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This review covers the two-year period from July 2020 to June 2022, which featured COVID-19, corruption, and controversy. COVID-19 dominated the Cook Islands during the review period. After being on [...]

While the Pacific region stands at the forefront of climate change related impacts, we need to hear from those most affected especially in terms of the mental health and wellbeing impacts for our Pacific communities. This exploratory study is led and carried out by Pacific and Indigenous researchers with Pacific peoples and seeks to place Pacific voices front and centre of its practice and analysis. This multi-country study was undertaken with Pacific experts and knowledge holders in Aotearoa New Zealand, the Cook Islands and Niuē. This paper foregrounds Pacific perspectives, and considers how western concepts, such as eco- and climate anxiety, can be best applied to understand the mental distress of climate change for Pacific peoples. We demonstrate that there is a deep interconnection between climate change and mental health and wellbeing, and the impacts of this link has been cultural nuanced and defined by and for Pacific peoples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impacts of climate change in the Pacific are far reaching and include effects on mental health and wellbeing. Pacific concepts around the interrelation of these global giants are yet to be described. The aim of this study was to seek consensus amongst Pacific mental health and/or climate change experts on key principles underpinning mental health and wellbeing, and climate change, and the intersection of the two, for Pacific peoples. The Delphi method included forming a panel of 70 experts. Two rounds of online questionnaires sought their views on mental health and wellbeing, and climate change and the impact upon Pacific peoples. Of the panel 86% identified with one or more Pacific ethnicities. Six themes emerged, 92% of items reached consensus and 36% reached strong consensus of >95%. Recurring subthemes included culture and spirituality, family and community, connection to ancestors, connection to the environment, resilience, disasters, livelihoods, government, education, workforce, migration and stigma. This is the first time these concepts have been explored and described for, and by Pacific peoples in this format. It is a necessary first step towards development of responses in preparedness of mental health services, in the Pacific region, and Aotearoa New Zealand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the 49th year of Cook Islands 'self-governing' in free association with New Zealand, the period under review has been characterized by a number of political ups and downs, culminating [...]

Caption: Prometheus (2012). Photo by Klaus Rudolph. Stage, costumes, and direction by Lemi Ponifasio; composition by Carl Orff; musical arrangement by Peter Rundel; sound design by Norbert Ommer; light by [...]