Building a welcoming and supportive community
We work to support Pasifika communities, in Australia and at the University of Melbourne, with a range of social and learning events for staff, students and the public.
Talanoa and other gatherings
At the start of every semester, the Oceania Institute hosts welcome events for students from Oceania and with Pasifika heritage, as well as lunches, afternoon teas and other gatherings with food and drink.
We'll post about them here on our website, or you can sign up to our mailing list below for news and upcoming events.
Conversations
Conversations is a regular gathering bringing visiting scholars and University staff and students together for conversations issues that matter in Oceania today.
Recent conversations:
Nature-based Solutions in Honiara's Informal Settlements
Cyril Rachman with Alexei Trundle (March 2024)
Cyril Rachman was until recently the Head of the Built Environment at Solomon Islands National University and has now begun a PhD at the Institut of Teknologi Sepuluh in Indonesia. Cyril led a team of students in a recent Nature-based Solution initiative in Koa Hill, one of Honiara’s most climate-vulnerable informal settlements. Alexei Trundle, Associate Director (International) of the Melbourne Centre for Cities, has been working on climate adaptation initiatives in Honiara for the last decade.
Languages in Kanaky/New Caledonia following the independence referendums
Suzie Beaurune with Nick Thieberger (2 Nov 2023).
Suzie Beaurune is a linguist at the University of New Caledonia. A speaker of Nengone, she has been researching another Kanak language, Pwapwâ, and has collaborated on an online tutorial for learning her own language, Nengone. Nick Thieberger is an Associate Professor in Languages and Linguistics at the University of Melbourne.
From the Cookhouse to the Cabinet: engaging with remote communities on gender and climate change in the Marshall Islands
Yoshiko Yamaguchi-Capelle with Aishath Azfa (4 September 2023).
Yoshiko Yamaguchi-Capelle was born and raised in Majuro, Marshall Islands and has led the assessment on Climate Security in the Marshall Islands for the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund. Aishath Azfa is a human geographer currently completing her PhD at the University of Melbourne with over 15 years of experience working in the development and environment sectors of the Maldives.
Law, theology, and the environmental crisis in Oceania
Rev Dr Cliff Bird with Steneth Kaniki (2 June 2023)
Rev Bird is a leading Oceanic theologian who brings an interdisciplinary approach to theology and the bible to engage with issues concerning development and human rights in Oceania. Steneth Kaniki is a candidate for the Master of Environmental Law at the University of Melbourne who seeks to tackle some of the urgent environmental law issues in his home country, Solomon Islands.
Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Solomon Islands
Engagement events
The Oceania Institute supports activities that grow the capacity of researchers, students, and professionals in Pacific Island Countries and Pasifika communities in Australia.
In Nov 2023, Ms Pauline Boseto McNeil, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Medical Services, Solomon Islands, delivered a seminar on The Solomon Islands Government’s efforts to achieve Universal Health Coverage. Ms. Boseto McNeil also met with postgraduate students and researchers on projects related to health and wellbeing.
Images: Debra McDougall and Chethna Ben