SUVA (Secretariat of the Pacific Community/Pacific Media Watch): The Secretariat of the Pacific Community’s flagship TV show, The Pacific Way, marks a milestone of 20 years on air with its 2015 season premiere this Sunday.
What started as a trial for exchanging news stories, with just one tape being circulated between television stations in the Cook Islands, Fiji and Niue has evolved into a popular, weekly half-hour programme that is now distributed to 20 stations across the Pacific.
“Twenty years of producing stories that matter to Pacific people is a proud achievement for our team at the Secretariat of the Pacific Community,” The Pacific Way team leader Joji Nabalarua said.
“We’re striving to keep the show relevant, entertaining and informative by always looking at ways to add a little more flavour to the format. In 2015, viewers can also look forward to some great stories from places we’ve never filmed before like Kiritimati, the world’s largest atoll, and also Yap in Federated States of Micronesia,” Nabalarua said.
The regional season launch of The Pacific Way will begin with Fiji Television Limited’s Fiji One Channel at 5:30pm this Sunday.
A formal celebration to mark the show’s 20th anniversary is planned for later this year.
Production of The Pacific Way began in 1995 with seed funding provided by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and with set props such as tapa cloth, fishing nets and carvings donated to SPC by various islands around the Pacific.
Prominent Fiji media personality, Lenora Qereqeretabua, has anchored the show since the beginning, originally alongside Yaminiasi Gaunavou.
She said that while The Pacific Way has undergone changes over the years, it remains true to its purpose.
“The show has been an opportunity for us Pacific Islanders to really appreciate our own culture, our own traditions, languages, fashion and the sorts of challenges we’re facing now in terms of environment, food security and health, for example,” Qereqeretabua said.
To view previous episodes, go to The Pacific Way playlist:
www.youtube.com/user/spcnc1
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 New Zealand Licence.
Pacific Media Watch
