More Top Stories
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
ICI explains road works delay in front of old Sheraton site
10 August 2024
Housing crisis hits tourism industry
27 July 2024
MCI rejects ‘dark fleet’ label
3 August 2024
Challenging ‘rape culture’
8 July 2024
Pacific
Fears for families as Vanuatu reels from deadly earthquake
The devastating 7.3-magnitude earthquake that struck Vanuatu on Monday, claiming the lives of at least 14 people and injuring more than 200, has sent shockwaves around the world, with Ni-Vanuatuans residing in Rarotonga praying for the safety of their loved ones at home.
Emotional groundbreaking for Fale Niue
The Niue Community and Friends Inc, Society were overwhelmed to finally host their Groundbreaking ceremony for their Fale Niue Kūki ʻĀirani hostel in Tupapa.
Polynesians opt out of same-sex blessing
NEW ZEALAND – The Anglican Church in New Zealand has paved the way for the blessing of same-sex relationships – but Anglican churches in Polynesia will all opt out – the Anglican Synod said in a statement this week.
Peters boosts aid to the Pacific
PACIFIC – New Zealand is set to hike foreign aid by more than $700 million over the next four years, as part of its signalled Pacific Reset strategy.
Seabed investor pulls out
PAPUA NEW GUINEA – A multinational mining company has withdrawn its financial support of the Solwara 1 seabed mining project in Papua New Guinea.
Peters announces Pacific aid budget
NEW ZEALAND – It will soon be revealed whether the New Zealand government is putting its money where its mouth is when it talks about a “Pacific reset”, with Foreign Minister Winston Peters unveiling his ministry’s funding plan last night.
Island haven now unrecognizable
Hawai‘i – The latest eruptions of Kilauea, the most active volcano on Hawai‘i’s Big Island, have rendered parts of a once-serene neighbourhood on the island unrecognisable.
More homes destroyed by lava flows
Hawai‘i – Emergency authorities battling lava flows and gas erupting from Hawai‘i’s Kilauea volcano are warning some residents to “go now” as a new fissure has opened.
Tourists told only Big Island affected
Hawai‘i – Officials in Hawai‘i have sought to reassure residents of other islands and tourists that the eruption is concentrated in a small region of the island and that most areas remain safe.
Tribal violence blocking quake relief
PAPUA NEW GUINEA – An ongoing security crisis in Papua New Guinea’s Hela province is preventing many earthquake-affected communities receiving relief.
Pasifika children at higher risk of diabetes
NEW ZEALAND – Pasifika children in Auckland have an 18 times greater chance of developing type-2 diabetes than their European peers.
Missile deployments worry Australia
AUSTRALIA – Australia’s Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has warned Beijing against militarising the South China Sea following reports that China has installed missile systems in the Spratly Islands for the first time.
Lava flows destroy homes in Hawai'i
Hawai‘i – More homes on the Big Island of Hawai‘i have been destroyed as eruptions linked to the Kilauea volcano increased, with lava spewing into residential areas and forcing nearly 2000 people to flee, officials said.
Hawai'i eruption forces evacuations
Hawai‘i – Hawai‘i’s Kilauea volcano has erupted, forcing nearly 1800 residents to evacuate from their volcano-side homes as molten lava makes its way through forest land and bubbles up on paved streets.
Navy to flex muscles in Pacific
PACIFIC – American marines will soon embed on Australia’s largest warship for a tour of Pacific island nations, as concerns grow among western allies over Beijing’s rising influence in the region.
PACIFC BRIEFS
THOUSANDS RALLY AGAINST INDEPENDENCE
New Zealand often left off maps of the world
NEW ZEALAND – New Zealand is aiming to crack the mystery of why it is often left off world maps, as part of a new tourism campaign featuring prime minister Jacinda Ardern.
Prison conditions could spark riot
NEW ZEALAND – If conditions don’t improve at Waikeria Prison there could a riot, People Against Prisons Aotearoa says.
Rare heron snared by plastic ring
NEW ZEALAND – A rare white heron has been found in Christchurch with a plastic ring around its neck from rubbish that has wound up in waterways.
Student defends meth research
A student who received a methamphetamine information booklet says it was appropriate for high school students.
Petrol reseller market 'broken'
Energy Minister Megan Woods says she believes the petrol market is “broken” after a meeting with BP executives to discuss its pricing tactics.
Set fire to confisacted house
A judge says he hopes a cannabis grower who burned down a house about to be confiscated from him has put his criminal ways behind him.