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We review the diversity of phlegmacioid (Cortinariaceae) taxa in New Zealand as well as in other parts of the Southern Hemisphere. Using a 4-locus molecular phylogeny, it is shown that these taxa are represented in six of the ten recently recognised genera of Cortinariaceae. These are discussed, their taxonomy is analysed, and a key is provided. Eight new species (Mystinarius badiohepaticus, Phlegmacium medburyensis, Ph. tinelineicus, Thaxterogaster artosinus, Th. artosoides, Th. porcellanoides, Th. pseudoaustralis, Th. subdulciorum) and two new sections (Phlegmacium sect. Rufoaurantia, Thaxterogaster sect. Artosoides) are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Populations of large pelagic sharks are declining worldwide due to overfishing. Determining the overlap between shark populations and fishing activities is important to inform conservation measures. However, for many threatened sharks the whereabouts of particularly vulnerable life-history stages – such as pregnant females and juveniles – are poorly known. Here, we investigated the spatial distribution of size classes, energy transfer and reproductive states of pregnant females of the endangered shortfin mako, Isurus oxyrinchus, using spatially resolved catch data from a Spanish surface longline vessel (1996 − 2009) in the South-east Pacific Ocean. Our results suggest a general eastward gradient of occurrence of pregnant females of thousands of kilometers from western oceanic feeding grounds towards the eastern Pacific, where we observed an aggregation area of small juveniles. Moreover, the potential nursery likely overlapped a longline fishing hotspot, increasing the vulnerability of juveniles from fisheries. Our results suggest that limiting fishing pressure in this area could reduce mortality of early life stages and contribute to the conservation of this endangered shark species.

The Chilean jack mackerel (Trachurus murphyi, Nichols, 1920) is a pelagic fish of high fishery interest, with a global capture of 828,358 mt in 2021. We report the complete mitochondrial genome of T. murphyi (Teleostei, Carangidae), collected in Bahia de Zapallar, Chile (32°33’02.59’’ S, 71°27’55.38’’ W). The size of the mitogenome is 16,561 bp (H-strand composition: 25.9% A, 16.7% C, 29.8% G, and 27.5% T). The mitogenome has the classic vertebrate gene content of 13 protein-coding, two rRNA, and 22 tRNA genes, as found in Carangidae and other Teleostei families. Phylogenetic analysis using mitochondrial genomes of 22 related species revealed that T. murphyi formed a well-supported monophyletic group with the other Trachurus species, being T. simmetricus its closest relative. Sequencing the mitochondrial genome from T. murphyi is the first step in developing traceability tools based on DNA analysis to enforce fishing quotas and trace the processed food and foodstuff containing Chilean jack mackerel following the objective of the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization (SPRFMO).

This essay examines the United States Exploring Expedition of 1838–1842 through the methodological lenses of sensory history and phenomenology. This expedition included naval personnel as well as a scientific corps and represents the overlapping interests of the United States Armed Forces and academic organizations like the Smithsonian Institution in the Age of Jackson. Applying a phenomenological approach to the Ex. Ex. clarifies the role of the senses in making race in the period spanning Indian removal and Manifest Destiny. Using a corpus of published accounts, diaries, letters, artworks, and artifacts, I contend that the Ex. Ex. used olfactory disgust, sonic boundaries, and attitudes surrounding touch and gustation to categorize Pacific Islanders as racialized others through the sensorium. Such racial scientific work laid the foundations for later racial scientific ideas in psychophysics and anthropology in the twentieth century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing upon empirical evidence this article explains that, as the US-China Great Power Competition intensifies, New Zealand – a small state in the South Pacific – has shifted its view of Beijing from a potential security partner to a revisionist actor challenging the regional status quo and the international rules-based order that Wellington repeatedly declares is critical to its long-term security. China's rise and assertive behaviour is placing structural pressure on New Zealand to react and altered its threat assessment of Beijing. This article reveals this by detailing New Zealand's balancing strategy in the security domain vis-a-vis China from 2010. This includes an initial phase of pre-balancing through deepened ties with Washington, then transition to active balancing via acquisition of advanced aircraft, space co-operation, joint naval manoeuvres, and initiatives in the Pacific. A suite of new strategy documents released by the New Zealand government in August 2023 - and statements made by the new conservative National Party-led coalition government in 2024 - signals that balancing is set to continue and portends the rejuvenation of the NZ Defence Force (which has been neglected and under-resourced in recent times). New Zealand's potential membership of Pillar 2 of the AUKUS security pact is considered, and how Wellington is presently managing its relationships with the US and China within a broader asymmetric hedging strategy. The article concludes that if China's behaviour demonstrably changes, so too may Wellington's assessment of the China threat and, therefore, Wellington's response. It also outlines area where additional research could prove fruitful. