Local
3 petitions going ahead as planned
Thursday 20 January 2011 | Published in Local
Three of the four electoral petition hearings are set to go ahead as scheduled from January 31 but the status of the Pukapuka hearing remains uncertain. Chief Justice Tom Weston expressed frustration yesterday that there is a problem with the non-disclosure of information in the Pukapuka case. This information could negate the need to hold […]
New task force meets
Thursday 20 January 2011 | Published in Local
A new economic development task force has been appointed by the new government and met for the first time on Tuesday. Businessman John Tierney is chairing the taskforce which is set to release its first statement to the press today. The task force has been tasked with preparing a fresh national economic strategy in the […]
Chinese tractors on the move
Thursday 20 January 2011 | Published in Local
The 25 tractors provided through a $1 million People’s Republic of China grant are finally on the move to the outer islands with the first tractor shipped to Mauke on Wednesday. Each of the 24 constituents in the Cook Islands plus the Ministry of Agriculture will receive a tractor plus implements including rotary discs and […]
'Sexy eyes' calms down
Wednesday 19 January 2011 | Published in Local
Conjuntivitis is calming down in Rarotonga. But it has now started spreading in the outer islands. Dr Rangi Fariu from the Ministry of Health confirmed yesterday that the number of cases being seen at Rarotonga Hospital is declining, with just five cases showing up yesterday. The peak in numbers came just after New Year’s Day, […]
Rutaki vandals given warning
Wednesday 19 January 2011 | Published in Local
Puaikura community police and the aronga mana of Rutaki are urging members of the village to report anyone consuming liquor on or near public beaches. “We just want to say that kind of behaviour we cannot tolerate. If you are caught, you are brought up before the Rutaki aronga mana and the Maori justice system,” […]
Declining pass rate in first level NCEA
Wednesday 19 January 2011 | Published in Local
Provisional results for National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) show the Level 1 pass rate declined and still does not meet the target set by government. The tentative results were released by the Ministry of Education yesterday. Final confirmed results are not issued until March or April to allow for students to submit applications for […]
All aboard for Palmerston
Tuesday 18 January 2011 | Published in Local
S.V. Southern Cross is journeying to Palmerston next month, and inviting paying passengers to come along for the adventure – a fairly rare opportunity, as Palmerston is only accessible by boat. The 58-foot yacht leaves February 7 from Avatiu harbour for Palmerston, which sits 270 nautical miles north of Rarotonga. The journey takes 40 hours, […]
High commissioner's comments with held
Tuesday 18 January 2011 | Published in Local
Cook Islands High Commissioner to New Zealand, Mike Mitchell, is the first official to provide comment to government on the December report from the NZ parliament’s Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Committee. The NZ report is the result of a four-year inquiry into NZ’s relationship with South Pacific countries and pays particular attention to the […]
Push to help combat illegal fishing
Tuesday 18 January 2011 | Published in Local
The report to the New Zealand government on its relationship with Pacific countries pulls out the protection of fishing waters as an issue of primary concern. “Illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in the Pacific, although hard to measure, is estimated to be worth up to $400 million a year,” the report states. “To help Pacific […]
Visitors in motorcycle crashes
Monday 17 January 2011 | Published in Local
Four women were involved in three separate motor vehicle accidents attended by police at the weekend. Two of the accidents involved female tourists who lost control of their motorbikes. At Kavera, a female tourist slipped off her bike on the wet roads when she was distracted by a local selling fish on the side of […]
New Pasifika school in Auckland
Monday 17 January 2011 | Published in Local
Kia Aroha College, a new school in Otara, opens on February 1 and will be offering bilingual education in Cook Islands Maori for students between year seven and year 13. The college, which will be the only Maori and Pasifika bilingual secondary school in the country, is currently accepting enrolments for the 2011 academic year. […]
Avana stink investigated
Monday 17 January 2011 | Published in Local
The foul smell that has been lingering around Avana for over six weeks is believed to be caused by rotting algae and seaweed but exactly who is responsible for cleaning up is unclear. A letter published in the Cook Islands News last week prompted Ministry of Infrastructure and Palnning CEO Otheniel Tangianau to investigate the […]
1st 'excellent'
Saturday 15 January 2011 | Published in Local
When Maruia Willie (above) found out that she had 57 credits from her level 1 exams, she had to call Tereora Principal Teaea Parima to check how many credits she needed to get an excellent. When he told her she needed 50, she was over the moon. “When you work so hard for something and […]
New mayor for Aitutaki
Saturday 15 January 2011 | Published in Local
The new Mayor of Aitutaki, John Baxter Jnr, says that he wants to put Aitutaki back on the right path and get things fixed which have been ignored. In the preliminary results Baxter received 338 beating the incumbent Tai (Tango) Herman who got 289 and Savage Lockington, who received 139. Baxter was deputy mayor for […]
'Election not illegal'
Saturday 15 January 2011 | Published in Local
The Democratic Party’s MP for Manihiki Wilkie Rasmussen’s claims that the island council elections were illegal have been dismissed by officials. Rasmussen believes that the lack of provision for islanders to vote while overseas may have made the election illegal. He said yesterday that he is still waiting for the Solicitor General, Tingika Elikana, to […]
Willis critical
Friday 14 January 2011 | Published in Local
There has been another attack by the Democratic Party on the running of yesterday’s outer islands local government elections. This time Demo president Sean Willis has waded in, to criticise what he calls the poor running of the elections. He said the organisation was a shambles with not enough information sent out prior to the […]
'One big F up'
Friday 14 January 2011 | Published in Local
Mayor of Aitutaki Tai (Tango) Herman (above) agrees with criticism made by Sean Willis, calling the outer islands elections ‘One big F up.” He said that many people on the island did not know about the elections, the roll was out of date, and that people were given three hours less to vote than they […]
China gifts $1.94m
Friday 14 January 2011 | Published in Local
A Chinese delegation signed an agreement yesterday to gift $1.94 million to the Cook Islands government. The money is a grant, not a loan, so it doesn’t need to be repaid. The government has free reign on what they will spend the money on. As yet the government has not decided what will be done […]
Name will not be revealed
Thursday 13 January 2011 | Published in Local
Prime Minister Henry Puna has now come out in support of not revealing the name of the person with HIV. He has assured everyone on the island that they can get tested and their names will be kept confidential. Puna has changed his stance since his statement last week where he put forward the idea […]
PM sends sympathy to Gillard
Thursday 13 January 2011 | Published in Local
Prime Minister Henry Puna sent a letter of sympathy to Australian PM Julia Gillard this week offering condolences over the loss of life and property in flooded Queensland. “It is with much sadness that my Government and the people of the Cook Islands have followed reports of the disastrous flooding in Queensland and northern New […]
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