More Top Stories
$12.9m approved for solar battery project, NZ confirms
12 March 2025
Crown Law Office on track for record number of lawyers
12 March 2025
‘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
National
Rarotonga crime stats challenged
Cook Islands Police data shows no increasing crime trend, but the Opposition leader and a road safety advocate argue understaffing and passive policing conceal actual crime and safety issues in Rarotonga.
Australian High Commission accepting applications for community grants
The Australian High Commission has announced the opening of the Australia – Cook Islands Community Grants Program.
Biodiversity study includes Cooks
Leafflower trees and leafflower moths which are mutually dependent on each other arrived in the South Pacific separately, but over time reconnected. That is the conclusion of a study conducted by University of California Berkeley PhD student David Hembry, whose research centred on biodiversity in the Cook Islands and French Polynesia. Hembry started out studying […]
Natural resources adviser appointed
A Cook Islands initiative to develop deep sea mining is further progressed by the appointment of a natural resources adviser. New Zealand geologist Daryl Thorburn has officially been appointed to the new position, funded by the Commonwealth Secretariat for two years. Minerals and natural resources minister Tom Marsters has formally notified the secretariat that Cook […]
Finsec tracks aid funding trends
Global funding patterns are changing, but the Cook Islands is relatively well-placed to continue receiving aid, financial secretary Richard Neves says. Neves has returned to the Cook Islands from a conference in London, at which the changing trends of aid application and criteria were analysed. It precedes a further international conference in November, at which […]
PM clocks up biggest travel costs
Prime Minister Henry Puna has proportionately spent the most from governments Civil List on international travel of any minister or member of parliament in this financial year. Since July 1 Punas official international travel to Samoa, New Caledonia, the United States, New Zealand and China has included about $47,000 from the Civil List. Government has […]
Audit job under wraps
Finance and audit minister Mark Brown is keeping tight-lipped about the appointment of an audit director. He says a media release is likely to be issued in the next two weeks and in the meantime he is not prepared to discuss the matter.
Parliament to resume soon
Parliament may resume in October, finance minister Mark Brown says. Following a lengthy session in July, parliament adjourned sine die and then an impromptu sitting was scheduled in late August for the passing of an amendment bill to governments withholding tax legislation. Brown says the resumption of parliament has not been confirmed, but government wants […]
Vanilla in demand
The Cook Islands could soon be exporting up to 100 tonnes of vanilla to French Polynesia every year, as international demand for the spice continues to grow. A delegation of Cook Islands agriculture industry professionals, growers and government officials recently travelled to Tahiti in an effort to better understand initiatives for product expansion. Finance minister […]
US pays $2m for fish rights
Annual payment to the Cook Islands by the United States as part of a Pacific fishing treaty is set to increase from $250,000 to $2 million. Finance minister Mark Brown says the increase is a result of discussion at the recent Pacific Leaders Forum in New Zealand, involving marine resources minister Teina Bishop. Brown says […]
Travel savings voluntary
Ministers and members of parliament have the opportunity to save taxpayers money on travel by opting for economy class seats on flights, using air points accrued from official travel and staying in cheaper accommodation. There is a level of entitlement to MPs and ministers for official travel and its associated costs, through the Remuneration Tribunal […]
Tupapa takes early lead in Lotto Cup
The 2011 Rarotonga Lotto round cup football competition kicked off on Saturday with Takuvaine hosting Tupapa and Avatiu facing Arorangi. In the premier mens match in the Happy Valley Tupapa showed their dominance in terms of ball possession and tactical play, however it was Takuvaine that piled the pressure on first. Tupapa found it difficult […]
Zumba funds go to mental health
International Zumba instructor Maria Teresa Stone generated funds for the Cook Islands Creative Centre and Te Kainga Mental Health and Wellbeing Centre last week. Stone, who originates from Mexico but now lives in Sydney, hosted a Zumba master class at the National Auditorium in Rarotonga on Wednesday. Shes pictured here with zumba enthusiast George George […]
Pearls and energy on agenda
Cook Islands pearl exports to China and cooperation in respect of renewable energy technology are issues being discussed this week by Prime Minister Henry Puna and senior representatives of the Chinese government. Puna is also involved in bilateral discussions with China about its general development assistance to the Cook Islands and possible aid for next […]
Prime minister begins China visit
Prime Minister Henry Puna began his official visit to China yesterday with his first official engagements in Beijing. Met at the new airport in the capital by senior Protocol officials from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the prime minister and his delegation were provided a police escort into the city where they were taken […]
Harbour works using 0.2% of Rarotongas water
Concrete mixed for use in the $25 million harbour upgrades at Avatiu wharf is accounting for less than one percent of Rarotongas daily water use, but people in the town area will be feeling the impact more than people who live in other areas. Rarotongas water storage levels are at about 50 percent of capacity […]
Georges travel in public eye
On the heel of his comment this week that government travel is obscenely excessive, lawyer and independent member of parliament Norman George has departed the country. He is in New Zealand as a spectator of the Rugby World Cup and is expected back in Rarotonga by the end of the month. This trip is at […]
Brown says travel pays dividends
The cost to government from its Civil List for international travel pales in comparison to the value of benefits for the country as a result, finance minister Mark Brown says. In the two and a half months of this financial year, the Civil List budget of $330,000 has been reduced by $200,512. Civil List money […]
Crackdown on truancy
Rarotongas schools will team up with Cook Islands Police and government agencies to crack down on school absenteeism on the island. Members from all three groups committed to increasing their efforts in reducing truancy levels at Rarotonga during a meeting held on Thursday. Representatives from the ministries of internal affairs and education met with members […]
$200,513 on travel in 2 months
Government ministers and members of parliament have spent $200,513 from the Civil List on international travel in the last two and a half months. The $200,000 taken from governments Civil List covers only a portion of the cost for that international travel, for which donor organisations and governments have also forked out. Government has not […]
Zumba hits Edgewater
The zumba craze has been sweeping through the Cooks in the last 12 months and The Edgewater Resort & Spa has been caught up in it. Mexican Maria Teresa Stone, who is one the few Zumba Education Specialists in the world, is being hosted by The Edgewater. She ran a free aqua Zumba session in […]
Short stories on my favourite things
My home The nice breeze lets you hear the noise of the trees surrounding the house. The soft painted wall in the hallway of the house is just so soft that you would want to rub your cheeks on. You can hear the sounds of the ocean crashing against the rocks. When the sun sets […]
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