Read the latest news from regional and global sources, presenting different voices and perspectives.

Cook Islands launches first-ever National Awards system: Te Tango Raumaire o Avaiki
Prime Minister Mark Brown. SUPPLIED. The Office of the Prime Minister is proud to announce the establishment of Te Tango Raumaire o Avaiki: The Cook Islands National Awards, an historic milestone to recognise and honour outstanding service,...

Cook Islands heads to Fiji with renewed hope for OFC Women’s Nations Cup
Cook Islands national women’s football team departed yesterday for the 2025 OFC Women’s Nations Cup. CIFA MEDIA/25062522 The Cook Islands national women’s football team departed yesterday for the 2025 OFC Women’s Nations Cup, set to kick off in...

Iranian women's basketball team win Chinese team Guang Dong
The Division B of FIBA Women’s Asia Cup 2025 is scheduled to be held in Shenzhen from July 13-20. The Iranian women's national basketball team played a warm-up match against China's Guang Dong before the start of the tournament, winning 69-63. The...

Saving the Cook Islands Māori language
The top three students from the Tateni Kōrero Apii Tuātai (Primary Schools Māori Speech Competition) held yesterday at Te Are Karioi Nui (National Auditorium). Pictured from left: Ana-Nui Wichman – Apii Takitumu (3rd place), Hinamoana Olah – Apii...

I ditched UK for ‘Europe’s Maldives’ with fab beaches & £1 beer…childcare’s FREE & bills cost less than KFC Family Feast
IT’S known as the “Maldives of Europe” thanks to its stunning white sand beaches and crystal clear turquoise waters. Add to that an insanely cheap cost of living that's a jaw-dropping 61 per cent lower than the UK, and it was a no-brainer for...
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...

Marie Kaipu shines as PNG defeat Sāmoa in OFC Women's Nations Cup opener in Fiji
The Oceania Football Confederation's (OFC) Women’s Nations Cup 2025 is underway in Fiji, and the champions from 2022 - Papua New Guinea - got off to a great start against Sāmoa, thanks to two goals from their legend Marie Kaipu. The match, played...

Cook Islands unveils historic National Awards system
Prime Minister Mark Brown in Parliament this week. LOSIRENE LACANIVALU/25062316 Cook Islands has established its own national awards system, Te Tango Raumaire o Avaiki, to recognise outstanding service and achievement across all sectors of...

Spoils Shared In OFC Women’s Nations Cup Group A Opener
The OFC Women’s Nations Cup 2025 kicked off with the spoils shared by Tahiti and Cook Islands at Churchill Park in Lautoka today. Both 2022 quarter finalists were looking to start their campaigns strong, knowing that securing early points would be...
OFC women battle begins
PAPUA New Guinea will take on Samoa in their Group A fixture of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) Women’s Nations Cup in Lautoka, Fiji, today at 3pm (1pm PNG time). The match will be played at Lautoka’s Churchill Park. PNG are the defending...

Cook Islands blocks 37 individuals with gang links at border
Thirty-seven (37) individuals have been stopped from entering the Cook Islands between June 2024 and April of this year due to their affiliations with gangs overseas. COOK ISLANDS TOURISM/25062530 Thirty-seven (37) individuals with overseas gang...

Team Cook Islands in high spirit
The Cook Islands swim team. KIERAN CHAN/ CISNOC-25062710 The young swimming team from the Cook Islands is in Palau, filled with high spirits and ready for the 2025 Pacific Mini Games. Chef de Mission Mark Short says, “We have a very young team in...

‘It’s like we want our language to die’: Low turnout for Reo Māori TikTok comp disappoints organisers
Tereora College student Esther Kamoe was stoked to win third place in the Epetoma o te Reo Māori, Te Tarere Tutu Ripine Teata (TikTok Video Clip Competition) taking home $400. She is pictured with Raemaki Karati, Poutoko Manava o te Reo Māori...

Cook Islands Parliament passes 2025/26 Budget
Prime Minister Mark Brown in Parliament on June 23, 2025. LOSIRENE LACANIVALU / 25062320 The Cook Islands Parliament on Tuesday passed the 2025/26 Budget after just over a week of debate, with Parliament sitting only half-days during this period....

TEAMS READY FOR OFC WOMEN’S NATIONS CUP
Final preparations are underway for the four Group- A teams ahead of the OFC Women’s Nations Cup 2025, with day one match set to kick off at Lautoka’s Churchill Park tomorrow. This morning, the head coaches and captains of Cook Islands, defending...

Cook Islands qualifies for 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Beach Handball
Cook Islands men’s beach handball team has officially qualified for the 2026 Youth Olympic Games, following a determined showing at the 3rd IHF Men’s Youth Beach Handball World Championship in Hammamet, Tunisia. SUPPLIED/25062303 History was made...

Group B Teams Finalise Preparations For OFC Women's Nations Cup
Thursday, 3 July 2025, 2:36 pm Press Release: OFC With eight overseas-based players in her squad, Fiji head coach Angeline Chua is confident her team has what it takes to lift the trophy at the OFC Women’s Nations Cup 2025, which kicks off...

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...

Students celebrate Te Reo Māori
Te Tarere Purua (Poetry) competition for secondary school female students was held at Te Are Karioi Nui. From left: Terii Tuakana of Tereora College (Year 10) placed first, Charlee Puna of Tereora College (Year 9) second, and Manuarii Teatai of...

Cook Islands Prime Minister slams NZ aid freeze as ‘patronising’
Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown says New Zealand’s decision to pause development aid is patronising and will harm the country’s most vulnerable citizens. In a ministerial statement to Parliament on Thursday (Cook Islands time), Brown...