The first phase of the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Innovation Challenge took place yesterday at Calvary Hall in Arorangi, bringing together young minds from across the Cook Islands to tackle real-world issues through design thinking.

The competition, run in partnership with the Cook Islands Ministry of Education and financially supported by Samsung New Zealand, aims to build students’ problem-solving skills using design thinking. UNDP’s multi-country office in Samoa serves as the implementing partner.

Kaisarina Salesa, Head of Exploration at UNDP Accelerator Lab in Samoa, explained that the initiative is a result of a 2023 memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Samsung New Zealand and the Cook Islands Ministry of Education.

“So one of the ways that Samsung does this is through their Solve for Tomorrow Innovation Challenge,” she told Cook Islands News.

The six-month competition encourages students to identify challenges affecting their communities—whether at home, school, or within their villages—and develop innovative solutions.

“The purpose of the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Innovation Challenge is to really build the capacity of young people using design thinking and the process of design thinking to innovate creative solutions to real-world development problems,” Salesa added.

This year’s competition has drawn 55 students from Nukutere College, Titikaveka College, and Tereora College, with teams of four working together. A team from Mangaia School is also participating.

“This is actually the preliminary rounds. The design thinking is the preliminary rounds,” Salesa said, noting that only the top 10 or 12 teams will advance to the semi-finals, which will be conducted online.

From there, the top five teams will progress to the finals, set to take place in the Cook Islands in June.

The competition is part of a larger regional initiative, with Samsung Solve for Tomorrow already implemented in Samoa, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, and Timor-Leste.

“So Cook Islands is now on board for the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow. So we're looking at a regional Pacific Samsung Solve for Tomorrow,” Salesa said. The students’ journey will continue over the coming months as they refine their ideas, engage with their communities, and work towards developing real solutions for local challenges.