National
Bishop denies shark finning claims
Friday 22 June 2012 | Published in Local
Opposition leader Wilkie Rasmussen has refused to accept minister of marine resources Teina Bishop’s denial of allegations that three tonnes of shark fins were found aboard a Luen Thai vessel in Cook Islands waters. He called Bishop’s dismissal of shark finning claims a ”cover up“. Rasmussen asked Bishop in Parliament on Wednesday to comment on […]
MMR refutes shark fin finds
Friday 22 June 2012 | Published in Local
To prevent targeted finning taking place the Ministry of Marine Resources has drafted a shark policy that allows certain species of sharks to be caught as long as their fins are attached to the carcass. The current Ministry of Marine Resources (MMR) licencing conditions allow fishing vessels to retain non-endangered species of shark but that […]
The mouths of babes
Friday 22 June 2012 | Published in National
Mata Maxwell is very familiar with the mouths of Cook Island children. She has been working as a dental therapist for years. Dental therapists, or dental nurses as they were previously known, are the first face of free dental care for Cook Islands children. It is often from this first visit to the school dental […]
Titikaveka goes to the polls
Friday 22 June 2012 | Published in National
The people of Titikaveka were busy casting their votes yesterday to choose who will represent their community in Parliament. Voting was held between 9 am and 6 pm at Titikaveka Sunday School and YWAM (Youth With A Mission) Hall. A mobile booth for pre-registered special care was also operating. Electoral office staff running the booths […]
Tradesmen upskilling at workshops
Friday 22 June 2012 | Published in National
Rarotonga tradesmen had the opportunity to upskill this week at a series of workshops run through the Cook Islands Trades Training Centre. Eighteen participants were invited to take part in the workshops that were organised by the Trades Training Centre and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Planning (MOIP). These included 10 staff from MOIP and […]
Food festival fundraiser
Friday 22 June 2012 | Published in National
Tereora College is holding a food festival at the Punanga Nui marketplace this Friday to fundraise for new school equipment. Students from all form classes will cook the food, which includes a barbeque, umu food, curried chicken and home baking. They are also manning the stalls, with help from parents and teachers. Proceeds from the […]
Follow the flags for food, craft
Friday 22 June 2012 | Published in National
Food and craft markets across Rarotonga have been given a marketing boost by the Business Trade and Investment Board (BTIB) who this week provided brightly coloured flags and banners for the various market initiatives. BITB minister Mark Brown enthusiastically presented the flags to the various market organisers saying that the promotional equipment was a fantastic […]
Jewellery class inspiring participants
Friday 22 June 2012 | Published in National
Follow the sounds of hammering and laughter at Tereora College on a Tuesday or Wednesday evening, and you will find the community education jewellery class in session. The class has been meeting for some weeks now, with the group of seven budding artists having already produced a number of pieces. They began with simple black […]
Lady Naomi doing Te Maeva Nui run
Friday 22 June 2012 | Published in National
Samoan ship Lady Naomi is likely to transport northern group islanders to Rarotonga for Te Maeva Nui. Next week a representative from a Samoan shipping company arrives in the Cook Islands to discuss with government the logistics of hiring the vessel to transport dance teams from the north to Rarotonga for the Constitution celebrations. Culture […]
PICI asks: Whose side is Ponia on?
Friday 22 June 2012 | Published in National
The Pacific Islands Conservation Initiative is concerned that Ministry of Marine Resources secretary Ben Ponia seems to support the interests of foreign fishing vessels over local ones. During last week’s consultation on the draft National Plan of Action (NPOA) for sharks, Pacific Islands Conservation Initiative (PICI) became concerned that Ponia was supporting the right of […]
Shark action plan criticised
Friday 22 June 2012 | Published in National
The Ministry of Marine Resources’ (MMR) proposed changes to the National Plan of Action for sharks, the key policy document for shark conservation and management in the Cooks, have been met with a skeptical response from conservationists. A two-day public consultation last week on revising the National Plan of Action (NPOA) for sharks was attended […]
'Reluctance' to progress marine park
Friday 22 June 2012 | Published in National
Opposition leader Wilkie Rasmussen said in Parliament this week he feels there has been ”reluctance“ on behalf of government to progress the marine park initiative. ”It appears to me there’s been some reluctance to progress with this idea. Maybe because it conflicts with two other things happening in our waters – one of them is […]
TIS calls for wire trace ban
Friday 22 June 2012 | Published in National
Te Ipukarea Society is disappointed the Ministry of Marine Resources ignored calls for a ban on wire trace fishing at a public consultation last week on the draft national plan of action for sharks. Members of Te Ipukarea Society (TIS) said there was ”very strong support“ at the consultation, held on Thursday and Friday last […]
Mauke turtle expedition successful
Friday 22 June 2012 | Published in Environment
Phil and Nerissa Bradshaw of the Cook Islands Turtle Project (CITP) have just returned from a successful research expedition to Mauke where they conducted the island’s first official assessment of sea turtle populations and nesting behaviours. They worked with Mauke’s environment officer Basilio Kaokao to identify beaches where turtles were known to have nested at […]
Opening up shop at Nikao
Friday 22 June 2012 | Published in Local
Business savvy Nikao Maori preschool students (from left) Tarani Omao, Georgia Marsters, Pati Estall, Paige Aunguna and Teokotai Tuaivi will be opening their own grocery shop today at the school in Nikao. The students learned all about making and spending money this week a before deciding to set up a shop of their own.
Get voting, Titikaveka
Thursday 21 June 2012 | Published in Local
The Titikaveka by-election is being held today (Thursday), with booths opening at nine o’clock this morning. The electoral office have set up two voting booths – one at Titikaveka Sunday School and the other at YWAM (Youth With A Mission) Hall. They will be open to voters until six this evening. A mobile booth for […]
Maternity leave scheme a 'great step'
Thursday 21 June 2012 | Published in Local
The Cook Islands National Council of Women (CINCW) says government’s pledge to implement a paid maternity leave scheme for women working in the private sector is a ”small step for our women, but a great step for our nation“. CINCW president Vaine Wichman says the group has been fighting since 2007 for greater maternity leave […]
Vessel caught with shark fins
Thursday 21 June 2012 | Published in Local
Opposition leader Wilkie Rasmussen has asked minister of marine resources Teina Bishop to comment on allegations that a Luen Thai vessel was this week caught finning sharks. He said in Parliament yesterday, during question-and-answer time, that the HMS Otago boarded a Luen Thai vessel in the north on Tuesday night and discovered a collection of […]
Students give back to elders
Thursday 21 June 2012 | Published in Local
Year nine students from Titakveka College presented gifts of food – boxes of chicken and kinaki – to the elderly at Are Pa Metua yesterday. The gifts were part of a community project that the students undertook, fundraising through a school mufti day and harvesting food from their homes, to share with the mamas. The […]
Queen honours two local men
Thursday 21 June 2012 | Published in National
Two additional Cook Islanders have been selected for the Queen’s birthday honours award, due to their outstanding services to the community. The Queen’s representative Sir Frederick Goodwin has announced that Daniel Apii will become a member of the civil division of the most excellent order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to the public […]
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