Menstrual health & waste reduction: Te Ipukarea Society, CIFWA and RedPack brought menstrual wellbeing sessions to Tereora College, teaching students about the menstrual cycle and reusable options like pads, cups and period underwear—framed as both a health choice and a way to cut landfill waste from thousands of single-use products over a lifetime. NCD prevention push: At Te Kainga Primary Care Workshop, Cook Islands’ high non-communicable disease rates (ranked third globally in presented data) sparked renewed focus on prevention, especially on Mitiaro. Cervical screening outreach: Free pap smear screening continues with a clinic at Kavera today (4.30pm–7pm), with further dates across Rarotonga listed for June and July; bookings encouraged. Blood donation spotlight: Cook Islands Red Cross and Te Marae Ora marked World Blood Donor Day at Constitution Park, thanking lifesaving donors. Mental health training: Te Kainga O Pa Taunga’s weeklong primary care psychiatry course aims to help communities spot early signs of emotional and psychological distress, including a focus on alcohol and drug use. Infection after travel: A Cook Islands holiday-linked case in New Zealand hospitalised a man with a rare bloodstream infection from a marine bacterium (Shewanella), raising awareness of serious skin and soft tissue risks after seafood exposure. Plastic policy planning: The National Environment Service is developing a National Action Plan to tackle plastic pollution, targeting behaviour change, waste management and practical alternatives to single-use plastics. Community safety: Separate coverage notes evacuations and a state of emergency in Wellington ahead of huge waves—reminding residents to prepare medications and essential documents.