The 2026 SP Sports Awards was held last night at the Crowne Hotel in Port Moresby city, recognising excellence in Papua New Guinea (PNG) sports.The event honored outstanding athletes, teams, and officials on a night dedicated to celebrating achievement across the sporting community, under the theme: “Celebrating Diversity, Honouring Unity and Inspiring Dreams.” The event saw the National Women’s Cricket Team- the PNG Lewas, taking home the Carbine Club TEAM OF the YEAR award as one of the successful National teams based on a breakout year last year and their numerous achievements in 2025. An elated Lewas Coach, Mahuru Dai said, the award is for the hard work, commitment, sacrifice and the effort the girls put into their training and performance. He also thanked Cricket PNG, sponsors and partners for their major part in ensuring the team continues to take part in regional and international cricket tournaments. He also extended his appreciation to the families of the team members for their sacrifices and support, and the cricket community as a whole. "This award means a lot to the girls and as a team. This recognition only gives us the drive to push forward and do more better in our performances. Especially, more international matches and obviously the T20 World Cup is our great aim at the moment," concludes coach Dai.

The Hera M2 Men’s Association Incorporated is steadily creating a positive impact within the Mumut and Pitpit street communities of Morata 2 in Port Moresby. The Association was formed and registered back in 2021 with the help of Philip Wariniki- a prominent lawyer in the legal fraternity and was an intending candidate during the 2021 Moresby North-West By-Elections. Although registered and recognized by the Investment Promotion Authority (IPA), the association was not fully functional until 2024, when it was certified after obtaining all its proper documentation. Led by Brian Kilabu, the caretaker Vice President, and Emmanuel ‘Junior-Opsy’ Oveke, the Community Projects coordinator, they reached out to the National Capital District Commission (NCDC) City Watch office to have the city watch program established in their community. In March of this year, they were affiliated to the City Watch Program through their Association and established their first ‘Cell Haus’ on a central location in their area. For over two months now, the association has witnessed gradual but significant improvements through this initiative. The intersection that connects pitpit and mumut streets, which leads into Morata 2 Power Station, has long been a notorious hotspot for petty crimes and other criminal related activities. Many young women, mothers, school children, and elderly men and women, usually fall victims to these activities. “We have seen some change taking place in our small community, especially with the decrease in the number of petty crimes, said Mr. Oveke. “Before, this area was a hot spot for criminal activities. But since that time, we have set up our community watch post, we have seen some good changes.” “Our youngsters, who are engaged in all sorts of bad activities, have now settled down. This is an achievement for us and progress of our work here in protecting our community.” He added that with the installation of two newly mounted spotlights at the watch post, people in the community, have been seen walking with such pose that nothing bad is going to happen. Young girls, women, and the elderly people in the community are now walking around freely knowing that their safety is guaranteed. Last month, Zion Zeal Christian Academy donated a water dispenser, 6x plastic chairs, reflector vests, 2x canvas, 2x spotlights and a fluorescent light to the Hera M2 Men’s Association Inc worth K2, 000. Meanwhile, Mr. Kilabu, emphasized that change starts in the family- and their family is the community they live in. He noted that it takes collaboration from every individual in the community to ensure the safety of all. Furthermore, he appealed to their younger youths to learn from what their elder brothers are doing and support them. He wants to see their community turn out to be a safe and resilient model community in Morata.

The Department for Community Development & Religion (DFCDR), through the National Gender-Based Violence Secretariat (NGBVS), has committed a total of K1.8 million to support the implementation of Provincial Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Action Plans across Papua New Guinea.The funding allocation will see 18 provinces each receive K100,000, totalling K1.8 million, following their participation in the National GBV Provincial Plenary held in Port Moresby in November 2025. Invitations were extended to all 22 provinces; however, 18 provinces responded by submitting their provincial GBV workplans and attending the plenary. These workplans are directly aligned to the indicators and priorities outlined in the National Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence 2026–2035, ensuring a coordinated and consistent national approach. This commitment follows the successful plenary, where participating provinces worked collaboratively to finalize their 2026 GBV Action Plans and budgets, aligned to the National Strategy. The allocation of funding marks a significant transition from planning to action, ensuring provinces are equipped with the necessary resources to implement targeted and coordinated GBV interventions at the local level. The funding will support Implementation of provincial GBV priority action, strengthening coordination and service delivery at provincial and community levels, rollout of community-based prevention and awareness programmes, and Support for frontline response services for survivors. This investment reinforces the Government’s commitment to ensuring that provincial plans are not only developed but effectively implemented to deliver tangible results in communities. During the plenary, the National GBV Secretariat (NGBVS) emphasized that this support represents a critical step forward, enabling provinces to commence implementation of their action plans and drive meaningful change at the community level. The National GBV Provincial Plenary brought together Provincial GBV Focal Points, Community Development Advisors, and key partners to strengthen coordination, enhance accountability, and align provincial efforts under the national strategy. The plenary will be held annually with provinces and their planners to help achieve the targets of the National Strategy 2026–2035, with the next meeting scheduled for later this year. Provinces that did not participate in this round will be considered in the next phase once their action plans are developed in line with the National Strategy and presented at the next plenary. This commitment reflects a shared national vision of zero tolerance for GBV and strengthens provincial leadership in building safer communities nationwide.

