Opinion
CIP Opposition approved 'Toagate' payments
Sunday 1 April 2018 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, It would have been appropriate if the Opposition were given the opportunity to respond to the front page story (March 29), relating to Mark Brown’s spin on the TOA Petroleum payments.
Aunty Mau has strong hold on Nikao
Thursday 29 March 2018 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, I was talking recently with my nephew who is in his late 20s and he asked me why veteran Nikao MP Ngamau Munokoa hadn’t retired, and given someone such as Mac Mokoroa the chance to stand for Nikao.
An example well worth considering
Thursday 29 March 2018 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, Another election is approaching and political reform is in the air so here is something to think about.
Together we can make a change
Wednesday 28 March 2018 | Published in Opinion
In the past many people have been critical of the lack of sittings of parliament.
Cook Islands not the binge-drinking capital
Wednesday 28 March 2018 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, I don’t usually read the opinion page, but a friend on holiday from England who had time to read all the contents of the newspaper while here was alarmed to read an article in the Saturday paper by Linda Kavelin-Popov, who titles her weekly column, ‘Virtues in Paradise’.
Akamatutuia te pirianga o te au Ariki ki to ratou Matakeinanga
Wednesday 28 March 2018 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Kia Orana koe e te Etita, Te mea mua kia akameitaki ia te Atua no te pauanga ki taku kura mua tei tuku atu. Te mako uara te reira, kia akameitaki ia koe e te taeake no taau taratara’anga mai i toou manako. Ko te oonuanga o toku manako, koia oki, kia oki te au Ariki kia angaanga kapiti ki to ratou Ui Mataiapo e to ratou Ui Rangatira. Me matutu te reira pirianga ka matutu akaou te turanga o to tatou iti tangata. I roto i teia akamatutu’anga i teia pirianga, ka anoano ia te tauturu a te au tipatimani, mei te Tauranga Vananga e tetai au kopapa ke atu no teia akakoroanga. Kia rave ia tetai au iriiri kapua no ta akarakara e te akatinamou I te angaanga a te au mou taonga e kia kite me kore ra kia papu ia ratou ta ratou angaanga i roto i te matakeinanga, no te mea kua irinaki au e, e maata te au tangata mou taonga I teia tuatau kare ratou i marama tikai i ta ratou angaanga. Na roto i teia au iriiri kapua e rauka ei tetai au turanga kia akanoo’ia i teia tuatau ei apii atu ki te uki ki mua. No teia turanga papukore oki o teia au tangata kare e rauka ia ratou i te tu atu no ratou rai e ake e tuatua ia atu to ratou turanga. Kare e na ratou te apa, mari ra na te kopae ke anga a te akteretereanga a te papaa. I te au mataiti i topa, i te mea oki e kua akatakake’ia te au Ariki mei to ratou au Mataiapo e te Rangatira, e maata atu to ratou taime i te komakoma atu ki te au Ariki ke atu, e te Kavamani, i to ratou tuatau ki to ratou uaorai pupu. Ko ta tatou i reira e kite nei i teia tuatau, te akamata nei te au Mataiapo e te Rangatira na roto i te Koutu Nui, i te kaitamaki atu ki te Are Ariki. Eaa ra te tumu? No te mea kare oki ratou i kite e, eaa te tupu nei i roto i te Are Ariki. Kare teia i te manamanata ou, kua kite ana au i teia iaku e noo ra I te Ipukarea. Irinaki pakari au e, me akamatutu akaou ia te pirianga o te au Ariki ki to ratou au Mataiapo e te Rangatira, ko to tatou kaveinga ia ki mua, ma to tatou turanga iti tangata Kuki Airani. Me kare teia e rave ia, ka ngoie ua i te tieni i ta tatou au akonoanga i te mea oki e, kare e pange i muri i te au Ariki. Irinaki katoa au e, ko te ture metua a to tatou Basileia, kua anga ia te reira ma te porokiroki’anga a te papa’a, kua akakoro’ia te reira i toku irinaki’anga ei rave ke atu i to tatou tika’anga to te iti tangata Kuki Airani. Kua akataka’ia i roto i reira e, ka rauka i te korona i te rave atu i tetai enua me ka riro mai ei puapinga no te Basileia. Tera te ara tei akanoo’ia no teia, ngoie ua i reira i te Korona i te rave ke atu i te tikaanga o te au atu enua. Tena katoa te riiti’anga enua, me kare e peke taau kaiou, e tikaanga teia no tetai manuiri i te kake ki runga i toou enua. Noatu e, ko tona tikaanga e, no te toenga ua o te riiti i runga i te enua, kua