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
Opinion
Thomas Wynne: Where were our leaders while children suffered?
Let’s break the silence and protect those who most desperately need our protection, writes Thomas Tarurongo Wynne.
Te rua teretereanga o te Pupu CINAT
Kia Orana e te Etita, Tetai au mea tei tupu I rotopu I te mataiti 1965-2025.
Letters: Brothers in arms
Dear Editor, As a proud Cook Islander and New Zealand citizen, I’ve often wondered why our people are not yet actively integrated into the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF).
Smokies
Now with all that fantastic God sent rain over the weekend, Rarotonga should have lots and lots of water stored up in the water intake tanks … those 10 x 2 million + litre storage tanks (totalling at least 20 million litres of water) would have been full within a few hours with those massive downpours so no doubt the public can be reassured by TTV that the immediate water drama is over, and we have plenty of water stored for the upcoming Christmas period.
What is a heathy relationship?
‘It Starts with Me’ is the theme of this year’s White Ribbon Campaign, promoting healthy, non-violent relationships. Te Punanga Ora'anga Matutu (Te POM), a men’s support and well-being centre, is supporting the 16 days of activism for the White Ribbon campaign, writes Te POM’s Rowena Manning.
Niki Rattle: A call for stronger human rights protections
National Human Rights Day is observed annually around the world on December 10. It commemorates the anniversary of one of the world’s most groundbreaking global pledges: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). The Cook Islands Ombudsman Office celebrates this International Human Rights Day by recognising what is being done to uphold the state obligations and continue to oversee what is yet to be achieved, writes Ombudsman Niki Rattle.
Letter: Ruta’s column
Dear Editor, I only know of the Cook Island News via the roving opinion pieces by Ruth Mave.
Letter: ‘Akamanako o’onu - think deeply!
Dear Editor, Reflection after reading ‘Deep-sea promotion, not consultation’, Monday, 25 November.
Ruta Mave: White ribbon day is now
Anger is a sign of guilt. If you ask your partner if they are cheating on you and they explode in anger yelling, accusations and blaming you as having a problem without a definite reply, it’s often because they are guilty, writes Ruth Mave.
Letter:
Dear Editor. The Government and TTV says, “it will bill the registered owners of the connection". What connection? Rarotonga has never had registered water connections before! How is the connection identified? Please, tell us.
Thomas Wynne: Righteousness exalts a nation
This is part three on the writing and founding of our Cook Islands Constitution. By Thomas Wynne.
Vitues in Paradise: Best Holidays Ever!
Preparations for the holidays are now underway, and rellies are already arriving. We all start out with high hopes for a memorable and enjoyable family celebration, yet there are often disruptions that pop that bubble of hope, resulting in disappointment and disillusionment about the magic of the season, writes Linda Kavelin-Popov.
Smoke signal: Funding priorities
It would appear that the Prime Minister / Minister for Police is satisfied with the New Zealand funded Police staff retraining/ upskilling program…problem that the Minister does not appear to realise that the Police Force is still 30 to 40 personnel short, so clearly being so short staffed , they are unable to cover all the daily critical areas that Policing usually covers.
‘It Starts with Me’: Ending the cycle of violence
The 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence began last week. Te Punanga Oraanga Matutu’s Rowena Manning reflects on the campaign and White Ribbon Day, and the underlying causes of violence in our society, writes - Rowena Manning.
Letter: Take your rubbish home with you
Dear Editor, I am writing this letter with the hope that this letter reaches those who need to know. I am a very proud Tupapa Maraerenga resident who has lived in this village for most of my 62 years. My family has been a part of this village for over 70 years.
Letter: Keeping catchment payments ‘above board’
Dear Editor, The To Tatou Vai (TTV) was scheduled to hold a workshop for the catchment committees (CC) last week. The catchment is the land above the Te Mato Vai water treatment plants; the land in the middle of island.
Pet Talk: How to protect your pets and family from parasites
Cats and dogs are beloved companions, but when they roam freely, they are more exposed to parasites like fleas, intestinal worms, and, in dogs, heartworm disease, writes Dr Rose Hasegawa, medical director Te Are Manu Vet Clinic.
Letter: Fix it or shut it down
Dear Editor, “Rogue operator puts lives at risk”. If Cook Islands Tourism tells us one more time that they will get on top of this debacle at Avaavaroa we’ll put Tourism in the same space as the JP’s who say, “You’ve been in this Court 5 times now for drunk driving and this Court is almost to the point of thinking about putting you in jail”.
Letter: Balancing faith and freedom
Dear Editor, The Cook Islands is a beautiful nation founded on respect, Christian principles, values, and a commitment to protecting human rights.
Ruta Mave: The fading virtue of loyalty
As I sit down to write this column, I ask myself what is loyalty? What does it really mean to people and do we have any anymore? Ruta Mave writes.
Letter: Masjid Fatimah
Dear Editor, Unlike many of your readers, I decided to establish how Cook Islands News was able to expose that there was a mosque located in Kauare, Rarotonga, and found that it was through looking at Google Maps Rarotonga (GMR) which showed that there was a mosque called “Masjid Fatimah” located in Kauare, Titikaveka.
Letter: Lack of respect at Tereora College prizegiving event
Dear Editor, I recently attended the Tereora College prize-giving ceremony, and I was deeply disappointed by the behaviour of some parents and their children during the event. It was akin to a rooster being woken before dawn – abrupt and disrespectful.