Cook Islands

The Rock thrashed South Africa 48-4 during their last hit-out in May and are now ranked 32nd in the world.

The 17th ranked Cook Islands will use the game on October the third as preparation for their Rugby League World Cup qualifying match against Tonga two weeks later.

Niue coach Brendan Perenara says even though the match doesn't have test status or rankings points on offer, going up against the Cook Islands will be the biggest game in their history.

He was involved in discussions about financial support from India during India's gathering of Pacific island countries in Jaipur last month.

India's talks with Pacific states resulted in various offers of help in areas from solar power to space technology as well as expanded trade and scholarships.

Some observers feel the Indian government of Narendra Modi is primarily keen to curry support for the country's bid for a permanent seat on the UN security council.

The leaders of the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau and Tuvalu caught up on Monday before the wider 16 nation Pacific Island Forum leaders summit in Papua New Guinea later this week.

They issued a special declaration on climate change that demanded the world limit the global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius and that countries uphold the principle of polluter pays.

The Māori Dictionary app was launched last week by the Prime Minister, Henry Puna, who recalled a time when he would have been caned for speaking the native tongue at school.

But he says the language is now seeing a resurgence, with increased efforts to preserve Cook Islands Māori and get more people speaking the language.

The project was led by Anonga Tisam, which was awarded a grant to develop a database of Māori words two years ago.

Cook Islands Sports and National Olympic Committee (CISNOC) president Hugh Graham has been elected as the Commonwealth Games Federation’s Oceania regional vice-president.

His election as one of six regional vice-presidents was made at this week’s Commonwealth Games Federation general assembly in Auckland, New Zealand.

Graham is one of the six regional vice-presidents responsible for the associations in the six regions of the Commonwealth Games Federation: Africa, the Americas, Asia, Caribbean, Europe and Oceania.

A complaint has been laid against Pacific Schooners with the Public Expenditure Review Committee, the country's financial watchdog, by the Financial Secretary Richard Neves.

The complaint says Pacific Schooners failed to meet its contract of repatriating some of the outer islands teams after Te Maeva Nui celebrations.

A complaint has also been laid with the Audit Office by Opposition MP James Beer who is also requesting an investigation.

Tonga, American Samoa, Samoa and Cook Islands are all in Nuku'alofa, vying for one spot in next year's Oceania Nations Cup.

Samoa prevailed when the same teams met in Apia four years ago but head coach Phineas Young says the squad has a new look after being ovehauled in recent years.

The National Biodiversity Strategic Action Plan (NBSAP) two-day workshop was opened by Minister for the Environment Kiriau Turepu at the Pukapuka Hostel on Tuesday.

The project is part of the second generation of Biodiversity Enabling Activities under the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The Cook Islands has been a party to the Convention on Biological Diversity since 1993.

“Tropic Twilight is a regular joint exercise in the Pacific involving the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT), and other countries with an interest in the region,” Brownlee says.

“The exercise is aimed at testing the NZDF’s ability to deploy alongside other militaries and partner-governments to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief in the Pacific.

The day marked 20 years since passionate locals rallied together to promote an anti-nuclear Pacific, and five of those individuals came together to reminisce.

Brian Mason, Travis Moore, Peter Heays, Jolene Bosanquet and Cook Islands Voyaging Society captain Tua Pittman recounted the days they made history in our small nation.

“We did our best. We dared to care. We were part of the most amazing Pacific wide campaign,” said Bosanquet.

Nuclear weapons testing in Pacific waters occurred between 1966 and 1996 at Mururoa and Fangataufa in French Polynesia.