Pacific Islands Forum Leaders endorse high-level mission to New Caledonia
Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Leaders have endorsed a high-level mission to New Caledonia. This is in response to the request from New Caledonia to support a long-lasting resolution to the ongoing political
Pacific Islands welcome development partnerships amid rising regional tensions
Cook Islands Prime Minister and Forum Chair Mark Brown has emphasised the importance of collaborative efforts with various development partners in supporting Pacific Island countries. Speaking last week in Tokyo, PM
Cook Islands Health Ministry approves nearly 90 percent of tobacco vendor applications
Cook Islands Te Marae Ora Ministry of Health has approved 37 out of the 43 applications received for selling tobacco in the Cook Islands. The successful applicant can start selling tobacco from 01 August 2024, under
Medicinal cannabis now permitted in Cook Islands with prescription
Islanders and visitors can now bring in medicinal cannabis into the Cook Islands from New Zealand and Australia provided they meet certain requirements, says Te Marae Ora (TMO), Ministry for Health. Minister for Health
ANZ says in talks with Australian govt about shoring up Pacific Islands business
ANZ bank is in talks with the Australian government about ways to make its business in the Pacific Islands more viable as an exodus of Western financial services fuels concern about rising Chinese influence, its CEO
‘Talanoa’ key to Forum’s seabed mining approach
Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, the Pacific Islands Forum outgoing chair, told the media in May that one of the outcomes of the Leaders meeting in Rarotonga last year on the issue was a “talanoa” (a Pacific
Cook Islands new minimum wage comes into effect, employers told to adhere
Employers in the Cook Islands are required to adhere to the new minimum wage rate that comes into effect today. The new minimum wage increases by 50 cents $9.00 to $9.50 per hour (US$5.47 – $5.77) from today,
Hokule’a’s babies: Cook Islands master navigator credits pioneers
In 2024 in Honolulu, the most venerated participants of the 13th Festpac are the voyagers who have arrived by reading the stars, the waves and winds, to close the circle begun by Hawaii’s Hokule’a canoe in the mid
FestPAC gathering strengthens Pacific identity
As the 13th Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture (FestPAC) enters its second week, Cook Islands Consul General in Aotearoa New Zealand, Keu Mataroa, expresses his deep appreciation for the rich cultural artistry and
NZ commits $20m to Cook Islands budget, $10.5m for public service
Cook Islands has secured $20 million (US$12.30 million) in Core Sector Budget Support and an additional $10.5 million (US$6.45 million) for continued public sector strengthening during the 8th Cook Islands-New Zealand
Cook Islands Bill to safeguard Manatua Cable passed with fines up to $250,000
A monetary fine will be imposed on anyone who breaches the Manatua Cable Protection Bill 2024 in Cook Islands. The bill, passed by Cook Islands Parliament last Thursday, safeguards the Manatua One Polynesian Cable from
Proposed law on tainted cryptocurrency ‘terrible’ for human rights, says Cook Islands expert
A Cook Islands cryptocurrency expert is critical of a proposed law targeting tainted cryptocurrency, arguing it undermines human rights and doesn’t address the real channels of money laundering. In the rapidly