Gordon Peake

Biography
Publications
Gordon Peake’s first book was an award-winning memoir of life in Timor-Leste, Beloved Land: Stories, Struggles & Secrets from Timor-Leste. He worked as an adviser to the Autonomous Bougainville Government from 2016 until 2020. He is a Visitor at the Australian National University’s School of Regulation and Global Governance (RegNet) where he is writing a book about New Guinea. He hosts the podcast series Memorandum of Understanding which peers behind the bureaucratic curtain to look at the people, policies and politics of international aid.

A derelict memorial to aviatrix Amelia Earhart reflects America’s selective interest in PNG
During Trump mark one and Biden, US interest in Papua New Guinea took off; will it continue?

Solomon Islands: cops bearing gifts
Australia and China offer the archipelago nation a grab bag of policing options that often miss the mark.

Power politics lies behind how new countries are born – or not
History shows a resounding referendum – like recently in Bougainville – is not alone in deciding future independence.

A false start for PNG-Bougainville consultations
The post-referendum process stalled after a delegation arrived in Port Moresby, only to have the meeting cancelled.

Consulting on Bougainville’s future: The what, who, how and when
Making progress after the overwhelming independence ballot is as much a question of bureaucratic mechanics as politics.

The future ain’t what it used to be
If Covid-19 teaches us anything, obviously we need to plan, but let’s not pretend the future is actually predictable.

An upbeat mood in Buka as Bougainville waits for a result
With civic joy fuelled by nothing stronger than coconuts and Coca-Cola, the independence ballot is only the first step.

Quiet and unquiet graves: letter from Port Moresby
What ghostly memorials of a distant past tell us about the present.

Letter from Dili: languid days, broken barracks, and a surprise
Dili is marked by imprints of a once prominent international city with a presence now slipping from perceptible view.
Pagination