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The traditional methods for predicting the distribution of albacore (Thunnus alalunga) fishing grounds have low performance and accuracy. Uneven sampling can result in unreasonable evaluation indicators. To address these issues, three methods, equi-frequency, K-means clustering algorithm, and 1-R split, were applied to discretize the catch per unit effort (CPUE) of albacore in the South Pacific from 2016 to 2021 and partition the fishing grounds into abundance levels. Eight machine learning models were used to predict the fishing grounds. In addition to the traditional evaluation index based on confusion matrix, top-k index was also used to evaluate the accuracy of fishery abundance predictions. The results showed that (1) When sampling is unbalanced, the reported accuracy does not fully represent the actual performance of the model in predicting the abundance of albacore in the fishing ground. F1 value can be used as the index of the model effect and stability. (2) In binary classification, the quartile stacking algorithm has the best stacking performance, with F1 0.89. (3) The top-1 prediction accuracy of three-category fishery forecasting is the highest at 0.74, and the top-1 prediction accuracy of five-category fishery forecasting is the highest at 0.54. (4) The top-k accuracy of classification of fisheries with multiple abundance using K-means is significantly better than that of equal frequency discretization (p < 0.001). The top-k evaluation index was used to predict the fishing grounds of albacore across multiple abundance levels for the first time in this study, which is significant for pioneering a new method for this application and which provides a demonstration of the development of artificial intelligence techniques for fisheries in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chilean jack mackerel (Trachurus murphyi, Nichols, 1920) is a pelagic fish of high fishery interest, with a global capture of 828,358 mt in 2021. We report the complete mitochondrial genome of T. murphyi (Teleostei, Carangidae), collected in Bahia de Zapallar, Chile (32°33'02.59" S, 71°27'55.38" W). The size of the mitogenome is 16,561 bp (H-strand composition: 25.9% A, 16.7% C, 29.8% G, and 27.5% T). The mitogenome has the classic vertebrate gene content of 13 protein-coding, two rRNA, and 22 tRNA genes, as found in Carangidae and other Teleostei families. Phylogenetic analysis using mitochondrial genomes of 22 related species revealed that T. murphyi formed a well-supported monophyletic group with the other Trachurus species, being T. simmetricus its closest relative. Sequencing the mitochondrial genome from T. murphyi is the first step in developing traceability tools based on DNA analysis to enforce fishing quotas and trace the processed food and foodstuff containing Chilean jack mackerel following the objective of the South Pacific Regional Fisheries Management Organization (SPRFMO). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An area of ocean centered on 179°E, 46°S has warmed to full depth since 2006, with surface warming around 5 times the global rate. This Subtropical Front area is associated with a confluence of warm, salty, subtropical water from the north carried in a western boundary current and cold, fresh, subantarctic water from the south carried in the northernmost branch of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current. Temperature and salinity changes observed from Argo floats indicate that the Subtropical Frontal Zone has moved west ∼120 km, creating this area of strong warming analogous to changes in extension regions of other western boundary currents. The warming is a result of changes in the local flows of subantarctic water, evident in satellite altimeter data and 1,000 m Argo trajectories, which in turn likely result from changes in meridional ocean heat content and winds. The warming has placed this biologically‐significant region in almost perpetual marine heatwave conditions. Plain Language Summary: An area of ocean east of New Zealand has warmed strongly since 2006 through the full ocean depth. The warming has been driven by a change in Southern Ocean currents, which, in turn appear to result from changes in the ocean heat content gradient between mid and high latitudes and changes in wind. The change is occurring in a biologically highly‐productive area of importance to Orange Roughy and Hoki fisheries. Key Points: There has been strong, full‐depth ocean warming since 2006 in a region south of Chatham Islands, New ZealandSouth of Chatham Islands, the Subtropical Frontal Zone has moved 120 km westThe warming is a result of diminished Subantarctic Water flows along northern Campbell Plateau and around Bounty Trough [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are known to produce both beneficial and extreme rainfall, leading to natural hazards in Chile. Motivated to understand moisture transport during AR events, this study