Environment
Funding the write way
Tuesday 26 July 2011 | Published in Environment
More renewable energy and saltwater desalination activities in the Pacific region will be forthcoming following the conclusion of a Pacific writeshop in the Cook Islands to help project proposal writing. During the workshop, held last week at Rarotonga, over 40 participants from throughout the region learnt the best way to develop project proposals and how […]
Dugout canoes free for locals
Saturday 23 July 2011 | Published in Environment
Three new wood-bottomed boats have joined Captain Tamas fleet of glass-bottomed boats at Muri lagoon. These dugout or carved outrigger canoes havent been built with the visiting crowds in mind. Instead, they are for the local families and fishermen and women in Muri. Captain Tama Tamaiva Tuavera and his crew spent about two months helping […]
VAT rise versus interest tax
Friday 22 July 2011 | Published in Environment
A smoke signaller writes: A couple of arithmetic homework questions for Messrs Brown, Puna and other members of the Confiscate Income from Pensioners party. (1) If the governments income from VAT will be $36.4 million a year at 12.5%, then to what does the VAT rate need to be raised in order to give the […]
Primary pupils test out model crafts
Tuesday 19 July 2011 | Published in Environment
The lack of breeze on Friday morning did little to dampen the spirits of Takitumu Primary School students who descended on Muri beach for a day of model vaka and boat racing. The Matavera school spent term two learning about water crafts from traditional voyaging canoes to modern yachts as part of the schools inter-grade […]
New offices to open in Muri
Thursday 14 July 2011 | Published in Environment
The new Ministry of Infrastructure and Planning (MOIP) water and sanitation site office in the Muri meeting house will be opened today. The office is funded through a partnership with the Cook Islands Government, New Zealand Aid Programme and the South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC). Two main projects will fall under the water and […]
Tracking down Muri memories
Thursday 14 July 2011 | Published in Environment
The Muri Environment Care Group has started a project to collect memories and stories about Muri lagoon. They are collecting personal memories of happenings and features of the lagoon such as the motu, fishing, sailing, working on the plantation and camping stories. The project includes tales from the 30s and 40s right through to the […]
Sewerage upgrade report outlines project
Thursday 14 July 2011 | Published in Environment
An environment impact assessment (EIA) report has been prepared for the sewerage upgrade at Rarotongas hospital and is being considered by the Rarotonga Environment Authority. The 54-page document is available for viewing on the National Environment Service website. It states the project involves the installation of a new wastewater management system to replace the existing […]
Responsibility to protect what we have
Thursday 14 July 2011 | Published in Environment
Kevin Iro says setting up a marine park will give the local tourism industry a boost. A few years ago, as a member of the tourism board, Iro conceived the idea to raise the global profile of the Cook Islands by creating the worlds largest marine park in its waters. I was talking to a […]
TIS supports park
Tuesday 12 July 2011 | Published in Environment
Te Ipukarea Society (TIS) has thrown its support behind the idea establishing a marine park in Cook Islands waters. Research worldwide has found that protection of marine resources benefits us by increasing the number and size of fish, providing young fish to fishing areas and enabling coral reefs to be more resilient to the effects […]
Worlds oceans in grave state
Tuesday 12 July 2011 | Published in Environment
Cook Islands vaka crew members Tua Pittman and Nick Henry represented Marumaru Atua at the Kava Bowl Ocean Summit in Honolulu, which wrapped up last week. Organised by German philanthropist Dieter Paulmann, the summit aimed to bring together people from diverse cultures, backgrounds and expertise to creatively approach the problems facing the Pacific Ocean now, […]
Australian carbon tax wont hurt NZ
Tuesday 12 July 2011 | Published in Environment
WELLIGNTON, July 12 — Australias planned carbon tax regime will ensure there is no loss of investment in New Zealand industry, the government says. The Australian government has unveiled plans to tax its 500 worst polluters A$23 (NZ$29.50) for every tonne of carbon they produce from next July. Australia is the developed worlds worst per-capita […]
All about boats at Takitumu
Saturday 9 July 2011 | Published in Environment
Takitumu Primary School students have been learning all about boats from traditional canoes to the famous Titanic cruise ship as part of this terms inter-grade unit. As part of the learning unit students have written stories and poems as well as built their own models of traditional voyaging canoes and futuristic watercraft. Next Wednesday the […]
Recycling centre calls for help
Thursday 7 July 2011 | Published in Environment
For four-and-a-half years, Caryn Chilwell and her partner Brian Freeth have paid rent on a quarter-acre section in Turangi to run a small-scale commercial recycling business, a venture Chilwell calls a labour of love on account of its slim profit margins. But they are tired of paying out of their own pockets to subsidise what […]
Writeshop will help nations access millions
Thursday 7 July 2011 | Published in Environment
A Pacific regional proposal writing workshop has opened in the Cook Islands to help Forum Island Countries (FICs) access funds to support renewable energy and salt water desalination projects The Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat and the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) have pooled resources to coordinate the workshop focusing on the Pacific […]
Funding workshop draws in 14 countries
Monday 4 July 2011 | Published in Environment
Representatives from 14 Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat member nations will gather in the Cook Islands this week for a five-day workshop on accessing funds for environmental projects. The workshops will supply training and details on writing project proposals needed to attract backing for projects through funds such as the Pacific Environment Community Fund. The participants […]
Araura takes on environment challenge
Saturday 2 July 2011 | Published in Environment
Araura College students presented their English poems, Maori purua, artwork, dance and ute compilations as part of last months Environment Week competition for proud parents and families at the school hall last week. For the past few weeks the students and teachers practised their ute and in the end the form 1 Vaireka/Kitai classes won […]
Call to clean up ahead of tutaka
Tuesday 28 June 2011 | Published in Environment
Rarotonga residents, business owners and hoteliers are being encouraged to clean their properties ahead of next weeks tutaka. From July 4 to 8 the Ministry of Health, Cook Islands Police, National Environment Service, Ministry of Infrastructure and Planning and Ministry of Finance and Economic Management statistics division will inspect all properties within all areas of […]
Environment partnership fund reviewed
Thursday 23 June 2011 | Published in Environment
Te Ipukarea Society (TIS) programme manager Jacqui Evans has returned to the Cook Islands from Fiji where she was involved in a mid term review of the Critical Ecosystems Partnership Fund (CEPF). Evans says the fund is a joint initiative of the French Development Agency, Conservation International, Global Environment Facility, Japanese government, MacArthur Foundation and […]
Competition pulls top guns
Tuesday 21 June 2011 | Published in Environment
Some of the worlds biggest kitesurfing names are coming to the Cook Islands to compete in next weeks competition. The pros start trickling in this week. World champion Jesse Richman, sponsored Tahitian rider Moehau Goold and head judge Bradley Price are on Thursdays flight from Papeete. Richman is just 18 but already a two-time KPWT […]
Funding recipients chosen
Tuesday 21 June 2011 | Published in Environment
Five community groups with environment focused projects will receive seed funding from the National Environment Service. A fun and educational Wetlands Quiz night was held at the end of the recent environment week with funds raised from team entry fees going towards the community-based environment projects on Rarotonga and the outer islands. We recognise that […]
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