Local

Parliament called to sit

Wednesday 21 July 2010 | Published in Local

Much anticipated Budget set to be tabled at next week’s sitting Parliament will sit next Thursday for tabling of the national Budget. Prime Minister Jim Marurai issued notice to the Queen’s Representative Sir Frederick Goodwin yesterday of the July 29 sitting at which government hopes to table the much anticipated Budget prepared under the new […]

Local

Minister says loans improper

Tuesday 20 July 2010 | Published in Local

Finance Minister and Attorney General Wilkie Rasmussen says he believes it is highly improper for politicians to receive loans or grants from financial assistant schemes. The minister was commenting on the recently completed audit report which found that Former Finance Minister Sir Terepai Maoate and associate minister Terepai Maoate Jnr directly benefited from a total […]

Local

PM's son flown to NZ

Tuesday 20 July 2010 | Published in Local

The son of Prime Minister Jim Marurai was flown to New Zealand yesterday in a serious condition after coming off his motorbike early on Sunday morning. Jason Marurai, 38, was found at 12.25am on Sunday unconscious on the main road in front of Super Brown supermarket at Kiikii. Police refused to name him yesterday but […]

Local

'No confidence' stalls Parliament

Tuesday 20 July 2010 | Published in Local

Any chance of Parliament sitting this week was lost last Friday, but it is understood Prime Minister Jim Marurai may still call Parliament before the end of the month. It seems fear of a vote of no confidence being moved against Marurai may be the reason he has held off on giving the seven day […]

Local

CIP Tumu dead

Tuesday 20 July 2010 | Published in Local

CIP defector MP Albert Nicholas says he will rename his new political party after the High Court issued an order banning him from using ‘Cook Islands Party Tumu’. The judgement issued Friday says no one is allowed to use the party name again, except for reporting the proceeding. Justice Colin Nicholson heard the application for […]

Local

Top Te Aito effort

Monday 19 July 2010 | Published in Local

Te Aito Cook Islands team (from left) Vaea Melvin, Emilene Taulu, Reuben Dearlove, Fletcher Melvin and Serena Hunter proudly represented the Cook Islands at the prestigious oe vaka festival Te Aito Tahiti. It was a great day for the team in the Tahitian surf and sun on Saturday.

Local

Environment forum on

Monday 19 July 2010 | Published in Local

The National Environment Forum, being held from tomorrow to Thursday, is being organised by the National Environment Agency, and is open to all – but you will need to express your interest in attending as places are limited. A host of topics are being covered over the three days, with the key issue of how […]

Local

CI journalist gets IFJ Pacific role

Monday 19 July 2010 | Published in Local

Cook Islands journalist Lisa Williams-Lahari will be the local coordinator for an International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) project in the Pacific. The project is designed to strengthen the role of media workers and press freedom advocates in defending and promoting human rights and fundamental freedoms in the region. Media for Democracy and Human Rights in […]

Local

No conflict of interest

Monday 19 July 2010 | Published in Local

Solicitor-General Tingika Elikana has reportedly issued a legal opinion that rejects the Audit Office view that the Former Finance Minister and Associate Minister had a conflict of interest in receiving $60,000 in business support loans from government. The report condemning the Business Trade Investment Board’s (BTIB) decision to grant two loans to businesses owned by […]

Local

Tangi not ruling out re-election

Saturday 17 July 2010 | Published in Local

Tupapa-Maraerenga MP John Tangi has lost the chance to remain the Democratic Party’s candidate for the constituency at the general elections. While Tangi has conceded that Nooroa Tupa is the new candidate after winning the three man run off, he has indicated he may consider other options for candidacy this year. “This is only the […]

Local

Audit condemns Maoate

Saturday 17 July 2010 | Published in Local

Former Finance Minister Sir Terepai Maoate and his son, former associate Minister of Finance Terepai Maoate Jnr, have been condemned by a new audit report for introducing an economic stimulus package – a $550,000 business loan fund – and then directly benefiting from it to the tune of $60,000. Sir Terepai, the former Deputy Prime […]

Local

Time of the essence for Budget tabling

Thursday 15 July 2010 | Published in Local

Prime Minister Jim Marurai is reportedly thinking of calling a sitting of Parliament for July 23 just a week before the deadline for tabling the annual Budget. Finance minister Wilkie Rasmussen told CI News yesterday that the now balanced Budget is ready to go to Parliament following its approval by cabinet this month. Under the […]

Local

Masters return with massive medal haul

Thursday 15 July 2010 | Published in Local

The Cook Islands masters’ athletics team have returned home from Tahiti with a whopping 61 medals –possibly the most medals ever won by a Cook Islands’ sports team. Members of the successful team returned home from the Oceania Masters Athletics Championships in Tahiti on Tuesday weighed down with their medals but buoyed by the awesome […]

Local

Selection disappoints hopeful

Thursday 15 July 2010 | Published in Local

Avatiu’s Poko Keu is disappointed at the process carried out to select Sam ‘Gumby’ Crocombe as the Democratic Party election candidate for Ruatonga-Avatiu-Panama-Palmerston-Atupa (RAPPA). He also believes it unfairly all came down to “who had the most money” to mount a successful campaign come election time. On Tuesday party executives announced that a run off […]

Local

Tav case delayed

Tuesday 13 July 2010 | Published in Local

Businesswoman Ellena Tavioni appeared in court yesterday as a petition for the winding up of her clothing business Tav Ltd was presented to the High Court by the Collector of Inland Revenue. But the case of Ministry of Finance & Economic Management (MFEM) vs Tav Ltd was adjourned to August 30 as Tavioni’s lawyer Tony […]

Local

Te Kukupa to the rescue

Tuesday 13 July 2010 | Published in Local

Police patrol boat Te Kukupa was sent to retrieve 11 of 13 people on board the yacht SV Southern Cross after it experienced engine trouble at the weekend. Police received information on Saturday that the 58ft ketch had experienced engine problems near Palmerston island en route to Rarotonga. The yacht was expected to arrive in […]

Local

Mangaia proves a hit

Tuesday 13 July 2010 | Published in Local

Though clouds obscured the Sunday morning eclipse in Mangaia, most tourists fell too much in love with the island to let it ruin their holiday. There were some who couldn’t conceal their disappointment, but the majority of eclipse-chasers who travelled to Mangaia this weekend said that the island’s beauty and its people more than made […]

Local

Beer vote may be challenged

Tuesday 13 July 2010 | Published in Local

Businessman James Beer has been confirmed as the Democratic Party’s election candidate for Murienua after last week’s run off against Angeline Tuara. But with Beer scarcely past the first post in his ambition to become an MP, Tuara’s supporters were reportedly planning to complain and ask for a recount of the votes. Yesterday, the Demo […]

Local

Cabinet failings detailed

Monday 12 July 2010 | Published in Local

The Toagate Audit report has pointed out many issues which affected the performance of cabinet throughout the process which lead to the deal. Several members of the cabinet and caucus pointed to a lack of leadership from the Prime Minister Jim Marurai. They indicated that former Deputy Prime Minister Sir Terepai Maoate exerted dominance “especially […]

Local

Mangaia's moment in the sun

Monday 12 July 2010 | Published in Local

Solar eclipse a heavenly spectacle for 400 visitors Mangaia woke early yesterday to catch a glimpse of the total solar eclipse tracking across its sky, though it hid behind a thick cloud cover to the disappointment of eclipse-chasers who travelled from as far as Japan and Germany. The Mangaia runway yesterday was loaded with hundreds […]

Local

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