The Cook Islands High Commission in New Zealand was delighted to attend the handover of renowned author Tom Neale’s journals to the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand in Wellington over a week ago.
The Australian High Commissioner to the Cook Islands, Phoebe Smith, has completed her two-year term and will return to Canberra today.
SAMOA – A freak series of events led to a five-year-old girl dying after being struck by a pick-up truck last week in the village of Sagone on the Samoan island of Savai‘i.
NEW ZEALAND – The New Zealand Immigration Advisors Authority (IAA) has issued a warning to Samoan residents seeking immigration advice.
SAMOA – Manu Samoa Sevens coach, Sir Gordon Tietjens, has experienced for the first time the methods by New Zealand to deny players from representing Samoa.
samoa – Samoa’s Prime Minister Tuila’epa Sailele Malielegaoi has sent out a strong message that the judiciary should be held in contempt of parliament when they refused to appear before a Special Parliamentary Committee set up to investigate the work of the Lands and Titles Court.
Commission set up to oversee 2019 referendum
PAPUA NEW GUINEA – Refugees detained on Papua New Guinea’s Manus Island are sceptical of news they’ll meet immigration officials from the United States next month.
FRENCH POLYNESIA – The French navy has seized more than 400 kilograms of cocaine on a yacht near French Polynesia’s Marquesas islands.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA – A Christian leader in Papua New Guinea says the country’s churches need to overcome discrimination and stigma to make a real difference in combating the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
NEW ZEALAND – The publication of a new identificiation key could help health officials identify mosquitos carrying Zika and dengue.
GUAM – The Catholic Church in Guam is being accused of rewarding a priest who shielded its Archbishop from abuse allegations.
NEW ZEALAND – New Zealand has been warned to “batten down the hatches” as another stormbdars down on the country.
AMERICAN SAMOA – An electrocution accident which happened over a week ago in American Samoa has claimed the life of a third person.
French Polynesia declares state of natural disaster
PAPUA NEW GUINEA – Reports emerging from Bougainville indicate a number of landslides after yesterday’s magnitude 7.9 earthquake.
The Fiji Times reports that this includes the proposed HOPE party, created by the youth activist Peter Waqavonovono and former opposition leader Mick Beddoes, who both defected from the main opposition Sodelpa party.
PAPUA NEW GUINEA – There’s growing disquiet in Papua New Guinea over government plans for tweaking election rules ahead of the upcoming polls.
TONGA – Freeze that back swing – a golf venue isn’t quite guaranteed yet for the 2019 Pacific Games.
French Polynesia agrees to ‘seastead’ proposal
PACIFIC – Pacific island ministers are in Tokyo this week to discuss the region’s development partnership with Japan.
VANUATU – The chair of the Melanesian Spearhead Group has arrived in Port Vila for discussions that cover membership guidelines.