Articles by Utopia Support

CITC goes eco friendly

Wednesday 26 May 2010 | Published in Environment

As a company CITC has made a conscious effort to be friendly to the environment. One major campaign that they are pushing is to get rid of plastic bags. They are doing this at all their stores by promoting purchase reusable shopping bags for both dry and chilled/frozen products, and by also using biodegradable plastic […]

Manea toilet paper a cut above

Wednesday 26 May 2010 | Published in Environment

According to US toilet paper giants (if we can all them that) Charmin, the average person uses 57 sheets of toilet paper a day. That’s 20,805 sheets a year. Wouldn’t it be better if we all used the greenest paper on offer? James Beer thinks so – and he has gone to great lengths to […]

'Peace talks' proposed to end Demo chaos

Wednesday 26 May 2010 | Published in Local

Peace talks are at last on the drawing board for the fractured Democratic Party. Party leader Sir Terepai Maoate has confirmed that a meeting held between him, deputy prime minister Robert Wigmore and breakaway faction spokesman Sean Willis last Friday may set the Demo Party on the road to peace. The three agreed to go […]

PM confirms snap election call

Wednesday 26 May 2010 | Published in Local

Prime Minister Jim Marurai has confirmed that he recently approached the Queen’s Representative, Sir Fredrick Goodwin, to request the dissolution of Parliament so he could call a snap election. But Marurai said that he was advised against it by Sir Frederick. Yesterday, Sir Terepai Maoate issued a statement in which he says two weeks ago […]

Lagoon health in steady decline

Wednesday 26 May 2010 | Published in Local

The Takitumu Lagoon Health 2010 Report Card indicates that the state of the lagoon is in decline. Full results of this year’s report are released today see pages 12 and 13 on the eve of the two-day Lagoon Day expo tomorrow and Friday. Results this year are slightly worse than those of last year and […]

Rasmussen should go

Wednesday 26 May 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor Marurai should sack his new minister of finance a second time for taking us the people to court and costing us the people heaps more invaluable taxpayer money. The mediation team had already agreed to the Toa payment and his court case made no difference apart from more money being wasted on this […]

TAU questions Porter's memory

Wednesday 26 May 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor Please allow me to respond to the article by Brett Porter in your paper dated May 21, 2010. Mr Porter has obviously had a busy week, and so may have mis-remembered how the last two Te Aponga fuel tenders were actually conducted. In mid-2007, Te Aponga called tenders for supply of fuel for […]

Kata - May 26, 2010

Wednesday 26 May 2010 | Published in Kata

Demo faction plans legal action against conference

Tuesday 25 May 2010 | Published in Local

The Democratic Party faction led by Sir Terepai Maoate is planning legal action against the Demo faction staging the party conference on Monday, May 31. Party leader Maoate, general secretary John Tangi and colleagues have taken legal advice to find out if they are likely to win a declaratory judgement about which side has the […]

George asks pithy questions

Tuesday 25 May 2010 | Published in Local

CIP spokesman for finance and economic development Norman George has issued another statement raising numerous questions surrounding the recent Toa debacle. The statement reads as follows: There are so many questions that need answering going back to 2008. Who was it that drafted the cabinet submissions in 2008, which led cabinet to agreeing to purchase […]

Fiji flight proposed from Dec

Tuesday 25 May 2010 | Published in Local

A deal with Air Pacific for a weekly flight between Rarotonga and Fiji was hammered out last week at the Bula Fiji Tourism Exchange (BFTE) in Nadi. CI Tourism board member Robert Skews and board chairman Tata Crocombe said they held positive talks with the airline and are now awaiting an official proposal from Air […]

Golden Oldies dancers thrill crowd

Tuesday 25 May 2010 | Published in Features

The golden oldies dancer of the year competition was a real thrill for both spectators and dancers on Friday night. Dancers were grouped into two sections rauti para (ripe rauti leaf) for mama and papa dancers over 60-years and the rauti pi (green rauti leaf) for ‘younger’ dancers. While the mama dancers were graceful in […]

Piho is Manihiki choice

Tuesday 25 May 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I’m writing this letter in response to a “newsbrief” published in the Cook Islands Times. The Manihiki Democratic Party Committee have already selected their candidate. The Honourable Apii Piho is the only Demo Candidate that we foresee as being competent and gifted to take on such a role for the Manihiki people. As […]

Evolving from servants to celebrities

Tuesday 25 May 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, In our self-serving culture with its ‘me first mentality’, acting like a servant is not a wise concept. Bishop Tutai Pere of the Apostolic Church of the Cook Islands, in my personal opinion, he should keep his nose where it belongs, focus on his church members. Let our politicians govern our country. We […]

Kata - May 25, 2010

Tuesday 25 May 2010 | Published in Kata

Where did Apex money come from?

Tuesday 25 May 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

A smoke signaller writes: “Brett Porter’s explanation of the Apex deal with Mobil Oil in 2006 is that Apex borrowed some millions of dollars and put up ‘its own’ $750,000 to make a $3.25 million dollar deal. On August 11, 2006 the LAT approved a deed of mortgage from Apex to ANZ Bank of 5.7 […]

Muri sanitation to be overhauled

Monday 24 May 2010 | Published in Environment

Indications are that the NZ$4.72 million provided by the EU to improve Muri lagoon’s rapidly deteriorating water will be put into overhauling sanitation in the area. Fiona Ramsey, Second Secretary of the EU delegation to the Pacific, says “the data collected on sewage treatment and the latest water quality data points towards the main cause […]

Minister to speak in Uruguay

Monday 24 May 2010 | Published in Environment

Environment minister Cassey Eggleton has left for Punta del Este, Uruguay, to attend the forth session of the Assembly on the Global Environment Facility (GEF) which takes place on May 24–28. Eggleton is only the second minister to travel overseas on official business since prime minister Jim Marurai put a freeze on overseas travel in […]

Graham officially named Mauke Demo candidate

Monday 24 May 2010 | Published in Local

Hugh Graham has been officially confirmed as the Democratic Party candidate for Mauke. It also looks likely that he will resign as a Manukau City Councillor in the next couple of days and will not be return to New Zealand any time soon. Mauke MP Mapu Taia, the executive and members of the Democratic Party […]

Originality in dance

Monday 24 May 2010 | Published in Local

The golden oldies and papaa (visitor) dancer of the year competitions held on Friday night were a huge success with 10 mama and papa dancers wowing the crowd that packed into the Hideaway Bar courtyard for the show. Golden oldies contestant Casper Mateariki (above) had the crowd in stitches when he dedicated his chant to […]