Kerema Hospital has long been regarded as one of the most rundown general hospitals in the country; however, under the leadership of Gulf Provincial Health Authority (PHA) Chairman, Augustine Mano and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Elvis Japhleth, with the support of Gulf Governor, Chris Haiveta and Kerema Open Member, Thomas Opa, a much-needed change is happening in the provincial capital of Gulf Province. A notable transformation is the upgrading and relocation of the health facility. A major step towards strengthening healthcare delivery and improving much needed medical services for the people of Gulf Province, who have been starved of these vital services for many years. Yesterday (Tuesday 26th May) the people in Kerema town witnessed the opening of the relocated Clinical Services wing. The opening was officiated by Minister for Health, Elias Kapavore, accompanied by Governor Haiveta, Kerema MP, Thomas Opa, Mr. Mano and Mr. Japhleth. The renovated areas of the building within the Gulf Provincial Health Authority office consists of new adult outpatient area, children's outpatient, surgical room, OPD ward, pharmacy, theatre facilities, 12 new compartments for the morgue, an Xray room and an incinerator was also built to burn remains of placenta and other rubbish. Minister Kapavore was also given the honors to officiate a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of 20 self-contained staff accommodation unit. The old Kerema Hospital out-patient building will be demolished this week to accommodate for the construction of a new hospital building.

At yesterday's (Tuesday) launch of the Pacific Australia Skills in Papua New Guinea program, the Australian Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, His Excellency, Mr. Ewan McDonald emphasized that skills training and employment are central to Papua New Guinea's economic growth, workforce development and long-term resilience.As demand for skilled workers is increasing in Papua New Guinea, Pacific Australia Skills works with Papua New Guinean partners to strengthen pathways between training and employment, ensuring skills development is practical, relevant and connected to industry demands. It is a locally led approach to ensure the training supports Papua New Guinea's broader development priorities and creates opportunities for inclusive economic participation. The current and emerging areas of collaboration is based on: Strengthening national skills and training systems and providers, Supporting nationally recognized qualifications and locally relevant training pathways, Delivering in-demand, employment-focused training through local, regional and Australian providers, Improving links between training, industry and employment, Supporting workforce linked to Australian Government investments such as the PALM scheme, Supporting inclusive skills development for women, youth and people with disabilities, and Strengthening regional learning, collaboration and knowledge exchange. Even though Pacific Australia Skills in Papua New Guinea was just launched, it is already supporting practical training and workforce development activities across Papua New Guinea, including: Delivering work health and safety, and safeguarding training for Kimbe Wharf construction workers, in partnership with the AIFFP, Strengthening skills for Meri Tradies, which supports women in non-traditional trades such as welding, carpentry and automotive among others, Providing meat works pre-departure training linked to PALM scheme employment opportunities, Upskilling instructors from Bougainville Technical College in automotive training, and Providing hospitality and cookery training for workers in hotels and companies. The current activities focus on partnerships, sector strengthening, short courses, micro-credentials, and non-accredited training. Longer Certificate-level courses will be introduced where they align with Papua New Guinea's priorities and workforce demand. Pacific Australia Skills will also be supporting Papua New Guinea's first ever National Skills Competition, planned for November, to celebrate Papua New Guinea's excellence in TVET to inspire the next generation of skilled workers.

