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7 December 2024

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Promoting local crafts for Christmas gifts

As the festive holiday season approaches, the spirit of giving and community shines brighter than ever.

Business

Bank urges caution against scams during festive season

With the festive season underway, ANZ Cook Islands is reminding customers in the Pacific to be vigilant against scammers who take advantage of this busy time of year.

Individual tanks the answer

This week’s national economic development summit has generated discussion about the feasibility of each Rarotonga property owner being self-sufficient by installing water tanks. During an infrastructure session of the summit on Wednesday, Temu Okotai suggested the solution to Rarotonga’s water woes was for each property to include a water tank. Okotai cited a budgeted amount […]

National

Final summit talks with funders

Taking advantage of the opportunity to liaise with those who came to Rarotonga this week for the National Economic Development Summit, the government hosted a round-table discussion with its development partners at Muri Beach Club yesterday. Finance Minister Mark Brown, the majority of the Economic Task Force and a host of other government officials met […]

National

Appropriation bill to be tabled today

Parliament will sit at 10am today for the second time this year. Leading the two bills to be presented today is the Appropriation Amendment or supplementary budget. Clerk of Parliament Nga Valoa also expects the Insurance Amendment bill to be tabled. Four papers are being presented by the Audit Office. These include the second and […]

National

Govt may get aid redirected

The government and its donor partners were expected to reach an agreement for aid funds to be redirected into the country’s general budget, following roundtable discussions yesterday. Speaking before the end of discussions, Finance Minister Mark Brown said feedback from donors had been very positive. Having an aid funding template which would apply to all […]

National

Vaka vision shared

An Auckland-based group of Cook Islanders has a vision to repatriate Cook Islanders, set them up with accommodation and provide them with business opportunities. “We’re your human capital,” speaker Ina Michael said on behalf of Cook Islanders living abroad. He said nearly 60,000 Cook Islanders live in New Zealand, and 60% are in Auckland. The […]

National

Summit outcomes on table today

Major players involved in this week’s National Economic Development Summit will today meet at Muri Beach Club to discuss outcomes from the two-day public convention. It is being termed the Government of the Cook Islands Inaugural Development Partner Dialogue, and will be opened by dialogue chairman and government minister Mark Brown at 9.30am. Brown presided […]

National

Big potential for financial services

Interest rates within the Cook Islands need to be brought in line with those internationally so locals can compete with foreign investors for business, the national economic development summit heard yesterday. A session on finance included a video presentation by Cook Islands Financial Services Development Authority (FSDA) chief executive Jenner Davis, and was presided over […]

National

Enabling enterprise examined

A panel featuring some prominent Rarotonga businesspeople – Business Trade Investment Board (BTIB) chief executive Terry Rangi, Chamber of Commerce president Steve Anderson and deputy chair Teresa Manarangi-Trott and Air Rarotonga managing director Ewan Smith – directed the final session of Tuesday’s National Economic Development Summit. The session opened with a task force video presentation […]

National

PM pledges action

Prime Minister Henry Puna says the National Economic Development Summit will not prove to be fruitless and a list of immediate action is already being implemented by the government. In his closing remarks at the end of yesterday’s sessions, Puna said the government was committed to making sure recommendations from the summit were considered and […]

National

New Bishop named

Father Paul Donoghue is the new Cook Islands Catholic Bishop elect. Father Donoghue of the Marist Provincial of Oceania has been appointed as the new bishop and the date and place of his consecration has yet to be decided. According to Father Damien, the consecration of the new bishop will take place three months after […]

National

Pest control needs attention

Border control is an issue that needs to be addressed for the benefit of the local agriculture and aquaculture industries, those at a session of the national economic development summit agreed on Tuesday. Maire export agent Dave Thompson raised the issue of pest control and its effect on exported product during a public panel discussion […]

National

Kids invited to 'camp'

The Youth With a Mission (YWAM) headquarters in Vaimaanga is offering kids with no plans for the school holidays to come along for a ‘Truth Seekers’ camp from April 18 to 21. Youth leaders are coming from New Zealand to help out at camp, the theme of which will be ‘the search for the hidden […]

National

Sustainable methods advocated

Bio-organics and sustainable methods of agriculture are the way forward if the Cook Islands economy is to benefit, according to some at the National Economic Development Summit. A joint session on agriculture and marine resources was held as part of the summit at the National Auditorium on Tuesday. Panellists included Ministry of Marine Resources (MMR) […]

National

Marine park criticism 'unfounded'

Deputy leader of the opposition Wilkie Rasmussen is throwing his full support behind the proposed marine park development. Rasmussen yesterday told the Cook Islands News criticism of the proposal was unfounded. “I want to reiterate that as a member of parliament, Penrhyn MP, and former minister of marine services, I am in full support of […]

National

Preserving te reo debated

Te reo was the focus of much public discussion after the Ministry of Education presentation at the National Economic Summit. A dialogue about preserving the Cook Islands Maori language continued, back and forth, for much of the plenary period yesterday afternoon. From the floor Ian Karika said he was ‘appalled’ at the scant use of […]

National

DPM supports safeguarding mineral revenues

Deputy Prime Minister Tom Marsters has lent support to a “safety box” approach to the treatment of revenue generated from seabed minerals, at the Commonwealth Secretariat Forum on Natural Resources. The forum was held in London last week, and the DPM was accompanied by Marine Resources secretary Ben Ponia. Industry experts at the forum view […]

National

USP costs way less

Attending USP Cook Islands costs one-third of the price of tuition at tertiary education institutes overseas. That was part of Tevai Matapo’s pitch at the economic summit yesterday in his capacity as the USP advisory committee chairman. He explained that USP offers a wide variety of courses, and has churned out dozens of local graduates, […]

National

Free seminars on time management

Time management professional Robyn Pearce will be speaking at free seminars later this week organised by Air New Zealand Cook Islands Tourism Awards 2011 council and The Bond Liquor Store – the purpose of which is to teach local tourism operators about time management before they enter the tourism awards. Pearce will speak on the […]

National

'Stop knocking education'

Secretary of education Sharyn Paio says it’s time for the Cook Islands to ‘stop knocking’ its education system. “It’s very precious, it’s very good – stand up for it and support it,” she told the National Auditorium at yesterday’s Summit. She said research proves Cook Islands students who study in the Cook Islands perform better […]

National

Young Sid and Pieter T check in

New Zealand hip-hop icons Young Sid and Pieter T are checking into Rehab tomorrow night to spit their world-famous rhymes for Rarotonga. Young Sid, born Sidney Diamond, is a Cook Islander – his grandparents are from Atiu and Mauke – but he hasn’t been to Rarotonga since he was seven. He says it’s ‘good to […]

National

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