Articles by Utopia Support

Prime minister claims he hates travel

Saturday 15 October 2011 | Published in Local

People might think official travel is glamorous but that is far from the truth, Prime Minister Henry Puna says. He spoke to the Cook Islands News yesterday about the obligation government has to engage with the international community and the ensuing benefits to the nation. Puna understands it is easy for people to criticise ministers […]

Divas to work with musicians, students

Saturday 15 October 2011 | Published in Features

The Divas will be here in less than two weeks. The countdown is on for what is shaping up to be one of the years most exciting gigs, which will be at Club Raro on Friday, October 29. Top New Zealand musicians Lady6, Bella Kalolo and Julia Deans will join local talents Kura Happ and […]

Fry power a no brainer

Saturday 15 October 2011 | Published in Features

Old cooking oil from restaurants and takeaway shops is free. Petrol is mightily expensive. Cars and trucks can run on either. So given the high and constantly rising price of petrol in the Cook Islands, why arent more people and businesses ditching fossil fuels for deep-fry? It is literally liquid gold well, in colour at […]

Future in good hands

Saturday 15 October 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I want to congratulate the Mire Tama contestants on an outstanding performance when participating in the Mire Tama held in the National Auditorium last night. The show itself was an outstanding success and the organisers and all who made it possible such as the sponsors are to be congratulated. But the stars of […]

CICC legal advisor comments on Tepuka saga

Saturday 15 October 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, The action by Elena Tavioni presumably on behalf of the Ngati Makea has not been generated by the recent application by the CICC to enforce the payment of annual rental by some of the land tenants at Tepuka. We have heard the rumblings by some as long as five years ago when the […]

Kata - October 15, 2011

Saturday 15 October 2011 | Published in Kata

Minister praises Games

Saturday 15 October 2011 | Published in National

Sport minister Mark Brown is hailing the recent Manea Games on Mangaia as a success. Brown, who travelled to Mangaia for the Games, says despite some difficulties and challenges the organisers were able to pull off a really successful tournament. They maintained what the spirit of the Games is all about. Sport is part of […]

Aitutaki reigns at Manea Games

Saturday 15 October 2011 | Published in National

Aitutaki is the Manea Games champion again. The islands skilled athletes successfully defended their Manea Games title by taking out the 10-day sporting event again on the island of Mangaia. Aitutaki ended the games with a massive total of 57 gold medals over host island Mangaia who won 52. Mauke will be proud of their […]

Six-metre oe for Reef director

Saturday 15 October 2011 | Published in National

Master carver Te Aturangi Nepia-Clamp is crafting a tribute to Takitumu in the form of a six-metre oe. The oe, which he is carving out of Tetini Pekepos workshop in Kavera, is of imported New Zealand Kauri. Pekepo contributed to the design, which traces Takitumus voyage. Nepia-Clamp is carving the masterpiece for Phillip McNicholl, the […]

Push for childs rights

Saturday 15 October 2011 | Published in National

Punanga Tauturu manager Kairangi Samuela will this week present a non-government organisation (NGO) report to a committee for the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. She will delivered an oral report to the committee on Friday October 14 and gave time to answer any questions which arose from the presentation. This follows […]

Keeping score

Saturday 15 October 2011 | Published in National

By Vaine Wichman Development Economist My under-13-year-old son has been religiously keeping the scoreboard (thank you CINews/ANZ for the dropout scoreboard) since the kick off of the Rugby World Cup on September 9. During last weekends rugby quarterfinals, I observed the older viewers in our sitting room during the game intervals get up excitedly and […]

From High Commission to MFEM

Saturday 15 October 2011 | Published in National

Peter Tierney is hoping to make more of a difference in his new role as the senior policy and research officer at the Ministry of Finance and Economic Management (MFEM) aid management division. Tierney has spent two weeks in the post, for which he applied while working as the New Zealand Aid Programme development programme […]

Teen takes swipe at govt travel

Saturday 15 October 2011 | Published in National

Those looking for a respite from politics didnt find it at the National Auditorium on Thursday night, the latest criticism of the governments travelling routine coming onstage from a 15-year-old in the Mire Tama competition. While others chose to talk about their dreams for life or mused about the beauty of their home island, Titikaveka […]

Travel and Heiarii take out Mire Tama

Saturday 15 October 2011 | Published in National

Rarotonga crowned its newest king and queen this week, with Travel Kaukura and Heiarii Ioaba named as the winners of the first Mire Tama competition on Thursday night. The pair rose to the top of their categories Heiarii as the 2011 Maine Tiare and Travel as the 2011 Tama Aito among a crowd of 12 […]

Why make the conversion to vegetable oil?

Saturday 15 October 2011 | Published in National

It is a green drivers dream: run your car on recycled vegetable oil. Some enterprising people on Rarotonga have discovered that restaurants are willing to give away their used cooking oil for free. Disposing of it any other way can be a costly exercise. Its no dream diesel cars can run on vegetable oil, swapping […]

Waste oil gold for green company

Saturday 15 October 2011 | Published in National

One mans waste is another mans gold, and at Matutu Brewery waste oil is king of the recycling world. The brewery has been using unwanted and free waste oil to heat its vats for four years now. And although the system was more expensive to install than a conventional burner would have been, the high […]

Cook Islands elected as vice-chair

Saturday 15 October 2011 | Published in National

The Cook Islands has been elected as the vice-chair for the Asia and Pacific region at the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. The position of chair is held by Iran. This was a bit unexpected, said Louisa Karika of the Cook Islands delegation. Our chair was nominated however […]

Plenty planned for young entrepreneurs: BTIB

Saturday 15 October 2011 | Published in National

Entrepreneurs younger than 15 years old will have plenty of opportunities to take part in business opportunities run by the Business Trade Investment Board, says chief executive Terry Rangi. In a statement delivered to Cook Islands News yesterday Rangi said BTIB agreed that age is no barrier for business but said Wednesday nights youth market […]

Lost Tribe persisting with plea for portability

Saturday 15 October 2011 | Published in National

New Zealands government is taking its sweet time considering whether to allow superannuation portability, but time is the one thing expatriate New Zealanders living in Rarotonga do not have. Les Priest and his Lost Tribe colleagues have been lobbying New Zealands government for more than 18 years hoping to prompt a legislation change which allows […]

Govt to announce more statutory appointments

Saturday 15 October 2011 | Published in National

Government is planning to make further announcements about statutory appointments in coming weeks. Prime Minister Henry Puna says there will be an announcement about the police commissioners position next week following cabinets Tuesday meeting. At present Maara Tetava is police commissioner. Puna also says public service commissioner Navy Epati will stay in the job until […]