Top Headlines
Beetles to bolster battle against invasive tree
Introduced insects have landed on Rarotonga making it their new home in a combined effort to control an invasive tree.
$500 for lying about Covid
A Cook Islands man with a historical Covid-19 test charged with making a false declaration on a travel document gets slap on the wrist fine and name suppression.
Cash set aside for Air NZ subsidised Los Angeles, Australia routes
Amidst an environment of continued uncertainty, the Government is still banking on a positive trajectory in the handling of the Covid-19 pandemic and the possible opening of tourism to additional markets.
National
Lawyer found guilty of indecent assault charges
Govt explains reasons behind hut construction
Graffiti writer strikes again, police consider taking action
20 children make their first communion
Students full of words after dictionary donation
Each Year 9 and 10 student – close to 600 – in the schools around the Cook Islands, will receive a colourful Usborne Illustrated English Dictionary to keep, courtesy of the Rotary Club of Rarotonga.
Sports
Talent galore at badminton comp
Secondary schools from around Rarotonga came together to battle it out in the sixth Annual College Badminton Tournament held yesterday.
Katoa elected to global swimming body
Cook Islander Romani Katoa was elected to the bureau of the International Swimming Federation executive board, also known as FINA, over the weekend.
Dancing to the finish line
Bim Kiriau of Avatiu celebrates as he nears the finish line in the 4x100 metre father and son relay at the annual village competition (Kumete Games) on Monday.
Opinion
KATA: Beetles for bio battle
LETTER: Hydro pole crash a wake-up call
Daily letters for Wednesday June 9, 2021
OPINION: Live and let live
Is the world going mad? Are we making mountains out of mole hills? Can we not say or do anything anymore without offending anyone and if we do must it be the worst thing in the world? By Ruta Mave.
Give to God what belongs to God
No matter who we are, it is not a choice between one and the other. For the God-like person, God is the only choice. There is no second, writes Bishop Paul Donoghue of the Catholic Church.
Features
Cook’s buses get smart
The wheels keep turning for the Cook family who have been providing public transport on Rarotonga for more than 30 years. Al Williams caught up with them at their Nikao operation.
CHURCH TALK: A message of encouragement – something’s better than nothing
Sometimes the enormity of the task in front of us is so daunting, so overwhelming, that getting started and staying with it can feel impossible, writes Angaroakau Williams – second counselor in the District Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The challenges of drafting legislation in microstates
A decade ago, the powers that be decided the Cook Islands needed updated companies legislation and a digital registry of companies allowed to do business in the country. It was a ‘smart government’ initiative, where services offered by the state are efficient, cost-effective, and allow people to avoid the agony of long queues. But sometimes the best of intentions can lead to unintended consequences.
Keanui’s biodiversity bonanza
Residents often talk about Cook Islands biodiversity, but few have discovered as many unrecorded species as six-year-old Keanui Selam. His recent insect-catching expeditions led to the discovery of eight unrecorded species of Heteroptera, a group of insects known as true bugs, or typical bugs. By Gerald McCormack of the Natural Heritage Trust.
Pacific
Fiji Covid-19: 94 cases, government unable to accommodate
A new daily record of Covid-19 cases has been announced in Fiji as 94 new cases in 24 hours have been confirmed.
Tongan cabinet minister convicted of major fraud
Tongan Cabinet Minister 'Akosita Lavulavu and her husband 'Etuate have been found guilty of fraud.
Family lives off biscuits as Fiji pandemic bites
Vulnerable families in Fiji are living on a tin of fish or a packet of biscuits a day as the pandemic continues to bite.
