Articles by Utopia Support

New gym and new plans

Saturday 15 January 2011 | Published in National

Continuing to reach out to the wider community and offering services for better wellbeing not only to those that can afford it but also to those that really need it, is just one of the future plans of health and fitness enthusiasts Puai Wichman and wife Tai Ngari. The couple, who took over the Top […]

24-hour shop closes

Saturday 15 January 2011 | Published in National

Telecom’s 24-hour shop has been closing because of falling patronage. Telecom CEO Jules Maher explained why the company recently announced the end of the 24-shop at Parekura. The company recently advertised new opening hours from 7am to 11pm. It’s in response to falling demand,” Maher said. “Hardly any customers access the office overnight so it […]

Changes of mayor in Aitutaki and Atiu

Saturday 15 January 2011 | Published in National

The preliminary results of the outer island local government elections are back. There has been a change of mayor on Aitutaki, with John Baxter Jnr taking over from Tai Herman, who served for five terms. Atiu has also had a change of mayor. Nellie Mokorua, the incumbent, withdrew from the running at the last minute. […]

2 MPs assist Minister

Saturday 15 January 2011 | Published in National

Minister of Finance Mark Brown has been having some help from two of the new MPs. MP for Tupapa-Maraerenga George Maggie and Avatiu-Ruatonga-Palmerston’s John Henry have been working with him on a few projects, and they may become Associate Ministers or Assistant Ministers. George Maggie got the highest number of votes of any MP in […]

Exam results still coming

Saturday 15 January 2011 | Published in National

The problem with the NCEA results has still not been sorted out – but Secretary of Education Sharon Paio hopes that it will be resolved next week. She said yesterday, “The situation is going to be rectified – it’s just a question of being patient.” Currently some students’ results in level 1 and 3 Cook […]

CIWA meets with Asia Pacific Union Leaders

Saturday 15 January 2011 | Published in National

Cook Islands Works Association president Anthony Turua and executives Tuaine Maunga and Rangi Tairi are currently in freezing cold Beijing attending a China-South Pacific Trade Union Leaders seminar. CIWA president Anthony Turua reports that the seminar focuses on how the Pacific region unions including New Zealand and Australia are coping with the post financial crisis […]

Teen loses possessions in flood

Saturday 15 January 2011 | Published in National

Seventeen-year-old Cook Islander Josh Baker only moved into his new home in Brisbane in November, and was happily sharing with two housemates. But the floods which swept through Brisbane hit the suburb where he lives and goes to school pretty hard – and out of the homes in his street, Baker’s suffered the most damage. […]

Puna welcomed as police minister

Saturday 15 January 2011 | Published in National

Police hosted a parade yesterday morning to welcome and formally recognise the new minister of police, prime minister Henry Puna. Aside from the police force, among those present were police commissioner Maara Tetava, meteorological services director Arona Ngari and maritime surveillance adviser Chris Cooper. Puna gave an eloquent speech lauding police officers for their commitment […]

A letter from the mayor

Saturday 15 January 2011 | Published in Smoke Signals

“I have very little respect for prominent persons who use profanity in public,” a smoke signaller writes, most probably in response to yesterday’s headline ‘One big F up’. “Their view can still be made known without subjecting the reading public to such vulgarity. Please consider our school age readers and readers who don’t condone profanity […]

The love will grow cold

Friday 14 January 2011 | Published in Church Talk

Never before have biblical truths, historical facts, and moral absolutes come under such attack. In a number of religious and secular circles moral values are under so much attack that there now exists a real confusion as to the nature of what is right and what is wrong. We are increasingly told to accept and […]

A place and time for worship

Friday 14 January 2011 | Published in Church Talk

Ei ngai e te tuatau no te akamori Worship is giving God the best that He has given us. Be careful what we do with the best we have in life. Whenever we get the blessing from God, give it back to Him as a ‘love gift’. Take time to meditate before God and offer […]

Willis critical

Friday 14 January 2011 | Published in Local

There has been another attack by the Democratic Party on the running of yesterday’s outer islands local government elections. This time Demo president Sean Willis has waded in, to criticise what he calls the poor running of the elections. He said the organisation was a shambles with not enough information sent out prior to the […]

'One big F up'

Friday 14 January 2011 | Published in Local

Mayor of Aitutaki Tai (Tango) Herman (above) agrees with criticism made by Sean Willis, calling the outer islands elections ‘One big F up.” He said that many people on the island did not know about the elections, the roll was out of date, and that people were given three hours less to vote than they […]

China gifts $1.94m

Friday 14 January 2011 | Published in Local

A Chinese delegation signed an agreement yesterday to gift $1.94 million to the Cook Islands government. The money is a grant, not a loan, so it doesn’t need to be repaid. The government has free reign on what they will spend the money on. As yet the government has not decided what will be done […]

A case for action man

Friday 14 January 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, As a Ngatangiia family man whose children regularly make use of Muri lagoon for recreational purposes, it concerns me greatly that much needed plans to improve the quality of water in Muri lagoon by removing the fish traps appears to have hit a brick wall all because one person who is not from […]

'Let's get on with it, mate'

Friday 14 January 2011 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, My sympathy to those Queenslanders affected by the floods. Green and Gold, like Tok, is asking for a national fundraising appeal. Let’s be realistic and practical. Aussies are seasoned victims of all kinds of disasters – fires, cyclones, floods, drought. However, the thing about Aussies is that during or after a disaster, unlike […]

Kata - January 14, 2011

Friday 14 January 2011 | Published in Kata

Contact says no Cook Is casualties

Friday 14 January 2011 | Published in National

Secretary of foreign affairs and immigration Jim Gosselin said on Wednesday afternoon that his ministry has asked the governments of both Australia and New Zealand to issue reports on any Cook Islanders affected by the flooding in Queensland. “We have requested the Governments of Australia and New Zealand to advise us if they know of […]

Dan Rolls reports from Brisbane

Friday 14 January 2011 | Published in National

CINews web developer Daniel Rolls, who lives with his fianc and daughter in Brisbane, said that while he and his family are safe from the devastating floods, they are still close enough to the action to feel its ripple effects. Rolls, his fiance Elena and their 14-month-old daughter Nevaeh, live about 17.5km south of the […]

Top marks

Friday 14 January 2011 | Published in National

Tamatoa Carr has got better results than he needed to get into Auckland University – and had his place confirmed yesterday by email. He has been offered places on each of the courses he applied for, and now just has to decide which course to take up. Carr needed an average of a merit on […]