Cook Islands

CSIRO joins deep-sea mining project in Pacific as islands call for industry halt

Agency to lead consortium in scheme targeting battery materials while conservationists say Australia on ‘wrong side of debate’

Graham Readfearn

14, Jul, 2022 @1:33 AM

Cook Islands reports first Covid case amid fears of ‘silent transmission’

The case was a traveller who arrived on a flight from New Zealand last week, as hundreds turn out for testing across the Pacific country

Lagipoiva Cherelle Jackson

15, Feb, 2022 @5:36 AM

Cook Islands panic abates after first ever Covid case proves to be a false alarm

The tiny Pacific country scrambled over the weekend, before tests showed the positive case was historical

Alana Musselle in Rarotonga

07, Dec, 2021 @6:28 AM

‘We were very blessed’: in the Cook Islands, pandemic proved a welcome respite from tourists

Despite the loss of income, some people say they enjoyed the peace of border closures while the environment had a chance to recover

Emmanuel Samoglou in Rarotonga

19, Aug, 2021 @10:08 PM

Victorian woman banned from Flight Centre for 10 years after being given ‘prohibition notice’

Businesswoman Elmas Saliba denies behaving badly towards travel agent staff after seeking refund for Cook Islands holiday cancelled by Covid

Natasha May

29, May, 2021 @8:00 PM

Deserted islands: Pacific resorts struggle to survive a year without tourists

Algae-filled pools and shuttered hotel windows are a reminder that Covid-19 is not just a public health problem

Dan McGarry in Port Vila, Sheldon Chanel in Suva, Emmanuel Samoglou in Rarotonga

02, Apr, 2021 @9:30 PM

Cook Islands-flagged tankers scrubbed for alleged sanctions-busting

Two tankers flying the flag of the remote Pacific archipelago are alleged to have been involved in subterfuge shipping of Iranian oil

Emmanuel Samoglou in Rarotonga

23, Mar, 2021 @8:00 PM

Future of Pacific Islands Forum in doubt as Palau walks out

Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia and Nauru had questioned whether to remain members amid bullying claims

Bernadette Carreon in Koror and Ben Doherty Pacific editor

05, Feb, 2021 @12:45 AM

Life without Covid: the nations that have sidestepped the pandemic so far

A handful of countries – most of them islands, most of them remote – remain coronavirus-free, but life has not remained wholly unchanged

Emmanuel Samoglou in Rarotonga, Bernadette Carreon in Koror, and Ben Doherty Pacific Editor

06, Jan, 2021 @12:43 AM

New Zealand to send team to investigate Cook Islands travel bubble

Experts to travel to Cook Islands this weekend to assess travel to Covid-free country that’s heavily dependent on tourism

Eleanor Ainge Roy in Queenstown

09, Nov, 2020 @5:42 AM

Pacific nations herald Biden presidency amid hope for action on climate emergency

Optimism abounds as leaders from Fiji to Papua New Guinea welcome the new US president-elect

Ben Doherty Pacific Editor

09, Nov, 2020 @2:50 AM

Australia should create ‘Pacific visa’ to reduce impact of climate change and disaster on islanders

Displacement is growing in the Asia-Pacific region, and a new policy paper argues migration policies must be established now