The other night, there was a CITV news item about the newly-elected Ngatangiia MP, Kaka Ama showing the damage to the Nukupure Park football field from the recent huge wave surges that have occurred in Ngatangiia and Titikaveka. It was very pleasing to see that the debris was being cleared with the assistance of the ICI team. Well done.

However, the Ngatangiia community needs to be aware of the need to save Nukupure Park from the greater danger stemming from a proposed development of tourist accommodation right on the lagoon side of the land.

Everyone who has ever been to Nukupure Park – whether for sports, or a special function – knows that the only lagoon side is where the football field is located, including part of the adjoining section called Nukupure 3D.

For all those who think this scenario of losing the football field is pure fantasy, the bad news is that certain factions already have an Application dating from 2019 for a Partition of the entire land.

But first, they needed to work out their shares and the Partition supporters now have a Court ruling dating from April 2022, which holds that there are three shares on the land. In other words, each of the three family clans have been awarded one-third of the land each.

In practical terms, that means that once any clan partitions their one-third share of the football field, for tourist accommodation, then the Sports Association will need to find new grounds on which to play rugby/football.

This letter, therefore, can be taken as a call to action to save Nukupure Park as a sports facility for our children and grandchildren, and all the children to come in the future.

In essence, the purpose of his letter is to call for the support of the community to cover our costs in trying to save Nukupure Park from development. (The legal steps are not appropriate for a letter to the editor, but suffice to say that it involves filing an application to rehear the determination of the shares with the view to adding the share of Teaia Mataiapo to the Court Order and other related issues).

A meeting will be held to discuss the matter at the Clubhouse with the elders of Ngati Teaia and the Football Association with the time and date to be advertised in the newspaper over the weekend.

Meitaki maata,

Concerned Nukupure Park landowner

Matapo joins Cook Islands Party

Yesterday’s newspaper release, Matapo joins CIP, was a statement from the Office of the Prime Minister? So the OPM is a political Office for the CIP? This release should have come from the CI Party spokesperson and not a government Ministry. Wake up PSC Hunter.

With six electoral petitions (five petition of inquiry and one recount) filed in Court, it’s certainly mischievous of Caretaker PM Mark Brown to say that the CIP coalition has 15 seats. As at the final count, CIP 12, Democratic Party 5, United Party 3, Independents 3 and One Cook Islands 1. Mark Brown should not disrespect the Court’s proceedings, as these seats have not been finalised, which includes his DPM’s pending criminal case.

Stop misinforming the public.

Fair Play

(Name and address supplied)

Editor’s note – On August 11, Queen’s Representative Sir Tom Marsters appointed Mark Brown the country’s 13th Prime Minister “… pursuant to the powers vested in me under Article 13 (2) (b) of the Constitution, I give rise to accept the advice as provided by you in command of the confidence of the majority of ‘Members of the Cook Islands Parliament’. I hereby appoint you, ‘Mark Stephen Brown’, as Prime Minister of the Cook Islands.”