Articles by Utopia Support

New direction and designs for Cook Islands postage stamps

Saturday 18 September 2010 | Published in Features

The Cook Islands Philatelic business, until recently owned by Greta and Jim Little, is under sale to an American company, Philatelic Collectors Incorporated (PCI). They have exclusive rights to design, issue, print and market postage stamps for the Cook Islands and will provide the Post Office with supplies stamps free of charge for their use […]

First two new sets of stamps

Saturday 18 September 2010 | Published in Features

One set depicts Anzac Day on the Cook Islands using photographs of the cenotaph, the national flag and marching. The second set of 15 stamps focuses on flowers found in the Cook Islands – although none of those depicted is a native species. The government will receive $50,000 per year from the sale of stamps.

Stop stealing our pawpaws

Saturday 18 September 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, To the lowlife who is stealing pawpaws from my mother’s plot in Turangi – you must feel proud stealing the fruits of someone else’s labour. It must feel good sneaking up, no doubt in the dark of night and swiping the whole crop, which someone else has spent the time and energy in […]

Ideas for political reform

Saturday 18 September 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

It is always important to first try to determine whether the problems have to do with the system or the people. If the political culture is corrupt, it will infect any system that is put in place. The success of a political system over time depends on historical context and events – once in operation […]

A case of the 'flip-flops'

Saturday 18 September 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, An article in yesterday’s paper labels me as a ‘flip-flop’ on political reform. Check the background of the GPC and you will find they too suffer from ‘flip-flops’! They never had national seats and a nationally elected PM in their agenda – now they do! I went off the GPC sometimes in 2003 […]

Kata - September 18, 2010

Saturday 18 September 2010 | Published in Kata

To tell or not to tell?

Saturday 18 September 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

“I’ve just finished reading ‘Chris was Right’ in the smokies,” one of our readers writes this week. “I was thinking the same thing, but the other way around. Brett Porter informed us there was going to be a fuel shortage. Chris Vaile said it will be okay if we don’t ‘Panic Buy’. So everyone started […]

What must we do to be saved?

Friday 17 September 2010 | Published in Church Talk

Every church exist on earth because every member wants to be saved, otherwise why bother to pray, worship and stay in church? Every religion exist on earth because every convert wants to be saved, otherwise why bother to pray, meditate or practice whatever kinds of religious beliefs and rituals? Every human organisations, governments and institutions […]

Philatelic sale set

Friday 17 September 2010 | Published in Local

Minister of Finance Wilkie Rasmussen announced yesterday that the government will make over $50,000 per year from stamps after the sale of the Philatelic Bureau. In a media release yesterday he said: “The Government and Telecom Cook Islands Limited (TCI) have entered into a new agreement for the issue of stamps with Philatelic Bureau 2010 […]

Cabinet not convinced

Friday 17 September 2010 | Published in Local

PM says there are questions over legitimacy of proposal Prime Minister Jim Marurai says his Cabinet is not convinced that the ‘Al Atas’ multimillion investment fund proposal put to it is legitimate. Yesterday government officials were running for cover after CI News broke the news of the possible attempted scam. CI News asked Finance Minister […]

Cook Islands spirit

Friday 17 September 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, We would like to publically recognise Tangianu Tuaputa’s support and aid to us following a motor bike accident near his home. His human response seems to exemplify the Cook Islanders’ spirit. Our four day stopover in Rarotonga on the way to Australia has given us the pleasure of discovering the island’s beauty and […]

Ask all the right questions

Friday 17 September 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I was delighted with the passionate response to my provocative letter “Cut our Cake” earlier in the week, but the correspondent asked the wrong question. The questions he should have asked was: What are the Cook Islands and what is a Cook Islander? A Constitution should deal with the question of who we […]

Arnold talks of anti-reform comments

Thursday 16 September 2010 | Published in Local

Tim Arnold spoke at his first public campaign meeting on Tuesday night about anti-reform comments made by Cook Islands Party MP Norman George. Arnold referred to George as a man he had a great deal of respect for. “Norman George could be such a powerful force for good for this country. It is useful to […]

Cabinet meets 'scammers'

Thursday 16 September 2010 | Published in Local

Concerns raised over company’s multimillion dollar proposal Cabinet ministers have exposed themselves to embarrassment after meeting representatives of a Singapore-based company that are now suspected of trying to scam government. CI News contacted Finance Minister Wilkie Rasmussen who said he was concerned that the infrastructure funding proposal was a scam but checks were still being […]

Raro relief as fuel ship finally arrives

Thursday 16 September 2010 | Published in Local

Cars were bumper to bumper and motorbikes were being pushed along the roads to get to the fresh supply of petrol on the island yesterday. The successful berthing of the Southern Express at Avatiu Harbour provided welcome relief as the petrol crisis came to an end. Motorists queued outside several petrol stations yesterday from mid-morning […]

Disgusted and angry

Thursday 16 September 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I was so disgusted and angry when I read the “Cut our cake to size” letter by Portillius. The subject about land tenure is not a subject that you can pussyfoot around with. Is that your real name? If not, why didn’t you let it be printed? Who do you think you are, […]

Electric service

Thursday 16 September 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, On Tuesday at 10pm the electricity to our house was cut off. This was not a power cut to a whole area but just to our house alone. We called Te Aponga’s 24hr fault line and spoke to the very helpful gentleman that was on call. Within 20 minutes there was a Te […]

Thanks for road work

Thursday 16 September 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I just wanted to offer my thanks and gratitude to the fixing of the Tupapa crossroad inland of Super Brown Store. Minister Smiley Heather, Tou Ariki, Tere Taio and the Works boys –a meitaki maata on behalf of the people living in this area. Although it took seven years to fix it we […]

Always remember how we got here

Thursday 16 September 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, For the last year, at least, I read with amazement on how brainwashed our people have been and continue to be on the issues of fuel supply and political reform. One fuel supply company reminds me of what the school books taught me of what the Nazis did to the German people back […]

Why always a dummy?

Thursday 16 September 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

After signing up for zillions of dollars of borrowed money from overseas without serious due diligence –the failed Vaimaanga resort project being a classic example – and now hopefully being the wiser for it, some still must think the country has a ‘We’re Dummies!’ sticker slapped across the forehead of our government. The Cabinet document […]