Articles by Utopia Support

Kata - February 20, 2010

Saturday 20 February 2010 | Published in Kata

Replant, rebuild, restore - our Godly First Love! Tanutanu, akatu, akaoki akaou mai – to tatou Inangaro Atua Mua!

Friday 19 February 2010 | Published in Church Talk

As much relief, replanting, rebuilding and restoring efforts are being implemented and activated these days for our beloved people and island of Aitutaki, we all just need to take a little time to pause to consider what should come first in all that we do. Based upon our Judeo-Christian faith and tradition, every disaster of […]

Conference to celebrate Papa Ron

Friday 19 February 2010 | Published in Local

The life and work of the renowned Cook Islands scholar, Professor Ron Crocombe, will be celebrated at a conference in August. The Festschrift for Ron Crocombe conference is being coordinated by the Cook Islands Research Association in association with the Library & Museum Society and University of the South Pacific Cook Islands campus. Papers for […]

Fatal motor vehicle accident

Friday 19 February 2010 | Published in Local

A man died at Rutaki just before 5 pm on Wednesday evening after falling from his motorcycle. The man, who had been drinking, fell off his motorbike on the main road and died of severe head injuries. Police suspect he suffered a fractured skull and internal bleeding. Police commissioner Maara Tetava cited speed and intoxication […]

Missing boat found

Friday 19 February 2010 | Published in Local

A major search and rescue mission was averted in the northern group last weekend after a missing boat was found. On Saturday, police received a report that a boat headed for Rakahanga, which departed from Manihiki at 9am, had gone missing. The trip was meant to last two or three hours and by 7pm the […]

League gate money goes to appeal fund

Friday 19 February 2010 | Published in Local

Aitutaki Cyclone Appeal committee chairman George George was thrilled to be given $658 in gate takings from rugby league matches hosted by the Takuvaine-Tutakimoa Warriors Rugby League Club. The money was raised from the gate takings at last Saturday’s league games at the Happy Valley grounds. Warriors president Mark Brown was very happy with the […]

Carr to act as Finsec

Friday 19 February 2010 | Published in Local

Financial secretary Sholan Ivaiti’s contract ends next week. “/> Former financial secretary Kevin Carr will be acting Finsec. “/> Former financial secretary Kevin Carr will return to his old job when current secretary Sholan Ivaiti’s contract comes to an end next week. Carr, who held the position from 1998 until Ivaiti’s appointment two years ago, […]

Say no to Asian fishing

Friday 19 February 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, We are very much against fishing licences given away to the Koreans or any Asian fishing boats – the reason being, they take everything out of our waters. There are far too many of them slowly fishing our Pacific waters and before long, there won’t be any more fish left if we continue […]

Give all road work to private sector

Friday 19 February 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, The extensive heavy-duty road trenching work being carried out by T&M Heather in Ngatangiia over the past week has demonstrated two promising factors. The first is that this work can be undertaken in a very efficient and effective manner by Cook Islanders. The second point is the fact that the private sector companies […]

Kata - February 19, 2010

Friday 19 February 2010 | Published in Kata

Telecom pledges to deliver better service

Thursday 18 February 2010 | Published in Local

Telecom Cook Islands has publicly pledged to become the number one Telco in the South Pacific, admitting it has ‘lost sight of the ball’ over the past decade. This undertaking comes just months after government recommitted to plans to open the telecommunications industry to competition. Telecom New Zealand general manager international, Anthony Briscoe, says Telecom […]

Taio tries again

Thursday 18 February 2010 | Published in Local

A Taio Shipping vessel that was unable to offload its cargo at Pukapuka and Nassau returned to Rarotonga on Monday. Josh Taio of Taio Shipping said that because of dangerous swell conditions and strong winds, the ship was unable to approach either island. “The trip to Pukapuka is usually 12 days but this ship was […]

Why can't all the banks freeze loans?

Thursday 18 February 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Three cheers for ANZ Bank for their kind donation, but I would wonder why all three banks here in the Cooks have not stepped up to the plate and frozen home mortgages in Aitutaki. There is so much talk of fear that some of the stricken may give up and leave, and there […]

Te Puka land belongs to the Lord

Thursday 18 February 2010 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I am appalled at the attitude of the Cook Island Christian Church executives in trying to claim compensation from government for the land where the Telecom Sports Arena is built. It’s not CICC land – the original landowners are the Ngati Makea. This land was gifted by their ancestors to the church for […]

Kata - February 18, 2010

Thursday 18 February 2010 | Published in Kata

Five MBA students win scholarships

Wednesday 17 February 2010 | Published in Local

Five MBA students have had a windfall. Diane Puna, Nga Puna, Anne Herman, Alex Henry and Ngatuaine Maui have received Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation (CFTC) awards, as part of the Professional Development Programme for the Pacific 2010. The awards, which are merit-based, were issued by the Commonwealth Secretariat and will help recipients to pay […]

Man critical

Wednesday 17 February 2010 | Published in Local

A 34-year-old Takuvaine man was transported to New Zealand after sustaining serious injuries in a motor vehicle accident in the early hours of last Friday morning. The man was drunk and driving on the wrong side of a roundabout when he lost control of his motorbike. He suffered from a fractured skull and police reports […]

Election on track

Wednesday 17 February 2010 | Published in Local

Preparations for this year’s general elections are on track, says justice secretary Mark Short. Short says a submission has been prepared for cabinet and it is expected that the budget asked for will be around $200,000, which was similar to what was appropriated for the 2006 elections. However, Short says what he would like to […]

Church seeks compensation

Wednesday 17 February 2010 | Published in Local

The land where the Telecom Sports Arena stands is the subject of a compensation claim in the courts. The Te Puka land was taken by a warrant dated August 4, 2008, and the Cook Islands Christian Church which owns the land asked the government to pay compensation, following a valuation report furnished by the CICC. […]

CI News responds

Wednesday 17 February 2010 | Published in Local

Cook Islands News is donating a portion of its earnings and space on its website to the Aitutaki cause. “We’re going to dedicate 50 cents per copy of the newspapers sold for one week – that’s six editions – as the company contribution to a particular cause of need that we haven’t yet decided on,” […]