Environment
Little Ponu will grow to 150kg
Tuesday 10 September 2019 | Published in Environment
They say, if you love something, set it free. But it’s not so simple for a turtle reared in captivity indoors.
Muri sewage report drives pursuit of clean treatment
Friday 6 September 2019 | Written by Anneka Brown | Published in Environment
There’s new hope for both the lagoon and ocean, with a proposal that Muri’s treated sewage could be dispersed on land in the valley behind Turangi.
'Passionate' environment officer denies debris claim
Thursday 5 September 2019 | Written by Anneka Brown | Published in Environment
The National Environment Service has hit back at claims they told accommodation owners to throw rubbish back into the ocean.
New bin collection date to be confirmed
Thursday 5 September 2019 | Written by Losirene Lacanivalu | Published in Environment
New slimline rubbish collections will begin in October or November – if officials can find someone to do them.
Waste crisis as landfill hits capacity
Thursday 5 September 2019 | Written by Anneka Brown | Published in Environment
The Cook Islands rubbish dump in the hills above Aorangi is overflowing with waste and the country is anxious to find an alternative.
Coastal walls to prevent erosion
Wednesday 4 September 2019 | Written by Losirene Lacanivalu | Published in Environment
Road workers are shoring up the coastal road in Vaimaanga to prevent it eroding into the sea.
'We want whales to continue to visit the Cook Islands'
Tuesday 3 September 2019 | Written by Anneka Brown | Published in Environment
Cook Islands’ renowned whale expert Nan Hauser is calling for greater awareness around whale protection in the hope of developing legal protections.
Pestilential kinds of herbs
Sunday 1 September 2019 | Written by Losirene Lacanivalu | Published in Environment
For 60-year-old Simo Simo, his watermelon farm is his livelihood. He says it takes him nearly every month to ensure the creeping plants on its boundaries don’t affect his plantation.
Secret donor shades turtles
Saturday 31 August 2019 | Written by Anneka Brown | Published in Environment
New turtle society Te Ara O Te Onu, is making headway with turtle research in Rarotonga with a goal to find out what the turtle population looks like in our waters.
Jacqui Evans: 'We are in crisis'
Saturday 31 August 2019 | Published in Environment
OPINION: This week keen young leaders attended a Te Ipukarea Society camp to learn about careers in science and conservation. Environmental award-winning Marae Moana director Jacqui Evans spoke to them.
Mother and child reunion: 'The moment was so beautiful, I just started crying'
Tuesday 27 August 2019 | Written by Melina Etches | Published in Environment
Swimming with whales for the first time was spiritual and emotional for Charlotte Piho – and especially photographing a mother and her calf.
Avana Point 'national reserve'
Tuesday 27 August 2019 | Written by Anneka Brown | Published in Environment
There’s a call to government to buy out the lease from the wealthy New Zealander building a big house on historic Avana Point, and turn the headland into a national reserve.
Te Ipukarea Society: Living by the ocean, science gets real
Saturday 24 August 2019 | Published in Environment
OPINION: There are not enough young people working in the field of science and conservation in the Cook Islands. School students here who do well in their formative school years and look to pursue further studies are typically encouraged into arts, law, or economics.
Climate action vow
Friday 23 August 2019 | Written by Rashneel Kumar | Published in Environment
Climate change affecting health and agriculture is a major concern in the Cook Islands, says the associate Agriculture minister.
How much land?
Thursday 22 August 2019 | Written by Rashneel Kumar | Published in Environment
The government is investigating an innovative new crop to absorb the Muri tourist resort’s sewage without requiring a 300-metre ocean outfall.
Pacific Islands Forum- The end of the world
Saturday 17 August 2019 | Written by Anneka Brown | Published in Environment
On Funafuti, the prison inmates prepare the Prime Minister’s breakfast in his big house with its own satellite dish, while down the road people sleep outside with barely a cent to their names. Anneka Brown goes to the end of the road in the sinking island at the end of the earth.
TIS: Ten-year break on seabed mining to help science
Saturday 17 August 2019 | Published in Environment
Pacific civil society organisations have asked Pacific Islands Forum leaders for a 10-year moratorium on seabed mining from 2021 to 2030, to give time for more scientific data to be generated to better inform the governance and conservation of our Ocean.
Monster wave smashes buildings
Saturday 17 August 2019 | Written by Losirene Lacanivalu | Published in Environment
Residents evacuate themselves from several inundated homes along Rutaki coastline, report Losirene Lacanivalu and Rashneel Kumar.
Pacific Islands Forum: Puna calls for unity on climate change
Wednesday 14 August 2019 | Written by Anneka Brown | Published in Environment
Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna endorsed the opening statement from Fiji Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama at the Climate Change Sautalaga where he appealed to Australia to do everything possible to achieve a rapid transition from coal to energy sources that do not contribute to climate change.
Pacific Islands Forum- Call to secure health of shared ocean
Wednesday 14 August 2019 | Written by Anneka Brown | Published in Environment
Cook Islander Teina Mackenzie has called for Pacific Island Leaders to support a 10-year moratorium on seabed mining and is asking them to prioritize the health of Pacific communities and recognise values beyond economic gain.
