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7 December 2024

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Annual water safety training offers key skills for marine operators

Cook Islands Tourism (CIT) will host its upcoming Annual Water Safety Training, a programme aimed at enhancing the safety skills of water-based operators.

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PM Brown confident in Pacific Islands Forum leadership despite political change in Tonga

The sudden resignation of Tonga’s former prime minister Hu’akavameiliku Siaosi Sovaleni had left a temporary gap in the leadership of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), but Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown remains confident that the situation will soon stabilise.

Suicide addressed 'the right way'

Visiting psychologist Dr Deborah Perrott is hailing this week’s national youth forum as “brilliant” and “extremely useful”. Dr Perrott is a Kiwi who works as a consultant psychologist in Melbourne. Her background is in clinical work, and she has experience training and supervising psychologists and advising policymakers. She has also conducted specialised research into adolescents […]

National

Worldwide cuts to NZ Foreign Affairs

Changes are afoot in New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trades staffing across the globe, including the Cook Islands. New Zealand High Commissioner to the Cook Islands John Carter indicated that changes to the High Commission in the Cook Islands “would be minimal, and both the Cook Islands government and Cook Islanders won’t notice […]

National

Rotterdam brings 2500 to Rarotonga

The MS Rotterdam is set to touch down on Rarotonga early next week. The cruise ship, which was last in the Cook Islands in January, will be anchored off Rarotonga from 8am to 5pm on Monday. She will be carrying 1500 passengers and around 1000 staff. Island Hopper, which is organising her passengers’ shore excursions, […]

National

Tuna fishery rules up for discussion

The Cook Islands will be sending a delegation to the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) meeting later this month. Headed by Ministry of Marine Resources secretary Ben Ponia, the delegation will travel to Guam to participate alongside stakeholders from the Pacific, Asia, the United States and the European Union. As a priority this […]

National

Mangaia fishing facilities extended

Mangaia Island Fishing Association (MIFA) received eagerly-awaited materials to extend the verandah of its processing plant and club headquarters, which overlooks the island harbour at Oneroa. The building was initially intended to house an ice processing plant with chiller facilities gifted by the New Zealand Aid Programme. The donation of funding for that facility prompted […]

National

Stop for lollipops!

The lollipops are out and the road crossing is finally ready for action. Following a project to install a road crossing that began over a year ago, Takitumu Primary School students will now be able to safely cross the Matavera main road into the school grounds. Students have been hard at work over the past […]

National

Dictionary donation 'unqualified success'

To see the sheer joy on the children’s faces was a very special reward for Frank Leadley on his recent visit to Rarotonga. Leadley is president of the Rotary Club Bay of Islands, who donated beautiful illustrated dictionaries to Year 9 students across the nation. In a report to his Rotary club he described his […]

National

Sealing is a work in progress

A fresh layer of sealing is still to be placed in road works covering the length of the Nikao main road at the airport, according to Triad Petroleum manager Chris Vaile. The current driving surface at the airport remains to be completed and motorists, cyclists and pedestrians will soon have access to the completed, sealed […]

National

Telecom NZ offers cell data cap option

Kiwi smart phone users now have the option to set a cap on data transfer before they arrive in the Cook Islands. Exorbitant roaming rates in the Cook Islands were the subject of recent media attention, after Kiwi visitor to Rarotonga Magnus O’Neill submitted a complaint about having incurred a $2000 bill on holiday. Last […]

National

Guard rail requested at rock wall

Avatiu residents have requested a guard rail be installed at the harbour’s rock armour wall once it is complete to help protect children in the area coming into trouble at the site. The residents put in the request to the Ports Authority and the project’s manager at the second of two community meetings held over […]

National

Harbourmaster quits over NZ pension

Problems with pension portability have again put the Avatiu harbour master’s job on the market, just six months after it was last filled. Current harbour master Captain John Cornwell, who hails from New Zealand, has resigned from the position after experiencing problems with accessing his national pension. Cornwell said he did not want to cause […]

National

Araura farewells Papa Piri

Araura College recently showed its respects to honour one of their own former teachers and long serving deputy principal and retired principal Papa Piri Maao. All Araura College students formed a guard of honour as his casket was carried through the school grounds stopping for a short while in front of the school’s staffroom where […]

National

Atiu raffle postponed

The Atiu community has postponed the draw of its $125,000 monster raffle. Its executive regrets to announce that funds raised by Atiuans and Cook Islands communities both here and abroad are not sufficient to warrant drawing of the raffle this week as planned. The executive, committee members and village leaders have met several times, and […]

National

Whale rider cuts teeth in the heat

The other night as I was flying up from Auckland, I began thinking about how international air travel has changed. My thoughts were negative. I was in a queue to go to the wharepaku. The plane was full hence the queue, and as someone came out you had to do a little dance to find […]

National

Second honeymoon for Maxie and Mark

Making sure Christchurch residents were drinking safe water was a priority for Maxie Christison after the February earthquakes damaged much of the city’s water and waste water systems. Maxie manages the laboratory charged with testing Christchurch’s water samples and while she was nominated as one of 100 Christchurch heroes to enjoy and all expense paid […]

National

'Begin by choosing life'

Organisers of the youth forum held on Rarotonga yesterday described the event as a ‘resounding success’, with the participation of more than 140 young people sharing their ideas and discussing ways to support youth facing the challenges and difficulties of life. Steering group chair Vania Kenning said young people from Rarotonga and the sister islands […]

National

'Dressing up' the rock wall

What looked like the reconstruction of the controversial Avatiu rock wall has been explained by Ports Authority chief executive officer Bim Tou as all part of the process. Heavy machinery was yesterday concentrated on the area of the rock wall next to the Avatiu western harbour where much work had already been done to create […]

National

Funds received for new 'respite centre'

For nearly a decade Te Kainga O Pa Taunga has been working toward setting up respite care facility to relieve Cook Islands caregivers. Now, thanks to a grant from Japan, the centre’s dream is becoming a reality. Both Te Kainga O Pa Taunga and the Cook Islands government expressed their gratitude to the Japanese government […]

National

No more room at the inn – homes wanted

With the next kitten season just around the corner, the Esther Honey Foundation are looking for homes for their cute and cuddly friends at the clinic. The clinic is nearly full with 40 adorable stray cats and kittens in residence – all desperate for love and attention. The foundation does a wonderful job of caring […]

National

Students hone leadership skills

Tereora College student leaders learned how to be role models during a leadership training programme at the Edgewater Resort and Spa. School prefects, counsellors and peace ambassadors attended the half-day workshop conducted by Tereora principal Bali Haque, deputy principal Andrea Panther and school counsellor, Thomas Wynne. Haque started the session off by introducing and explaining […]

National

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