Articles by Utopia Support

Start gardening and grow food

Saturday 2 April 2011 | Published in Features

The predicted cost of living increase could start a new trend – home gardens. Starting a home garden will help supplement the food budget. Agriculture will need to assist families with this by providing seedlings for vegetables and fruit trees and advice. Low maintenance crops should be a priority such as rukau viti, rukau taro, […]

Sounds like corruption

Saturday 2 April 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, The Marine Park Trust in my opinion is a fraud and should not be allowed to proceed without proper public consultation. Rumours are that the perpetrators of this scam are politicians and a couple of Heads of Ministries (HOMs) with one prominent business person. One particular HOM is a person that I believe […]

Our Avatiu girls do us proud

Saturday 2 April 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, It is so sad to read the bitter and negative comments made in your column by ‘Eye Witness’ on Wednesday March 30. My heart aches in knowing that ‘Eye Witness’ extended her resentment to my dedicated and highly committed players who rightly deserve recognition. Thank you Matariki (Wilson) for your fair comment – […]

Kata - April 2, 2011

Saturday 2 April 2011 | Published in Kata

Today's league

Saturday 2 April 2011 | Published in League

Rugby league games kick off today at 12.30pm at Raemaru Park where the Bears will host the Sea Eagles and at the Avatiu Swamp where the Eels will host the Takuvaine Warriors. Under 13 grade players will be the first to take to the field and the premier grade match at both venues will start […]

Aitutaki beat Raro to win Vaka Iti

Saturday 2 April 2011 | Published in National

Araura College took out the 3rd Vaka Iti junior paddling festival at Muri lagoon yesterday with a total of 4 gold medals. The team of just a dozen paddlers arrived on Rarotonga on Thursday afternoon pumped for the Friday event where they showed the Rarotonga schools just how paddling is done in Aitutaki. The hot […]

Economic summits and the real sea changes

Saturday 2 April 2011 | Published in National

By Vaine Wichman, Development Economist The late John Lennon sang that ‘life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans’. This month the new Government will host an economic summit that expects to lay the foundation for the country’s growth path during its term. Ambitious, forward looking but will there be anything […]

Award-winning hair stylist opens RED Salon

Saturday 2 April 2011 | Published in National

Sara O’Keefe’s warm and friendly personality will put you at ease and welcome you to the new RED Salon in Tupapa. Add to that Sara’s award-winning skills as a hairdresser, with her 20 years of New Zealand qualifications and experience as a stylist and beautician, and it is easy to understand why Sara is in […]

Weapons expert helps kids read

Saturday 2 April 2011 | Published in National

For qualified engineer Jo Bewg, volunteering to teach literacy at St Joseph’s school in Rarotonga is a change of scene, but she is loving the role in which she can spend time with daughter Rosa-May (left), and other year two pupils such as Tiana Will. “/> St Joseph’s school in Rarotonga is a far cry […]

Good gear saves money

Saturday 2 April 2011 | Published in National

Investing in efficient new chillers and freezers has paid off for Prime Foods. Director Dan Forsyth says savings from the new gear means they can afford to shoulder a slight increase in costs. With massive freezers and chillers, Forsyth says their power bill is huge. “But thanks to a pretty good system, we’re running under […]

Think quality before quantity

Saturday 2 April 2011 | Published in National

Consumers make their decisions on food purchases based on a budget that must also cover expenses for clothing, housing, transport, health and other services. The amount available for food usually depends on the amount of total household budget leftover after other expenses have been paid. In the Cook Islands, the highest expense for households is […]

Added stress will increase mental health problems

Saturday 2 April 2011 | Published in National

Any increase in the cost of living will compound the problems that marginalised groups of Cook Islands society are already experiencing, says Dr Rangi Fariu. Fairu, who heads the Mental Health Services, says there are particular cases which are frequently referred to him ranging from problems experienced by unemployed youth, business owners and foreign workers […]

Top officials to now justify travel

Saturday 2 April 2011 | Published in National

Greater transparency with official travel is now being demanded by cabinet from government heads following the Prime Minister Henry Puna’s call for them to show more responsibility and accountability. All heads of ministries, CEOs and directors of government agencies now must provide the Public Service Commission with details before going on any official travel. Late […]

Audit office shares expertise with Samoa

Saturday 2 April 2011 | Published in National

The Samoa Audit Office sees the Cook Islands Audit Office as a model on which to base its operations. Three representatives of the Samoa Audit Office were on Rarotonga this week, observing and learning from Audit director Paul Allsworth and his staff as part of an Institutional Strengthening Project their office is undertaking. At the […]

What's the fuss about?

Saturday 2 April 2011 | Published in Smoke Signals

“I don’t know what the fuss is about the CINews reports of the sexual assault case currently before an open court,” a smoke signaller writes [see letters to the editor on Thursday and yesterday]. “We in Raro have the option of sitting in the public area to listen, unlike those overseas and the outer islands […]

Recovering from resentment

Friday 1 April 2011 | Published in Church Talk

It’s a fact of life that people hurt each other. Either intentionally or unintentionally we hurt each other. You’re going to hurt people, they’re going to hurt you. How you handle that hurt will, to a large degree, determine your happiness in life. If you don’t respond correctly to hurt, it turns into resentment. If […]

Fast rescue in Aitutaki

Friday 1 April 2011 | Published in Local

A swift response by authorities on the island of Aitutaki was the key in the rescue of a young tourist couple who were dragged out to sea after capsizing their kayak yesterday morning. According to inspector Tere Patia, the young couple, who were staying at the Aitutaki Lagoon Resort on the island, were out on […]

Red and black appeal raises $20,000

Friday 1 April 2011 | Published in Local

$20,000 was raised during the recent red and black Christchurch earthquake appeal fundraiser – exceeding the expectations of organisers Maureen Hilyard and Ronnie Siulepa. When handing over the funds to Red Cross on Thursday, Hilyard commented that when they planned the national fundraiser, they expected to raise around $10,000 for the victims of the Christchurch […]

Govt covers airfares for Christchurch 'heroes'

Friday 1 April 2011 | Published in Local

The government has come to the rescue of Cook Islands Tourism’s Holiday for Heroes initiative to make sure it happens by covering about half the cost of airfares to get 50 Christchurch quake heroes here. The 50 chosen heroes will travel with their partners. The value of the Holiday for Heroes initiative has been estimated […]

'Enter the Land' all local

Friday 1 April 2011 | Published in Features

After weeks of hard work, fundraising and prayer, Celebration on the Rock church is releasing its first CD. The album, which is currently being produced and printed in New Zealand, features ten English tracks written and performed by Celebration’s worship team – local musicians Kevin Iro, Tony Fe’ao, Charles Carlson, Bilsy Gukisuva, Abby Brass, Melody […]