Te Puna Vai Marama - Cook Islands Centre for Research

We are so excited to invite you all to a public seminar next Tuesday by Viliame Kasanawaqa.

Viliame is a Doctoral Researcher at the Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies, University of Canterbury, New Zealand, whose research focuses on Pacific Ocean governance, environmental justice, Indigenous knowledge systems, and deep-sea mining governance. He is currently conducting fieldwork in the Cook Islands and Fiji as part of his PhD on the social and governance dimensions of deep-sea mining in the Pacific.

As interest in deep-sea mining accelerates across the Pacific, this seminar explores the governance challenges and justice implications of DSM through research conducted in Fiji, the Cook Islands, and across the wider Pacific region. The presentation examines how communities, civil society, governments, and regional institutions are navigating competing visions of ocean futures, and introduces a DSM Social Impact Assessment Toolkit developed as part of Viliame’s doctoral research.

All details are in the attached poster and light refreshments will be provided. We hope to see you there - please email [email protected] or [email protected] to RSVP

Saving the best news for last 🌟🌟 - this week we had the joy of welcoming our newest team member, Kheelan (Kheejay) Thompson-Tonga, who joins Te Puna Vai Mārama as a Research Fellow.

Kheelan and her family joined the wider USP Campus staff for a celebratory morning tea and welcome on Wednesday.

Kheelan reflects on what brought her home on our website: https://tepunavaimarama.org/news/0fj9q396v53h1e6mpjh6jisrztqv4q

We are honoured to have her join TPVM and are excited to support her as she begins this next chapter. Give her a smile if you see her around USP!

Today TPVM, lead by Senior Research Fellow Merita Tuari'i, and the Cook Islands National Environment Service (NES) hosted the Validation Workshop for the Implementation Plan of the BBNJ Agreement in the Cook Islands project.

The BBNJ Agreement is an international agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) that supports the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (the high seas)

The workshop brought together representatives from across research, private sector, and government, and other key stakeholders.

The purpose of the workshop was to present and validate the draft Implementation Plan, providing participants with the opportunity to review the proposed recommendations, timelines, and implementation approach to ensure they reflect the priorities and perspectives of those who will play a role in implementing the Agreement.

We would like to thank everyone who attended and contributed their expertise and insights to supporting the Cook Islands' journey towards the ratification and implementation of the BBNJ Agreement 🌊🐋

🌱📚 We are excited to share the latest issue of the Journal of Agriculture and Forestry in the Pacific, published by our colleagues at the Pacific Community (SPC).

This issue features an article by our researchers, Lauren Turner and Selane Tairea, alongside collaborators Heather Worth, Temarama Anguna, Tearoa Iorangi, Puna Kamoe, Kuraiti Rasmussen, Vincencia Vakapora, and Eitiare Vano from the Ministry of Agriculture Cook Islands.

Their article, "Kaveinga tanutanu o Rarotonga nei: Factors influencing crop selection in Rarotonga, Cook Islands," analyses the factors influencing crop choice for farmers in Rarotonga, Cook Islands, using data from a regional survey conducted by the Regional Research Agenda partners of the Pacific Heads of Agriculture and Forestry Services across multiple Pacific countries.

You can read the article here: https://www.spc.int/digitallibrary/get/gh52i

Congratulations to all the authors and collaborators on this important contribution to Pacific agriculture and food systems. 🌺🌴

🐚 Get in on the latest agricultural and scientific research rooted in the Pacific! The newest issue of SPC's Journal of and in the Pacific highlights practical innovations to help us grow resilient and stronger crops and trees!


🌱 Researchers in successfully used air-layering to duplicate 16 rare varieties of . Pro tip: start your air-layers while the source tree is still vigorous for best survival rates.

🐞 In 🇵🇫 scientists are mass-rearing ladybirds as natural to fight aphids. They’ve even found that using locally produced fruit fly eggs can make this biological control more affordable for the islands.

📲 Find out more via the link in the comments.

Our friends over at ATOM are looking for a National Communications, Cultural and Māori Language Consultant.

National Communications, Cultural and Māori Language Consultant
for the Akamatutuánga To Tatou Oraánga Meitaki (ATOM) Project – Te Marae Ora

Te Marae Ora invites applications for a part-time National Communications, Cultural and Māori Language Consultant to support the Green Climate Fund-funded ATOM Project.

The consultant will provide cultural advisory services, Te Reo Māori translation and communication support, ensuring project materials and stakeholder engagement activities are culturally appropriate, inclusive, and aligned with Cook Islands Māori values and knowledge systems.

‼ Key Requirements:
➡ Fluency in Te Reo Māori and working knowledge of English.
➡ Experience in translation, interpretation, communications, or cultural advisory work.
➡ Strong knowledge of Cook Islands culture, traditions, and community engagement.
➡ Excellent interpersonal and facilitation skills.

