Unity on trial as Pacific leaders gather in the Solomon Islands

We've got to go there with the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) in the Solomon Islands, a major event this week. You’ve got to love Pacific diplomacy, don't you? It's a bit like a family reunion, the awkward kind, though.

Everyone smiles for the photo, yet half the cousins don't even talk to each other or like each other. Dysfunctional is how I always characterise the PIF leaders' meeting, and this year's Forum in Honiara is truly no exception.

The twist this year is that there are no dialogue partners. That's diplomatic speak for the big players like the US and China. The Solomon Islands says it's about keeping the conversation focused on Pacific priorities.

Let's be honest, though, it's pretty cheeky. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon is in the islands, already talking up Pacific unity while also saying the partners should have been invited. Classic smile for the photo, disagree later on the policy.

Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters came out swinging, saying outsiders meddled in the decision and hinting that if leaders had known, they'd have picked another host.

Winston never misses the chance to drop a verbal grenade, does he? And yet, this is still a big moment. Peace talks, climate security and the 80th anniversary of World War II's end. It's all big stuff.

Watch the PIF meeting’s opening ceremony at the Solomon Islands’ national stadium.

The last thing the region needs is bickering cousins yelling at each other, and here's the real kicker: every Pacific leader, let's be honest, has a different agenda. Some are backing Israel, others Palestine.

Some like the idea of drilling oil, others are drowning under rising seas. New Zealand's talking defence spending, while Fiji's dreaming of an *Ocean of Peace. Honestly, we're not even singing from the same song sheet anymore.

Unity? Of course, we need unity. But only if unity means agreeing to disagree politely, and maybe that's the real Pacific way: plenty of laughter, plenty of side eyes, and a whole lot of “we'll talk about it later”.

Sorry to be crude. I don't mean to be controversial here, but genuinely, we talk about Pacific unity at great length when it comes to the Pacific Islands Forum, and yet we see everything but unity.