Dear Editor, Kia Orana, if, as Trevor Clarke states in his excellent letter to the editor, (Cook Islands News, October 25, 2022), the main reason for Te Aponga Uira’s existence has been moved from providing sustainable electricity at cheapest prices to the iti Tangata of Rarotonga, to becoming a cash cow for CIIC (Cook Islands Investment Corporation), then surely TAU has to come clean, and provide reasons justifying that position.

With some $27 million in their bank account (in 2018, according to Trevor Clarke), it really does beg the question as to whether TAU should be continuing to gouge all this money out of the citizens of Rarotonga, rather than using at least part of those accumulated funds to subsidise electricity users. They may reply that they did indeed subsidise the electricity users during Covid-19 – fine – but that should now be continuing, while fuel prices are so high.

TAU, as a government agency, is not there to make money. They are a public service … at best, they could justify a reasonable return, but to fleece the power users here to such an extent, must be questioned right up to the highest level … the Minister responsible!

Any comments Mr. Minister?

Power to public

Name and address supplied

‘Chaos in Muri’

I write to you about the destructive operation of the environment at the back of J.R shop in Muri. Those involved, do they know how much water is flowing down that stream captured and channeled by the hills every day.

I used mathematics and chemistry for my assessment. I tested the flow and took some samples of the water near Tapuae and Tangi’s house.

It tells us that H2O (water) is loaded with killer elements that will destroy Muri Lagoon if it finds its way there which I believe it will – by stripping the area of vegetation.

I tested the flow and my findings are 900,000 litres of water flowing down that stream every 24 hours during seasonal flooding into Muri Lagoon. Here is my warning based on the law of physics – if the streams are shallow with no vegetation cover, the water flowing downhill will easily end up in the lagoon with all its killer elements.

Puna Dyer

Muri Beach