More Top Stories
‘Nothing to worry about’: Prime Minister Brown on China agreement
16 February 2025
‘Serious questions’: Opposition challenges China partnership
15 February 2025
No-confidence motion against PM and his Cabinet faces delays
15 February 2025
Ruta Mave: People’s Republic of China red flag
10 February 2025
No debt in China deal
8 February 2025
Thomas Wynne: Haka with the taniwha or dance with the dragon?
8 February 2025
‘Paedophile’ gets 13 years in prison
22 January 2025
Thomas Wynne: Where were our leaders while children suffered?
25 January 2025
$541.7m tourism earnings
25 January 2025
Cook Islands passport proposal
6 January 2025
Top cop position advertised
7 December 2024
Police need numbers and bigger budget
9 December 2024
Niki Rattle: A call for stronger human rights protections
10 December 2024
Solid and Hazardous Waste Bill referred to Parliament committee
10 December 2024
DPM defends CIIC finance and travel policies
6 December 2024
Cook Islands has its first mosque
14 November 2024
CI Muslim opens up about her faith and journey
16 November 2024
RAC to address mosque legality
19 November 2024
I don’t expect much change: PM Brown on US Elections
6 November 2024
Fifth weekly Sydney flight to Rarotonga announced
23 October 2024
CIIC directors seek $350,000 in damages over defamatory claims
21 October 2024
Man found guilty of rape, burglary
24 September 2024
Tenants face water bill burden
8 October 2024
Concerns over Minister’s role in inmate work releases: PAC
5 October 2024
Tourism contribution set to surpass half-billion dollar mark
25 September 2024
Anxiety on the rise: Cook Islands faces mental health challenge
7 September 2024
MCI rejects ‘dark fleet’ label
3 August 2024
Features
Film Raro2 casting call open to all ages
Fearless Cook Islands heroes and heroines of all ages are encouraged to audition for Film Raro2 who are back in Rarotonga looking for a cast of characters.
Seventeen composers for Mire Atu
Cook Islands composers are prepared to take centre stage this month in the prestigious Tauranga Vananga/Ministry of Cultural Development Te Pae Tai Nui Mire Atu original Māori song composers competition.
Opera in paradise
Motone Productions has confirmed details for this year’s Opera in Paradise. Dubbed an intimate and distinguished event, the Opera will feature New Zealand’s finest sopranos, Mere Boynton and Deborah Kapohe, at Crown Beach Resort and Spa’s Oceans Restaurant stage. The ‘opera house’ is framed with lush tropical gardens and a turquoise lagoon at sunset, and […]
Dancer of year time
The best of Cook Islands dance will be showcased through the three main dancer of the year competitions starting this Thursday at the National Auditorium. Warming up the stage for the annual dancer of the year event will be the junior and intermediate division dancers. Eleven junior and 12 intermediate boys and girls have signed […]
Atiu artefact on show in Los Angeles
A stool possibly carved in Atiu has made its debut at the prestigious Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) The artefact is listed as originating in the Cook Islands, and possibly Atiu, in about 1830. Termed no’oanga, the piece is made of wood and fibre and measures 14 by 44 by 21 centimetres. LACMA […]
BCA sticks to 'ambitious' schedule
Cook Islands artist Sylvia Marsters is the newest Beachcomber Contemporary Art Gallery (BCA) artist in residence, and will be in Rarotonga producing work over coming months. In other exciting news, renowned artist Nanette Lela’ulu has moved to Rarotonga and will open a new portrait show at BCA on May 1. These developments come in the […]
Snorkelling and soccer history
This week on the Kids Page we hear from grade seven and eight Te Uki Ou School students, recounting some out of the classroom activities they did in Term One. We had a confident team who played bad in the first half and then came back second half. Why we came back in the second […]
Students earn credits in the workplace
Tereora College students are earning NCEA credits in the workplace over the holidays. Year 13 business administration and computing students are completing a five-day work experience over the next two weeks. The class of 27 was required to choose a company that would enable them to deal with customers over the phone and face to […]
New massage therapists in the making
Two New Zealand tutors have responded to the need for locals to be trained as massage therapists, and have organised a two-week workshop. Professional New Zealand massage therapists Glenda Palmer and Alison Grace are in Rarotonga to host the workshop. Palmer, who currently works at the Lotus Holistic Centre in Hastings, New Zealand, has been […]
Local Scout will row down Thames
