Hundreds of relieved Aussies and Kiwis have finally arrived home after days of being stuck in New Caledonia where civil unrest and violence forced the international airport to close. Two Australian defence force planes carrying over 100 tourists landed in Brisbane – as French PM Emmanuel Macron was preparing to fly into the troubled Pacific Island territory. Foreign Minister Penny Wong says more repatriation flights are planned, and the government has urged Aussies who want to leave to reach out for help. Looking elsewhere in the Pacific, the Solomon Islands’ new PM Jeremiah Manele has told our Deputy PM Richard Marles that Oz remains their “partner of choice”. Marles has been in Honiara to shore up our relationship after Manele’s predecessor Manasseh Sogavare’s chats with top officials from Beijing had raised concerns about China’s influence on one of our closest neighbours.