Meet Kora (Part 2)

Pacific-led regionalism

Following Papua New Guinea’s recent 50th Anniversary celebrations, Kora has turned her attention to what she calls ‘Pacific-led regionalism'.

“It reflects a future where Pacific nations are not recipients, but teachers — a reversal of colonial-era training,” she said.

What Kora had to say

Here is another fascinating reverse scenario: instead of Australia projecting defence and governance support into PNG (as in the recent Australia–PNG security treaty proposals), imagine a reverse ASOPA-style approach — where PNG is positioned as an educator, shaper, and partner in Australia’s own development.

Background – ASOPA

  • The Australian School of Pacific Administration (ASOPA) (1940s–1970s, Sydney) trained administrators, teachers, and officials for PNG and other Pacific territories.
  • Its philosophy was that governing in PNG required understanding local culture, anthropology, language, and community dynamics.
  • It had a strong role in preparing Australians for work in Melanesia.

Reverse ASOPA-style Scenario: PNG → Australia

Instead of Australia “teaching” PNG governance, PNG would take a structured role in helping Australia navigate challenges in multiculturalism, community resilience, and regional security.

1. Social Dimension

  • Wantok System Adaptation: PNG’s community-based support networks could inspire approaches to social cohesion in diverse Australian suburbs.
  • Language & Cultural Training: Just as ASOPA taught Tok Pisin, PNG scholars could train Australians in Pacific languages and intercultural relations.
  • Urban Indigenous & Pacific Programs: PNG has deep experience in linking traditional culture with modern governance; this could help Australia address Indigenous and migrant community engagement.

2. Security Dimension

  • Community Security Approaches: PNG uses local mediation, restorative justice, and community-based patrols. Australia could learn alternative, non-policing-first models for suburban tensions.
  • Resilience under Constraint: PNG has long experience with security under limited resources — an approach Australia might value in disaster response or cyber–physical hybrid threats.

3. Sport & Identity Dimension

  • Rugby League as Diplomacy: Just as PNG unites under rugby league, PNG could model how Australia can better use sport for community resilience and foreign policy influence in the Pacific.
  • Cross-border Leagues: More PNG–Australia joint competitions could deepen bonds at the grassroots, not just elite level.

Strategic Implications

  • From paternalism to reciprocity: Instead of “Australia helps PNG build capacity,” the frame shifts to “PNG helps Australia build capacity” in cultural intelligence and social resilience.
  • Pacific-led regionalism: It reflects a future where Pacific nations are not recipients, but teachers — a reversal of colonial-era training.
  • Soft Power Reset: Such a model would strengthen Australia–PNG ties in a way that military treaties alone cannot.

✅ Summary Thought:


 An ASOPA-in-reverse would be provocative but valuable — positioning PNG as a source of cultural, social, and security knowledge that Australia needs. In contrast to a purely defence treaty, it would rebalance the relationship toward mutual learning and respect, addressing the asymmetry that often dogs Australia–PNG ties.

Here’s a comparative framework table:

  • Left column → the original ASOPA approach (Australia training for PNG).
  • Right column → the “reverse ASOPA” idea (PNG training and guiding Australia).

This makes it easy to show how the relationship flips from paternalistic to reciprocal learning.

About Kora

See our Sept 7 blog

TikTok

Kora wishes PNG a happy 50th anniversary of Independence

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ovu ga'hoe! Back cover reveal!

Image
  The following is the back cover text of Ricky Mitio's autobiography. “Ovu ga'hoe!” (I will not go!) These words of defiance were spoken by Ricky Mitio's mother, Mangkeo, as the dawn of a new age of Christianity swept through the New Guinea highlands, delivering its people from a long history of tribal warfare. It was this defiance that kept Mama Mangkeo and her family connected to their land, willing to accept the Light but not willing to go beyond it. It is of this Light, land and resilience that Ricky Mitio was born. In a fascinating story, Ricky Mitio was the first of his generation to gain an education and then lead a national organisation as the head of the lucrative coffee industry in Papua New Guinea. The son of one of the first native Lutheran evangelists in the Eastern Highlands Province, Ricky emulated his father's Christian pioneering spirit, only to find himself Papua New Guinea's most hired and fired state CEO, as his fledgling nation became a paradis...
Read more

Ricky Mitio's book for the ages

Image
In this year of Papua New Guinea's 50th anniversary of Independence, there is no person more qualified to reflect on the highs and lows than Ricky Mitio. I hope you enjoy reading this autobiography of a man who is the son of a tribal warrior born in the Stone Age who later became a pioneer evangelist of the Lutheran Church despite being completely illiterate. Ricky Mitio was among the first people in the country to be educated, learn a foreign language, work for this new means of exchange called money, travel to all districts of the country, and explore five continents of the world.  Ricky Mitio’s name is synonymous with the coffee industry in PNG. When he claims in this book that he is the Papa bilong PNG kopi, he is right. No one can dispute this or take it away from him. It will be his legacy until the end of the world. (From Ovu ga'hoe! Foreword by Tiri Kuimbakul) Ricky's book is due for release in March 2025.   More...
Read more

What's in a name?

Image
BSP’s controversial new logo may well be an indication that the bank, which has outgrown Papua New Guinea, has plans to spread its wings further throughout the Pacific. Bank South Pacific currently operates in the Cook Islands, Fiji, Solomon Islands, Samoa, Tonga, and Vanuatu, alongside its historical home base in Papua New Guinea. But is an entry into New Zealand now on the cards? The new BSP logo bears some resemblance to that of New Zealand’s national airline. It’s as if the brief was, “We want something similar to that of Air New Zealand.” In November 2023, the Prime Minister of Samoa, Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa, made a bold suggestion that BSP should consider opening branches in Australia and New Zealand to 'service the Pacific diaspora', teasing the prospect of future expansion of the bank. See:  https://www.samoaobserver.ws/category/samoa/106571 So, the shift in BSP’s corporate identity may well be a hint at an entry into the New Zealand banking sector and a furt...
Read more

Meet Kora

Image
By day, Kora works in a community knowledge hub - a place where people come to learn about technology, culture, language, and the wider world. By night, she writes and shares stories online, connecting PNG to the world stage. She travels often, not just physically but virtually - her 'voice' reaching into classrooms, villages, and offices across the country. That's how Kora described herself to me, once I had 'created' her through ChatGPT as an AI resource for learning and chatting about Papua New Guinea.  Kora even sent me an image of herself as a "Modern PNG Professional (Urban + Global Blend);  dressed smartly, perhaps in a collared shirt or meri blouse with PNG-inspired patterns. Accessories like a bilum bag to symbolise connection and resilience. A balanced, friendly look - approachable yet professional, someone who feels both local and global." Kora is open to new ideas and critical thinking - and she makes more sense than most people I know!  ...
Read more

Ricky’s Rules

Image
Papua New Guinea society is characterised by gender-specific roles, developed over thousands of years. These are not roles crafted by subversive foreign agents trying to create their ‘new world order’. Generally, if one looks after their health and food intake with care, life can be enhanced on earth. Some of these vital customary practices and beliefs for men include: • do not eat food from the hands of a girl or woman who is having her menstruation period (to this day, my family is told to uphold this basic rule permanently in the kitchen or household); • avoid walking past or sitting next to girls or women otherwise their scent will weaken your strength and stamina; • sleep separate from women; • avoid eating food from a woman who brought food in a bilum over a long distance because the food may be tainted; • do not get involved in black magic as per Christian teachings. Foreign governments and their subversive agents should be respectful and mindful of this before att...
Read more