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
Pacific
War on drugs: Fiji soldiers may be deployed to assist police, says Govt
Fiji’s government has announced that military personnel may soon join police in addressing the country’s drug crisis.
Balancing tourism and culture
Cook Islands Tourism’s transparent, inclusive and practical planning public consultation which explored the challenges and opportunities tourism brings in all areas of wellbeing, drew a good number of community members.
Tribute for woman who designed PNG's flag
PAPUA NEW GUINEA – Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister has extended condolences to the family of the woman who designed the national flag, the late Susan Karike Huhume.
Press ban amounts to diplomatic insult
PAPUA NEW GUINEA – Australia and Papua New Guinea must review media relations after two separate but equally “shocking” bans on PNG press, according to the Pacific Freedom Forum.
Pay fines or boats will be destroyed
SOLOMON ISLANDS – Vietnamese fishing boats caught fishing illegally in Solomon Islands have been fined US$4.6 million – and if the owners don’t come forward and pay the fines the boats will be destroyed.
Niueans fight to retain language
NIUE – Niuean leaders are calling for locals and Niueans living abroad to fight for the preservation of Niuean language.
PNG press ban a colonial flashback
PAPUA NEW GUINEA – A ban on local media from covering press conferences held by Australia’s prime minister Malcolm Turnbull during his visit to Papua New Guinea has been described as an example of remnant attitudes leftover from colonial times.
Students bong session went viral
FIJI – Six students of a high school in Nadi have been removed from the institution after they were photographed allegedly smoking drugs.
Nuie league looking for talent
NIUE – Niue’s rugby league coach is hoping that more players with Niuean heritage will be discovered now that an Emerging Nations World Championship has been confirmed.
Child labour decreasing
PAPUA NEW GUINEA – The International Labour Organisation says Papua New Guinea’s government is making inroads to the problem of child labour.
Backflip on military build-up questioned
GUAM – A chorus of voices on Guam is questioning the governor’s decision to withdraw his support for the military build-up.
Four Vanuatu MPs cross the floor
VANUATU – Four MPs in Vanuatu have crossed the floor strengthening government numbers but still not by enough to ensure proposed constitutional reforms.
Barred from press conferences
PAPUA NEW GUINEA – A veteran journalist says she was told she could not attend press conferences during last week’s visit to Papua New Guinea by Australia’s prime minister.
Islands assessing cyclone damage
NEW CALEDONIA – The body of a 73-year-old man has been found a day after he went missing during Cyclone Cook in New Caledonia.
NZ patrol boat Hawea to be stationed in Fiji
FIJI – New Zealand will send the inshore patrol vessel HMNZS Hawea and a crew of 25 to Fiji for six months from May in a major advance in defence cooperation between the two countries.
Herald raises $216,000 for Pacific project
PACIFIC – A joint New Zealand Herald and World Vision effort to raise money for those living in the remote Pacific has brought in more than double its initial target.
Samoa issues typhoid health alert
NEW ZEALAND – Samoan health officials have issued a health alert, warning anyone who has been to Auckland in the past three weeks to get tested for typhoid.
Guam rejects US military build up
GUAM – The Governor of Guam, Eddie Calvo, has withdrawn his support for the build-up of United States military forces in the US territory.
Decrease in Pasifika migrants
NEW ZEALAND – Tighter immigration policies have led to significant falls in the number of approved Pacific migrants to New Zealand over the past five years.
Poverty seen as driver of sorcery
PAPUA NEW GUINEA – A Papua New Guinea NGO says poverty is a prominent factor in ongoing sorcery-related attacks and killings.
'Grand Chief' bids farewell to parliament
PAPUA NEW GUINEA – Papua New Guinea’s former prime minister Sir Michael Somare was given a standing ovation this week as he gave his farewell speech to parliament.
Travel writer fights of hotel room intruder
VANUATU – A female award-winning travel consultant and journalist was in her hotel room on the outskirts of Port Vila while asleep in the early hours of the morning when an intruder entered her room.