It upgraded the station, installed a new 100 kW transmitter and re-launched it as Radio New Zealand International (RNZI) on the first day of the Auckland 1990 Commonwealth Games.

In 1992, Johnson Honimae was fired as the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation (SIBC) head of current affairs over his work as a freelance reporter in Bougainville for RNZI and other international media outlets.

SIBC general manager Patterson Mae was accused of undermining the principles of press freedom, and resigned as president of the regional journalism body the Pacific Islands News Association.

The association praised the station for what it said was an ability and clarity of vision - and for the delivery of something it said was valued by audiences throughout the region.

Myra Oh, Colette Jansen, Damon Taylor, Dominic Godfrey and Jeremy Veal serve as technical producers and continuity announcers.

[11] The station's reporters include Johnny Blades, Sally Round, former Pacific Media Centre editor Alex Perrottet, Moera Tuilaepa-Taylor, Indira Moala, Koroi Hawkins, Koro Vaka'uta, Leilani Momoisea, Amelia Langford, Bridget Tunnicliffe, Mary Baines, Jenny Meyer and The Wireless contributor Jamie Tahana.

[13] Marshall Islands journalist Giff Johnson is an RNZI correspondent, and World Bank regional director Franz Dreez-Gross and Victoria University academic John Fraenkel are regularly interviewed for stories.

[14] RNZP regularly covers the Papua conflict and interviews exiled Koteka tribal leader Benny Wenda on his visits to New Zealand.

It has reported on Vanuatu's Parliamentary debate on the conflict, Indonesian estimates of the death toll and West Papua National Liberation Army claims of militant arrests.

[15][16] The station provides ongoing coverage of several regional issues, including climate change, rapid emigration, LGBT rights in Oceania, the development of Pacific tax havens and the growing influence of China.

RNZP produces most of its own programming, including regional current affairs, Pacific business and news bulletins in various languages.

These include Parliament Today concluded in December 2016, the French language Pacific Press Review and programmes from the BBC World Service.

[36] Frequency changes are made to reflect radio shortwave propagation variations to the station's target areas.