performs a moisture budget analysis along 50 zonally elongated ARs reaching the western coast of South America. We identify the convergence of moist air masses of tropical/subtropical origin along the AR as the primary source of vertically integrated water vapor (IWV). Over the open ocean, moisture convergence is nearly balanced by precipitation. The advection of moisture along the AR, although smaller compared to mass convergence, significantly increases toward the landfalling region. The near conservation of IWV over the open ocean, observed by tracking a Lagrangian atmospheric column along the ARs, is the explanation behind the seemingly tropical origin of ARs in time‐lapse visualizations of IWV. Plain Language Summary: Imagine atmospheric rivers (ARs) as massive, flowing rivers in the sky, but instead of water, they carry vapor from the ocean. When these "sky rivers" travel and hit the Andes Mountains in South America, they can cause a lot of rain and snow to fall. This precipitation is often good because it helps fill reservoirs and water crops. However, sometimes there's too much rain, leading to floods and landslides, which can be dangerous. Over the ocean, the amount of water vapor these atmospheric rivers pick up is almost exactly balanced by the rain that falls from them. As these atmospheric rivers get closer to South America, the movement of moisture along the river, though generally less significant than the gathering of moist air, becomes more pronounced. This means that as the atmospheric river approaches the land, it starts carrying more moisture toward its destination. We were able to see this process in action by following a moving "slice" of the atmosphere (a Lagrangian atmospheric column) as it travels along the path of the atmospheric river. This helped us understand how atmospheric rivers maintain their water content as they move. It also shows why atmospheric rivers seem to originate from tropical areas when we look at them in time‐lapse images of water vapor. Key Points: We calculate the moisture transport budget of 50 events of zonal atmospheric rivers over the Pacific that reach South AmericaHorizontal convergence of tropical and subtropical air masses act to maintain atmospheric rivers over the ocean while advection dominates near the coastFollowing a Lagrangian column, precipitable water is roughly conserved along atmospheric rivers, except near landfalling [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article provides an account of an independent filmmaker's work in documenting some of the stories from the global Indian diaspora. Based in Aotearoa New Zealand, with ancestral connections to Fiji, East Africa, UK, US and India, and using documentary making with both its journalistic and artistic purposes, the author firstly refers to the literatures that identifies documentary-making as journalism, diaspora, and the caste system. She then situates herself within the South Pacific Indian diaspora, before describing her experience in the making of the documentary entitled Hidden Apartheid: A Report on Caste Discrimination. The article concludes by reflecting on her role and the role of documenting hidden discrimination where it exists throughout Indian communities of the diaspora. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2023, New Zealand experienced two consecutive weather-related events that exceeded previous insured losses by more than a factor of ten: the Auckland Anniversary Day floods and ex-Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle. Further, climate reporting for financial services becomes mandatory in this jurisdiction in 2024, yet established catastrophe models are not available for a range of perils in New Zealand. Insurers hence need to better understand weather-related catastrophes in New Zealand and the impact of climate change in this island nation exposed to strong marine influences and weather events of both tropical and temperate origin. This comprehensive review seeks to integrate and interpret the findings from a wide range of scientific literature into a cohesive summary useful for insurers evaluating climate risk in New Zealand. This review summarises the climate risk facing New Zealand, focussing on extreme events including heavy rainfall, floods, coastal hazards driven by weather systems on a range of spatiotemporal scales: atmospheric rivers, ex- and extra-tropical cyclones and severe convective storms, as well as wildfire weather. Potential changes to natural climate variability are also considered. The review shows that extreme rainfall over a range of durations, but particularly shorter durations, is projected to increase, and riverine and coastal flooding will also increase, although potential impacts are less well understood. Extreme weather systems such as ex-tropical and extra-tropical cyclones may be supported by warmer sea surface temperatures and the poleward shift in subtropical weather systems, although quantitative studies on their changing frequency and severity are not yet available. Key knowledge gaps in understanding sources of extreme rainfall, ex-tropical cyclones and other low-pressure systems and severe convective storms are identified. Further, focus areas for climate-related risk reduction that insurers could seek to promote to help protect the New Zealand community are discussed.

