National
Deal to Toagate
Friday 15 April 2011 | Published in Local
Members of the opposition are holding the new government to its election campaign promise to deal with the Toagate scandal. Democratic Party deputy leader Wilkie Rasmussen says the full opposition caucus met on Monday and decided to pressure the government in respect of Toagate. Rasmussen, who is the party’s spokesperson for law, justice, finance, and […]
George accused of betrayal
Friday 15 April 2011 | Published in Local
The Cook Islands Party is not happy with MP Norman George walking out on the party and declaring himself an independent – and Atiu CIP members want the seat back. “We voted him in as a CIP and not as an independent,” says chairman of the Teenui-Mapumai CIP committee Tereapii Porio “We voted for him […]
Swiss Ambassador presents credentials
Friday 15 April 2011 | Published in National
An intimate ceremony was held at Government House yesterday when Swiss ambassador Marion Krupski presented her credentials to Queen’s Representative Sir Frederick Goodwin. Ambassador Krupski is head of mission at the Swiss Embassy in Wellington and is concurrently accredited to New Zealand, Fiji, Tonga, Tuvalu and Samoa. The Cook Islands and Switzerland Governments announced the […]
We're not wealthy
Friday 15 April 2011 | Published in National
The perception that the Cook Islands is a wealthy country relative to other Pacific countries is ‘nonsense’, finance minister Mark Brown told representatives of donor organisations and aid agencies yesterday. Brown said the region is apt to compare the Cook Islands – in terms of wealth and gross domestic product (GDP) – to towns in […]
Individual tanks the answer
Friday 15 April 2011 | Published in National
This week’s national economic development summit has generated discussion about the feasibility of each Rarotonga property owner being self-sufficient by installing water tanks. During an infrastructure session of the summit on Wednesday, Temu Okotai suggested the solution to Rarotonga’s water woes was for each property to include a water tank. Okotai cited a budgeted amount […]
Final summit talks with funders
Friday 15 April 2011 | Published in National
Taking advantage of the opportunity to liaise with those who came to Rarotonga this week for the National Economic Development Summit, the government hosted a round-table discussion with its development partners at Muri Beach Club yesterday. Finance Minister Mark Brown, the majority of the Economic Task Force and a host of other government officials met […]
Appropriation bill to be tabled today
Friday 15 April 2011 | Published in National
Parliament will sit at 10am today for the second time this year. Leading the two bills to be presented today is the Appropriation Amendment or supplementary budget. Clerk of Parliament Nga Valoa also expects the Insurance Amendment bill to be tabled. Four papers are being presented by the Audit Office. These include the second and […]
Govt may get aid redirected
Friday 15 April 2011 | Published in National
The government and its donor partners were expected to reach an agreement for aid funds to be redirected into the country’s general budget, following roundtable discussions yesterday. Speaking before the end of discussions, Finance Minister Mark Brown said feedback from donors had been very positive. Having an aid funding template which would apply to all […]
'Stop knocking education'
Thursday 14 April 2011 | Published in National
Secretary of education Sharyn Paio says it’s time for the Cook Islands to ‘stop knocking’ its education system. “It’s very precious, it’s very good – stand up for it and support it,” she told the National Auditorium at yesterday’s Summit. She said research proves Cook Islands students who study in the Cook Islands perform better […]
Young Sid and Pieter T check in
Thursday 14 April 2011 | Published in National
New Zealand hip-hop icons Young Sid and Pieter T are checking into Rehab tomorrow night to spit their world-famous rhymes for Rarotonga. Young Sid, born Sidney Diamond, is a Cook Islander – his grandparents are from Atiu and Mauke – but he hasn’t been to Rarotonga since he was seven. He says it’s ‘good to […]
'We're 10 years behind'
Thursday 14 April 2011 | Published in National
“Nothing has been done and this is the reason why we are here today, to try and make something happen.” Infrastructure Minister Teariki Heather yesterday summed up the infrastructure session of the national economic development summit, which ran behind schedule as a result of public gripes about the state of Rarotonga’s water, road, and sanitation […]
Minister orders report on sewage
Thursday 14 April 2011 | Published in National
Health Minister Nandi Glassie is seeking a full report into the Rarotonga hospital septic waste system following concerns untreated sewage was, or is, leaking or being discharged into the environment. Glassie, who has just returned to the Cook Islands from a business trip to Tonga, yesterday spoke with staff from the public health division of […]
Pa enua called to speak up on fishing
Thursday 14 April 2011 | Published in National
Pa Enua are being encouraged to write in and express their opposition to purse seining in Cook Islands waters during the government organised public consultations. Te Ipukarea Society programme manager Jacqui Evans says she is pleased that the Pa Enua are being included by being asked to register their thoughts on purse seining in writing […]
What about social development?
Thursday 14 April 2011 | Published in National
Returning Cook Islander Cyrus Mea-Nielson said from the floor yesterday that the economic summit seemed to largely ignore social development and how it factors into economic progress. Mea-Nielson is on a 12-month secondment to the Cook Islands Ministry of Internal Affairs as a senior manager and corporate advisor. He said he returned from New Zealand […]
Health under pressure
Thursday 14 April 2011 | Published in National
An investment in the nation’s health system is an investment in the future of the Cook Islands. This was the premise of a presentation put together by the Ministry of Health that screened at yesterday’s summit, which called for funding to improve the ministry’s level of service, or even to just maintain it. As Dr […]
Dole is the problem in NZ
Thursday 14 April 2011 | Published in National
Lawyer Iaveta Short said at yesterday’s summit that the Cook Islands has ‘a problem in New Zealand’ – its people living on the dole. He said that Cook Islanders living in New Zealand and Australia are becoming too accustomed to living on government welfare, which means that “soon we will have a population returning who […]
Vaka vision shared
Thursday 14 April 2011 | Published in National
An Auckland-based group of Cook Islanders has a vision to repatriate Cook Islanders, set them up with accommodation and provide them with business opportunities. “We’re your human capital,” speaker Ina Michael said on behalf of Cook Islanders living abroad. He said nearly 60,000 Cook Islanders live in New Zealand, and 60% are in Auckland. The […]
Call to ban phosphate soaps
Thursday 14 April 2011 | Published in Environment
A recommendation to legislate against the importation of washing products and soaps that contain phosphate met with widespread support during the Environment session at the Economic Summit yesterday. Ngatangiia businessman Keta Williams said it would relatively be a simple matter for government to ban products that are not environmentally friendly. He said washing powders and […]
Summit outcomes on table today
Thursday 14 April 2011 | Published in National
Major players involved in this week’s National Economic Development Summit will today meet at Muri Beach Club to discuss outcomes from the two-day public convention. It is being termed the Government of the Cook Islands Inaugural Development Partner Dialogue, and will be opened by dialogue chairman and government minister Mark Brown at 9.30am. Brown presided […]
Protect our biodiversity
Thursday 14 April 2011 | Published in Environment
Extinction is forever. That was the reminder given by Te Ipukarea Society programme manager and active environmentalist Jacquie Evans during yesterday’s environment session at the economic development summit. She said Dr Graham Matheson’s presentation was a perfect example of why it is so important, so essential, that we protect our biodiversity. “Biodiversity means all the […]
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