Articles by Utopia Support

Kata - August 18, 2010

Wednesday 18 August 2010 | Published in Kata

Private sector growth

Wednesday 18 August 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

“I see the Prime Minister has made two new appointments on the Telecom Cook Islands board with representatives from the private sector,” a smoke signaller writes. “It is ‘to allow TCI to assume a more private sector ‘face’ in moving forward with its initiatives’. How about TCI and the PM – the current Telecommunications Minister […]

Muri pig pollution discussed

Tuesday 17 August 2010 | Published in Environment

A meeting was held on Monday with Muri pig farmers to discuss what could be done to reduce pollution from pig waste. The Muri Environmental Care Group delivered invitations to all of the pig farmers in the area to attend the meeting – but estimate that only a quarter of them turned up. Around 30 […]

Pollution solution

Tuesday 17 August 2010 | Published in Local

Tupe Short discusses mulch with Muri Pig Farmers when they met yesterday with the Muri Environmental Care Group to talk about how to prevent pig waste from polluting the lagoon.

The end of HeliRaro

Tuesday 17 August 2010 | Published in Local

The HeliRaro helicopter is being dismantled today and shipped back to Australia. The Australian owners of the $600,000 chopper, Brian and Jacque McBride, have decided that the local operator is not making enough money in Rarotonga and have decided to take the chopper home. Their local partners in HeliRaro are Kevin and Tina Iro. “He […]

Run-off row

Tuesday 17 August 2010 | Published in Local

The Democratic Party executive has warned the Ngatangiia committee that party supporters could be lost over the escalating debate over a run-off for candidacy. Standing MP Sir Terepai Maoate has already been confirmed as the candidate for the November election but three candidate-hopefuls have created a new ‘interim committee’ and set a date for a […]

Takeover plan scrapped

Tuesday 17 August 2010 | Published in Local

Opposition deputy leader Teina Bishop’s outbursts in Parliament on August 3 have now been linked to a dumped plan for a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Jim Marurai and his cabinet. While Bishop and parliamentary leader of the Opposition Tom Marsters have previously denied knowledge of a planned vote of no confidence, it […]

Appalled by arrogance

Tuesday 17 August 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Watching the television the other night I was so much appalled by the arrogance of Tata Crocombe, and to a lesser degree Iaveta Short, attacking the system and worst still our politicians. While they were attacking the system, they all failed to look at themselves being ‘ultimately systematised’, and they are systems in […]

Titikaveka run-off call

Tuesday 17 August 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I am writing in regards to a run off for the Democratic Party supporters for the Titikaveka Village. The Democratic supporters in the village of Titikaveka have not had the chance to have a run off for nominations for the seat holder for the Democratic Party for Titikaveka. This is undemocratic and highly […]

Kata - August 17, 2010

Tuesday 17 August 2010 | Published in Kata

The Ngatangiia showdown

Tuesday 17 August 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

The big GE is still 92 days away but it’s hand-to-hand fighting in the trenches at Ngatangiia over the selection of the constituency’s Democratic Party candidate, almost a very miniature version of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton slogging it out in the US for the Democratic presidential nomination two years ago. There’s a few smokies […]

Bishop 'taking time out'

Saturday 14 August 2010 | Published in Local

Aitutaki’s Arutanga-Reureu-Nikaupara MP and deputy leader of the Opposition Teina Bishop is “taking time out” from politics to rest according to a statement issued yesterday. His family and friends are now asking the public to respect his privacy amid concern for his health. Bishop was at the centre of a controversy during Parliament last week […]

Budget in, MPs out

Saturday 14 August 2010 | Published in Local

Parliament adjourned without setting a date for the next sitting after passing the $186.4 million 2010-11 Budget yesterday. After just eight days sitting from July 29, Parliament is unlikely to meet again until next year. Finance Minister Wilkie Rasmussen moved that the House adjourn sine die after the passing of the Budget and the Banking […]

Reaching out through music

Saturday 14 August 2010 | Published in Features

Samoan hip-hop legend King Kapisi performed for a crowded Rehab on Wednesday night alongside his wife, fellow hip-hop artist Teremoana Rapley, originally from Rarotonga and a legend in her own right. He said he’s wanted to do a show on Rarotonga for awhile, but there’s something else that motivated this recent trip. King Kapisi and […]

Keeping the tradition alive

Saturday 14 August 2010 | Published in Features

This week’s tivaevae exhibition at Akaoa Hall was hugely successful, a well-attended display about which people are still raving. Brilliantly coloured and artfully hung, 28 tivaevae from Rarotonga and Atiu brightened the empty room. Local artist Andrea Eimke curated the exhibition, which included tivaevae from the private collections of Tata Crocombe and Cassey Eggleton. The […]

Arts action around Raro

Saturday 14 August 2010 | Published in Features

A number of events were held around the Pacific Arts Association symposium this week including a craft fair, tivaevae exhibition and a show at Staircase. Artists, scholars and curators from across the Pacific and around the world gathered at Crown Beach to discuss Pacific art and the issues surrounding it. Here is some of the […]

Tavionis on the state of art

Saturday 14 August 2010 | Published in Features

This week’s Pacific Arts Association (PAA) symposium, a major event for the local art community, generated some interesting discussion amongst attendees and raised some pertinent questions about Pacific art. An issue to which artists returned throughout was the repatriation of Pacific art, or the transfer of Pacific artefacts from overseas museums back to their islands […]

Sights set on affordable health

Saturday 14 August 2010 | Published in Features

Improving the health of all Cook Islanders through accessible and affordable health services is the objective of newly appointed director of funding and planning for of the Ministry of Health Dr Fran McGrath. Dr McGrath began in her new role this week with the Ministry of Health and brings with her a wealth of knowledge […]

A big fan of green energy

Saturday 14 August 2010 | Published in Features

Captain Tama’s Lagoon Cruises has already gone green with a compost toilet on Motu Koromiri and now owner Tamaiva Tuavera is applying the same green principle to his home. But this time, Tauavera is harnessing wind power and this week he installed a wind turbine at his hillside home in Muri. The wind turbine, which […]

Carnival adds to colourful day

Saturday 14 August 2010 | Published in Features

The Queen Carnival on Mauke was one of several colourful events organised on the island to celebrate self-governance on August 4. An air of expectation and excitement greeted the queen carnival, which sounds like an event more appropriate to the US culture unless one is aware that the infamous Tangiia chose two wives from Mauke […]