The objective of this study is to examine the influences of institutions, globalization, and world uncertainty on bank profitability in small developing economies. Consequently, we emphasize the significance of both bank-specific and other external factors influencing bank profitability. The empirical estimation is based on seven banks in Fiji—a small island economy—over the period 2000–2021. Together with bank-specific and macro factors, we account for institutions, globalization, and world uncertainty in analyzing the determinants of bank profitability. The study uses the fixed-effect estimation method. From the results, we observe that bank-specific variables, like the net interest margin, non-interest income, bank size, and capital adequacy ratio, are positively associated with bank profitability. Non-performing loans and credit risk are negatively associated with bank profitability. Macro variables, such as real GDP growth and remittances, have positive effects on bank profitability. Institutional factors, such as government effectiveness and voice and accountability, are positively associated with bank profitability. Regarding globalization, we find that it supports bank profitability. Global uncertainty and the Global Financial Crisis (2007–2008) are positively associated with profitability, whereas the global pandemic (COVID-19) is negatively associated. This study underscores the need to analyze the bank performance with factors beyond those reported in financial statements to derive a comprehensive understanding and appreciation of the complex nature of banking operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Arboviral diseases are serious threats to global health with increasing prevalence and potentially severe complications. Significant arthropod-borne viruses are the dengue viruses (DENV 1-4), the Zika virus (ZIKV), and the chikungunya virus (CHIKV). Among the areas most affected is the South Pacific Region (SPR). Here, arboviruses not only cause a high local burden of disease, but the region has also proven to contribute to their global spread. Outpatient serum samples collected between 08/2016 and 04/2017 on three islands of the island states of Vanuatu and the Cook Islands were tested for anti-DENV- and anti-ZIKV-specific antibodies (IgG) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA). ELISA test results showed 89% of all test sera from the Cook Islands and 85% of the Vanuatu samples to be positive for anti-DENV-specific antibodies. Anti-ZIKV antibodies were identified in 66% and 52%, respectively, of the test populations. Statistically significant differences in standardized immunity levels were found only at the intranational level. Our results show that in both the Cook Islands and Vanuatu, residents were exposed to significant Flavivirus transmission. Compared to other seroprevalence studies, the marked difference between ZIKV immunity levels and previously published CHIKV seroprevalence rates in our study populations is surprising. We propose the timing of ZIKV and CHIKV emergence in relation to recurrent DENV outbreaks and the impact of seasonality as explanatory external factors for this observation. Our data add to the knowledge of arboviral epidemics in the SPR and contribute to a better understanding of virus spread, including external conditions with potential influence on outbreak dynamics. These data may support preventive and rapid response measures in the affected areas, travel-related risk assessment, and infection identification in locals and returning travelers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adverse climatic changes around the globe and predictions of catastrophic and irreversible alteration in global weather patterns, temperature rise, and coast-line habitability require a careful examination of consequences on the resilience and mental health of people who will endure these changes. This paper is concerned with the South Pacific region. This geography has benefited from a relatively stable climate that is seen in the lush and vibrant natural world with many unique species of plants and animals exclusively found here. This paper examines the psychological profile of the people in the South Pacific using an evolutionary framework, and considers their local climate risks and lifestyle patterns with the aim of exploring possible mental health trajectories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) face many threats from anthropogenic activity and are listed as Endangered on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. They spend the majority of their lives in coastal foraging areas, and show strong fidelity to narrow foraging ranges. Understanding the foraging ecology of green turtles is therefore important for their management and conservation. Using stable isotopes analysis (n = 200) and identification of stomach contents (n = 21), this study investigated the foraging ecology of four distinct green turtle foraging aggregations (Goro, Isle of Pines, Ouen Island and Uo/Mato Islands) within the Grand Lagon Sud. This World Heritage Area located in New Caledonia supports regionally important nesting and foraging green turtle populations. The δ13C and δ15N values of skin samples ranged from − 19.3 to − 7.3‰ and 2.8–15.9‰, respectively. Metrics of isotopic niche and regression analyses were used to assess the degree of omnivory, trophic diversity and potential ontogenetic diet shifts in the different aggregations of foraging green turtles in this location. Each of the four sites and four age-classes had distinct isotopic niches, with evidence of omnivory and ontogenetic shifts, particular in new recruits and juveniles, and at Goro and Uo/Mato Islands. This was generally supported by the stomach contents analyses of a small number of green turtles opportunistically sampled from traditional ceremonies. This study provides important information on the foraging ecology of green turtles in New Caledonia, supporting management outcomes in this region. This collaboration with the tribes of the Grand Lagon Sud is also the first step towards the integrated management of the resource. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TBC

On 4 March 2021, a devastating M8.1 earthquake struck the Kermadec Islands of New Zealand. Given the tremendous energy released during the event, we sought to investigate the event's potential impact on the ionosphere and the inner Van Allen Belt using data from the high-energy electron detectors on board the NOAA-18 satellite. The survey was also extended to the strongest shallow M6.5+ earthquakes occurring between 150° and 190° in longitude, and between −5° and −35° in latitude over the previous ten years. In nearly all cases, evident electron fluxes entering the loss cone were observed. To explore the possibility of a connection between ionospheric signals and tectonic events in this intensely active region, we analyzed electron losses from the inner Van Allen Belt, taking into account latitude, longitude, day/night times, and proximity to the South Atlantic Anomaly. Compared to previous studies, here only the most significant loss phenomena persistent in the ionosphere were considered. Particular interest was reserved for the intense electron loss events that had a duration spanning from a few to several minutes and occurred several hours before and after strong seismic events. Thereafter, time series of electron counting rates and strong Southern Pacific earthquakes were transformed into binary series, and the series multiplication was investigated. The results suggest four peaks of association, including a first couple between