Winner of The 2025 Marsh Award for Anthropology In The World
Ralph John Regenvanu is a leading public figure in Vanuatu. He has been a Member of Parliament since September 2008, was a member of Cabinet for most of the period from December 2010 to January 2012 and then from March 2013 to June 2015, and was the Director of the Vanuatu National Cultural Council from 1995 until December 2010.
At present, he is Vanuatu’s Minister for Climate Change, and is making a leading international contribution in assuring attention and seeking legal redress for the indigenous Pacific peoples who are most impacted by climate change.
Ralph studied anthropology, archaeology and development studies at the Australian National University, obtaining an Honour’s degree in development studies in 1991, before becoming curator of the National Museum of Vanuatu.
Les Nouvelles calédoniennes describes him as “Vanuatu’s first anthropologist”. In 1994, he was a founding member of the Pacific Islands Museums Association, and was a member of its inaugural executive board from 1997 to 2009.