Cook Islands

Bart was situated about 296 kilometres west south west of Rarotonga at 1am New Zealand time or 12-hundred UTC

The Fiji Met Service says a gale warning is in force for Rarotonga and Mangaia and a strong wind warning is in force for the rest of the southern Cooks.

RNZ reports Cyclone Bart is moving southeast at 35 kilometres an hour and has winds of up to 100 kilometres an hour.

The authorities are warning of flooding including sea flooding of low lying areas.

Cook Islands News reports that the move follows Wright's public statements about the Union's affairs and his suggestion to change its governance structure from the current executive to a board, in what he believed would be a positive change for the development of rugby.

CIRU said in a statement it made the decision to terminate Wright's contract on Tuesday after "misleading and disrespectful comments" made by the former national skipper in public about the organisation and its executives over the past couple of weeks.

Its director Josiah Taio said it was "back to square one" for the company with just two ships supplying the northern and southern groups.

An inquiry was underway into how the 40-metre Moana Nui ended up on the Nassau reef last Thursday during a spate of rough weather.

A three-man insurance team has travelled to inspect the ship.

Mr Taio said the Moana Nui, which completed an epic delivery journey from Norway just last October, was to put an end to the outer islands going weeks without supplies.

The country welcomed a total of 146,473 visitors last year.

The leading market for tourists, New Zealand, was up 18 percent while the strongest growth was in visitors from Japan at 76 percent.

A study last year showed the need for the sector to change its approach and focus on having people staying longer and spending more.

Photo: 123rf A Cook Islands beach. 

Currently, purse seiners are not permitted to fish within 44km of any island, while the buffer zone for long liners is 22km for all islands except Rarotonga, which has a 44km buffer.

The Ministry of Marine Resources has said it is concerned that expanding buffer zones to 93km would have limited benefits.

It said in comparison a 44km buffer would provide sufficient conservation benefits without creating congestion in legal fishing areas or making it more difficult to monitor foreign fishing vessels.

The Cook Islands news reports the Ministry of Marine Resources believes a 24 nautical mile buffer zone for all commercial fishing vessels is the most beneficial option and will ensure long term sustainability of local fishing.

The MMR's Tim Costelloe briefed cabinet on the effectiveness of buffer zones to be considered under the new Marae Moana Bill.

Currently, purse seiners are not permitted to fish within 24nms of any island, while the buffer zone for longliners is 12 nm for all islands except Rarotonga, which has a 24nm zone.

Cook Islands News reports the Infrastructure Water Works Division has received a number of complaints about people swimming in restricted areas which store drinking water on Rarotonga.

The most recent complaint involved two tourists swimming in the Takuvaine water intake area.

The division manager, Wilson Rani, said signs clearly indicate swimming is banned and he is asking the public, including tourists and locals, to stop swimming at water intakes.

He said swimming could contaminate the water and cause serious health problems for people drinking it.

They said tap water in much of the Cook Islands comes straight from the mountains and with recent heavy rainfall it was possible it could be contaminated.

Health protection officer Charlie Ave said they have a simple message for friends visiting from across the Pacific.

"When they come here they boil the water and let it cool down before drinking, or otherwise we have UV treated water stations around the islands where they can get their water from, or buy it from the shop," said Charlie Ave.

They say the Cook Islands is currently free of mosquito-borne diseases such as Zika which are present in some neighbouring countries.

But a programme has been identifying properties with a variety of waste, animals present, and overflowing septic tanks, where mosquitoes could breed.

Tutaka programme co-ordinator Charlie Ave said the next step is to spray the sites as a precaution against the spread of disease.

The Green Climate Fund, a United Nations fund to help developing countries adapt to climate change, has granted the Cook Islands US$12 million to expand the main island's energy grid.

The announcement is the first of a series of projects, which will be led by the Asia Development Bank, to expand renewable energy around the Pacific.

The Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister's office, Elizabeth Wright-Koteka, said the current grid cannot handle the current uptake of renewable energy, and the expansion will help solve that.