Opinion

Kata - September 21, 2012

Friday 21 September 2012 | Published in Kata

Kata - September 20, 2012

Thursday 20 September 2012 | Published in Kata

Avatiu's leftovers delight

Thursday 20 September 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals

A smoke signaller writes: “Congratulations to Bim Tou [Ports Authority general manger] and his men for the free sand from Avatiu wharf; all we have to do is pay for the transport costs to our place. It reminds me when the Chinese workers were here to construct the government buildings – they were assigned to […]

Kata - September 19, 2012

Wednesday 19 September 2012 | Published in Kata

Kata - September 18, 2012

Tuesday 18 September 2012 | Published in Kata

'No stretcher, no medics, no ice'

Tuesday 18 September 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals

A smoke signaller texts to 188: “Every year the rugby semi finals are held at the BCI Stadium and every year the Cook Islands Rugby Union forget to prepare for injuries – no stretcher, no medics, no ice, and no plan. Get it together!” SS: A person who was at the game commented: “Yeah, there was an injury in the Senior B game between Tupapa Panthers and Ngatangiia Dragons. The injury was to a Ngatangiia player and it looked pretty serious as they put the player into the recovery potion and straight away an official called for a stretcher, but there wasn’t one. The player was out cold for a little while before he was roused and gingerly got back to his feet and was helped off the field. It seems that only at grand finals time – which is next week – do the right things happen and the right people appear, such as Red Cross. But during the season having a fist aid kit and a stretcher and even a medic available on the day should be the hosting club’s responsibility, enforced by the CIRU. At this stage of the competition CIRU need to lead by example by providing this important equipment, especially as our local teams play hard and ruthless rugby. But each player and club should also take responsibility for their own safety.

Import substitution is designed to protect

Tuesday 18 September 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor. The letter by ‘Disadvantaged’ in Monday’s (September 17) CINews is a great analogy of what has been happening with the “split invoicing by CITC and systematic rip off by CITC” according to Mr James Beer’s letter.

Outstanding police work

Tuesday 18 September 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, On September 3 I spotted someone moving about on my veranda. I rushed out there and observed a teenage boy leaving the property. I later noticed that my inexpensive wrist watch was missing from the outside table.

Maire rehab idea proposed

Tuesday 18 September 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, We have been following with great interest the increasing crime rate in Rarotonga by young offenders. We offer a suggestion to those government agencies who can jointly be part of a positive solution for rehabilitation.

Kata - September 17, 2012

Monday 17 September 2012 | Published in Kata

Disadvantaged

Monday 17 September 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I am writing regarding articles in your paper of the last few weeks. To assist in getting my point across, I will mention a story about a bank’s ATM money machine which dispensed cash in error, issuing $100 notes and debiting someone else’s account by mistake, one customer realised this and went each […]

Singing undermines position of PM

Monday 17 September 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I would like to congratulate the government for taking the initiative to host the Forum this year. The exposure that this event has generated especially with the visit by Hillary Clinton will have tremendous spin-off effects for the Cook Islands. The only setback I saw was when our prime minister sang at the […]

'Man in glass house throws stone'

Monday 17 September 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, It is perhaps unsurprising and to be expected that a payer of import levies might protest on finding a competitor had paid less on imported soft drinks than he had, even though the lower payments were within the law. However, I don’t think any of us expected that anyone, speaking for someone who […]

Cola Gate – 'another rip off'

Saturday 15 September 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I would like to add my support to the concerns raised by Mr James Beer recently in the Cook Islands News regarding CITC’s special arrangement with its imports since 1980s. I would even go as far as saying that there appears to be a “rip off” of sorts that was occurring from the […]

Visa change impacts foreign workers

Saturday 15 September 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals

A smoke signaller texts to 188: “The New Zealand High Commission in Rarotonga’s decision not to process visas for non-Cook Islanders will create a lot of inconvenience for a significant number of foreign workers in the Cook Islands. Perhaps it’s time that government underwrites direct flights to Fiji.” A smoke signaller writes to TXT188: “Just […]

Rethink marine park's location

Saturday 15 September 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I’ve been watching a documentary on CITV and reading articles in CINews on the proposed Cook Islands Marine Park, and I wanted to share my thoughts regarding this. Although I strongly support the idea of establishing this park in the Cook Islands, for some reason, the way we are going about it just […]

Sounds dodgy

Saturday 15 September 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, To ‘Real Non Nikao SFC Supporter’, are you really going to taint Stephen Willis’ name in the national paper over a bloody soccer match! Firstly, any dignified person giving an example of the indiscretion would have merely stated ‘Tupapa Player’ and ‘Nikao Player’ in their description of events. Sounds a little dodgy to […]

Back roads awful

Saturday 15 September 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, As a person who lives inland on Rarotonga, I have never seen the conditions of the back roads in such an awful state. Huge crater-like potholes that are not only very damaging to motor vehicles but, more importantly, dangerous to motorists. I know of at least five persons who have come off the […]

3 beautiful goals were scored

Friday 14 September 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Oh my gosh! It seems to me that Non Nikao SFC Supporter is still crying and hurting after Saturday’s soccer match between Tupapa and Nikao. What surprised me is this, this person claims to be a non-Nikao supporter and yet he/she seems to know the players’ names that played on the field, SURPRISE, […]

Why we feel we've come home

Friday 14 September 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I picked up my sister and her man from the airport on Sunday night. I’d got them each an ei and it was lovely to see them marvel and luxuriate in the fragrance and beauty of the waxy gardenias and fine, delicate tiare. I remember the time I was first garlanded with an […]