Letters to the Editor
Letter: New Zealand ‘misinterpreting’ Joint Centenary Declaration
Wednesday 12 February 2025 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, I am writing as a Cook Islander to express my disappointment with the New Zealand Government, and in particular their Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its Minister, for the bellicose statements coming from the Beehive recently in relation to the Cook Islands.
Letter: Is NZ bullying the Cook Islands?
Tuesday 11 February 2025 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, The persistent bullying of Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown by New Zealand over the past week has been appalling.
Letter: Pakalolo industry
Monday 10 February 2025 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Why are we fooling around and aimlessly wasting our time by not getting our pakalolo industry up and running?
Letter: State visit?
Friday 7 February 2025 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
I write to correct the mislabelling and blunder made to call the PM’s visit to the People’s Republic of China. It cannot be called a “State Visit”. State visits are only made by fully independent countries, like Kiribati, Samoa, Tonga, etc. Our official status is Self-Government in Free Association with New Zealand. We are not […]
Letter: Prime Minister Brown’s China visit
Friday 7 February 2025 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, Noting the recent media coverage of the Prime Minister’s upcoming travel to China; why aren’t officials sharing any details of his travel or the benefit it will bring to the Cook Islands? You have to ask why is such a secretive approach being taken?
Letter: Cook Islands-China agreement
Thursday 6 February 2025 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, For clarity, these are my views of the potential aspects/concerns that come to my mind when an open dialog on such a significant move is not afforded to our people.
Letter: Financial disaster
Wednesday 5 February 2025 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, I note that the OPM is quoted in CI News (in the context of the PM's visit to China) that the "TMV project has transformed Rarotonga’s 100-year old water network, ensuring reliable access to clean and safe water for future generations."
Letter: PM’s visit to China
Wednesday 5 February 2025 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, There should not be any complaint from taxpayers if it turns out that we have to part fund the PM's state visit to China for several reasons.
Letter: Religious debate
Tuesday 4 February 2025 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
William Framhein’s reply to Cook Islander and follower of the Muslim faith Tatiana Kautai contains this quote, “… a true Christian will never do anything to displease Jesus”.
Letter: Missing pay check, missing millions?
Tuesday 4 February 2025 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, Whatever the truth behind Police spokesman Trevor Pitt and whether or not his pay packet went missing, the story recalls decades ago when the government, literally, did not have the money in its bank accounts to meet the public service payroll and went into the vault where there were bags of Tangaroa Dollars.
Letter: Christianity and Islam
Monday 3 February 2025 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, Since the article published in the Cook Islands News on the 14th November 2024 regarding the first Mosque in Rarotonga, and following all subsequent newspaper articles, Letters to the Editor, opinion pieces, online comments, RAC comments, the removal of the Mosque pin on Google maps, Parliament’s formation of a “special select committee” etc, I have remained silent.
Letter: A call for tourism equity
Friday 31 January 2025 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, Some of us were sort of excited to hear about the recently appointed DSAG (Destination Stewardship Advisory Group) on January 27th, which will steer tourism so it continues to deliver long-term benefits for all Cook Islanders, while protecting its natural and cultural heritage? Really?
Letter: Cook Islands Christian Movement
Thursday 30 January 2025 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, William Framhein is the interim secretary of Cook Islands Christian Movement Inc (CICMI) that wants to undo the legislation that decriminalised homosexuality.
Letter: Praise for PM Brown
Wednesday 29 January 2025 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, As far as I see it, the PM Mark Brown is doing more work than anyone else in government, and I don’t mean blowing rubbish and cutting hedges on the side of the road.
Letter: Stopping domestic violence
Wednesday 29 January 2025 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, I was appalled and disgusted by the op-ed by Ruta Mave that shamed and held women in-part accountable for the ongoing domestic violence against them. The views expressed were harsh and totally naive to the realities of domestic violence.
Letter: Travel budget
Tuesday 28 January 2025 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Not one dollar, not one cent better be spent on these MPs in the supplementary budget for travel. Not another dollar Mr Brown, not another cent of our hard-earned taxpayers’ money to be spent on your travel.
Letter: Protecting our women and children
Tuesday 28 January 2025 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, The recent sentencing of Yawea Teophilo to 14 years in prison for 47 charges of rape (and other charges) has shocked our community. Learning about what these young girls had to go through is heart breaking and reminds us of the urgent need to protect our women and children, and support survivors of gender-based violence (GBV).
Te rua teretereanga o te Pupu CINAT
Friday 24 January 2025 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Kia Orana e te Etita, Tetai au mea tei tupu I rotopu I te mataiti 1965-2025.
Letter: Prison ‘break’
Friday 24 January 2025 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
This writer would appreciate a follow up story from CINews as to whether any heads rolled after the revelations that convicted fraudsters were released from prison to sit with ‘family’ in a certain Arorangi café and to clean the gardens at their Airbnb income property instead of “doing time” for the crime within the prison itself.
Letter: Immigration stance questioned
Friday 24 January 2025 | Written by Supplied | Published in Letters to the Editor, Opinion
Dear Editor, Unless there are legal grounds for detaining or preventing a person from departing the Cook Islands, one would expect the departure processing by CI immigration to be straight forward if the standard requirements are met.