More Top Stories
‘Nothing to worry about’: Prime Minister Brown on China agreement
16 February 2025
‘Serious questions’: Opposition challenges China partnership
15 February 2025
No-confidence motion against PM and his Cabinet faces delays
15 February 2025
Ruta Mave: People’s Republic of China red flag
10 February 2025
No debt in China deal
8 February 2025
Thomas Wynne: Haka with the taniwha or dance with the dragon?
8 February 2025
‘Paedophile’ gets 13 years in prison
22 January 2025
Thomas Wynne: Where were our leaders while children suffered?
25 January 2025
$541.7m tourism earnings
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
Anxiety on the rise: Cook Islands faces mental health challenge
7 September 2024
MCI rejects ‘dark fleet’ label
3 August 2024
Pacific
NZ looks forward to talks with Cook Islands govt
New Zealand has indicated to the Cook Islands Government that they are looking forward to discussions between relevant officials on their concerns related to the China / Cook Islands agreement.
Cook Islands seeking New Zealand expertise for Sovereign Wealth Fund
The Cook Islands government has taken further steps towards establishing a Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF), with officials currently in New Zealand holding discussions with financial experts, Prime Minister Mark Brown told Parliament this week.
Manus detainees take class action
AUSTRALIA – Lawyers in Australia taking a class action on behalf of Manus Island detainees say the case will determine whether their detention amounts to false imprisonment.
Tonga to host whale saving initiative
TONGA – Tonga is to host a regional conference to discuss whale conservation in the Pacific in Nuku‘alofa.
Tongan woman runs for mayor
USA – A Tongan-American business woman, Tupou Helu Uhatafe, is running for mayor in the city of Euless, Texas. She is the only candidate running against the current Mayor of Euless, Linda Martin, who was elected in 2014.
PACIFIC BRIEFS 22/2/2017
10 days of mourning for queen mother TONGA – The funeral cortege for Tonga’s Queen Mother Halaevalu Mata‘aho will arrive in Tonga on Tuesday 28 February.
Blockade at Port Moresby gas plant
PAPUA NEW GUINEA – Villagers in Papua New Guinea are blockading the country’s biggest resources project because the government has not paid them long overdue royalties.
Tonga mourns Queen Mother
TONGA – Tonga’s Queen Mother Halaevalu Mata‘aho, has passed away in an Auckland Hospital at the age of 90 years.
Rain closes Tahiti's airport, flights cancelled
FRENCH POLYNESIA – Torrential rain in French Polynesia has forced the closure of the international airport on Tahiti for the second time in a month.
Heatwave spells bad news for reef
AUSTRALIA – Australia’s Great Barrier Reef could face yet more severe coral bleaching in the coming month, with areas badly hit by last year’s event at risk of death.
Church says resort okay, but no to Russian empire
KIRIBATI – The Catholic Church in Kiribati says it won’t be supporting a Russian businessman’s plans buy uninhabited islands on which to revive the Romanov empire.
Actor calls out Australia on treatment of refugees
NEW ZEALAND – The New Zealand actor, Oscar Kightley, says his country should be calling out Australia over human rights abuses in its offshore detention centres for refugees.
Japanese WW2 submariners killed in Darwin honoured
AUSTRALIA – A plaque has been laid overlooking a popular Darwin beach to remember 80 Japanese submarine crew members who died during World War II.
Police chief charges dismissed
SAMOA – The Supreme Court in Samoa has dismissed all charges against the suspended police commissioner Fuiavailili Egon Keil due to insufficient evidence.
PACIFIC BRIEFS 21/2/2017
PNG CAPITAL RUNNING OUT OF WATER PAPUA NEW GUINEA – Papua New Guinea’s capital, Port Moresby, has less than a week’s supply of water for consumption and power generation.
Rugby test won't be played in Tonga
TONGA – Tonga’s test against Wales in June is likely to be shifted to the Auckland area because of safety and stadium issues in the Pacific Island.
Fiji sevens looking for Olympic mojo
FIJI – The Fiji sevens team are attempting to simulate the intensity of tournament time in training, in an effort to revive their World Series title defence.
Spearfisherman loses leg to shark
AUSTRALIA – A Queensland spearfisherman attacked by a shark on Saturday has had one of his legs amputated.
Former Australian rugby star dead at 37
AUSTRALIA – Former Wallabies star Dan Vickerman has died, aged 37, at his family home in Sydney.
Firefighter killed in torrent
FRENCH POLYNESIA – A firefighter in French Polynesia has died trying to clear debris in torrential rain that has hit the Society islands and the Tuamotus.
Sustainability key focus at oceans summit
MARSHALL ISLANDS – In April the Marshall Islands Marine Resources Authority is bringing together people around the country to develop a sustainable oceans policy.
Elections portfolio can hardly be independent
FIJI – Fiji’s opposition National Federation Party has accused the Attorney General and Minister for Elections Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum of again misinforming the people about his role.