13 June 2025, Apia, Samoa – A collection of digitised reports, video footage, recordings, and photographs that document three decades of work carried out by the Secretariat of the Pacific Environment Programme (SPREP) across the Pacific region was officially launched today.
Launched during the official opening of the SPREP Open Day, which celebrates the 32nd anniversary of the signing of the SPREP Treaty which established the Pacific’s premier environmental organisation, the Anamua collection is an opportunity to ‘honour the past and inspire the future’, which is the guiding theme for this year’s SPREP Open Day.
Anamua in the Samoan language means the olden days. The Anamua collection was carefully and painstakingly curated by SPREP’s Knowledge Management team and digitised with the assistance of the Information Technology team, under the leadership of Acting Director General, Ms. Easter Chu Shing.
According to SPREP’s Knowledge Manager, Ms. Miraneta Williams-Hazelman, Anamua in the Samoan language carries a deep meaning.
“It speaks of what came before – our history, our beginnings, and the many voices and vision that laid the foundation for where we are today,” Ms. Williams-Hazelman said.
The digitisation of these valuable materials was made possible through the generous financial support of the Pacific Climate Change Centre (PCCC), under its Knowledge Broker component. This collaboration reflects a shared commitment to open access to information and knowledge, recognising that informed decision-making and sustainable development rely on accessible and inclusive environmental data and history.
“Over the past three decades, SPREP has worked alongside Pacific communities, governments, and partners to protect our Pacific environment from challenges such as the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.”
“Along the way, we were able to capture powerful stories of resilience, environmental stewardship, and global leadership from even the most remote communities across the Pacific. Stories that showcase how our people have been able to adapt to a changing climate and changing environment and have continued to show the world what environmental leadership looks like, taking initiative and implementing solutions to challenges that are often not of our making,” Ms. Williams-Hazelman added.
There have also been important speeches, fieldwork results and reports, and milestones that have been captured over the years, which are all included in the Anamua collection.
“This launch coincides with International Archives Week, celebrated under the theme ‘Archives are accessible, archives for everyone’, and in that spirit, we proudly make Anamua available to you all.”
The collection was displayed as one of the zones during the SPREP Open Day, and officials from government ministries, non-governmental organisations, civil society, and partners who were invited to attend were able to experience it firsthand.
Months of careful curation from dusty archives, old recordings, CDs, cassettes, videotapes and forgotten folders have resulted in the Anamua collection, and as a living archive, the work continues.
“Today, Anamua lives again. Not just to preserve the past, but to inspire the future,” Ms. Williams-Hazelman concluded.
For more information, please contact Ms. Miraneta Williams-Hazelman at miranetaw@sprep.org.