Freshwater fauna and flora are under researched in the Pacific islands, with little to no free access to species records. In the past the non-availability of dedicated platforms on which to freely but cautiously share biodiversity data records had discouraged local and indigenous data holders from making their own records available. The accessibility of online biodiversity repositories such as the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, the Pacific Biodiversity Information Facility and the citizen science platform iNaturalist to Pacific island scientists and non-scientists alike, are possible avenues to address access and sharing of biodiversity records collected and managed by Pacific islanders. In this presentation, we discuss a Melanesian-centered project by a small group local freshwater biodiversity enthusiasts to document freshwater species records from four countries: Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Fiji, and make these records available online and access free. We report on the project outcomes: taxa occurrence records from natural history collections, surveys and literature; data gaps identified; and the way forward for Pacific island freshwater researchers working together with local communities, national agencies and the global freshwater biodiversity community.