Polynesia
Subregion of Oceania
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We include updates on New Zealand, Easter Island, Samoa, American Samoa, Pitcairn Islands, What We Do in the Shadows, Tuvalu, Tonga, Cook Islands, Hawaiian Islands, Niue, Norfolk Island, The Piano, Heavenly Creatures, Tokelau, Wallis and Futuna ... and more.
| June 27 2025 | Original scheduled release date for Moana (2026 film) |
| 2025 |
Cook Islands
The Cook Islands signed a seabed mineral exploration agreement with China.
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| April 17 2025 |
Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument
President Donald Trump signed an executive order removing protected status from areas of the national monument, restoring commercial fishing access from 50 to 200 nautical miles.
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| January 2 2025 |
Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument
President Biden renamed the monument to Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument, recognizing traditional voyages and cultural connections in the region.
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| 2024 | What We Do in the Shadows aired its sixth and final season. |
| 2024 | Cheng Pei-pei, who played the Matchmaker in the film, passed away, marking this as her final film role before her death. |
| 2024 |
Demographics of French Polynesia
Projected live births of 3,270 and 1,832 deaths, indicating a continued decline in population growth with a total fertility rate dropping to 1.663.
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| 2024 | Auckland Theatre Company announced a stage production of Red, White & Brass in association with Piki Films and Miss Conception Productions. The stage version will feature a script by Leki Jackson-Bourke and be directed by Anapela Polataivao and Vela Manusaute, with many original film cast members returning. |
| 2024 | Rachel House made her directorial debut with 'The Mountain', co-writing the script with Tom Furniss and revising the original screenplay to incorporate Māori characters, culture, and stories. |
| 2024 |
Coming of Age in Samoa
The book 'Coming of Age in Samoa' entered the public domain in the United States.
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| 2024 | Vicky Krieps performed the song 'Jill' live in the theatre after the film screening, accompanied by New Zealand singer-songwriter Merk. |
| 2024 | The film 'Went Up the Hill' premiered as a special presentation at the Toronto International Film Festival. |
| 2024 | The film 'Went Up the Hill' is released as an Australian–New Zealand thriller drama, directed by Samuel Van Grinsven and featuring Dacre Montgomery and Vicky Krieps in lead roles. |
| 2024 |
New Zealand
New Zealand was ranked 25th in the Global Innovation Index.
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| December 2024 | Mark Mancina confirmed he will return to score the musical soundtrack for the Moana remake, continuing his involvement from the original film and its sequel. |
| November 2024 | Principal photography for the film concluded in Atlanta and Hawaii. |
| November 27 2024 | Moana 2, directed by Dave G. Derrick Jr, released in theaters |
| November 22 2024 | Principal photography wrapped in Hawaii. |
| November 5 2024 | A sequel to the film Black Sheep was announced, with original director Jonathan King set to return to the project. |
| October 16 2024 |
Tuvalu
Australia handed over a Guardian-class patrol boat to Tuvalu, which was named HMTSS Te Mataili III.
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| September 2024 |
The Lie
The film became Netflix's number one film in New Zealand and Australia following its release in early September.
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| September 2024 | The Mountain is scheduled to screen at the Toronto International Film Festival. |
| August 2024 |
Bookworm
Bookworm won the 'Best International Feature' award at the 28th Fantasia International Film Festival.
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| August 8 2024 |
Bookworm
Bookworm was released in New Zealand by Rialto Distribution.
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| July 29 2024 | Principal photography began in Atlanta under the working title 'Canon'. |
| June 2024 | Catherine Lagaʻaia is announced in the title role of Moana, and the main supporting cast is revealed |
| June 27 2024 | Ka Whawhai Tonu was released in cinemas nationwide across New Zealand. |
| June 27 2024 | Film 'Ka Whawhai Tonu' released in cinemas nationwide, telling the story of the siege of Ōrākau from the perspective of two Māori teenagers. |
| June 20 2024 | The Convert was released in Australia, expanding its international distribution. |
| June 17 2024 | Film 'Ka Whawhai Tonu' premiered in Hamilton, presenting a historical drama about the 1864 siege of Ōrākau during the New Zealand Wars. |
| June 9 2024 | Film screened at the Sydney Film Festival (second screening date) |
| June 8 2024 | Film screened at the Sydney Film Festival (first screening date) |
| May 29 2024 |
The Lie
The film was released on the New Zealand streaming service Neon and other platforms including Netflix, Apple TV, Google TV, YouTube, and AroVision.
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| April 25 2024 |
The Lie
The Lie was released in New Zealand cinemas, receiving an M (Mature) rating from the Classification Office for references to sexual and domestic violence.
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| April 25 2024 |
The Lie
The documentary film 'The Lie: The Murder of Grace Millane' was released in New Zealand cinemas, directed by British filmmaker Helena Coan and exploring the circumstances of Grace Millane's murder.
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| April 14 2024 | The documentary 'The Lost Boys of Dilworth' premiered on TVNZ1 at 8:30 pm and was simultaneously released on TVNZ+ streaming service. |
| March 2024 |
Tokelau
99% of Freenom domains became inaccessible, significantly affecting Cloudflare-hosted domains and Tokelau's domain registration strategy.
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| March 28 2024 | The Mountain was released nationwide in New Zealand cinemas, making the film widely accessible to audiences. |
| March 19 2024 | The Mountain held its world premiere in New Plymouth, New Zealand, marking the film's first public screening. |
| March 18 2024 |
Tuvalu
Fiji Airways began additional flight service on Mondays between Nadi and Funafuti International Airport, expanding transportation options.
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| March 14 2024 | The film was released in New Zealand, showcasing the domestic premiere of the historical drama. |
| February 2024 |
Tokelau
Freenom settled the lawsuit with Meta and announced its exit from the domain business.
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| February 2024 | Dwayne Johnson confirmed that an actress had been cast in the titular role, but her identity was being kept secret. |
| February 8 2024 | Full-length trailer of The Mountain was released, with promotional support from Taranaki's regional development agency Te Puna Umanga Venture Taranaki and the Taranaki Regional Film Office. |
| January 23 2024 | Norfolk Island recorded its highest temperature on this date, marking a significant climate event for the island. |
| January 17 2024 |
The Lie
The Hollywood Reporter reported that Brainstorm Media acquired North American distribution rights for The Lie, with plans to release the film in Spring 2024.
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| January 13 2024 |
Zoom the White Dolphin
The third 52-episode season of the Zoom the White Dolphin animated series was released.
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| 2023 |
American Samoa
A feature film adaptation of 'Next Goal Wins', directed by Taika Waititi, was released.
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This contents of the box above is based on material from the Wikipedia articles Zoom the White Dolphin, Moana (2016 film), Demographics of French Polynesia, American Samoa, Moana (2026 film), Coming of Age in Samoa, Ka Whawhai Tonu, The Lost Boys of Dilworth, The Convert, Bookworm (film), The Lie (2024 film), Black Sheep (2006 New Zealand film), Norfolk Island, Tokelau, Tuvalu, The Moon Is Upside Down, Samoa, Mulan (2020 film), Cook Islands, New Zealand, The Mountain (2024 film), What We Do in the Shadows, Went Up the Hill, Red, White & Brass, Easter Island & Pacific Islands Heritage Marine National Monument, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.