More Top Stories
$541.7m tourism earnings
25 January 2025
‘Paedophile’ gets 13 years in prison
22 January 2025
Thomas Wynne: Where were our leaders while children suffered?
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
Parliament Clerk sparks outrage over deep sea mining statement
23 September 2024
Deep sea dilemma: Cook Islanders weigh the cost of mineral riches
21 September 2024
Anxiety on the rise: Cook Islands faces mental health challenge
7 September 2024
Cook Islands deep sea mining poll sparks controversy
7 September 2024
MCI rejects ‘dark fleet’ label
3 August 2024
Rising seas, rising costs: Climate impacts on Cook Islands economy
2 September 2024
Inflation eases but concerns remain
31 August 2024
Prime Minister defends $659,000 MPs travel bill
23 August 2024
Taxpayers foot $659,000 bill for MPs travel and allowance
22 August 2024
Corruption report exposes ‘bribe and sexual favours’
17 January 2023
PM Brown eager to hand over Forum chair role to Tonga
13 August 2024
Challenging ‘rape culture’
8 July 2024
National
Australia and Cook Islands to sign MoU, strengthen maritime security partnership
Cook Islands and Australia are in the process of finalising an enhanced Pacific Maritime Security Program (PMSP) Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will strengthen Australia’s support for Te Kukupa II operations and bolster regional security efforts.
Punanga Turuturu Itivaine set to make a positive impact
Punanga Turuturu Itivaine (PTI), the women’s counselling and support centre for survivors of gender based violence (GBV) and abuse, responded to 11 calls for assistance during the festive season.
New quals in healthcare
NZQA certified courses in healthcare are coming to the Cook Islands for the first time. Healthcare workers can now train in caring for people with disabilities, the elderly and those with other health problems in 20 new courses. The first course, which starts on Monday, is an evening course in healthcare and disability. Donna Smith […]
Sweet and savoury crepes a tasty treat
Saturday morning market regulars can look forward to a new stall selling tasty treats – thin crepes either sweet or savoury and ‘pancake lollies’ on a stick. Marisa Summers and Melvin Arbuthnott have this month been manning their stall on Saturdays, churning out thin French pancakes drizzled with chocolate or stuffed with chicken and rukau. […]
Welcoming on Monday morning
A traditional Tahitian vaka is expected to arrive at Avana on Monday morning. The vaka is en route to Shanghai and will be making a number of stops on the way – after Raiatea, Rarotonga is her first stop. Onboard is one of the Cook Islands vaka Marumaru Atua crew. Also onboard is Tahiti’s minister […]
Welfare increases
The level of welfare payments for 2010-11 will be more than $12.1 million dollars, an increase of $0.3 million from the 09-10 level. The cost of welfare payments constitutes more than 10 percent of a national budget of $157.6 million, and takes around 14 percent of the $83.8 million collected in taxes. There are no […]
Slight rise in tourist numbers for June
Overall visitor numbers for June have had a year on year increase of just 0.8%, with 9165 arriving compared to 9091 in June 2009. The most significant increase in number of arrivals is from New Zealand, with an overall increase of more than 400 people. Visitors from NZ are up 7 per cent for the […]
Short parliament sitting considered says Rasmussen
Finance minister Wilkie Rasmussen admitted there had been plans to cut Parliament short after Thursday’s sitting, but Cabinet had reconsidered. The opposition party had been critical through CI News this week of the rumoured plans to adjourn Parliament while Prime Minister Jim Marurai is at the Forum Leaders’ Meeting in Vanuatu and DPM Robert Wigmore […]
Opposition against removal of China loan for roads and water
Government’s decision to pull the plug on the planned $37.5 million China soft loan for road and water upgrades has been questioned by the Opposition. Parliamentary leader of the CIP Tom Marsters questioned cabinet’s decision to axe the project during parliament’s question time on Thursday. “Why deny Rarotonga the opportunity to upgrade its infrastructure facilities?” […]
International community on show
After the opening of the Te Maeva Nui cultural festival this morning, the international community will get the staged warmed up this evening with the international night show at the National Auditorium. The show begins at 7pm and boasts some fantastic items and performances by Pacific community teams here in the Cooks plus performances by […]
