Opinion

Batman defends its tourism publication

Tuesday 27 March 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Recently your newspaper published an article about my company’s (“John Batman Group”) compendium publications. I am concerned that this article may lead local businesses to get a false impression of JBG and of what is being offered to them. Unfortunately this article contained inaccuracies about JBG revenue and I would like to clarify […]

Food survey fails

Tuesday 27 March 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals

A smoke signaller sent in this tongue-in-cheek ‘news’ snippet: Last month a world-wide survey was conducted by the UN. The only question asked was: “Could you please give your honest opinion about solutions to the world food shortages?” The survey was a massive failure because of the following: In Eastern Europe they didn’t know what […]

Cervical cancer screening explained

Monday 26 March 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, As an on-line reader in New Zealand and visiting specialist to The Cook Islands, I was very pleased to see a recent letter from a reader in Australia calling for all Cook Island women to make sure that they have regular cervical smears. However, I feel that I should write to explain why […]

Kata - March 26, 2012

Monday 26 March 2012 | Published in Kata

What's the joke?

Monday 26 March 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, In last Friday’s CINews a smoke signaller chastised the National Environment Service for authorising the removal of shrubbery from Takuvaine Stream, finishing off his piece with the statement, “Is Les Priest behind all this?” Why he chose to quote my name in a derogatory context in the media is a mystery beyond my […]

Foreign policy out of control?

Monday 26 March 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I am a big fan of the Cooks and holiday there quite often and I like to follow current events reading the Cook Islands News once a week. Though I am just an outsider from NZ, I have noticed that the Cook Islands’ foreign policy (do they have even a policy or is […]

Dismiss Operation Eagle charges

Monday 26 March 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Last year in March we had an investigation named Operation Eagle, where 13 people were arrested and taken into prison custody. This year in March 2012 a 17-year-old student didn’t even get a conviction and yet she had 613 marijuana seeds in a small container. I always walk past the court house hoping […]

Say no to mining

Monday 26 March 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, It will be a sad day for all Cook Islanders if the government allows seabed mining to go ahead on our beautiful foreshores. Why are we so money hungry, and not caring about our environment. Mining on our seabeds is going to be disastrous for our future generations to come, It’s a sad […]

Over-zealous law enforcement

Saturday 24 March 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I wish to add my voice to others who over the past three months have been closely watching coverage of court proceedings relating to a friend on a charge of possession of a utensil in the Cook Islands. To put it bluntly we have been dismayed at the number of times (at least […]

Law spin

Saturday 24 March 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, The spin sent out by the Law Society raises more issues of due process and remedies available in court. Why are the bankers and lawyers so determined to apply for rulings of contempt of court just so a debtor will pay up an account? There are other avenues in contract law so what […]

Stop rubbishing Raro league clubs

Saturday 24 March 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, ‘Disgusted Aitutaki’ all sports supporter letter in Thursday newspaper, please get off the backs of the Rarotonga rugby league clubs. Sick and tired of reading their tantrums. All the teams here in Rarotonga are struggling just as much as you are in Aitutaki. You the sharks have only one team to look after, […]

Pension problems still not resolved

Saturday 24 March 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Mr Geoff Porter, you really have revealed a lot of valuable information on the NZ pension in your letter to the editor. I left Raro to live in NZ in December 2005 aged 62 years after receiving a reply to my letter from the Head Office of WINZ in Wellington that I have […]

Stop-Go guys keep smiling

Saturday 24 March 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals

A smoke signaller writes: “Yes, it can be a bit of pain waiting to be allowed to go through the current road works along the main road at Nikao, however I want to say those two young guys that are on the Stop/Go signs always have a smile and often a bit of humour, which […]

Kata - March 24, 2012

Saturday 24 March 2012 | Published in Kata

Why not subsidise northern flights?

Friday 23 March 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I am writing to follow-up regarding the $12.5 subsidy to Air New Zealand for flights aimed at increasing tourism. While I laud this effort, I also wonder about encouraging local flights, especially between the Northern Group and Rarotonga. The current lack of regular, affordable transportation is discouraging. To travel from Rarotonga to Pukapuka […]

Not all support

Friday 23 March 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, Please allow me ‘to kill two flies with one stroke’, as the saying goes. Firstly, I disagree with Dick (affectionately known as Dicky) Thomson, as far as his complete disgust is concerned. The Aitutaki Sharks were informed, as we read, two months ago that the Takuvaine Warriors are unable to travel due to […]

Judicature law like David and Goliath

Friday 23 March 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, If sending letters to the newspaper gets disclosure that the Judicature Amendment Bill really is at the behest of the Bankers’ Association, it is a win for freedom of information. The Law Society would win points if their aim to ‘diffuse legal knowledge’ to the public happened before it goes to Select Committee […]

Batman cashes cheques, flees island

Friday 23 March 2012 | Published in Letters to the Editor

Dear Editor, I am writing in regards to the compendium initiative by the John Batman Group which has polarised the tourism industry. As a small tour operator obviously I am one of those totally opposed to this initiative. Basically this man Jarrod La Canna came to see us, showing a fancy compendium and a list […]

Don't remove stream bank shrubs

Friday 23 March 2012 | Published in Smoke Signals

“So the director of Environmental Services authorised the removal of ‘shrubbery’ from Takuvaine Stream ‘before it rains’,” a smoke signaler notes after reading yesterday’s front page article. “Brilliant indeed. That ‘shrubbery’ is what holds the soil, what slows down the flow of water and what absorbs pollutants from upstream before they can reach the lagoon. […]

Kata - March 23, 2012

Friday 23 March 2012 | Published in Kata