Location: Rarotonga (with travel to the Pa Enua as required)
Contract: Part-time retainer basis
Duration: Up to three years (equivalent to five months' level of effort)

‼ Interested applicants can request a full Terms of Reference from Boyd Ellison, at [email protected]

Applications close on Wednesday the 12th of August 2026.

Join us in building healthier and more climate-resilient Cook Islands communities through the ATOM Project.

From Rarotonga to Romania: Earlier this month, TPVM Research Fellow Lauren Turner and Associate Research Fellow Dr Antony Vavia had the privilege of visiting the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences at Ovidius University of Constanța, Romania, through the European Union's Erasmus+ Programme. We are incredibly grateful for the hospitality of our new friends in Constanța and look forward to continued relationships. Learn more about Lauren and Antony's visit here: https://tepunavaimarama.org/news/from-rarotonga-to-romania-tpvm-team-build-connections-through-erasmus-exchange

📣 We are excited to announce that along with Te Vairanga Kite Pakari: the Cook Islands Research Association and The University of the South Pacific - Cook Islands Campus, Te Puna Vai Mārama will host the 2027 Biennial Conference of the Australian Association for Pacific Studies on 30 March - 2 April 2027 here in Rarotonga, Cook Islands.

To read more about the conference theme and to respond to the Call for Panels which is out now, take a look at our conference website: https://tepunavaimarama.org/aaps2027 👀

🌊

AAPS 2027 — Te Puna Vai Mārama: Cook Islands Centre for Research Respond to the call for panels Respond to the call for panels At AAPS 2027, we make space to consider how the future is being claimed and shaped in the Pacific, to consider what it means to resist narratives of inevitability be they economic, political, social, or environmental. Participants are ask...

Research Fellow Selane Tairea spent last week experiencing the inner workings of the parliament through the Cook Islands National Youth Council's Youth Parliament 2026, a five-day immersive learning experience for young Cook Islanders to strengthen their understanding of and interest in parliamentary processes, and ignite the next generation of leaders and decision-makers.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1KXpn9UrzM/

🌺Youth Parliament 2026 – Participant Spotlight 🌺

Today we introduce Selane Tairea, one of the participants for the Youth Parliament 2026.
🙌

Kia Orana, ko Selane Tairea toku ingoa. I am 26 years old and I work for Te Puna Vai Marama - Cook Islands Centre for Research as a research officer. My interests and hobbies are data collection, survey development and baking. 👩‍💻📊📉📈👩‍🍳🥯🎂🍰🍪🍩🍞

I was involved with carrying out the Youth Parliament in 2021. I learned a lot about our government and how our parliament procedures work.
It was an eye-opening experience for me as a part of the organizing team, and so I would like to experience this again and learn more from a participant perspective.

I would like to learn more about our parliamentary systems. Understanding one of the governing entities of my country is extremely important but my understanding is still surface level. I wish these activities and lessons were in our school curriculum.

We have extended the call for applications for Senior Research Fellow/Research Fellow to 15 May 2026!

If you have any questions or you'd like the job description, email [email protected] 🤓

Last week TPVM Research Fellow and resident statistician Selane Tairea attended the Working with Data Community of Practice (CoP3), which saw data officers from both government and the NGO sector come together to strengthen data capabilities. The CoP, hosted by the Cook Islands National Statistics Office and Office of the Prime Minister - Central Policy and Planning Office, with support from Statistics New Zealand and the Pacific Data Hub took participants through targeted skill development in data preparation, analysis, interpretation and visualisation to provide a strong base for reporting against Te Ara Akapapa'anga Nui -the National Sustainable Development Agenda.

The Cook Islands National Statistics Office (CI NSO), in collaboration with the Central Policy and Planning Office (CPPO) of the Office of the Prime Minister, delivered the third iteration of the Working with Data Community of Practice (CoP 3). The programme brought together officers from across government agencies and non-government organisations to strengthen data capability and advance evidence-informed decision-making.

Building on earlier Communities of Practice, CoP 3 focused on developing practical skills in data preparation, analysis, interpretation, and visualisation. The programme was shaped by a pre-survey assessment of participant needs, complemented by targeted one-on-one consultations with selected agencies. These engagements identified key data challenges and priorities, ensuring the training was practical, relevant, and tailored to agency contexts.

Delivery of CoP 3 was funded by Statistics New Zealand (Stats NZ) and supported by the Pacific Data Hub of the Pacific Community (SPC). Alongside technical training, including Power BI, SPC also supported a scoping exercise to assess existing data governance arrangements across government. This work provided valuable baseline insights to inform the development of a future National Sustainable Development Agenda (NSDA) dashboard.

Collectively, these efforts strengthen the institutional foundations for high-quality data, coherent indicator frameworks, and credible national reporting in support of Te Ara Akapapa‘anga Nui – the National Sustainable Development Agenda (NSDA). The Working with Data Community of Practice forms part of a broader, sustained approach to building data capability across the public service and will continue to support collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement in the production and use of official data.