National
Penrhyn residents head home
Friday 17 August 2012 | Published in National
Penrhyn residents will finally see their loved ones and homes after the first charter flight left for the northern island this morning. The first group of around 10 people left at 6am aboard an Air Rarotonga Bandeirante charter plane. The flight was confirmed by Air Rarotonga managing director Ewan Smith yesterday. ”We are still working […]
Tepuka sewerage problem solved
Friday 17 August 2012 | Published in Environment
No longer do Tereora College students have to endure the stench of untreated sewage wafting from tanks positioned at their school’s entrance. For over a decade the Tepuka wastewater plant has been under-performing, to put it politely, but this week the Ministry of Infrastructure and Planning (MOIP) introduces an updated secondary treatment system, installed by […]
PM's office goes solar
Friday 17 August 2012 | Published in Environment
The prime minister’s office has now been converted to solar power. Eighty solar panels were installed on Prime Minister Henry Puna’s office roof by local company Andersons Ltd. The official handover ceremony was on Monday morning. The initial work started in June, when the workers began to put down the cabling and rails in preparation […]
Judge Judy appointed
Friday 17 August 2012 | Published in Local
The High Court of the Cook Islands has a new judge. Justice Judith Potter has been appointed as a judge of the High Court, with her warrant starting on September 1, which post-dates her retirement as a judge of the New Zealand High Court. She will be the second woman appointed to the role, Justice […]
New police scandal:
Friday 17 August 2012 | Published in Local
Cook Islands Police are embroiled in yet another scandal involving officers stealing money. Commissioner Maara Tetava has confirmed that cash to a value of between $10,000 and $20,000 – along with other property – has gone missing from the national police headquarters. Tetava will not reveal how many are suspected of being involved as the […]
Police 'slack' says lawyer
Thursday 16 August 2012 | Published in Local
The breach of trust committed by police thief Davinia Webb is ”totally unacceptable and disappointing“, says lawyer and MP Norman George. An ex-cop himself, George says if anyone wants to join the police their integrity should be beyond doubt and they must resist temptation on a regular basis. Webb was sentenced to 12 months community […]
Plane could take residents home
Thursday 16 August 2012 | Published in Local
The first lot of stranded Penrhyn residents could be flown home as early as tomorrow if a logistical plan proposed by Air Rarotonga is put into action. A representative from the national airline met with Penrhyn mayor Tini Ford yesterday afternoon to discuss a package that would see the stranded group flown back to their […]
Healing the forum divide
Thursday 16 August 2012 | Published in National
Dr Roman Grynberg – a professor who was until 2009 director of economic governance at the Forum Secretariat – wrote this piece ahead of the 43rd Pacific Islands Leaders Forum in Rarotonga the week after next. Entitled ‘Healing the Forum Divide: Apathy Towards Regional Body’, the article appeared in this month’s edition of Islands Business, […]
Setting a course for 2014 and beyond
Thursday 16 August 2012 | Published in National
Dr Michael O’Keefe, a senior lecturer at La Trobe University in Victoria, Australia, wrote the following piece for online journal Islands Business. In it he explores the issues that will loom large at this month’s Pacific Islands Forum, which is being held on Rarotonga and Aitutaki. leaders of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) will arrive […]
Beyonce stars in campaign
Thursday 16 August 2012 | Published in National
The Cook Islands is being encouraged to be part of a global social media campaign ahead of World Humanitarian Day on Sunday. August 19 was chosen by the United Nations General Assembly in 2008 as the date for the international day, which pays tribute to people who face danger and adversity so they can help […]
Big volunteer effort for Forum
Thursday 16 August 2012 | Published in National
What the Cook Islands lacks in resources – for example, enough rooms to accommodate US secretary of state Hillary Clinton’s standard entourage of 90 – it more than makes up for in spirit, warmth and an inherent knack for hospitality. The Pacific Islands Forum organising committee has been blown away by the willingness of local […]
Micro planning for major gathering
Thursday 16 August 2012 | Published in National
The Cook Islands is less than two weeks away from the biggest political gathering to transpire on its soil in decades. The Pacific Islands Forum has been micro-scheduled, down to the last detail, and the organising committee has this week released the itinerary it has been working in past months to prepare. Logistical coordinator Jaewynn […]
New NZ navy advisor for Cooks
Thursday 16 August 2012 | Published in National
The Royal New Zealand Navy has sent the Cook Islands a new technical advisor as part of its ongoing naval commitment to the country. Chief petty officer Tony Francis will replace chief petty officer Del Bewg as technical advisor to the Cook Islands maritime police. Francis, originally from the Waikato, joined the navy straight from […]
How police catch their own: slowly
Thursday 16 August 2012 | Published in National
The police officer in charge of the Bonny crime scene investigation says it took so long to find the crime scene thief because police had to employ a more tactical approach to catch one of their own. Inspector John Strickland was the officer in charge of searching yacht Bonny after she was found adrift by […]
No grudges on Penrhyn
Thursday 16 August 2012 | Published in National
Penrhyn MP Wilkie Rasmussen insists that the people of Penrhyn have no bad blood over the recent MV Lady Naomi controversy. As proof, he pointed to the fact that the community put on a big kaikai for the three tere parties and crew that stopped at Penrhyn this week. Freezer cargoes were stored in available […]
Islands relations soured: mayor
Thursday 16 August 2012 | Published in National
Penrhyn mayor Tini Ford says the way the Manihiki people handled the Lady Naomi saga on Saturday afternoon could have damaging consequences on the interactions between the islands. It comes after allegations of excess cargo were denied by Prime Minister Henry Puna. In a salient fact sheet delivered to Cook Islands News, Puna states that […]
Fishing licence details with-held
Thursday 16 August 2012 | Published in National
The Ministry of Marine Resources (MMR) has at last responded to a request Cook Islands News made under the Official Information Act (OIA) about fishing licences. CINews made the inquiry in June when Parliament was debating the merits of Budget Book 1, which vaguely refers to the licensing of 20 additional vessels under MMR’s exploratory […]
Motorcade for VIPs, weapons not allowed
Thursday 16 August 2012 | Published in Local
A carefully-coordinated motorcade will transport VIP leaders around Rarotonga during the Pacific Islands Forum, and police are asking drivers to be on alert. Police are clear that no drivers are to overtake the motorcade – in the first place a fairly daunting endeavour, as the fleet will comprise 16 cars, police vehicles, motorbikes and scout […]
Tragic accident
Thursday 16 August 2012 | Published in Local
A road accident happened at the back of the Punanga Nui market yesterday, tragically taking the lives of two men. At 11.20am, Albert Nicholas Snr, known as Peto, suffered a heart attack while driving his pick-up truck behind the Punanga Nui market. This caused him to swerve and hit John Taru of Arorangi, who was […]
Police thief apologises
Wednesday 15 August 2012 | Published in Local
The former police officer who stole around $9000 from a crime scene wrote a letter of apology to her boss, asking his forgiveness. In a letter to police commissioner Maara Tetava, which was presented as mitigating circumstances at her trial on June 20, Davinia Webb wrote: ”I, Davinia Webb, humbly and with great shame am […]
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