Read the latest news from regional and global sources, presenting different voices and perspectives.
E Kainga Toku Committee meets to begin work on housing grant scheme
Cook Island News
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August 13, 2025
The E Kainga Toku Committee brings together expertise from across government and related sectors. MFEM/25081217 The E Kainga Toku Committee came together for the very first time this Monday to begin its work in supporting first-time home builders...
Pacific Islands Forum: Expert on why region’s ‘Mini-UN’ matters
Pacific News Service
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Leaders from 18 Pacific countries will gather in the Solomon Islands next month for the annual Pacific Island Forum Leaders Meeting (PIFLM). But why is such engagement important? According to Sione Tekiteki, a former PIF adviser and senior...
Finland charges tanker crew over undersea cable damage
GCN
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August 13, 2025
On Monday, prosecutors from Finland accused the captain and two officers of sabotaging a tanker that is thought to be a part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” by dragging an anchor along the Gulf of Finland’s seabed last December and cutting five...
Samoa hints at Forum snub
Islands Business
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August 7, 2025
NEGOTIATIONS are underway in the Cook Islands as the United States seeks a deal which will allow for the exploration of seabed minerals. In an agreement signed on August 5, the US and Cook Islands governments agreed to affirm their “commitment to...
‘Be careful how you treat friends’: NZ Foreign Minister Peters warns…
Pacific News Service
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New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters cautions Pacific Islands Forum leaders about outside influences determining attendance at upcoming meetings. He urges them to be “very careful how you treat friends” while advocating for a united...
Council-backed venue brings Pacific-led show to Central Auckland
Pacific Media Network
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Auckland Council is bringing Pacific-led theatre to the heart of the city by funding the venue for Tafatolu, a new 50-minute play blending Sāmoan mythology, live music, and physical theatre. The production has not received direct council funding,...
Southern coast of Rarotonga takes hit from high swells
Cook Island News
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August 6, 2025
Businesses and homes located close to the shoreline experienced inundation and sand build-up. 25080535 Parts of Rarotonga’s south side were battered by high swells, with seawater affecting roads, beachfront properties and sections of the...
‘Be careful how you treat friends’: NZ Foreign Minister Peters warns Forum leaders
Papua New Guinea Post Courier
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August 13, 2025
First published by PMN New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters cautions Pacific Islands Forum leaders about outside influences determining attendance at upcoming meetings. He urges them to be “very careful how you treat friends” while...
Pacific Bowl fixtures confirmed
The Fiji Times
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August 7, 2025
The Vodafone Fiji Bati will have two away games in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea at the Pacific Bowl of the 2025 NRL Pacific Championships later this year. In their first assignment, they face the Cook Islands Aitu on Saturday, October 18 at the...
Barbara Dreaver: China casts shadow over Pacific foreign ministers' meeting
1News
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Analysis: 1News Pacific Correspondent Barbara Dreaver says the backdrop of the superpower's role in the Pacific should focus the minds of the region's ministers meeting in Fiji today. As Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) foreign ministers, including...
PM Rabuka to skip Pacific Foreign Ministers meet today
The Fiji Times
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August 13, 2025
Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sitiveni Rabuka will not attend todays Pacific Foreign Ministers meeting in Suva. The Pacific Islands Forum has confirmed Fiji will be represented by Ratu Inoke Kubuabola, Special Envoy of the...
Seamen’s union seeks withdrawal of DG Shipping order on seafarer recruitment
The Hindu Business Line
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August 1, 2025
Mumbai: Seafarers stage a protest against a circular issued by the Directorate General of Shipping which banned crew holding certificates issued by the maritime administration of countries that are not recognised by India from sailing, in Mumbai,...
Jetstar announces first ever Brisbane to Rarotonga flights with fares from just $249 one-way
Travel Weekly
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August 5, 2025
Jetstar has announced its first-ever direct flights between Brisbane and Rarotonga, the capital island of the Cook Islands, with launch sale fares available from just $249 one-way. The new service operates three times a week, offering...
Jetstar announces first ever Brisbane to Rarotonga flights with launch fares from just $249^ one-way
The National Tribune
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August 4, 2025
Tuesday, 5 August 2025: Jetstar will start operating direct flights between Brisbane and Rarotonga, the stunning capital island of the Cook Islands, in May 2026, with launch sale fares available today from just $249^ one-way. The new service will...
Matson suspends EV shipments, due to safety concerns
Cook Island News
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August 9, 2025
In a customer advisory dated July 30, Matson announced it will no longer accept bookings for used or new EVs and plug-in hybrid vehicles effective immediately. FILE PHOTO/LOSIRENE LACANIVALU/23121507 Freight shipping company Matson has suspended...
Solomon Islands to host 9th Pacific Water and Wastewater Conference
Pacific Community (SPC)
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The press release was originally published on the Solomon Islands Government website. The Solomon Islands Government, through the Ministry of Mines, Energy and Rural Electrification (MMERE), is proud to announce that it will host the 9th Pacific...
NZ box office: ‘Tinā’ overtakes ‘Whale Rider’ to become fifth highest-grossing NZ film of all time
Inside Film Magazine
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August 13, 2025
Writer-director Miki Magasiva’s debut feature Tinā has overtaken the lifetime gross of Niki Caro’s Whale Rider at the New Zealand box office, becoming the country’s fifth-highest grossing local film of all time. Tinā follows Samoan New Zealander...
Crew of Russian 'shadow fleet' tanker charged with intentionally sabotaging undersea cables — Finnish authorities claim ship dragged its anchor 56 miles along the sea floor, causing $70 million in damage to five cables
Tom's Hardware
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August 13, 2025
Crew members of the Eagle S oil tanker have been charged with “aggravated sabotage and aggravated interference with telecommunications” by Finnish authorities, reports The Guardian. Specifically, the captain, first, and second officers of the...
Kiwi Hit ‘Tinā’ Passes ‘Whale Rider’ at New Zealand Box Office
Variety Australia
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August 13, 2025
What started as a feel-good hit for Pacific cinema earlier in 2025 has become a box office champion. “Tinā” only released in New Zealand cinemas in February, but it’s been steadily climbing the ladder, now unseating the 2002 classic “Whale Rider”...
A sales-pitch pivot brings deep-sea mining closer to reality
Mongabay
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July 31, 2025
Early on, Canada-based The Metals Company cast the rocks it seeks to mine from the deep seafloor as a crucial resource for electric vehicle batteries and other green technologies, positioning them as a solution to the accelerating climate crisis....