Articles by Utopia Support

New financial secretary embraces CI

Monday 18 July 2011 | Published in National

From handling an annual budget of $350 billion to the Cook Islands $172 million, the move to Rarotonga for new financial secretary Richard Neves is arguably a big one. Neves and his partner Jo Roper arrived in the Cook Islands with their two-year-old twins Xavier and Natacha last week from Australias capital Canberra. Neves begins […]

Go Local!

Saturday 16 July 2011 | Published in Local

With a new colour press, Cook Islands News will be expanding into colour commercial printing. The machine will handle printing of high-quality colour brochures, cards, booklets and magazines on glossy paper and specialty stocks. In terms of import substitution, this means that for the first time offset colour publications like tourist brochures and booklets can […]

Were going colour!

Saturday 16 July 2011 | Published in Local

The newspaper you are holding is our first edition ever with real colour photos. Thats right Cook Islands News is introducing process colour. Not only will our news photos come to life in brilliant true colour, but our advertisers will soon have the option of using colour images and graphics to enhance their products and […]

Painting the town blue, white and red

Saturday 16 July 2011 | Published in Features

The Cook Islands French fraternity came together this week to paint the town blue, white and red in celebration of La Fete Nationale the National Day. Le Bon Vivant cafe in Avarua hosted all things French on Thursday for the Bastille Day revelry, with games, food and drink bringing a taste of life on the […]

Teachers provide thin-spiration

Saturday 16 July 2011 | Published in Features

A group of Tereora College teachers have made efforts to thin-spire their students to shape up and lose weight. Twelve teachers have been participating in a Biggest Loser-inspired competition in the past eight weeks. The winner from the group lost eight kilograms through the programme, with other participants losing about two to three kilograms. Healthy […]

Whale work a labour of love

Saturday 16 July 2011 | Published in Features

The whales are starting to trickle back into Cook Islands waters. Whale lady Nan Hauser officially marked the start of her 14th season researching Cook Islands whales on Thursday. After just a few hours on the water, she and her team of research assistants which included her daughter Alexanna Haible had identified two flukes and […]

Everyday life captured on cards

Saturday 16 July 2011 | Published in Features

Local artist Joan Rolls-Gragg has captured the spirit of the Cook Islands 52 ways, using a pack of playing cards. Her newest exhibition, which opens on Monday night at the Beachcomber Art Gallery (BCA) in Taputapuatea, features decks of playing cards superimposed with paintings shes done. The original prints are water soluble crayons on paper. […]

Little hope for energy goals

Saturday 16 July 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, The Prime Ministers plans to achieve 100 percent renewable energy by 2020, and 50 percent by 2015, make interesting reading (PM wants 100% renewable energy by 2020 published July 7), given that there is apparently very little hope of them being realised. This applies even disregarding all the other energy requirements beside the […]

Puzzled

Saturday 16 July 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, There seems to be some misinformed or inaccurate information coming from the Minister of Finance relating to the newly introduced 15 percent tax on interest Firstly he says he met with the Bankers Association and they seemed supportive of the idea. Then we see a total rebuttal from the bankers. Then the Minister […]

Word of unsafe Rarotonga spreading

Saturday 16 July 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, For years I have been telling anyone interested in a beautiful vacation that is free of beach sellers, traffic lights or hassles to visit the Cook Islands. I have made the trip from Canada several times and will continue to do so. I can tell you that the last 12 couples I mentioned […]

Tourists visit to meet Cook Islanders

Saturday 16 July 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, On Monday, I bought my favourite newspaper and looked at the bottom of the front page after looking at the beautiful ladies in the picture to find a story saying CI workers lazy. Its funny to say in the last elections the man making this claim was running to become prime minister. How […]

Punanga Tauturu frustrated over delays

Saturday 16 July 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Delays to the acceptance by parliament of the Employment Relations Bill is frustrating and disempowering for the workers of this country. While Punanga Tauturu has been focusing on the inclusion of paid maternity leave for private sector workers there are other aspects of the bill that need passing by parliament, such as mechanisms […]

Company tax exchanged for withholding tax

Saturday 16 July 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Anyone with an ounce of common sense can see that this tax is not going to earn $1.3 million dollars of fresh government income. Sure, there will be somewhere between $400,000 and $800,000 of withholding tax from interest (I stress interest and not dividend withholding tax ). But it will be well under […]

Kata - July 16, 2011

Saturday 16 July 2011 | Published in Kata

It might be elusive, but it does exist

Saturday 16 July 2011 | Published in National

Just a handful of people have surfed the perfect Cook Islands wave, but theyve got pictures to prove that the stories arent just the stuff of fantasy. Six years ago, six professional surfers from Hawaii chartered a yacht and travelled throughout the southern Cook Islands in pursuit of a worthy wave. Theyd conquered Teahupoo and […]

Letters to the editor from Avatea

Saturday 16 July 2011 | Published in National

Dear Editor, I would like to tell you how happy I am because we are getting our Reo Maori back. This year I am surprised by the schools. When we had our Maori speech competition our school came 3rd placing but that is still fine. My friend Nomar came 4th placing and I am happy […]

Development Economist

Saturday 16 July 2011 | Published in National

Everyone knows the story of Robin Hood. He took from the rich and gave back to the poor. I am compelled to write this column on the back of a wide audience that has been hassling me to show my colours. I do so now with respect and understanding of the work the current lawmakers […]

More starlings on Rarotonga than thought

Saturday 16 July 2011 | Published in National

After five weeks of studying Rarotongan birds, postgraduate students Pippa Hamshaw and Carly Easby are headed back to the UK. Both are doing Masters degrees in biodiversity at the University of Leeds, and earlier this year contacted Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust director Gerald McCormack to organise fieldwork opportunities on Rarotonga. Between the two of […]

Busy holiday for UK volunteers

Saturday 16 July 2011 | Published in National

Between preparing the Red Cross booth for the Careers Expo and daily lessons with the Cook Islands Sports Academy (CISA) boys, UK medical students Abi Campbell and Louisa Harpur hardly have time for typical holiday pastimes like sunbathing and swimming. But thats the way they like it. We volunteer for the challenge, Louisa said. Its […]

Free chiropractors on Rarotonga

Saturday 16 July 2011 | Published in National

Free chiropractic services are being offered to Cook Islanders next month by a team of doctors and New Zealand Chiropractic College students. It is the fourth time chiropractor Dr Bo has visited Rarotonga, providing his services to residents free of charge. He will be joined by another doctor from the chiropractic college as well as […]