Articles by Utopia Support

Trashy art from rubbish roundup

Tuesday 4 October 2011 | Published in Features

The Beachcomber hosted 14 of the trashiest pieces of art the local community could muster on Friday night. A trash art sculpture contest punctuated Rubbish Roundup Month, organised by the Pacific Islands Conservation Initiative to encourage people to clean up Rarotonga. Over the month of September, a total of 572kg of rubbish was lifted from […]

Kata - October 4, 2011

Tuesday 4 October 2011 | Published in Kata

New strip

Tuesday 4 October 2011 | Published in National

Mathew Pierre and Bilsy Gukisuva modelling the Cook Islands tri-series strip, which the team received from Turtles yesterday. The team played the NZ Cook Islands squad in the tri-series competition last night, the last of the matches before a combined tri-series squad takes to the field to play the Kukis international team on Thursday. 11100315 […]

Funds promised for Manea

Tuesday 4 October 2011 | Published in National

The 6th Manea Games was officially opened on Mangaia yesterday with songs, dance and promises of government assistance for future games. About 100 of the 300 games athletes were part of the opening ceremony as athletes are still making their way to Mangaia for the games. Despite the small numbers, Mangaia turned up the heat […]

4 motorcycle accidents

Tuesday 4 October 2011 | Published in National

A driver was taken to hospital with head injuries over the weekend, after he collided with a dog at Matavera and came off his motorcycle. The Tupapa man was driving on the main road when the accident occurred. His crash was one of four reported to police over the weekend. Although the Tupapa man received […]

DPM challenges weather experts

Tuesday 4 October 2011 | Published in National

Deputy Prime Minister Tom Marsters called the state of Cook Islands fisheries a local disaster when addressing a room full of climatologists, scientists, meteorologists and fisheries officers yesterday, He delivered a rousing keynote speech to open the International Workshop on Climate and Oceanic Fisheries, at which thinkers from all over the world were present. Marsters […]

A whale of a sign disappears

Tuesday 4 October 2011 | Published in National

Southern Cross skipper Paul Greens sign was stolen from the wharf at the weekend. He got permission from Ports Authority to put up a two by one metre yellow vinyl sign at the harbour advertising whale-watching trips. It read Sail Rarotonga and included contact details and it was planned to have it up for 12 […]

Cabinet was not arguing

Tuesday 4 October 2011 | Published in National

Prime Minister Henry Puna refutes claims that cabinet members argued about ministerial travel during last weeks cabinet meeting in Rarotonga. Puna says ministers discussed travel in relation to its overall benefit to the Cook Islands, including travel fully funded by international organisations. However, it was an exaggeration to describe that discussion as arguing, Puna says. […]

World weather experts gather

Monday 3 October 2011 | Published in Environment

The Cook Islands Meteorological Service is hosting weather experts and climate scientists from all over the world this week. The impetus for the gathering is the International Workshop on Climate and Oceanic Fisheries, which starts today and lasts into Wednesday afternoon.The focus of the workshop is the effect of climate change on oceanic fisheries a […]

Dont mention it

Monday 3 October 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I am at a loss as to why some of our local scientists are thinking about a name change for our country the Cook Islands (Kuki Airani in Maori). The name Cook Islands has embraced our paradise for so many years and all of a sudden these so called scientists want name change. […]

Conflict clear

Monday 3 October 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I read with interest your September 23 article regarding an alleged conflict of interest with Steve Anderson being a board member of Te Aponga Uira and his company winning a tender for $100,000. Though Mr Anderson repudiates this I must say it is clear from reading your article that there is a conflict […]

Kata - October 3, 2011

Monday 3 October 2011 | Published in Kata

18 seek NGO funding grants

Monday 3 October 2011 | Published in National

A Ministry of Internal Affairs panel will meet today to consider 18 applications received by non-government organisations (NGOs) for crown funding. Most applications are from Rarotonga-based NGOs but a few have come in from the outer islands. Each financial year monetary assistance is provided on a competitive basis to NGOs which provide services to vulnerable […]

Tanks and gear go north for works

Monday 3 October 2011 | Published in National

Equipment and materials for infrastructure projects in the northern group are at present being transported from Rarotonga on a Fijian barge. The barge left Avatiu harbour on Friday bound for Pukapuka, Palmerston and Nassau. It is carrying gear for the Pukapuka cyclone shelter as well as for the beginning of a $2.2 million water improvement […]

Judge orders board to reconsider application

Monday 3 October 2011 | Published in National

An appeal against a decision by the Land Agents Registration Board has been upheld by Chief Justice Tom Weston, but only to a very limited extent. Nooroa Tuoro brought a case against the board, which declined her application to become a registered land agent earlier this year. CJ Weston has found that Tuoros application lacked […]

Behind the Suwarrow deal

Monday 3 October 2011 | Published in Smoke Signals

The Suwarrow deal (see Saturdays front page) has caught the publics imagination and weve received some intriguing smokies poking fun at it. First up: Rumour has it that the Cook Islands Government Minister who was in Moscow earlier this year, ostensibly on Health department issues (everyone knew that was total nonsense), had in fact been […]

Get the best from your cooking fuel

Saturday 1 October 2011 | Published in Environment

Apart from using the suns energy to heat an oven, the Hoskings are also big advocates of saving power and money through employing efficient methods of cooking. Their methods are low-cost and dont require much more effort than a little forward-thinking, meaning their techniques can be taken on by almost any home and are well-suited […]

Solar hopefuls shouldnt worry

Saturday 1 October 2011 | Published in Environment

Home owners and businesses who have ordered solar panels should not worry over possible changes to Rarotongas renewable energy policies, according to Cook Islands businessman and alternative energy advocate James Beer. With policy changes governing the size of solar installations likely to come from Te Aponga Uira (TAU) this week, Beer said people who have […]

Miss Manea pageant contestants

Saturday 1 October 2011 | Published in Local

TAU plans radical policy change

Saturday 1 October 2011 | Published in Local

The Cook Islands green dreams have been torpedoed just a day after government signed a $1 million deal to introduce solar power to Rakahanga. Rarotongas energy provider is expected to change its policies surrounding privately-owned solar installations next week as the islands electricity grid nears its capacity. Cook Islands News understands Te Aponga Uira (TAU) […]