One-way traffic for Maeva Nui
Police are urging motorists to drive cautiously this week, as roads are likely to be congested during Te Maeva Nui. Police have asked the public to observe particular entry and exit points so that traffic can flow one way. Motorists can access the auditorium via Victoria Rd, which runs along the Tupapa field and the […]
Mauke news-makers
Teacher Ange Croft’s year-eight English class on Mauke learned recently about newspaper production and in groups produced mock newspapers. They spent time poring through copies of CI News to study layout and content, and Croft and ex-principal June Hosking shared what they know about journalism. Journalist Florence Syme-Buchanan and her daughter Feena visited Croft’s class […]
Maeva Nui transport costs too high: budget
After a Te Maire Maeva Nui transport budget blowout of almost $500,000 last year, government has opted to provide a $25,000 allocation for outer islands to hold their own celebrations this year. The 2010-11 Budget tabled in Parliament on Thursday no longer includes the usual annual budget for outer island dance teams to travel in […]
Students get business insight
Learning the tricks of the trade are the visiting group of outer island students who are in Rarotonga for a week of work experience in their chosen fields. With a total of 31 students from Atiu, Mangaia, Mitiaro, Mauke and Aitutaki the students have been hard at work learning as much as they can before […]
Slipping into island time
A journalist who flew in on the first Sydney – Rarotonga flight earlier this month posted his thoughts on ‘island time’ on his travel blog on the Sydney Morning Herald’s website. In a blog entry entitled “Time waits for no man – except on this island”, Ben Groundwater laments the challenges of trying to buy […]
Health given a $200,000 boost
The Ministry of Health has received an increase of 1.9 per cent, which amounts to $201,430, in the 2010/11 Budget which was tabled in Parliament yesterday. The budget for healthcare goes up from $10,818,871 in 2009 to $11,020,301. In the 2009/10 Budget, the ministry’s budget was cut by 1.9 per cent or $133,431. The nation’s […]
Changes to 2009/10 Budget
Finance Minister Wilkie Rasmussen yesterday presented a supplementary budget that takes the 2009/10 $215.5 million annual Budget to a new total of $184.6 million. Aitutaki and Penrhyn Emergency Relief and Recovery Funds to the value of $2.5 million were also been declared in the supplementary budget. After talking about the support both locally and internationally […]
Bowling rolls along nicely
Light drizzle through the week did little to dampen the competitive spirit and hot action of Cook Islands bowlers at the Rarotonga Bowling Club in Parekura. Over 100 players are competing in the Cook Islands Lawn Bowls Championships which began with a parade and exhibition matches by junior bowlers on Saturday. The men’s and women’s […]
26% increase for pearl industry
The Pearl Authority has received a 26 per cent uplift despite a massive slump in the value of the industry last year. The increase was justified by projections that that there will be a 45 per cent increase in pearl production in 2010/11. Out of the new national Budget of $157.6 million which was tabled […]
Tourism funding up in Budget
The Cook Islands Tourism Corporation (CIT) has received a 3.2 per cent increase in the 2010/11 Budget. A rather conservative $157.6 million Budget was tabled in Parliament yesterday and is due to be debated when Parliament resumes on Monday. In 2009/10 CIT received $4,449,153. This has increased to $4,592,193 – an increase of $143,040. In […]
Budgets now public documents
The two national budgets presented in Parliament are now public documents – but they were almost held back for release to media despite becoming public information the moment they were tabled yesterday. Cook Islands News was to receive copies of the budget documents when they had been tabled, but when Parliament broke for morning tea […]
Demo faction's silent protest
Divide rears its head again in Parliament sitting The governing Democratic Party revealed it is still divided when its MPs went to Parliament for the tabling of the two budget bills yesterday. The faction led by Sir Terepai Maoate staged a silent protest against the tabling of the budgets when only cabinet ministers agreed to […]
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