments are not passive recipients.

They negotiate, compare offers and pursue their own national interests. Many resist the suggestion that they must choose permanently between China and Western partners.

The lesson for Australia and New Zealand is clear: geographic proximity does not create an automatic entitlement to influence.

Regional relationships must be maintained through consistency, respect and practical value.

Climate change shapes every discussion

Pacific leaders frequently identify climate change as their most serious security concern.

This can create frustration when larger partners arrive primarily wishing to discuss military competition.

For low-lying countries, coastal erosion, water security and disaster recovery are not secondary environmental matters. They affect whether communities can remain on their land.

Regional security policy that fails to address climate risk will consequently be seen as incomplete.

People connect the region

Pacific peoples have made major contributions to Australia and New Zealand.

They work in healthcare, agriculture, construction, tourism, transport, education, business, defence and professional sport.

Labour-mobility programs provide income and experience, while remittances support families and national economies. These programs can also create social costs when parents and skilled workers spend long periods away from home.

The relationship must therefore be measured by more than the number of workers recruited.

A new purpose for Pacific reporting

The Pacific should not appear in the news only as the location of a disaster or a diplomatic contest.

Its countries deserve regular coverage of elections, business, culture, infrastructure, education, health, sport and social change.

A useful starting point is to learn each nation separately:

• Who lives there?
• How is it governed?
• What sustains its economy?
• What challenges does it face?
• What does it seek from Australia and New Zealand?
• What can the wider region learn from it?

The Pacific is not Australia and New Zealand’s backyard.

It is a region of sovereign neighbours whose decisions will help shape the future of Australasia.

Understanding them is not an act of charity or curiosity. It is a regional necessity.