Opinion

Kata - August 30, 2012

Thursday 30 August 2012 | Published in Kata

Depopulation: the real reasons

Wednesday 29 August 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals

”What a lot of hogwash from Minister Mark Brown on why our people are leaving in droves for overseas,“ writes a smoke signaller in response to yesterday’s p11 article ‘Be more productive’. ”We don’t want to hear why they are leaving because we all know the real reason why they are leaving. What we want […]

Kia orana cobber, nice to meet you

Tuesday 28 August 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals

”This may be a wonderful opportunity for Australia’s Prime Minister Julia Gillard to make the acquaintance of the Aussie expats resident in the Cook Islands,“ a smoke signaller writes, ”an opportunity which regrettably the Australian High Commissioner from Wellington did not take on his recent visit here. One would have thought that looking out for […]

Kata - August 28, 2012

Tuesday 28 August 2012 | Published in Kata

Customs upset tourist

Tuesday 28 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I am a regular visitor to the Cook Islands, having been to the country eight times. But the start to my holiday this time was extremely disappointing. I flew in with my wife on the Saturday night flight from Auckland and brought one litre of gin and six bottles of beer from the […]

Silk's outburst 'breathtaking'

Tuesday 28 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I cannot let Don Silk’s letter to your newspaper go without reply. Don Silk has chosen to ignore the facts supporting my company’s application for judicial review as outlined in your article. The current proceedings are only about our Dangerous Goods Act. Its regulations say that all fuel storage facilities in the Cook […]

'We used to be a safe country'

Tuesday 28 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Since moving to New Zealand so my children can get schooled here, I have refrained from commenting on issues back home preferring to leave that for the real locals. But after today (Tuesday 21 August), I am moved to write about my nephew because what has happened to him is just appalling and […]

Cops, jobs, security, Fiji, CISNOC...

Monday 27 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, With all the recent cases opening up about the police it’s an embarrassment to the commissioner who should just hand in his resignation or the prime minister if he ever shows any initiative should terminate him on the spot. Example: the same as what was done to Mark Short shortly after CIP took […]

Motorcade madness, mayhem coming

Monday 27 August 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals

”This cavalcade business is way over the top,“ writes a smoke signaller. ”Who gives this lot the right to break the law and speed through town dangerously? The whole thing is overly obtrusive and sometimes pathetic when you look in the VIP cars and see one or two passengers. Saturday night’s effort, all for the […]

Kata - August 27, 2012

Monday 27 August 2012 | Published in Kata

Raro cures winter blues

Saturday 25 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, We are just back from what has been our 9th trip to Rarotonga. We had our first visit in 1996 and we love to visit you all and we always have a wonderful lazy relaxing time. We live way down the bottom of the South Island of New Zealand in The Catlins and […]

Standards too low, training too short

Saturday 25 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, For a former police officer to imply the problem of theft by police is due to poor leadership is both a lie and (pardon the pun) a cop out (Aug 20). All police officers are adults, and as adults they are responsible for their own actions. Long before the proverbial hit the fan, […]

Feeling second class

Saturday 25 August 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals

A smoke signaller observes: ”Frenzied activities on the roads, putting in tiger eyes on the centre line, painting white lines down the middle, grooming, brushing and cleaning…all this just to impress the Forum delegates. Then there’s the new police cars, wow, and we all thought that the police had nothing left in their Budget as […]

Kata - August 25, 2012

Saturday 25 August 2012 | Published in Kata

Thank God

Thursday 23 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, After waiting patiently for six months for the road works to repair our road (top part), I decided to do it myself to avoid more accidents. It shows you either the government haven’t got the resources or they don’t give a damn about the aronga rikiriki (small people) of our country. Thank God […]

Arataki matakukore

Thursday 23 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Kia Orana e Tama, Te ngakau parau ite kiteanga ite karape e te pakari o te upoko arataki atupaka o te au akava i tana i rave ite kimikimi anga ite au angaanga taravake a tona aronga angaanga e pera tei opukina ia mai no te okooko e te kai maruana. Teia ta tatou i […]

Dogs never so bad

Thursday 23 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, In regard to G. Brown’s (NZ) letter (Wed 15), we too have been coming to Rarotonga for many years – like 16 or 17 and we absolutely agree with everything he says. The dog problem has never been so bad or so terrifying. Does Rarotonga want tourists or are these savage dogs trained […]

PSC denies 'earmarking' of Aitutaki job

Thursday 23 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

The public service commissioner says the accusations against his office printed in a letter to the editor yesterday are based on ”unfounded speculation“. An Aitutaki person who wrote a letter under a nom de plume alleged that a position in the Aitutaki department of internal affairs was being ”earmarked“ for Kaiti Paiti, the daughter of […]

Minerals trip to China not a 'junket'

Thursday 23 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I sent you a private email on Monday regarding problems I saw with Monday’s CINews article (21/8/12) on my report on the recent minerals seminar. It has been two days now with no explanation or apology and therefore this public ‘Letter to the Editor’ is now necessary. Whilst I am grateful that my […]

Kata - August 23, 2012

Thursday 23 August 2012 | Published in Kata