Local
Children nearly drown at Rutaki Passage
Tuesday 17 December 2013 | Published in Local
A harrowing near-drowning of two children in Rarotonga on Saturday has sparked fresh calls for water safety at a time of year when families are flocking to the beach. Despite two clear warning signs in the water, a young man took two local children into the lagoon near Rutaki Passage at about 2pm on Saturday. […]
Overheated engine causes power cut
Tuesday 17 December 2013 | Published in Local
Rarotonga was plunged into darkness on Sunday night when an overheated engine at Te Aponga Uira’s power station caused an island-wide outage. The power cut, which lasted from about 6:50pm to 8.06pm, left some eateries having to turn away customers. Arthur Taripo, communications officer for Te Aponga Uira, said the outage was primarily caused by […]
Back to the ballot box for Murienua
Tuesday 17 December 2013 | Published in Local
The seat in Murienua has been declared vacant and a by-election could be held as early as February. Chief electoral officer Taggy Tangimetua confirmed the Ministry of Justice received notification from speaker of parliament Niki Rattle last Thursday, who sent a letter declaring the seat vacant after the sudden resignation of CIP candidate and earlier […]
Christmas in a box!
Tuesday 17 December 2013 | Published in Local
Internal Affairs’ Taamo Heather was pleased to see the 186 Christmas Hampers delivered to Internal Affairs yesterday, to be passed on to families in need. The boxes are part of 500 hampers that are being delivered to households identified by Internal Affairs as being in need of some extra Christmas cheer. The idea came from […]
Disused water well an option for Atiu
Monday 16 December 2013 | Published in Local
Officials are looking at tapping into a disused 40-year-old well in Atiu if other drinking water sources start to run dry in coming weeks. Residents of the island are currently dealing with drought-like conditions after months without decent rainfall. Although two water treatment plants and a desalination machine have been shipped to the island to […]
Fishing Fun!
Monday 16 December 2013 | Published in Local
These young anglers were among 80 keen junior fishing enthusiasts that took part in Saturday’s Junior Fishing competition organised and sponsored by CITC/Coca Cola, Avana Fishing Club and the Mooring Caf. Held at the Avana coast, mini anglers with their parents in tow took over the shores of Avana harbour with their rods and reels […]
Traditional leader angered by tree felling
Monday 16 December 2013 | Published in Local
A traditional leader has slammed the National Environment Service for allowing more than a dozen trees to be cut down on a beachfront property in Rarotonga. Turi Mataiapo Maria Henderson labelled the act “disgusting” and said too many beautiful parts of the island are being ruined in the name of progress. Last Friday, contractors felled […]
Atiu airport to close because of disrepair?
Saturday 14 December 2013 | Published in Local
The state of Atiu airport was questioned by the leader of the opposition in parliament yesterday, following concern about Pukapuka’s airport being closed. Democratic Party leader Wilkie Rasmussen asked Atiu MP Nandi Glassie about the status of the island’s airport, saying a source had informed him that if nothing is done to repair its runway, […]
Parliament concludes final sitting
Saturday 14 December 2013 | Published in Local
Parliament concluded its final sitting of 2013 yesterday with the passing of a sweeping tax bill, season’s greetings, and a festive lunch for the nation’s lawmakers. Covering two weeks, it was a busy session with the passing of at least 11 bills and the presentation of parliamentary papers on a diverse range of issues. A […]
Ready to ura!
Saturday 14 December 2013 | Published in Local
Holly Johnston, Hanalei and Lahaina Wong at the ready to take to the stage for their performances at Takitumu School’s prize giving on Wednesday.
Puna slammed for missing parliament
Saturday 14 December 2013 | Published in Local
Prime Minister Henry Puna was put on the defensive yesterday after missing out on the first week of parliament’s current sitting. Puna was absent after travelling to Fiji to attend the 9th Pacific Islands Conference on Nature Conservation and Protected Areas, where he delivered a “keynote address” at the conference. “You were absent from parliament […]
Stocking stuffers!
Friday 13 December 2013 | Published in Local
Westpac’s customer loan processing support officer Teina Savage, senior customer service representative Tahiti Rangi Isaaka, team leader customer service representative Tokoa Harmon and business manager Massey Mateariki are pleased to see presents starting to come in for the bank’s ‘giving tree’ promotion – but many more are still to come. The promotion sees tags labelled […]
Pukapuka airport out of commission
Friday 13 December 2013 | Published in Local
Pukapuka is currently without an air link after severe rainfall caused damages to the airport’s runway. The issue was discussed yesterday in parliament when opposition leader Wilkie Rasmussen posed a question to Pukapuka-Nassau MP Tekii Lazaro, asking him if he was “worried” that the airport has been closed, and in the event of an emergency, […]
Huge decline in agriculture: census
Friday 13 December 2013 | Published in Local
A dramatic drop in agricultural activity across the Cook Islands in the last decade is shown by a recently released agriculture census. The findings were revealed at a workshop on Wednesday at the Ministry of Agriculture in Arorongi. In Rarotonga, the census recorded a substantial decrease in agricultural land use, from 1143 acres in 2000 […]
Prized pupil!
Thursday 12 December 2013 | Published in Local
Young Tschan Hagai was thrilled to be awarded the supreme award of Dux for 2013, and with it the Quincy Manu Tuiravakai Memorial Trophy, at St Joseph School’s prize giving ceremony last week. The day had a bittersweet note for the primary school’s students and teachers, being combined with a farewell to principal Sister Celine […]
One year anniversary for shark sanctuary
Thursday 12 December 2013 | Published in Local
Today marks the one year anniversary of the creation of the Cook Islands 1.9 million square kilometre shark sanctuary. With much fanfare on December 12, 2012, local citizens celebrated the establishment of the zone, which sees a ban on shark fishing and the possession or sale of shark products. Combining the efforts of the Cooks […]
Machete attacker awaits sentencing
Thursday 12 December 2013 | Published in Local
An elderly man who allegedly carried out a machete attack in Mitiaro last week is facing a maximum sentence of seven years in jail if found guilty. The bush knife attack on Wednesday stemmed from a land dispute and left another elderly man with two cuts to his head, one to his shoulder and one […]
Heather announced as DPM
Thursday 12 December 2013 | Published in Local
Months of speculation ended yesterday in parliament when Teariki Heather was formally announced as Deputy Prime Minister. The announcement by Prime Minister Henry Puna ended over four months of speculation on who would be filling the position. In making the announcement, Puna said he agreed with critics that it took a long time for a […]
5 honoured with NZ citizenship
Wednesday 11 December 2013 | Published in Local
Five Cook Islands residents placed a hand on the Bible, swore an oath and officially became New Zealand citizens yesterday. In a warm, upbeat ceremony, High Commissioner Joanna Kempkers presented certificates to Motufaga Tifare Finiasi, Viliame Gukisuva, Teurihei Kainuku, Taniora Lowry and Ariimanu Jean-Marc Shan Sei Fan. About 30 family members and friends gathered for […]
Oriental fruit flies persist in Aitutaki
Wednesday 11 December 2013 | Published in Local
Efforts to eradicate the Oriental Fruit Fly are proving challenging in Aitutaki, despite an elimination programme showing good results in Rarotonga. The Ministry of Agriculture’s efforts to achieve zero catches of the pest in baited traps have continued successfully in Rarotonga over the past four months, but eradication efforts in Aitutaki have shown mixed results. […]
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