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.
Rising carbon dioxide levels impair coral growth
AUSTRALIA – Coral reefs are under threat if atmospheric carbon dioxide levels continue to rise, new research has shown.
Earthquakes reveal outdated building standards
PAPUA NEW GUINEA – Sitting at the collision point of several tectonic plates, Papua New Guinea is ranked the 10th most disaster-prone country in the world and is regularly rattled by earthquakes.
Plastics pollution getting worse
PACIFIC – New findings show that the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a rotating soup of plastic in the north Pacific Ocean, contains up to 16 times more waste than previous surveys were able to detect.
Help with disaster management needed
PAPUA NEW GUINEA – Papua New Guinea’s foreign minister says his country is looking to draw on Australia’s expertise to better respond to future natural disasters after the massive earthquake that devastated PNG’s Highlands in February.
Female crew to probe Garbage Patch
PACIFIC – An all-female crew of sailors, scientists and film-makers are set to cross the Pacific later this year to research plastic pollution.
E-bikes to be covered by AA roadside service
NEW ZEALAND – Fresh air, fun and fitness combine when you take an electric bike for a spin, but what happens when it breaks down?
Fisherman missing for a week
An extensive aerial search has been unable to find a fisherman who went missing from Karikari peninsula last Thursday.
Fire destroys Anzac tour bus
New Zealanders heading to Gallipoli for Anzac Day whose bus went up in flames are thankful to be alive despite many having lost passports, money and other belongings in the fire.
Northland defence plans revealed
NEW ZEALAND – Researchers working for Heritage New Zealand have uncovered archival documents showing Northland was expected to bear the brunt of a Japanese invasion in World War Two.
Cold winter ahead for the homeless
NEW ZEALAND – Groups working with homeless people are bracing themselves for another gruelling few months as winter sets in.
PACIFIC BRIEFS - 27/04/2018
LOCATOR BEACON RESCUES FISHERMAN
MP gives the PM a good telling off
SAMOA – Samoa Member of Parliament, Olo Fiti Vaai, has called on Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, to act like a leader and keep the peace in Samoa.
Flood threat adds to Ambae misery
VANUATU – The danger of landslides and flash flooding on the Vanuatu island of Ambae is complicating evacuation efforts, with as many as 800 people now sheltering in emergency relief centres.
Polls may change map of the region
New Caledonia and Bougainville prepare to vote on independence
Plastic shopping bag ban 'not legal'
PAPUA NEW GUINEA – A business in Papua New Guinea licensed to import plastic shopping bags has questioned the legality of the recent ban imposed by the government.
Garbage Patch clean up underway
PACIFIC – Scientists are preparing to launch the world’s first machine to clean up the planet’s largest mass of ocean plastic.
Samoa's Pinktober ambassador passes away
SAMOA – The face of Samoa’s Pinktober and the fight against cancer, Manamea Apelu-Schwalger, died peacefully on Sunday.
Missing gun baffles Samoa police
SAMOA – The mystery of how a gun disappeared from a police evidence storage room continues to embar-rass Samoa’s justice department.
Pacific charm campaign underway
PACIFIC – UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters have plans to work closely in the Pacific region.
Nations unite to confront ocean issues
The United Kingdom government has pledged to provide more funding to help developing countries in the Commonwealth cut their emissions and prepare for the impacts of climate change.