rauka tona tikaanga. Me taui ia te ture i te reira va, penei ka maata atu te manuia o te reira manuiri. Eaa ra au i tuatua atu ei i teia i runga nei? Me kare tatou e akamatutu i to tatou turanga i roto i to tatou au matakeinanga i teia nei, a teia tuatau ki mua, kare e rauka i ta tatou anau i te tu ki runga no to ratou tikaanga Kuki Airani, tikaanga toketoke enua. Ko toku taitaia teia no te au ngai tu kaui taku i kite atu i tera tuatau i te aere atu anga te Minita Tutara o Aotearoa nei. Ko tetai tuatau tau tikai te reira i te apii i ta tatou anau, inara kua oti te reira. Kare au e te oro nei, te tu uatu nei au, e te akara atu nei i taau e rave ia nei. I mua ake ka tuatau ei, tei kona au. Kare e na te Are Ariki e Ariki ei te au Ariki, e Ariki rai ratou i te au ngai no reira mai ratou. I tena Are Ariki nei i anoano ia nei tetai au Ariki kia ti’ama mei tei akataka mai koe I roto I taau peapa. Eaa ta ratou ara? No te Turanga o te oraanga kopapa tae mai ei tetai pae ki konei, inara kua oti rai ta ratou akanoonoo’anga no tetai kauono. Akakoromaki mai kare aku reo pakari no te mea ka inangaro au kia marama mai te katoatoa i toku manako. Akakoromaki katoa mai, e kare toku ingoa i runga i taku kura mua, kare i te mea akakoro. Ko toku manako openga, ki taku au taeake e noo ua maira I te ipukarea e kite ua nei I teia e tupu nei, auraka e noo ua, akakoukou ia kotou no te akanoo’anga I tetai kaveinga no to tatou iti tangata maori ki teia tuatau ki mua. Kare e puapinga te kopekope ua e oti noo ua ei ki roto I te poiri. E tu. E tu ki runga. Kua rava au ki konei, tera ua kua matara atu toku manako ki te atea. Kia orana e kia manuia, Tauraki Rongo
Some ideas to solve small island representation
Tuesday 27 March 2018 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, Loyal Cookie (CI News, March 26), makes some good points.
Important reminder for our leaders
Tuesday 27 March 2018 | Published in Opinion
I have been prompted to re-submit a series of four articles originally written in 2004 to remind our political leaders they have a responsibility to listen to the concerns of the people of the Cook Islands.
Rain water storage way to go
Tuesday 27 March 2018 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, I read with interest the letter in your paper regarding concerns about drilling for underground water sources on Aitutaki and contamination by sea water seepage.
Simple solution for our power issues
Monday 26 March 2018 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor After reading the story involving Te Aponga headlined, “Energy Goal Out of Reach” in Thursday’s paper, I cannot help but think that our people at Te Aponga are complicating something which is inherently simple.
Thanks for your help, Les
Monday 26 March 2018 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, I would like publicly thank those assisted in getting the New Zealand superannuation rules changed, especially Les Priest , New Zealand deputy prime minister Winston Peters and others.
Small populations have right to MP representation too
Monday 26 March 2018 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, Mata Atua McNair's two letters of March 15 and 20 touches on the smaller populated islands of the northern islands, in this case Rakahanga and Penrhyn, and the role they will play in this year's 2018 Election.
Ball back in Crown's court on Te Mato Vai negotiations
Monday 26 March 2018 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, Thank you for publishing the letter in relation to issues raised by the Takuvaine Water Catchment Committee (TWCC) in relation to the Te Mato Vai Deed of Access.
Time to revisit drink-driving laws
Monday 26 March 2018 | Published in Tropical Chronicles
These days, it’s all too common for people to appear in court charged with driving while under the influence of alcohol.
Burning questions on water supply
Saturday 24 March 2018 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, News that a limited liability company has already been formed to act as the interim water authority is now in the public domain.
Resumption of AA meetings good news
Saturday 24 March 2018 | Published in Virtues in Paradise
I was glad to hear that Alcoholics Anonymous meetings are starting up again in Rarotonga.
