Articles by Utopia Support

Breast screening services improve with new radiography equipment

Wednesday 22 August 2012 | Published in National

Mammography breast screening is well underway at Rarotonga Hospital, with busy clinics running at present. Australian radiographers Janine O’Neill and Sheila Douglas are screening patients this week, alongside a local team from the hospital. Both O’Neill and Douglas praised the new digital radiography equipment that was recently installed at Rarotonga Hospital, saying it has improved […]

Manukau hosts Pa Ariki

Wednesday 22 August 2012 | Published in National

Cook Islands staff from Counties Manukau (Bernard Tairea, Nora Mateariki, Stefan Mateariki) and honorary Cook Islanders Annette Cooper and Saiselu Faaitiiti hosted a lunch and provided entertainment to end the week of celebrations for the Cook Islands Language Week. The Counties Manukau staff came together for a Cook Islands turou (welcome), and welcomed a very […]

Akono te mango: Protect our sharks

Wednesday 22 August 2012 | Published in National

AKONO TE MANGO: This is the plea Miss Cook Islands Teuira Napa is making to her people. Napa has joined the movement of local people supporting the creation of a shark sanctuary, which will effectively ban shark finning in Cook Islands waters. Pacific Islands Conservation Initiative (PICI) got the ball rolling last year, and the […]

Men hospitalised in unprovoked bar attack

Wednesday 22 August 2012 | Published in National

A German visitor and his local friend were beaten up so severely they both needed hospitalisation in an unprovoked attack in a popular downtown nightclub last Friday evening. The young German visitor, in the Cooks with his girlfriend for work experience in the tourism industry, was attacked by a group of local men in Rehab […]

Police steal money, jewellery in raid

Wednesday 22 August 2012 | Published in National

Chris and Akisi Mussell just want their money returned and the police officers who stole it apprehended. On May 31 last year, around eight police officers searched the Mussells’ house and business – Waterline Bar and Grill –as part of the Operation Eagle drug raids. The police found no evidence the couple were involved, but […]

Public still paying for joyrides

Wednesday 22 August 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals

”A couple of months ago,“ a smoke signaller writes, ”the Public Service Commissioner came down hard on public servants misusing motor vehicles. Well, all that talk has done nothing, commissioner. The same practice of the misuse of motor vehicles is going on within government. Public funds paying for free fuel for these joy riders is […]

Clarifications

Tuesday 21 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Just a few clarifications to two articles which have appeared over the past week. 1) Regarding Friday August 17’s article reference to the late Peto Nicholas being a member of the team which beat the Italian national rugby side, that game was played in 1980 – not in 1981. 2) Re the article […]

Kata - August 21, 2012

Tuesday 21 August 2012 | Published in Kata

Call for Netball in Paradise players

Tuesday 21 August 2012 | Published in Netball

With 21 netball teams set to descend on Rarotonga in December for the inaugural Netball in Paradise Tournament – there is a call to all under 15 and 17 netball players to gather for training and trials. The Netball in Paradise tournament, which starts on December 3 and wraps up on the 6th includes under […]

Netball prepares for 2 big tournaments

Tuesday 21 August 2012 | Published in Netball

The club netball season might be over but it’s back to the courts for local players with two major tournaments scheduled for October and December. National netball teams from Scotland and Wales are heading to Rarotonga in October to play in a five game tri-series against the Cooks. The Scotland and Wales trip to Rarotonga […]

Hotels save on power bills

Tuesday 21 August 2012 | Published in National

The prime minister’s office Renewable Energy Development Division recently called for interested accommodation owners to help them implement the next step of a programme to increase energy efficiency. The Renewable Energy Development Division (REDD) is working on the regional programme with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Australian government. Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Tonga […]

'Extreme' pig hunt in Atiu

Tuesday 21 August 2012 | Published in National

An extreme fisherman well-known for leaping out of helicopters onto unsuspecting marlin and hooking sharks from his surfboard has been in the Cooks to film his fishing show. Matt Watson of the ITM Fishing Show says he had such a good time filming in the Cooks last week that it felt like a holiday. After […]

Marumaru Atua in Lautoka

Tuesday 21 August 2012 | Published in National

Cook Islands vaka Marumaru Atua is currently in Vuda Marina in Lautoka, Fiji, together with sister vaka Uto ni Yalo (Fiji) and Hine Moana (pan-Pacific). All three will be departing for Tonga next week, where they will do some filming for a Oceanic Nature Film Productions documentary. Marumaru Atua is expected to depart Tonga for […]

Tossi the cat missing from pet clinic

Tuesday 21 August 2012 | Published in National

Has anyone seen this missing cat? Tossi escaped from the Esther Honey Animal Clinic last week. ”It is extremely regrettable whenever an animal escapes and we make efforts to prevent it, but sometimes there is nothing we can do,“ says clinic director Gregg Young. ”We ask for everyone to be on the watch for Tossi.“ […]

New Creative Centre van 'a gift from God'

Tuesday 21 August 2012 | Published in National

A grateful Creative Centre has thanked the community for its help after a new Jinbei van was formally blessed and handed over yesterday afternoon. The blessing marks the end of a two-year wait for a new van that started with the Red Cross trying to find ways of helping the centre buy a new mode […]

Funding for care services on 4 islands

Tuesday 21 August 2012 | Published in National

Elderly and disability centres on four islands have benefitted from a partnership between the Asian Development Bank and government. Government announced the partnership with the ADB to the tune of $167,000 to ensure the quality of life for the elderly and the disabled is improved. Service providers in Rarotonga, Mauke, Mangaia and Atiu were successful […]

Te Tika sells quicker than expected

Tuesday 21 August 2012 | Published in National

The new premium skincare range made with Cook Islands plants is selling so well the stockists had to reorder stock just a few days after the launch. CITC Pharmacy manager Shannon Saunders says the bio-active Te Tika range was launched on August 9 and sold so well they had to reorder stock two days later. […]

Park land or more huts on waterfront?

Tuesday 21 August 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals

A smoke signaller asks: ”Can someone in government please assure the public that the new land being created at Punanga Nui is not going to be covered with plywood shacks to spoil what is one of the most pleasant waterfront vistas anywhere?“ SS: That’s a very good question. Every town needs safe, open park spaces. […]

Toa fuel depot gains approval

Monday 20 August 2012 | Published in Environment

The Rarotonga Environment Authority has granted Toa Petroleum clearance to build its fuel depot at Nikao, and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Planning has approved its construction plans. On Wednesday Toa learned its environmental management plan had been ratified, and yesterday it received official confirmation that its building plans passed the test. Construction of the […]

Wealthy females love the Cook Islands

Monday 20 August 2012 | Published in Local

The preliminary results from a new programme of surveys will shed some light on the spending habits and general movements of tourists in the Cook Islands. So far the results show the average holiday-maker stays in the Cooks 8.2 days and spends $140 per day. On this estimate each visitor brings just over $1900 to […]