Articles by Utopia Support

Wild chickens of Raro unite!

Saturday 2 October 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, To be anti-rooster is the same as being anti-Raro culture and lifestyle. There is a simple solution. The complainers should take their tourist dollars and spend it in downtown LA or any other city in the world where the traffic and other engine noises are more annoying than a rooster any night of […]

Give us just one policy

Saturday 2 October 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, As an undecided voter in the upcoming elections I would like to ask both of the main political parties for some information which might help me and many others to decide on where to cast our votes. Could someone who is entitled to speak on behalf of your respective parties (maybe the president, […]

Encourage our leaders

Saturday 2 October 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Following the Ngatangiia candidate selection I think it is time for some public reflection. It seems to me that the fastest growing international sport is Criticising Politicians. They are described as venal and corrupt by those people who are unaware of their real motivations. They are regarded as lower than Used Car Salesmen. […]

Give us real value

Saturday 2 October 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Even after all these years when government’s annual budgets have climbed to almost $200 million and advances in building construction technologies have improved in leaps and bounds, we see that Rarotonga’s supply of clean fresh water remains woefully inadequate. Why has this government failed to address Rarotonga’s continued water shortages? Why is it […]

Short on memory

Saturday 2 October 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I refer to yesterday’s front page where Mann Short stated that Ngatangiia has always been a Demo village. This is tutae toa puakatoro. Mann Short has a very short memory because Sir Apenera Short (Mann’s father) was one of the longest CIP and an MP that stood for Ngatangiia before he became QR. […]

Kata - October 2, 2010

Saturday 2 October 2010 | Published in Kata

Sir Terepai going Indy?

Saturday 2 October 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

A well placed source in Sir Terepai Maoate’s camp has hinted in a smoke signal that the sitting MP may run as an independent in the November 17 general elections. In Wednesday’s vote by financial members of the Democratic Party in the Ngatangiia constituency – and a good number of Cook Islands Party members also […]

Anonymity – a coward's way of hiding behind hurtful words

Friday 1 October 2010 | Published in Church Talk

Ko te uuna I tona Ingoa tikai – e tu moa ma’u tereira I te pipini ki muri I tetai au tuatua tamamae me kare akakino tangata Some say that anonymity is the last refuge for cowards. This woman after having read so much mail and comments submitted anonymously, seemed to agree. People hiding behind […]

Faith without works is dead

Friday 1 October 2010 | Published in Church Talk

In reply to Nick Carter’s three questions of Friday September 24’s Churchtalk and based on Holy Scripture: 1. Do I try harder to be good? Yes! “What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him? Even so faith, if it hath not works, […]

The Holy Spirit empowers mission

Friday 1 October 2010 | Published in Church Talk

In the Acts of the Apostles, we read St Luke’s unfolding story of the early Christian mission. The story tells of the spread of the Good News “in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts1:8). When Luke ends his story with Paul in Rome, the centre of the […]

George to sue over Kata cartoon

Friday 1 October 2010 | Published in Local

Opposition MP and solicitor Norman George is attempting to sue Cook Islands News for criminal libel, claiming just over $1.4 million in damages for publishing a cartoon he alleges was defamatory of him. The defamation suit against CI News cartoonist Tim Buchanan, CI News managing editor John Woods and Cook Islands News 2008 Ltd was […]

He backs reform

Friday 1 October 2010 | Published in Local

The winner of Wednesday night’s Democratic party run-off in Ngatangiia says he’s ready to demonstrate his support of political reform by limiting his political career to just two terms if voted in at the general elections. Mann Short, who won the run-off with 172 votes to Sir Terepai Maoate’s 162, said he doesn’t believe in […]

Ngatangiia chooses Mann for Demos

Friday 1 October 2010 | Published in Local

Ngatangiia Democratic Party candidate Mann Short was yesterday celebrating his slim-margin win in Wednesday’s controversial run-off. Short received 172 votes to Ngatangiia MP Sir Terepai Maoate’s 162 votes. There is still a lot of speculation that the win may have been helped along by Cook Islands Party supporters but overall the party was surprised at […]

Country has had a 'gutsful' of old guard

Friday 1 October 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, The emphatic election victory this week of an inexperienced politician over one of the most experienced politicians this country has ever known, is clear testament that the voters of this country have had a gutsful of the political old guard and are now yearning for change. Indeed, the time has perhaps come for […]

Paradise spoilt

Friday 1 October 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I have just had another holiday in my island paradise, but this time it was spoilt, as we were burgled during the day. Our holiday money, and a few other things were taken. How sad it is that you cannot even go to the beach in front of your accommodation without locking up. […]

Water is urgent

Friday 1 October 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, After 20-odd years of living in the area (Tupapa), this is the first time that I have noticed the water shortages, though we did have it once due to the fact that the water works turned the main tap off for an unknown reason. I am pointing the finger at our so-called politicians […]

Is Carr's sacking legal?

Friday 1 October 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, We have had one of the most experienced Financial Secretaries terminated from his job. He was sacked on the exact same day Parliament was dissolved by the Queen’s Representative because of Finance Minister Wilkie Rasmussen’s actions. Does this send a good message to the Demo camp if they are going to win the […]

Kata - October 1, 2010

Friday 1 October 2010 | Published in Kata

What a cock up!

Friday 1 October 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

A smoke signaller reckons Tourism boss Carmel Beattie is “putting the cart before the horse by trying to attract tourists but not sorting out problems in the country”, in this particular caller’s case, noisy roosters. He said he knows of people who visit Rarotonga once but will not return because of roosters keeping them awake […]

Road changes not confirmed

Thursday 30 September 2010 | Published in Local

New Zealand Minister of Transport Steven Joyce this week announced some big changes to New Zealand’s road rules, which will come into effect in 2012. Cook Islands police are unsure at this stage whether our similar road rules will change in response to these changes. One major New Zealand road rule change will mean instead […]