electron perturbations detected for ascending semi-orbits and seismic events and a second one between electron perturbations detected in the southern ionosphere and seismic events. They both anticipated the occurrence of earthquakes, occurring around 4 h before them. Other couples were observed between electron perturbations detected for descending semi-orbits and seismic events and between electron perturbations detected in the northern ionosphere and seismic events. They both occurred around 3 h after the occurrence of earthquakes. The case of perturbations anticipating seismic events has the intriguing properties of sustaining the hypothesis that a physical interaction occurred around 6 h before seismic events as in the West Pacific case. A physical model of electrons detected far several thousands of km from the earthquake epicenters was also presented. However, a simulation of random seismic events suggested that the null hypothesis cannot be fully rejected for these associations, prompting many more analyses and case studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Partnerships between water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and rights-holder organisations (RHOs) have become more common, important and impactful in the international development sector, and they have been driven by aligned agendas, mutual benefits and the pursuit of locally owned and inclusive development agendas. There are opportunities to broaden partnerships and coalitions to include climate change advocacy, adaptation and mitigation organisations given the increased focus on the links between WASH, resilience and climate change action. This article takes a first step in addressing the question: How can the experience of WASH, gender equality and climate organisation partnerships and coalitions in the Blue Pacific inform the WASH sector in its growing support of and investment in diverse partnerships in support of localism? We conducted a systematic scoping review to identify the literature on gender equality, WASH and climate change-related partnerships and coalitions in the Blue Pacific. Three key themes emerged from the systematic scoping review based on 23 studies published from 1996 to 2024. Firstly, partnerships and coalitions are part of a critical localism agenda, though care needs to be taken by potential partners and donors to understand and manage power dynamics between actors and organisations working within and across sectors. Secondly, a range of benefits and success factors have been documented on partnerships and coalitions in the Blue Pacific, including support for emerging leadership, leveraging policy outcomes, facilitating learning and the sharing of frameworks and tools between partners. Thirdly, like all parts of the community and governance ecosystem, gender dynamics and social norms inform and influence partnerships and coalitions. At the same time, partnerships are important for informing and driving gender equality and inclusion at the local and regional levels including within the WASH sector. This article is useful for local actors, donors and civil society organisations wishing to pursue the mutually beneficial goals of WASH, gender equality, climate change action and localisation in the Blue Pacific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new kinorhynch species, Cristaphyes microtubuliferus sp. nov., is described from the continental rise of South Island, New Zealand. The new species is recognised by the presence of very poorly developed lateral terminal spines, combined with its considerable trunk length, which can exceed 1 mm. In addition, the new species is characterised by morphologically dimorphic setae, i.e. the regular long and slender setae found in most pycnophyid species, and much shorter and more rigid ‘minute setae’. Besides the new species, the presence of two additional undescribed Cristaphyes species is reported. The material is insufficient to support formal species descriptions for the latter two, but short diagnoses are provided for the species. The description of Cristaphyes microtubuliferus sp. nov. brings the total number of described and identified kinorhynch species in New Zealand up to 19. With the new species included, the genus Cristaphyes now accommodates 26 species, of which only six are known from the southern hemisphere.LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub: 77FEA91A-7684-4664-9DFC-470A245D9267 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A common technique for determining the mass accumulation rates of marine sediments is through measurements of constant flux proxies. These proxies, like unsupported 230Th and extraterrestrial 3He, are buried at a known rate at the seafloor, and thus their concentration in sediments is inversely proportional to the vertical mass accumulation rate of ambient sediments. These two proxies have varied assumptions regarding their behavior that have been difficult to test, particularly in regions of very low sedimentation. We present new measurements of helium and thorium isotopes in coretop sediments from the South Pacific Gyre. Our main finding is that 230Th- and 3He-derived mass accumulation rates of these sediments differ by a factor of 2–10, with 230Th-based mass accumulation rates systematically higher than those derived from 3He. While the final cause of the discrepancy is difficult to elucidate, we suggest that up to a factor of 2 worth of the sedimentary 230Th deficit can be explained by lateral transport of 230Th, while the remainder must be explained by other processes, such as ancient coretops undercorrected for post-depositional 230Th decay. Regardless of the mechanism, our findings have critical implications for the application of constant flux proxies in the South Pacific Gyre, with one example being the calibration of dust deposition models in this region. Ultimately, additional testing is required to determine the accuracy of the 3He and 230Th techniques for estimating sediment accumulation rates in regions of the open ocean with extremely low sedimentation rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The green turtle Chelonia mydas is a large marine turtle present in tropical and subtropical seas of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. It is categorized as Endangered on the IUCN Red List based on the trend of nesting populations at 32 sites, of which only three are in the Pacific Ocean. New Caledonia is a sui generis overseas territory of France in the south-west Pacific Ocean c. 1,210 km east of Australia. The presence of green turtles in New Caledonian waters is known, although the main nesting sites are far from the main island, on remote uninhabited islands. Since 1988 field missions to these remote reefs, namely d'Entrecasteaux, Bellona and Chesterfield, have collected data to quantify the nesting of green turtles in New Caledonia. For the first time we analyse the data collected during these missions. D'Entrecasteaux, Bellona and Chesterfield Reefs host a large nesting colony of green turtles, with the upper credible estimate of nesting activities reaching 150,000 nesting tracks in some years. These numbers exceed the estimated number of green turtle activities in the Pacific. The trend of the number of nesting activities is stable and has the same relationship with the Southern Oscillation Index as observed at Australian nesting sites. Our recommendations for the French authorities are to continue monitoring these populations, collect new demographic parameters and ensure the protection of these remote reefs, which should be considered a national treasure for New Caledonia.

