In addition to these formal institutions is the cultural regionalism of the Pacific. In short, this can be described as how the people organise and interact, and the sense of affinity they feel towards one another. It is the understanding that beyond the borders of nation states there is a Pacific identity among the people, illustrated by common bonds, perspectives, and objectives.

How does a Pacific Islander outside government experience regionalism? It would certainly be a mistake to say that “in the village” or in the towns people are only concerned about their day-to-day lives. Rather such activities, thoughts, relationships, and feelings encompass connections that reach well beyond their community. Here are a few of those connections:

Sport: Regional feeling is perhaps most passionately expressed through sport. The Pacific Games, various football codes, and other sporting events are places where Pacific people meet and learn about each other. Identities shift from the local to the national and regional through sport. The power of sport in the Pacific is well recognised in Australia.

Religion: Christianity has been infused into the region over two centuries. For most Pacific Island people identity is now inseparable from Christian faith. Many churches have a clear regional or subregional identity, often with Australian or New Zealand roots. Lines of faith are the channels through which many Pacific people get to know each other. Australian pastors go to the region, and vice versa. Australian communities and schools form deep relationships with Pacific counterparts. Church schools teach children about the world.

Community: Few Pacific countries fall tidily or exclusively into the categories of “Melanesian,” “Micronesian” or “Polynesian.” Solomon Islanders will point to certain parts of their country and say “they’re from Polynesia” in a way that suggests that those Polynesians are not any different from those people from Malaita (or Bougainville or Vanuatu). In other words, just being a Pacific Islander is a clear and sure sign of shared identity. This is one of the areas where European descended Australians are not “Pacific people”: we’re seen to be different, even if we’re close.

Culture: Pacific culture and art animate Pacific identities and numerous concepts unite islands and their people. Nautical metaphors abound. “Weaving the mat” is widely understood as expressing the work of binding myriad ideas and identities together. Shell hooks and jewellery instantly connect Pacific people. Pacific music is dynamic and changing. Kava and various foods fuel shared experiences like talanoa and tok stori. The display of culture is foundational to Pacific pride—and is an important income stream. Launched in the early 1970s, the Pacific Arts Festival has provided a platform for cultural exchange throughout the region. Pacific people showcase their talents, celebrate their culture and artistry together, and project this to the world. Such festivals offer a pathway for Australia’s First Nations people to participate in and benefit from Pacific regionalism.

Education: Australians and Pacific people build schools together. Australians go and teach. Pacific students come to Australia to complete their education. Australian and Pacific universities have countless linkages. Education is a critical window for people to understand their place in the world and formally learn their histories and cultural practices—and how these relate to their region. Australian education may have improved at placing Australia within its region, but there is always the potential to do more.

Fiji as a central hub: For people across government, non-government organisations, and the private sector, Fiji could be described as a key meeting place of the Pacific. While it may be where many of the Pacific’s formal institutions are based, within its formality lies informal bonds, a place to build and enhance the personal and community relationships and friendships that need to be the core of Pacific regionalism.

Climate change: Climate change for Pacific people encompasses tides, storms, droughts and floods, fisheries and garden depletion, unseasonal seasons, loss of land, culture and history, and displacement. It’s an issue that has diplomatically and emphatically been led by Pacific leaders on the world stage. For some the fight against climate change is daily and personal. This has led to community-led programs like femLINKpacific’s regional Women’s Weather Watch, which is a collective effort of informing, monitoring, and alerting others to imminent weather events.

Looking at Pacific connections in this way helps us to articulate a people-centred—rather than institutionally focused—approach to Pacific regionalism. Australia is certainly active across these areas, but there is no ceiling on people-to-people links. However, there should be a greater understanding of how the existing regional architecture has further helped people to move more freely, know each other better, play, trade, and worship together.

Valuing and supporting the social networks outlined in the above provide valuable first steps in recognising the opportunities that our region presents us. Formal institutions serve an essential purpose, but it is the personal and everyday links between peoples—the interactions that need no authorisation—that should be central to how the people of the Pacific weave their mat.

This piece is drawn from the consultations that led to the latest paper from Asia-Pacific Development, Diplomacy and Defence Dialogue – What does it look like for Australia to Support Pacific Regionalism.

James Cox is the Executive Director of Peacifica. Grant Wyeth is the editor at Asia-Pacific Development, Diplomacy and Defence Dialogue (AP4D).

This article is published under a Creative Commons License and may be republished with attribution.