Building a welcoming and supportive community
We work to create a welcoming and supportive environment for people from the Pacific Islands who work and study at the University, and for Pasifika communities in Melbourne.
Engagement initiatives
The Oceania Institute supports activities that grow the capacity of researchers, students, and professionals in Pacific Island Countries and Pasifika communities in Australia.
Vaka Pasifika student leadership program
An annual outreach program that aims to welcome high students with Pasifika heritage and their families to the University campus.
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Conversations series
Regular gatherings that bring visiting scholars and University staff and students together to engage in research tok stori (discussions) and lunch.
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Te M'aneaba lounge
Te M'aneaba ('meeting house' in Kiribati language) provides a culturally safe space for staff and students to host informal gatherings, welcome events and student workshops.
Welcome events
The Oceania Institute conducts welcome ceremonies and events for new students, as well as dignitaries and academic fellows visiting from the Pacific Islands.
In August 2025, we hosted the inaugural Oceania Institute Oceania Oration delivered by The Honourable Professor Biman Prasad, Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Fiji and Minister for Finance, Strategic Planning, National Development and Statistics.
In his address ‘Securing and Sustaining our Blue Pacific – What Will This Take?,’ Professor Prasad emphasised the importance of reframing perspectives on the Pacific, addressing climate change and development challenges, and fostering stronger partnerships between Australia and Pacific nations. Performances by LetTeine Polynesian Dance Academy accompanied by Cook Islands drumming group energised the University’s Arts West building for this well-attended event.
The Oceania Oration 2026 event will be announced in June/July.
Oceania Institute Engagement Grants
These small grants support activities that grow the capacity of researchers, students, and professionals in Pacific Island countries and Pasifika communities in Australia.
2025 Oceania Institute engagement grant recipients
2025 Oceania Institute student grant recipients
Conversations series
Conversation events are hosted throughout the year bringing together visiting scholars and University staff and students for talanoa (discussions) about issues that matter in Oceania today.
Tuavaluan Perspectives on the Australia-Tuvalu Falepili Union
Teresa Lifuka Drecala-Peyster and Susana Kausea (September, 2025)
Signed in November 2023, the Australia-Tuvalu Falepili Union is a world-first treaty on climate change adaptation, migration, and security. It includes a provision for up to 280 Tuvaluans per year to live and work in Australia. University of Melbourne alumnae Teresa Lifuka Drecala-Peyster (Master of Law and Development) and Susana Kausea (Master of Commercial Law) engaged attendees in a talanoa (discussion) on the risks and opportunities of the treaty for their homeland Tuvalu and for the Tuvaluans who migrate.
Beyond Geopolitics: Challenges for Pacific journalists and journalism
Dorothy Wickham, Mary Louise O'Callaghan, Sue Ahearn and Jo Chandler (September, 2025).
Geopolitical shifts dominate much of the international news reportage of Pacific affairs, often with the lens around the geo-strategic power dynamics. Within the Pacific, journalists and editors navigate reporting the fallout to their own communities within a maelstrom of political, social, environmental and economic change at the same time as editorial budgets, resources and training are vanishing. In this tok stori, panelists explored the profound implications of these shifts for the production and consumption of news across the Pacific region with two media veterans of the region, Dorothy Wickham and Mary Louise O'Callaghan.
Images: Debra McDougall, Ema J. Foster, Rita Seumanutafa-Palala, and Dorothy Wickham.
Stories from Our Oceania Cohort
Explore the enriching experiences of our Oceania cohort at the University of Melbourne. Each of our students brings a unique perspective, and we invite you to hear their stories:
Tak (Palau): Discover Tak's journey and insights as he navigates his studies. [Watch here]
Aileen & Tearinaki (Kiribati): Join Aileen and her husband Tearinaki as they share their experiences living and studying in Melbourne. [Watch here]
Zohra (PNG)**: Get inspired by Zohra’s story and learn about her academic path. [Watch here]
We hope these stories inspire and inform you about the diverse experiences of our international students!