Australia Hosts Traditional Knowledge Tour in Cook Islands
Two Australian First Nations experts join Cook Islands scientists and community leaders in a knowledge-exchange program in Rarotonga.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Australia and New Zealand
The Australian High Commission hosted a Traditional Ecological Knowledge tour in the Cook Islands as part of the Australia now: Pacific edition initiative. The tour brings together two Australian First Nations experts with Cook Islands scientists, educators, government representatives, community leaders and traditional knowledge holders.
Why it matters
The exchange aims to strengthen practical cooperation on climate resilience, food security and sustainable management of lands and seas. It also focuses on how Indigenous and traditional knowledge systems can inform environmental decision-making alongside contemporary science.
The tour pairs two Australian First Nations experts with Cook Islands participants across scientific, educational, governmental and community roles. No outcomes or measured results from the engagements have been published yet.
The players
Dr Mitchell Gibbs
Dr Mitchell Gibbs is an award-winning scientist and environmental expert who is a postdoctoral researcher in geosciences at the University of Sydney.
Tiahni Adamson
Tiahni Adamson is a wildlife conservation biologist and National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Engagement Manager at Bush Heritage Australia, and was South Australia's 2024 Young Australian of the Year.
Captain Deon Wong
Captain Deon Wong leads the Cook Islands traditional voyaging canoe Marumaru Atua and participated in the 22nd International Congress of Maritime Museums in Australia.
The details
The program includes engagements with Kōrero o te 'Ōrau, Ocean Toa Cook Islands, the Cook Islands National Environment Service, Marae Moana, Te Puna Vai Marama, and Gallery Tavioni and Vananga. Local organisations are sharing approaches to ocean stewardship, biodiversity conservation and the intergenerational transmission of traditional knowledge.
Timeline
Article on the Rarotonga tour published November 4, 2026.
Roadmap
The tour sits within the Australia now: Pacific edition initiative, which uses cultural and knowledge exchanges to deepen ties across the Pacific. It follows the pattern of bringing Indigenous Australian expertise into Pacific environmental and community work.
Travelers to the Cook Islands can look for community-led ocean and cultural programs during visits. Engagements are hosted with local organisations, so visitors interested in these topics may find opportunities through the organisations named in the program.
The takeaway
Knowledge exchanges like this one show how Indigenous and local expertise can sit alongside modern science in protecting coastlines and food systems. Travelers who visit Pacific islands can learn more by engaging with community-led programs when they are available.
Further reading
For more on the region, see our Australia and New Zealand travel coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Cook Islands News.
