Cook Islands’ leading business fuels Puaikura Volunteer Fire Brigade

CITC proudly supports the Puaikura Volunteer Fire Brigade. From left, fire brigade volunteer Gavin Steiner, fire chief Jason Moorfield, and CITC brands manager George George. CITC/25061601 Cook Islands Trading Corporation (CITC) has proudly...

In the depths of the ocean, a new contest between the U.S and China emerges

By Prianka Srinivasan RAROTONGA (THE GUARDIAN) —Around the Cook Islands, the world’s two most powerful countries are exploring the possibility of deep-sea mining for critical minerals Deep below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, the seafloor is...

Children diagnosed with diabetes in Cook Islands

Secretary for Health Bob Williams at the public consultation at the Sinai Hall. 25061009 A six-year-old child has become the youngest person to be diagnosed with type 1 diabetes in the Cook Islands, and a 10-year-old with type 2 highlighting a...

Peters rejects claim Aotearoa funding freeze to Cook Islands is ‘patronising’

Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown and New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters. Photo composite: Newsroom/25070713 New Zealand Foreign Minister Vaovasamanaia Winston Peters rejects suggestions that pausing of development funding to the...

Cook Islands Rugby League tackles ball shortages with new partnership

Cook Islands Rugby League has secured a new sponsorship deal with TVATI, covering the full cost of 160 official balls for training and match for all grades from juniors to international every year for the next three years. Cook Islander Dr Graham...

Cook Islander recognised for services to sport and Pacific communities in NZ

Cook Islander Annie Scoon and Palmerston North MP, Cook Islander Tangi Utikere. Photo/Tangi Utikere Facebook/25060917 A Cook Islander’s remarkable journey has earned royal recognition for her services to sport and Pacific communities in Aotearoa...

$35.7 million budget for Cook Islands National Health Plan

Rarotonga hospital. CI NEWS/22011620 The Cook Islands Ministry of Health, Te Marae Ora (TMO), has revealed that the total projected cost to implement the National Health Strategic Plan 2023-2027 is approximately $35.7 million. The Cook Islands...

Cook Islands lawyer heads law enforcement agency in Fiji

Rokoika Law’s Lavi Rokoika. SUPPLIED/ 25060302 Cook Islands lawyer Lavi Rokoika has been appointed as the acting Commissioner of the Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC). Fiji’s Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka confirmed Rokoika’s...

Cook Islands Also Declares Dengue Outbreak in the Pacific Ocean

(Vax-Before-Travel News)The Cook Islands in the South Pacific Ocean recently confirmed it is also experiencing a dengue fever outbreak in May 2025. On May 22, 2025, the Ministry of Health officially declared a dengue fever outbreak in Rarotonga, a...

‘Healthier future’ for Cook Islands as four Pa Enua go smoke-free

Children from four different schools took the stage as four Pa Enua islands were declared smoke-free at the National Auditorium yesterday. TALAIA MIKA/25060339, 25060340, 25060341, 25060342, 25060343 Four islands in the southern Pa Enua – Atiu,...

The Tree of Life: Honouring the Coconut Tree's Sacred Place in the Cook Islands Culture

You’ve seen it in nearly every photo of our little paradise — the iconic coconut tree. It’s the unmistakable symbol of tropical life, a mark that you’ve arrived somewhere truly special. But in the Cook Islands, the coconut is more than just a...

Cook Islands hosts approximately 2000 foreign workers, says Minister Elikana

Minister for Foreign Affairs and Immigration Tingika Elikana in Parliament. LOSIRENE LACANIVALU/ 250217101 There are approximately 2000 foreign workers employed in the Cook Islands, according to Minister for Foreign Affairs and Immigration Tingika...

Cook Islands seabed minerals consultations under fire for excluding environment groups…

Environmental groups are again raising red flags as the second round of overseas public consultations on seabed mining gets underway in Queensland, Australia, citing the Cook Islands government’s refusal to allow independent environmental experts...

400 Cook Islanders permitted to bring in medicinal cannabis

Health Minister Rose Toki-Brown in Parliament yesterday. 25062410 About 400 Cook Islanders are now permitted to bring medicinal cannabis into the country, according to the Minister of Health, Rose Toki-Brown. About 400 Cook Islanders are now...

New Zealand citizenship ‘by right, not privilege’, says Cook Islands PM Brown

RAROTONGA (COOK ISLANDS NEWS)—Cook Islanders are New Zealand citizens “not by privilege, but by right”, said Prime Minister Mark Brown in response to a recent poll conducted in New Zealand on citizenship rights. The nationwide poll, commissioned...

Cook Islands declares dengue fever outbreak in Rarotonga amid rising cases

Two new cases were confirmed, bringing the total number of cases to seven. Photo: SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY The Cook Islands government has declared a dengue fever outbreak in Rarotonga. In a statement on Friday (Thursday in the Cook Islands), the...

Urology specialist to conduct free check-ups at Rarotonga Hospital

TMO is advising interested people to call the Rarotonga Hospital or the Tupapa Community Centre, to arrange an appointment. The Ministry of Health Te Marae Ora (TMO) has announced a health specialist visit for next week, featuring a urologist who...

NZ Taxpayers' Union-Curia poll reveals nearly half of Kiwis oppose automatic citizenship for Cook Islands

Under the Cook Islands constitution, New Zealand cannot pass laws for the Cook Islands. Photo: Supplied / PMN A new poll by the New Zealand Taxpayers' Union-Curia shows that almost half of respondents oppose the Cook Islands having automatic New...

Pacific Islands focus: health, environmental, security and geopolitical updates

Calls to tackle violence against women in the Pacific region, efforts to alleviate the impacts of extreme heat, new guidelines to assist in protection of whales, and concerns about deep sea mining are among the topics covered in the latest edition...

Nearly half of Kiwis oppose automatic citizenship for Cook Islands, says poll

By Caleb Fotheringham, RNZ Pacific journalist A new poll by the New Zealand Taxpayers’ Union shows that almost half of respondents oppose the Cook Islands having automatic New Zealand citizenship. Thirty percent of the 1000-person sample supported...