Articles by Utopia Support

Vaka heading for the Tuamotus

Friday 13 April 2012 | Published in National

Alex Olah reports from Marumaru Atua as the ocean-going vaka sails toward French Polynesia. Kia orana kotou katoatoa on a wet and windy Easter Sunday morning here on Marumaru Atua. It has been a good week of sailing for us since our last correspondence with nice steady winds of approximately 15 knots. This has kept […]

Vaka fleet will sail into Aitutaki

Friday 13 April 2012 | Published in National

Aitutaki is preparing for the ceremonial arrival of the seven voyaging canoes in mid-May. Currently six vaka – including Cook Islands vaka Marumaru Atua – are crossing the Pacific, en route from the Galapagos and headed for the Tuamotus. There they will meet up with Tahitian sister vaka Faafaite, somewhere around April 18. As of […]

Pukapuka project celebrated in style

Friday 13 April 2012 | Published in National

The Pukapuka cyclone shelter project is a model example of how a developed and a developing nation can work together to the benefit of both parties, according to the European Union’s Pacific charge d’affaires Adam Janssen. Janssen visited Pukapuka this week alongside Prime Minister Henry Puna and five others in a whirlwind trip to officially […]

Fiji flood appeal today

Friday 13 April 2012 | Published in National

Temo Sukanaivalu of the Cook Islands Fiji Community holds up an example of the t-shirts that will go on sale this weekend to raise funds for those affected by floods in Fiji. A radiothon will start at 12pm today and run till 5 o’clock where members of the community can pledge donations to the fundraiser […]

New 'mat' rolls out

Friday 13 April 2012 | Published in National

The smooth, asphalt-sealed welcoming mat to the country is beginning to be rolled out at Nikao. Motorists passing by or accessing the Rarotonga International Airport will notice a change in the road surface leading west from the airport entrance. Already widened and covered with a new surface between Nikao and Panama, the main road at […]

Harbour dredging will feed reclamation

Friday 13 April 2012 | Published in National

Dredging machinery is due to set sail for Rarotonga from New Zealand next week to jointly launch the Avatiu harbour redevelopment project into its final stage and provide material for the Punanga Nui land reclamation project. The dredge will leave for the Cook Islands on Thursday, April 19, and is expected to reach Rarotonga about […]

'No decisions'

Friday 13 April 2012 | Published in National

Government late yesterday confirmed that it is proposing increases in airport charges and departure tax. A curt media statement by Prime Minister Henry Puna said that no decisions have been made with regard to the airport departure fees or airline industry aeronautical charges. Described as a comment on media speculation, the statement quoted Puna as […]

New charges 'not in interest of country'

Friday 13 April 2012 | Published in National

Any increase to domestic airfares in the Cook Islands caused by an increase to airport charges at Rarotonga would be a major concern for the people of the pa enua, Aitutaki tourism operator Michael Henry says. Henry said the tourism industry of the outer islands was still struggling to pull people away from Rarotonga despite […]

Departure tax increase 'up for discussion'

Friday 13 April 2012 | Published in National

Travellers leaving Rarotonga can expect to pay more in departure tax by year’s end as government considers introducing a tax increase. Cook Islands News understands the government is considering an increase of $15 to the departure tax, bringing it to $70 in total, but there is speculation that the tax could increase up to $80. […]

Inland, not coast, for tank farms

Friday 13 April 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals

“If someone were to propose putting a fuel tank farm on a coastline in New Zealand or Australia, where there was any chance of sea surge, the chance of consents being given are a bit less than zero,” a smoke signaller writes. “Why on earth would we make that mistake again here on Rarotonga? We […]

Leaders still worried by mining impacts

Thursday 12 April 2012 | Published in Environment

Environmental concerns and the unknown impacts of deep sea mining are two major issues causing unease among the Cook Islands’ traditional leaders, who gathered in Avarua yesterday to join a Secretariat of the Pacific Community workshop discussing the undeveloped industry. The aptitude of Pacific nations and territories in regulating deep sea mining in their oceans […]

George scoffs at rival

Thursday 12 April 2012 | Published in Local

Teenui-Mapumai Member of Parliament Norman George says Taoro Brown should “focus on being a good mayor for Atiu” and abandon his political aspirations. Recently the Teenui-Mapumai camp of the Cook Islands Party (CIP) staged a run-off, during which it elected Brown the unofficial CIP candidate for the 2014 election. Brown told Cook Islands News his […]

Toa moves before EIA

Thursday 12 April 2012 | Published in Local

Toa Petroleum will not be constructing its new depot in Nikao until it is authorised to do so by the Rarotonga Environment Authority, promises director Brett Porter. An environmental impact assessment (EIA) report was published at the weekend for public viewing, and until May 7 the community has the opportunity to make written objections to […]

Honesty earns praise

Thursday 12 April 2012 | Published in Local

Nikao Primary School student Ngariki Katuke has given renowned cameraman Richard Wollocombe a reason to smile, and an appreciation for the honesty and goodness of the Cook Islands people. Wollocombe, who has worked for the British Broadcasting Corporation on such acclaimed television series as ‘Blue Planet’, was in Rarotonga last month with a Conservation International […]

It's tree butchering!

Thursday 12 April 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I just wanted to lend my full support to the letter writer in Monday’s publication in regards to the tree butchering that has been taking place in Matavera over the past two weeks or so. What a disgusting mess. Those fools involved in the tree butchering in Matavera should be ashamed of themselves. […]

Call to help police fight crime

Thursday 12 April 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, It was heart breaking to see Aunty June Baudinet on the CITV News last night, asking for help and for the return of her laptop. This is not the first time that her shop has been broken into and it’s upsetting and heart breaking. There were a number of burglaries in the Easter […]

Better coverage

Thursday 12 April 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Interesting to read the ‘Advertising is a no brainer’ letter in yesterday’s (April 11) issue of Cook Islands News. It confirms that instead of taking just one advertisement in the proposed Batman compendium, advertisers will get better coverage by spreading their money across different media. However, the figure of $2500 was quoted for […]

Heads up, Patty

Thursday 12 April 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Heads up to Patricia Taea. It is hard to believe how some people go the extra mile to criticise and try to bring down one of our very own who has represented the Cook Islands to the best of her ability. We totally agree with Chef de Mission George George they need our […]

Please advertise

Thursday 12 April 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I was fortunate to over hear from a friend of a friend this week that she had just made an appointment to see one of the visiting eye specialists at the hospital, something done annually around this time of the year. Lucky as I had not seen it advertised anywhere, though I was […]

Kata - April 12, 2012

Thursday 12 April 2012 | Published in Kata