Articles by Utopia Support

Kiss your grass goodbye

Saturday 26 February 2011 | Published in Smoke Signals

“The genius idea behind grading the verge of the main road was to remove all the holes and puddles,” a smoke signaller writes. “Well that is working – the puddles are now a bit further off the road. Otherwise the arterial vandalism raises at least two questions: (1) Where the work goes outside of the […]

Mission leader preaching

Friday 25 February 2011 | Published in Church Talk

Reverend Suliasi Kurulo, leader of the Christian Mission Fellowship (CMF) movement that has planted 1500 churches in more than 100 nations, is leading a crusade on Rarotonga this weekend. He is based in Fiji and oversees missionaries in the United Kingdom, the United States, South Africa, Cambodia and across the region, but Rev. Suliasi has […]

Desperate cries, desperate times

Friday 25 February 2011 | Published in Church Talk

Two missionaries of the Lord Jesus Christ, Paul and Silas, had been locked up in a prison, chained to the wall and doors locked behind them. The prisoners had heard them praying and singing praises to their God at midnight when suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were […]

Families 'traumatised'

Friday 25 February 2011 | Published in Local

Trauma is the main issue affecting Cook Islanders dealing firsthand with the Christchurch earthquake, Mid-Canterbury Cook Islands Community Society president Tony Vainerere says. Vainerere lives in Ashburton – south of Christchurch – where many Cook Islanders live and others have congregated to since the earthquake. As a New Life Church member, Pacific community liaison coordinator […]

Kiwis launch quake appeal

Friday 25 February 2011 | Published in Local

The Aotearoa Society of Rarotonga yesterday launched an Earthquake Appeal for the stricken people of Christchurch. To start this initiative, and as a sign of respect , committee members have raised the New Zealand flag and it flies at half mast at their centre in Tupapa. On Saturday morning committee members, association members and volunteers […]

Araura fishing funsters

Friday 25 February 2011 | Published in Local

Who says schoolwork can’t be fun? Araura College pupils enjoy learning about the Ministry of Marine Resources’ new bonefish management scheme for Aitutaki and Manuae, with project officer Rebekah Daniel. Daniel and other ministry staff were in Aitutaki recently helping raise awareness among the community about new regulations set to preserve the bonefish population. Aitutaki […]

NZ itinerary scaled back

Friday 25 February 2011 | Published in Local

Prime Minister Henry Puna has had to scale back on meetings he was scheduled to hold this week with New Zealand cabinet ministers including Prime Minister John Key – as nearly all are preoccupied with the Christchurch quake tragedy. Speaking from NZ, prime minister’s CEO Edwin Pittman said yesterday they sent a message to Key […]

Stop public servant travel rorts

Friday 25 February 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Gossip is rife that Cabinet recently issued a directive for all future travels of public servants be more transparent and accountable. About time and good on Cabinet for taking a hard stand on those frequent global travellers in the public service who seem to live abroad more than on the island. Word has […]

Freedom is conditional

Friday 25 February 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, We write regarding the letter to the editor citing freedom of speech as justification for what we would consider to be unsuitable local songs for public airplay. Is freedom unconditional? You have the freedom to drive in Rarotonga, but at the right speed, on the left of the road, without alcohol etc. Does […]

Do away with wigs, gowns

Friday 25 February 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Boo hoo for the speaker and his staff who have to wear silly horsehair wigs and black witches’ capes at Parliament. Here’s a novel idea – do away with them! We’re an independent country with our own culture and traditions. Who says we have to slavishly follow mother England’s traditions to the end […]

Wigs and gowns story 'sensational'

Friday 25 February 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I would like to respond to a rather sensational piece titled ‘Old gowns and patched wigs’ by Florence Syme-Buchanan in yesterday’s paper. My first reaction was, Ahoy! What did I get myself into? Where is the primary issue which you, Florence, raised with me on Wednesday? I am not disputing the facts you […]

Kata - February 25, 2011

Friday 25 February 2011 | Published in Kata

Mangaia prepares for Manea

Friday 25 February 2011 | Published in National

Cook Islands Sports and National Olympic Committee sports manager Robert Graham will head to Mangaia next week to help the island prepare for the Manea Zone Games which have been confirmed to be held between October 3 and 14. Mangaia was the first island to host the zone games in 1997 and last year the […]

Long drop reminds Dayna of outer islands

Friday 25 February 2011 | Published in National

Living in earthquake-damaged Christchurch is a little bit like living in the outer islands, Rarotonga-raised 21-year-old Dayna Napa says. “We’ve got a long drop out the back, so it’s a bit like living in the outer islands. We’ve got family in Mauke and I remember visiting them and using a long drop – that’s the […]

Reward Christchurch heroes and heroines with a holiday – Cook Islands Tourism

Friday 25 February 2011 | Published in National

The country’s tourism industry is said to be responding positively to the idea of offering all expenses paid Cook Islands holidays to 100 heroes and heroines of the Christchurch tragedy. The proposal is still in the early stages of development and has been initiated by Cook Islands Tourism (CIT). However, CIT is understood to be […]

Christchurch couple worry about home

Friday 25 February 2011 | Published in National

Gavin and Ruia McDermott are having a harder time enjoying their Rarotonga honeymoon than most. The Christchurch couple will celebrate their first wedding anniversary on Saturday, but they can’t help worrying about friends and family struggling in earthquake-ravaged Canterbury. Both were in the city when the earthquake struck on Tuesday NZT – Ruia at their […]

'Too many chiefs, not enough indians'

Friday 25 February 2011 | Published in National

A problem of too many chiefs and not enough indians has been resolved, thanks to two years of staff restructuring at the Ministry of Culture, says secretary Sonny Williams. Williams, who was secretary from 2000 to 2006, returned to the role in 2009 after a brief stint in the private sector. He says upon his […]

Fisheries protection squad trained

Friday 25 February 2011 | Published in National

A new compliance unit has been established within the Ministry of Marine Resources to target breaches of regulation in conjunction with the police department’s Te Kukupa staff. MMR secretary Ben Ponia says the need for a specially-trained compliance unit within the ministry became apparent in June last year, during the process of forming a bonefish […]

MMR cautious about park trust

Friday 25 February 2011 | Published in National

The Ministry of Marine Resources believes management and licensing of Cook Islands offshore fisheries is best left to a government statutory body, rather than a Marine Park Trust. “We would have to be careful about handing this responsibility over to a trust assuming it is a small board of people, what their qualifications are, and […]

Visitors up

Friday 25 February 2011 | Published in National

Total visitor arrivals for the September 2010 quarter increased by 34.8% from the June 2010 quarter. During the September quarter, there were 33,514 visitors to the Cook Islands – more than the 31,319 tourists during the September 2009 quarter. Kiwis were the biggest nationality to the Cook Islands during the September 2010 quarter with 71% […]