Dear Editor, May I request through your column for Government to consider and approve the recommendation for an award MBEs, OBEs or something of that nature or higher to be granted, bestowed or given to the team of young Cook Islanders who won the world competition for some robotic or similar thing that was in the newspaper some months ago.

These young 14 plus year olds beat the world’s best and we have done nothing for them? No Umukais at the Park and have the dance teams celebrate their success. They put the Cook Islands on the world map (not just the South Pacific?) beating the world’s best and we don’t recognise their feat? 

Please let’s recognise with pride their achievements which hopefully will give greater motivation for our young up and coming bright kids the incentive to better that and continue to put our little nation on top of the world in having the smartest kids in the world.

Taunga o te tini

(Name and address supplied)

Editor’s note – The Cook Islands Robotics all-girls team made history after winning gold medal alongside the People’s Republic of China, Republic of Moldova and Madagascar in the FIRST Global Winning Alliance category of the 2024 FIRST Global Challenge in Athens, Greece, in September 2024. To celebrate their significant accomplishment, Team Cook Islands members were honoured at a special recognition event hosted by their families and the Cook Islands Robotics Club at Tamarind House on Saturday, October 5, 2024.