Articles by Utopia Support

Kata - July 10, 2012

Tuesday 10 July 2012 | Published in Kata

Business time on netball courts

Tuesday 10 July 2012 | Published in Netball

The first grand final of the netball season will take place tomorrow at the Telecom Sports Arena in Nikao. The open one and two grades will set the scene for the business end of the season with Avatiu going up against Arorangi in the open two grand finals. Titikaveka will meet Takuvaine in the open […]

$330,000 for VIP lounge upgrade

Tuesday 10 July 2012 | Published in National

The upgrade of the airport’s VIP lounge is continuing to make good progress. The $330,000 project was designed by Stephen+Turner Architects to ensure the senior dignitaries arriving for the Pacific Leaders Forum will not be crowded into a tiny lounge. The large coral wall that once hosted an outdoor smoking area is becoming part of […]

'Before us was an empty beach'

Tuesday 10 July 2012 | Published in National

Cook Islands vaka Marumaru Atua arrived at the Honiara Festival of Pacific Arts last week. In this blog update, voyager Alex Olah articulates his crew’s disappointment and sadness at the absence of a Cook Islands delegation in Honiara. He says the crew was broken-hearted and upset that they were the only vaka that wasn’t welcomed […]

Youth inspired to preserve culture

Tuesday 10 July 2012 | Published in National

Youth delegates from around the Pacific discussed heritage at a regional workshop held last week during the 11th Festival of Pacific Arts in Honiara. Entitled Youth Speak!, the main purpose of the workshop was ”to get young people’s views heard on the topics of culture, heritage and environment,“ said Tarisi Vunidilo, secretary general of the […]

New 'Foundations Act' explained

Tuesday 10 July 2012 | Published in National

A new service is now available for clients of the Cook Islands international financial services industry after the passing on Monday of the Foundations Act 2012. Foundations are the first new service available from the industry since the 2008 addition of Cook Islands Limited Liability Companies. Parliament requested an in-camera session with Financial Services Development […]

Student stands up for safety

Tuesday 10 July 2012 | Published in National

Nicknames like ‘hellboy’ do not faze Tereora College’s renowned helmet-wearing student. Laurence Paniani, who is in his final year at the college, says more needs to be done to ensure students wear helmets when riding their scooters. Rows of bikes are all assembled outside the college, but almost none of their riders wear helmets. While […]

Helmets crucial for kids

Tuesday 10 July 2012 | Published in National

Tereora College counsellor Thomas Wynne says more needs to be done to encourage children to wear helmets when riding scooters or motorbikes. A helmet convert himself – he is waiting for one to be imported from New Zealand – the counsellor says the three road deaths in two weeks should be prompting a change in […]

Group tackles weed problem

Tuesday 10 July 2012 | Published in National

The issue of biologically controlling common weeds will be discussed at a workshop today involving a group of plant control experts. Plant pathologist Sarah Dodd and weed ecologist Quentin Paynter of Landcare Research New Zealand have teamed up with entomologist Dr Maja Poeschko and Natural Heritage Trust director Gerald McCormarck and are presenting their findings […]

You wear a helmet first!

Tuesday 10 July 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals

”To those who say ‘wear the helmet’ why don’t you make the move and start wearing the helmet rather than wait for it to be a law?“ a smoke signaller writes. ”Then tell your kids, your parents and your friends to wear a helmet and see if they will before you start telling others to […]

Design starts on solar system

Monday 9 July 2012 | Published in Environment

An Australian design group is working to power part of the Northern Group using solar energy. Solar power systems will be developed on Rakahanga, Pukapuka and Nassau with US$4 million which Japan donated to the Pacific Environment Community (PEC) fund. A group of three designers from the Centre of Appropriate Technology (CAT) Projects, which won […]

Solid waste in the spotlight

Monday 9 July 2012 | Published in Environment

A committee has been given the go-ahead to find the solution to the Cook Islands’ solid waste problem. Minister of infrastructure and planning Teariki Heather set up the Waste Financing Committee in February to investigate possible options for long-term financing for solid waste management, and has now confirmed they can continue with their work. The […]

Pito mai Pukapuka

Monday 9 July 2012 | Published in Local

Tetio Kaisara Pa ki Tonga Ariki from the island of Pukapuka with a pito or rock from the northern group island with the islands motu and lagoon etched onto it. The Pukapuka chief joined his fellow chiefs for the inaugural Ra o te Ui Ariki held on Friday where chiefs presented a rock in remembrance […]

Burglary photo gives police clues

Monday 9 July 2012 | Published in Local

Police have been analysing a photo of a man carrying out a burglary at a Titikaveka resort last week, but have not yet arrested anyone over the incident. The photo, gained from a security camera at the resort, was published in CINews on Friday June 29. Inspector Tere Patia of the Cook Islands Police says […]

Rarotonga near full capacity

Monday 9 July 2012 | Published in Local

The Cook Islands tourism season is beginning its peak, and the tourism corporation says numbers are very high already. The tourist peak season in the Cooks is July to September, coinciding with the Southern Hemisphere’s winter. July last year saw tourist numbers at an all-time high for any month, with 13,619 visitors to the Cooks. […]

Burglaries up 50 percent this month

Monday 9 July 2012 | Published in Local

Burglaries in Rarotonga seem to be on the rise, with statistics showing home break-ins are up almost fifty percent since last month. There were 37 homes broken into around the island in June and 25 broken into in May. According to police, 37 is the second highest figure ever. In March this year 38 homes […]

Helmets are cool, being dead isn't!

Monday 9 July 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Over here on the ‘Big Island’ aka Australia, the wearing of helmets for both motorcyclists including scooter riders, and cyclists is compulsory. Why? Because put simply, they save lives. A little known fact is that a fall from a pushbike is akin to a force of 60G’s being exerted on the skull. An […]

Keep Punanga Nui Market 'honest'

Monday 9 July 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Can someone please from this Cook Islands Party government explain to the Punanga Nui Market vendors, hut owners, and the general public, why a chairwoman has been appointed to a ‘board’ and who used to be the Punanga Nui manager, who was also forced to leave before a particular audit report was handed […]

Drum gifts draw sound advice

Monday 9 July 2012 | Published in National

Thursday was a day of welcoming and one of well-wishes for the students at Nukutere College. A beautiful sunny day brought beams of smiles to the faces of the students at school with the gifting of a new pate (drum) set gifted by local maker William Vogel. It wasn’t long before smiles were replaced by […]

Greater awareness promoted

Monday 9 July 2012 | Published in National

Raising awareness for the needs of people with disabilities and promoting better networking between organisations were two key parts to a forum organised by the Cook Islands National Disability Council. The day-long event was held at the Sinai Hall in Taputapuatea and council coordinator Pat Farr says it was aimed at building on the Cook […]