Articles by Utopia Support

Forum is a wonderful opportunity

Saturday 18 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I read with interest two items in Friday’s paper (August 17) critical of two aspects of the preparations for the 43rd Pacific Leaders Forum being held here later in the month. The first was about a motorcade rehearsal held on Wednesday August 15 after 4pm, and the second about the perceived cost of […]

Kata - August 18, 2012

Saturday 18 August 2012 | Published in Kata

UNESCO approves 2 proposals

Saturday 18 August 2012 | Published in National

The UNESCO National Commission of the Cook Islands has received notification from the UNESCO head office that two of its proposals, submitted under the participation programme for the 2012-2013 biennium, have been approved. The sum of US$25,000 has been approved for the digitisation of the audio-visual collections of the national archives, and this project will […]

Cooks making international headlines

Saturday 18 August 2012 | Published in National

Hillary Clinton’s ”rumoured“ visit to the Cook Islands has flung the country into the international spotlight. The Cook Islands made headlines this week for being what an Associated Press writer called ”almost too small for Hillary Clinton“. At this point Clinton’s office has not confirmed that the secretary of state will be flying to Rarotonga, […]

Reclamation project awaits final material

Saturday 18 August 2012 | Published in National

Avatiu port land reclamation project designer George Cowan is still aiming for completion of reclamation by October, as the cyclone season looms. The designer, who works independently from the Ministry of Infrastructure and Planning (MOIP), said they were hoping to finish the entire project by November as the reclamation plan was waiting on the final […]

Harbour dredging all done

Saturday 18 August 2012 | Published in National

Dredging of the Avatiu port has been completed, meaning the hardest worker of the bunch is about to head home to New Zealand. Around 73,000 cubic metres of underwater materials have been dredged at the site and have since been shipped to either the Punanga Nui markplace as a part of the land reclamation project […]

PM explains shipping 'complication'

Saturday 18 August 2012 | Published in National

Prime Minister Henry Puna has emphasised he has no personal or business-related cargo in a one-page statement. A fact sheet was released by Prime Minister Henry Puna and gave a breakdown of ”salient facts“ as confirmed by culture secretary Sonny Williams, who was in charge of the departure of the Lady Naomi on Saturday. Thirteen […]

Police minister checks out with police chief

Saturday 18 August 2012 | Published in National

Minister of Police Teariki Heather left the country yesterday morning to attend the Pacific Chiefs of Police conference in the Solomon Islands. Police commissioner Maara Tetava accompanied him. The two may be glad to escape the heat from yesterday’s news of money and property being stolen from the police safe by sworn officers. Cash to […]

What a sorry state we're in

Saturday 18 August 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals

”Wow, this police corruption saga just gets worse!“ a smoke signaller writes. ”And in my opinion the Crown Law Office and the legal fraternity are accomplices in the cover-up. How on earth do they all justify keeping this a secret? The public has a right to know that systemic corruption and dishonesty are ingrained within […]

Getting unstuck in my future

Friday 17 August 2012 | Published in Church Talk

Today I’m going to begin with a question. Are you worried about your future? A survey which asked this question showed that 81% of those who responded said ”yes, I’m worried about my future.“ One person simply said, ”I’m very worried and try not to even think about my future.“ Another one said, ”I worry […]

Tepuka sewerage problem solved

Friday 17 August 2012 | Published in Environment

No longer do Tereora College students have to endure the stench of untreated sewage wafting from tanks positioned at their school’s entrance. For over a decade the Tepuka wastewater plant has been under-performing, to put it politely, but this week the Ministry of Infrastructure and Planning (MOIP) introduces an updated secondary treatment system, installed by […]

PM's office goes solar

Friday 17 August 2012 | Published in Environment

The prime minister’s office has now been converted to solar power. Eighty solar panels were installed on Prime Minister Henry Puna’s office roof by local company Andersons Ltd. The official handover ceremony was on Monday morning. The initial work started in June, when the workers began to put down the cabling and rails in preparation […]

Judge Judy appointed

Friday 17 August 2012 | Published in Local

The High Court of the Cook Islands has a new judge. Justice Judith Potter has been appointed as a judge of the High Court, with her warrant starting on September 1, which post-dates her retirement as a judge of the New Zealand High Court. She will be the second woman appointed to the role, Justice […]

New police scandal:

Friday 17 August 2012 | Published in Local

Cook Islands Police are embroiled in yet another scandal involving officers stealing money. Commissioner Maara Tetava has confirmed that cash to a value of between $10,000 and $20,000 – along with other property – has gone missing from the national police headquarters. Tetava will not reveal how many are suspected of being involved as the […]

Maori entertainer returns for fundraiser concert

Friday 17 August 2012 | Published in Features

Prominent Maori entertainer Leon Wharekura is returning to Rarotonga to help raise funds for the local Aotearoa Society of Rarotonga. The Tainui singer’s arrival comes after the release of his second album, ChameLEON, in July. Where his first album that was simply titled ‘It’s a Love Thing’ featured a majority of covers, the second album […]

Get back the dogcatcher

Friday 17 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Once upon a time in Raro there was a dogcatcher, causing quite some controversy and discussions about how to deal with Raro’s dog problem. I envy this time, because at least there was widespread agreement that we have a problem with too many dogs roaming around our roads. At least this is the […]

Import tax too much

Friday 17 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Aunty June is right. The 75% import tax on soft drinks is ridiculous. The government is telling us that the tax is for health reasons to discourage people from drinking soft drinks. If health issues are the reason for the increased taxes, why are there no duties on unhealthy food items, and why […]

No way I'm terminating Sky

Friday 17 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Firstly my sincere thank you maata Cook Islands News for highlighting my concern regarding the Sky Television problem. Mr Walker, I have been to your office twice to talk about our Sky TV reception problem with the recent problem indicating on the screen NO SIGNAL or BAD CHANNEL which started last Friday night […]

'You can't make ika mata without slicing fish'

Friday 17 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I am staggered by the credulity of your report on the Democratic Party Conference and the remarks attributed to new leader Wilkie Rasmussen that ‘I have not resigned from the Cook Islands Party’. This man is making false statements and it does concern me and should concern a lot of other people. If […]

Hydroponic first in Atiu

Friday 17 August 2012 | Published in National

Atiu is reaping the benefits of the island’s first hydroponics scheme. With help from the Business Trade and Investment Board (BTIB) board director Ngaakitai Taria, Timau and Ngametua Mokoroa are the owners of the facility that aims to reduce imports to the island and boost the local economy. The impressive structure houses hydroponic lettuces, with […]