Articles by Utopia Support

Two budget blowouts expected

Saturday 3 April 2010 | Published in Features

Government has finally revealed that it expects a $4.1 million budget shortfall in the 2010/11 budget. The budget policy statement (BPS) published March 31 shows a budget blow out is now a reality in this financial year. Instead of the estimated $2.9 million surplus, there is now a $1.8 million shortfall expected in the budget. […]

Probe, please

Saturday 3 April 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, A couple of months after the end of the Pacific Mini Games I posed the question, through your paper, asking when the public would be able to obtain details on the exact amount of money spent on these games, how and where the money was spent and who got what. In response, government […]

'Best squad' the priority

Saturday 3 April 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Obviously ‘2 netballers’ saw none of the games at last year’s World Youth Netball Championships, to appreciate the standard and quality of player competing at the international level. Despite wanting to give international competition to local players, CINA and the national selectors and coaches know that there are harsher and starker realities. ‘2 […]

Kata - April 3, 2010

Saturday 3 April 2010 | Published in Kata

Netball season rejigged

Saturday 3 April 2010 | Published in Netball

The domestic club netball season will now open on April 30 and May 1. The season was meant to begin on April 9 but has been pushed back so that the first round of games will end just before the island hosts the Pacific Netball Series on June 3-5. The later start will also give […]

Crackdown

Saturday 3 April 2010 | Published in Smoke Signals

Patrols manning checkpoints around the island this long weekend will be searching cars and pickups – both front and back seats – for any evidence that Easter eggs have been eaten prior to Easter morning this Sunday. The evidence could be either empty foil wrappers left inside vehicles, or chocolate on fingers, door knobs and […]

What if Christ hadn't risen from the dead?

Thursday 1 April 2010 | Published in Church Talk

Once a South Sea Islander proudly displayed his Bible to an American soldier during World War II. “We’ve outgrown that sort of thing,” the soldier said. The Islander smiled back and said, “It is a good thing that we haven’t, if it weren’t for this book, we would have eaten you by now.” Whether the […]

Holy Week in focus for Catholic Church

Thursday 1 April 2010 | Published in Church Talk

Holy Week is the focal point of the Catholic Church this week leading up to Easter weekend. Today is known as Holy Thursday. The mass for the ‘Last Supper’ will start at 7pm at St Joseph’s Cathedral in Avarua. A selected number of parishioners will have their feet washed during mass to portray how Jesus […]

NZ wage hike has no effect here

Thursday 1 April 2010 | Published in Local

Anthony Turua, president of Cook Islands Workers’ Association, says it’s again time for government to consider making some cost-of-living adjustments. This week New Zealand’s minimum wage has increased by $0.25 – from $12.50 to $12.75 – which means anyone working a 40-hour week earns $510 before taxes. The wage hike, however, has no bearing on […]

Easter rark up

Thursday 1 April 2010 | Published in Local

The Demo government is being dealt a hard Easter message – to step down if it is not prepared to govern as a full party. Today’s CI News Churchtalk contribution by Bishop Tutai Pere dishes out this hard line to government and the country. “Some are condoning the overthrowing of a democracy in our country […]

Demo D-Day!

Thursday 1 April 2010 | Published in Local

D-Day came for the four Democratic Party members of cabinet yesterday as they faced the ultimatum to resign from their ministerial posts or face expulsion from the party. Meetings of the two Democratic Party factions were reportedly going on late into the day as the ministers waited to hear news of any action being taken […]

PM holding us to ransom

Thursday 1 April 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, This country is in so much trouble in so many ways and one person is holding the country to ransom for his own selfish reasons: A prime minister with no integrity, leadership and guts. Through out Maruari’s term as prime Minister of this country, he has maintained his hold on the prime minister’s […]

Wake up, Demos

Thursday 1 April 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I cannot believe how pathetically the Executive for the Democratic Party is behaving. How can they endorse and support Terepai Maoate who is an old man who disregarded Sunday flights, ignored his promise to review the Sunday flights, drove our economy into the mess by committing us to Chinese loans, gave BTIB the […]

Kata - April 1, 2010

Thursday 1 April 2010 | Published in Kata

White vs Black soccer clash

Thursday 1 April 2010 | Published in Football

The top two teams in the men’s five-a-side soccer tournament, Black Puta and White Puta, will face off today at the CIFA complex in Matavera. The winner of this match will lead the competition. Monday’s five-a-side competition produced a lot of fun as well as tense moments for some teams. Team Tsunami came through in […]

Japanese group befriends Cooks

Wednesday 31 March 2010 | Published in Local

A group of 15 Japanese students arrived in Rarotonga at the weekend and will be performing a series of culture shows this week. They call themselves the Friends of the World Association and they’re here to teach locals about Japanese culture through song, dance and judo. The group hails from Shikoku, an island in Japan […]

Govt urged to release details of Toa settlement

Wednesday 31 March 2010 | Published in Local

CIP leader Henry Puna has asked government to confirm it has made the $1.75 million settlement payment to Toa Petroleum as ordered by the courts. He says now that it is the end of March – the month touted as the deadline for payment as ordered by the court – government should provide answers. “Can […]

Eggelton's exit from party causes a stir

Wednesday 31 March 2010 | Published in Local

Karla Eggelton has left the Democratic Party executive to support her mother’s cabinet appointment this month. Already speculation is growing about the move and Karla’s chances at being appointed the new CI Tourism CEO. Questions are also being asked about whether her mother Cassey Eggelton will get the tourism portfolio as had been tipped just […]

What is government doing about the mess?

Wednesday 31 March 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I was very concerned to read about this islander who will never return due to departure taxes being doubled in price. Why should people be paying $50 when there is nothing at all to do on our beautiful island? Before it was guests arguing about the departure tax, and now it’s our very […]

Sour grapes over netball selections

Wednesday 31 March 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Last Friday evening I went to watch the netball trials for the Pacific Series held by CINA. Out of the seven players selected and announced in Tuesday’s newspaper, only two players I think deserved to get in the team but the rest I have reservations about. My question to the selectors – what […]