Pacific Music Awards: Sam V and the Signature Choir were big winners at the Pacific Music Awards in Manukau, with Sam V taking multiple top honours and Signature Choir landing the 531pi Best Pacific Gospel Artist award plus People’s Choice and special recognition. Climate & diplomacy: Forum foreign ministers backed a stronger regional climate push ahead of COP31, urging more climate finance, renewable energy investment, and louder Pacific leadership through Pre-COP31 meetings. Niue culture in the spotlight: A new Niue silver coin marks 75 years of Chabad-Lubavitch leadership, tying together the 770 portrait, a menorah, and a claimed dime provenance. Fashion & identity: The Pacific Fusion Fashion Show celebrates 10 years of giving Pacific designers and stories a mainstream runway space, returning to Auckland for NZ Fashion Week. Ocean stewardship: Pristine Seas’ Samoa expedition is set to survey deep-sea life and seabirds using cameras, submersibles, and local partnerships. Culture policy region-wide: Tonga ratified UNESCO’s 2005 Convention on cultural diversity, with Niue already a party since 2019. Niue art abroad: Susannah Sionetuato brings contemporary Niuean ancestry, identity, hiapo patterns, and Vagahau Niue to Auckland in her first Aotearoa exhibition.