At the May 2023 meeting of G7 nations in Hiroshima, Japan invited eight additional participants. These included the Cook Islands, who represented the Pacific Islands Forum. Whilst it is positive to have Pacific Islands representation at the meeting, the failure of the West to recognize the importance of the wider Pacific Ocean has become a real issue. This extends to western maps and globes which have repeatedly omitted and ‘lost’ Pacific islands creating a series of cartographic absences that have led to misunderstandings and misrepresentations of the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific. Island sovereignty, intercultural dialogue and traditional practices and beliefs are crucial components of Pacific cultures and these are key themes which are addressed in the four articles and reports in this issue.