Articles by Utopia Support

Ex cop: It's not working at the top

Monday 20 August 2012 | Published in Local

Former police senior sergeant Mona Ioane believes lack of police leadership has contributed to the spread of crimes committed by officers. The MP for Waitaka-Waipai-Tautu constituency in Aitutaki was a Cook Islands police officer for 22 years, leaving in 2008. ”When I was in the police force I never came across problems like this. Only […]

Maire's story impresses Oscar Kightley

Monday 20 August 2012 | Published in Features

Sione’s Wedding actor and writer Oscar Kightley sees potential in the Cook Islands’ very own Maire Brown. Kightley chose Brown as one of six finalists in a story contest being staged by New Zealand hip-hop artist Scribe. ‘Scribe With Us’ is a contest comprising four categories – song, story, poem and rap – that aims […]

Stepping into an alien universe

Monday 20 August 2012 | Published in Features

Akirata is a group whose age range stretches from 13 to 50. Our young people tell the story best giving their own honest impressions.Here is the first article from our youth on the road, Elsie Hosking, Akirata’s 13-year-old custom packer and musician: We are in Ostrava. There is a lot of people, over 300,000 and […]

2 more years of whinging

Monday 20 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Thanks to the Demo conference for making clear who I am not voting for in the next election. Congratulations Demos for picking a leader that has no problem cutting of the noses of his Tongareva people in order to spite the face of the Cook Islands. You have a leader who is not […]

It's amazing why tourists come

Monday 20 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, There are a lot of dogs in the Vaimaanga area now. A few weeks ago I started my walk and saw the Esther Honey director dumping a dog around the area. I asked him what he was doing and he said he was dropping off a dog who lives around the area. Funny […]

Kata - August 20, 2012

Monday 20 August 2012 | Published in Kata

Stars in Olympic limelight

Monday 20 August 2012 | Published in National

Members of Team Cook Islands with British actor Russell Brand during the closing ceremony of the London Olympics. This weekend was their turn to take centre stage as sprinters Patricia Taea (centre left) and Patrick Tuara (far left) as well as sailor Helema Williams (right) and weightlifter Luisa Peters (far right) were formally welcomed home […]

New-look vessel on the way

Monday 20 August 2012 | Published in National

STV Tiare Taporo departs Lunenburg, Nova Scotia, on September 15. Thus will begin a delivery voyage via the Caribbean through the Panama Canal and across the Pacific, which will end in the vessel’s arrival in Rarotonga. Berths for passengers and trainee crew are still available for purchase for legs from Curacao in the Netherlands Antilles […]

Simulators give seafarers confidence

Monday 20 August 2012 | Published in National

Computer simulators are being used to give Pacific trainee seafarers a ‘virtual’ feel for highly-skilled jobs, while minimising the risk of damage to a real ship. The training simulators can be programmed to suit different jobs on ships in areas such as navigation, the engine room, ship management, fuel operation and cargo handling. This is […]

Minerals flag flown in China

Monday 20 August 2012 | Published in National

As the senior advisor to minerals minister Tom Marsters, Paul Lynch was last month invited on a three-week junket to China to attend a seminar on mineral resources development and management, attended by delegates from Latin America, the Caribbean and the South Pacific. At the invitation of the Chinese government, Lynch and GIS specialist for […]

People helping people is 'humanitarian'

Monday 20 August 2012 | Published in National

”This year’s World Humanitarian Day presents an historic opportunity to bring together one billion people from around the world to advance a powerful and proactive idea: People Helping People.“ Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the United Nations Peter Muller is the regional disaster response advisor for the Pacific with the United Nations Office for the […]

Akirata perform proudly for Czechs

Monday 20 August 2012 | Published in National

Akirata have done themselves proud with their performances in the Czech Republic. The Rarotonga dance team’s first stop on the Czech tour was the city of Ostrava, only 10 kilometres from Poland. Akirata are performing alongside dance troupes from Croatia, Poland, Serbia, Denmark and the Czech Republic all with their own unique style of dance […]

Auckland councillor supports war veteran

Monday 20 August 2012 | Published in National

A councillor for New Zealand’s biggest city is throwing his support behind Rarotongan Bill Framhein, who despite having served in the New Zealand Army is not receiving a pension while living in the Cook Islands. Born in Rarotonga, Framhein was one of some 36 young Cook Islanders who were recruited by the New Zealand Army […]

Experts 'surprised' at climate change results

Saturday 18 August 2012 | Published in Environment

Two Australian climate change experts here to teach a training programme were surprised that a one-size-fits-all approach does not apply to Pacific Islands climate projections. Scientists John Clarke and Ron Hoeke from Australia’s national science agency CSIRO are in the Cooks this week for two reasons: to teach Meteorological Service staff how to use new […]

Forum flags flying

Saturday 18 August 2012 | Published in Local

The Forum flags have arrived. Cook Islands images – of marine life, a breaching whale, costumed dancers Matthew Pierre and Silas Tuaputa, and the view from a vaka – have been printed on larger-than-life-sized banners and flags, which will be positioned around Rarotonga and strung on 100 flagpoles. Banners will be stationed around the airport, […]

Quick visit by McCully

Saturday 18 August 2012 | Published in Local

New Zealand foreign minister Murray McCully made a quick visit to Rarotonga yesterday to meet with Prime Minister Henry Puna ahead of the Pacific Islands Forum. McCully entered the country without much fanfare, aboard a commercial Air New Zealand flight. (He has arrived via chartered jet or Air Force Orion in the past.) McCully leaves […]

500 pearls go missing

Saturday 18 August 2012 | Published in Local

It’s safe to say pearl farmer Temu Okotai’s faith in the police couldn’t dwindle any further. Questions surrounding the police force have arisen this week after two instances of police thievery were revealed in Cook Islands News. The first was the theft of around $9000 from the Bonny crime scene by then-24-year-old constable Davinia Webb. […]

The journey to Konitara Are Ta'unga

Saturday 18 August 2012 | Published in Features

It has been a journey of many years that has ended in the formation of Konitara Are Ta’unga, the Cook Islands Arts Council. The council has been formed by artists in the Cook Islands community, moving ahead through dedication and hard work, when government actions towards forming a council slowed. The role of the arts […]

Good luck in Tahiti

Saturday 18 August 2012 | Published in Features

‘Good luck in Tahiti’ was a passive sort of wish that many gave to Reuben Dearlove before he took on July’s Te Aito and last weekend’s Super Aito outrigger races. He valued the sentiment, but deep down, the 37-year-old Cook Islands champion paddler knows that luck has nothing to do with beating French Polynesia’s best […]

Stand up

Saturday 18 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, No matter which political party gets elected as the government, no matter who the prime minister is, no matter who the members of parliament are, no matter what they say, no matter what they do, and no matter where they go, through our democratic system there will always be those out in the […]