Articles by Utopia Support

3 netball squads named

Monday 3 September 2012 | Published in Netball

Full on training now begins for the newly selected national netball age grade squads preparing for the inaugural Netball in Paradise Tournament in December. Final trials for the age grade squads were held on Friday night and Netball Cook Islands selectors spent the weekend picking players for the under 13, under 15 and under 17 […]

Arorangi jetty taking shape

Monday 3 September 2012 | Published in National

Work on the $2 million alternative cruise liner landing platform and jetty in Arorangi is well on track for completion in mid October. Funded by the New Zealand/Australia Harmonised Aid Programme – the project includes the building of a landing platform in the middle of the lagoon with a 65-metre jetty extending from the shore […]

Cooks commemorate Merchant Navy

Monday 3 September 2012 | Published in National

A service to recognise the efforts of the Merchant Navy during wartime will be held at the RSA clubrooms at 11am today. The Merchant Navy flag will be hoisted for the first time ever at the RSA. Merv Martin, an ex-fireman who served in the Merchant Navy from 1951 to 1965, explains the world is […]

Big fishing grant hooked by Mangaia

Monday 3 September 2012 | Published in National

The Mangaia Island Fishing Association (MIFA) has landed the big one – a $153,921 grant from the Japanese Government. Formally known as Grant Assistance for Grass-roots Human Security Projects (GGP), the funding will go towards completing the island’s training facility, which will be complete with cool storage facilities and will run from solar power. Funding […]

Leaders ignore Papuan rights abuses, call for observer status

Monday 3 September 2012 | Published in National

While calls from civil society organisations continued last week for Pacific leaders to grant observer status to West Papua amid fresh reports of human rights violations in the Indonesian-ruled Melanesian region, there was little interest in Forum circles. Vanuatu deputy prime minister Hamilson Lini told Pacific Scoop that while he supported the call by West […]

Call to clean up 'nuclear mess'

Monday 3 September 2012 | Published in National

Ahead of US secretary of state Hillary Clinton’s visit, Pacific Forum leaders called on her government to clean up its nuclear mess in the Marshall Islands. Clinton confirmed yesterday that her government has earmarked US$3.5 million in additional funding to clean up unexploded bombs and warheads in the region. In a Forum communiqu released on […]

Celebrity guest at Manuia Beach Resort

Monday 3 September 2012 | Published in National

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been the buzz on the island for the past week, where between official meetings and photo shoots the diplomat has also taken the time to pose with local and visiting admirers. Here she is pictured with management of Manuia Beach Resort Tom and Sue Vea along with Loren […]

US funding maritime surveillance

Monday 3 September 2012 | Published in National

Recognising nearly 70 years of the United States military’s involvement in the region, US secretary of state Hillary Clinton announced that her government would be earmarking funding for increased maritime surveillance in the Pacific. The United States first penetrated the region at the start of World War II, she said, and since then has kept […]

Japan hands over Te Kainga centre

Monday 3 September 2012 | Published in National

The Japanese government handed over a refurbished mental health respite facility to the Te Kainga O Pa Taunga Mental Health and Wellbeing Centre on Friday. Te Kainga received a grant of about $141,000 under Japan’s Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP), under which it was able to complete the project. This project is […]

Lynch new seabed minerals commissioner

Monday 3 September 2012 | Published in National

Local lawyer and ministerial advisor Paul Lynch has appointed to the position of seabed minerals commissioner. This was announced on Friday by deputy prime minister and minister for minerals and natural resources Tom Marsters. A selection panel short-listed applicants for the advertised position, and Marsters made the final decision pursuant to the Seabed Minerals Act […]

Looking after your own, not yourself

Monday 3 September 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals

A smoke signaller writes: “The Cook Islands and other Pacific nations are in a unique but potentially very profitable ‘meat-in-the-sandwich’ scenario between the competing regional interests of the USA and China – with both being played off against each other by various small Pacific nations intent on scoring hundreds of millions of dollars in hand-outs […]

$25m for climate change

Saturday 1 September 2012 | Published in Environment

The United States has pledged US$25 million over five years to alleviate the destructive impact of climate change on Pacific Island nations. US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said yesterday that her government understands the immediacy and urgency of the issue of climate change for the Pacific Islands. “We understand very well that many of […]

Kia Orana, Aunty Hillary!

Saturday 1 September 2012 | Published in Local

A strand of Cook Islands Avaiki black pearls will soon become one of the most photographed pieces of jewellery on the planet – as it will be worn by the globetrotting diplomat, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. The beautiful strand of pearls was gifted by Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna to commemorate Clinton’s […]

Hoopla and Hillary Altogether it's much more than the Forum – its value 'immeasurable'

Saturday 1 September 2012 | Published in Features

To refer to the past week as the biggest and busiest of the year would be grossly understating the Forum hype and hoopla that Rarotonga is going to spend September recovering from. The Forum was an occasion of whirlwind proportions for those directly involved – in the newsroom we abandoned all trappings of our extracurricular […]

Kata - September 1, 2012

Saturday 1 September 2012 | Published in Kata

Training call for parliamentarians

Saturday 1 September 2012 | Published in National

A training run has been called for players intending to be part of the Cook Islands parliamentarian team taking on their visiting New Zealand counterparts next Wednesday. The visiting Kiwi team will also be bringing with them the Parliamentarian Rugby World Cup – the third world cup to tour Rarotonga this year. The training run […]

American Samoa bans shark fishing

Saturday 1 September 2012 | Published in National

American Samoa has reiterated the cultural importance of sharks by signing an executive order that will ensure the safety of all sharks in its waters is adhered to. Governor Togiola T.A. Tulafono signed the document that will ensure commercial fishers who accidentally catch sharks will be forced to simply throw them back into the water. […]

Golden Tuna shipment unveiled

Saturday 1 September 2012 | Published in National

The future of the Cook Islands’ canned tuna industry has a golden look to it after the first shipment of local tuna to be labelled under the Golden Tuna brand was unveiled yesterday. It is expected that as much as 500 tonnes of fish will be shipped from Rarotonga every month, though this could very […]

World Bank leads oceans investment

Saturday 1 September 2012 | Published in National

The World Bank yesterday announced plans for a Pacific Islands ocean investment package to be supported by a number of partners from the Global Partnership for Oceans (GPO). The GPO is a coalition of more than 120 countries and organisations, including the World Bank, that has come together to improve the health of the world’s […]

'No strings' to Chinese aid

Saturday 1 September 2012 | Published in National

The Chinese government denies it has any ulterior motives in providing no-strings-attached aid to Pacific countries. In an interview with local and New Zealand media on Thursday night, Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Cui Tiankai said China is “not motivated by any self-centred grand strategy of (its) own” but by a “genuine desire to […]