Transport Regulation Update: Rarotonga’s new locally built ride-hailing app, Smartie Rides, is launching with upfront pricing—but it’s also highlighting a rules gap. The Cook Islands’ Transport Licensing Act dates to 1967 and doesn’t clearly cover vehicle-sharing services like Uber-style platforms, with policy calling for an update to create a licensing framework. Deep-Sea Resources & China Links: Twenty-three Cook Islanders have returned from a 10-day China–Cook Islands training programme on deep-sea resource management in Hangzhou and Changsha, coordinated with the Cook Islands Seabed Minerals Authority under a Blue Partnership MOU. Cost of Living & Housing: Prime Minister Mark Brown says the incoming Cook Islands Party government will prioritise cost of living and housing in its first 100 days, including a cost-of-living review focused on practical relief for families. Climate Finance Push: Brown is urging the Asian Development Bank to make climate resilience funding easier to access and to be lenient on debt servicing for small, highly exposed economies like the Cook Islands. Security & Crime: Australia’s new “Pacific drugs highway” plan targets cocaine traffickers using island routes, with reports noting cocaine found on a Cook Islands reef in July. Governance & Power Sector: Cook Islands Investment Corporation announces leadership changes at Te Aponga Uira, including new board directors and a deputy chair appointment to strengthen governance for electricity services. Community Impact: Volunteers are holding a working bee at Nikao Cemetery after vandalism damaged graves of First World War veterans and others, with police saying they have a continuing lead.