While the recently launched Pacific- Australia Skills program is primarily focused on three key areas to build a stronger skills system and developing skills for employment and collaboration of regional partnerships and learning, it also focuses on inclusion and resilience.According to Ms. Lagaaia Lealilifano Easter Manila-Silipa, who is the Director Skills, Pacific Australia Skills, supporting inclusive skills development for women, youth and people with disabilities is one of the current and emerging areas of collaboration. She told PNG HAUSBUNG that inclusive skills development is about creating a system that promotes inclusion, with training facilities that are easily accessible, adaptable, and responsive to meet specific needs. An example Ms. Manila-Silipa referred to, is accessibility to the training tools, training facilities and training systems especially for people with disabilities. She added that Pacific Australia Skills is not only about inclusion, but it also supports skills systems and training linked to sustainability and industries, especially with countries in the region that are affected by climate change and environmental challenges. She said that it is a regional collaborative effort. That is why Pacific Australia Skills works closely with governments, training providers, industry and communities to respond to PNG's skills priorities, support labor market needs, and improve access to training.

Today marked a historic occasion for the women folk in New Ireland Province as Governor, Byron Chan officiated the launching and Signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) between New Ireland Provincial Administration, New Ireland Development Corporation Limited and Mama Bank (Women’s Micro Bank).The event took place at the Sir Julius Chan Stadium in Kavieng, New Ireland Province witness by mothers and women of the province, and other important dignitaries. A total of K1.5 million was given to Mama Bank as loan grants for those 3,000 mothers in the province that already have existing accounts with Mama bank. In his speech at the official launching program, Governor Chan said that the launching of this significant development was supposed to happen a long time ago, but the recent politics in the province did not allow it. New Ireland Provincial Assembly’s Women’s Representative, Fiona Cheong when speaking on behalf of the women, said that today’s signing was more than just a signing of a document. “Today represents hope and opportunities. Most importantly today represents the commitment to empower the women from New Ireland province to become stronger and equal participants in the country’s development agendas in financial inclusion,” said Cheong. She urged her fellow women not to open accounts for the sake of having a bank account, but to use this to open doors to financial opportunities, financial dignity and financial independence. “I encourage our women to fully embrace the opportunity to open savings account, learn financial management, build savings habits and support one and other. Most importantly, use this opportunity to build sustainable businesses to support your families and communities,” said Mrs. Cheong. While he thanked the women of New Ireland province for turning up in numbers to witness this significant signing, Governor Chan also reminded them that they are securing a future for them and their family when opening an account with Mama Bank. According to Governor Chan, he heard about this idea of establishing a women’s bank in the province from his father, the late Sir Julius Chan, about 18years ago. Three years ago, Late Sir Julius Chan mobilized the women and brought in Mama Bank. However, the actually launching never took place, following his passing. “Regardless, this idea or policy to have Mama Bank established here was late Sir Julius’s dream with the mothers. I’m only here as the Governor to implement the actual signing and fulfil my old man’s dream,” said Governor Chan. Mr. Gunanidhi Das – CEO of Mama Bank, thanked the Marape/Rosso Government for their support towards Mama Bank with a K30 million in SME grants, to support the mothers and women in the country. He also thanked Governor Chan and the New Ireland Provincial Government for ensuring the signing of the MoA took place for the benefit of the mothers and women in the province. While Mr. Das made mentioned some of the other products and brands offered by the Mama Bank, He encourages the mothers to utilize the financial literacy training they acquired and learn to save. He told the mothers that when they earn to save and keep a good report of their financials, it helps create other opportunities for other investment opportunities. The K1.5 million funding will give the mothers that already have an account with the bank to obtain loans for up to K500 per women to use as seed capital or to support their business, especially for those that have SMEs or other businesses.

The Papua New Guinea Women’s 3x3 Basketball Team has departed Port Moresby for Gold Coast, Australia, for the Final Oceania Development Camp which started on May 22nd and will conclude on May 28th. The Team members taking part are Jacky Asiba, Philomena Isei, Normalisa Dobunada and Lynnette Tongia along with their two coaches Garvin Dela Cruz (Head Coach) and Fenimore Salilum (Assistant Coach). The development camp is part of the team’s major preparation for the upcoming Glasgow Commonwealth Games in July. Speaking to PNG HAUSBUNG, President of Basketball Federation PNG, Mr. David Peter wished the girls well and emphasized the importance of the opportunity. “My only message for the team is to grab hold of this opportunity to improve your individual performances and as well as the team performance.” “It will be a good learning experience for the girls. As they prepare for the Commonwealth Games.” According to the President, the list for Commonwealth Games has not been fully finalized as yet. The high-performance training in Gold Coast will help firm up their trainings and team in the coming weeks.

