Culture
‘A new legacy of Paikea’ launched and ready to serve
Saturday 15 April 2023 | Written by Melina Etches | Published in Culture, National
Vaka Paikea is a long-time dream come true for Cook Islands master navigator Peia Patai.
Schools culture festival starts tonight
Wednesday 12 April 2023 | Written by Melina Etches | Published in Culture, Education, National
Rarotonga’s biggest and best school culture festival will grace the stage at the Are Karioi National Auditorium over two nights starting this evening at 6pm.
Reo Māori thriving in the Pa Enua
Thursday 6 April 2023 | Written by Melina Etches | Published in Culture, Education, National
Te Reo Māori is well and thriving in the Pa Enua as demonstrated by the fluent and passionate senior student speakers who dominated the awards in the Tārērē Kōrero Māori ā te au 'Api'i Tuarua ō te Kūki 'Airani (Reo Māori Schools Speech Competition) on Tuesday evening.
Vaipae celebrates Christian legacy
Saturday 1 April 2023 | Written by Melina Etches | Published in Culture, Local, National, Outer Islands
Under the glow of the rising sun on Thursday morning, the village of Vaipae was bustling and humming with activity preparing for their commemoration day of ‘Te Arikianga o te Evangelia – the Arrival of the Gospel’ 200 years ago on March 30, 1823.
Maungaroa Valley one step closer to achieving World Heritage status
Friday 24 March 2023 | Written by Melina Etches | Published in Culture, National
Government has recognised “Maungaroa Mountains and Valleys” as a historic area and formally supported its inclusion on the Cooks Islands Tentative List for World Heritage status, in January 2019. The dream to achieve a World Heritage status is one step closer following the completion of a scoping study and report.
Cook Islands to participate in 2024 Pacific Arts Festival
Wednesday 22 March 2023 | Written by Matthew Littlewood | Published in Culture, Local, National, Regional
Tauranga Vananga (Ministry of Cultural Development) Secretary Anthony Turua attended the 36th Council of Pacific Arts and Culture (CPAC) and Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture (FESTPAC) Meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii last week.
Fundraising challenge laid down to Cooks Government
Tuesday 21 March 2023 | Written by Matthew Littlewood | Published in Culture, Local, National
An organizer of a Cyclone Gabrielle relief fund is calling on the Cook Islands Government to match their efforts “dollar for dollar”.
‘E Lupe’ all the way from Wale wins Te Mire Atu
Saturday 18 March 2023 | Written by Melina Etches | Published in Culture, Entertainment, National
Seven talented composers participated in Te Mire Atu 2023 Composers Competition held at The Edgewater Resort this week. The annual event celebrated the original Cook Islands compositions by cultural artists.
The winners from Polyfest 2023: Cooks take the stage
Wednesday 15 March 2023 | Written by Supplied | Published in Culture, Local, National
Five secondary schools (division one and two) performed including defending champions Māngere College, but it was the students from Auckland Girls Grammar School who showcased the beautiful dance styles of the Cook Islands.
A dream to have people write their own history
Saturday 11 March 2023 | Written by Al Williams | Published in Culture, Local, National
Artist Mike Tavioni set out to tell a story of five brave men and made some startling discoveries along the way.
Cook Islands family recipe proves to be the winning ticket for two decades
Friday 10 March 2023 | Written by Supplied | Published in Culture, Entertainment, National
Paper plates piled with barbequed chicken, chopsuey, a Raro donut and that famous pink potato salad make up the perfect hot plate at this year’s Polyfest which concludes today in New Zealand.
Airport Authority supports national cultural events
Thursday 2 March 2023 | Written by CI News Staff | Published in Culture, National
Airport Authority Cook Islands has come on board to support the four national cultural events over the next two years.
Visiting academics assist with translation tools aimed at aiding the Cooks economy
Wednesday 1 March 2023 | Written by Al Williams | Published in Culture, National, Technology
A group of academics from the United States are assisting with a Cook Islands initiative aimed at supporting economic recovery here.
Culture confirms Te Maeva Nui 2023 ‘in a reduced form’
Tuesday 28 February 2023 | Written by Matthew Littlewood | Published in Culture, National
Head of the Ministry of Cultural Development Anthony Turua confirmed to Cook Islands News that “we are still running the normal scaled down 58th Te Maeva Nui Celebration this year, similar to last year, due to the current economic landscape”.
Establishment of National Human Rights Institute gains momentum
Tuesday 28 February 2023 | Written by Matthew Littlewood | Published in Culture, Local, National
Cook Islands Ombudsman Niki Rattle has returned from a conference in Fiji with fresh ideas as the office looks to establish a Human Rights Institute for the Cook Islands.
Women carve their place in traditional art
Saturday 25 February 2023 | Written by Melina Etches | Published in Culture, Features, National
Master carver Ta’unga Mike Tavioni BEM believes in women carvers and that they should be encouraged to practice the art.
World Heritage sites need community support
Wednesday 22 February 2023 | Written by Melina Etches | Published in Culture, National
World Heritage Specialist Dr Anita Smith facilitated a scoping workshop on the status of world heritage in the Cook Islands, presenting the processes on submitting “tentative lists”, properties which are considered to be cultural and/or natural heritage of outstanding universal value.
Vaka launch ‘a learning curve’
Sunday 19 February 2023 | Written by Melina Etches | Published in Culture, National
A couple of the vaka launched last week under the Mana O Te Vaka project started sinking, and master carver Ta’unga Mike Tavioni BEM says he wasn’t surprised at the mishap.
Resort to host annual Te Mire Atu cultural composers competition
Saturday 18 February 2023 | Written by Melina Etches | Published in Culture, National
Tauranga Vananga Ministry of Cultural Development will be presenting Te Mire Atu cultural composers competition for the first time at The Edgewater Resort and Spa on March 16.
Setting sail for a sustainable future
Friday 17 February 2023 | Written by Melina Etches | Published in Culture, Local, National
Thirty years ago, vaka from across the Pacific and the islands of the Cook Islands sailed to Rarotonga for the 1992 Pacific Festival of Arts. Yesterday, Te Mana O Te Vaka canoe building project blessed nine locally carved vaka at Avarua Harbour, embarking on a new journey of cultural revival and sustainable livelihood.
