As many as 34 senior officials from the Pacific Islands, Australia, and New Zealand Electoral Administrators (PIANZEA) Network gathered in Nadi this week to conduct the first face-to-face meeting post-COVID.
A statement from the Fijian Elections Office (FEO) highlighted that members of the network met to celebrate 25 years of collaboration and mutual assistance to further support free, fair, and credible elections around the region.
According to PIANZEA chair and Australian Deputy Electoral Commissioner Jeff Pope, they were proud of the strong and enduring partnership between election management bodies that the PIANZEA network had built.
“We are proud of Australia’s role in supporting the network,” he said.
FEO acting Supervisor of Elections Ana Mataiciwa said it was always wonderful to gather as one Pacific family.
“It is even more special when we gather for the development and betterment of our respective democratic processes,” she said.
The network comprises electoral management bodies from Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, PNG, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tokelau, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and Timor-Leste.
Additionally, the Office of the Bougainville Electoral Commissioner is also included in various network activities.
