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
National
Cook Islands eases import ban on NZ poultry following bird flu outbreak
Cook Islands temporarily suspended imports of poultry products from New Zealand following a bird flu outbreak on a single farm, but has resumed imports from unaffected regions with additional safety measures.
New Zealand High Commission Fund supports local communities
The New Zealand High Commission in Cook Islands held a signing ceremony earlier this month with the successful recipients of the 2024/2025 Round of the New Zealand High Commission Fund.
85 checked for disease in Aitutaki
Thursday 9: Emergency response team working hard to prevent meningitis spread in Aitutaki The Ministry of Health has activated a rapid and extensive response to three cases of bacterial meningitis in Aitutaki. A ministry emergency response team of seven has been on the island this week to examine and provide antibiotic medication to over 100 […]
DPM lodges UN bid
Wednesday 15: Deputy prime minister Sir Terepai Maoate has left for New York where he will be lodging the Cook Islands submission for its extended continental shelf claim of over 400,000 square kilometres, at the United Nations headquarters. This is in preparation for the formal presentation of the Cook Islands claim to the United Nations […]
Big dengue clean up gets started as cases increase
Thursday 9: Today public servants will be out in force taking part in a dengue tutaka clean up of Rarotonga. To date there have been over 70 reported cases of probable dengue. Seven more were reported yesterday, two of which appear to be people who have been re-infected with dengue fever. Acting director of public […]
'Independent' Peua says he is still CIP
Wednesday 15: Pukapuka-Nassau MP Vai Peua says that he doesn’t understand the action being taken by the Opposition against him, because he hasn’t left the Cook Islands Party. “Kare au i te Demo – I’m a CIP,” says Peua. “I haven’t left the CIP.” Peua says he has received comments from constituents, friends, church ministers […]
Sail fish wins Salsa
Wednesday 15: Team Café Salsa has once again taken out the Easter fishing competition which it has sponsored for the past three years. They won the same competition in 2007 with a 194kg marlin and this year the team hooked a 57.6kg sail fish (of the marlin family). The team was aboard fishing charter Akura […]
DPM says Bainimarama feels 'bullied'
Wednesday 15: Some leaders in Pacific nations are calling for more dialogue with Fiji’s interim government, reports Radio New Zealand International. But they say input from New Zealand and Australia won’t be helpful, and the failure of the two countries’ foreign policies in bringing about a return to democracy needs to be taken into account. […]
Tender period extended
Wednesday 15: Contractors thinking of tendering for road and drainage cleaning on Rarotonga will now get an extra week to put in their tenders. Tenders were supposed to have closed off yesterday but will now close on Tuesday April 21. Rarotonga community beautification programme coordinator Nga Teao says that the third meeting for prospective contractors […]
Fraud case adjourned
Wednesday 15: Former Auckland CI Tourism office manager Albert Numanga is due to appear in the Auckland District court on May 22 to face four charges relating to an alleged fraud totalling just over $1 million. Numanga’s case was adjourned in February and then again last month due to him needing to obtain a new […]
PM sends congrats to Clark on UN job
Tuesday 14: Prime minister Jim Marurai has sent a congratulatory letter to former NZ prime minister Helen Clark on her recent appointment as administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in New York. According to Marurai’s office, the letter was forwarded on behalf of the government and people of the Cook Islands, and best […]
Increasing capacity
Wednesday 8: Air New Zealand has announced capacity upgrades on its Auckland-Rarotonga-Auckland route from May to October. A number of A320 airbuses will be replaced with B767 and B777 aircraft adding up to an extra 2854 seats over the six month period. Air NZ Cook Islands manager David Bridge said the airline was pleased to […]
Tax concession explained
Saturday 4: The 200 percent tax concession for sponsors of the Pacific Mini Games and the World Youth Netball Championships will apply to all those who spend over $50,000 on supporting the events. This week financial secretary Sholan Ivaiti explained just how it will work in response to CINews questions. The conditions of the tax […]
Outer island cops arrive
Wednesday 8: Seven northern police officers arrived in Rarotonga on Te Kukupa on Monday. They arrived with police commissioner Pat Tasker who spent 11 days on the patrol boat touring the northern group as part of a police exchange programme. “The trip was uneventful but the hospitality received from the outer islands was excellent,” Tasker […]
Little time blamed for few submissions on Seabed Bill
Saturday 4: Only three public submissions were received on the Seabed Bill during the two weeks the select committee was tasked with reviewing the proposed legislation. Government hopes to pass the bill that sets out how the country’s manganese nodule resource and the mining of it will be managed. The committee had been set up […]
WSBC denies ruining CI reputation
Wednesday 8: WSBC Bank denies ruining the financial reputation of the Cook Islands. And it reckons it would have won the high-profile court case against the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC). In a press release issued last week – though not to Cook Islands News – WSBC Bank confirms it will leave at the end of […]
Cooks heed call of G20 on tax info
Saturday 4: Deputy prime minister Sir Terepai Maoate has responded to the communiqué issued this week by the Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors (G20) calling for more cooperation between nations in sharing of information relevant to tax matters. Sir Terepai said that he welcomes this call for more transparency in the […]
Crowning glory
Monday 6: Gorgeous girls, a dazzling show Anyone who bought a ticket for the Miss Cook Islands pageant on Friday night would have got their money’s worth. The six-hour show was jammed-packed with stunning dresses, gorgeous girls and extraordinary performances. The night was set to be special right from the opening number with Janet Dearlove […]
New school principals workshop on this week
Tuesday 7: A workshop for new school principals is being held this week by the Ministry of education in partnership with NZAID. The workshop is being held at the Avarua school library under the theme ‘learning for life – effective leadership’. The new principals taking part are mainly from the outer islands and include Mitiaro […]
Fuel rationing at work
Friday 3: Aitutaki vehicle owners were left queuing at Aquila Rentals petrol pumps (above) over the weekend as fuel was being rationed to customers due to a shortage caused in part a fuel pricing issue. Aitutaki businessman and MP Teina Bishop says although he has reopened his petrol pumps since a new price order took […]
Tutaka activated
Tuesday 7: A Rarotonga clean up (tutaka) campaign has been activated this week in response to a growing number of probable dengue cases. Six tutaka teams from public health are heading out into the main village areas and residences of the 63 probable dengue cases have been identified. Public health are asking all residents of […]
Meet Joey the show dazzler
Friday 3: Akavaine Joey Mataele, transgender mother of five, will entertain at tonight’s Miss Cook Islands Pageant She’s performed in front of a United States president, royalty and international celebrities and tonight she’ll grace the stage of the Miss Cook Islands Pageant. Joey Mataele of Tonga has had a whirlwind career that has seen her […]