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: A time to reflect, change
Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the mama who was tragically taken while simply walking down the road in our village of Arorangi this week. May God comfort you all in this time of grief and loss, writes Thomas Tarurongo Wynne.
Te Ipukarea Society: Nocturnal beetle a growing problem for Cook Islands crops
This week’s article is an expansion on an earlier “Bug of the Week” post informed by Mike Bowie who was working at the Ministry of Agriculture.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Time to review electricity rates?
TAU (Te Aponga Uira) were quick to respond to fuel increases by increasing their electricity rates across the board.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Making up law as they go?
Dear Editor, In 2020, Te Marae Ora, through the Director of Clinical Services put out a release that stated “There are no laid down import regulations for methadone”. Methadone is a Class B controlled drug in the Narcotics and Misuse of Drugs Act 2004.
Too much of a good thing?
One in five people treat their own infections instead of seeing a doctor or nurse practitioner to get it checked and get an appropriate antibiotic prescribed if one is needed, says Te Marae Ora chief pharmacist.
Taking care of your ears: Why it’s so important
What do ears do? The obvious answer is – hear sounds. Without getting too scientific, that is true. But ears do other things too, writes Dr Michael Baer, Te Are Manu Vet Clinic medical director.
LETTER TO EDITOR: Pero’s airline ‘a missed opportunity’
Dear Editor, It’s disappointing that this government would choose to reject this new airline proposal (Pero’s national airline dreams dashed again, Cook Islands News, November 19).
Time for climate change action is now – urgency demands it
It was my privilege to lead a delegation from the Cook Islands to Cop27, which was hosted by Egypt, at Sharm El Sheikh, writes Prime Minister Mark Brown.
LETTER TO EDITOR: Airline’s ‘monopolistic airfares’
Dear Editor, Browsing online through NZ Herald today there’s an Air New Zealand advertisement offering one-way airfares from Auckland to Honolulu at $589. The distance between Auckland and Honolulu is three times that between Auckland and Rarotonga.
LETTER TO EDITOR: Where are our ministries?
Dear Editor, Did you know that under the Narcotics and Misuse of Drugs Act 2004, there is a provision that would allow relief of the physical and emotional pain of the Cook Islands people, with the introduction of medicinal cannabis but the TMO, Crown Law and Customs are too inept to bring this to fruition.
RUTA MAVE: ‘It is time to stop talking and start walking’
Beggars can’t be choosers is a phrase that has become defunct in our modern communities.
LETTER TO EDITOR: Medicinal cannabis plan
Dear Editor, Given that the vast majority of Cook Islanders, 62 per cent voted in favour of medicinal cannabis being introduced into the Cook Islands, the Prime Minister Mark Brown has the authority and the command to legally change the Narcotics and Misuse of Drugs Act 2004 in so many different ways, in order to introduce a medicinal cannabis plan that suits us and does not defeat the purpose of making this medicine available at cost effective prices.
Let’s celebrate our talent
Dear Editor, Let’s all just celebrate that we can showcase talented Cook Islanders no matter where they reside (NZ CIRU to represent Cook Islands at Oceania 7s, November 12). Appreciate the families (and businesses) who’ve stepped up to fund their child’s airfare to NZ at such short notice.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Airport project ‘disaster from inception’
Dear Editor, The $6.5 million runway replacement project was a disaster waiting to happen before it even started. Look at the people in charge. The project manager, Ianis Boaza, is an Airport Authority board member and deputy chairman. He is a political appointment, with no engineering qualifications and experience. Taoro Brown, is the chairman of the Airport Authority, another political appointment, with no engineering qualifications and experience.
Man’s best friend
It’s been a hard day’s night and I’ve been working like a dog (Beatles) – this has been a phrase used for ages to describe where an employee is at the mercy of the employer and is made to work on a task without taking any breaks, writes Ruta Mave.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Should we be worried about a 16 per cent NCEA pilot pass rate?
Dear Editor, Kia orana ki to tatou iti tangata. I read with shock that our Cook Islands’ students received a 16 per cent pass rate during the NCEA pilot test.
LETTER TO EDITOR: ‘Fleecing the power uses’
Dear Editor, Kia Orana, if, as Trevor Clarke states in his excellent letter to the editor, (Cook Islands News, October 25, 2022), the main reason for Te Aponga Uira’s existence has been moved from providing sustainable electricity at cheapest prices to the iti Tangata of Rarotonga, to becoming a cash cow for CIIC (Cook Islands Investment Corporation), then surely TAU has to come clean, and provide reasons justifying that position.
LETTER TO EDITOR: Search and rescue mission
Dear Editor, Some observations from someone close to the person brought down off the cross island walk recently. Do not get me wrong, the SAR (search and rescue) teams are an incredibly important service for the community however some other points need to be brought to the conversations being shared over the last few weeks in the newspaper.
LETTER TO EDITOR: Cap on visitor numbers
Dear Editor, Our Tahitian cousins, it seems, are light-years ahead of us once again, calling for a cap on visitor numbers. They want a cap at 300,000 tourists so that there is one local for each visitor.
Staying vigilant: ‘Thankfully none of these diseases are in the Cook Islands’
Parvovirus is a dreadful disease. The world over it costs pet owners a small fortune in routine vaccination costs. Closely related to panleukopaenia virus in cats, it destroys the cells that line the gut.
LETTER TO EDITOR: Remembering the late Police chief
Dear Editor, Please allow me to write a few words about this great Cook Islander. Tangata Nekeare made history together with Fred Goodwin (now Sir Fred Goodwin) when they were the first police cadets appointed by the Cook Islands Police.
RUTA MAVE: Climate change or ‘pyramid scheme’
It is obvious the extent of Government’s promise to be transparent does not extend to letting the public know how much is being spent on the COP27 trip to Egypt, writes Ruta Mave.