The study presents the development of Hungarian–Papua New Guinean relations and their respective potentials from the beginnings to the modern days. At the same time, the study lists the Hungarian memorial sites on the island, presents the activities of Hungarian scientists who played a key role in building these relations, explores the historical background of their creation, and outlines how the relations between the two countries can be made more dynamic by building on this rich cultural heritage.

Adverse climatic changes around the globe and predictions of catastrophic and irreversible alteration in global weather patterns, temperature rise, and coast-line habitability require a careful examination of consequences on the resilience and mental health of people who will endure these changes. This paper is concerned with the South Pacific region. This geography has benefited from a relatively stable climate that is seen in the lush and vibrant natural world with many unique species of plants and animals exclusively found here. This paper examines the psychological profile of the people in the South Pacific using an evolutionary framework, and considers their local climate risks and lifestyle patterns with the aim of exploring possible mental health trajectories.

Aviation offers considerable potential to contribute to the South Pacific's long-term sustainable development. Air transportation links enhance local communities' and businesses' ability to access foreign supplies and markets, as well as provide invaluable opportunities for cultural and social exchange. They also improve emergency and humanitarian response capabilities during crises and public health emergencies. A safe and sustainable aviation industry, on the other hand, requires the use of technologically complex systems with a narrow margin for error, and which requires maintenance and operation by properly educated and qualified personnel. Sufficient human capital with specialised skills and education is required to operate a sovereign sustainable aviation sector. At the core of any aviation enterprise is a cadre of aviation technical professionals, which includes pilots, aviation maintenance engineers, air traffic controllers, and flight dispatchers. The current project seeks: (1) to validate the minimum educational attainment level for entry to aviation technical professional training as appropriate to the South Pacific context; (2) to identify subjects that are of importance as perquisites to such training; (3) to compare the coverage of South Pacific national curricula for these subjects against a baseline developed country with a mature aviation industry; and (4) to estimate the latent appropriately educated human resource potential for South Pacific sovereign aviation enterprise development.

Cortinarius is the largest genus of Agaricales (mushrooms) in the world with a cosmopolitan distribution. All species are ectomycorrhizal. Cortinariaceae is a very diverse fungal family, recently split into ten genera, one of which is Cortinarius. The former genus Cortinarius s. lato, in its turn, was traditionally divided into 4–7 subgenera, of which one of the later additions is the subgenus Leprocybe. Here we review the diversity of Leprocybe in the Southern Hemisphere. Using a 4-locus molecular phylogeny, it is shown that all but one of M. Moser’s original sections are represented in the South Pacific region, many of them in New Zealand. Several species sharing a morphology that may be designated ‘leprocyboid’ are found in the country. These are discussed, their taxonomy is analysed, and a key is provided. Three new species (Aureonarius ruficollybianus, Cortinarius stenophryx, and Cystinarius pseudoeutactus) are proposed. The leprocyboid Cortinarius sect. Incensi, present in New Zealand, appears not to nest in any of the studied genera, but an analysis with more genes and a wider taxon sampling is required to clarify its position within the phylogeny of the family. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research assesses the economic and sociocultural dimensions of the handicraft and souvenir sector from the perspectives of predominantly female market vendors and microbusinesses in the South Pacific region. It focuses on two countries, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, which vary in their levels of tourism development, tourist characteristics, and available research on tourism impacts. Handicraft and souvenir businesses offer economic opportunities in remote and emerging island economies but face challenges from globalisation and tourism. The Solomon Islands prioritise locally crafted artworks, while Vanuatu largely depends on importing souvenirs, particularly for the large cruise-ship market. Such practices often lead to commodification and misrepresentation of local cultures and destinations, as businesses cater to the demands of tourists and engage in broader processes of international exchange and globalisation. While micro-entrepreneurs generally express satisfaction with their income from selling handicrafts and souvenirs before the pandemic, data indicate that benefits, mainly from cruise-ship tourism, are unequally distributed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Island archipelagos in