National
Life insurance rates to rise
Wednesday 3 March 2010 | Published in National
The New Zealand government will be imposing a new tax on life insurance companies, effective July 1, and insurers intend to cushion the financial blow by increasing rates for policy holders. “Insurance companies are going to be taxed like they’ve never been taxed before and individual companies have to decide how to deal with that,” […]
Experts don't regret tsunami warning
Tuesday 2 March 2010 | Published in National
SYDNEY, March 2 – Officials in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific islands praised emergency authorities for their handling of the tsunami warning following the massive earthquake in Chile. But they slammed the many “stupid” members of the public who ignored the warnings for putting themselves and others at risk. Alerts about a potentially destructive […]
Peka wrestles in Hawaii
Tuesday 2 March 2010 | Published in National
Local secondary school student Peka Fisher (pictured) has fast-tracked her way into competitive wrestling. Peka, 16, the daughter of Brent and Annie Fisher of Nikao, has been an exchange student at Kamehameha College in Hawaii for the past six months. The bubbly and creative student is well known for her outgoing personality and her enthusiasm […]
Quake shakes Carlos
Tuesday 2 March 2010 | Published in National
In the early hours of Saturday morning, as Carlos Morales brewed coffee for anxious tourists, his thoughts were of his family back in Chile. Morales, who works at Pacific Resort, said he spent the morning pacifying hysterical guests as they waited in the hills for the tsunami to strike. “It was pretty hard to be […]
Family praise local officials
Tuesday 2 March 2010 | Published in National
A visiting Kiwi family felt safe and well informed during Saturday’s tsunami thanks to local police officers and neighbours. Nic and Lorraine Brown and their 12-year-old son Bradley were sound asleep in their rental house on Nikao beach when they were woken up at around 3.30am by police officers. “My initial thought was that maybe […]
Minister due back on diverted flight
Tuesday 2 March 2010 | Published in Local
Finance minister Wilkie Rasmussen is due back in Rarotonga tomorrow after government paid to divert an Air Rarotonga flight yesterday to go to Penrhyn with the intention of bringing back patients for medical care. The plane will overnight on the island so that about nine people can undergo medical assessments. Health minister Apii Piho says […]
Ivaiti ends with a line by Einstein
Tuesday 2 March 2010 | Published in Local
Former financial secretary Sholan Ivaiti ended his three-year term in the country’s top job with words from the late scientist Albert Einstein. In an email to a group of government officials, Ivaiti wrote, “I wish to leave with the following two quotes from Einstein: ‘Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow’ and ‘The […]
Generosity praised
Tuesday 2 March 2010 | Published in Local
How people were alerted to the tsunami warning and where they fled for safety has been the talk of the island since the early morning tsunami warnings on Saturday. Hospital hill, valleys and back roads were choked with people evacuating from the coast. In Arorangi, Mariia and William Heather opened their home to people who […]
New home for National Council of Women
Tuesday 2 March 2010 | Published in National
The Cook Islands National Council of Women (CINCW) held a blessing ceremony for its new headquarters in Tauae recently. Its previous home was in O’oa, Tupapa. Pictured here is the NCW string band of (from left) Vaine Wichman, Mama Beer, Mrs Pera and Francis Topa, setting a celebratory tone for the occasion. The council continues […]
Mass messages sent
Tuesday 2 March 2010 | Published in National
Police email and mobile phone alerts were the first form of tsunami warnings received by many local residents on Rarotonga and the outer islands. Local police officer Allan Rua manages the police mobile and email alert database and says that on Saturday morning he sent the tsunami warnings to the 2000 mobile phone and email […]
Police patrol boat evacuates pregnant Pukapuka woman
Tuesday 2 March 2010 | Published in National
The ministry of health is trying to save the life of a pregnant woman from Nassau due to give birth to her ninth child after sending a medical team on police patrol boat Te Kukupa to Pukapuka. Health minister Apii Piho says the woman is one of two patients on Nassau who needed urgent medical […]
'Overnight scientists' emerge from tsunami
Tuesday 2 March 2010 | Published in National
Installing nationwide tsunami sirens is one of the recommendations that will be reiterated in the Emergency Management Cook Islands report following Saturday’s tsunami. EMCI officer William Tuivaga says that the installation of tsunami sirens in all districts on Rarotonga and outer islands was one of the recommendations made by the department following the tsunami in […]
New call for compulsory helmets
Monday 1 March 2010 | Published in Local
A spate of serious driving accidents is set to crack open the helmets issue again. In the last couple of weeks, a man died in a motorbike accident, a young boy was airlifted to New Zealand for severe head injuries after he fell off his motorbike and a young woman was injured when a driver […]
Better prepared
Monday 1 March 2010 | Published in Local
Disaster management officials in the Pacific say they were better prepared for Saturday’s tsunami alert after last year’s devastating tsunami off Samoa, which claimed more than 180 lives. This was the universal comment by disaster officials in Samoa, Fiji, Tonga and the Cook Islands. People on the flat island of Tuvalu sought refuge in the […]
Thousands flee tsunami
Monday 1 March 2010 | Published in Local
Police commissioner Maara Tetava is praising the people of the Cook Islands for their quick response to tsunami warnings on Saturday morning. “It was an awesome response by the people here on Rarotonga and the outer islands,” said Tetava. “It was a quick response by everyone who headed to higher ground.” Tetava said that one […]
WMO experts issue update on the impacts of climate change on tropical cyclones
Monday 1 March 2010 | Published in National
GENEVA, February 23 – The World Meteorological Organisation’s (WMO) Expert Team on Climate Change Impacts on Tropical Cyclones (i.e. hurricanes, typhoons) concluded that, if 21st century warming occurs as projected, there will likely be an increase, on average worldwide, in the maximum wind speed of tropical cyclones of +2 to +11 % and in rainfall […]
Framhein: 'I'm disgusted with Telecom'
Monday 1 March 2010 | Published in National
Mervin Communications director William Framhein remains adamant that his January Telecom account does not reflect certain price reductions announced by the company last November. Framhein says he’s absolutely disgusted that Telecom has decided to publicly comment on his account and also suggest publicly how he should use his internet and mobile phones. “These are private […]
Tereora prefects, student council members and peace ambassadors inducted
Monday 1 March 2010 | Published in National
Tereora College’s 2010 prefects, student council members and peace ambassadors were inducted and ei’d in a ceremony at Princess Anne Hall. The head boy this year is Jone Ave and the head girl is Teamita Akama. Deputy head boy is Bradley Heather and deputy head girl is Tu-maiata Numanga. Art prefects: Raukura Ellison and Mata […]
Penrhyn relief flight a success
Monday 1 March 2010 | Published in National
Finance minister and Penrhyn MP Wilkie Rasmussen remains in Penrhyn following Friday’s RNZAF Hercules relief flight to the island. Plans for a second relief flight to take more food and building supplies to the island on Saturday were cancelled following the Pacific-wide tsunami warning. New Zealand High Commission first secretary Julie Affleck says the Hercules […]
Relief flight goes to Penrhyn
Saturday 27 February 2010 | Published in National
Second flight likely today with emergency supplies Finance minister and Penrhyn MP Wilkie Rasmussen said his people in Penrhyn were looking forward to the arrival of the RNZAF Hercules relief flight yesterday. “It will provide moral support to the people there as they are looking forward to the arrival of the plane. The food on […]
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