In a major boost for rural connectivity, residents of Danu in New Ireland province are now officially connected to the digital world following the successful installation of a new community Wi-Fi network recently. This initiative was made possible through a collaborative effort between the National Information and Communications Technology Authority (NICTA) and Offgrid Master, who successfully completed the installation project on the ground. Prominent New Ireland local leader and advocate, Jonathan Mesulam, confirmed the successful rollout, expressing gratitude for the partnership that brought the project to life. He emphasized that the newly established network is a cornerstone of a broader, long-term vision to deliver four essential pillars of development directly to the community: Education, Health, Financial Services, and Information and Communications Technology (ICT). ​The immediate impact of the Wi-Fi setup is already being felt, with the service expected to improve educational opportunities and administrative efficiency in the area. Beneficiaries from this successful project implementation are New Ireland’s Flexible Open and Distance Education (FODE) students, who can now have reliable, high-speed internet access to support their online learning modules, research, and distance training programs. Banking and Financial Institutions can now provide other services such as Electronic Funds Transfer at Point of Sale (EFTPOS) machines and support agency banking services, bringing financial access to a traditionally underserved population. ​At the same time, local businesses and residents can now access online ticketing, Investment Promotion Authority (IPA) registrations, and Internal Revenue Commission (IRC) tax services without the need to travel into town. This is Digital Transformation removing barriers and bringing essential services right down to the doorstep of communities that have being without such services for years. Furthermore, the Niu Ailan Savings and Loan Society (NASALS) will utilize the connectivity to streamline its agency services, ahead of their official opening of their new building, scheduled in June 2026. The newly connected infrastructure ensures that the facility will be fully operational and digitally equipped from day one, providing seamless financial services to the people of Danu. ​The network will be open, allowing community members to access the internet for personal use, connect with family, and stay informed on national and global news. “We are currently using this Wi-Fi connection today. The infrastructure lays the groundwork for sustained socio-economic growth in Danu,” Mr. Mesulam concluded as he extended his sincere gratitude to NICTA for the WiFi support.

The Hiri-Koiari District Development Authority (DDA), under the leadership of Keith Idihu, donated a new police vehicle to Biura Police Post recently, to boost policing work along the Motuan coastline. At the presentation ceremony of the vehicle, Central Provincial Police Commander, Chief Inspector Joseph Salle expressed his appreciation to the Hiri-Koiari DDA for their continuous support to the police. As it clearly shows the importance of police presence in maintaining law and order in the Hiri West sub district and Central province as a whole. When being interviewed by PNG HAUSBUNG, Chief Inspector Salle said the current number of vehicles presented to Police by the respective Electorate Parliamentary Leaders is eight. Hiri-Koiari DDA has the most vehicles donated to respective police post with a total of 4 vehicles so far. He said, Laloki, Sogeri, and 15 Mile police stations, had previously received police vehicles from the DDA, which are currently serving the people in the district. He also stated that Hiri-Koiari is a large district therefore, mobility is a problem, which is why the DDA saw the need to provide these vehicles. “This vehicle donated by the Hiri-Koiari DDA to Biura Police Post will now serve the people of Hiri West, which covers the Motuan coastline from Manumanu to Papa-Lealea villages,” said PPC Salle. PPC Salle also said that it has always been the geographical setting of Central province, with its wide stretched land mass which makes police movement more difficult when responding to distress calls or attending law and order matters. “With the support we are getting from the local MPs with the vehicle donations, it will help us to move quickly and on time to respond to issues and also, help us to carry out our policing work more efficiently and effectively.” PPC Salle has urged all police officers to be responsible when using these vehicles. He said, these vehicles must be well maintained and used only for policing work in their respective areas. Moreover, PPC Salle has also extended his appreciation to Digicel PNG, for their support through its mobile and other digital services that they continue to help the police with. “Using Digital technology and other ICT tools in this time and age is very vital, with the rapid growth in the ICT and Digital sector.” “What Digicel has done for us over the years, through their variety of service and products.” “This is an essential means that we really need to help with the delivery of our policing responsibilities in the province.” Meanwhile, the PPC is calling out to the people of Central province, especially the villages and communities living along the Magi and Hiritano Highways, to be always vigilant and avoid walking or sitting on the roads or roadsides. “Accidents happen all the time, we have no control over it. As police we cannot stop accidents from happening.” “We can only raise awareness to protect you from accidents and deal with the offenders when the actual accidents happen,” PPC Salle concluded.

