Permanent Secretary Appointments: The Cook Islands government has sworn in three new Permanent Secretaries—David Teika Dennis to Finance and Treasury, Trevor Unusu to Police, National Security and Correctional Services, and Bunyan Sivoro reappointed to Culture and Tourism—tasking them with stronger leadership and delivery of national development priorities. Public Finance Leadership Change: Auditor-General David Teika Dennis has resigned to take up the Finance PS role, with the move aimed at addressing identified gaps in public financial management capacity. Deep-Sea Minerals & Marine Science: NOAA’s 26-day Okeanos Explorer expedition has returned to Rarotonga after 14 dives and 400+ samples in the Cook Islands EEZ, adding baseline data for future resource decisions as deep-sea mining interest grows. Offshore Exploration Partnership: CIIC has partnered with US firm Wetstone to fund offshore mineral exploration, drawing criticism from a local environmental group over Wetstone’s limited technical track record. Security & Crime: Police report a weekend spike in crime, including four burglaries and five stolen motorbikes across Arorangi, Nikao, Ruatonga and Tutakimoa, alongside other incidents and traffic risk concerns. Diplomacy & Cooperation: US Ambassador Jared Novelly met PM Mark Brown to discuss closer cooperation on ocean science, maritime security and economic opportunities. Youth Sport Funding: The Australian High Commission and BSP support the Ruckstars junior rugby programme through community grants, aiming to build skills and active lifestyles for young people. Regional Health Focus: Pacific Heads of Health are meeting in the Cook Islands this week to tackle the “global syndemic” linking climate change, undernutrition and obesity.