As Bougainville navigates a complex path to potential nationhood, it brings the mine that started a bloody conflict back to the forefront, writes Natalie Whiting.

Bougainville votes with more than 97 per cent in favour of independence from Papua New Guinea in an important post-conflict referendum.

Bougainville overwhelmingly votes to seek independence from Papua New Guinea in an important post-conflict referendum.

Papua New Guinea's budget reveals Australia's $440 million loan «replaces» a proposed Chinese-backed loan, contradicting the Federal Government's public claim the deal was «completely unrelated» to China.

Australia's decision to give Papua New Guinea a $440 million loan is «completely unrelated» to the Federal Government's desire to curb China's influence in the Pacific, according to Finance Minister Mathias Cormann.

Survivors of the 10-year conflict in Bougainville remember their pain but hope for a better future with a historic referendum.

Decades after the region's bloody civil conflict, the people of Bougainville will today start casting their votes in a referendum on whether they should seek independence from Papua New Guinea.

Australia could get a new neighbour as Bougainville goes to the polls — here's what you need to know.

Host: Ellen Fanning Panel: John Anderson, Lydia Shelly, Virginal Marshall, Mick Palmer Guest: Keenen Mundine

Kurdish journalist and refugee Behrouz Boochani says he will ask the New Zealand Government to negotiate with Papua New Guinea to release detainees from Manus Island.

Kurdish journalist and refugee Behrouz Boochani says he will ask the New Zealand Government to negotiate with Papua New Guinea to release detainees from Manus Island.

Former Manus Island detainee Behrouz Boochani has travelled from Papua New Guinea to New Zealand for a literary event and he says he might apply for asylum there.

In the highlands of Papua New Guinea, the majority of residents are under 18, and many battle unemployment, lack of education and drug issues. But for one town, a weekly fight club has given some kids hope.

In the highlands of Papua New Guinea, the majority of residents are under 18, and many battle unemployment, lack of education and drug issues. But for one town, a weekly fight club has given some kids hope.

Broome woman Charmaine Backhouse says having her 9-year-old son living in Port Moresby was never meant to be a permanent arrangement.

Broome woman Charmaine Backhouse says having her 9-year-old son living in Port Moresby was never meant to be a permanent arrangement.

Police in Papua New Guinea say they are investigating footage posted online showing officers kicking and stomping on a group of men in Port Moresby, before beating them repeatedly over the head with the ends of their rifles.

Papua New Guinea's population is booming, but bringing the birth rate down means battling cultural pressure on women to have children, extreme isolation, and the belief that contraception is the work of the devil.

Papua New Guinea's population is booming, but bringing the birth rate down means battling cultural pressure on women to have children, extreme isolation, and the belief that contraception is the work of the devil.

Papua New Guinean authorities shut down a Chinese-owned nickel processing plant for breaching safety and mining laws, after a spill that saw tens of thousands of litres of toxic slurry leak into a bay.

Papua New Guinea's former prime minister Peter O'Neill is granted an interim court order preventing his arrest for alleged corruption.

A warrant for arrest is issued for former Papua New Guinea prime minister Peter O'Neill over corruption allegations, which he labels a «political witch hunt».

Controversy swirled the purchase of 40 Maseratis — now the Australian head of PNG's APEC Authority warns of hundreds of suspicious payments and more than $1.4 million in missing APEC funds.

University of Melbourne researchers have found rates of self-harm among asylum seekers as high as 260 per 1,000 people on Nauru, but say unreported rates are unknown and they expect the real figures to be much higher.

They've battled gale-force winds, cold winter nights, and drunks serenading them with Billy Joel classics at three in the morning. But two young medicos are determined to keep sleeping out in their scrubs to draw attention to the detention of asylum seekers.

A software firm develops smartphone keyboards specifically designed to write in traditional languages to help people protect their language.

Another «regional crisis» looms in the Pacific if the people of Bougainville vote for independence but are unable to reach an agreement with the PNG Government to ratify it, a Lowy Institute research paper warns.

A man dies in Papua New Guinea after eating a fish caught near the site of a massive nickel refinery spill, however the mine's Chinese operator denies the accident caused his death.

One day, Aziz is in a detention centre. The next he's in Geneva, where his face is on billboards and he's celebrated as a champion of human rights. But he's burdened with a heavy choice, and crushing guilt about the people he left behind.

A performance at the Port Moresby headquarters of oil giant Exxon Mobil sparks controversy in Papua New Guinea, with some locals saying the show disrespected their culture.

Papua New Guineans respond to a video of a white ExxonMobil employee performing a 'Tolai' dance in what appears to be blackface.

After six years, Australia's asylum seeker processing on Manus Island is coming to an end. Why are they moving? Where are they going? And what legacy is being left behind?

The West Papuan students filmed the bag of snakes they say was thrown into their dormitory