Opinion

UK trip 'not a waste'

Tuesday 29 May 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I refer to the letter by Hon. Wilkie Rasmussen recently regarding the representation by the Cook Islands National Performing Arts Troupe at the QEII Diamond Jubilee Pageant in London. The MP for Tongareva basically said that this was a waste of funds and it should have been utilised on solving the problems with […]

New call for a halt to work

Tuesday 29 May 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Over the last week and weekend I and many others have had to drive along an extremely salty stretch of road Avatiu/Panama. I have this morning Monday 28 laid complaints with both the National Environment Service and Police over this dreadful carry on, in the hope that together with the other complaints already […]

Can big ships stay when planes land?

Tuesday 29 May 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals

”On the Avatiu wharf, could the investment of $28 million be wasted?“ a smoke signaller asks. ”Yep, in my opinion someone has botched up – no one checked on the height restriction for aircraft movements. A shipping company has bought a bigger ship to service the Cooks; the height of the ship is 50 metres […]

Salt will damage vehicles and taro patches

Monday 28 May 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, The works involving the material being dredged from the harbour should in its present practice cease until a more satisfactory solution is agreed. Where else in the western world would a contractor be allowed to ‘pollute’ a main thoroughfare – can you imagine trucks polluting say Queen Street from a building site with […]

Please go easy on the make-up!

Monday 28 May 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, After looking at the front page photo on Saturday’s newspaper and reading the comment ‘It won’t be all about looks’, may I throw in my three dollars’ worth on something that gets up my nose regarding beauty pageants/shows/performances in the Cooks. I had to look at the names in the photocaption to realise […]

Kata - May 28, 2012

Monday 28 May 2012 | Published in Kata

Tuna leftovers?

Saturday 26 May 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I’m referring to a plan by the government to package and distribute our own tuna brand using a US based company Starkist located in Pago Pago. Maybe it’s my own lack of knowledge that I’ve never heard of or seen such company processing tuna products using Cook Islands tuna. Not according to the […]

A second chance

Saturday 26 May 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, We salute Judge Colin Nicholson for his tenure as a judge in our courts and commend him for his comments ”it’s never easy to judge a fellow human being…“ A person was mentioned in that article whom the judge presided over their case and I wonder to myself, the person’s name was aired […]

Kata - May 26, 2012

Saturday 26 May 2012 | Published in Kata

Flying high while supplies run low

Saturday 26 May 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals

One of our readers phoned in this smoke signal: ”After reading about the pharmacy shortages in the newspaper (CINews, Thursday, May 24, ‘Commercial pharmacies under pressure’) and the government saying there was no shortage, I thought I’d share my experiences. Three weeks ago I took a 94-year-old to the hospital because he couldn’t hear and […]

Put off by salon reps

Saturday 26 May 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, My friend and I arrived on beautiful Rarotonga early on Saturday morning… headed off to our resort to get settled in then headed off to hire us a car so we could attend the market later that day. People here are so nice and welcoming. As we walked around the market the vendors […]

Kata - May 25, 2012

Friday 25 May 2012 | Published in Kata

Te akaroa, pensioners

Friday 25 May 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, To the pensioners, unfortunately the government is unable to lower the departure tax due to financial problems. So there is a possibility the departure tax will increase to about $70 (te akaroa, especially for those travelling to NZ for medical check-up). As I said previously, the problem is with the government structure, too […]

It's time to go hard or go home

Friday 25 May 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, In the mid 1980s, the Arorangi Rugby Club A team made history in becoming the first team to win the ”Champion of Champions“ shield 10 years in a row. A feat no other club has equalled. Avatiu club on the other hand held onto a trophy for nine consecutive years, only to see […]

Kata - May 24, 2012

Thursday 24 May 2012 | Published in Kata

Why repeat the immigration fee?

Thursday 24 May 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals

”It seems the Immigration Dept has found another way to make more money,“ a smoke signaller writes. ”When permanent residents go to Immigration to get their passport stamped to prove their status, understandably the first time you do this you expect to pay around $20 for their work in checking your certificate and documents are […]

Kata - May 19, 2012

Wednesday 23 May 2012 | Published in Kata

Kata - May 23, 2012

Wednesday 23 May 2012 | Published in Kata

Kata - May 22, 2012

Tuesday 22 May 2012 | Published in Kata

Give harpooners FADs

Monday 21 May 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals

A smoke signaller writes: ”The ‘Harpooned!’ feature story by Rachel Reeves on Saturday was excellent. Here is the solution – why don’t the harpooners put down their own FADs [fishing aggregate devices]. One can be done for $5000. Give them some of this money MMR [Ministry of Marine Resources] is dishing out for fishers, and […]