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7 December 2024

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Police seek public cooperation for festive security

Cook Islands Police are launching a community policing initiative with volunteer support from each vaka in Rarotonga to enhance safety and security during the festive season.

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Families navigate inflation, businesses stock up for festive season

As Christmas approaches, local families and businesses in Rarotonga are feeling the seasonal buzz. While the island’s shops are busy preparing for the influx of shoppers, families are making sure they have everything needed for the festive season.

George flip-flops on reform

Norman George has hit out at Lynnsay Francis and the Group for Political Change. “Lynssay Francis has been saying publicly that the majority of the people want change – that is bulldrops”, he said. “She has not spoken to the people – she has no standing in the community. All she does is push her […]

National

Phone 'scam' causes concern

Locals in the tourism industry are reporting concern that they could be the target of a phone scam. A concerned accommodation owner said they received two calls in two days from someone who sounded “Indian” asking for their credit card details so they could charge them US$199 to be listed on a rental accommodation website […]

National

Allsworth supports views on proposal

Director of Audit Paul Allsworth says he supports Finance Minister Wilkie Rasmussen’s view that the investment fund proposal put to Cabinet by the ‘Al Atas Group’ is probably a scam. He says he strongly supports government doing due diligence checks on individuals and their companies before they are allowed to meet with cabinet. Members of […]

National

Cabinet approves road, water project

An $8.3 million (US$6 million) road and water project for Rarotonga was approved by cabinet yesterday. Deputy Prime Minister Robert Wigmore announced Cabinet had permitted the allocation of funds to come from the ADB Economic Recovery Support Programme loan – a cluster of loans that total US$16 million. The infrastructure upgrades will cost far more […]

National

Helping hand from CITC

Pastor Eliu Eliu, on behalf of Te Vaerua Community Rehabilitation Service, accepted a cheque for $2280 from CITC supermarket manager Dion Paul on Wednesday. CITC recently held fundraising sausage sizzles at each of its locations, including the Building Centre and CITC Liquor, “to recognise (World Physiotherapy Day last week) and all the good work that’s […]

National

More peace

To celebrate International Peace Day, which falls on September 21 – next Tuesday – peace ambassadors from schools around the island have summarised their thoughts on what peace means to them and how best to encourage people to act peacefully. Peace ambassadors are chosen on the basis of their capacity to promote peace at school. […]

National

Arbitrator hired for PMG dispute

Pacific Mini Games Ltd’s Lawyer Tim Arnold has said that he has found someone to take charge of the dispute over the per diems money from the Pacific Mini Games (PMG). Arnold has recruited an arbitrator who will be able to make a final decision on who gets the money – which should prevent the […]

National

Garden for peace and pleasure

Volunteers have been working hard, in rain and shine, for the past couple of weeks to get Rarotonga’s Peace Garden ready for International Peace Day next Tuesday. They’ve installed a new sign, paved a new path and cleaned up the area, which Pan Pacific and Southeast Asian Women’s Association (PPSEAWA) member and peace activist Paddy […]

National

Arnold shares his future vision

Independent takes his message for change to people of Tupapa Political campaigner Tim Arnold hammered home his message at Tuesday night’s public meeting at the Aotearoa Centre. The lawyer turned reformer repeatedly stated his message: “No one in the tribe will be forgotten – no one will be left out”. The quote came from the […]

National

Stop, go hazard

The problem of too many cars on the road has been a major talking point of late. Police maintain that they’re doing their best with the resources they have, controlling traffic in town for an hour in the mornings. On the Tupapa side of town, traffic is meant to flow in one direction – those […]

National

Cooks enters tax info agreement

The financial services industry welcomed the signing of a tax information agreement between the Cook Islands and France yesterday as a step towards further cementing its legitimacy. Minister of Finance Wilkie Rasmussen announced he was very pleased with the country’s 12th tax information exchange agreement – the benchmark set by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation […]

National

Nomination fee causes concern

Candidate-hopeful Mann Short is refusing to pay what he considers a prohibitive $500 nomination fee for the new run-off set to be held September 29. Yesterday Short was due to meet with Ngatangiia MP Sir Terepai Maoate’s committee to discuss the aspects of the run-off that he wants changed. The excessive nomination fee is seen […]

National

Police say traffic feedback positive

Police say they have received a flood of positive feedback around their recent efforts to direct Rarotonga’s town traffic in the mornings. “People believe it’s made the flow a lot easier,” inspector John Hosking, who organised the traffic directing scheme, said. “Before that, it was just chaos.” Police undertook to direct traffic when it started […]

National

Matysik joins cousin Little's law firm

Charles Little PC, Barristers & Solicitors has changed its name to Little & Matysik PC, Cook Islands Lawyers, signalling lawyer Heinz Matysik’s decision to come aboard as a 50/50 partner in the firm. Matysik, Charles Little’s second cousin on the Strickland side, has been employed as a solicitor at the firm since June of last […]

National

Grants for social support schemes

ADB and Japan extend funds to vulnerable Pacific groups The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Japan are extending grants totalling $3 million for a cash-for-work scheme and other pilot social support programmes for vulnerable groups in the Cook Islands, Marshall Islands, and Tonga. The Social Protection of the Vulnerable in the Pacific […]

National

Celebrate the right to know

September 28 will mark the eighth International Right to Know Day, a day that was established by access to information advocates from around the globe. It was first celebrated on September 28, 2003, and its aim is to raise awareness of every individual’s right of access to government-held information, the right to know how elected […]

National

GPC expects good crowd

The second people’s forum for change is being held tonight at the Pukapuka hostel from 7pm. The Group for Political Change (GPC) have said that the meeting will be going ahead even in the face of the current fuel shortage. “We are confident that we will have a good crowd, and we have already invited […]

National

Peace talk

To celebrate International Peace Day, which falls on September 21 – next Tuesday – peace ambassadors from schools around the island have summarised their thoughts on what peace means to them and how best to encourage people to act peacefully. Peace ambassadors are chosen on the basis of their capacity to promote peace at school. […]

National

Driver refutes payment claim

A tourist recently wrote to Cook Islands News, alleging that a Safari Tours driver took advantage of her when he offered her a lift. She said he failed to mention anything about a fee, and then asked her for $4 when he dropped her off. The driver in question, Apii Mamanu, has been working for […]

National

Consider wind behaviour if buying windmill

David Norgren of Rarotonga Printing Ltd is finding that without strong, consistent wind, a windmill can be a rather expensive and unprofitable investment. He purchased a windmill for $10,000, which he called “very high-tech” and “not suitable at all”. It ran on battery power to keep its propellers going, and couldn’t re-start itself. He’s got […]

National

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