Letters to the Editor
PAC different
Wednesday 10 February 2016 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, Without responding to Brett Porter’s unfortunate habit of hiding weak arguments within personal insults, I should point out that “PAC” is not the same as “PERCA”. PAC reports to Parliament: it is a watchdog independent of government. PERCA is a government committee, appointed by government with the same function in regard to government as an internal audit group would have in regard to a private business.
It will be remembered at the ballot box
Tuesday 9 February 2016 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, I refer to the ‘Promises, Promises, Promises’ comment posted in your Smoke Signals column on February 4. I could be excused for thinking this ghost of yours was on weed.
Road sealing not as simple as it sounds
Tuesday 9 February 2016 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, The Grubby Grey Knight’s article two weeks ago did grabbed my attention, and please, allow me to spin my thoughts in response to it.
Political mumbo jumbo
Tuesday 9 February 2016 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, For clarity I respond to James Beer’s letter asking for the crux of my criticism of him as spokesperson for the Democratic Party.
'Operation Ineffective'
Tuesday 9 February 2016 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, Well it had to happen – there is now mention once again of ‘Operation Namu’.
Response to 'cuppa' criticism
Tuesday 9 February 2016 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, Why doesn’t the concerned smoke signaller just call me and I will explain. I refer to the Smoke Signal , ‘cuppa on the taxpayer’.
Businesses should pay for algae removal
Tuesday 9 February 2016 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, According to your front page news, potential visitors are postponing or cancelling their bookings because of their negative perception of the algal bloom.
Blips stimulating the economy
Monday 8 February 2016 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, Instead of calling an emergency cabinet meeting to deal with FIU’s announcement that it is investigating the DPM – is there no ethical or moral code that suggests such a parliamentarian would stand down from his portfolio and wait for his name to be cleared?
Saddened by personal attack
Monday 8 February 2016 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, Although I wouldn’t normally reply to a Smoke Signal with an objective to attack me in the newspapers – I must make an exception in this case because the Tourism Board of which I am a member was mentioned.
Why not remove algae by hand?
Monday 8 February 2016 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, This letter is in relation to the algal bloom in Muri lagoon. Actually words fail me as to where to begin to address the issues that arise out of the facts of the situation. Do we start with the algae problem, the cause, or the remedy?
Turuia te DPM Etita,
Saturday 6 February 2016 | Published in Letters to the Editor
E tama kia tika iakoe kia tuku atu toku au manako na roto i taau nuti pepa no runga i te akaapaanga a te Demo ia Teariki Heather no te Bob Cat tei tuku ia atu ki te Waste Management i te mataiti i toku manako 2013.
Lillies are okay
Friday 5 February 2016 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, We in the Cook Islands are lucky to have the Natural Heritage Trust where we can get scientific information on our natural environment.
Time for new habits around rubbish
Friday 5 February 2016 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, It has been a while since I have written about rubbish in Paradise but thankfully a movement of comment and awareness has been evident since my first protest against the six tonnes of rubbish buried by ICI at the old Turangi recycle centre, (which still has not been removed).
Begging plea on NZ television 'was embarrassing'
Friday 5 February 2016 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, It is interesting to see the emotional support for our PM Henry Puna’s nephew for his student loan debt, considering we attended a family meeting for him to acquire land to build units on so he could rent them out.
Tepaki was not bankrupted
Thursday 4 February 2016 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, I refer to your Smoke Signal headed “Pie in the Sky”.
Authorities should show zero tolerance
Thursday 4 February 2016 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, I refer to Saturday’s CI News highlighting the savage beating of a young Cook Islander by a Samoan national Feleti Iona.This person has a history of violent behaviour both on and off the rugby field since he has been in the Cook Islands as his record in the court and disciplinary hearings in both rugby union and rugby league now show.
PM photo with thug is journalistic assault?
Thursday 4 February 2016 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, So a letter writer asks you to publish a photo of this thug and you print a large photo of him with the Prime Minister? Of all the thousands of photos you must have of rugby games, is this the only photo you have of this person?
