8 June 2026, Honiara - The 4th Steering Committee Meeting of the Weather Ready Pacific (WRP) Programme in Honiara, Solomon Islands, ended with a milestone moment when the leadership of the Committee passed from Fiji to Niue.
Since its inaugural Steering Committee meeting in 2024 in Vanuatu, Chair, Mr Misaeli Funaki, Director of the Fiji Meteorological Service, has steered the Committee through the programme's critical inception and early implementation phases, providing the strategic direction, governance and regional coordination, moving the WRP from concept to delivery.
In Honiara, Mr Funaki passed the baton to the new Chair, Ms Rossy Mitiepo, Niue Meteorological Services Director and currently the longest serving Pacific Met Director, whose appointment was confirmed by the Committee.
"It has been a privilege to chair this Committee through the foundational years of the Weather Ready Pacific," said Mr Funaki. "When we first met, our task was to map out the work plan and turn a shared Pacific vision into a working programme. Today, we can point to radars on the ground, staff being trained, and communities better prepared. This has always been about the livelihood and safety of our people, and I am proud of what we have built together as a region. I hand over to Niue with full confidence that the programme is in good hands."
The new Chair, Ms Mitiepo, embraced her appointment and the acknowledged the hard work of the outgoing Chair.
“I thank our previous chair, Misaeli Funaki, for his dedicated leadership over the past two years,” she said. “He has built strong foundations for the programme's stewardship by this committee. Niue may be small, but our commitment is significant because Weather Ready Pacific belongs to all of us, and every Pacific community deserves timely, reliable warnings that save lives and protect livelihoods. I look forward to working closely with our members and partners to ensure a seamless handover."
The WRP Programme, implemented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Environmental Organisation (SPREP), is a Pacific-owned and led decadal programme of investment, designed by the region's National Meteorological and Hydrological Services through the Pacific Meteorological Council and endorsed by Pacific Islands Forum Leaders in 2021.
At the core of the programme human and economic costs of severe weather, water and ocean-related events across the region, and serves as the primary vehicle for delivering the global Early Warnings for All initiative in the Pacific. The programme has a target of raising close to USD 200 million over ten years to strengthen the capacity of Pacific Met Services, with the Governments of Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom among its founding supporters.
Under the Committee's guidance, the WRP has recorded tangible progress with the first WRP-funded weather radar was installed in Nuku'alofa, Tonga launched in August 2024; a second radar is currently under construction in Honiara, Solomon Islands; and a third radar is being prepared for Samoa. The weather radars are specialised monitoring equipment capable of detecting weather systems outwardly, up to 300km away. The programme has also funded capacity-building and training for Pacific forecasters and Meteorological Technicians, supported satellite connectivity through the purchase and instalment of Starlink dishes and subscriptions for Niue, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu, with support underway for Kiribati and Nauru. These are only a few examples of some of the progress WRP has made to date.
"The progress we have made reflects the strength of a programme designed by the Pacific, for the Pacific," said Mr 'Ofa Fa'anunu, Weather Ready Pacific Programme Manager. "We are well on our way to delivering results that save lives, from radars in Tonga, Solomon Islands and soon Samoa, to training that builds lasting capability in our Met Services. These are the building blocks of a genuinely weather-ready region reaching the last mile where vulnerable communities are protected, and we are grateful to our partners and member countries for their continued faith and support of this Pacific-led initiative."
The Steering Committee meeting was followed by the WRP Donor Committee Roundtable on 3 June, where development partners reviewed progress and reaffirmed their commitment to supporting a weather-ready Pacific. The Roundtable also marked a significant governance milestone as New Zealand assumed the Chair of the Donor Committee from Australia. Ms Rebekah Robertson of New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) was appointed Chair, succeeding Mr Peter Wilson of Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). The transition reflects the strong partnership between the Programme's founding donors and their continued commitment to supporting Pacific-led weather, climate and early warning services across the region.
“It’s a pleasure to have been nominated to chair the WRP Donor committee for the next year. NZ is a proud and committed partner of the WRP programme and we are excited to see the programme continue to build momentum to deliver early warning systems for all to build a safer and more prosperous region,” said Ms Rebekah Robertson, Senior Adviser Climate Change and Environment at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand.
The appointment of both Ms Mitiepo and Ms Robertson as the first women to chair a Pacific Meteorological Council-affiliated initiative, is a significant milestone for the programme and the wider Pacific meteorological community. It reflects a growing commitment to inclusive leadership and recognition that diverse perspectives strengthen decision-making and outcomes. As a Pacific-led programme, WRP is committed to reaching the last mile and leaving no one behind, and this historic appointment signals the transformational change needed to build a more climate and disaster-secure Pacific.
The Committee confirmed that the next face-to-face WRP Steering Committee Meeting and Donor Committee Roundtable will be held in May 2027in Alofi, Niue. The Programme will work closely with the two incoming Chairs Ms Rossy Mitiepo and Ms Rebekah Robertson over the coming months to ensure a seamless handover of leadership from Fiji to Niue.
The one-day Steering Committee meeting was held on 3 June, 2026 immediately following a two-day technical meeting in Honiara, bringing together Pacific Hydromet service Directors, National Disaster Management Office representatives, development partners and technical agencies.
About Weather Ready Pacific
The WRP Programme is a Pacific-led, Pacific-owned decadal Programme of Investment endorsed by Pacific Leaders. Implemented by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), WRP aims to reduce the human and economic costs of severe weather, water, and ocean events across Pacific Island communities by strengthening National Meteorological and Hydrological Services and their partnerships with National Disaster Management Offices. Since 2023, WRP is designated the primary regional vehicle for delivering the United Nations Secretary-General's Early Warnings for All (EW4All) initiative in the Pacific. The programme is supported by the Governments of Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.
For more information, please contact:
Mr ‘Ofa Fa’anunu, Manager, WRP Programme - ofaf@sprep.org
Ms Angelica Salele-Sefo, Communications & Knowledge Management Officer, WRPP - angelicas@sprep.org