Letters to the Editor
Letter: Proxy votes ‘will not fix the problem’
Thursday 25 January 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, The new Standing Orders for Parliament (SO) came into force on the 1st July 2022. There were some major changes in the new SO. One of the changes was that the Business Committee at the last sitting of Parliament for the year must recommend a sitting programme for the following year. There must be at least 14 sitting days per calendar year.
Letter: WHO results
Wednesday 24 January 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Kia Orana Editor, The results as reported by WHO is the same trend from previous years. However, when we talk about universal health coverage the reality is that healthcare services are easily accessible to everyone in the Cook Islands, and are free to everyone residing in the Pa Enua.
Letter: How’s ya health?
Wednesday 24 January 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, The World Health Organization has recently released its ‘Tracking Universal Health Coverage 2023 Global Monitoring Report’ and the results are not good for the Cook Islands. In fact, we are third to bottom in the Pacific - just above Niue and Papua New Guinea.
Letter: Education head
Tuesday 23 January 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Kia Orana, Te akaroa Earlier Letters to the Editor in regards to the appointment of Owen Lewis as Secretary of Education are to be applauded for the valid points raised.
Letter: Smoke and mirrors
Tuesday 23 January 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
The way this government is running parts of this country is just a very bad joke! Why go through all that cost, time consumption and pretence of inviting applications for a job (Head of Education), doing the interviews, and then totally disregarding the recommendation of the very professional committee.
Letters: Investing in quality education
Tuesday 23 January 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, I would have thought that it is simple common sense that we have only one government owned secondary school on Rarotonga.
Letter: ‘When it’s not your money, who cares’
Monday 22 January 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Kia orana, referring to the excellent letter to the editor in the Cook Islands News January 17 edition regarding successive governments thinking they can run commercial businesses, when in reality most schemes that government and public servants dream up become abject failures, and never any blame or repercussion on anyone!
Letter: Te Mato Vai: Wat-er disaster
Monday 22 January 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, When is the government going to address Rarotonga’s worsening water shortage? This is a necessary project that the Cook Islands government has yet again failed to deliver.
Letter: CISNOC retreat
Friday 19 January 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Sports federations where are your kahunas? The Olympic Committee is taking you all for a ride and you say nothing, shame.
Letter: Are selection panels just a sham?
Friday 19 January 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Luisa Peters-Tongatama, president of the Cook Islands Teachers Union, did very well to point out the corruption of the appointment of Owen Lewis to be Secretary of Education (Panel’s top choice ignored: Teachers Union questions Education Secretary appointment, January 18).
Letter: Avatiu FC co-coaches
Thursday 18 January 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Wow way to go Avatiu women’s football team (Avatiu FC first Cook Islands team in OFC Women’s Champions League, Cook Islands News, January 17).
Letter: Proposed proxy voting system
Thursday 18 January 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, A move that is sparking debate, the proposed Constitution Amendment (No. 32) Bill, which seeks to introduce proxy voting within its Parliament is a step back in parliamentary responsibility.
Letter: Prime Minister’s reasons for Constitution Amendments ‘weak’
Wednesday 17 January 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Sammy Mataroa’s letter in yesterday’s edition of the Cook Islands News (Resolving election disputes) gives a very good explanation why Parliament should not support the constitutional amendment tabled by Government which would allow Parliament to sit notwithstanding that there are outstanding electoral petitions.
Letter: Get real with our tax dollars
Wednesday 17 January 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, Perhaps you can have a staff reporter dig through Cook Islands News archives for say the last 40 or so years and pull out all the grand announcements from one government after the other of the commercial enterprises that were launched with government at the controls.
Letter: Resolving election disputes
Tuesday 16 January 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, Constitution Amendment (No. 31) Bill proposes to allow the newly elected Parliament to begin its work promptly after a general election, without the need to wait for the resolution of election petitions.
Letters: Visa extension fees
Monday 15 January 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
My wife and I are also world travellers from cold, cold Canada. With the exception of the Covid-19 years, we have faithfully returned to the Cooks year after year once we discovered its charm.
Letters: Questioning our governance
Monday 15 January 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, Constitution Amendment (No 30) BIll, which proposes to expand the Cabinet from six to eight ministers. This bill also seeks to remove the provision that allows for the appointment of Ministers from outside the ranks of elected Members of Parliament.
Letter: Airport’s ‘bragging’ rings hollow
Thursday 11 January 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, We write to you after reading the story published 9th January with the headline, 'Giving back to our people', the account of the upcoming 50th anniversary celebrations of the opening of Rarotonga International Airport, controlled by the Airport Authority Board.
Letter: Staycations
Wednesday 10 January 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Without being too technical and splitting hairs.
Letter: Quit relying on tourism
Tuesday 9 January 2024 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, While the people of the Cook Islands witnessed firsthand the devastation that the Covid-19 pandemic had on the economy, the business sector of our nation and the community alike told Prime Minister Mark Brown to get moving on plans to diversify the economy and quit just relying on tourism to drive growth.