Queensland is home to the largest diaspora of Māori and Pasifika peoples in Australia. They form an understudied population concerning experiences and challenges of food insecurity. This community co-designed research aims to explore the conceptualization of household food security by Māori and Pasifika peoples living in south-east Queensland. Participatory action research and talanoa were used to collect and analyse forty interviews with leaders representing 22 Māori and Pasifika cultural identities in south-east Queensland. Eight key themes emerged that conceptualise food security as an integral part of the culture and holistic health. These themes included: spirituality, identity, hospitality and reciprocity, stigma and shame, expectations and obligations, physical and mental health and barriers and solutions. Addressing food insecurity for collectivist cultures such as Māori and Pasifika peoples requires embracing food sovereignty approaches for improved food security through the co-design of practical solutions that impact social determinants and strengthen existing networks to produce and distribute affordable and nutritious food.

Shell adzes, although one of the more common artefacts in the Pacific, have not received nearly the same attention by archaeologists as have stone adzes in the region. Large collections of the latter have been studied in detail for over a century, and researchers have developed consistent methodological approaches, terminology and classification for their analysis. This has not been the case for shell adzes. This paper provides a critical review of this issue and puts forward a multifaceted approach, including a revised set of classificatory criteria, that is applied to the descriptive analysis of two museum collections of shell adzes and other cutting implements from Solomon Islands. The analysis demonstrates that incorporating technological, functional and ecological factors in the description and classification of shell adzes can generate a more insightful understanding of the various ways these cutting implements were made and used in the past.

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