Opinion

'Go. Local' and just leave?

Tuesday 7 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, With regard to some of the views expressed by Mike Tavioni in your issue of August 1, I would like to highlight another ongoing issue involving the Tourism Corporation in regards to overseas film crews and photographers working in the Cook Islands. For local video producers and photographers it is disappointing to see […]

Show the love

Tuesday 7 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I was really excited watching the Olympics and seeing two world records being broken in a row right after each other. This was for the quick snatch weightlifting. What annoyed me though was the Colombian man when he went for his final lift the commentators were saying he’s received medals in all his […]

Rarotonga, we have a problem

Tuesday 7 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

”I was in court last Thursday observing the proceedings,“ a smoke signaller writes. ”The majority of cases were youth up for a variety of charges, mostly burglary. One young thug with slouching arms folded across his chest, eyes rolling towards the ceiling with a ‘devil may care’ attitude was discharged without conviction for breaking his […]

Kata - August 7, 2012

Tuesday 7 August 2012 | Published in Kata

CISNOC board 'should all resign'

Saturday 4 August 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals

”That was a great decision by Cook Islands Tourism to fund our Olympic team’s uniforms,“ a smoke signaller says. ”Exposure to billions of people at very little cost! Hope these types of decisions continue now that the CEO has been ousted. Rumour is the Tourism board was unhappy with the expenditure.“

What a joke

Saturday 4 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I am a rheumatism sufferer and I have been planting marijuana for the last 10 or more years and my whole neighbourhood knows about my little garden. My late wife looks after my garden because my plants are kept at her undercover grave and it is kept alight every night. Marijuana don’t like […]

Sentences over the top

Saturday 4 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, This is a response to the letter by ‘Justice for all’. I am disappointed the writer chose to make reference regarding the parents and even extended family members of the recently sentenced Giovanni Masters and Inano Matapo. The ‘fuss’ being made over the sentences is in relation to the extremely high terms of […]

Samoan insights

Saturday 4 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, ”Even the blind man can still see.“ This is the caption written by my son Tamarii (T2) on one of the art pieces that he did while he was still a student at Tereora College. The art piece itself depicts his fierce pride in his twin heritage of being a Cook Islander and […]

Congratulations to commissioner

Saturday 4 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Congratulations to the Commissioner of Police for having the guts to deal with corruption in his police force and drug taking and drug dealing in our country. Commissioners have come and gone. I am sure they knew what was going down but chose to do nothing by putting this problem in the ‘too […]

Loss of Beattie 'a great shame'

Saturday 4 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, The sudden loss of CEO Carmel Beattie from Cook Islands Tourism last week should raise many questions. When Carmel Beattie first came to Atiu with her team she arrived to a very sceptical tourism community that sat in the meeting with folded arms, eyes on the floor with a mind set of ‘here […]

'Height of naivety, below the belt'

Saturday 4 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I would not normally respond to such an article as that written by ‘And Justice For All’ published in your column in the August 2 issue. Much as I support the rights of people to free expression, I am saddened by your writer’s totally erroneous insinuations. In this instance, I can only speak […]

Kata - August 4, 2012

Saturday 4 August 2012 | Published in Kata

'I'm a Demo'

Friday 3 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I will put my case to the public for the last time and will no longer respond to further comments. (a) There is no such law in existence as the law against party hopping. (b) The law being mistaken for it, section 105 of the 2007 Electoral Amendment Act covers 3 things: 1. […]

Silence this man!

Friday 3 August 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals

”Mike Tavioni makes too much sense – government should take immediate steps to silence this man,“ a smoke signaller writes tongue-in-cheek in response to the front page article ‘Sack board, not Beattie: Tavioni’. ”We really don’t need him reminding us that most of the dollars spent by tourists getting here, eating here and sleeping here […]

Tangata ngakau tamanamanta

Friday 3 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Kia Orana e Tama, Te tatau nei au ma te marekakore i te manako o Norman George e tona au turuturu kia riro koia te arataki o taku party te Democratic Party. Kare ai nei ko teia Tangata, e mema aia no te Cook Islands Party, e kua tu aia I raro ake I te […]

Kata - August 2, 2012

Thursday 2 August 2012 | Published in Kata

Allegations answered

Thursday 2 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I refer to the news item in yesterday’s CINews wherein the Leader of the Opposition and MP for Penrhyn Wilkie Rasmussen was reported to have made a number of allegations regarding the payment made by the Cook Islands Pearl Authority (CIPA) to the Manihiki Island culture group. I wish to provide the following […]

Papa'a judges the problem

Thursday 2 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Your letter writer calling for an end to ”foreign“ Judges sitting in the High Court of the Cook Islands is certainly a topic that needs debate. The problem however is not ”foreign“ Judges but Papa’a Judges. We are privileged to have two Land Division Judges who, when not sitting here, sit on the […]

Support and sympathy from former HOM

Thursday 2 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I just wanted to express my commiseration to Carmel Beattie’s sacking. As a former Head of Ministry and a colleague I have known her to be very professional, articulate, good debater and participated very well in HOMs meeting especially in relation to Government policies, budget planning and business planning. Also as a former […]

A lot want a drug-free country

Thursday 2 August 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I read with sadness the view of Undercover Marijuana Taker in the paper. I cannot believe that we have people living here in our country with this kind of mind frame. One cannot blame the judges for the decision passed on these kids. These judges are guided by the laws of this country, […]