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

‘Faceless Eel’ Filmed 13,000 Feet Beneath the Ocean Off the Cook Islands
Smile! Photo: YouTube//Screenshot The ocean is an endlessly fascinating place. We’ve only begun to scratch the surface of what’s down there, and there is some serious weirdness. Take, for example, the faceless eel researchers with the E/V...

Political Divide Deepens Over Seabed Mining in the Cook Islands
The Cook Islands should be allowed to “make their own choices” and “have a right to their own future development” in terms of seabed mining, according to former Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Deep-sea mining was a subject at a panel...

E/V Nautilus arrives in the Cook Islands
On Friday, the exploration vessel (E/V) Nautilus arrives in the Cook Islands for the first time. Owned and operated by the U.S-based non-profit organisation Ocean Exploration Trust (OET), the 68-meter vessel specialises in scientific exploration...
The European Union and the Pacific Community boost border security in Marshall Islands with advanced X-Ray technology
Photo: European Union Ambassador Barbara Plinkert and Marshall Islands Minister Anthony Muller, key handover of the Airport X-ray machine The Republic of Marshall Islands (RMI) has received a state-of-the-art X-ray machine to reinforce border...

New Zealand Is Pulling Aid From the Cook Islands
NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, United Kingdom — The relationship between the Pacific Island nation of the Cook Islands and New Zealand has historically been strong. Cook Islanders are entitled to New Zealand passports and residency, with the model of “free...

Controversial Cook Islands seabed mining plan gets backing from former Australia PM Scott Morrison
Speaking on a panel discussion on the Pacific Islands at the Impact Week conference in Singapore last Friday, the conservative politician acknowledged that deep-sea mining was controversial but said Cook Islands should be allowed to “make their...

Farmers in Rarotonga adapt to climate change, Regional Research Agenda's research reveals
Farmers in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, are already taking steps to adapt to the changing climate, according to a recent study titled Aka’tika Uira (Realign the Wheel): An analysis of the climate adaptation methods adopted by farmers in Rarotonga,...

The Pacific Tourism Organisation Hosts Two-Week Research Training for PNGTPA to Strengthen Tourism Data Capacity
From 16 to 30 September 2025, the Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) hosted a two-week research training program for the Papua New Guinea Tourism Promotion Authority (PNGTPA), aimed at strengthening PNGTPA’s capacity to manage and deliver...

The Pacific Humanitarian Warehousing Program (PHWP) Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, and Learning (MERL) Journey: What are we doing differently?
The Pacific Humanitarian Warehousing Program (PHWP), being implemented across 15 participating countries1, provided a rare opportunity to reimagine how MERL can meaningfully contribute to ensuring sovereign warehouse storage and response...

Autonomous Benthic Mini Landers Deployed to Obtain Subsea Data">
Odyssey Marine Exploration successfully deployed two ABMLs in the Cook Islands’ EEZ. The systems, engineered by Develogic GmbH for Odyssey, will collect in situ environmental data from ~4,900 meters depth to build long-term datasets supporting the...
Amplifying farmers' voices - Findings from the Regional Research Agenda
The Regional Research Agenda (RRA) is committed to ensuring that farmers' perspectives and challenges are central to agricultural research and policy development. Through the RRA, researchers across the Pacific have been working closely with local...
RC Blog: Who’s willing to pay for sustainability in the Pacific?
Written by Simona Marinescu, Isabella Massa, Guillaume Lafortune After major setbacks to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the Pacific needs fairer access to financing as it fights to overcome climate challenges. Crises in climate, geopolitics...

Hōkūlea And Hikianalia To Set Sail For Aotearoa As Part Of The Moananuiākea Voyage
Press Release – Polynesian Voyaging Society Photo/Supplied (Rarotonga, Cook Islands) Two traditional Polynesian voyaging canoes, Hklea and Hikianalia, are preparing to depart Rarotonga for Aotearoa as part of the Moananuikea Voyage, a multi-year...

New Zealand seeks U.S help to protect Pacific from China over rare minerals, fisheries
WELLINGTON (AP)— New Zealand’s defence minister warned in an interview that small countries in the South Pacific face growing pressure from great power competition for their rare minerals and fisheries wealth, and that more action was needed from...

PH drops to 79th place in global passport ranking
MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine passport dropped to 79th place in the 2025 Henley Passport Index (HPI), six slots lower from last year's 73rd ranking The Philippines tied with Sierra Leone for the 79th place out of 199 passports reviewed for...

Pacific entrepreneurs honoured at awards for innovation, resilience
Pacific entrepreneurs were honoured at the 2025 Pacific Business Trust (PBT) Awards during a lavish event in Auckland on Wednesday. Auckland-based TROW Group took out the Frances Hartnell Supreme Award for its sustainable approach to demolition,...

‘One year it could be bushfires and another year flood’ – what drew architect James Davidson to “unsexy” resilience work
Architect James Davidson managed the restoration of the Lamb House, now known as Home, cited as nationally significant by the Australian Institute of Architects. It was part of his radical switch from doing high end work for rich clients to...
"Veterinary Orthopedic Guardian": European Veterinary Surgeon Dr. Hannah Partners With VEC Hong Kong
Bringing Extensive European Experience to Lead Advanced Orthopaedic Surgeries and Elevate Pet Surgical Care HONG KONG SAR - Media OutReach Newswire - 16 October 2025 - Veterinary Emergency Centre, Hong Kong (VEC) today announces the enhancement of...

NZ official says Pacific threatened
New Zealand Minister for Defence Judith Collins yesterday warned in an interview that small countries in the South Pacific face growing pressure from great-power competition for their rare minerals and fisheries wealth, and that more action was...

Capstone Unveils WQ Hotel Wellington – A fresh new bleisure brand for the capital
A new chapter in Wellington hospitality begins tomorrow as the city’s Atura Hotel officially becomes the WQ Hotel (Wellington Quarter Hotel). This event marks the property’s transformation under Capstone Hotel Management and the introduction of a...