Articles by Utopia Support

Campaign planned for suicide prevention

Friday 7 September 2012 | Published in National

This year the Cook Islands’ approach to World Suicide Prevention Day will be triple-pronged. The combined Te Kainga, Te Marae Ora, and Internal Affairs suicide prevention awareness steering committee is pitching in to spread the word about suicide and galvanise people into combating it. Monday September 10 marks the 10-year anniversary of World Suicide Prevention […]

Teacher studies in NZ

Friday 7 September 2012 | Published in National

Not all teachers were relaxing during the recent school holidays. Tereora College assistant principal Vae Papatua, spent the second week of the school holidays in New Zealand attending seminars run by the Global Connections Foundation. The foundation organises seminars around the world, to encourage school leaders to develop global consciousness and promote international co-operation in […]

Teachers trip to NZ

Friday 7 September 2012 | Published in National

Expanding their knowledge and their horizons was all part of a recent overseas trip by a group of teachers from Papaaroa Adventist College. All seven teachers from the school travelled to New Zealand for two weeks last term, and spent time both in the classroom, and also attending an Adventist schools retreat in Waikanae. Teachers […]

British student teaches and writes

Friday 7 September 2012 | Published in National

She went to Rakahanga with the intention of writing her Master’s thesis – but marine environmentalist student Gemma Galbraith has instead left the Cook Islands having written a children’s book. Galbraith left on Sunday for her native England but not before meeting with Ministry of Education representative Brendon Fiebig to discuss her newly-created educational resource, […]

Traffic lights for Tereora College

Friday 7 September 2012 | Published in National

Tereora College’s traffic lights are back in action this year. But these ‘traffic lights’ are not standing outside the college gates – they are to indicate to year 11, 12 and 13 students and their parents where they stand academically. Each student has been assigned a colour – red, orange or green – based on […]

2013 an exciting year at Tereora

Friday 7 September 2012 | Published in National

New learning centres, new courses and new computers are just part of what Tereora College has to offer students for 2013. The new options for students are all part of the school’s three-year strategic plan, says principal Bali Haque, which has highlighted three main goals for the school – to improve literacy, increase student motivation […]

Literacy volunteers busy in Rarotonga

Friday 7 September 2012 | Published in National

While International Literacy Day may be celebrated only once a year, volunteers across Rarotonga are working to promote literacy every week. Much of the work on literacy goes unnoticed by many, but for many children it is the gateway to a love of reading and education. Part of this is the ongoing work by Sister […]

New programme to enhance Manihiki pearl farming

Friday 7 September 2012 | Published in National

The Ministry of Marine Resources (MMR) has joined forces with the Grand Observatoire du Pacifique Sud (GOPS) to enhance the Manihiki black pearl lagoon monitoring programme. Dr Serge Andrefout from the Institute of Research Development (IRD) in Noumea is in Rarotonga this week training local marine biologist Georgia Langdon. In-situ temperature sensors and pressure sensors […]

Free filling

Friday 7 September 2012 | Published in National

Whether it’s helping fill back road access lanes, levelling holes on people’s properties or even using it to form the foundations of a house, the dredged material from Avatiu port is making its way back into the community. A significant amount of fill from the recently-completed dredging project has been stored at a site in […]

George Maggie is angry over lay-offs

Friday 7 September 2012 | Published in National

The ‘action man’ George Maggie is angry – angry that five men lost their jobs recently from the the Cook Islands Investment Corporation without an explanation. The Tupapa member of parliament and assistant minister for CIIC is outraged that government workers have been laid off work despite both Prime Minister Henry Puna and minister of […]

Thoughts on island life

Friday 7 September 2012 | Published in National

Rose Dunn is the wife of Dr John Dunn, an endoscopic surgeon who spends a week of his annual leave working at Rarotonga Hospital. Dr Dunn left the island last week but his wife is here until Sunday. In this penned memoir she describes just what she has been getting up to during her time […]

5 workers laid off, CIWA complains

Thursday 6 September 2012 | Published in Local

While minister of finance Mark Brown is adamant that the government’s policy on no downsizing of staff still stands, five maintenance workers from the Cook Islands Investment Corporation claim their positions with the corporation have been terminated. The five men have taken their case to the Cook Islands Workers Association and informed association president Anthony […]

'Culture of excessive spending' slammed

Thursday 6 September 2012 | Published in Local

Opposition leader Wilkie Rasmussen wants the “culture of excessive spending” to end. Rasmussen has taken issue with Cabinet ministers and their support staff travelling to Aitutaki last week, and to Atiu this week. “The opposition is questioning the logic and seeks explanations as to why the government feels it has to travel first of all […]

What's the Forum booze bill?

Thursday 6 September 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

A smoke signaller writes: “Now that the Forum is finally over, could the government show the taxpayers of this country the final booze and food bill paid to entertain all the overseas and local guests who lavished every night here and in Aitutaki. Looking at Monday’s front page photo ‘Forum dance off’ shows that most […]

Be the paradise we are proud of

Thursday 6 September 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, As a crew member aboard Vaka Marumaru Atua, I have seen and experienced terrible crimes against nature as we voyaged across our Pacific Ocean carrying our Cook Islands legacy. Manmade plastics and pollution choking our oceans; unsustainable and indiscriminate fishing pillaging our sea stocks; cruel and wasteful shark finning….and worst of all….we have […]

'Slack' hospital service answered

Thursday 6 September 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, After becoming ill with chest pains in the early hours of the morning was unable to contact 999 hospital ambulance, due to the network being down between 1am to 5am. My husband had to go and borrow a car. After arriving at hospital reception, managed to locate a nurse after five phone calls […]

Salute to America

Thursday 6 September 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, As an New Zealand ex-merchant seaman I wish to sincerely thank the Cook Islands RSA for hosting a Merchant Navy Day commemoration service on September 3. Thirty-five people attended, mostly ex-servicemen. Unfortunately a local ex-Russian convoy seafarer Bob Sells could not attend owing to ill health. There was a very interesting group at […]

Government riding on Demo projects

Thursday 6 September 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, The reaction by the Minister of Finance by labeling my comments about his Government borrowing $32 million from the Chinese Government as “emotional outburst” is somewhat smug. My comments were not against the water project as he said but I was seeking clarification as to the details of the loan that this country […]

George slags editor and cartoonist

Thursday 6 September 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I write to reply to the anonymous letter writer under the pseudonym ‘100% disgusted’ in yesterday’s newspaper, because of his cowardice, I shall simply refer to him as “Mr Bum”. For Mr Bum’s information, I have had $82,000 cash taken off me last year by the Tax Department, I have $209 deducted from […]

Kata - September 6, 2012

Thursday 6 September 2012 | Published in Kata