Local
Wellington Sevens support team
Monday 7 February 2011 | Published in Local
Local sevens rugby fans Odile Pauka (centre) and Luisa Peters (far left) were in the thick of the supporter’s action at the weekend’s Wellington Sevens tournament. The local supporters cheered on the Cook Islands side despite the team’s disappointing performance. Disappointing end to sevens campaign story, page 11. 11020606
First trip by PM Henry Puna
Monday 7 February 2011 | Published in Local
Prime minister Henry Puna is scheduled to leave for his Manihiki constituency this morning accompanied by his wife Akaiti for a four day official visit. This is the first outer islands trip made by Puna and he is accompanied by MPs Atatoa Herman and John Henry. Herman, a civil engineer, will be examining Tauhunu harbour […]
Scrapping of budget committee a 'grave mistake'
Monday 7 February 2011 | Published in Local
Government’s abolition of the Budget Committee is a grave mistake and a slap in the face of public accountability and input in the country’s governance, according to former minister of finance and deputy leader of the Democratic Party Wilkie Rasmussen. “This is a clear statement by the government that its partnership with the public is […]
Secretary of justice suspended
Monday 7 February 2011 | Published in Local
A source within government reports that Secretary of Justice Mark Short has been suspended, effective last Friday. The source also verifies that Short had a meeting with Prime Minister Henry Puna on Friday afternoon. For over a week now, the Office of the Public Service Commissioner (PSC) has been conducting an investigation into the management […]
CIP retains the Vaipae-Tautu seat in Aitutaki
Saturday 5 February 2011 | Published in Local
Cook Islands Party Member of Parliament for Vaipae-Tautu Mona Ioane Kake will retain his seat in Parliament. After a two-day hearing that ended yesterday, Chief Justice Tom Weston rejected Demo candidate Kete Ioane’s petition challenging the general election results. Of the five issues Ioane’s petition raised, Weston upheld two – altering the final vote count […]
Fuel firm plans expansion
Saturday 5 February 2011 | Published in Local
Regional fuel giant, Pacific Petroleum Company (PPC), has indicated that government can expect to receive a formal proposal on plans to expand their operation even further in the Cook Islands. Tahiti-based PPC has been holding talks with Cook Islands governments since 2009 in its ambition to gain a foothold here. Last year the company acquired […]
Budget committee scrapped
Saturday 5 February 2011 | Published in Local
Finance minister Mark Brown has announced that private sector involvement in the budget process is to be done away with. This comes ten years after the previous administration introduced the practice of using a budget committee comprised of private sector individuals to make final decisions on what a government ministry should get each financial year. […]
Parliament opening a mystery
Friday 4 February 2011 | Published in Local
Parliament is expecting prime minister Henry Puna to advise before the end of next week when parliament will sit, provided that all electoral petitions have been dealt with. At the time of going to print the Vaipae/Tautu petition was still being heard yesterday in Aitutaki. The Pukapuka petition has also to be dealt with. Clerk […]
No news
Friday 4 February 2011 | Published in Local
CINews was not aware of the outcome of the Aitutaki electoral petition hearing at press time. The two-day hearing was set to end yesterday, and sources on Aitutaki say that the Arutanga courthouse was overflowing with people. Chief Justice Tom Weston’s decision determines whether Cook Islands Party MP Mona Ioane Kake will retain the Vaipae-Tautu […]
PSC investigates over-expenditures
Friday 4 February 2011 | Published in Local
The office of the Public Service Commissioner (PSC) is in the process of investigating fund management and over-expenditures related to last year’s general elections. “Obviously we can’t comment on that until it (the investigation) is completed,” PSC Navy Epati said in an email. The electoral committee had initially requested $300,000, but $200,000 was appropriated in […]
2000 flu shots
Friday 4 February 2011 | Published in Local
Director of Community Health Services Dr Rangi Fariu has issued a release advising the general public of a forthcoming H1N1 vaccination at the Tupapa health clinic. He said that pregnant mothers, anyone with a chronic heart or lung condition including hypertension and asthma, and border control workers are at special risk and should take advantage […]
Parliament pleads for more funding
Friday 4 February 2011 | Published in Local
The country’s highest legislative authority is plagued with financial troubles and is struggling to make ends meet. Parliament may not be able to maintain operations to the end of the financial year if rescue doesn’t come in the proposed Supplementary Budget, says clerk Nga Valoa. Valoa has taken the matter up with Parliamentary Services minister […]
Govt wants more productivity from State Owned Enterprises
Thursday 3 February 2011 | Published in Local
Government will soon be making significant policy shifts around state owned enterprises. Finance Minister Mark Brown says that government is looking at shifting the focus of state owned enterprises away from maximising revenue generation to increasing productivity. “This includes a better service delivery so that the benefits accrue to the wider economy, especially to the […]
Hospital reviewing over-prescription
Thursday 3 February 2011 | Published in Local
Director of clinical services Dr Zaw Myo Aung has confirmed that a hospital patient has been diagnosed with MRSA – the third case in 15 years. MRSA, or Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is a bacterium that has developed resistance to certain antibiotics, including penicillin. The bug derives its name from its resistance to drugs that should […]
Sir Geoffrey for Speaker?
Thursday 3 February 2011 | Published in Local
One of the country’s most experienced former politicians, Sir Geoffrey Henry, says he would accept the post of speaker of Parliament if invited to take it up by the government. Sir Geoffrey is being widely named as being the government’s choice to be the next speaker of Parliament. But the government is being coy about […]
Tower sacks manager
Wednesday 2 February 2011 | Published in Local
The Cook Islands Tower Insurance office, formerly run and managed by Mariia Pera-Maurangi, is currently under the management of senior staff from Tower in New Zealand. This action follows an internal audit that took place in December last year which resulted in two staff members being dismissed and the matter referred to Cook Islands Police. […]
CIP retains Tamarua seat
Wednesday 2 February 2011 | Published in Local
Chief Justice Tom Weston has rejected Democratic Party candidate Andy Matapo’s petition challenging the Mangaia election results. Cook Islands Party Member of Parliament Pukeiti Pukeiti – who won the Tamarua seat by just one vote – will represent Mangaia. Matapo – who brought his petition through lawyer Tina Browne – named Pukeiti as first respondent, […]
$1.5m Grow Fund stymied
Wednesday 2 February 2011 | Published in Local
A $1.5 million NZaid development fund intended for low interest rate on-lending to small to medium enterprises (SMEs) in the Cook Islands has been shelved, over six months after the New Zealand government approved it. During that six months the Grow Fund was never accessed as Cook Islands officials were working on changing the fund’s […]
Peep, peep
Tuesday 1 February 2011 | Published in Local
Toward the end of last year, Sabine Janneck of the Dive Centre stumbled upon a baby white tern – a seabird of the gull and skimmer family – in her kitchen. She estimated he was about a week old and named him Peep. “I tried everything to get some information here on the island how […]
Sports may get facilities
Tuesday 1 February 2011 | Published in Local
Sport and Finance Minister Mark Brown is looking into giving sports codes the responsibility for maintaining and running their own facilities. Currently the Cook Islands Investments Corporation has responsibility for managing sports facilities like the BCI Stadium and the Telecom Sports Arena. But many sports codes have argued for years to have control of their […]
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