Articles by Utopia Support

Second trip for sailors

Wednesday 19 January 2011 | Published in National

Two members of the crew sailing Taio Shipping’s new boat from Norway next week begin their trip to Norway for the second time. Tevita Vakasavi from Fiji and Nubono Teano from Kiribati were stopped in Bangkok when they were travelling with Tapi Taio and Joey Taoro to Norway last November. “They were not allowed to […]

Taio buys Ocean Sun in Norway

Wednesday 19 January 2011 | Published in National

Taio Shipping has bought a ship from inside the Arctic Circle to replace the Te Kou Maru II which ran aground in Mauke in October 2010. The Ocean Sun was built in Norway in the 1970s. It is a 46-metre vessel which can carry 600 tonnes of cargo. In recent years it has been sailing […]

How simple is it to keep a country beautiful?”

Wednesday 19 January 2011 | Published in Smoke Signals

A smoke signaller joins the debate on the felling of trees on Rarotonga deemed dangerous and writes: “Hey Mr Smoke Signal, how come Hawaii and California can have tall palms and coconut trees and no one gets killed or sued? Could it be they regularly de-nut and prune old leaves? How simple is it to […]

Avana stink explained

Tuesday 18 January 2011 | Published in Environment

The rotting mass of seaweed that was cause of the foul stench in an Avana stream was cleaned out on Saturday – but Avana will always, at this time of year, continue to smell. Ngatangiia beautification committee member Willy Kauvai says that on Saturday a crew cleaned out the mess in the stream next to […]

All aboard for Palmerston

Tuesday 18 January 2011 | Published in Local

S.V. Southern Cross is journeying to Palmerston next month, and inviting paying passengers to come along for the adventure – a fairly rare opportunity, as Palmerston is only accessible by boat. The 58-foot yacht leaves February 7 from Avatiu harbour for Palmerston, which sits 270 nautical miles north of Rarotonga. The journey takes 40 hours, […]

High commissioner's comments with held

Tuesday 18 January 2011 | Published in Local

Cook Islands High Commissioner to New Zealand, Mike Mitchell, is the first official to provide comment to government on the December report from the NZ parliament’s Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee. The NZ report is the result of a four-year inquiry into NZ’s relationship with South Pacific countries and pays particular attention to the […]

Push to help combat illegal fishing

Tuesday 18 January 2011 | Published in Local

The report to the New Zealand government on its relationship with Pacific countries pulls out the protection of fishing waters as an issue of primary concern. “Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in the Pacific, although hard to measure, is estimated to be worth up to $400 million a year,” the report states. “To help Pacific […]

Cyclone recovery 'mickey mouse'

Tuesday 18 January 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, It’s nearly a year since the Cyclone Pat recovery project started, and it is still a distant, far away from completion exercise. And whatever reasoning and excusable manipulation that we would choose to swing from, at the end of the day, we still have people with hindered lives living in tents like sardines, […]

Kata - January 18, 2011

Tuesday 18 January 2011 | Published in Kata

Floods affect Teremoana family

Tuesday 18 January 2011 | Published in National

Constant phone updates from flood stricken family in Brisbane, Australia, meant that Teremoana Tangauru and his wife Mama Mii knew their children were safe and well. Seven of the couple’s 10 children live in Brisbane but just one son, Maiva Teremoana, was affected by the raging flood waters. Maiva Teremoana and his Tongan partner share […]

Students all in the family

Tuesday 18 January 2011 | Published in National

He still has a few more years of study ahead of him, but 21-year-old Cook Islands university student Jordan Puati is on the road to success. “It’s been a really good year,” says Puati who is studying to complete a Bachelor of Communication degree. Born in London and raised in Wellington, Puati and his family […]

Danny excels in dental studies

Tuesday 18 January 2011 | Published in National

After spending three years studying in Otago, local dentist Danny Areai is this week back in the Tupapa dentistry clinic, armed with a Master’s degree in Dental Surgery and a postgraduate diploma in Community Dentistry. Areai – an example of a Cook Islander who went the extra mile for the benefit of his country – […]

Raro boys lend a hand

Tuesday 18 January 2011 | Published in National

Cook Islanders (from left) Ryan Short, Matt Robinson, William Pittman and George Ama are getting stuck in and helping flood stricken residents in Brisbane clear their damaged property. The Rarotonga men, who all now reside in Australia, have been helping Brisbane families remove sodden and ruined property from their homes for collection by council trucks. […]

Ten new Kiwi teachers arrive

Tuesday 18 January 2011 | Published in National

Ten new teachers arrived from New Zealand this weekend to take up posts in the Cook Islands. Their contracts run from January 24, 2011, to January 23, 2012. Four of the teachers will be starting at Tereora College on January 24. Alan Olliver will teach tourism, Philip Jones media, Bryn Parry and Amy Brittain maths, […]

Thrips eater to stop pest

Monday 17 January 2011 | Published in Environment

The Cuban laurel thrips (Gynaicothrips ficicorum) remains a major pest on Rarotonga since its discovery in November 2009 – but its numbers are set to decrease with the recent introduction of a biological control insect that feeds on the thrips. Ministry of Agriculture entomologist Dr Maja Poeschko says that when they discovered the thrips they […]

Kids learn to protect lagoon

Monday 17 January 2011 | Published in Environment

Just over 60 kids aged between 5 and 16 became warriors on Friday – Eco Warriors committed to protecting the environment. But the children needed little promoting to rattle off the causes of pollution in the Muri lagoon and what people could do to protect the environment including the lagoon. To give the young environmental […]

Visitors in motorcycle crashes

Monday 17 January 2011 | Published in Local

Four women were involved in three separate motor vehicle accidents attended by police at the weekend. Two of the accidents involved female tourists who lost control of their motorbikes. At Kavera, a female tourist slipped off her bike on the wet roads when she was distracted by a local selling fish on the side of […]

New Pasifika school in Auckland

Monday 17 January 2011 | Published in Local

Kia Aroha College, a new school in Otara, opens on February 1 and will be offering bilingual education in Cook Islands Maori for students between year seven and year 13. The college, which will be the only Maori and Pasifika bilingual secondary school in the country, is currently accepting enrolments for the 2011 academic year. […]

Avana stink investigated

Monday 17 January 2011 | Published in Local

The foul smell that has been lingering around Avana for over six weeks is believed to be caused by rotting algae and seaweed but exactly who is responsible for cleaning up is unclear. A letter published in the Cook Islands News last week prompted Ministry of Infrastructure and Palnning CEO Otheniel Tangianau to investigate the […]

Community clean up in Muri

Monday 17 January 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Residents in Muri Tapere are being called to a community working bee this afternoon starting at 5pm at the Nukupure Park. The working bee has been called by Pu Tapere Keta Williams and will included cleaning rubbish and overgrowth around the sports grounds at Nukupure Park. The working bee is a post festive season cleanup […]