National
Disaster recovery changes for Cook Islands
Wednesday 12 September 2012 | Published in National
A report highlighting where the Cook Islands can improve its disaster recovery plans has been handed over to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Known as the Cook Islands IDRL Report, the paper was undertaken by Cook Islander Fine Tuitupou-Arnold. The report analyses the way the country responds to international disasters and suggests a number of […]
Congress continues to build
Wednesday 12 September 2012 | Published in National
Progress is continuing to happen at the world’s biggest conservation event in Jeju, South Korea. Local representative Ana Tiraa, who was recently elected to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) council as an Oceania councillor, described the event as “unique” in its approach to major international issues. “IUCN’s World Conservation Congress is […]
Sea Shepherd helps police shark fishing
Wednesday 12 September 2012 | Published in National
In the first enforcement collaboration of its kind in the South Pacific, Sea Shepherd has partnered with Kiribati to combat illegal shark fishing. After spending nearly two months in the South Pacific on its latest shark campaign, Operation Requiem, working in several island nations on marine protection, outreach, education and partnerships, Sea Shepherd concluded the […]
Prison – not bail – for teen
Wednesday 12 September 2012 | Published in National
A 16-year-old was imprisoned as a precautionary measure before his sentencing in two months time. Chief Justice Tom Weston was due to sentence Bishop Bailey in the High Court last week on four burglary charges and one of receiving stolen goods. But the young man’s lawyer Norman George was sick, meaning sentencing could not go […]
MFEM balances the end of year books
Tuesday 11 September 2012 | Published in National
After initially projecting a $3 million deficit, government has managed to balance its books. Finance Minister Mark Brown told media recently he was happy with the country’s financial performance at the end of the financial year, after the June quarterly financial report shows the predicted deficit turned into a surplus of $769,000. He said this […]
Clearing debt the first priority
Tuesday 11 September 2012 | Published in National
If government does not take ‘strong action’ to address deficiencies in the banking system, the Cook Islands is unlikely to return to sustained economic growth. The upshot of that is dismal – that “without strong economic growth the objective expressed by all of reversing the current trend of increasing emigration will not be achieved”, according […]
Online toon amusement
Tuesday 11 September 2012 | Published in National
The political cartoonist at the New Zealand Herald is having a bit of fun with the paata custom, the Cook Islands’ relationship with Chinese fishing enterprises, and the Pacific Islands Forum’s exclusion of Fiji. Cartoons have surfaced on the New Zealand Herald Online that prove the Cook Islands is still more or less in the […]
Late ship blamed for fuel shortage
Tuesday 11 September 2012 | Published in National
The delayed arrival of Reef Shipping vessel Southern Reef was responsible for the weekend’s petrol crisis. “This is the consequence of relying on the national shipping service from New Zealand – we’re buying in tanktainers rather than in bulk,” Toa Petroleum director Brett Porter said yesterday. “If you’re buying in bulk you’re buying two, three […]
Act before disaster
Tuesday 11 September 2012 | Published in National
Recovery plans should be made by governments before disasters strike, the United Nations says. One of the key outcomes of a three-day workshop on disaster recovery training in Fiji recently was that Pacific governments need to focus on building resilience. United Nations representative Knut Ostby gave the workshop’s closing address to over 40 professionals working […]
Meeting tonight
Tuesday 11 September 2012 | Published in National
Questions surrounding the make-up of the Punanga Nui market committee are sure to add some extra spice to the first stallholders meeting since the market was turned over to the agriculture ministry. The Sinai Hall is the venue of tonight’s public meeting and matters including the management of the market are on the agenda. But […]
Recycling bins improve Punanga Nui
Tuesday 11 September 2012 | Published in National
Punanga Nui market manager Elmah McBirney is hoping people will get the message of responsible recycling after six stations were installed around the marketplace. All of the stations are housed beneath signs created to inform the public of making the right choice with recycling. The four bins are categorised into aluminium cans, plastic bottles, glass […]
Oceania conservation role for Tiraa
Tuesday 11 September 2012 | Published in Environment
The Cook Islands has a greater presence on the international conservation stage. Te Ipukarea Society member Ana Tiraa was voted in as an Oceania councillor for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). She joins Australian Brendon Mackey and Andrew Bignell from New Zealand as the three new representatives from the Oceania region. A […]
Hot, dirty rubbish roundup
Tuesday 11 September 2012 | Published in Environment
The first event of Pacific Islands Conservation Initiative’s 2012 Rubbish Roundup, supported by CITC, National Environment Service (NES), WATSAN and General Transport, was a community driven success. Volunteers comprised of large groups from Turama Pacific, the Filipino Community and Telecom, who sponsored the Blackrock/Social Centre event on Saturday. Fifty participants collected and sorted 249kg of […]
$1.2m not paid in Coca-Cola levies
Tuesday 11 September 2012 | Published in Local
A damning Audit report reveals that for over 20 years, CITC avoided paying full levies on Coca Cola, thereby depriving government of millions in taxation revenue. Owing to an arrangement with Customs, CITC routinely separated contents from packaging on invoice sheets – paying a 10 percent levy on packaging and a 40 percent levy on […]
Maintenance workers back at work
Tuesday 11 September 2012 | Published in Local
A poorly worded and interpreted Budget Policy Directive is being blamed for the misunderstanding that had five Cook Islands Investment Corporation maintenance workers thinking they had lost their jobs. The CIIC work gang of five men were yesterday assured they are still employed – resulting in broad smiles and handshakes all round. Yesterday minister of […]
146kg striped marlin sets a new record
Tuesday 11 September 2012 | Published in National
Akura Fishing Charters crew have every right to boast about always catching the biggest fish after hauling in a record breaking 146kg striped marlin. Caught out from the Kiikii fad on Monday morning – it had Akura crewman Cameron Thorp feeling the monster was a record breaker from the outset. Each of the six anglers […]
Westpac manager resigns
Tuesday 11 September 2012 | Published in National
Westpac Cook Islands is due to have a change in management, after the bank’s general manager Carmel Butler handed in her resignation. The Australian banker took over the position on a two-year contract in October last year, but will return to her homeland at the beginning of October with the goal to pursue other opportunities […]
Environment reporting elevated
Monday 10 September 2012 | Published in Environment
Consistent state of environment (SOE) reporting is an essential tool for guiding appropriate policy and decision-making. This was the general consensus of the 80 participants attending the 2nd Pacific Environment Forum held in Noumea, New Caledonia, last week. The Pacific Environment Forum is an opportunity for Pacific stakeholders to discuss environmental issues before the annual […]
'CIIC workers not terminated'
Monday 10 September 2012 | Published in Local
It’s work as usual for the five maintenance workers who believed they were ‘laid off’ following intervention by minister for the Cook Islands Investment Corporation Mark Brown. The minister issued a media statement yesterday explaining his views of the issue. Referring to statements by Tupapa Maraerenga MP George Maggie and Cook Islands Workers Association president […]
Police pays revealed
Monday 10 September 2012 | Published in Local
The oath is not the only thing trainee police officers should be swearing over after the force’s salary bands were revealed last week. Figures released by the Public Service Commission (PSC) show that trainee policemen and women earn between $12,765 and $17,269, the same as the staff member who is hired to issue the general […]
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