Minister replies to challenges
Thursday 4 February 2016 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, I would now like to take this opportunity to respond to the questions raised in your newspaper on Friday January 22 by someone who hides behind the name “Get Real” or should I name him “Nit Picker”. It seems to me that “Get Real” is a person who has little knowledge and understanding of the process if one wants to meet a Minister. All he/she had to do is ring my office phone 29030, make an appointment and I would gladly receive him/her and explain Government’s position today regarding agriculture and environmental issues. The huge hole in Arorangi “Get Real” is referring to I presume is the one in Betela. For your information, sir, this hole is outside the 30 metres foreshore area of concern as legislated by the Environment Act 2003. Also the waste material dumped in that hole is carried out by the public and not by the contractor. This issue has been addressed by National Environment Service (NES) staff, and additionally the NES is undergoing a review of its legislation to address gaps, grey-areas and overlaps with it and other legislation. Regarding the Muri lagoon algae issue, I agree that agricultural activities over the years have partly contributed to the problem in Muri Lagoon over the last 40 years. “When people referred to agriculture as the back bone of this country there was excessive use of fertiliser and chemicals during that time. While families benefited from agriculture exports, there was little regard for the damage to the environment. Today Sir, tourism is the back bone of our economy and it is continuing to grow. In recent years, we have seen a shift on tourism philosophy moving towards sustainable tourism models which aim to provide for the industry while maintaining environmental standards. Personally, I believe the Muri area is over developed for tourism. The Muri community should take ownership of what has happened so far, and how they would like to see Muri in ten or maybe 20 years time. Government is there to help them achieve their dream. An Environmental Impact Assessment (ElA) report has been called for to look at the Muri Lagoon problem going right down to Avana passage. Once the report is completed it will be released for public consultation before being considered by the Rarotonga Environment Authority (REA) for approval. Unfortunately, there is a process in place to follow and it’s a long and tedious one. The reticulation system has been talked about and I agree this will perhaps be the best alternative for us to consider for the future. WATSAN and Public Health are doing work in ensuring that the installation of future septic tanks comply with the new safety regulations both domestic and commercial to minimise the nutrient problem in Muri Lagoon. The lack of water flow in the lagoon over these years has also contributed to this problem. The question here is for Get Real is, Do you have any solutions to the problem in Muri? I assume you have. Feel free to comment on the EIA Report when it is completed. So “Get Real” I will not make any more comments until the EIA report is completed. With regards to agriculture, Get Real is saying that he is a Noni grower. Well, all I know is the Noni factory in Titikaveka is crying out for Noni paying at 70 cents per kilogram which to me is a good price. We are encouraging outer island growers to go into Noni production because at least it’s a crop they know how to grow. Get Real should get off his bum and encourage Noni farmers to plant more and increase their production. The market demand for Noni juice in China is unlimited. When Get Real refers to the fact that there is no export, yes, I put a stop to it. The main reason is the inconsistency of supply and the cost of producing these crops is very high. To add to these, the NZ Bio-security requirements are very tough today. It’s just not worth it. The local price of paw-paw and taro is much better than that in New Zealand. Anyway we should be concentrating all our efforts to support our booming tourism industry today. The recently distributed small agriculture machineries from China will definitely help the growers increase their production of Noni and a host of other crops they may wish to grow. Already the response from the growers and grower groups has been very positive as a result of these machineries. As for providing food on the table Mr. Editor, can you recall any case of anyone that died of hunger here? All I know is people are dying here of over-eating - GET REAL. Cabinet Minister KiriauTurepu
A great initiative
Wednesday 3 February 2016 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor Congratulations to Tim Tepaki and company on news of a new airline. What a great initiative on the depopulation issue, and making pa enua travel more affordable.
It was a majority decision
Wednesday 3 February 2016 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, I will ignore all the nasty name calling your correspondent Sholan Ivaiti threw at me in your edition of Saturday the 31st of January. This distorts the picture.
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