Articles by Utopia Support

Creative minds meet to plan future

Wednesday 4 April 2012 | Published in National

The Cook Islands’ creative minds are gathering at Aotearoa Centre this afternoon, and inviting any artists – from taunga to writers to tattooists – to come along. An interim council has called a meeting of all artists – including writers, painters, weavers, carvers, composers of songs and pe’e, singers, musicians, photographers, filmmakers, tattooists and sculptors […]

NZ Youthline to get CI training

Wednesday 4 April 2012 | Published in National

New Zealand-based Youthline workers will next week receive training and briefings on issues affecting young people in the Cook Islands. Counsellors who speak Cook Islands Maori will also be made available if requested by young people calling from Rarotonga and the outer islands. Representatives of the steering committee that was tasked with running last month’s […]

Publishing group gets green light

Wednesday 4 April 2012 | Published in National

Australian printing company John Batman Group has been given the green light to produce a tourism industry compendium intended for distribution in the Cook Islands, Business Trade Investment Board chief executive officer Terri Rangi has announced. But BTIB has decided it would give companies who have already signed up to join the compendium but are […]

Final touch thrills

Wednesday 4 April 2012 | Published in Touch Rugby

It’s crunch time today with the grand finals of the 2012 touch rugby season to be played out today at the Nikao field. Today’s grand finals will be for teams in both the mixed and open divisions with a short presentation to follow at the Rose Garden next to the playing fields. The Cook Islands […]

Rising sea levels film threaten Takuu

Tuesday 3 April 2012 | Published in Environment

Yet another island in the Pacific is facing the daily challenge of dealing with climate change. The plight of the inhabitants of Takuu, or Mortlock Islands, was the subject of a documentary that showed at the Pacific Media Centre at AUT University in Auckland recently. Film producer Lyn Collie screened ‘There Once Was An Island: […]

Aitutaki stars in global Earth Hour

Tuesday 3 April 2012 | Published in Environment

After travelling through 150 countries across the globe, Earth Hour has drawn to a close in the Cook Islands for 2012. The community in Aitutaki was officially the last in the world to join the global initiative and switch off its lights on Saturday evening to raise awareness of the effort to combat climate change. […]

Daytime Earth Hour saves 210kw

Tuesday 3 April 2012 | Published in Environment

Businesses in Avarua have led the way in Rarotonga during last week’s salute to Earth Hour, recording the biggest drop in electricity use in the hour-long event. When midday struck on Friday – signalling the beginning of Earth Hour in Rarotonga – energy provider Te Aponga Uira (TAU) recorded a 210 kilowatt reduction in demand […]

Visitor numbers up 6% for February

Tuesday 3 April 2012 | Published in Local

Australians are coming to the Cook Islands in increasing numbers, with the group spearheading an increase in visitor figures for February 2012. The number of Australians coming to Rarotonga in February this year is up by 29 percent compared to the same month last year, with the statistics office recording 771 inbound tourists from the […]

Police target speed and alcohol

Tuesday 3 April 2012 | Published in Local

Speeding and drink-driving remain as priority concerns for Cook Islands Police, as bad habits on the road continue to occupy police resources on a day to day basis. Last week there were two head-on collisions at Rarotonga, one between a truck and a car and the other between a can and a motorcycle. The occupants […]

Shipping monopoly adds to woes

Tuesday 3 April 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, When your reporter called for comment on the shipping announcements, I had to hold my breath to stop myself saying too much over the phone on such a complex situation. After some thought, I can say that the Cook Islands just became less attractive as a place to do business for both investors […]

Govt should be innovative, inspiring

Tuesday 3 April 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I hear of seabed mining, and other airy initiatives the government is processing supposedly to benefit our people. Mining and the image of pristine Pacific Islands doesn’t exactly present a harmonious picture. Rather than look too far into the future for this development, shouldn’t the government be looking at the immediate problems facing […]

Kata - April 3, 2012

Tuesday 3 April 2012 | Published in Kata

Bishop on tour

Tuesday 3 April 2012 | Published in National

Minister for Marine Resources Teina Bishop remains in Guam this week following on from last week’s Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission conference. Bishop will stay in US territory until next week, when he travels on to Auckland to meet with members of the Ministry of Education to join a tour of universities and technical […]

Tourism 'webinars' popular

Tuesday 3 April 2012 | Published in National

The popular tourism webinars are back for 2012-13 and Cook Islands Tourism Corporation is looking for businesses to fill five timeslots for North America. The webinars will tackle topics including budget travellers, romantic getaways, adventure and catering for groups over the year, as well as having one session set aside to talk all about Aitutaki. […]

Tax deal signed with Germany

Tuesday 3 April 2012 | Published in National

The Cook Islands and the Federal Republic of Germany this week signed a tax information exchange agreement in Wellington, New Zealand. Cook Islands High Commissioner Tekaotiki Matapo, who signed the agreement alongside German Ambassador Thomas Meister at the German Embassy in Wellington on Monday, said the government was aiming to strengthen its co-operation with Germany. […]

Galapagos wildlife entertains crew

Tuesday 3 April 2012 | Published in National

Marumaru Atua vaka crew Numangatini Mackenzie and Alexander Teariki Olah share the adventures of the crew as they explore the Galapagos from Santa Cruz Island to Isbaela Island. The crew encounter new and exciting wildlife and stumble across some familiar foods from home. This is from their most recent blog posting: Kia Orana Tatou! Our […]

Vaka sailor recruits wanted

Tuesday 3 April 2012 | Published in National

Ever wanted to retrace the steps of your ancestors along the great Moana Nui o Kiva? This is your chance to be part of a vaka crew and experience voyaging on the ocean in the traditional double hulled canoes. The Cook Islands Voyaging Society are recruiting new crew members for future voyages and are encouraging […]

Heading towards the Tuamotus

Tuesday 3 April 2012 | Published in National

It is a humid and overcast Wednesday evening here on Marumaru Atua and we greet you on day 5 of our sail towards the Tuamotus! It has been a slow few days since our last update, predominantly cloudless skies where we have seldom had wind and what little we have gotten has only stayed for […]

Campaigning for sharks

Monday 2 April 2012 | Published in Environment

About 25 people showed up to New Hope Hall last Thursday night to talk sharks. The Pacific Islands Conservation Initiative (PICI) ran a public meeting for all interested parties to explain its vision for a proposed shark sanctuary in Cook Islands waters. PICI founder Stephen Lyon describes the meeting as successful and straightforward, and reports […]

Last island health clinic tendered

Monday 2 April 2012 | Published in Local

The proposed new Palmerston Island health clinic will have found its builders soon. Tender applications are now closed and a committee has until late April to find a suitable contractor. The clinic is expected to cost about $70,000. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Planning is acting as project manager for the health centre. The start […]