Deep Sea Scout Ron Bird is taking one Avarua Harbour Sea Scout to London to join a Kiwi crew sailing down the River Thames with 1000 other vessels in honour of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Fifteen-year-old Jason Potoru of Takuvaine has been selected to represent the Cook Islands in the Kiwi crew. “We wanted a […]
Poem on BBC
Cook Islanders living in the United Kingdom are being urged to contact the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for the opportunity to represent their homeland during the London Olympics. The BBC is looking to capture the spirit of each nation participating in the London 2012 Olympics. In an effort to represent the Cook Islands, producers have […]
30 dancers going to Queen's Jubilee
A 30-strong Cook Islands dance team is headed to London early next month to perform for the Diamond Jubilee. Organised in commemoration of Queen Elizabeth II’s 60-year reign, the Jubilee will comprise performances and parades put on by all countries affiliated with the British Commonwealth. The Cook Islands was, however, the only Pacific Island country […]
Akaoki'anga kaka: returning the glory
Woven kikau baskets – packed tightly with fish baked in banana leaves and packaged chicken, cooked taro and tinned meat – lined the frond-covered floor of the Atai/Auta meeting house last Sunday. Mitiaro mamas in white dresses and rito hats sat on benches and held dressed-up babies as the men – their husbands, sons, grandsons, […]
Lightning strike kills woman, injures girl
St Joseph’s Primary School shares more of their work with us this week on the Kids Page. Grade Six students took an article from the Cook Island News and summarised it as part of practising their comprehension skills. Creative writing for Grade Four students looked at what is happening in the world around us, as […]
High praise for a great show
Te Maeva Nui village and outer islands teams have big shoes to fill after Rarotonga schools put on an outstanding cultural festival on Wednesday night. The National Auditorium was packed to the rafters with proud parents and families who brought the Are Karioi roof down with roaring cheers for every single school. The level of […]
MMR collaborates with BTIB in Manihiki
The Ministry of Marine Resources is collaborating with the Business Trade Investment Board (BTIB) as part of the Business Advisory Service to the Pearl Farmers and the Manihiki Pearl Farmers Association. This collaborative work is part of the Cook Islands Pearl Industry Support Programme 2011-2013. Compliance to the Manihiki Lagoon Management Plan is important for […]
Chinese pearl expert willing to help farms
An eminent Chinese pearl expert who recently visited Rarotonga expressed willingness to assist our pearl industry if he is asked by the CI government. Professor Xie Shaohe was part of a Chinese delegation visiting the Cook Islands on March 3-7 at the invitation of Minister Teina Bishop to discuss fisheries and pearl development. The professor […]
La Nina linked to algae bloom
Survey findings of complete mortality of all bivalves including pearl oysters below 25 metres may be linked to the La Nina weather and the dark state of the lagoon that has persisted since winter 2011. Findings were presented to the Island Council and pearl farmers of Manihiki by MMR in March. The trigger for alarm […]
Farmers' association ready for action
The newly elected executive committee of the Manihiki Pearl Farmers Association (MPFA) is gearing up for work it will face in the next couple of years. The committee that was elected during the Annual General Meeting held in March has some new faces on board and at the helm. Former Mayor and active Association member […]
Passing - off still a problem
CIPA’s Pearl Inspector, Caroline Tiria, makes regular visits to the Punanganui Market and the Wharf on boat days to inspect the pearls on sale for authenticity, to make sure that Cook Islands pearls are being properly labeled and that pearls that are not genuine Cook Islands pearls are clearly marked to inform potential buyers. She […]
Avaiki success in Europe
Avaiki showed Europe what Cook Islands pearls have to offer at a recent international trade show. Described as successful by the Avaiki wholesale team, it was a chance to exhibit alongside the latest European trends in jewellery and watches. The annual Inhorgenta trade show was held in Munich in February, and is truly an international […]
Pearls of Romance
The romance of Cook Islands pearls is part of a celebration of wedding fashion currently taking place in Wellington. “Unveiled – 200 years of Wedding Fashion” from the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, is showing over four months at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa. The Cook Islands Pearl Authority was invited […]