• Pacific nations standing up against tuna fishing giants
• Cook Islands Agriculture Ministry shifts focus to organic farming
• Cook Islands hosts world first aid project with China

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Pacific nations standing up against tuna fishing giants
6 December 2013 - Pacific Island nations are standing up for a proposal to ban tuna fishing in the Pacific Ocean's eastern high seas-pocket, despite opposition from powerful fishing nations. Cook Islands' delegation leader Ben Ponia says there are too many boats in the fishery and up to 50 per cent of them are not complying with conservation measures. Pacific countries are backing the Cook Islands. (more)

Cook Islands Agriculture Ministry shifts focus to organic farming
8 November 2013 - The Minister of Agriculture in the Cook islands says growing organic produce is the way of the future. Kiriau Turepu says the country is shifting its focus away from conventional farming to organic fruit and vegetables as part of plans to revive the agriculture sector. Organic noni, paw paw, and other produce from the Cooks is highly sought after by overseas markets and the ministry is working on developing agriculture to meet the demand. (more)

Cook Islands hosts world first aid project with China
3 September 2013 - China, New Zealand, and the Cook Islands have agreed to deliver a major development project in the Pacific region. Under the deal, China will work jointly with New Zealand and the Cook Islands government to improve the water mains system on Rarotonga, the Cook Islands' main island. The Pacific is the first region in the world to see China work in partnership with another major aid donor. (more)

Cook Islands creates world's largest shark sanctuary
13 December 2012 - The Cook Islands has approved a shark sanctuary in its waters, making for the largest such sanctuary in the world. The South Pacific island chain declared a 1.9 million-sq-km sanctuary, contiguous with one established last week by neighbouring French Polynesia. That sees a ban on shark fishing and possession or sale of shark products in an area now totalling 6.7 million sq km -- nearly the size of Australia. As top predators, overfishing of sharks disrupts complex oceanic food webs. (more)