The public has expressed outrage on social media following the upload of a particular team from the Electoral Roll Display and Verification Exercise carried out by the PNG Electoral Commission in Port Moresby on the evening of Wednesday, May 20th. PNG HAUSBUNG reached out to the PNG Electoral Commission to get clarity on the content of this video which shows a unanimous man arguing with the electoral officials on site as to why they are conducting this exercise in the night. According to the Assistant Election Manager Alfred Laho, the team leaders are given strict instructions and also guidelines to follow. While all the other teams in the North-East and North-West electorates are complying to the instructions, this one particular team, especially the team leader decided, by himself to allow the exercise to continue into the night. “For this particular team leader, we will deal with him administratively,” said Mr. Laho. “We are trying to identify which laws in the election offence to charge him.” “We are also trying to set some precedents to arrest and charge electoral officers who misconduct by not following our instructions to carry their task in the field.” An agitated Election Manager, Mr. Roney Hawengao told PNG HAUSBUNG that the team leader’s actions were completely out of compliance with the standards the PNG Electoral Commission is establishing for the roll display and verification process. “I just want to make it clear that what happened that evening is not from us, the PNG Electoral Commission,” said Mr. Hawengao. “This team leader knows very well the operating time for this exercise, and the exercise stops at 4pm and not beyond that.” He added that his decision and action to work into the night is a decision from himself, and they are not sure what was his intention to do what he did, as the instructions were straight and clear that 4:00PM sharp is the finishing time for all sites. Mr. Hewangao, further stated that they have reported the matter to the police to also make arrest the person in the video, who threatened the officials and kept on saying stuff which is not true. “What the person was saying in the video is misleading and not true.” “The person that posted this video has to come forward and apologize for circulating falls information to tarnish the work we are doing.” “Such misinformation can have a negative impact on the bigger things we are trying to do, and that is the Electoral roll update which is scheduled to start in mid-June to July of this year and might extend to August.” “This is the most important part of the exercise.”  “But here we are, just doing the roll display and verification for people to come and see and check against your names, if some details are not correct.” “We want to collect and register your correct details, so that we capture correct stats.” “What we are doing also now with this exercise is to gain back the confidence of the people in NCD, particularly, the voters.” “That is why, I made myself clear during our briefings to adhere and comply with the time.” “If they don’t follow, they will face the full consequences. This will only set the precedence that we are serious to delivering results,” Mr. Hawengao concluded. Currently, 15 teams from Moresby North-west and another 15 from the North-East are rolling out the Roll Display and Verification Exercise. The exercise for Moresby South will be conducted after North-East and West complete, while Motu-Koita has recently and successfully completed their Roll Display and Verification exercise.

The victorious PNG Barramundis returned home today, following their successful campaign at the recently concluded ICC Men’s T20 World Cup East-Asia Pacific Qualifiers in Japan, held from 8th-18th May 2026.The tournament champions arrived at the Jacksons International Airport, where they were welcomed by their excited family members, friends, and the media. PNG HAUSBUNG spoke to Barramundis Captain Assad Vala, who was really pleased with the team’s overall performance throughout the entire tournament especially, the senior players in the likes of Sese Bau, Tony Ura and Lega Siaka, who were all well supported by the young players. The skipper was very impressed with the debutants in the team, and how they handled themselves in the game, by playing to the structure of the team, which helped win their matches. “Overall, I was happy with the squad we assembled and the mixture of the players we have, and it looks really good for the future of the team as well,” said Vala. “However, there are some areas that we need to work on. Areas where we did not do well in the tournament against tougher opponents, still need a lot of work to be done.” He added that their focus now is to get back to training, work on areas to improve in the next coming months to get themselves prepared for the next Qualifier or any other ICC tournament. Meanwhile, Vala mentioned that the team is still waiting on the official final standings from the tournament in Japan to confirm whether they have qualified directly for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, or if they will need to compete in another qualifying round. The Barramundis players will now be taking two weeks break to spend time with their families before they get back into training to prepare for upcoming tournaments and matches.