Articles by Utopia Support

Kua tae mae te tuatau no te orote!

Saturday 23 July 2011 | Published in National

A teia nga epetoma e rua e tu mai nei ka orote katoatoa te au tamariki o te Kuki Airani. I teia epetoma i topa, te epetoma openga o te rua tuaanga o te apii, kua tarekareka tipoti te au apii tua tai. Maata ake i te ono anere tamariki tei akaputuputu ki te aua […]

Right royal game boat

Saturday 23 July 2011 | Published in National

The newest addition to the line-up at Avatiu Wharf a Bertram 25 hailing from Tauranga is settling into her new role as the Marlin Queen. During a charter trip this month, one of the Kiwi tourists she ferried into the deep blue hooked a 100kg striped marlin. Captain Junior Ioaba has been fishing in Cook […]

Special visitor at Careers Expo

Saturday 23 July 2011 | Published in National

Air New Zealand flight attendant Laura McQuilkin, pictured at right with students from Mauke School, was flown to Rarotonga especially for the Careers Expo to help local students wanting a career with the company especially as cabin crew. Air New Zealand Cook Islands manger David Bridge says that there is huge interest among young Pacific […]

Tereora scoops barrow full

Saturday 23 July 2011 | Published in National

Tereora College student Ketia Teinaki (left) carries out a wheelbarrow load of goodies worth $500 she won for her school after correctly answering all the CITC earn as you learn expo booth questions on Thursday. Ketia is pictured here with Eileen Turepu and Pokoroa Pauka of CITC along with Tereora College principal Andrea Panther and […]

$1.3m Red Cross project begins

Saturday 23 July 2011 | Published in National

Construction of the Cook Islands Red Cross (CIRC) national headquarters began this week. Local company Land Holdings Ltd won the tender for the projects contract and signed a formal agreement with Ministry of Infrastructure and Planning secretary Donye Numa last Friday. CIRC president Nga Jessie and NZAid development programme coordinator Peter Tierney were on hand […]

Aitutaki, Muri best of

Saturday 23 July 2011 | Published in National

The word is out. Savvy travellers all over the world are quietly recognising the Cook Islands as the best kept secret of the South Pacific. In the space of a week, the Cooks has debuted on influential US travel magazine Travel and Leisures worlds best awards for islands in Australia, New Zealand and the South […]

New Te Vaka Toa agreement signed

Saturday 23 July 2011 | Published in National

The Cook Islands is closer than ever before to its Pacific neighbours in terms of fisheries management. Minister for marine resources Teina Bishop has signed a subsidiary arrangement to the Niue Treaty on Fisheries Surveillance and Law Enforcement. Ministers from New Zealand, Niue, Samoa, Tokelau and Tonga have also signed the new agreement, called the […]

Its a banking blunder

Saturday 23 July 2011 | Published in Smoke Signals

A smoke signaller writes: The review in this weeks CI News showing that New Zealand exempts from withholding tax the interest earned by foreign investors, should have been known to our minister of finance before he unwisely decided to tax all interest in the Cook Islands. To attract foreign money and assist liquidity in the […]

Marking arrival of Christianity

Friday 22 July 2011 | Published in Church Talk

An open invitation is extended to everyone on the island, residents and visitors, to join the celebration of the arrival of Christianity to the island of Rarotonga. Monday will be the final public holiday to commemorate Rarotonga Gospel Day and everyone is invited to the National Auditorium for a morning of gospel and imene tuki […]

Never, never, never give up

Friday 22 July 2011 | Published in Church Talk

When some of lifes challenges seem greater than our ability to overcome them, often words such as its too difficult; Im tired of trying; Im scared; I cant go on or I give up! either flash through our minds or roll off our lips. Have you ever been afraid and discouraged as youve faced a […]

VAT rise versus interest tax

Friday 22 July 2011 | Published in Environment

A smoke signaller writes: A couple of arithmetic homework questions for Messrs Brown, Puna and other members of the Confiscate Income from Pensioners party. (1) If the governments income from VAT will be $36.4 million a year at 12.5%, then to what does the VAT rate need to be raised in order to give the […]

Super case is postponed

Friday 22 July 2011 | Published in Local

A precedent-setting superannuation court case has been further adjourned to September in order for more evidence to be filed. The case, involving the Cook Islands National Superannuation Fund (CINSF) and Arorangi Timberland Ltd as well as the companys managing director Andy Olah, was called in the Cook Islands High Court at Avarua yesterday. New Zealand […]

Tax tweak planned

Friday 22 July 2011 | Published in Local

The government must amend its new tax laws to ensure they reflect their planned intentions, Minister of Finance Mark Brown says. In a letter to the editor delivered to Cook Islands News yesterday, Brown said the government intended to introduce amendments to the legislation before it is put into practice on September 1. It is […]

Clinching career matters

Friday 22 July 2011 | Published in Local

Questions were answered and direction given to the 600-plus students that made it their mission at yesterdays Career Expo to learn as much they could about finding the right path to their chosen career. The Telecom Sports Arena was packed out at different stages of the day as students roamed around gathering career information and […]

CITC to pour $1.5m into solar

Friday 22 July 2011 | Published in Local

Work on the Cook Islands biggest solar project has begun at the Cook Islands Trading Corporation centre in Avarua. The first-round investment will see about $750,000 spent on installing solar panels at the Avarua centre and CITCs Building Centre in Avatiu. A further $750,000 is expected to be spent on purchasing and installing more solar […]

Brazen robbery distressing

Friday 22 July 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, My guests were at home enjoying a late dinner on the front deck of our house when someone broke into the rear of the house and stole cash from a wallet. Brazenly, the thief locked the inside door, rifled through the room and found the wallet, extracted the cash, exited and then proceeded […]

Not hard to go phosphate-free

Friday 22 July 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, It was heartening to read Manea Foods concerns over the use of products containing phosphates, Stop buying phosphate soaps published Friday July 8. Snowbird Laundry is probably the biggest user of detergents on the island. For well over a year we have only been using phosphate-free detergents in all our laundry operations. As […]

Government clarifies tax plan

Friday 22 July 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I would like to clarify some issues surrounding the Government measure to re-introduce the Withholding Tax on interest which have been raised in your paper in recent days. I would also like to reiterate the Governments intentions in regard to the tax, to your readers. It is the intent of the Government to […]

Kata - July 22, 2011

Friday 22 July 2011 | Published in Kata

Students map their way to dreams

Friday 22 July 2011 | Published in National

Confidently mapped up pathways to their dream careers earned Ritia George of Araura College and Tereora College student Teariki Fanovaha a brand new notebook laptop each. The pair were the overall winners of the annual careers pathway competition which asks students to clearly map out the pathway to their chosen career. Ritia dreams of working […]