the South Pacific have relatively high species endemism within the insect order Odonata, specifically damselflies. Nesobasis Selys, 1891, an endemic damselfly genus from Fiji, includes over 20 species, but a clear understanding of its evolutionary relationship to other damselflies in the region is lacking. Scientists have questioned the monophyly of Nesobasis due to variations within the genus leading to the establishment of three divisions provisionally named as: comosa-, erythrops- and longistyla- groups. However, Nesobasis has shown to be monophyletic in previous phylogenetic analyses. Using additional species in this study, we investigate the phylogenetic relationships between Nesobasis and other damselflies from the region, specifically the endemic Vanuatubasis Ober & Staniczek, 2009 from the neighboring island archipelagos of Vanuatu. The relationship between these taxa has not yet been examined with molecular data. Five genes were used in a maximum likelihood phylogenetic reconstruction and examined morphological data to determine the relationship between these genera. Our results recover three distinct clades overall with Vanuatubasis nested within Nesobasis (i.e., non-monophyletic). Vanuatubasis is sister to the longistyla and erythrops groups. The third group, comosa , was found sister to the clade of Vanuatubasis (longistyla + erythrops). As a result of these findings, we propose the new genus, Nikoulabasis gen. nov. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An increase in non-performing loans and bad debts in the banking sector can make banks vulnerable to a loss of confidence among customers and other banks and a banking collapse. The recent pandemic (COVID-19) and the evolving globalisation can affect bank operations, although the effects may depend on the type of banks and other bank-specific factors. In this paper, we revisit the topic on the determinants of non-performing loans of banks in a small island economy of Fiji over the period 2000 to 2022. We apply a fixed-effect method and consider seven banks (five commercial banks and two non-bank financial institutions). In our estimations, we examine the effect of bank-specific factors and control for the social and economic globalisation, the GFC, the COVID-19 pandemic, and bank-type effects, as well as the effect of the interaction between the bank type and the pandemic, as key contributions of the study. Overall, our results are consistent in terms of the effects noted from the bank-specific factors. From the extended model estimations, we note that COVID-19 had a more adverse effect on loan losses than the GFC, and the interaction between the bank type and COVID-19 indicates that non-banks were highly vulnerable to loan losses, whereas commercial banks exhibited greater preparedness. Economic globalisation reduces bank losses, whereas social globalisation exacerbates NPLs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The AUKUS Trilateral Security Pact is a form of collective security cooperation, and this study examines its effects on South Pacific regional security. To stabilize regional security in the South Pacific, which is a main target of China’s maritime ambitions, the authors emphasize the urgency of AUKUS’s presence. To shed light on the issue, the authors used the collective security concept to dissect the framework of cooperation, the motives of AUKUS, and the Security Dilemma concept to explain how geopolitical shifts affect the security stability of the South Pacific. This research employed qualitative methods with an explanatory type of research. In this type of research, the formulated hypothesis was tested to see how the variables under study affected one another. According to this research’s findings, AUKUS’s approach to military confrontation as a partnership for collective security actually encourages an aggressive coalition and poses a security risk, thereby increasing the likelihood of further conflict in the South Pacific region.

The impacts of climate change are particularly strong in Pacific Small Island Developing States. However, empirical data on mental health and well-being in the context of climate change and climate anxiety in the region remains limited. The aim of this research was to understand the emotional experiences of climate change and its impact on well-being in rural Fiji. Seventy-one Indigenous and traditional Fijian adults from seven rural villages were interviewed. Data were analyzed using an inductive latent thematic analysis. Evident was the experience of ecological grief among Indigenous and traditional Fijians. In particular, grief experiences were related to losses of species and resources, which impacted ways of life and led to the loss of culture, traditions, and customs. Anticipatory grief was also evident, relating to the loss of lifestyle for future generations, and the loss of traditional and ancestral homes through potential migration. Results provide new data from the Global South and contribute to the limited exploration of mental health in relation to climate change in the Pacific region. The results highlight the experience of ecological grief among Pacific Islanders, and underscore the significance of culture loss due to climate change and anticipatory grief.

