Letter: Cook Islands’ green dream

Dear Editor, Kia Orana, once upon a time long, long ago, well some nine years ago anyway (about 2015), the then prime minister Henry Puna made the bold and audacious statement that the Cook Islands would be 100 per cent green energy by 2020.

This was well received by the public, albeit with some skepticism. Now into 2024, four years after that deadline, we appear to be no closer to achieving that goal, indeed, may even be further away, due to strange TAU (Te Aponga Uira)/ Government policy developments and limitations which seem to restrict the general public’s investment potential in their genuine efforts to be part of the green power generation scheme.

Perhaps someone in TAU, or indeed their overlords at CIIC (who seem to view TAU as their own personal financial cash cow), perhaps even the Minister in charge, or even better still, the originator of this genuinely great idea Henry Puna (he should be freed up from his current duties any day now) be able to elaborate on what his original proposal, and WHY it has not happened. Perhaps any or all of the above would  like to  front up and explain to the ever patient public, what is actually going on with regard to that original claim, and perhaps even clarify WHEN so many of our ever patient public will get the opportunity to invest in and install solar panels on their own roof tops, at their own expense and thereby support the environment and the economy by putting power from the sun back into our national grid on a daily basis, AND  get away from fossil fuels/diesel generators. This seems so amazingly simple … no cost to Government; all costs to potential investors into roof top solar panels.   

A response from any authorities would be really appreciated by the voting and tax paying public, but please do not keep regurgitating Covid-19 or fluctuating fuel prices into your justification, or technical difficulties. You either know what you are doing, and get it done, or you do not.  As an example, that “investment” proposal put forward by TAU a couple of years ago, trying to entice private investors to install panels, was so naïve and badly thought out, offering such a poor return on investment that no sensible person was going to take up that offer. Mega dollars of taxpayers’ funds have already been spent on salaries and consultancy fees over the years with absolutely nothing to show for it. So perhaps a please explain from those in “power”.

(Name and address supplied)