New head of Cook Islands Seabed Minerals Authority vows transparency, welcomes scrutiny
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The newly appointed Seabed Minerals Authority (SBMA) commissioner Beverly Stacey-Ataera says public trust and open dialogue will be at the centre of the Cook Is

![Seabed Minerals Authority commissioner Beverly Stacey-Ataera. [Photo: SBMA] Beverly Stacey-Ataera](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/seabed_mineral_authority_commissioner_copy.jpg?itok=OPg-B4XK)
!["I might get to have even more fun than the kids," said Amata. [photo: Asi Andrew Fa'asau] Amata and trick or treat kids](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/img_3718.jpg?itok=FNg-yUAX)
![The American Samoa women’s national team — comprised primarily of local high school students — last competed together during the 2023 Pacific Games held in Honiara, Solomon Islands. This year the ASFF is putting together a women’s national team for the OSC World Cup mainly comprising of US Nationals and players of American Samoan heritage based on the US mainland — in keeping with a growing trend of selecting off-island players to represent Pacific Island FIFA members in international competitions has significantly reshaped the soccer landscape across the region. [photo: Asi A. Fa'asau] The American Samoa women’s national team](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/3050.jpg.jpg?itok=RYeBDyeE)


![Mt. Alava Elementary School students and teachers are celebrating spirit week and wish you a safe and ‘spirited’ Halloween. Mt. Alava Elementary is located in Vatia near the two "Pola Islands". [Facebook photo] Mt. Alava Elementary School students and teachers](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/spirit_week.jpg?itok=7fEliM7X)


![The hīkoi protesting against the Treaty Principles Bill in Wellington in November 2024. [Photo: RNZ / Reece Baker] The hīkoi protesting against the Treaty Principles Bill in Wellington](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/wellington_protest_copy.jpg?itok=Fd0rhgp7)
![The system supports ASCCC’s Puipui Malu Manatu (Protect the Mind) Program, a collaborative research initiative on Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementia led in partnership with Dr. Jim Galvin from the University of Miami’s Comprehensive Center for Brain Health, along with partners at the University of Hawai‘i Cancer Center and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). The program offers free brain scans for Samoan adults aged 50 and older who volunteer to participate in the study. [SN file photo] new portable mri](https://samoanews.com/sites/default/files/styles/teaser/public/field/image/new_portable_mri_0.jpg?itok=E8Y-XHAo)