Articles by Utopia Support

'Employers have rights too'

Friday 16 March 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I was told by a local businessman the other morning that – Employers have rights too – in fact employees seem to have more rights. This isn’t the first time I’ve heard this comment – it is a shared view of many businesses in the Cook Islands. Other comments about employees include – […]

Kata - March 16, 2012

Friday 16 March 2012 | Published in Kata

Tamariki gain water confidence

Friday 16 March 2012 | Published in National

Water confidence and safety have been important lessons shared with Rarotonga children who have been spending their Wednesday afternoons learning to be better and confident swimmers with passionate sports coach Ake Hosea-Winterflood. Hosea’s current ANZ Tamariki Sports swim programme will run for the next two weeks. All children who have taken part in the weekly […]

Temporary bridge for trucking work

Friday 16 March 2012 | Published in National

A temporary bridge linking the Avatiu harbour with Punanga Nui Markets will be constructed when dredging works begin at the harbour to help limit the impact of truck movements on the area’s homes and businesses. The material removed from the harbour floor during dredging will be used to create new land on the western end […]

Airline subsidy for breakfast

Friday 16 March 2012 | Published in National

The people of the Cook Islands tourism industry have been invited to raise their voices over the Los Angeles and Sydney flight underwrites and tell the Tourism Corporation what they think about the issue at a breakfast meeting today. The meeting will be held from 8.30am, with breakfast being served from 8am, at the Rarotongan […]

Cuba joins Cooks to face common issues

Friday 16 March 2012 | Published in National

Diplomatic relations between Cuba and the Cook Islands were bolstered yesterday when the republic’s ambassador to the Cook Islands presented her credentials. Wellington-based ambassador Maria Del Carmen Herrera Caserio said that the two nations had much in common and the friendly relations would go some way in helping both tackle the issues confronting them. Those […]

Suicide addressed 'the right way'

Friday 16 March 2012 | Published in National

Visiting psychologist Dr Deborah Perrott is hailing this week’s national youth forum as “brilliant” and “extremely useful”. Dr Perrott is a Kiwi who works as a consultant psychologist in Melbourne. Her background is in clinical work, and she has experience training and supervising psychologists and advising policymakers. She has also conducted specialised research into adolescents […]

Worldwide cuts to NZ Foreign Affairs

Friday 16 March 2012 | Published in National

Changes are afoot in New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trades staffing across the globe, including the Cook Islands. New Zealand High Commissioner to the Cook Islands John Carter indicated that changes to the High Commission in the Cook Islands “would be minimal, and both the Cook Islands government and Cook Islanders won’t notice […]

Rotterdam brings 2500 to Rarotonga

Friday 16 March 2012 | Published in National

The MS Rotterdam is set to touch down on Rarotonga early next week. The cruise ship, which was last in the Cook Islands in January, will be anchored off Rarotonga from 8am to 5pm on Monday. She will be carrying 1500 passengers and around 1000 staff. Island Hopper, which is organising her passengers’ shore excursions, […]

Dunedin 'cute'

Thursday 15 March 2012 | Published in Local

Despite coming from a tiny Pacific island nation, Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna describes Dunedin as “cute”. Puna, his wife Akaiti, Cook Islands High Commissioner to New Zealand Tiki Matapo and Puna’s chief executive Edwin Pittman were greeted with a traditional turou (welcome) by the city’s Cook Islands community at the University of Otago […]

Youthline NZ connecting to Cooks

Thursday 15 March 2012 | Published in Local

Telecom Cook Islands (TCI) is connecting Cook Islands youth with toll-free New Zealand helpline Youthline. The connection is ready to go live, but TCI has yet to announce a launch date as it is still testing the system to ensure it is fully functioning. Two Youthline workers were invited by the youth forum steering committee […]

Female public servants are 'culprits' in the work force

Thursday 15 March 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, After reading Lynnsay Francis’s article and former public servant’s letter to the editor, it made me bold to express my views as a public servant at one stage who has witnessed how female public servants are treated to make way for male employees. These are males that have been promised a job at […]

Women bullied in the public service

Thursday 15 March 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, In response to former public servant – you may not realise it, but you’ve just made a difference – you had the courage of your convictions to write a letter to share your experiences, and it is through sharing those experiences that we can make a difference. Your letter highlights the importance of […]

Kata - March 15, 2012

Thursday 15 March 2012 | Published in Kata

Tuna fishery rules up for discussion

Thursday 15 March 2012 | Published in National

The Cook Islands will be sending a delegation to the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) meeting later this month. Headed by Ministry of Marine Resources secretary Ben Ponia, the delegation will travel to Guam to participate alongside stakeholders from the Pacific, Asia, the United States and the European Union. As a priority this […]

Mangaia fishing facilities extended

Thursday 15 March 2012 | Published in National

Mangaia Island Fishing Association (MIFA) received eagerly-awaited materials to extend the verandah of its processing plant and club headquarters, which overlooks the island harbour at Oneroa. The building was initially intended to house an ice processing plant with chiller facilities gifted by the New Zealand Aid Programme. The donation of funding for that facility prompted […]

Stop for lollipops!

Thursday 15 March 2012 | Published in National

The lollipops are out and the road crossing is finally ready for action. Following a project to install a road crossing that began over a year ago, Takitumu Primary School students will now be able to safely cross the Matavera main road into the school grounds. Students have been hard at work over the past […]

Dictionary donation 'unqualified success'

Thursday 15 March 2012 | Published in National

To see the sheer joy on the children’s faces was a very special reward for Frank Leadley on his recent visit to Rarotonga. Leadley is president of the Rotary Club Bay of Islands, who donated beautiful illustrated dictionaries to Year 9 students across the nation. In a report to his Rotary club he described his […]

Sealing is a work in progress

Thursday 15 March 2012 | Published in National

A fresh layer of sealing is still to be placed in road works covering the length of the Nikao main road at the airport, according to Triad Petroleum manager Chris Vaile. The current driving surface at the airport remains to be completed and motorists, cyclists and pedestrians will soon have access to the completed, sealed […]

Telecom NZ offers cell data cap option

Thursday 15 March 2012 | Published in National

Kiwi smart phone users now have the option to set a cap on data transfer before they arrive in the Cook Islands. Exorbitant roaming rates in the Cook Islands were the subject of recent media attention, after Kiwi visitor to Rarotonga Magnus O’Neill submitted a complaint about having incurred a $2000 bill on holiday. Last […]