The green turtle Chelonia mydas is a large marine turtle present in tropical and subtropical seas of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. It is categorized as Endangered on the IUCN Red List based on the trend of nesting populations at 32 sites, of which only three are in the Pacific Ocean. New Caledonia is a sui generis overseas territory of France in the south-west Pacific Ocean c. 1,210 km east of Australia. The presence of green turtles in New Caledonian waters is known, although the main nesting sites are far from the main island, on remote uninhabited islands. Since 1988 field missions to these remote reefs, namely d'Entrecasteaux, Bellona and Chesterfield, have collected data to quantify the nesting of green turtles in New Caledonia. For the first time we analyse the data collected during these missions. D'Entrecasteaux, Bellona and Chesterfield Reefs host a large nesting colony of green turtles, with the upper credible estimate of nesting activities reaching 150,000 nesting tracks in some years. These numbers exceed the estimated number of green turtle activities in the Pacific. The trend of the number of nesting activities is stable and has the same relationship with the Southern Oscillation Index as observed at Australian nesting sites. Our recommendations for the French authorities are to continue monitoring these populations, collect new demographic parameters and ensure the protection of these remote reefs, which should be considered a national treasure for New Caledonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Eumolpinae leaf beetles of New Caledonia are very diverse, but our knowledge about their diversity is still incomplete. Following a renewed interest in the group in the last two decades, there has been an exponential increase in the number of species described, with species descriptions and taxonomic reassessment ongoing. In this work, the catalogue of New Caledonian Eumolpinae is updated, incorporating all these recent changes, and also indicating the collection where type specimens are currently available. The updated catalogue includes 120 species in 13 genera, and more additions and taxonomic changes, including new combinations, are expected in forthcoming years. Here two new synonymies are reported, namely Dumbea striata Jolivet, Verma & Mille, 2007 = Taophila cancellata Samuelson, 2010, syn. nov.; and Dematochroma theryi Jolivet, Verma & Mille, 2010 = Dematochroma poyensis Jolivet, Verma & Mille, 2010, syn. nov. Moreover, two species still retaining their original adscription to the genus Colaspis Fabricius, 1801, are treated as incertae sedis. This catalogue represents a useful tool for future taxonomic studies of New Caledonian Chrysomelidae and can assist biodiversity surveys and conservation studies within the archipelago. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major fungal lineage of myxacioid taxa is centred around Cortinarius vibratilis. This lineage is shown by morphological and multigene molecular phylogenetic analyses of the nrDNA ITS and LSU, as well as rpb1 and rpb2 genes to form a well‐supported clade, here introduced as the new subgenus C. subg. Vibratiles consisting of four sections and various small clades. Two new myxacioid sections, C. sect. Microspermi and C. sect. Turcopedes, are also proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tephra preserved in sediments form useful isochronous marker layers, linking disparate geological, palaeoenvironmental and archaeological records. The application of tephrochronology is greatly enhanced through the detection of macroscopically invisible tephra (cryptotephra). Here, we identify two discrete cryptotephra in Samoan lake sediments, the first identification of cryptotephra in the region outside of New Zealand. Geochemical data suggest one ash layer is from a local Samoan source, providing the first data on an eruption of this age, adding to knowledge of the local volcanic record. The second has a distinctive rhyolitic glass composition, which matches either that of Raoul Island in the Kermadec Arc (1800 km south of Samoa), or two currently submarine volcanoes in the Tongan Arc, 'Volcano F' and Lateiki/Metis Shoal (550 and 700 km south of Samoa, respectively). In all possible source cases, this points to a regionally significant eruption of a Kermadec–Tongan volcano at ca. 10 000 a bp. The study marks the first step in the establishment of a South Pacific tephra framework that can be used to answer questions about the synchronicity of changes in hydroclimate, vegetation and early Polynesian migration patterns, as well as providing more information on the volcanic history of Pacific island volcanoes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatial distribution of marine di-nitrogen (N2) fixation informs our understanding of the sensitivities of this process as well as the potential for this new nitrogen (N) source to drive export production, influencing the global carbon (C) cycle and climate. Using geochemically-derived δ15N budgets, we quantified rates of N2 fixation and its importance for supporting export production at stations sampled near the southwest Pacific Tonga-Kermadec Arc. Recent observations indicate that shallow (

Catadromous species are a common component of riverine ecosystems in island nations in the South Pacific; however, the bulk of these species remain poorly explored. This study sought to offer a comprehensive bibliometric analysis of the scientific literature on endemic and catadromous fishes using the PRISMA approach. We examined 317 documents from 106 sources between 1952 and 2022. These documents were written by a total of 595 authors with an average citation per document of 22.95. During this time span, 66 of 106 journal sources produced fewer than one article. Growth was slowest in the first 20 years (1952–1972) and peaked in 2005, accounting for 5.68% (18 documents) of the total of research papers across the study period. Our study documents a rise in scientific research on endemic and catadromous fishes in developing nations and regions. The data can be used by researchers, policymakers, and conservation managers to identify study gaps and trends in the field of endemic and catadromous fish studies. This study's primary contribution is a comprehensive analysis of the available literature that indicates research trends and gaps and potential future research pathways. The implementation of the bibliometric approaches utilized in this analysis can serve as a model for various research fields globally, including countries in the South Pacific. This broadened scope allows for a more comprehensive understanding of the research environment, ultimately leading to enhanced management and conservation of various biological groups. While the focus of this study was on endemic catadromous fish species, the application of this methodology extends beyond this group, providing valuable insights into a wide range of taxa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]