It's time to take action together
Saturday 24 March 2018 | Published in Opinion
Does it really, as the old saying goes, take a village to raise a child? And if so then when children and or people and families fall through the cracks, should we just look to government or the police or the social services agencies, which we all know work with their own limits or should we look back to the village? As we sip our coffees and peruse through the daily newspaper in the morning, again and again we see the cracks appearing in our villages in our communities, with a sense of absolute frustration as to how to remedy the situation Often our first response is to look to who should be responsible for picking up the pieces. Or out of sheer frustration with a lack of justice, a lack of response or accountability we close our doors, close up our lives and hurt. Because people are hurting. When the sanctity of their home and property is invaded by theft they hurt. When a crime is committed against those they love, they hurt. Right across our communities here in Rarotonga and sadly in the pa enua, people are hurting. And as we read of a man sentenced this week for the most terrible crimes against the young and vulnerable, people are hurting. And one has to ponder as I did, what help is there for those poor victims in that broken community, victims of these terrible crimes. Who is responsible, where is the justice, and what is going to be done about it, are questions that seem to be circulating and resonating for too many people in our communities at the moment. It’s not just the potholes in the road that are of great concern, in fact it is the potholes left in people’s lives that need attention. And yet where or how do we get the respite we need for these social ailments? What do we do when we feel hopeless, or helpless in our situation and there doesn’t seem to be the help we so desperately need? We can target the layers of government, and yes, questions need to be directed there because some of these agencies have a mandate to respond to these social ills. But again, can I suggest as we look outwards and look to others to remedy our situation, we forget one vital part of the answer and that part of the answer is closer then we think. Because that part of the answer is you and me. If it actually does take a village to raise a child, then maybe the answers have always been in the village, in our communities, in our neighbourhoods, in our cluster of homes, in our relationships in our families and in our hands. As we have looked to others, have we negated our own power and agency to effect change in our own locality because “love” has always been a verb, something demonstrated, but never just a description of deep connection. Sometimes we acknowledge society has changed. We notice children’s values have changed and we blame Facebook, mobile devices and a changing world for this divergence. But we forget that we can still influence that world around us and we can be agents for change if we do what we have always done, and work together. A village is a group of people that not only live next to each other. It is also a group of people who live love and work together, because that is their choice. They know their neighbours, they care what happens to their children, they respond to cries for help from over the fence, they watch and are attentive to who comes in and out of their street and driveway. Maybe the need is to strengthen our villages, to strengthen our communities because a strong village, with the tools to make change -namely the people in it, will bring the change we so desperately seek. And village means everyone, absolutely everyone in that village and that community, those clusters of people who call these villages home. When was the last time we had our neighbours or a collective of houses over for dinner? When did we last go over for a coffee, or take notice of children crying or home alone, or a mama sitting there alone all day every day, week after week. When was the last time we met as a community to address issues in our community, taking advantage of the power we have together. Or are we just too busy? Have we stopped caring, have we stopped noticing, have we stopped functioning as a village? Do we now live in a little bubble, once in a while looking over the fence and making assumptions about the neighbours we know little about, and haven’t taken the time to care? “Busy”, is the default answer we give to everything nowadays. But can we really afford to be too busy to care? Let us together take the simple step of taking time with those around us. Let us together build the village so it is strong and robust and most importantly, so that it cares. Spend some time this week with your neighbour; meet with the cluster of houses in your area, and be part of the village you want it to be, because the power has always been ours to make it so. We are going to address some of these issues in Puaikura next week. We will be looking to work together in our village with those who are willing. We will build together with anyone who wants to join us. Because together we have always been stronger, and we have to do something. I enjoy working and discussing how we can build a stronger country and community much more than I do discussing to distracting questions of nationalism. This country’s first premiere, Albert Henry, once said, “No-one in the tribe gets left behind”. I am going to take him at his word, because no-one, means no-one. - Thomas Tarurongo Wynne
Dereliction of duty harming our country
Saturday 24 March 2018 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, For the past few years, our government has intentionally caused harm to our country and people, as a result of their drive to ruin our paradise country.
Mental health study recommended
Saturday 24 March 2018 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, This is an open letter to the people of the Cook Islands.
Govt undermines own import substitution aims
Friday 23 March 2018 | Published in Letters to the Editor
Dear Editor, It just goes on and on.
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