Local

Maggie survives party complaints

Friday 16 April 2010 | Published in Local

The Cook Islands Party says two complaints in relation to George Maggie Angene’s controversial selection as the party candidate for Tupapa-Maraerenga are invalid. On Tuesday the CIP executive met to consider two written complaints about the voting procedure followed at the nominee run-off held last week. The complaints looked to be an attempt by some […]

Local

Tourism industry council supports board's vision

Friday 16 April 2010 | Published in Local

The Cook Islands Tourism Industry Council says it strongly supports the CI Tourism board in its endeavours to grow the industry. In a press release yesterday, the council said the new board, chaired by Tata Crocombe, has demonstrated a profound vision for the industry and they must now show it is capable of leading the […]

Local

Minister to Atiu

Thursday 15 April 2010 | Published in Local

Health minister Apii Piho is due in Atiu today to discuss renovations and other plans for the island’s hospital. Yesterday the minister said he had also been planning to visit Mangaia earlier this week but has put that on hold for now. The hospitals on the two islands are part of projects that government hopes […]

Local

Audit happy with Aitutaki accounts

Thursday 15 April 2010 | Published in Local

The Audit Office has finished poring over the Aitutaki Cyclone Appeal Committee receipt books and given it the thumbs-up. Director of audit Paul Allsworth presented the committee with an Unqualified Opinion report, which indicates that the books are clean. “We believe that everyone involved in the collection process exercised the utmost honesty and integrity in […]

Local

Triad fuel shortage sorted

Wednesday 14 April 2010 | Published in Local

An apparent fuel shortage at the weekend had some in a panic, sparking rumours that Rarotonga had run out of petrol. Triad Petroleum was short of petrol because the ships were late, but the island was not dry and Toa was still supplying petrol to its service stations. “The fact of the matter is that […]

Local

Demo faction plans conference

Wednesday 14 April 2010 | Published in Local

The Democratic Party faction now at odds with the party leadership is aiming to hold a general conference in the week of May 12. On Monday evening the faction met at the Princess Anne Hall in Nikao to discuss how it would obtain the support needed from party executives to call a conference. Party president […]

Local

Rape report

Wednesday 14 April 2010 | Published in Local

Police responded to a frantic mother’s call last Friday evening that her daughter had been raped. She was cut off mid-sentence, and when police rang her back there was no answer. Police tried repeatedly to track down the woman and finally made contact. The woman’s daughter was transported to hospital for medical treatment. Police have […]

Local

Hawaiian maire causes concern

Tuesday 13 April 2010 | Published in Local

Ka Mahiai Ihi o Wailea, a 26-acre (10.5ha) farm on the Big Island of Hawaii, will plant its first large-scale maire crop this year. Maire has always been in high demand in Hawaii, but most of the islands’ supply has been imported from the Cook Islands, though Tonga has begun to export maire as well. […]

Local

Not a Demo meeting: Tongia

Tuesday 13 April 2010 | Published in Local

Democratic Party president Makiuti Tongia condemned yesterday’s meeting of Demo constituency committee members saying it was not “approved or sanctioned” by the party. The meeting was called by constituency committee executives with ‘assistant president’ Sean Willis signing off on the advertisements calling for the gathering at Princess Anne Hall in Nikao. Nikao MP Ngamau Munokoa […]

Local

Tourism appoints CEO

Tuesday 13 April 2010 | Published in Local

The Board of Cook Islands Tourism Corporation yesterday appointed the corporation’s finance director Halatoa Fua as acting chief executive. In a media release they said Fua would hold the position until a permanent appointment has been finalised. Fua will be assisted by board directors Robert Skews (marketing), Iaveta Short (administration and legal), and Teresa Manarangi-Trott […]

Local

Rakahanga gets broadband

Monday 12 April 2010 | Published in Local

Rakahanga, one of the northern-most islands in the nation, now enjoys access to the internet via broadband technology. In March, a team of Telecom engineers travelled through the northern group for two weeks for upgrades and maintenance work, and while in Manihiki also visited sister island Rakahanga to install satellite capabilities and a Broadband ADSL […]

Local

Education review

Monday 12 April 2010 | Published in Local

Cabinet has approved an independent review of the country’s education sector this year. Last week the ministers endorsed a proposal for the review which has been in the pipeline for the last decade and will look at the structure of the education sector and rationalising its services. According to prime minister and education minister Jim […]

Local

Vaka fleet prepare for epic voyage

Monday 12 April 2010 | Published in Local

A sight not seen for hundreds of years greeted boaties on Auckland’s Waitemata Harbour on Sunday when four traditional vaka sailed in an inner harbour regatta. The skippers of the double-hulled, 13-tonne, 22m-long vaka – modelled on the original Cook Islands design of Te Au O Tonga – were fine-tuning their vessels in readiness for […]

Local

Demo divide deepens

Saturday 10 April 2010 | Published in Local

The Democratic Party divide has now grown with the executive hoping to stop any members supporting prime minister Jim Marurai’s cabinet from using the party name. Yesterday the Democratic Party central executive and caucus members said it had decided not to attend a meeting called by the ‘Demo faction’ in support of the ‘government’ on […]

Local

Teen taken from paradise to prison

Saturday 10 April 2010 | Published in Local

Police sergeant Avere Naku escorted an 18-year-old man from Aitutaki to the Arorangi prison this week. Ngatokorua Imanuera appeared before three justices of the peace in Aitutaki on April 1. He pleaded guilty to two charges of unlawful taking, one charge of trespassing, five charges of residential theft and four burglaries. Police had been searching […]

Local

Toa in court

Saturday 10 April 2010 | Published in Local

Crown fights $10m profit ‘agreement’ Court proceedings started yesterday to decide on the out-of-court agreement made on government’s behalf last year to guarantee Toa Petroleum an annual profit of $1.2 million over the next eight years. The case is being heard before Justice Tom Weston, and is scheduled for April 21-22. Weston has 30 years […]

Local

NZ will give more: McCully

Friday 9 April 2010 | Published in Local

NZ foreign minister Murray McCully says NZ’s $5.5 million Aitutaki cyclone recovery assistance package will be increased if necessary in the efforts to help rebuild homes lost in February. “The $5.5 million contribution should resource most of what we need to do, but I’ve made it clear that if we need to do some more, […]

Local

Bad boy bolts in

Friday 9 April 2010 | Published in Local

Self-confessed bad boy George (Angene) Maggie has stormed in as Cook Islands Party’s latest pick to contest this year’s election – trademark leather waistcoat and all. While his win shocked many, it seems it is the will of the people – that they want a new wind to blow through the Tupapa-Maraerenga electorate. But those […]

Local

Artist in Residence on the island

Thursday 8 April 2010 | Published in Local

Rick Welland, BCA ‘Artist in Residence’, is back on the island with his paintbrushes poised and ready. Welland is preparing for a May 17 exhibit at BCA, which will feature about a dozen of his Polynesia-themed paintings. The artist is originally from California but spent 30 years living and painting locally. He and his former […]

Local

Ministers sacked themselves: Tongia

Thursday 8 April 2010 | Published in Local

The four Democratic Party ministers have sacked themselves from the party by not resigning from their cabinet posts says party president Makiuti Tongia. He issued a media statement in response to questions over the standoff between the two Demo party factions yesterday. “In refusing to resign their ministerial posts, they have terminated their own membership […]

Local

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