Divers clutch wooden spears as they plunge beneath the waves, hunting hordes of hungry starfish destroying the coral reefs ...

Below the waters of the Cook Islands, population 15,000, lie minerals used to power electric cars. Extracting them could bring riches, but many say it’s a bad idea.

Prime Minister of the Cook Islands Mark Brown speaks during a summit with Pacific Island nation leaders hosted by U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington, U.S., September 25, 2023.

The Cook Islands, a group of 15 small islands in the Pacific Ocean, have been closely tied to New Zealand for decades. Crumbling Partnership in the Pacific Though the Cook Islands govern their own ...