The Government has approved the return to Solomon Islands next week of the Navy's frigate HMNZS Te Mana, the Minister of Defence Mark Burton announced today.

"Te Mana will return to the Solomons for nearly three weeks as part of New Zealand's ongoing support to the Solomon Islands peace process.

"New Zealand accepts that it has special obligations to our Pacific neighbours to assist in maintaining peace and in the Solomons we are working closely with Australia," Mark Burton said.

Te Mana sails from Auckland on Sunday, April 22, and will relieve the Royal Australian Navy's ship HMAS Manoora on Friday April 27.

Te Mana will maintain a naval presence in the region until May 14 after which it will return to New Zealand.

Both the Te Mana and HMNZS Te Kaha were deployed to Solomon Islands last year and Te Kaha was used as a platform for peace talks.

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>