URGENT – UNFORESEEN NOTICE OF OFFICE CLOSURE

Date: 17 October 2025

Please be advised that the Office of the Ombudsman is closed today due to unforeseen road works outside the premises and a temporary water supply interruption.

For urgent matters, please contact:

  • Corporate Services Lead – 72897
  • Ombudsman – 55598

We can also be reached via our usual email contacts for any assistance.

Normal business operations will resume on Monday, 20 October 2025.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank you for your understanding.

Office of the Ombudsman

Celebrating 41 Years of the Ombudsman’s Office 🎉

What we did💡

On Friday, 26 September 2025, we celebrated a huge milestone – the 41st Anniversary of the Ombudsman’s Office! To mark the occasion, we hosted a special College Outreach Programme with senior students from across Rarotonga.

Why we did it 💡

Young people are the future of our country, and we wanted to give them an early introduction to what the Ombudsman does – helping keep government open, fair, and accountable. The outreach was all about showing students that making a complaint isn’t something negative – it’s actually a positive way to create change and improve services.

Who joined us 🙌

We were so excited to welcome:

  • Tereora College – 10 students + 1 teacher

  • Nukutere College – 4 students + 1 teacher

  • Papaaroa College – 4 students + 1 teacher

In total, 18 students and 3 teachers came along.
We were also honoured to have Hon. Mac Mokoroa, Minister of Education, Justice, Youth and Sports, who shared some inspiring words about the importance of the Ombudsman’s work.

Highlights from the day ✨

  • A warm welcome from the Ombudsman

  • Special remarks from Hon. Mac Mokoroa

  • An interactive session on “Who we are and what we do”

  • Group activities where students explored how complaints can be a tool for growth

  • Lots of questions, discussions, and great energy from the students!

What we achieved ✅

  • Students learned about fairness, transparency, and accountability

  • Teachers and students gave us great feedback on how relevant the session was

  • We celebrated 41 years of service in a way that invested in the next generation

This was more than just an anniversary – it was a chance to connect with youth, build awareness, and plant the seeds for a stronger culture of fairness and accountability in the Cook Islands. 🌱

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Ombudsman Niki Rattle meets with Ambassador Ard van der Vorst

During his recent visit to Rarotonga, Netherlands Ambassador Ard van der Vorst met with Ombudsman Niki Rattle to discuss the importance of strong oversight, transparency, and accountable governance in the Cook Islands.
The meeting highlighted the vital role of the Ombudsman’s Office as an independent institution safeguarding fairness, human rights, and trust in public administration.
We thank Ambassador van der Vorst for recognising the importance of this work and for his continued support towards strengthening good governance in the Pacific.
#Ombudsman #GoodGovernance #Transparency #Accountability #CookIslands #HumanRights